My shining star

My shining star

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Its a B thing at Crafty Sentiments

Hello there! How are you? Good I hope! I'm feeling good too - have a run to look forward to with my friend Debbie this morning - I haven't seen her for weeks and weeks so it will be good to catch up whilst we run! I'm hoping to take my folks to the scarecrow festival this afternoon too - weather permitting.

At crafty sentiments today there's a new challenge thats starting thats all about the letter B - try to add as many things as possible to your creation that begin with B. I used Benson Bear wih his Bundle of Hearts and coloured him in Brown and added him to a Bag. Now thats only 5 - can you do better?

The bag was a plain bag and I have used a mask and colorwash spray to create the background. I ironed the colourwash as per the instructions so it should be colourfast now. Benson was printed out onto sticky back canvas then coloured in and sewed on for further security.

I'd like to enter this back into the following challenges:

ready-teddy-gochallenge: AG
happycamperscc: Use a mask
thatcraftplaceblog: Altered items
Allsortsallsortschallenge: ABAC

Before I go - this is the final day of the spring sale over at Crafty sentiments store where some stamps are on offer at 35% off - check out the bargain basement - there's even some of the last new releases in there too.



Hope you have a good tuesday and thanks for dropping by!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Monday 29 April 2013

Whoopsi Daisy DT: Spots and stripes

Hello again - well this is my second post of the day - if you're looking for my SALS post its further down. This post is all about whoopsi daisy's new challenge - spots and stripes. Here's my card:


The image is from sheet 446 and you can get her here. I love this image - you'll see her again next week I think! She's been coloured with promarkers - the papers are from my stash - I think the top one may be raspberry road from a freebie from CMPC a while ago.

I'd like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Aud sentimentsaudsentimentschallengeblog: Birthday
PCJpaper-craftingjourney: Use a sentiment
Whimsywhimsyinspires: Pretty in pink
Simon says stampsimonsaysstampschallenge: AG

Hope you have a fabulous Monday and thanks for popping by! See you soon!

Hugs

Rachel xx


DT post for seems a little sketchy: Sketch 38

Good morning all - did you have a good weekend? ours was good although it was horribly wet yesterday - went for a peak at the scarecrows but am hoping for a better look on Tuesday afternoon. This is the first of two posts today - and this one is a sketch for seems a little Sketchy. Here's the sketch to follow - a nice easy one I think:
The challenge is sponsored by Kenny K and the image I chose to use is called anime soccer - you can get it here. The prize on offer this fortnight is 3 digis from Kenny K - not bad eh?

Here's my card :




He's coloured with promarkers and the stars were diecut with an x cut die - there is a martha stewart punch in use along the bottom and the start tag came from way back when lakeland used to do craft things!!!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

herecometheboysblogchallenge: Little boy blue - not sure if this will count because of the brown - if not just delete me!
TPSthepapershelter: For the boys
CCCirclecardcrafterscircle: Boys to men

Thanks for dropping by - back later with my whoopsi daisy challenge post - thanks for dropping by and hope to see you again soon!

Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx

Sunday 28 April 2013

a little rain must fall

Good morning all - are you well? I hope so! I'm feeling good after a great day yesterday - I took the girls to a birthday party at a playbarn - then onto a friends house for a playdate. Meanwhile I sadly visited my local craft shop for the last time - it closed its doors at 4.30pm last night for the final time - which is the little rain that fell on my day! And hence my title for this post. The other reason is my housemouse card that I have to show you today that is very much a rainy scene.



