Spring Flowers at Creative Inspirations

Hello there! Well how are you today? I had another good go at the gym yesterday - did my 30 lengths in the pool (thats 750m) and then had a short sit in the jacuzzi before heading out to my mum and dads - this was a really nice tuesday morning and if I join this will become a regular fixture I think!

Onto today - well its time for those spring flowers over at cinspirationsCreative Inspirations - I made my card using some paint fusion stamps from Sheena but I've just coloured them with spectrum noirs.

I've embossed the gold around the edges too and also in the sweet pea title. I love sweet peas - with any luck the garden will be full of them this year - loads have germinated so just got to hope that they start to flower before the end of may!

I love the fact that the stamp set includes one with all those curly bits on - so true to life!

I'd like to enter this card into pennyschallenges- pastels

So to join in all you need to do is include some flowers on your creations!

This week we are joined by our sponsor BUNNY ZOES CRAFTS who are giving the Winner a £10 Certificate!

thats gotta be worth having!

I've got one more thing to share with you before I go - its a tag I've made with the oriental theme in mind over at allsorts:

more sheena stamps - the background is made using distress paints - dusty concorde, seedless preserves and the gold one - is it brass? I forget - but lots of fun to do anyway! I'd like to enter this ito the oriental challenge at allsortschallenge.

Big Hugs and hope to see you soon - thanks for your visit today!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

final post for Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes

Good morning all! How are you today? I hope you are well and happy! I am feeling good - the gym is great and i suspect i will be joining - having a 25m pool is going to pretty much sway things for me - the question is whether to go for a full membership or an off peak one - I will mostly use it off peak as I'm not an evening person but there may be occasions when weekend visits might be necessary - something to mull over i think! And then there's school holibobs - I might need to go in the evenings then......

Anyway - onto today - I have my final DT post for Crafty Sentiments - I have been with them for over a year - nearly 18 months - and it has been lots of fun. I want to thank Suzette and jan at the team and all of the other DT members for making it such a fun place to be. Sadly nothing lasts forever and now seems to be the right time to move on! Here's what i made:

Such a cutie pie image - this is patches puppy surprise surprise and you can get him here.

He's been coloured with spectrum noirs and cut using a spellbinders die. The papers are all very old and from my stash!

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

totally Gorjusstotallygorjuss: Something cuddly

cute card thursdaycutecardthursday: Blue and green

Hope you have a great Tuesday - I need to get a wriggle on and sort out my rainbows programme for this term - so far behind! lol!!!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Alice's Birthday card and some cakes for her tea party

Hello lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are well! We're feeling very tired after the madness of yesterday. The parties went very well but it really was all go. Its a good job school goes back today! And I'm going to start a three day trial at a gym today so hopefully I'll feel less tired after that - I do find exercise gives you more energy!

I'd like to show you the card i made for Alice yesterday.

Its another pop up box! The stamps are from Oxford Impressions....I think they're fabulous!

Here's the cakes and toppers I took with me to the party.

They weren't too bad - although there were so many other cakes there! Its a good job I weighed myself Sunday morning!!! Things probably would have been different if i had done it this morning!

Thats all for today - I hope you have a good Monday and thanks for dropping by! Big Hugs Rachel x

Black and white plus 1 at Christmas card Club

Good morning lovelies! how are you today? We are all good and very excited to be going to two parties today. We have a 6th birthday party this morning - Connie's - she's the little girl the cow card was for. Then this afternoon we have a mad hatters tea party to celebrate Alice's 18th birthday. I'll show you her card tomorrow - and some cakes I'm taking down there. Alice is very grateful to be with us after she had a bad riding accident at the age of 14 - she had to be airlifted by the air ambulance and her party is a bit of a fundraiser for them as well as a party for her! A worthy cause indeed!

Onto todays makes - its Karen's choice today at Christmas Card Club. The theme is black and white plus 1 - well I was very undecided so I made three different versions of the same card!

I found it hard to decide whether to use red, blue or gold and my +1.

The stamps were a freebie on a magazine last year - this is the first time I've used them.

I think the gold is my favourite - all of the cards were made by stamping with versamark then adding wow powders and heat setting.

