Morning all and welcome to the very last day of MARCH

Morning all

This year is simply WHIZZING by, tomorrow's APRIL! Next thing you know it'll be May and I know that I'm looking forward to that! Warmer days, lighter nights - perfick!

Got up yesterday morning with an idea in my head ... a crafting idea that is - IS there any other kind? As I look at this make I find myself wondering .. anyone else see someone on a bicycle? No? Guess that will be back to yesterdays journal sentiment "odd things in my head" then!, I see someone on a bicycle, with their head down - guess they're trying to get somewhere in a hurry!

Here's my card

And in close up!

And here's the card and envelope, all co-ordinated,but before I creased my card blank

 

Materials used:

• White, C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• Three pieces of white card, two cut to 9 x 13cm and one to 8 x 12cm
• Black card, to mat leaving a 1.6mm border
• Distress Ink in carved pumpkin applied to the lower half of the smaller card panel
• Dark Room Door polka dot image, stamped using Hero Arts neon pink ink
• Crafters Companion Spray and Shine applied - to seal the water based ink
• Various sized circle dies placed on one of the larger pieces of white card and run through my big shot
• For the insert and envelope I stamped the Hampton Arts circle using Memento tangelo ink and then used the smaller Hero Arts circle and Hero Arts neon pink ink to "polka dotify" the orange circle
• Stampers Anonymous sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Once assembled (die cut, stamped and matter layers) I adhered the image panel to the card front using dimensional foam which I HOPE may be seen in the close up photo above.

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

1. Simply  Less Is More - challenge No. 269 - POLKA DOTS - 2nd entry
2. Creative Card Crew - challenge No. 109 - CLEAN AND SIMPLE
3. The Cat's Pyjamas Tuesday challenge - challenge No. 311 - USE ONE OR MORE DIES .. been trying to access the site for an hour this morning without success, anyone else got the same problem? Succeeded at 11:40
4. Through The Craft Room Door - March 29th - April 4th - ANYTHING GOES

Welcome to What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday

Morning all

I recently started journalling again .. having not done any for AGES .. since I lost my A4 journal .. replaced it with an A5 instead and rediscovered the joy of faffing with colouring mediums ..

My Journal page

And a closer view

Materials used:

• A5 Crawford & Black journal page
• White gesso
• Reeves black and white acrylic paints, thinned with a little water and applied as a colour wash to my page
• Stencils through which I applied Ranger Archival jet black ink using a piece of cut and dry .. as you can see in the photo below, this does stain the stencils but I suspect it won't do any long term damage
• Paper Artsy images from the one set and stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Paper Artsy splatter image stamped using Color Box white pigment ink
• Crafters Companion "lines" image stamped using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink
• Distress Crayons from the neutrals and earth tones used to add a little colour
• Faber Castell "F" pitt pen used to doodle some lines along with a Sharpie purple marker

I quite like the more industrial colour scheme of this layout! Makes a change from my more usual brights! Is it finished? Who knows? There's plenty of scope to revisit the layout .. maybe add more colour and/or detail to the butterflies, ad some texture maybe some twinkle .. now, where did I put that glass bead glitter gel?!?!?!

Yesterday we visited my dear hubby's local model flying field, following the recent dreadful weather he wanted to see if the field was usable ... sadly that was a resounding NOOOOOOOOOOOO. It's only been re-opened a week as we've had the wettest weather! Sorry boys, you'll have to find something else to amuse yourselves!

See the pond? Well, that's NORMALLY their designated PARKING AREA!!!

And now, since it's Wednesday ... it's time for a peek at the messy space I work in ..... yes, needs tidying, as always! You caught me mid gesso. I thought I would crack on and gesso a few journal pages in readiness!

I shall be sharing this over at WOYWW, week #356 too - I DO love to check out how other crafters organise their space!

Monday and a Public Holiday .....

Which means more time to craft! Morning all!

I'd like to welcome my latest follower, MeganJ, thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon.

Hope you have been enjoying your Easter break, if not thrilled by the weather!!! What WAS yesterday all about? We had sunshine, rain, hail, grey and sunshine .... all in the space of about half an hour and then again periodically throughout the day! PLAINLY no point trying to go anywhere - do you take sunny's or umbrella's and a hard hat?!?!?!

