What day is it?!

 I've been a bit quiet for a few days. I took Dad to the hospital for his Hip replacement on Thursday. I was up at 4.30 and on the road by 5.30 to get him there for 7am. I saw a barn owl and a pair of roosting buzzards right next to the road, so there was an up side to being on the go at that time! Dad's operation has been successful and he is on the mend, although a little dizzy and nauseous still. If he is okay tomorrow then he will be coming home with his zimmer!  Ever since Thursday I have struggled with knowing what day it is. Yesterday felt like Saturday, and it has thrown me completely!

Anyway, thought I would share a picture of another card made with gelli plate papers. It is the same techniques and same stamp set as the last one I made - Inkylicious Hydrangea stamps, distress inks, distress markers etc. Scroll down to the last post if you want more details.
Before I go the last lot of snow brought  a few more visitors to our garden bird feeders. First was a black cap,

who was in perfect focus until he turned round, lol!
After that we had more Siskins on the feeder at the bottom of the garden, hence the blurriness on this one!

Such pretty birds! As I drove home from the hospital this afternoon the light was so beautiful. A real peach bellini glow and some eggplant clouds. I feel a scene coming on!
Happy  Easter for tomorrow and don't forget to put the clocks forwards tonight!
Thanks for looking!

Floral and gelli papers

I managed to have a good play yesterday, staying in the warm! Here is a card that has been in my head since I made the papers on my gelli plate, and I am rather pleased with how it has turned out. I was thinking of Brenda's follower celebration, knowing how much she loves getting inky or painty, distress markers, floral, a butterfly, ribbons and the odd pearl! The stamps used are all from Inkylicious and the inks are all Distress inks. The paints used on the gelli plate papers are all Do Craft Artiste Pearl (Wisteria and Ice blue). Here is a close up of the papers. There is another post on my gelli plate papers here and here.

 You can see the shine of the paint but also the ink dusting and stamping that I added in the white spaces. Here is a close up of the butterfly.

I first inked it with shaded lilac DI and then used Versamark and kaleidoscope EP to get the shimmer. Finally here is a close up of the main image.

 I coloured the stamp with a mixture of distress markers, huffed on the stamp and stamped on to watercolour paper. I then used a water brush to drag the colour onto the image. I finished it off with some ink dusting and the script stamp in tumbled glass DI, and a spray of glimmer mist in iridescent gold.
As well as Brenda's follower celebration, I am also entering this into Heck of a challenge, where the theme is butterflies and pearls, Visible Image Challenge where the theme is Spring and By the Cute and Girly (Favourite things: mine are inkylicious stamps, distress inks and my gelli plate!)

Less is more and snow

 The Challenge this week at Less is More is to include beads. I made this little tag a few weeks ago (must have been longing for some sunshine!)but hadn't blogged it, what with the inspection and everything. this seemed like the perfect opportunity to mount it on a card. The flip flop straps are my beads, threaded on wire. The stamp used on the flip flops is from Hero arts and the sentiment stamp is from Hobby Art.
Well, the snow here is still coming down, but I don't think it is getting any deeper, so I guess it must be melting a bit too. I popped out this morning whilst Meg was at Science on stage rehearsals to snap a few pics, but didn't venture further than a few steps from the door. I have a stinking cold with streaming nose as it is! Here are a few photos.

Hope you are staying nice and warm, and thanks for looking!

More Great Outdoors for Stamping Sensations

As it was my turn to choose the theme for this month at Stamping Sensations, I also get to show you another card in the mid month post. I used some of the paper I made using my Gelli plate and the Crafty Individuals large Elegant Swirl. You can see my original and messy post here!
I then cut an arch using my Go Kreate dies, and leaving the die in place stamped with various grass stamps from Inkylicious and ink-dusted a few hills and sky in the background. I finished off with ribbon, bows and Prima flowers, along with some faux stitching using a walnut stain distress marker. The sentiment (Inkylicious) is stamped onto a spellbinders fancy tag die cut.
Pop on over to the Challenge blog where you will be able to see my answers to the questions our DT are discussing at the moment. I hope you find time to enter the challenge this month, as there is a gorgeous prize on offer from Crafty Individuals. Jean and Malcolm are such lovely people and over the years they have been a real inspiration to me. I can't tell you how excited I was when they agreed to sponsor us!
Thanks for looking, and I hope you have a great week!

