Punches and Dies at Stamping Sensations

Good Morning! It is the first Sunday of the month and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations- our first challenge of 2015 !

After all the seasonal festivities I hope you are all set for some crafting, and if Santa was kind with the crafty goodies what better opportunity than to give them their first outing with this months theme..........

********Dies and Punches********

With such a vast selection now available I don't think there are too many of us who don't have at least one or two in our crafty arsenal, so we hope lots of you will join us this month and get those dies and punches into action.

 I used a framelits iron work die that I picked up as a real bargain! The central panel was stamped with tiny text (Inkylicious) in tea dye distress inks. I then used flitterglu and Chocolate box mega flake(indigo Blu) on the flower(inkylicious). I used the same gilding flakes on a strip of double sided tape down the left hand side

Now onto the prize.We have the perfect prize of a great collection of Sizzix dies as well as a pretty collection of ribbons to add the finishing touch to your artwork.

 How cool is that? Looking forward to seeing all your fab entries! Don't forget to pop over to the challenge blog and see my teamies' wonderful creations!
Thanks for looking!

My Top 5 of 2014

Good morning! Still plenty of the crisp and even stuff here. Hope you are managing to stay warm. I am joining in again with Debby's Top 5  for the year. I had to go back through very carefully and had completely forgotten some! It was so hard! I think my choices are based on the reaction of the people who received them more than anything. Here goes then. My first card was inspired by a photo and stamped with Inkylicious stamps- the post about it (and the photo) is here.

 My second card was for a dear friend and colleague. Softy that I am, the sentiment on this card was so pertinent that I it made me cry. All stamps on this one are from Inkylicious and the original post is here

 My third card, using Inky Doodles stamps, was for another dear friend who loves foxes.

 My fourth card was the one I gave Steve for our Silver wedding Anniversary

 My fifth card was Steve's Birthday card

I couldn't just choose 5 though, so I have three runners up!

 First is Meg's birthday card using a mixture of Inkylicious and Crafty Individuals stamps. Find out more here. I was pretty pleased with the realistic shadows and waves breaking on the shore!

Next is one of the cards that I produced as a part of my third video tutorial

and finally a play with my dylusions, treasure gold, distress markers and Crafty individuals stamps which was a DT card for Stamping Sensations. More details here. Do pop over to Debby's blog and take a look at her lovely top 5 (+)!
Welcome to my latest followers Joey, Desire, Rita,Barbara and Viv. Sorry it has taken a while to welcome you! It is great to have you here. Thanks for looking and I will see you on Sunday for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations!

A bit of an adventure and my favourite 5 Christmas cards

Well, Boxing Day didn't finish the way we expected it to! It is the day we host family and cook our proper Christmas Dinner. We had a lovely day and were just enjoying our tea when Steve decided to check on the weather, only to discover that it was starting to snow. We quickly got both Dads organised and then set off to take them home. Steve's dad (now 94) was safely delivered home, but after a 3 hour 11 mile round trip we arrived back home with my dad still with us. Steve was a hero, pushing six cars up a hill with two other complete strangers so we could all get back home. It was a much improved picture this morning as you can see from the photo above and we did get Dad home safely and in time for his next medication. After a bit of slipping and sliding on our road we finally got home too. I think I will stay at home tomorrow!
I wanted to join in with Debby and share my favourite five Christmas cards with you for 2014. Several of these are getting their first airing today as I didn't get round to posting them before Christmas.
First is the card I made for Meg using all Inkylicious stamps.

My second was the card I made for Steve, using Inky Doodles stamps (including the background).

My third was my Dad's Christmas card, using Card-io stamps. When I saw this set I just had to buy it - love the bird feeders, tables and boxes.

 

My next card was made with Inkylicious stamps and a Chocolate Baroque sentiment

I am struggling to decide on my fifth card. It is another scene using the Inkylicious stamps, but I can't choose between these two:
The card I made for Lynne, using the thistle stamp to make a wreath...

 or Deer in the snow

some of these are quite similar and use the same colour inks and stickles etc, but I loved the variety I managed with just a few stamps.
Do pop over to Debby's blog and take a look at her favourites too.
Thanks for looking and stay warm xxx

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just a quick visit to blogland before I start baking. I wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas and say a huge thank you for all the wonderful support and comments you have left me this year. I can't put into words how much I appreciate them. I will be taking a short break, then I will be back before new year. Many many thanks xxx

A couple of cards and a little bit of News!

My first card is the one that I sent to Lynne this year. As it was heading to Scotland I used the Inkylicious thistle stamp, curved onto the acrylic block, to make the wreath. The stag (silhouette deer) and trees (create a scene - trees) are also from Inkylicious. These stamps are not on the website yet, but you can always ring Deby in the new year and ask for them. I will be making some less Christmassy cards with these stamps soon! Here is a close up of the snow effect acheived with a clear stardust gellyroll pen and a waterbrush.

