TGIF! It's also St Patrick's Day

Morning readers, 

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate it

I've a make to share with you today ....... an Artist Trading Card, measuring just 3½" x 2½"

ATC made using a background of D.O's

Preparing to make my background

Materials used:

• Watercolour paper background made using Distress Oxides in kitsch flamingo, festive berries and antique linen .. I used several "snippet" pieces to  make a few ATC's
• ATC blank
• Kaisercraft images "Grid" (2011) and "script" (2014) stamped using Memento gray flannel ink
• Hampton Arts wood mounted sentiment (DF2193 "Art and Soul" VERY old, probably pre-2008 as that's when I started recording my stash purchases) stamped using Versafine Clair
• Studiolight border image (SL454) stamped using Adirondack cranberry ink

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

1. Retro Rubber - challenge No. 202 - ANYTHING GOES BUT MUST USE AT LEAST ONE STAMP ONE YEAR OR OLDER
2. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 463 - ANYTHING GOES 
3. Penny's Challenge - challenge No. 542 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Ellibelles Crafty Wednesday - March challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Through The Purple Haze - challenge No. 202 - ANYTHING GOES

I was also lucky enough to have been a top pick at QKR Stampede for an ATC I submitted for challenge #461 - thanks so much

Wednesday, half way through the week!

Morning readers, 

I hope you all enjoyed a pleasant Valentine's Day and marked it with cards and/or celebrations with your significant other! If you don't have a significant other, I hope you treated yourself, just because you are worth it!

I've a make to share with you today ....... an Artist Trading Card measuring 3½" x 2½"

My mixed media ATC

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in white and Costco double sided (I used the plain side for this)
• Liquitex Iridescent medium, mixed with bombay "sepia" Indian ink and applied with a brush
• Paper Artsy image (from ELB30) stamped using 2nd and 3rd generation impressions of Ranger Archival watering can ink
• DecoArt metallic paints (Splendid gold and Rich espresso) applied with a dry brush
• Precious Remembrance Shop sentiment (DIY stamp set) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink and (whilst wet) sprinkled with Judikins sticky stuff and heat embossed. Whilst still warm I overlaid a sheet of gold foil and burnished firmly with my fingers - I just love the grungey effect this method of foiling gives
• Anita's dimensional gloss used to trace a random up/down pattern and then Art Impressions glitter (COL?) liberally sprinkled, burnished using my fingers and set aside to dry, before brushing off the excess
• Anita's dimensional gloss used to trace another random up/down and side to side pattern before sprinkling ROXX bronze pieces which I burnished using my fingers (for maximum adhesion) before setting aside to dry
• Once everything was dry, I brushed off the excess glitter - it really DOES get EVERYWHERE!

Above: all of the materials
Below: materials in order of use

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

1. Creative Artiste - challenge No. 90 - ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2306 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Mix It Up - challenge No. 63 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) no stamping
4. Love to Craft - challenge No. 72 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Pearly Sparkles - challenge No. 81 - ANYTHING GOES

I made TOP5 over at QKR Stampede for challenge No. 459, thanks peeps, really appreciate it.

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Morning readers, 

Bumped in to a friend of mine, at Sainsbury's, yesterday so we took a break and stopped for coffee - always so nice to catch up with friends, isn't it? That AND I got a haircut, definitely a good day! Hope your week has been going well too.

I've a make to share with you today ....... a little 3½" x 2½" piece of crafting

My ATC

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in white and grey
• Hampton Art images (SC1019 - which has never been used) and Kaisercraft sentiment (CS921) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne and morning mist inks
• Glitter brush markers (from B&M) used to colour the floral image
• Using a makeup brush and Memento bamboo leaves I applied colour around the white snippet, taking care to avoid the stamped image
• Memory Box grid stencil (88517) and Brilliance thyme ink used, with a makeup brush, to add a little grid detail
• Honeydoo Crafts splodge (from Paint splodges) stamped using Versafine Clair morning mist ink, around the outer edges of my white snippet

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

1. Snippets Playground - challenge No. 446 - USE SNIPPETS
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2303 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Love To Craft - challenge No. 72 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Everybody Art - challenge No. 528 - NEW - the Hampton Arts images

And another ATC (not going to post the measurements again - you saw them earlier in the post! - I'm on a roll with them right at the minute! This one is for a themed swap, the theme is: AT THE BEACH. This one was relative Quick to make although I DID leave it a while, to be sure the water colour paints were dry before I assembled my layers.

My ATC

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in white and green
• Inkadinkado images and sentiment (from 60/30059 "down by the beach") stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Watercoloured using a combination of Inktense pencils and B&M watercolour pearl pans

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

1. Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday - January challenge - ANYTHING GOES
2. Penny's Paper Crafty - challenge No. 538 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Simon Says Stamp - Monday challenge - ANYTHING GOES

Woo Hoo! I was a TOP 5 pick over at Krafty Chicks yesterday - thanks so much peeps, really appreciate it.

Monday - look out - here comes another week!

Morning readers, 

Hope you had a great weekend, we had some friends drop in for a cuppa on their north to south journey yesterday, so lovely to see them - it had been far too long. May we not leave it so long between meets in future.

I've a make to share with you today ....... pets are like family and it's always so sad to say goodbye, a couple of our friends had to take that path recently and this is the card I made for them.