The image is from the housemouse spring decoupage pack from Joanna sheen and I'v placed it on an 8x8 card with muslin, WOC flowers ribbon from the pretty little ribbon shop and a charm from the afore mentioned craft shop. I've made this card for my card swap on the joanna sheen forum this month - I do hope the lady likes it!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
thesquirrelandthefox.: Furry friends
kaboodledoodles: Spring
housemouse-challenge: All about the weather
papertakeweekly: Weather with you
Crafty Ribbonscraftyribbonschallenge: AG with ribbon
Cute card Thursdaycutecardthursday: Can't stop the rain
Crafty Catz:craftycatzweeklychallenge The colour purple

Back with two posts tomorrow - thanks for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon! Big Hugs Rachel xx

Saturday 27 April 2013

down by the seaside

Morning there lovelies! How are you today? Well today I'm excited about the piece I've got to show you - I made it using an old canvas board that needed painting over - this is my recycling  - but I used paper to cover it this time - a la Hels Sheridan's Sunday stamper theme this week. The papers I chose are from Crafty Individuals and must be my favourite paper pack of all time -seaside - they're just stunning and ripe I think for turning into a bit of art for my wall!!!! just noticed they're on sale on the site so may have to restock! Here's my piece:




I've used decopatcj glue to get all the papers onto the canvas and that has given them a real shine - it looks great in the flesh so to speak but not so easy to photograph!!! I'm really very pleased with this piece and will get lots of years of pleasure out of it I think!!!!The flowers have been handmade - some using a spiral spellbinders die and the others using the tattered florals die and folloing the Hels Sheridan tutorial here. There are spirals from a Sheena Douglass set stamped onto the background and the shells have all been collected from various beaches. The seahorses and seastar are Crafty Emblies and have been coloured with forest moss DI or left plain. The 'seaweed' is from a martha stewart punch.

I'd like to enter this piece into the following challenges:
The sunday Stamperpinkleart: Paper
Crafty Indivualscraftyindividualsblog: Spring - although these papers could represent any season the colours to me are most spring/summer like and I hoped that would make them eligible for this challenge.
IDICrobynsfetishchallengeblog: Make your own Flowers
ABACanythingbutacard: April showers
Patties Creationspattiescreationschallenge: ABAC
Stampin for the weekendstampinfortheweekend: Diecuts and punches
Simon sayssimonsaysstampschallenge: Anything goes
Simon says stamp and showsimonsaysstampandshow: Colour



Now then onto my Scarecrow - we used the same scarecrow as last year but built a tower that the rainbows painted in teams - then we dressed the scarecrow in a rapunzel dress and made an enormous plait for her hair and felt flowers to go in the hair and on the sign. Here's what she looked like when I left her yesterday morning!!!


we were very lucky last year and got a prize and a certificate - I suspect we won't be so lucky again but you never know. The festival is in the Village of Wray and most of the villagers and invited groups produce a scarecrow along a different theme each year - this year the theme is 'read me' - the rainbows chose Rapunzel. There are usually over a 100 different scarecrows to see and the festival runs from today until the bank holiday monday when there is a big fair. There will be a parade next Friday in the evening too. Its a lovely tradition and I feel very glad to be involved with my pack of rainbows!!!!

Thankyou for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs

Rachel xx




Friday 26 April 2013

santas helper

Hello there!

Well I do hope you're okay - I have to go and put the scarecrow up at Wray soon so I'm praying for dry weather!!! Fingers crossed it remains the blue sky that we've got just now!!!

I've got a Christmas card to share with you today using a stamp from Crafty Sentiments called Christmas-Helper.I've followed the sketch from CCand CCchocolatecoffeecards - and used a round element on a square card. Here it is:




The image is coloured with promarkers and cut out with a spellbinders die. The papers are from my stash had them for a while but thought the red and greens went well with the colours for this christmas card. The charm came from my local craft shop which will be closing its doors tomorrow - boo hoo - the flowers are WOC and the buttons are from my stash.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

CC & CCchocolatecoffeecards: Sketch
CHNCcraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge: Red and green must be seen
CHNCcraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2 april extra: AG
ABC Christmas challengesabcchristmaschallenge: H is for Holiday Helper
I love promarkersilovepromarkers - square with a round element
Divasdivasbydesignchallenge: Inspired by a movie: ELF
Sisterhood of Crafters:thesisterhoodofcrafters Free for all

Hope you all have a fabby Friday - off to put the scarecrow in place - will take my camera and add photos to tomorrow post! Thanks for dropping by!

