Getting inky

 Hello lovely crafters

A card using one of my most recent purchases which I have used a few times. This time with lots of ink and the faux bleaching technique. It's a Honey Doo stamp. 

I confess I started on the other side of the card (each piece of card has two sides!) but then decided that I needed to have much less ink in the middle and getting darker towards the edges. No photo of the b side, I'm afraid. 

So after blending pink and blue ink, I stamped the flowers and then painted water over the petals to bleach out the colour. The same with the leaves and I added a little green ink. 

Some tiny spots of stencilling and splats. I've just remembered I was going to add some gems. I may still do!

I have two friends with birthdays in July so maybe it will go off to one of them. 

I've used two large snippets and some small ones here so I'm off to the Snippets Playground.

Also We love stamping where the them is Fabulous Florals or anything goes. 

Stamping Sensations whre I have used colours and flowers from the mood board and there is an Anything goes option

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day. x

Pink, pink, pink

 Hello lovely crafters

At last...I've made a card for Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge.

I started using a gel print which is made with ink and a stencil. Then stamped the branches and added the pink flowers. 

I wanted to make them slightly 3D so added some tiny paper circles behind and shaped the petals. The butterfly also has scraps behind to lift it. 

So for the Butterfly challenge I have used: Flowers, Forest Green, Frosty Rose colours with Fuchsia gems in the middle of the flowers. And the butterfly of course. I thought I'd used blue but I think I changed my mind! I have several blue butterflies now waiting for another project.

I've also used snippets so this is heading to the Snippets Playground. 

Another spare butterfly. The gel print is from my stash and the leaves are cut from a snippet too. My stash is in piles all over the floor where I was looking for just the right colours. 

As I've used a stencil for the background I'm linking here. The optional May challenge is Girly!

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day x

Quilting

Hello lovely crafters

At last a card and using lots of snippets. 

I saw this idea on facebook and here is the link. 

I cut my strips to about 2cm and then just randomly added them using a spare bit of card to stick on to. There was a fair bit of shuffling about before I stuck it all down. The genius here is running it through and embossing folder so it looks quilted. Of course, I didn't have one quite big enough so there are some dodgy edges but it's fine. 

 I have plenty of design paper which I rarely use, preferring to stamp my own. This is mostly from a pad I bought very early on for making cards for boys or men. I still have most of it left. I don't buy dp now but I do admire it in shops...(and blogs).

I'm running over to the Snippets Playground to show this off. It's all made from snippets including the greeting of course. 

It's slightly larger than usual so I had to make and envelope too. 

Thank you for visiting, enjoy your day x

Lost and found

Hello lovely crafters

Here is my latest card. I tried to copy a technique I'd seen which was water colouring the over the embossing and then painting in the flowers over the top. It was semi successful. Different inks react in different ways, of course. 

The stamps are Julie Hickey and you'll be pleased to hear that the Happy Birthday is the one I'd lost last week. I found the set in my box of finished cards so I'd obviously swept a whole pile of stuff into there while tidying one day. 

I thought I'd better use it before I lost it again. 

I'm popping over to the Snippets Playground with this one. I've used on large snippet and several small ones. 

I'm looking forward to the sunshine there as it's still wet here but as least the gales have dropped! 

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day. x

Busy bees

 Hello lovely crafters

I'm back with a card at last. 

I bought this new flower stamp at a show a few weeks ago so wanted to use it. I dithered for ages over which flower stamp to get. There were so many and all so pretty. Honey Doo Crafts.

I stamped, coloured, cut out and layered them up. I coloured using pens and hint of pencil on top. Then I added some die cut leaves, lovely bees and a few splats. Oh and some liquid pearls. 

I spent far too long looking for a particular Happy Birthday stamp (which I still haven't found), chose another one and promptly lost part of it (which I still haven't found!). 

Then I remembered my peg letter stamps so I used those, realising I can stamp any greeting I like. (As long as I don't lose them). 

Popping over to the Snippets Playground 

I used white snippets, for the flowers, some inky pieces for the leaves. The backing I found already die cut in my box of papers. 

Also the NBUS challenge as the flower stamp is new and was straight out of it's packet asap!

I've become obsessed with bees and rescuing these queen bumblebees when they become trapped or are on hard paving. They are emerging now from hibernation (here in the UK) to build a nest and lay eggs. So beautiful. This is a Buff Tail Bumblebee enjoying my early flowers. 

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day. x

Anything but Christmas

 Happy New Year everyone!

I hope it's peaceful and happy with plenty of time to do what you love. 

I've had a bit of time for crafting so here is my first Snippets card for this year. 

The challenge at the Snippets Playground this time is 'Anything but Christmas' and to use snippets, of course. I'm very happy to leave wintry cards behind for a bit and I've purposely gone spring/summery with these flowers. 

I'm sure I've seen this sort of idea on a card before but I don't remember where and I didn't look up any inspiration. I just started with half an idea, as usual!

The flowers are Julie Hickey, leaves assorted from an old set all coloured with watercolour pencils. The envelope is also made from a snippets. Everything is cut out and arranged on top.

I wanted to add a greeting popping up out of the flowers but wherever I put it, it was covering something so I'm still thinking on that one. Perhaps I should have started with that and gone from there?

I'm hopping over to the Snippets Playground where we are basking in the success of our Nativity play. Don't let anyone tell you it wasn't, there are bound to be a few hiccups!

The flowers are made from white snippets, the envelope from DP snippets and the backing was a new sheet but very old so I count that as a win!

Do join in for a play as there is a very special prize on offer this time. 

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day x

Last minute catch up

 Hello lovely crafters

Feeling smug! I found myself needing quite a few last minute Christmas cards due to lack of motivation and inspiration over the last few months. 

I looked through one of my folders and found these very old card bases which are a funny size. Then I  had the genius idea of cutting them in half. I really like small Christmas cards so that was perfect. Quick to make and easier when short of ideas. 

Here are three I made. Bad photos, taken in a hurry!

Finally, made with a scrap square and a small card base found in the folder. It's about 10cm square:

This one was inspired by a stamp I saw whilst browsing new stamp sets on the internet! I realised I had a similar one (never used) and found I could stamp a wreath by using it 5 times. I did draw a circle to start for help with placement. Then an simple greeting stamp for the centre. Both from magazine sets.

My greatest discovery is that Wink of Stella over watercolour pen is BRILLIANT! Do try it. Probably thanks to Jo Rice on You Tube for that one, though she used it over pen. There is lots of glitteryness on these cards. 

Also as they were odd sizes I had to make envelopes. I used single sided DP with the pattern on the inside of the envelope so I could write on the outside. 

So all the cards are made from snippets and leftovers. The envelopes were new sheets of uninspiring paper left here by my daughter. Using up my stash!

Homework in hand, I am running over to the Snippets Playground where I hear plans for a nativity play are underway. Sounds chaotic to me. I'll start practising my singing. Fa la la la la la la la la...

Also as I have never used the leafy stamp before or actually, the heart stamp:

Thanks for visiting and reading all my waffle. Have a good day x