Anyhoo, I recently took delivery of some Distress Crayons courtesy of the Craft Barn and their brilliant prices, so I thought it was time to play. It seemed like the last couple of journal pages all featured the same kind of colour scheme so I made a conscious effort to mix it up a little with this one - check it out

My finished page ... or is it? That's the thing with journalling .. it might NEVER be finished!

Closer view to show the delicata image and the stickles which may not show up
up properly in the photo of the page as a whole

 

 Distress Crayons, sets BRIGHT and EARTH plus stencilling to take colour OFF - layer ONE

 

 Ranger Archival inks stamping and additional stencilling (colour ON this time)

  

Hero Arts curved swipe of colour with the Delicata golden glitz and stardust stickles to bling! And finally, my Fisher space pen to add the date!

Materials used:

• Crawford and Black A5 journal
• Gesso
• Distress Crayons: picked raspberry, seedless preserves, mermaid lagoon, twisted citron and spiced marmalade - blended with dry fingers
• Sharpie purple marker and Pitt white bullet tipped pens used to add highlights and blended with finger
• That Craft Place and That's Crafty stencils used with a baby wipe to take colour back
• TCW mini circles stencil used with Ranger Archival watering can ink sponged through using a piece of cut and dry
• Crafters Companion lines, circles and circle/star image stamped using Ranger Archival watering can and cobalt blue inks
• Ditzies sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Visible Image border (from the fab mini flourish Craft Stamper free image) stamped randomly across the top of my page using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink
• Hero Arts curved swipe image stamped several times using the Delicata golden glitz ink
• Stardust stickles to highlight Distress Crayon circles and corners
• Fisher "space pen" in purple used to add the date, I TRIED a metallic gel pen first but this lifted the colour and the Signo Uniball (also in purple) just did NOT want to write .. the Fisher space pen is supposed to write in space so I figured it SHOULD work - and it did!

If I'm honest I am LOVING these distress crayons. I bought gelatos thinking I would love them but I didn't, there's just something cooler about these D.C.'s - perhaps the fab colour range and the fact they retain MUCH of their vibrancy when water is added whereas I always felt gelatos faded too much. Since you can blend with your fingers too they make th eperfect travelling companion. I suspect they will be accompanying me on my next flight too!

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

1. Love to Create - challenge No. 7 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES - 2nd entry
2. That Craft Place - 27th March challenge - ANYTHING GOES 
3. Stamplorations - Mixed Media Sunday March 27th - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES but MUST include stencilling

Enjoy the rest of your Easter

Welcome to Easter Sunday

Morning all

Did you all remember to change your clocks this morning? Woo Hoo!, lighter nights - huzzah.

Wishing those of you who celebrate it a very HAPPY EASTER. After a wonderful Good Friday we had one of THE soggiest Saturday's and, I'm told, Storm Katie is due to batter the U.K. today so ... stay safe if you are heading out today but, if you don't HAVE to go out .. you could always stay in and craft or eat chocolate!

On a crafting front and in an attempt to keep ahead of my ATC materials swaps, I came up with this little ATC with easily repeatable materials for my swap with my buddy on the Isle of Skye . . . .

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Deep purple card edged with a Crafters Companion grungey line image inked with Memento tuxedo black
• Lilac card stencilled with Distress Ink in wilted violet through a That's Crafty Dinky stencil
• Crafters Companion circles image stamped using Memento sweet plum ink
• Paper Artsy splatter image stamped using Delicata golden glitz ink
• Craft Stamper free image stamped on to a white snippet using Memento tuxedo black ink and coloured using alcohol markers
• Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen applied to the flower and black to the eyes and nose of my bear
• Lawn Fawn sentiment stamped on to a white snippet using Memento tuxedo black ink and then inked with the wilted violet, a border drawn with an SX Faber Castell pitt pen and then cut out
• Dimensional foam pads to attach the bear and sentiment to the ATC
• Crystal stickles applied to  highlight accents

I'll be entering this for the following challenges:

1. Crafting with an attitude - challenge No. 13 - ANYTHING GOES
2. CRAFT Rocket - challenge No. 11 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Addicted to Stamps - challenge No. 186 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - challenge No. 222 - SNIPPETS CHALLENGE

And the duplicate materials I shall be sending to my swap buddy, be interesting to see what comes back .... plenty of snippets of card used here - YAY!

And then it was on to my new A5 journal, acquired recently in The Works. It replaces my missing A4 journal ... I have NO IDEA where it's hiding but -if you've seen it then please send it home!

My journal page

And a closer view

I started by scribbling colour

And then moving it about with a wet finger
Water colouring at its most basic!!!

Then some stencilling with a baby wipe, to lift colour

Materials used:-

• Crawford and Black A5 journal
• Gesso
• Distress Crayon - set BRIGHTS. I laid down the colour using picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and mustard seed and then spread the colour using a baby wipe
• TCW stencils of faux brick, mini circles and numbers and a That's Craftydinky stencil used in conjunction with a baby wipe, to remove colour
• Using the colours in the BRIGHTS set I doodled some circles and rings around them, blending with a finger as I drew, I also drew some radiating lines 
• Pitt pens in black and white used to doodle some lines and a moist finger used to blur those lines
• Dylusions border image stamped using Ranger Archival watering can ink
• Copic Atyou Spica glitter pen in red to colour the non inked squares
• Crafters Companion border stamped using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink
• Close to my Heart and Wendy Vecchi (for studio 490) sentiments stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Prima circles image stamped using Memento London fog ink
• Copic Atyou Spica glitter gel pen in black used to add the date

I'll be entering this mixed media project for the following challenges:-

1. Love to Create - challenge No. 7 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES
2. Mixed Media Mojo - March challenge - WATERCOLOUR .. hoping moving Distress Crayons with water counts!
3. That Craft Place - challenge No. 7 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES - FINAL challenge for a while

It's Saturday and that means challenge makes!

Hi there

First order of business will be to welcome my latest follower, Sandma, thanks for joining me - hope to see you again soon.

Secondly, and after a beautiful day yesterday, THIS is more like we expect at a Public Holiday - RAINING!!!! 

So, nothing for it but to switch on Sounds of the Sixties and craft .....  I've made my challenge card AND it uses NBUS (Never Before Used Stash) so Darnell would be proud of me for today. Lately I've moved well away from cutesie too so this is a bit of a change for me, but still CAS so don't panic! - wanna see?

My card

And a closer view to show the polka dot paper piecing

 

And here are shots of the front and back of the envelope along with

 the back, front and inside of my card

Materials used:

• White C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to 9 x 13cm
• Pink card and gold card cut to mat with a 1.6mm border
• Snippet of pink card stamped using a Costco wood mounted spotty stamp and Memento rosebud ink
• Julie Nutting image stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink on to the image panel, insert, back of card and the front and back of envelope and additionally on to the stamped pink snippet which I thien fussy cut out but JUST the dress part of the image - to paper piece on my image panel
• Stampers Anonymous sentiment stamped on all the above locations (except the pink snippet) using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Alcohol markers to colour the remainder of the image
• Stardust stickles to add twinkle to the balloon

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

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 269 - POLKA DOTS
2. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 105 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Simply Papercraft for all occasions - challenge No. 26 - ANYTHING GOES
4. 4CraftyChicks - challenge No. 291 - CLEAN AND SIMPLE

Have a great Easter weekend

It's RUDOLPH DAY!

Morning readers,

Today sees my second outing of three as a Guest member of the Design Team over at the Rudolph Challenge on the blog Scraps of Life run by Maureen. I was delighted to step up for this as I make a fair number of Christmas projects and making them through the year ensures no last minute panics! Well, that's THE PLAN anyway. The R.D. challenge will run from today until the end of the month, so you have a few days to get your entry in! GOOD LUCK!

Want to see what Maureen and my other Guest teamies made? Then please, pop over to the Scraps of Life blog here and check out the talent! OR check out the blogs of my fellow guest teamies over at Scraps of Life too:

1. Berina
2. Jane
3. Sam

And, without further ado, here is my card ..