Hugs Rachel x

Thursday 25 April 2013

Be Mine - Hedgie

Good morning lovelies - well it was all excitement at Rainbows last night. We managed to spend the whole hour making a plait for our Rapunzels hair and some flet flowers to put in the plait and on our sign. You'll have to wait until saturday to see the final result - but I think she's going to look good!!!!

Today I've got a CAS card to share with you - following the sketch from this months PBSC. Here's my card:


I've embossed the backing card (centura pearl) using a diesire embossing folder - the central diecut is using a die from Crafty sentiments - the penny black image has been coloured with promarkers and I added glossy accents to the heart. The sentiment was typed and added.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

PBSCpennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Sketch
Passion for promarkerspromarkerchallenge: Animal
Totally Gorjusstotallygorjuss: Embossing
Divasdivasbydesignchallenge: Inspired by a movie - love story
Penny'spennyschallenges: Anything goes

Hope you have a wonderful day - looking forward to seeing my mum and dad today as I missed them on Tuesday!

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs

Rachel x

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Ribbons and Pearls at Creative Inspirations

Good morning to You! Hope you're well and happy and ready for another day? I'm feeling good - got lots of crafting done yesterday as I was confined to the house - the builders were in sorting out a wall in the girls bedroom - so I had to stay around all day - which meant lots of crafting - and I did even manage to plant some runner beans and disinfect the greenhouse too!

This week's challenge at Creative Inspirations is Ribbons & Pearls!

Seeing it is the last challenge of the month we have 2 fantastic prizes to give away!

The first of our prizes is from our Monthly Sponsor J&C CREATIONS who are giving 1 Winner a £10 GIFT CERTIFICATE!


 

Our next prize is from our brand new sponsor SATURATED CANARY who are giving another Winner 
2 DIGI'S OF THEIR CHOICE!



and that can't be bad!!!! So get those crafty fingers moving and get something made - if you can!!! I felt I was coming over all bossy there - lol!!!! Here's what I made:


I've coloured up the fabulous Krafty Kate that you can get from Saturated Canary - I'm a bit cross with myself because I asked for the image - went to file her - and found out I had already bought her before! What a nellie - obviously liked her though!!! Thats probably down to seeing her done so many times - thanks Karen xxxx

The image has been coloured with promarkers and cut using a spellbinders grand circle die. The distressing in the centre is tea dye DI. Paper is from my stash and the flowers are WOC. The sentiment is an everyday grungy sentiment from LOTV.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

OSAATonestitchatatimechallenge: Use a digi
SCsaturatedcanarychallenge: AG
Deep Ocean CBdeepoceanchallengeblog: Fave colour combo - blue and brown.

Have a fabby Wednesday - we're finishing off our scarecrow at Rainbows tonight - its going to be a mass plaiting session and were going to cut some flowers from felt using the big shot. Some of these will go in rapunzels hair and some will go on the board thats going to dangle from the tower with our entry name on it - I'll take a picture on Friday when I put the scarecrow in place and put it in Saturday mornings post.

Do have a great day and thanks for dropping by!

Hugs rachel xx

Tuesday 23 April 2013

It takes two - plus a workshop

Hello lovelies - are you having a good day? I had a great one yesterday - I got to share my shaving foam and gilding flakes fun with 5 lovely ladies from my friend and running partner Emmas' crafty group called the Coffee Pot. Here we are in the midst of our fun - and the make was along the lines of this tag here:

Thanks ladies for being so welcoming and open to doing different things!

I've got a card to share with you today thats more traditional - its a wedding card for my girls teacher - she gets married in the summer holidays so I'm well prepared!!!



The stamp is of course LOTV - I've coloured it using promarkers and cut out using an X Cut Heart die. The second heart is one of the spellbinder die - lites. The embossing folder is an embossalicious one and the flowers are WOC. I've added a church charm on some twine and the sentiment is Kanban. Its all mounted on an 8x8 card made from centura pearl card.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
WOCwildorchidchallenge: Twine
Totally Gorjusstotallygorjuss: Embossing
LLFliliofthevalleythursdaychallenge: Seeing double.