 It has been a crazy couple of weeks for me with School Panto, parties, trips (58 children to see Santa and learn about Victorian Christmas traditions)  and Christmas fair, and I also have about 7 colleagues with birthdays in December!!! I needed a card quickly, so got out some favourite ink colours, ink dusters and some inkylicious stamps (Summer Morn) and made this.

The flowers are actually two shades of purple (memento grape jelly and Elderberry) rather than the brown they look in the photo. Even my daylight lamp doesn't seem to show the true colours.
On to my news. A couple of months ago I was contacted by the editor of Creative Stamping and Creative Card making magazines to see if I would complete some commissions for them. It fell perfectly during half term and so I said yes! My first set of cards will be featured in issue 22 of creative Stamping (on sale 16th January) and the second lot in issue 23 (on sale 27th February). I will show you a sneaky peek nearer the release date and a few of the cards I made.
Spare a thought for Santa this year. I witnessed children asking for a wand that does real magic and a real life unicorn, not to mention the real rainbow pony and a gerbil that can talk!!! Not a single child asked for anything electronic, and there were the very modest requests too, such as a snakes and ladders game, a pink teddy and some football socks. It was magical the way that Santa appeared on the roof of Beaumanor Hall in Leicestershire, and every child believed (and maybe one or two adults too, lol)!!!

Right, I am off to enjoy the first evening of my two week holiday.
Thanks for looking! 

Snippet Birthday Card

I made this card for a friend using lots of snippets. The leaves and framed parts were stamped onto snippets of white card before colouring with promarkers and cutting out. The pale green snippet at the bottom was run through my cuttlebug with a stencil and my no shims mat before dusting with crushed olive Distress ink and stamping with the tiny acorn in the same ink. the faux stitching was drawn with a distress marker. All stamps are from Inky Doodles using the Woodland Walk set. 
I am popping over to Miss Di's snippet playground with it, and hope Parsnip has something warming stashed in the tree house ;). I think I have finished the Christmas shopping apart from food, so I'm ready for a hot toddy x
Thanks for looking!

Winter Wonderland at Stamping Sensations

It is the first Sunday of the month and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. Our theme this month is Winter Wonderland - perfect for any last minute Christmas cards, or winter birthdays. I have made a couple of scenic cards - no surprise there, lol! This month we are being sponsored by Chloe's Creative cards. I have used their Starry wreath, embossed in holographic silver, as a frame for my little scene (Deer -Stampscapes, Tree- Making Tracks, Inc.). I used my ink dusters to make the sunset with Memento inks.
I used the same colours (Grape Jelly, Dandelion, Tangelo) to make the little scene below.

 All stamps except the sentiment are from Inkylicious for this one.

 Here is a different angle so you can see the glittery snow.
The prize is this lovely lot of stash and stamps!

 

Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at all the fabulous creations that the DT have made this month. There are so many beautiful creations! It has been a whirlwind weekend for us. Megan had her black belt grading yesterday. I am delighted to say she passed and here is a photo of her sporting her shiny new belt alongside two other successful students, Heidi and Stuart, who are also from GKR region 30.

Here is an action shot or two!

 

Our form of Karate practices minimum contact, so Megan didn't land a punch on this young man's chin, but it was definitely on target! I would be scared, lol! In a couple of hours we are off out to celebrate Steve's Dad's 94th birthday with some of the family.
Thanks for looking and I hope to pop over and see you soon!

The last Rudolf day for 2014!

As it is the last Rudolf day for 2014 and the last with the Lovely Sarn at the helm I thought I'd better pull out the stops and go for more than 2 Christmas cards this month. It also makes up for the fact that I missed doing Rudolf day in July. I am quite pleased that I have managed 10 out of 11 and made at least 2 cards for each - never been this well prepared before! I will definitely join in next year with Scrappymo in charge!
My first card is a scene using inkylicious stamps.  the sky and shading was created using my ink dusters, and a combination of ink (Adirondack peach bellini, memento grape jelly and impress lemon yellow).A few dots of various stickles finished it off.

My second card also uses inkylicious stamps (twiggy branch and winter bough) and is very much a case of one that Deby had on her stand at Doncaster. I dusted a few pale colours over the background and then stamped in a circle with memento tuxedo black. I filled in all the berries on the winter bough with liquid pearls, fluffy puffy stuff and stickles. Remember to heat your fluffy puffy stuff before the 'berries' are applied.

Here is another very old digi snowman that I think was a freebie from Cuddly Buddly, coloured with promarkers.

This next one is a Chloe's stamp (starry wreath) with a pine branch from inkylicious in the corners and matted and layered onto Holly paper from a Joanna Sheen CD (Victorian Christmas, I think!)

Finally here are two more that I have done very similar ones before -  This first has a Christmas bird image from Nice Crane

 And the second was made with inkylicious stamps and a sentiment from Chocolate baroque.

Before I sign off I want to say Thank you once again to Sarn for getting me organised and for hosting the challenge. Promise me you won't be a stranger next year! Do pop over to Sarn's blog and take a look at her wonderful cards.

A scene

I have seen a number of scene cards created with Majestix stamps by Card-io that use orange and purple and had been meaning to have a go making a scene with those colours. Here is my first attempt using Inkylicious stamps (Twiggy Branch, A Winter's Tale and Silhouette Deer). I stamped the wreath first using twiggy branch, before adding the colour. I used my ink dusters with adirondack inks in peach bellini and Cool Peri, although a bit more purple colour might be better. I used the cool peri to make my snowdrifts, but then highlighted with my clear stardust pen and a water brush. Finally I stamped the deer and the trees. I finished it off by adding dots of green gold and pearl liquid pearls, and then got carried away with three different lots of stickles too, lol! I mounted the panel on a 7x7 card, matting and layering with black and purple. The Deer aren't on the website yet, but like the rabbits in my last post, I am sure if you ring, Deby will pop them in with your order.
Apologies that the photo isn't the best. It has reached that time of year when I only see the house in daylight at the weekend, so this was taken under my daylight lamp. I really enjoyed making this card, so expect to see some more using these stamps and colours!
Thanks for looking!

Not finished with Autumn yet!

Just to prove I haven't gone all cute and fluffy, here are some cards more in my style, lol!

After driving through Sherwood Forest a couple of times recently, I wanted to have another inky play with some Autumnal shades, and also to try and recreate the mistiness that we saw between the trees yesterday.
Although it was dull and damp, the sun had to make an appearance on my card!
I created the background with my ink dusters and memento inks. I then used some Inkylicious stamps to create the scene. Please note the hare/ rabbit, bottom right - this is a new twinchies set with three rabbits for £1 - what a bargain! They aren't on the website yet, but I am sure if you ring, Deby will pop some in with your order. There are also some Deer which will be making an appearance on my blog soon!

 Next I made another Stampboard pendant for a dear friend's birthday. I dusted the stampboard with citrus and peach bellini adirondack inks, then stamped the fern leaf (inkylicious) in bamboo stalk and potters clay memento ink which stayed damp on the surface long enough to emboss it. I am entering this into Allsorts this week where the theme is anything but a card.  We worked out that I first met my friend 23 years ago - very scary! Here is the card I made for her...

The Hydrangea is an Inkylicious stamp, coloured with distress markers on silk art card. The scraps of white card were embossed using cuttlebug embossing folders and then dusted with shaded lilac distress ink. the front panel lower edge was die cut with a small lattice edge from Britannia dies and the lilac border was cut using a martha stewart punch. The sentiment is from Little Claire.
As my last card was made using lots of snippets, I am taking it to Miss Di's snippet playground, where it is a while since I last showed my face. Sorry Miss!
I have a huge pile of work to get thorough at the moment, so I am not managing to visit blogland as much as I would like. Hopefully I will catch up very soon. Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments!

Baby cards

 I needed a new baby card and a first birthday card recently, and, after seeing this baby card by Debby, using a new Mo Manning Baby Digi called Hush, I had to have it! I printed it and coloured it with promarkers. I stamped the base card (not very well - I need to practice with these stamps!) with Inky Doodles Little Patchwork stamps in various shades of pink, before giving a general dusting of Tea dye distress ink to make it look a little bit shabby chic. I added a sentiment and a ribbon to finish it off.

My second card is for my great Nephew's first birthday. This Mo Manning Digi (called 'I Love it!') was particularly apt in that he loves his train, but the little boy in the picture has quite a lot of hair compared to Elliot! The base card was stamped with another inky Doodles stamp from the Country checks set, in two shades of distress ink (tumbled glass and tea dye). The stitched alphabets are from Inky Doodles and the sentiment is from Little Claire.
Thanks for looking and for all the lovely comments. I hope I will manage to visit you soon!

Christmas at Stamping Sensations

 Good Morning! It is the first Sunday of November and so it is time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. This month we have the Theme of Christmas and we have the wonderful Little Claire sponsoring us. Here is my card featuring the Little Claire stamp 'Stocking owls'

I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured with promarkers. I added some inkylicious 'fluffy Puffy stuff ' (Like liquid applique if you remember that!) and heated it to make it puff up. The retro DP is the last sheet of a very old dovecraft pack. The sentiment is also a Little Claire stamp from the set 'The magic of Christmas.'

Whilst I was here I thought I would show you another fabulous Little Clare stamp - Robin Redbreast. This one is very popular with all the bird watchers in my family!

Again it was coloured with promarkers and I added lots of diamond stickles for the snow. The DP is another very old one from Dovecraft. The border was cut using a tonic border punch.

 

Our prize this month from Little Claire is a £35 voucher to spend in their online shop. How cool is that? I could spend it very quickly, lol!
Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the gorgeous projects from the DT. They really have excelled themselves this time! Thanks for looking!