The Great Outdoors and Tropical Shores

It's the first Sunday in March and time for new Challenges at Stamping Sensations and Craft a Scene. It was my turn to choose the theme at Stamping Sensations and I chose 'The Great Outdoors'. Our sponsors this month are a favourite company of mine, Crafty Individuals, so I had no problem choosing stamps of theirs to fit this theme. I made my first card with Crafty Individuals CI-191, CI-182,CI-234 and crafty masks - fabulous ferns.

 The background was dusted with my inkylicious ink dusters and distress inks in China Blue, Mowed Lawn and Crushed Olive.
My second card features CI-284, CI-182 and background papers book 6.

 The main image was stamped onto some watercolour card that I had brushed with H2Os, and has a lovely sparkly sheen. You might just be able to see it here. 

 It is also time for another challenge at Craft a Scene, where the theme this month is Tropical Shores. Here is my card. 

 I used Stampscapes stamps (Palms with Huts small set), my ink dusters and Adirondack inks in Peach Bellini, Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow and Mountain Rose. I added a few highlights with white gel pen. 
There is lots more lovely inspiration at both challenge blogs from my lovely teamies, so do drop by both to take a look. Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments! 

Craft a Scene let your light shine week 3

Good Afternoon, Lovely Bloggers and welcome to my latest offering for Craft a Scene. For this one I decoupaged my Michael Powell Lighthouse, the same one that is in my blog candy here, but hurry as it ends very soon!
I coloured the whole thing with promarkers and made it into a tall narrow easel card, about the same width as DL but slightly shorter. The stripy paper was a freebie from Canon Creative Park and  the sentiment was from Waltzing Mouse. I added some eyelets and faux stitching to finish it off.
There are more offerings from my very talented teamies on the challenge blog. I do hope you can join in this month.
If you want to be in with a chance of winning this stamp and several other goodies, then please leave a comment on my blog candy post.
Thanks for looking!

Another Snowy Cottage for Craft a Scene

 Here is my second offering for Craft a Scene this month where the theme is snowy cottages. For this one I used a snowy cottage stamp from Sheena Douglass, and added an extra tree and a few bits of foliage from Inkylicious. I stamped it in Memento London Fog and coloured with promarkers, but the sheep were blending into the background. I wasn't sure what to do about it, but eventually got my fine liner and went over them in black. I think it turned out okay. I added a couple of die cut flourishes at the corners (a Christmas present) and some turquoise flat backed pearls. Thanks for looking and I hope you will have a go at our Craft a Scene challenge this month.

Winter Scenes at Craft a Scene

This month at Craft a Scene our theme is Winter Scenes and we are being sponsored by Robyn's Fetish. The child sledging is one of their images, which I coloured in Promarkers. I made the simple background with Ink Dusters and Adirondack inks in Pool and Sunshine Yellow. The trees are from an Inkylicious set called Winter's Tale. Why not pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the gorgeous creations of my teamies, and then have a go. It would be lovely to have you join us this month. Thanks for looking!

More troubled skies at Craft a scene

I had a play with most of my Stampscapes stamps after watching Kevin's videos on Youtube. Here is my second DT offering of Troubled Sky for Craft a Scene. The colours of Adirondack ink are Peach Bellini, Denim and Eggplant. The base card is stamped with Hero Arts Silhouette Grasses and a sentiment from Inkylicious. I added a few highlights with white gel pen to lift the darkness a little.
You still have a bit of time left to enter the challenge, so get those stamps out and have a go!
Before I disappear I thought I would share a troubled sky or two from our summer holiday last year! I can't complain because it was only really two days in a fortnight that it really rained, but it was rain with attitude!

  Thanks for looking!

Troubled Skies at Craft a Scene

It is the first Sunday in November and time for a new challenge at Craft a Scene. The theme this Month is Troubled Skies and I have been learning how to use my Cumulus stamp (Stampscapes) with a bit of help from Kevin on You Tube. The rest of the scene was created with my Inkylicious stamps - the Seascape Memories and Essential Grasses plates. I used a range of Adirondack inks and my ink dusters to create the background, then added a bit more detail with my distress markers, including the Picket fence one on the light house. I was feeling a bit worried about this theme, but I am quite pleased with my results.
Pop over to the challenge blog to check out the rest of the DT's creations and find details of the challenge.
Thanks for looking!

More trees

There is an area of Sherwood Forest that I drive through whenever I visit my Dad, on the A616 between Edwinstowe and Budby, here (twirl around 360 degrees to see all the trees). I often marvel at the different colours, and Nature provides a feast for the eyes, especially when the sun is shining. At the moment there are so many shades of green, brown and gold, and when I drove up last weekend it inspired me to make a card.

 I didn't quite get the perspective right, as the fir trees look much further away than I intended! The track going into the distance was inspired by Michelle Zindorf. It is something I have seen her do with torn paper a couple of times. All stamps are by Inkylicious except for the dotty ones I used for the leaves on the trees (from Lavinia stamps), and the dragonfly (from Crafty Individuals). The inks were Adirondack, applied with my Ink Dusters and the dragonfly was stamped onto fantasy film.
As it is another tree scene I am entering this into the Craft a Scene challenge (My second entry)
Well, it looks like I'm getting plenty of blogging time this week, but all my posts were half written at the weekend, when the cards were made. I am almost ready to start packing for Rwanda - just a few last minute things to prepare. I will post more details at the weekend about it. I will have my tea now - just got back from a governors meeting. Thanks for looking!

A bit sporadic

Well, where did the last week go? I did intend blogging, and had a couple of cards ready, but starting back to work was so hectic, there were two nights I didn't even switch this computer on! I had a meeting and a meal one evening with the folks I will be going to Rwanda with. Two weeks yesterday I will be boarding a plane to Nairobi and then transferring to Kigali. I am a little more organised than I was on Thursday now, but still lots to do!
I did manage a little bit of time at the craft table yesterday, making a card for Craft a Scene. With a theme like trees I had to have a go this month. I might even have a second go as I have another tree idea inspired by my drive through Sherwood Forest yesterday on the way to my Dad's house.
So, here is my tree card.

I used a mixture of stamps from Lavinia and Inkylicious, Adirondack inks (five different shades - I'll let you guess!) a white distress marker and a black fine liner. I created the background with my ink dusters.
The other things I wanted to share with you were photos of my Dad's dahlias. He lost all of his dahlias in the very snowy winter we had back in 2010, so I bought him some new tubers for his birthday. Here are a few photos of the massive blooms they have produced.

The third one is about 7 inches across! That reminds me. I bought a large Dahlia stamp a little while ago that I really ought to ink up and use!
Thanks for looking!

Seaside scenes

This months challenge for Craft a Scene is 'Beach Scenes', and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use my Inkylicious stamps again. With the weather as it was yesterday it wasn't feeling particularly like summer, so I made a rather stormy looking scene! I used my ink dusters on super smooth card with Distress inks in Stormy sky, tumbled glass and brushed corduroy, along with memento dessert sand. I masked the lighthouse before I began dusting and then coloured it with Distress markers afterwards, dulling down the colour with picket fence. The grasses were stamped in brushed corduroy using second generation ink.
The challenge at Allsorts this week is 'Oh I do like to be beside the Seaside', and I have to admit I do, even if it isn't good weather, so I'm entering this card there too
My second card is another Coastal scene using a Michael Powell stamp I bought recently - another lighthouse.

I coloured the scene with promarkers and used some snippets of paper from my stash - that border is covering a gap, as the stripy stuff wasn't long enough! The raffia was in my stash too and the shells were gathered from a Norfolk beach about seven years ago! I'm entering this in Di's Crafty snippet challenge.
Well, the weather has been a little better as Steve has managed to cut the hedge with only one interruption for rain. The sun has shone a few times too. I'm going to make some banana cupcakes now as we have three very ripe bananas in the kitchen that won't last much longer! Thanks for looking!

Craft a scene with Spring flowers

This week is the last week to enter the Craft a Scene Challenge for May where the theme is Spring flowers, so I thought it was time to get my skates on! I  managed to catch a few minutes of Deby from Inkylicious on C&C this afternoon and was inspired to create this:

All of the stamps are from Inkylicious, although I spotted a few more I will be investing in very soon! I used a range of Adirondack inks, my ink dusters, some stickles and a ribbon. The die used to cut the main panel was from Go Kreate. This photo looks a bit bright, taken outside, but the colours are more lifelike than the one taken in the shade.
See for yourself

Too much blue, but take some out and the green goes yellow. Light can be a pain! Here is a close up to show the detail on those stamps.

 I hope you have enjoyed the sunshine. I finished my marking and enjoyed a bit of time in the garden too. Thanks for looking and I hope you have a good week.

Moonlight becomes me...

I had the opportunity to get inky on Mother's day and thought I would start work on a commission that needed to be finished by the end of next week . It is a retirement card for a female lawyer who likes cruises and flowers. I am hoping this fits the bill.

I used my ink dusters to create a moon, sea and sky with Adirondack inks in Peach Bellini, Mountain Rose, Watermelon, Purple twilight, Eggplant, Denim and Pitch Black.The stamps are all stampscapes (Palms with Huts small set).

 The vine and large flower in the corner are Marianne design dies and the flowers are an EK success punch. I am entering this into the 'Craft a scene' challenge where the theme this month is Moonlight. It is the first time I have entered this challenge, but my regular visitors will know how much I love my scenes.

Before I go I thought I would share the card Meg made me for Mother's day, yesterday. She loves drawing Manga and here is her portrait of me...waist deep in cupcake! If only I were that slim in real life! She bought me flowers, baked me some gorgeous cakes and cleaned my car too. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.
Well, I'd better go and get on. Thanks for looking!