Friday ... let the weekend commence!

Morning readers,

Hope you've had a great week - enjoying the cooler weather? We Brits are just not used to the kind of temperatures we've been experiencing ... it's been a couple of weeks - we would usually consider ourselves lucky to just see a couple of DAYS when it hits 30°c (and above) in the summer - let alone three WEEKS of it - it's been tricky to sleep at night, we've killed two fans during this heatwave!!!!

Still - precious little keeps me from my ToC (that's Table of Craftiness) and I have a new home card to share with you today, deploying new stash too - always good! Hope you like it, it's perhaps not your run of the mill "new home" card, but sometimes it's good to stretch boundaries, don't you find?

My card - I used a similar colour scheme to the P.A. packaging ... just because it was so fab! Turns
out that my pal Lauren had a hand in it! She is soooo talented!

And a closer view of the colouring

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• Cream A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of cream card cut to fit
• One piece of black card (upcycled packaging from stencil acquired on Monday!) and cut to mat
• Snippets of white card (image panel) and black card for matting
• Paper Artsy EDY21 (new stash) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink, including on to post it which I cut out to use as a mask)
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour the image
• With the mask in place, and using a stencil brush, I lightly applied Ranger Archival inks in watering can and majestic violet and then, placing the That's Crafty Dinky "raindrop" stencil, applied more ink through the stencil
• I stamped the circle image (again, EDY21) randomly and the smaller piece of white card and then added a little grey, lilac and turquoise (to co-ordinate with the image) using the polychromos pencils
• I stamped the sentiment on to a snippet of white card using the tuxedo black ink, adding colour using the stencil brushes (without re-inking) and a turquoise pencil border
• Once my card was assembled I used my Wink of Stella clear glitter gel pen to add some highlights and stardust stickles to the smaller circles, to add interest an texture

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Crafty Sentiments - July 17th challenge - ADD A SENTIMENT
2. Through The Craft Room Door - July 17th - 24th challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Lemon Shortbread - challenge No. 72 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Addicted to Stamps - challenge No. 301 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Crafty Creations - challenge No. 370 - ANYTHING GOES

And now for another card ...

My card - true to colour

This shows the stencil detail a little better but is more blue than in real life

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• Cream A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of 300gsm cream card cut to fit
• One piece of turquoise 250gsm, cut to mat
• Snippets of card in white and turquoise
• Using the white snippet and Ranger Archival paradise teal (turquoise) ink I used a stencil brush to apply a layer of colour, then I added a stencil and brushed through the same colour ... and repeat! Using stencils from Memory Box (88517), Dylusions (DYS52364) and Stamposaurus (accounts page)
• Penny Black 30-033 "Allegra" bloom stamped on to the snippet panel and Happy Little Stampers "Butterfly Birthday" sentiment on to the card front, both using Memento tuxedo black ink
• The Imagination Crafts stripes (Distress set #1) were stamped on to the card front (to form a border) using the paradise teal ink
• Stardust stickles to embellish and highlight

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Inkspirational - challenge No. 165 - BIRTHDAY
2. Seize The Birthday - July 19th challenge - ANYTHING (Birthday) GOES + optional twist of STRIPES
3. Stampotique - challenge No. 303 - USE ONLY TURQUOISE (b&w acceptable)
4. Crafting With An Attitude - challenge No. 41 - ANYTHING GOES
5. CardzTV - challenge No. 57 - ANYTHING GOES

  

Wednesday, won't be long till it's the weekend!

Morning readers,

Met up with a pal on Monday, we did a little craft retail therapy, a lot of chatting .. oh, and lunch too! It was a lovely day and I'm so glad that my friend had the time to meet up. We live some distance apart and meet approximately half way - well, at a craft store we both know! It was fun, thanks for taking the time out, Debbie. Anyhoo, the purpose of this was to explain my new stash 

Ooh, which item to use first!

And then, of course, I had to deploy some, didn't I? I don't seem to be able to keep away from Artist Trading Coins right now - I am LOVING their size AND their shape so it will come as no surprise that this first share of the day is indeed and ATCoin!!

My Artist Trading Coin

And a closer view so you can see the dimension and colours

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in white and pearlescent purple - die cut in to 2¼" and 2½" circles
• Paper Artsy ZN28 stamped on to the white snippet and also on to a full coverage post it which I then cut out and used as a mask.
• With the mask in place I applied Ranger Archival vibrant fuchsia directly to the card using a stencil brush, then placed the Dutchdoobadoo (470.715.119) stencil over the piece and brushed the same ink through, repeating with the Dylusions (DYS52364) stencil.
• Using a paintbrush and Genesis Green pearlescent green acrylic ink I "flicked" some splatters
• Once I was happy with the background colour I removed the mask and headed to my colouring station (aka the dining room!) and coloured using a combination of Marvy le plume II alcohol markers and Faber Castell polychromos pencils
• Using a white gelly roll gel pen I doodled some interest on the border
• Anita's dimensional gloss applied to the eyes and the hearts, to give further interest and dimension
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology "cit chat" self adhesive words added, zig clean colour brush pen in cool grey 1 used to remove the stark whiteness and add shading
• Carbon pencil used to doodle a frame, smudged with my finger

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Crafting From The Heart - challenge No. 215 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 1828 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Artistic Inspiration - challenge No. 204 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 28 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
5. CraftaholicsRUs - challenge No. 29 - ANYTHING GOES

I've been trying to get back in to journalling and some pals and I have been trying to journal each week using a one word prompt that one of us picks .. this week Clare chose "WINGS". I'd been watching a video by Kim Dellow and she reminded me to use my acrylic inks (only got three so managed to use all of them!).

Materials used:

• A gesso'd page of my Crawford and Black journal (£1 from The Works)
• Daler Rowney inks: purple lake, genesis green and silver pearl, applied using an old credit card
• Computer generated quote printed off, cut up, run through my Xyron sticker maker and, once in place, border doodled using a black Posca paint pen
• Paper Artsy EDY21 image stamped directly on to page using Ranger Archival jet black ink and the boy image stamped on to a snippet of white card using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour, once he was coloured I fussy cut him out and adhered him to my journal before before drawing in the string again and a border, using the black Posca paint pen.
• Stardust stickles to bling up the circles images
• Zig clean colour brush pen to colour the quotation as I thought it was just too white!

The Kim Dellow video?

I recently discovered the joy of Artist Trading Coins and, along with six other crafting friends, participated in a swap - want to see what a fab collection came back to me in our swap?

Thanks Wynneth, Debbie, Lilian, Lauren, Cherry and Clare

Monday and the start of another summer week

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed a great weekend - get up to much?

It was the wedding anniversary of surrogate daughter #2 and her husband last week and they invited us round for a few drinkies to celebrate the occasion - one or two drinkies turned in to three or four, lucky we walked! S'funny but it took twice as long to get home as it did to get there .... less to do with drink and more to do with the fact their sweet little cat decided to follow us, we got close to the main road and realised she wasn't giving up so took her home again.

Got some crafting to share with you this morning, when it's as hot as it has been you may find it hard to believe but ... I make Christmas cards? REALLY?!?!?! And yet ..... I think this one has a more masculine feel to it - or am I deluding myself?

My card

And a closer view of the red dragon embossing powder

 

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• Cream A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of card (one cream and one navy) cut to fit
• One piece of cream card cut to 1cm smaller than the navy card panel
• Snippet of cream card
• MFT wonky rectangle window die cut centrally from the navy card
• Hero Arts star image stamped on to cream snippet using Versamark embossing ink and then red dragon tinsel (a lovely red/gold/twinkly embossing powder by stamps 'n stuff) which I heat set, once cool, I fussy cut the star and used a red alcohol marker to go around the edge
• Elsewhere on my card and envelope the star image was stamped using Brilliance rocket red gold pearlescent ink
• Precious Remembrance Shop (Sketchy Christmas)  sentiment stamped using Memento Paris dusk ink
• Once I had assembled the card front I used double sided foam tape to adhere the card panel to my card base and smaller squares of foam tape to adhere the star in the "wonky window"

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. CASonFriday - challenge No. 137 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY
2. Chrimbo Crackers - challenge No. 162 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
3. StarStampz - July 5th challenge - CHRISTMAS IN JULY
4. Sasayaki Glitter - July challenge - CHRISTMAS IN JULY
5. Happy Little Stampers - July Christmas challenge - ANYTHING GOES + optional (unused) twist of SANTA

I'm delighted to say that this card brings me ever closer to my 2018 personal quota so it looks like I'm going to make it this year - who knows? I may EVEN be able to make some to sell this year!! WOO HOO, this beats the year when I was still making them on Christmas Eve!!! I've been trying to  make one or two each week and it looks like it's been working, I don't think I've ever been this close to completion at this time of year. I'm sure it's thanks to all the great Christmas challenges that are about too though, encouraging me - thanks peeps

Saturday post

Morning readers,

Hope your weekend has started off well and that you have nice things to look forward to today and tomorrow. I also hope you are enjoying (rather than enduring) the hot weather - have to say that .... like my garden .... I'm suffering in the heat but, it won't last long so ... we should make the most of it. In fact, it was the coolest night (last night) in around three weeks - I actually slept part of the night UNDER the covers!!

Anyhoo, in the cool of the morning or as it starts to cool off (slightly) of an evening, I've been hitting the ToC (that's Table of Craftiness) and here's another of the Artist Trading Coins that I am currently obsessed with, such a GREAT way to use up snippets of card and, let's be honest, be all have LOADS of those, don't we?

My Artist Trading Coin

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in both white and black
• Circle dies to cut a 2½" black circle and a 2¼" circle from white card
• Images and sentiments stamped using Memento dandelion, canteloupe, London fog, tangelo and tuxedo black inks - Stamps by: Number/text by unknown manufacturer, words and coffee rings by Creative Expressions (CEC897) and Paper Artsy splatter from HTPX01
• I edged my white circle using the Zig water colour marker in neon orange and then doodled a border using a white Posca paint pen

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 304 - ANYTHING GOES
2. CardzTV - challenge No. 56 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Crafting With Friends - challenge No. 71 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Simply Papercraft - challenge No. 59 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Crafting With An Attitude - challenge No. 41 - ANYTHING GOES

And a card which kind of makes a change from ATCoins lately!

My card

 

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• Cream A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized engelope
• Two pieces of cream card cut to fit
• One piece of red card cut to mat
• Snippet of red card for heart image
• Sizzix dies (set #'s 660222 and 660220) used to die cut
• Hero Arts sentiment (from CL342 - everyday sayings) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Hero Arts heart image (on the reverse and the envelope) from the set AC026 "brush strokes" stamped using Adirondack red pepper ink

I'll be entering the above for the following challenges:-

1. Happy Little Stampers - July DIES challenge - ANYTHING (with dies) GOES
2. Simply Create Too - challenge No. 140 - NO PATTERNED PAPER
3. D.L. Art - challenge No. 232 - ANNIVERSARY
4. My Time To Craft - challenge No. 375 - WEDDING/ ANNIVERSARY/ ENGAGEMENT - I went with anniversary since my own is approaching!

Friday and the weekend is about to start!

Morning readers, 

Hope you've all enjoyed the warm weather ... it's been a smidge too warm for me though Tuesday was actually rather lovely - cooler than the preceding days and pleasant enough for me to be able to sit out without sweltering, albeit not for too long ... just long enough to top up my vitamin D!

Mostly, I've been crafting behind drawn curtains in an attempt to keep rooms cool! Equally it, mostly, FAILED!, but here's one make I managed before melting!

My ATC

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in dark chocolate and white
• Coffee images stamped using black (sentiment and coffee mug), brown (coffee beans) and grey (steam) inks
• Pencils used to colour images and background
• Coffee stain stamped using brown ink
• Dots and mini grid stamped using grey ink

STAMPS: Stamplorations "Holiday Artsy", Creative Expressions CEC897 "loopy textures and elements"
and Kaisercraft "mini grid"
INKS: Memento tuxedo black, Rich cocoa and London fog
Posca paint pen in white and (not shown) Faber Castell polychromos pencils

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Happy Little Stampers - July ATC challenge - COFFEE
2. CityCrafter - challenge No. 420 - IN THE PINK ... hope the pink background works
3. Through The Craft Room Door - July 10th challenge - ANYTHING GOES
4. Lemon Shortbread - challenge No. 71 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Create and Makes - challenge No. 22 - ANYTHING GOES

I was lucky enough to have been picked as a winner of a fab prize ($15 to spend at Sparkle 'n Sprinkle) over at Through The Craft Room Door earlier this week, thanks peeps. Want to see my entry? Here it is ....

  

Nipped out earlier in the week, to follow the gromit trail .. sadly, the bus was SO HOT that I felt really sick by the time we got off ... cue sitting by waste bin heaving (and that's QUITE enough information there peeps) - however, I DID manage a couple

Giggles

Caractacus Paws!

Caractacus - side view

The Emperor (penguin, aka Feathers McGraw)

I hope to catch some more before they are auctioned off for charity in October .. but not till it cools down a smidge! Our evening out? Well, we met up with our friends at a bar where it was heaving full of footie fans, our restaurant however, was totally empty ... closed and locked up having decided to go out of business between us booking our table (about a fortnight ago) and us turning up!!! Hmmm - thank  heavens for cell phones!!! To avoid trudging from one full restaurant to another we went online and booked an Indian which turned out to be a terrific plan B) - we'd go again!

And then, yesterday, I had a pal join me for the day, she's recently returned from Florida and, lucky thing, was able to attend a craft retreat and a number of craft classes - deeply envious - she brought some of her fab makes to show me too, they were beautiful. We just about got through them before it was time to head off to lunch at a restaurant I'd been to previously but she never had ... pheww! It was just as good as last time! Home again via a lovely little coffee shop I found none too long ago - coffee, cake and a little gingerbread man cookie! YUM - fab day and it was as stress free as Wednesday was stressFUL!!