March Sunshine ...

March is here and along with it the Spring, or at least it seems like Spring is here!  It is amazing how much better life is when the sun shines and the sky is blue even if it is a little chilly in the shade.  It means that I have been able to get into the garden and begin the sorting ready for vegetables to be planted and the weeds to be removed before they take hold.  Even my Cherry Blossom tree is preparing to burst into flower - each day the buds are getting bigger and turning to pink.

I must have been inspired by the thought of my blossom tree when I chose the colour for today's card - yes a beautiful shade of pink!

I had spent time last week creating some background sheets - partly because I wasn't inspired to create anything else!!  This background is faux mother of pearl created using pearl effects and cling film to create the texture in the background and them, once dry, ink blending the colour across the whole panel.  I did create quite a selection of these in different colours to add to my stash so you could be seeing more over the coming weeks!  I decided that I would use a silhouette over the top so that the background is the feature.

I'm entering the following challenges:

TIME OUT Challenges #182

They are celebrating their 7th Birthday so I really needed to create a card to celebrate this milestone - I love this challenge.

Country View Challenges - March Silhouettes

This challenge provided the inspiration for the silhouette stamp.

I hope you are all keeping well and safe!

Sweet Tulips ...

 Well today I saw the sun albeit briefly but it was a welcomed sight and helps to lighten the mood ... it wasn't long before the rain and gloom returned!  I even managed to spend a couple of hours pottering in the garden which always lifts my spirits.   The rest of the day has been all about paper, card, inks and embossing!  Following on from yesterday I continue to be inspired by Spring and my new stamp set from Visible Image.  This time it was the tulips that I decided to create with -

I stamped the tulips first, masking the first one before stamping the second.  I masked both before ink blending the background using a stencil ... I've decided that I need as much practise as possible with ink blending through a stencil as I've never been that happy with the result!   Once the background was complete I water coloured the tulips using distress inks.  I stamped and fussy cut the sentiment before adhering it with foam tape for dimension.  At this point I felt it needed something else so added the small panel of yellow card down one side.

I used:

Visible Image - Go to Words Stamp set

                       - Flower Art Stamp set

                       - Two Tone Stencil

Distress Inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Mustard Seed, Candied Apple and Mowed Lawn.

I'm entering these challenges:

Addicted to CAS #190

Sieze the Birthday #206 without the topping

Country View Challenges: February, First Signs of Spring

Stay Safe!

Daffodil Delight ...

 In the blink of an eye January is no more and we are in to the second month of the year ... that is the UK remains in lockdown ... essential activities only and staying home for most of the time.  As time passes I thought it might get easier but to me it seems harder.

So once again I'm using the time to create or at least trying to create, ideas are a bit on the short side!!  Today has been different as a couple of new stamp sets arrived which provided me with some inspiration to create a couple of cards. It is very unusual for me to use new stamps minutes after they have arrived in the post but I just could not resist this new Visible Image daffodil!   The first card I'd like to share is inspired by thoughts of Spring:

I stamped and heat embossed the background before adding a watercolour wash using distress inks.  I stamped the daffodil and water coloured it with Inktense pencils before fussy cutting the image and adhering it to the panel with foam tape for added dimension.  I finished with a sentiment before adhering the panel to the card base.

I'm entering the following challenges:

Happy Little Stampers - February Water Colour Challenge

Country View Challenges - February First Signs of Spring

NBUS Challenge #23

I used:

Visible Image - Flower Art Stamp set

                       - Fibonacci Background stamp

UNIKO - Simply Said

Distress Inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Twisted Citron

Inktense Pencils

Keep Crafting!

Snowmen ...

It is only at this time of the year that I make more than one card of the same design ... but as we get nearer to Christmas it becomes a necessity.  Every year I promise myself to start making Christmas cards earlier and every year I get to December and still need cards ... at least I am predictable!  Today I thought I would share these cards, one design different colours:

A simple design that I could use for multiple cards using different stamp sets and backgrounds.  I first created the background using a stencil and distress inks to create a water colour effect,  The Snowmen were all stamped and heat embossed before colouring with Zig Real Brush markers and then fussy cut to provide a focal point.  The Snowmen were adhered to the card base with foam adhesive for added dimension.

I used:

PaperArtsy - JOFY 17 stamp set

Impression Obsessions Cover a Card Snowflakes Stencil

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Speckled Hen, Salty Ocean

I'm entering the December challenge at Country View Challenges - Anything Christmas.

Stay safe!

Begin again ...

 It is almost a year since I retired and what a year it has been!   It would be fair to say that I didn't cope well with retirement to begin with and then add on top the current pandemic restrictions on life and I have not been in the best of places for much of the year.  So with the New Year looming I've decided I need to begin again ... 

I created this tag to act as a reminder to me!!!

I thought that to begin with I would reflect on the year and look at what I have been doing rather than what I haven't been able to do!  I hope to write a series of blog posts to share the projects that haven't featured on my blog so far ... to act as a record and a starting point for 2021.

Stay safe!

Although I created the tag as a reminder for myself I am going to enter in the current challenge at Country View Challenges - November 2020 - Anything but a Card.