Thanks for dropping by - I do appreciate your kind words! Hope to see you again soon!

Big Hugs Rachel xx

Monday 22 April 2013

a crafty day and some fairies

Good morning Lovelies! Well the rain came to my part of the world as predicted yesterday - still - it saved me from giving all the seeds I put in on Sautrday a good soaking so there's always a silver lining!!!

Me and my girlies had a crafty day yesterday - they both managed to make their dad's and their grampsies birthday cards:






Didn't they do well? I promised Lucy and Penny I would enter their cards into a challenge each so I'd like to enter Lucy's gramps card into the craftycatzweeklychallenge - one for the boys - and Penny's Dad card into audsentimentschallengeblog - for a guy. - I hope dad counts as a sentiment !

We did have a lovely time and I suspect this may happen more often in the summer holidays!!!!

I managed to get some crafting done too - and later on in the play barn got to finish my makes! You can't see them today though - they're a mixture of DT cards and ones for later in the week! Todays card is one I made earlier this week and features the stamps of lavinia:



I just love those words - they make me tingle - so exciting!!!! I made the background using my brayer and splodgeaway mat and a denim blue ink pad for the bottom and part of the foliage big and juicy pad for the top - Then I overstamped the fairies and the words and the stars then cut the spellbinders D- lites and added them all to the card cut from centura pearl card using a Go Kreate die.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Lavinia:laviniastamps Bright and Beautiful
MAWTTmovingalongwiththetimes: Fantasy and Fairies

Thanks for dropping by today and hope to see you again soon - I'm having an exciting morning this morning - I'm off to craft with some ladies from my running partners church - she runs a craft morning every monday called coffee pot and has asked me to come along and lead the makes once a month - well I was very happy to do so - will try to take my camera along to show you what we make but its going to be based around the shaving foam backgrounds and gilding flake birds on the tag here.

Have fun and happy Crafting!

Hugs

Rachel xx


Sunday 21 April 2013

april Showers

Well the forecast today in my part of the world is for rain - so I thought it was a good day for this card! I made it at my mums on Thursday - we had a short crafternoon - we'd been to the local craft shop that is sadly closing down - but it did mean that there were bargains galore to be had - it also meant I bought yet more stamps - gulp - when will I ever ink them all up!!!! Anyway - here's my card:



I'm very pleased with this card - I love these sheena stamps and had such a lot of fun spraying and distressing the background - and adding the umbrellas and rain - they're a genius addition to the stamp set sheena - fabby!!! The central sentiment is obviously the focal part and that is such a lovely thing for a card to say I think!!! In the centre the DI used was salty ocean - around the outsideof the background  I used salty ocean and black soot. The sprays were a combination of denim colourwash and two cosmic shimmer sprays that my mum had. The card base is centura pearl and the ribbons were from my stash.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Kraftyhandskraftyhandschallenge: April showers - shades of blue
ssss challengesimonsaysstampandshow: Background
Tuesday Throwdowntuesdaythrowdown: Focus on your sentiment
Penny'spennyschallenges: Use a sentiment
PCJpaper-craftingjourney: Use a sentiment
Totally papercraftstotallypapercrafts: Monochromatic
Card Crafts Circlecardcrafterscircle: April showers
2 sisters CB2sisterschallengeblog: Blue
AGOACpinkgemchallengeblog: Distress it

Not sure what we're doing today - I'm hoping to go to the local paybarn if its bad weather then I can get some crafting done - hope you all have a wonderful day and thanks for dropping by!!!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx



Saturday 20 April 2013

Tims Tags 2013: April

Good morning all! Well I finally got around to making my tag for April - but I really struggled with this one - no distress paints have made their way into my shopping basket just yet - hopefully next month!!!! So as you can imagine I well and truely struggled - but I did have fun - making use of the acrylic paints I already own and the stamp that Tim used that was also already mine - enjoyed using the studio 490 film to 3D the dragonfly too!

