Butterfly with Ferns!

Welcome and thank you for visiting.

Well the exciting news is that earlier this week I was one of the very lucky winners of Rachel's Mystery Candy box - a very generous gift voucher.   I've enjoyed hours of browsing!

I made this card to enter into Mrs A's
Butterfly Challenge  #72 (P for Paper Piercing and/or  colour Fern.

 I know I've got a fern stamp lurking somewhere but this is the best I could come up with after a major hunt and I was obviously having a senior moment as I just needed the colour fern, not a stamp.

 I already had  the background which is white card spritzed with a green spray,  years ago so I stamped round the edge and pierced the corners.

I also pierced a circle on the green scalloped mount but I need not have bothered as it doesn't show up on the photo because I used a very fine pokey tool for that job.  I added some sparkly pen to the dragon flies and underside of the butterfly wings then went over the top with distress inks!!!

I hope you like my card.   I wasn't too unhappy with how it turned out in the end.

Woolly Jumper

Hello and Welcome!

I actually bought this Elizabeth Crafts  sweater and hanger set in December to use for Christmas cards as it comes with the cutest little reindeer head.

It didn't get used at Christmas time so I thought I ought to use it before the warm weather arrives .....

I used a scrap of smooshed card which was on my desk to cut out the jumper then embossed it together with a snippet of black card which I then rubbed over with pink Inca Gold.

I put it together on a Presscut stepper die cut and added some snippets of SU paper with the knitted pattern to decorate the sides and bottom.

I will certainly be making some Christmas sweaters for my cards  Christmas cards this year.

I'd like to join in with the following challenges:
Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 267 & 268
Crafty Creations #334 (Anything Goes
Craft Hazel's Patterned Paper - February  

Love Hearts

Hello and thank you for your visit.

This is a card I made a while ago  using a piece of acrylic paper which I covered with Crayola Slick Stix in a few hot colours then blended  with fingers and an almost dry babywipe.

I dry brushed on some white gesso then when dry stamped with some script and a few stars in black before distressing the edge.

The large hearts were stamped and embossed using one of Leonie Pujol's stamps then fussy cut.  I added some red pen to the edges then some glossy accents.

the little hearts are punched from a scrap and the Happy Anniversary stamp is by Hobby Art and I put some glossy accents over that too.

I would like to join in with the following challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers  #181 - Love, love love
Crafty Calendar Challenge - February (Love is in the Air)

That Panda Again!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to pop by and visit today.

Yesterday I had trouble with my laptop and kept losing internet connection so I apologise if I've not got round to visit you yet.  I'll be catching up with you over the weekend

A few days ago I shared a card I'd made where I used this little panda.
  He came with a few other stamps and the embossing folder as a freebie with a magazine recently.

I was so taken with this cute little chap that I started using the set straight away and made several card with the set.

For this one I used the paws, randomly for the background and cut a Nellie Snellen heart die from some silver mirri card.  I replaced his balloon with a sentiment from a Paula Pascal set and coloured it with a red sparkle pen.

For the second card I embossed the waste and put some red card  at the back.  Both cards were made with white card stock although they look more cream coloured in the photos which were taken in the evening.

I would like to enter the first card into  the Sweet Stampin' challenge - Love is in the Air

New Baby

Hello and Welcome!

This card was made last year but hasn't been shown on my blog before.

It works well for Darnell's  NBUS Challenge # 10 as I used a piece of bubble wrap on some gelli plate print which I cut out with a De'Sire  scalloped die.

I used the same die to cut out the frame for  the stamped image.  This was raised up on sticky pads although it looks as if it is inset.  A strange optical illusion!

The baby in the hot air balloon is an old stamp which I bought second hand but have only used the once.  It's wood mounted but I don't know who the maker is.

The little puffy fabric stars are embellishments that were in a packet given to me by a friend who was having a clear out.


I would also like to join in at:
The Allsorts Challenge Week 400 - Lets Celebrate

Splat!

It's one of those  miserable murky days here today so I decided to have a lazy one.

I had a nice lie in and shortly we're off to the pub for our regular Tuesday lunch date with friend.

My heater is on so this afternoon the plan is to spend several hours crafting in my snuggly cabin watching the birds feeding  ... what more could a woman want.

Late last year I needed some quick cards to fill up my charity box so I made a selection of toppers like this one.

Just some distress inks rubbed through holes I punched on a scrap of card then overstamped with a selection of stamps using black Archival ink,  I punched the corners and mounted onto black card then stuck them onto white A6 cards - finished!

I'm joining in at That's Crafty challenge - Round and Round

Rudolph Day - 2017

Hello Everyone!

I borrowed this Cardio Christmas tree stamp from my friend Jacky.

Whilst sorting out my peel off  boxes I found several packets of these holographic dots in various colours and thought they'd be perfect for batch making.

I  stamped a dozen trees and took them, with the peel offs, to the village craft club on Monday and made the toppers in two colourways.

The colours of the large dots are pink and blue although the holographic hasn't photographed too well and the small ones are silver glitter and blue.

The other batch I made in traditional colours - red, green and gold.