I'd like to enter these cards into the following challenges:

Thats Crafty thatscraftychallenges- black and white plus a splash

Wow wowembossingpowder- metal (the gold one)

crafty catz craftycatzweeklychallenge- AG

Hope you have a great Saturday! Big hugs to you! Thanks for dropping by and for any comments you choose to leave!

Rachel xx

Happy Birthday LOTV!

Hello lovely people - how are you today? We're all good - hoping to go swimming later. I'm looking forward to that as i finally have my prescription goggles - here's hoping they help me spot my lovely family lol!!!

I managed to put the scarecrow up yesterday - it looked great in the sunshine - but I'm not sure it will be looking very good by now! Oh well - we did our best.



I'm really pleased with her - I hope she manages to withstand the rain - and her cakes - lol - thats what they're supposed to be!!!!

Anyway - onto todays post - I decided I would like to use my favourite LOTV stamps to make a 10th birthday card for their challenge this month. I've been playing with the technique on mojo monday from chocolate baroque - basically stamping in versa and adding pan pastels over the top - its a great technique and I hope to apply the idea often - thanks for that one Glenda!

I've used the accordion flip album die - I stamped the background in black ink then added the extra panels on top using the stamping in versa mark and adding red pan pastel. The details pop out beautifully - then I added some pretty lace from the ribbon girl and also some sentiments, I cut the single letters from a sentiments stamp set.

I love the LOTV stamp set I've used as the main focus - you can get it here.

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

LOTVideastoinspire: 10th birthday challenge

Thats Crafty thatscraftychallenges- black and white with a splash of colour.

Hope you have a great Saturday - enjoy whatever you're doing!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Spring flowers at A Vintage Journey

Morning all! Sorry if I gave you a fright yesterday - a few of you thought I had actually torn my gelli plate - thankfully not lol! How are you this morning? Good I hope. We're going to be putting up our scarecrow for the festival later this morning - I'll take a picture when its up - its very bright - but with the theme Mardi Gras you would expect that! Hoping the rain isn't too bad although the forecast for the weekend is pretty awful! Oh well!

Today I have an ATC and altered MDF pot to share with you made for the spring flowers theme at A Vintage Journey.

I've made the ATC for a swap I'm involved with over at that Craft place natter and chatter group. The ATC and pot were altered using the same techniques so I'll just focus on the pot.

I started by using distress paints - mustard seed, bundled sage, crushed olive and mowed lawn. I swooshed them onto my craft mat, spritzed with water and put my card into the paints - once I was happy I dried the card and spritzed and flicked with water and dried again.

I cut the card to size to fit the pot sides. I painted the insides of the pot with yellow paint and then set about stamping and cutting and building up the papers for the sides of the pot.

I used a combination of TH stamps, rub ons and diecuts. The lattice die was cut in grungeboard, coloured with distress paints then cut up.

The flowers are all made using the tattered florals die. Once I had finished the papers I stuck them onto the pot and added the florals.

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

A Vintage Journeyvintagejourney: Spring flowers

ABACanythingbutacard: Spring forward

CRAFTtrimmiescraftchallenge: ABAC

totally Gorjuss:totallygorjuss Diecuts or punches

Sweet stampinsweetstampinchallengeblog: Lots of layers.

wedodoobadoo-embellish-it

Hope you have a great Friday - we're planning on going to a playbarn and a museum - after the scarecrow is done!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

I

memories are made of this! - and a torn gelli plate!

Hi there! How are you? I hope you are well! We had a good day at mum and dads yesterday and managed an hour in the park before the rain became too heavy! We're back there again today - got to take the parentals to do their shopping - I'm not very fond of this job when the kids are off school but its a necessity. Hopefully it won't take too long!!!

Today i have a scrapbook page to share with you - I am a lapsed scrapper - but really feel the need to start catching up a bit. I've also got a card to share with you following Barbara Grays Tuesday U tube torn gelli plate film - Cool!

First off- the scrapbook page - when the sunday stamper's theme this week was Memories I immediately thought of scrapbooking and the first photos that came to hand were from my eldest daughter Lucy's 6th birthday. I followed a sketch from scrap365 and this is what I did:

The pink card is from coordinations and I started by adding the diamond pattern on it using a mask from imagination crafts and some distress ink applied using cut and dry foam.  Next I added the photographs.