Craft a Scene Tropical Shores

Here is my mid month post for Craft a Scene where the theme is Tropical Shores. I am also afraid to say it is my last piece of DT work for them, as until my Dad has recovered from his hip replacement (operation due at the end of the month) I need to be devoting more time to looking after him, and making sure he doesn't overdo it. He is a fiercely independent 84 year old and it sometimes takes my best teacher voice to tell him to let someone help! On top of that he has always been very active and very fit, so to lose his mobility is so frustrating for him.
Anyway, onto my card. I used the Stampscapes 'Palms with Huts' small set along with water pattern (231C) and Gulls (302A). I was quite pleased with the colours, using Adirondack Pool, Peri, Cloudy blue and Shell pink. This was all done with ink dusters. I coloured the huts and beach with distress markers.
 This won't be the end of my scene cards, it's just the DT commitment I needed to give up. Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the fabulous scenes from my team mates.Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments.

A quick mid week Birthday Card

You know when you are having one of those weeks where you think someone's birthday is next week and it is this week? Well, this card was a very quick solution!

I used a rather lovely Kanban stamp (So sorry to hear they are closing!) and five colours of memento ink - potter's clay, tangelo, cantaloupe, pear tart and bamboo leaves I ink dusted the background with squeezed lemonade, wild honey and tea dye Distress inks. I added the ribbon and sentiment, and a few blobs of glitter glue and gelly roll sparkly pens.
Thanks for looking!
Whoops, nearly forgot to say a big welcome to my latest followers! Great to have you visiting x

A bit of Spring

I hope you have had a lovely Mother's Day. I certainly have. I have spent most of the day Crafting with a regular supply of cups of tea and other nice things!

I have finished my DT pieces for a couple of months and had a bit of paper left over from one of my Gelli plate designs. It made a lovely CAS card, but needed a little extra, so I stamped the Indigo Blu hares (Craft stamper freebie) and dusted a background of rolling green hills behind them. I used Crafty individuals large elegant swirl to make the background, and a small text stamp from Inkylicious.  I realised this fit perfectly for this week's theme of Spring at Allsorts Challenge, so am entering it there. I have also had a lovely play with my new pearlised acrylic paint colours (Sapphire, Amethyst, Emerald Green and Blush)  and my Gelli plate. Here are some of the papers from this weeks play.

The first of these was made with a couple of stamps from the Chocolate Baroque set 'Peacock Glory'.
The second and third I made using the Hydrangea set by Inkylicious and Art Impressions serpentine background. I am rather looking forward to using these! Only three shares from my gelli plate, but another 26 papers! The photos really don't do them justice either. Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of Mother's Day.

Using my Gelli plate papers

I made a couple of cards using my Gelli plate papers (original post is here). I didn't want to lose some of the lovely detail on the papers, so made the focal point small compared to the rest of the card. The papers were made with my gelli plate and Chocolate Baroque sunny sunflowers. I added a bit of dried Marigold DI as well. The Hero Arts butterfly was coloured with promarkers before adding stickles and then stuck to the card with pinfair glue gel, leaving the wings proud of the card. This one winged it's way to Paula who won my blog candy. I then made another very similar.

The 'With love' (chocolate baroque) at the top and some of the small text (inkylicious) was stamped in versamark and brushed over with blonde moments pearl pigments in gold. Shame you can't see the shimmer in the photo. This went to a friend for her Birthday. 

 I am itching to play with the rest now...then make some more papers too!

A couple of quick cards

I had been playing with a new stamp from Little Claire, and had coloured it with promarkers when I saw this week's challenge at Less is More was a colour theme that it fit pretty well! I made it into a card and here it is:

I hope it is CAS enough for you ladies! There is less white space than I would normally use. Looking at it now, it might need some glitter too!
I also needed another card last weekend - not the sort you ever want to make...

I used Spring Distress inks and stamps from Inkylicious and Personal Impressions.  I had intended posting this Monday evening, but then there was a phone call on Monday lunchtime, from Ofsted.They left the building at 4.15 today, so I will be relaxing this evening and recharging the batteries rather than being at school for 12 hours solid. Thanks for your lovely comments and I will do my best to pop and see you when I get the chance.

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!