I'd like to join in with Mo's Rudolph Day challenge where Maureen invites us to show Christmas cards in her challenge from the 25th until the end of each month.  

Happy Panda!

Hello and thank you for your visit.

First I would like to warmly welcome my two new followers Maxine and Sue .  I'm sure lots of you know them both well.  Both make super cards so do pay a visit.

Having seen lots of cards made using Sue Wilson's  Shadow Box dies I just had to get a some.  This is the first card I've made with the set and it was great fun although it took much longer than expected.

I used snippets of paper from my stash behind the main die and scraps of white card for everything else using glitter pens and a Wink of Stella gold pen for colouring.

The panda stamp came free with a magazine. I paper pieced his balloon and added clear sparkle pen to his white bits.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Pixies Snippets Playground Weeks 265 & 266 
Darnell's NBUS Challenge  #9
Sweet Stampin' - Dies and punches   

Tag Die Card

 Hello and thank you for visiting me today.
Today I'm  catching up with housework and laundry today but I spent yesterday playing in my cabin.

The die is a new purchase from Elizabeth Crafts. The main die makes a tag flip card which can be used on any size card although I choose to make mine A6.  There are several other dies in the set.

All the stamps are from the same set which came with a Creative Stamping magazine and it was the first time they'd been inked up.  Goodness knows why as it's a very pretty Deco set of stamps.

I began by colouring the front and inside of my card with Distress ink although it looks a bit pale in the photo. All tags were cut out using a scrap of card from my snippets box which had previously been coloured with an old tea bag.  I used to do that a lot before  Distress inks became available.

I  would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Craft Rocket Challenge  #31  (Add a bow)

The Ribbon Girl  (Any Image


Stamping Sensations January (Coffee and Cream)

Crafty Addicts Challenge #32 (Monochrome)

You're a Star!

Hello and welcome!

First - I managed to track down my newest follower Anne and she is quite new to blogging so I do hope you will be able to pay her a visit.

My card today was made for my brother in law's birthday this month.  Believe me, he really is a star.

I retrieved a piece of a gelli plate print from my snippets box.  I used a mask to add the texture paste and when it was dry added inka gold and stickles to some of the stars then rubbed inka gold round the edge.

The planet is cut from scraps of used envelopes.  I added a little sparkle pen on the planet and also onto the happy birthday sentiment although it doesn't show up well in the photo.

I used the cleaned up star mask with Pumice Stone DI to decorate the background.  Unfortunately the photo is a bit blown out on the right hand side.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
The Male Room #51  (Anything Goes)
Shopping Our Stash #285 (Stickle Me Elmo)
 A Bit More Time to Craft #36 (Anything goes)

Caught in Crystal

Hello and thank you very much for your visit today.

As I was out for most of the weekend  I'm still  catching up with visits so I apologise if I've not visited you recently.

I've been trying to think about what I could do for the Butterfly Challenge as I wasn't quite sure what colour to use. Then I remembered the caught in crystal technique which I've not used for several years.

Using some acetate packaging I got out a small selection of green and yellow ink pads, spread the colour randomly onto the acetate and then spritzed with water.

I zig- zagged on top with Glossy Accents and sprinkled on a little glitter then laid a piece of crumpled up tissue on top, pressed down a little and left for a day to dry.

The butterfly was cut with memory box dies from scraps of card and paper and the right hand panel is a scrap of white card which I embossed and rubbed lightly with metallic rub ons.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
 The Butterfly challenge #69 - Z for zero and/or zucchini
Pixies Snippets Playground Weeks 263 & 264 
Making Memories Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

Enjoying the Snow

First of all I'd like to give a very warm welcome to my new follower Anne.

Sorry I can't find you Anne but I wonder if you are the Anne I met at the Loobi Craft classes.  If so I hope we'll meet up again soon.

There's a bit of a story behind this card.  As there's just the two of us and a bachelor friend for Christmas I make it as easy for myself as I can.  Instead of baking I buy it all now - including mince pies.

The image began life as half the front of a Waitrose  mince pie box.  I love to recycle  so  after cutting up the box I selected the piece I wanted to use and trimmed to size.

I stuck a piece of double sided adhesive paper on top, peeled off the the back and covered the image with glitter.

I matted onto black card and tore along the bottom.  After adding the ribbon I mounted onto a long card (A6 folded the other way).  The centres of the snowflakes are dots of Cosmic Shimmer glue sprinkled with glitter.

Now the other side of the box had a different image on which became another card but I'll save that for another day.  As I bought several boxes of mince pies  I "batch baked" cards.

Now for my first public "Ooops" of the year.

  For those of you who didn't find my mistake on the previous post - I made a masking mistake with the umbrella.   I've made it look as if  the handle of the umbrella is going down inside the front of her coat ....

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Christmas Sparkles  #72 (Lots of Glitter)
Christmas Cards All Year Round - January  (add Snowflakes)
A Gem of a Challenge #184 (Anything Christmas)

Under the Weather!

As this is my first post of 2017  I'd like to take the opportunity to wish everybody a very happy and healthy New Year with lots of crafty fun.

There seem to be so many bugs around at the moment.   If  YOU are under the weather  I do hope that you will soon be feeling well again.

