Autumn Thanks

Hello Everyone

Today I would like to share a thank you card I  made for someone who very kindly helped me out recently:

I started by masking off the large sun area in the centre of the card and used ink dusting brushes to colour the background with distress inks in mustard seed, spiced marmalade and ripe persimmon.  I then removed the sun mask and dusted mustard seed over the sun so it wasn't such a stark white colour.

Next I added in the hills using the same three colours of distress and some torn paper.  I added all of the stamping with black versafine ink and all the stamps are from inkylicious.

I finished off my card by mounting it onto black cardstock before adhering it to a 7x7 card blank.

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

• Allsorts - Treemendous, all the challenge details can be found here 
• Pan Pastel - Autumn colours - click here for all the details
• Just Us Girls - photo inspiration, click here for details and see the photo inspiration below
• Inkspirational - photo inspiration, click here for details and see photo below
• Sweet Stampin - wood, leaves or trees, challenge details are here 

Thanks so much for calling by today,

Claire x

ASOI Colour Challenge

Hi Everyone

Thanks for dropping by today, it's lovely to have you along on my crafty journey!

Today I have created a little something to join in with the very first colour challenge over at A Sprinkle of Imagination.  Click HERE for all the challenge details.

I decided to alter a beermat/coaster for the challenge.  I'm hoping to create quite a few of these little guys and then pop them onto a couple of book rings to create a mini book - this will be the very first one I've ever made so here it goes....

This is how the beermat looked to begin:

I gave it a good coat of gesso creating a kind of textured stripy effect on the gesso with a paintbrush:

 

Once dry I started adding colour with Paperartsy Fresco Finish paints using a babywipe and my fingers.  I used haystack first on the base as my golden yellow colour for the challenge then added eggplant (Cadbury purple) with my fingers rubbing it into all the lines and creases.

 

I then used black versafine ink to stamp the images from the Paperartsy JOFY14 plate, I coloured the flowers using pumpkin soup fresco finish paint and highlighted the flowers with some more of the haystack yellow.  I then added limelight fresco to the little berries to make them pop.  Next I added the white highlight using the triple circle stamp from the same set and a Ranger snowcap paint dabber.  Finally to finish off and give a little shine I dry brushed a little white fire treasure gold giding wax around the edges.

I've done my best in the photos with the light but it was a very grey day so they don't truly do it justice but never mind!  I really enjoyed creating my little coaster and am looking forward to making some more so I can create my mini book :)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Claire x

Clarity Stampers Class

Hello Everyone

On Saturday I attended a Clarity Stampers class in Sedgefield with the lovely Annette Lee as our tutor.

We made three lovely projects - all very different:

This first card was using the brayer and the new leaf stamp set that Barbara had on the TV on Sunday.

The second card we made was using the gelli plate, the mallard stamp set and the leaves again.

And last but not least we made the third card using one of the Clarity stencils, just one distress ink pad with a stencil brush, again the new leaf stamp and this great sentiment stamp too.

I really enjoyed the class - lots of new tips and skills learned and it was great to catch up with everyone after the long break since June!

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x

The Crafting Cafe - Anything Goes + a DT Call

Good Morning Everyone!

This month over at The Crafting Cafe it's Anything Goes!!  There is also a DT call going on too if you want to join our friendly little team!  To visit the challenge blog and to find out about the DT call just click HERE

Here is my project for this month:

To start I printed the Hoppy Frog Prince by Stamping Dragon Designs onto SplodgeAway High Res Card and coloured with promarkers.  I added gold glamour dust to the stars on his crown to give him a little bit of sparkle.  

I added a wash of salty ocean distress ink underneath the frog to ground him.  I mounted the frog onto navy blue cardstock and then mounted him onto a 6x6 card blank.  To finish off my card I added four little green gems to the corners.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Claire x

Halloween Tag

Hi everyone!

Today I would like to share a tag that I created to join in with a couple of different challenges:

So I love Halloween but I don't really have any stamps that go with it - but I did come across this little set from Woodware which I've never opened - so thought it was a good opportunity to give them a try!

I used a size 10 manilla tag from Ranger for my base.  I covered this with Paperartsy Fresco Finish paints in haystack, mocha mousse, smoked paprika and pumpkin seed.  Next I mixed some Paperartsy Grunge Paste with little black dress Fresco Finish and spread it through the tornado Andy Skinner stencil.  Once this was dry I sanded around all the egdes of  the tag and then inked with vintage photo distress ink.  I then used spiced marmalade distress ink through a Splodgeaway mask to add the abstract lettering background.  I stamped the witch face onto card, coloured her with promarkers and fussy cut her then added her to the tag.  I stamped the other images from the Woodware stamp set onto the tag using black versafine ink.
Next I coloured some grunge board letters and a skull with a black promarker and added them to the tag too.  Finally I added a spider charm to a piece of wire - added this to a piece of black ribbon - and tied through the top of the tag.

I would like to enter my tag in the following challenges:

• Our Creative Corner - Halloween tag with surface texture, click here for challenge details
• Artful Times - Feeling distressed, all the details can be found here
• Country View Crafts - Something spooky, all the challenge details can be found here
• The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge - Witches, click here for details

Thanks for stopping by today,

Claire x

Autumn Leaves

Hi Everyone

Today I created an autumnal card - the leaves are so beautiful at the moment, so many different colours!

So here is my card (hopefully you can see the colours ok - the light was so dull today and lots of wind and rain too!):

And a little closer up on the stamping on the left hand side:

I used distress inks in mustard seed, spiced marmalade and ripe persimmon to ink through the Clarity Stamp leaf mask.  I then stamped the sentiment from Inkylicious in vintage sepia versafine ink.  I used this ink to stamp the Clarity Stamp leaf down the left hand side, masking lots of leaves as I went so they were all overlapping.  Next I filled the leaves using the solid Clarity leaf stamp and distress inks in brushed corduroy, tea dye and rusty hinge.

I inked around the edges with vintage photo distress, mounted onto brown cardstock before adding to a 7x7 card blank.

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:

• Frilly and Funkie - Autumn Colours plus leaves, all challenge details can be found here
• Pan Pastel UK Challenge - Falling Leaves, click here for all the details

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Claire x

Dictionary Challenge - Letter J

Hi everyone,

Well it's been a while since I blogged - I just don't know where the time goes to!!

So I didn't get my dictionary page for G finished in time so I was determined to get J done!

It was quite a hard choice - not too many words beginning with J in my dictionary - and then I had zero J stamps so in the end I decided to draw my J entry by hand (does not happen often!) and I chose the word JELLYFISH.

So here it is:

I used paperartsy fresco finish paints for the whole project, I tried to make it look like the light was shining down into the water from the top but not sure that turned out as I had planned.  I quite like how my jellyfish turned out tho - as they do almost look translucent as you can still see the dictionary words through them.

To see the challenge details or to see what others have chosen for J click HERE

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x