My C6 card

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6/A2 card and matching envelope
• Card in cream and navy, for my card front, insert and matting
• Snippet of white card, for my sentiment panel
• Dies: WRMK nesting rectangles and a generic faux stitched nesting circle for my image panel
• Stampers Anonymous image (from CMS272 "mini cats and dogs") stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Sparkle 'n Sprinkle sentiment stamped using Versafine Clair morning mist ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour my image
• Glitter washi tape

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

1. Krafty Chicks - challenge No. 639 - ALL OCCASIONS
2. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 243 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 47 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
4. Allsorts - challenge No. 704 - WINGS and/or TAILS
5. Kraftin' Kimmie - challenge No. 660 - ANIMALS

I was a TOP Five pick over at a new challenge "A Very Vintage Christmas" - thanks so much peeps

Wednesday and the week is running away from me .... again!

Morning readers, 

How's your week coming along? Ours seems to be one long round of frustrations with a minor water leak causing water staining to the roof above the dining room. Having let it dry out, Mr K went to paint over the resulting staining only to have the textured surface come away, leaving "bald" spots - Nooooo. I dropped the lid of the crockpot this morning and yes, that's right, there IS a ding in the tiled floor - grrr! Things often come in threes so .. the third thing appears to be a cold snap with frost warnings, it's a little early in the year to be getting those, isn't it? Stay warm peeps!

I've a make to share with you today ....... I just LOVE the expression on this little guys face

My 3½" x 4⅞" card

Who wouldn't love that face???

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, 3½" x 4⅞" card and matching envelope
• Card in white and blue, for my card front, insert and matting
• Katzelkraft (mini 083) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Clearly Besotted sentiment (from the set "mini calligraphy") and stamped using Memento Paris dusk ink
• Alcohol markers used to colour my image and Anita's dimensional gloss on the eyes

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

1. The Male Room - challenge No. 167 - CAS (Clean And Simple)
2. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 41 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
3. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 454 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Creative Crafter - challenge No. 57 - ANYTHING GOES
5. 4 Seasons - challenge No. 61 - PETS

And now for an inky card ....

My C6 card

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6/A2 card and matching envelope
• Card in white and bright green for my card front, insert and matting
• With my Simon Says Stamp stencil/mask (SSST221578 - NBUS) taped in place and using a Tim Holtz mini blender I applied Distress Ink in twisted citron and peacock feather through my stencil
• Fiskars sentiment (from 01-005534) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Penny Black image (from the set 30-0156 "tweet tweet") stamped using Versafine onyx black on my card front, elsewhere on the card I stamped it using Ranger Archival library green
• Stardust stickles, to bling up the foliage
• Finally, a quick spritz with Krylon sealant, to protect those water based inks

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 43 - USE NBUS
2. Penny Black Saturday challenge - Oct challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2242 - ANYTHING GOES
4. TTCRD - Oct challenge  - ANYTHING GOES

I was lucky enough to have made the TOP5 over at the Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge blog recently, thank you so much, recognition is always appreciated.

Wednesday, also known as HUMP DAY .... downhill to the weekend!

Morning readers, 

I've recently been rediscovering the joys of alcohol markers .. having taken time out to get familiar with coloured pencils (it's taken a while!) ..... this adorable grumpy dog was just crying out for an alcohol marker  outing - I hope you agree .....

My 3½" x 4⅞" card

Yep, Fancy AND Sassy!!!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, 3½" x 4⅞" card and matching envelope
• White card, for my card front and insert
• Aall and Create images and sentiment (from set #170) and (for my insert and envelope Clearly Besotted "mini calligraphy") stamped using Memento tuxedo black and Versafine Clair morning mist inks
• Alcohol markers (a combination of Pro Markers and Copic markers) used to colour my image
• Anita's dimensional gloss (for the icing) and crystal stickles on the wings, headgear and "grounding" - to add further interest and "texture" to my card
• Dimensional foam tape, to adhere my image panel to my card front

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

1. HLS - September BIRTHDAY challenge - ANYTHING GOES
2. We Love Stamping - September challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - challenge No. 217 - "B" is for BIRTHDAY
4. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 36 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
5. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2237 - ANYTHING GOES

I've another make to share with you today ....... an Artist Trading Card - measuring just 3½" x 2½" I find the scale of them quite fun to work with.

My ATC

My inked and stencilled layer

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of leftover card in white and kraft
• Inks used: Distress Inks frayed burlap, tea dye, vintage photo. Distress Oxide in black soot. Memento rich cocoa. Versafine Clair nocturne
• Makeup brush
• Stencils used: Tim Holtz THMS058 and THS002
• Stamps used: Ditzies Designs, Unbranded stitched circles (Owned since 2019 but NBUS!!)

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

1. HLS - September STENCIL challenge - ANYTHING GOES
2. NBUS - challenge No. 42 - USE NBUS
3. CraftyCatz - challenge No. 605 - USE A STENCIL
4. Love to Craft - challenge No. 70 - ANYTHING GOES
5. TTCRD - Sept 13th challenge - ANYTHING GOES

My friend is currently vacationing in a motorhome and sent me this photo ... it was primarily of the beautiful dog but .... look carefully and you will notice that some people take the weirdest things on vacation with them ...... we mooted the likelihood of the dog being named K9 because yes, those are indeed TWO DALEKS!

I was a TOP5 recently, over at Try It On Tuesday, for my KEEP IT SIMPLE entry - thanks so much peeps, always so nice to know people like your work, isn't it?