I made this card using the stamp set that came with my Creative Stamping magazine a couple of days ago.

I did some masking, a bit of colouring and paper piecing for the umbrella, coat and wellies.

I used my MISTI to stamp the raindrops and both sentiments.  "Sending Hugs" is from a Hero Arts stamp set.

I'm popping over with my card  to Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 262



Ooops! have you noticed the mistake!!!!  I'll give you a clue - it's a masking mistake .........

Thank You!

I'd like to begin by thanking you all for your visits and good wishes for my shoulder!

Glad to say I had the cortisone jab yesterday and my shoulder is already so much better.

I'm limiting the time I spend on the laptop for the next week as I don't want to push it and although I can now enjoy doing a bit of card making again I won't be doing any die cutting for a little while.

I made this card just before Christmas with SU products at a new "coffee and card" class I've recently found in the area.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my dear followers and blog buddies and visitors a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.

I look forward to following you and seeing all your super makes in 2017 and joining in with some challenges again very soon.

Happy Crafting Everyone!  Barbxx

Happy Christmas Everybody!

Just a very quick post with a wonky photo ....


Wishing you all a Very Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

I'd like to give special thanks to all my blog buddies who have been so supportive throughout the year.

Unfortunately my shoulder is causing a problem at the moment.  I'm hoping to get a cortisone injection soon but in the meantime it's so uncomfortable using the mouse I'll be absent again for a while.  I really apologise to those I've not visited recently.

Hubby will be on turkey basting duty this year!

I hope you enjoy the Festive Season and I'll be back as soon as I can.

Barb xx

Snippets Ahoy!

Hello Everybody and thank you for all your lovely comments when I took my blog break.

I've been away longer than I'd planned but as often happens once I got through one thing something else cropped up.

Anyway - I was determined to join in with the last Pixies Snippets  Playground (260 & 261) of the year.

I decided to download photos of cards from my camera today only to discover I had deleted all but two by mistake.   All cards have been sent out so I have no record so today I'm blogging a card made several weeks ago.

It's made with a Sizzix nautical set, Sizzix Bright Bubbles die, some rainbow card and a number of snippets of card.

So sorry that I've not been visiting too often but hope to catch up over the next few days.

Taking a Blog Break!

Hello and thank you for your visit.

I have decided to take a blog break until the beginning of December.

I've got so much going on this month  that I'm  finding it difficult to find time for blogging.

On Friday I'm going on a craft retreat with friends at Oyster Crafts then a couple of days after getting home I have friends coming to stay for several days to help me celebrate a special birthday.

In addition I have a friend in hospital,  dental and optician appointments booked and two "new home" cards to make.

I'll be popping in to see what you're all up to while I'm absent and will leave comments when I can.

I hope you'll visit again when I'm back and if any of you are also going to Oyster next weekend please do leave a comment so I can catch up with you there.  Barb xx

Wooden Bunny

Good Afternoon - although it's still morning to me!

I watched the US election last night so didn't get up until midday.

The background was from a recent workshop I did using Pixie powders.

 As  I didn't like the garish butterfly that was on the card  I threw it away when I got home and retrieved the green background.

The bunny was diecut  with a piece of balsa wood which previously held a macaroni cheese ready meal.

When I cut him out his ears turned up because of the shape of the box so I had to soak him with water to flatten the ears before stamping him with the old French Script,  Then I shaded round the edge with distress ink.  He's a Sizzix Bigz die.

His eye is Ranger black enamel and the bow was diecut from a piece of paper from my box of snippets.

I'm off to join in at Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 254  and also
Brown Sugar Challenge ~223 Anything Goes 
Avenue 613 Challenge #191 Anything Goes
Penny's Paper Craft Challenge #303

Blue Christmas

I am delighted and very proud to have  been invited to be a guest designer for the Stamping Sensations Challenge which begins today.

I began by scoring at every 1/2 inch diagonally, both ways on a piece of 5" square white card.

I shaded two sides of each scored square then  stamped my image and a few snowflakes with a blue die inkpad.  I used the same colour to add a little colour and shape to the bauble then added some glitter glue.

As I didn't have the right colour of blue card for the matting I coloured white card with the same inkpad and stamped a few  snowflakes in black  around the edge of the background matt.

I do hope you will be able to join in with the challenge at Stamping Sensations.  Do pop over and look at the lovely cards made by the Design Team members.

Dancing Butterflies

Thank you for your visit.

I was interested to read in the comments on my previous post that many of you have done cross stitch and in the past used it for card making.

 I used to do that as well as joining in with several Round Robins.  I wonder if any of us have met before in our stitching days.

This card was made with a lovely cling stamp that I won as part of a prize recently.

I coloured a large sheet of watercolour paper by smooshing with three colours of distress ink.  After cutting out the piece I wanted to use I added some stencilling  in a few areas then stamped with black ink.  I used a piece of the paper that was bright pink to stamp and cut out another butterfly.

Finally I  added a little blue with a sparkle pen and some glitter glue to the butterfly and stuck on with the wings slightly raised. .  The sentiment is by Inkadinkado.

O would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft #31
Craft Your Passion #336
CAS Watercolour challenge - November