Rudolf day for February

It is time for another Rudolf day at Scrappy Mo's and we only have the three days this time to post our creations, so I'd best get cracking!
Two rather glittery creations this time.

First up is an attempt at one of those wreaths made of sticks. I didn't have that sort of wreath stamp, but I did have a circular mask and the inkylicious willow twigs stamp. I dotted it with red stickles berries and added a craft creations sentiment in the middle on 3d glue.

My second card was made using a stencil that I think may have been a magazine freebie about 10-15 years ago! I used some golden pine sparkle medium from imagination crafts through it, then mounted it on miriboard. The sparkle medium looks quite golden here, but it probably more green in real life. The sentiment is from Chocolate Baroque.
Sorry my photos are a bit rubbish. It has been so dull and dreary, even with a bit of daylight we needed the lights on, which has made these cards more creamy coloured than they should be.
Thanks for looking, and I hope you get the chance to join in with a Christmas card over at Mo's blog. Do take a look at her fab card and the wonderful prize on offer too.

A couple of challenges and a bit of a birdy post!

At Allsorts this week the theme is the colour purple. My inspiration for this card was the sight of two whirling buzzards on Saturday afternoon, and the scrap paper pile I lean on when I am ink dusting sometimes!
Here is the card...

The background was created using ink dusters, Memento inks in dandelion, rosebud, purple twilight, elderberry and Danube blue. The stamp is from Inkylicious, on the old beech tree plate.
Here is the top of the pile of scrap paper I have been using and taking some inspiration from!

My second card is for the current theme at Less is More, where they want to see wings.

This started off as a one layer card with the lower half masked off. It was when I removed the masks and attempted to stamp the sentiment that it all went wrong! I dropped the stamp in completely the wrong place and made a right mess! I ended up cutting part of the front off the card, mounting it on some blue and using a fresh base card. Good job it wasn't a one layer week! Stamps are from inkylicious, stamped in memento ink and coloured with distress markers and a water brush. The background was dusted with tumbled glass DI using a cloud stencil.
Thanks for looking!

Special snippets

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky to win a prize in the snippet playground. It was a gorgeous set of rose themed stamps by Lindsay Mason. One of my first thoughts once half term arrived was to press them into use to make a thank you card for Miss Di, and here it is.

The panel of paper on which I stamped the rose background was left over from some dylusion spraying (After midnight, cherry pie, funky fuchsia and white linen). I stamped everything in memento elderberry. The black strip that the rose background is mounted on is also a snippet. The sentiment is from Inkylicious.
As I used up a couple of snippets I am taking it to the snippet playground, where there is a fantastic prize on offer - only some of Sarn's zentangle stamps!
Me and Sarn have been talking about a bit of karate in the playground. I just need to persuade Sensei Alex to come along, whilst Mrs A is enlisting some muscular fire fighters for us to grapple with!!!
Thanks for looking!

Cards for Steve and a bit of Karate

 Two weeks ago it was Steve's Birthday. At the time I wasn't feeling very inspired and made this, apologising to him for his cards being all a bit the same recently. As time has passed I have decided I rather like it after all. All stamps are from Inkylicious and it was ink dusted and stamped onto inkylicious silk art card using Memento and Adirondack inks.
My Valentine card for Steve was only created in haste on Valentine's day (Thanks, Ofsted!). Again they are all Inkylicious stamps, and inks are mostly distress inks with a little bit of memento ink too. This time I used smooth copier card that I bought from Anna-Marie Designs at Doncaster Dome, last october. I have to say it is great all purpose thin card - great for using promarkers on and also great for using with ink dusters.

Whilst I am here I will also share with you that I passed my grading on 8th February, and I am now a 2nd Kyu brown belt.

This means I get a little black stripe on the end of my belt and I have one more grading before beginning to train for my black belt.

 And finally here I am receiving my certificate from our area Sensei, Sensei Karl. I have to say that without the coaching I have received from Meg, I really don't think I would have passed. She is regularly leading parts of karate classes as a run up to her sensei training, and coached me at home in the run up to grading.

 

Two posts in two days - can you tell I am on holiday?! 

Thanks for looking!

Un petit peu de Paris!

Hi There! It has been over a week since my last visit to Blogland, due to Ofsted at work, but I am not complaining as it means I can truly relax over half term! Before you ask, I can't say how we did until the report is published in about three weeks time. Apparently they have downgraded schools for revealing the result before they should!
 So, onto my cards. A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the Range to buy this sweet Paris Eiffel tower stamp by Dovecraft, as I has seen it on Ruth's blog and knew several people who would love cards with it on! My last Eiffel tower stamp fell apart last time I used it. When one of those friends said she wanted an unfussy valentines card for her hubby, I made the card above. I added the inkylicious delicate vine stamp in bundled sage distress ink and the waltzing mouse sentiment. I am entering this into this weeks Less is More, where the theme is Love and one layer.
I couldn't just make one though, so here is a second, on a square card this time and using spun sugar and shaded lilac DI, and a woodware sentiment.

very quick and simple, and already the stamps have paid for themselves!
Thanks for looking and I will look forward to visiting you this week!

Playing with new stamps

As soon as I saw the new fairy and toadstool stamps at Inkylicious I had to have them! They arrived very promptly and I had a little play. Just two cards this time, but there will be more coming soon, as they are still out on my desk!

 My first card features the Fairy toadstool 2 stamp on an ink dusted background, coloured with distress markers. I added gellyroll stardust clear and white pen for highlights. The additional grasses are from the create a collage meadow set. I had made the blue background with a variety of sprays some time ago and hadn't used it. I covered it with a leafy stencil and sprayed with the dylusions white spray. I was rather pleased with the effect.

My second card was a very CAS and easy card. I dusted a strip of white card with memento inks and then repeat stamped the silhouette toadstools from the set toadstools 1 to make a border. I matted and layered onto a punched border and stuck to the front of a card. I won't add a sentiment until I use it. If you are near Manchester, Inkylicious will be at  Hobbycrafts, Event City, Manchester from 6th Feb - 8th February 2015. I am entering it into the Penny Black and More challenge where the theme is 'Anything goes'.
Both of my cards used all snippets except for the base card, so I am nipping off to the snippet playground with them. Sorry Miss Di, I meant to email you to say thank you for the stamps that arrived last Wednesday. They are also on my desk ready for a little play at the weekend, hopefully.
I say hopefully as it is likely I am attending grading for 2nd Kyu (brown belt with a black tip) on Sunday - not feeling overly confident though!
Thanks for looking and I will look forward to having a good visit of your blogs very soon, as it is only another week to half term - yay!

February at Stamping Sensations

It is the first Sunday of the month and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. For February we have a nice easy theme for you :

********Anything Goes********

 It doesn't get much simpler than that does it? Our sponsors this month are the wonderful team from Little Claire. As always you can enter up to three different pieces of artwork and combine with other challenges.

Here is my card

I created the background with my Inkylicious ink dusters and mountain and valley stencil, then stamped the Little Claire silhouette meadow girl stamp in black over the top. 

'What is the prize this month?' I hear you ask. Well, if you win you get to spend £35 in the shop at Little Claire.

-What a great prize, eh?

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see all the fab projects from the DT and then you can follow the links to see how they made them. I am looking forward to seeing all of your wonderful projects this month. 

Thanks for looking!