My card

Showing the twinkle 

Some dimension and texture, bot not too much that it becomes a LARGE postage rate project

 

The inside and outside of my card and the front and back of the envelope

Materials used:

• White C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• One piece each of plain and ribbed white card cut to 9½ x 13½cm
• One piece of red card cut to mat, with a 1.6mm border
• Snippets of card in the white, black and red
• Sparkle 'n Sprinkle tall snowman stamped on to a snippet of white card using Memento tuxedo black (also on to the insert, reverse of card blank and the front and reverse of the envelope ... as you see above)
• Alcohol markers, Copic Atyou Spica glitter pens and Wink of Stella glitter brush pens used to colour
• Sparkle 'n Sprinkle sentiments stamped using Memento tuxedo black, cut out and matted on the front of my card and stamped directly on the insert, reverse of card and envelope
• Faber Castell glass bead glitter gel applied over the ribbed card

My fab images from Sparkle 'n Sprinkle

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

1. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas challenge - challenge No. 273 - CUTE or ANYTHING CHRISTMAS
2. Craftbubble2½ (membership required) - Rudolph Day challenge - USE FABRIC AND/OR TEXTURE ... my layers have added texture and so has my glass bead glitter gel
3. ABC of Christmas - March challenge - F is for FRILLS or NO FRILLS and we have to explain why ... mine is no frills as I LOVE the more CAS approach
4. Holly Jolly Christmas challenge - challenge No. 68 - USE YOUR STASH - I've used a much loved stamp and my new fave texture product - glass bead glitter gel, along with SNIPPETS which (all too often) simply accumulate in a box!

On Wednesday my hubby's car had to go in to the garage for what we hoped was some very minor warranty work ..... the garage loaned us a car and we headed out for the day ..... yes, it DID involve lunch.

Lunch at the Sally Pussey Inn

Then a walk around the duck pond in Devizes

And this handsome fellow posed for me!

I was also well pleased to find out that one of my cards was picked to be featured in the TOP 5 over at Southern Girls, my thanks to Alethea for picking my card. The card I entered is shown below right

 

And now ... it's also time for the Friday Funny which, this week, comes to you courtesy of Wynneth. ENJOY! It's a little irreverent so, if you are easily offended please do NOT read on.

A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience and seeing God she asked "Is my time up?" 

God said "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."        

Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair colour and brighten her teeth since she had so much more time to live - she figured she might as well make the most of it.                     

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital and while crossing the road on her way home she was killed by an ambulance.    

             

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live?”  Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance?"    

God replied:  "I didn't recognize you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!."


I know it's SERIOUSLY weird mentioning Easter in what is essentially a Christmas themed post but, to those of you who celebrate it - A VERY HAPPY EASTER

Welcome to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Morning all

Hope your week is going along well ... it's downhill all the way to the weekend.

I'd like to welcome my latest follower, Henriette, I'm sorry - I couldn't track down a blog to link but ... if I do then I'll add it. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again sometime

Here's a card I made yesterday .... I just love this little image and should really use it more often than I do - saw a challenge theme of weather and just knew it was perfect!

My card

And a close up

Front and back of my card plus the envelope

Inside of  my card

Materials used:

• White C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• Two white card panels cut to 9 x 13cm
• Two pieces of navy card cut with a 1.6mm border
• One piece of yellow/orange card cut with a 1.6mm border
• Jillibean "Dance in the rain" image stamped using Memento tuxedo black and the sentiment with London fog ink
• Alcohol markers used to colour
• TCW stencil (mini circles) sponged using Distress Ink in tumbled glass - to simulate rain!
• Stampers Anonymous sentiment stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink

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

1. CASology - challenge No. 190 - WEATHER
2. Crafting from the heart - challenge No. 104 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Paper Players - challenge No. 287 - CLEAN AND SIMPLE
4. Use your Stuff - challenge No. 215 - INSPIRED BY A QUOTE
5. Craft your passion - challenge No. 304 - ANYTHING GOES

I was treated to a view of the final flypast of SIX Sea King helicopters on Monday, not that they came all that close but ... I'm no quitter and me and my trusty camera did our best!

The TV helo arrived a smidge early and was seen hanging about for its mates!

Last chance to see these Sea Kings, not that (from this distance) I would have
been able to identify them! Bet hubs would though

If you enjoyed Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" but like your music a bit more ROCK-y .... then you MIGHT want to listen and watch this video by DISTURBED!!! It's a little different but astonishing ... IMHO - I am LOVING IT

And now, since it IS What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - here's my workspace

Messy, as ever!

And I also found out that I was picked as a TOP 3 Winner over at Cardz4Guyz yesterday for challenge #111 - SPEED, with the card below right - there's no prize, just the kudos of being picked - thanks peeps