Here's Tims Tag:




In all of its gorgeous ness - and here's mine - not quite so gorgeous!!!! But fun nonetheless!


The shimmer that the bottom picture is picking up is treasure gold - don't have distress paint metallics either so I have improvised again with what I did have!

I'd like to enter my tag into the timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2013-april challenge!

Hope you have a fabulous Saturday - I'm taking Penny to help set up the guide camp ready for the coming season tomorrow - Lucy doesn't want to come so she's staying at home with daddy - I'm sure they'll have fun! No plans for Sunday as yet! Gardening club went well with the children at school yesterday - we managed to get strawberries planted and also radishes, peas, carrots and potatoes - lots of jobs well done I think!!!!

Thanks for dropping by and I hope to see you again soon!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Friday 19 April 2013

Little Claire's Cuties

Hi there! Hope you're having a lovely day! Before I show you my card for today I want to say a special thankyou to my good friend Megan and my crafty friend Anne for sponsoring me for the Great North Run through my just Giving page which you can find here - I'm running for asthma UK - thanks  Megan and Anne - you're both stars and its fabulous that you've started the ball rolling for me!

I got my Little Claires stamp club stamps and card kit for April and this month the stamps are just so cute I vowed to use them before the month was out. And here they are:


Don't you think they're sweetie pies? The sentiment stamp came with the set.  There's another beautiful stamp too - will try to use that one soon - they're lovely every month - I just seem to be disappearing under an ever increasing pile of stamps in the 'to use' pile - I must stop buying!!!!

I've coloured the image in with promarkers and then used Mowed Lawn DI around the circle edge. I've followed the sketch on the Little Claires challenge blog and added flowers from the Pretty Little Ribbon shop and mesh from the Ribbon Girl. I followed the colour scheme of the Crafty Ribbons challenge which is pink and green. The card I cut with my Go Kreate die and the first layer with another one from the set. The green layer is from a First Edition pad.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

Little Clairelittleclairesdesigns - spring and sketch
Crafty Ribbonscraftyribbonschallenge: Pink and green
Penny'spennyschallenges use a sentiment
I love promarkersilovepromarkers: pastels

Looking forward to gardening club today with the children at school - if its dry we'll be putting strawberries in and also potatoes and planting some more seeds! Plenty to do!

Hope to see you again soon and thanks for dropping by!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Thursday 18 April 2013

Floral bloom and Bamboo

Good morning lovelies - I hope you are well and happy! I've got a cheerful card to share with you this morning if you're not happy - maybe the colour or the Panda will put a smile on your face! The image is called Floral Delights and is from the Party Paws range at Crafters Companion. Such a cutey pie!



I've used the sketch from the Friday sketch challenge and just rotated through 90 degrees. The image is coloured with promarkers and the flowers are WOC. The sentiment is LOTV and the Lace and muslin are  from the Ribbon Girl.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

crafterscompanion - April challenge - flowers
fridaysketchchallenge: Sketch
lacysunshinechallengeblog: Spring Fever
Cupcakecupcakecraftchallenges: Cute and Cuddly
CYPCcraftyourpassionchallenges: Adorable animals
incywincydesigns: Feathers or fur
PTWpapertakeweekly: 1 patterned paper
Inky Chicksinkychicks: Happy Birthday Girl
TPSthepapershelter: Make it bloom
Creative momentscarabbiemomentsofcraft: Spring

Just to let you know I'm running the Great North Run this year for Asthma UK. I chose this charity because a dear friend has two childen of 5 and below that suffer with asthma - and it can be so difficult for her - she also has a baby who is not yet 1 and although they won't diagnose at this early age all the signs are there. Anyway - I wanted to show her some support and have set up a just giving page where you could donate if you feel able - don't feel any pressure or obligation - just if you want to and you can it would be wonderful! My page is here - https://www.justgiving.com/Rachel-Fisher7

Thanks so much for visiting today and I hope to see you again soon!

Big Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx