Monday - new week, YAY!

Morning readers,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend of freaky weather .... what with the wind and the rain it shouldn't be a surprise that there was snow in the mix too - hope none of you visitors to my blog this morning have been badly affected by either of these phenomena.

It has to be said that we've had a number of days (lately) when there's really been no reason NOT to stay in and craft!!! Here's a mixed media ATC which deploys inks (both brushed on, blended, stencilled and stamped), stencilling (with ink and gel medium), rubber stamping and foiling - IMHO pretty mixed media! AND I got to use up some card snippets so I'm calling this a double result!

My Artist Trading Card

And a closer view of the stencilling, inking and foiling

The Gloss gel medium, whilst wet

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in red and white
• Using an Aldi stencil brush I applied Versafine Clair tulip red ink across the snippet of white card.
• Placing a Memeory Box mesh stencil (88517) I applied the tulip red ink in the same manner as before
• Paper Artsy heart image (from ESN23) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Once the inks were dry I placed my Carabelle hearts stencil (MA60051) over the image panel and taped in place before applying liquitex basics clear gloss gel medium and setting aside to dry
• Once dry I decided it lacked some definition ..... using a Tim Holtz mini blender and Distress Ink in candied apple I coloured in the areas where the stencil had been, rubbing the excess from the gloss gel medium and setting with Crafters Companion Spray and Shine
• WRMK hot foiling pen and gold sheet foil for adding the border 

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

1. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - challenge No. 348 - USE SNIPPETS
2. Happy Little Stampers - March challenge - HEARTS
3. WeLove2Craft - March challenge - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES 
4. Mix It Up - challenge No. 23 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) INKED BACKGROUND
5. A Inky Mess - challenge No. 28 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES

Saturday - it's the weekend

Morning readers,

Had a good week? Been disturbed much by the FREAKY weather?!??!? We've been woken numerous times, sometimes a dozen times in one night - I feel like I need matchsticks to prop my eyes open! That, and a few days away, have resulted in not much creatively happening at the Purple palace - however, it's Saturday so I've stirred myself ....

My Artist Trading Coin

Materials used:

• Snippets of card: white, black and silver mirri
• Nesting plain and faux stitched circle dies to cut the circles
• Stampin' Up "Beautiful You" image and sentiment stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Crayola coloured pencils used to colour image
• Creative Expressions UMS851 "Snow Flurry" background image stamped using Memento rosebud and dandelion inks
• Faber Castell pitt pen (silver) used to doodle a border on the faux stitched black layer

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

1. Addicted To Stamps - challenge No. 332 - MAKE YOUR MARK
2. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
3. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 339 - ANYTHING GOES
4. CardzTV - challenge No. 85 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Lost Coast - challenge No. 72 - ROUND AND ROUND

And, whilst I was at it .....

My card

 

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

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card, cut to fit
• One piece of red card, cut to mat
• Carabelle hearts image (from SA60156) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• TCP sentiment (from S-5845-CL) and Paper Artsy splatter (from HTPX01) stamped using Versafine Clair tulip red ink
• Anita's dimensional gloss on just the centre heart

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

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 391 - TAKE THREE ... three hearts and three stamps
2. Cute Card Thursday - challenge No. 573 - CELEBRATE
3. Water Cooler Wednesday - challenge No. 212 - ALL ABOUT OCCASIONS
4. Scrap From Your Heart - challenge No. 31 - CAS (Clean And Simple)

 

Friday - this can only mean the weekend is nearly here! ....

Morning readers,

Been away for a few days, staying with friends in Blackpool, some pix at the end of this post. We stayed with them, so it was only fair we took a small giftie (see my Wednesday post) and left a thank you card with them when we left.

My card

And a closer view of the ombre effect

 

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

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card, cut to fit
• Two pieces or neon pink/white chevron card, cut to mat
• Penny Black image (2006-E) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Wine related sentiment (MFT CS-175 "uncorked") and Thank You sentiment (HLS "Doodled flower") stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour image and draw an outline free box around 
• Diamond stickles (for the bubbles) and Anita's dimensional gloss (for the "glass")

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

1. Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - challenge No. 130 - "O" IS FOR OMBRE (the pink background)
2. Penny Black - March challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional twise ... used) CAS
3. Shopping Our Stash - challenge No. 391 - CELEBRATING FRIENDSHIP
4. Water Cooler Wednesday - challenge No. 212 - ALL ABOUT OCCASIONS
5. Crafty Creations - challenge No. 386 - ANYTHING GOES

  

And, whilst we were in Blackpool, we visited Carnforth's Heritage Centre and had coffee in the "Brief Encounter" cafe - even stood under "the clock"!!! Followed it with a lovely lunch at the Station Hotel - YUM!

Our lovely friends

My pal making the most of a quiet moment!

Midweek post

Morning readers,

Honestly? I've no idea where the time is going ... last time I really checked it was just after Christmas .. now? HALF WAY through March!!! Yikes!

I've made it to the Table of Craftiness a couple of times recently and, today, I've some gift wrap to share with you, well .... it's really only the tag but ...

My tag

My gift

Wrapped and tagged!

Materials used:

• Kraft tag
• Snippets of card in neon pink and white
• Snippet of white ribbon - which I coloured with an alcohol marker - to match (as closely as possible) the neon pink layer and the pink "string" of the gift bag
• MFT sentiment (CS175 - "Uncorked") stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Stampin' Up glasses image (no idea what set it's from but I've had it pretty much FOREVER!) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used (greys and creams) to add colour to the image
• Sakura gelly roll yellow glitter pen used to add bubbles
• Anita's dimensional gloss ..... for the "glass"

Another week begins .....

Morning readers,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, if not the freaky weather!!! Was it as wet and wild where you are?

Anyhoo, the most sensible thing to do seemed to be to stay in and craft!, so I did, want to see what I made? Here it is, deploying one of my fave techniques - the layering of stamps, I used four (unless you count the sentiment too, in which case it's five)

My card

And a closer view of the layering and sparkle

 

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

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card, cut to fit
• One piece of embossed orange card, cut to mat
• Kaisercraft background stamps ("mini grid", "diamond" and "crackle") stamped using Memento inks: dandelion, tangelo and rosebud
• TCP sentiment (S-5845-CL) and Clearly Inspired foliage (LCS100 "Brushed Flowers") stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Diamond stickles added to the flower heads

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

1. Just Us Girls - challenge No. 478 - TREND WEEK ...... USE A BACKGROUND STAMP
2. Crazy4Challenges - challenge No. 474 - FLOWER/S
3. Art Impressions - challenge No. 251 - FLORAL
4. Craft Rocket - challenge No. 57 - FLOWERS
5. Cute Card Thursday - challenge No. 572 - ANYTHING GOES