Then i turned to diecutting and used a TH fluorish die and a TH lattice framework die. 

Finally I stamped up the title bar then added the flowers - from moulds and Utee in the melt pot - and also the stars that I was sent when I won a candy from Heather from the House mouse challenge. Thanks heather xx.

I'd like to enter this layout into:

scrap365: Sketch

Sunday stamperpinkleart : Memories

Next up is my first attempt at Barbara Grays 3 layer torn gelli plate technique - this is a clever one and I like it - you can see it here.

its not quite up to barbaras' standard but not bad i think for a first effort! I shall be playing with this idea I think!!!

Hope you have enjoyed your visit - thanks for coming and please come back again soon! 

Big Hugs rachel xx

Cute characters at Creative Inspirations

Morning all! I hope you are having a good week - especially those of you who have had to return to work after the holidays - and if not here's a big hug! Shaun has gone back to work today so me and my girls are off to visit my mum and dad. Not sure what the weather will hold for us so I have a wet weather plan up my sleeve - but we'll be at mums for the morning at least!

Todays card is one for the new Challenge at Creative Inspirations cinspirations where the theme is cute characters. I've made a card for a neighbour's daughter - she loves green and cows so I hope it will be okay!!

the image is a digi from Whimsy stamps - thanks to Sue (bearhouse) for letting me know about this particular one! I'm sure Connie will be pleased you did! I've coloured the image with promarkers and cut it using a grand circle die from spellbinders. The papers are from LOTV.

Looking at it now I'm thinking I hope the balloons aren't a problem .... Connie doesn't like balloons! Lol!

To join in with the challenge all you need to do is include some cute characters on your creations!

This week we are joined by anther brand new sponsor A SPRINKLE OF IMAGINATION who are giving the Winner a £10 Certificate!

"We are a family run business with a passion for art journalling, mixed media, altered art and scrapbooking".

So come on - join us!

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

Incy Wincyincywincydesigns: Cute animals

simon says stampsimonsaysstampblog: animal antics

Thats all for today - hope you have a great day - thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs Rachel xx

metal at wow powders

Good morning there lovelies - how are you today? I hope you are well and happy and if you have to go back to work today try to enjoy it. We've got another day with Shaun off and almost a week for the girls. Its supposed to be a mixed bag weather wise today so we may go to Liverpool or Preston - not sure which.

Today I have a card I made for the challenge at wow powders today - did you see wor sheena last week brayering with glycerine? Well I had to have a go! I didn't have the folder Sheena used (although I do now lol) so I used an embossalicious clocks one. The verse is from claritystamps and mentions time. The image is from Crafty Individuals.

I started with some kraft card and brayered the embossing folder with glycerin then ran the card through the machine.  Afterward I added brass regular powder - and then heat set. 

Next I added spiced marmalade distress ink which helped bring the metallic colour out. Then I used a TH layering stencil (bubble) and added grunge paste - whilst it was still wet I added more brass regular and brass sparkle wow powders then heat set. The paste bubbled but I liked the overall effect. 

I stamped both the toppers onto kraft card - the image with archival black and the other in versa mark and heat set with more metallic powder. 

Finally I put the card together. I think this will be a very useful male card card to add to my card box!

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Wowwowembossingpowder - metal

PIO:pileitonchallenge no DP

pan pastel panpasteluk- go grungy

Hope you have a great Tuesday! Thanks for visiting and hope to see you again soon!

Hugs Rachel xx

What's new pussycat?

Morning all! How are you? I hope you had a happy Easter! I had a lovely time but .....gulp.....I got on the scales .....diet starts today - its got to go!!!! I'll have to see if I can find one of those ticker tapes so that I can record my progress and help me keep on track! If you're seeing it now you'll know that I found one!!! One stone needs to go - and hopefully a bit more!!!! Watch this space!!!

Today I've got the birthday card I've made for the girls to give to my sister for her birthday - I know she pops in here sometimes but I'm hoping she won't see this!!! The image is from Penny Black - it was from a Christmas set but I think it works fine for a birthday!

I've inked up with distress inks then used an embossalicious folder and rubbed over with black staz-on to highlight the pattern.

The image was coloured with promarkers and cut using a spellbinders die. The flowers were pieced together and the wires spiralled. The Happy Birthday was cut in orange using a brittania die then the same orange was used to mat and layer.

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

Penny Black Saturday Challengepennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Cats and Dogs

Penny Black and morepennyblackatallsorts: Blossoms and blooms

I love promarkersilovepromarkers: Cats and dogs

Totally Gorjusstotallygorjuss: diecuts or punches

Simon says stampsimonsaysstampblog: Animal antics

I think we're going to the zoo today - complete with our picnics! Here's hoping we have another glorious day! 

Have a great Monday - thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Nature's beauty at Crafty Individuals

Morning all! I hope you are well and enjoying Easter! The girls want to go to church this morning for the Easter Service so it looks like thats where we're headed today. I think the promised Easter egg hunt might have something to do with it - lol! Talking of which - we had an Easter Egg hunt yesterday in a local village - its was a lovely day and during the hunt Lucy got her face painted - as a pink cat!



She does look cute!!!!

Today I've got two things to show you - both made using Crafty Individuals Stamps. The first is a wall hanging:

I made this using the dragonfly stamp, the fairy stamp and a border stencil from Crafty Individuals. The lace was also from them. To make the piece I started with a piece of card and used blue and green distress inks to make a blended background. Then I stamped the card with the dragonfly stamp and ran the whole thing through a water ripple embossing folder from Sheena Douglass. Next I stamped the dragonflies with versa and added blue wow powder and heat set. I applied grunge paste through the stencil and allowed it to dry - meanwhile I stamped the fairy image. I added the lace and tore the background card tearing some to reveal the corrugations below the surface - this I inked up with some blue distress then I put the piece together and stamped the Natures Beauty words.

Next piece is a bit bright - hope you've got some shades!!!!

I used distress inks to make up a bright background this time and stamped using lots of nature inspired mini stamps - whenever you place an order with Crafty Individuals you get a small set of complimentary stamps too - they're very useful! Thanks Jean and Malcolm! Again the lace is from Crafty individuals too.

I'd like to enter these makes into the following challenges:

Crafty Individuals craftyindividualsblog- Natures Beauty

Allsortsallsortschallenge: Birds and Feathers

Sweet stampinsweetstampinchallengeblog - lots of layers

Bunny Zoebunnyzoescrafts: Distress

Polkadoodlespolkadoodle: Springtime

fashionablestampingchallenges - flying things

I do hope you have a wonderful day - thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

A fishy bottle

Good morning lovelies! Well how are you today? We had a glorious day yesterday out in the sunshine in the Lakes - we took the girls on a shorter walk this time - only three miles around Rydal water near Grasmere.



Penny took this one!



As you can see it was very sunny and we all had a lovely day!!!! The girls said the walking was a bit better but I don't think they really comprehend our love of it yet! We'll keep trying!

Thanks for your comments on my canvas yesterday - you are very kind. I've got my entry for this months craft stamper challenge to share with you today - the theme is to use a bottle - well I've used a tando creative bottle from thatcraftplace and altered it to look like a fishbowl using Sheena Douglass stamps.

I started by mixing up some primary elements paints and painting the back layer of the bottle and the front layer - I used a combination of greens and blues and when dry I stamped the background seaweed images. 

Next I stamped the fish and seahorses onto heat proof acetate with versa and used yellow and blue wow powders then heat set. I painted the reverse of the images with more primary elements. I added the layers of acetate to the layers of the bottle and gradually buit the whole thing up.

Finally I covered the top of the bottles with versa and heat set with brass wow powders to give a metallic look to the top of the bottle. I did the same with the chain. Then I added the bubbles by stamping and the seashells. 

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

Wow powders:wowembossingpowder metal

Craft stampercraftstamper: bottles.

Crafty Catzcraftycatzweeklychallenge: B is for bottle

I've got a little Easter candy to offer to you - you must be a follower but all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and I will add your name to the draw -

The candy consists of:

a red pan pastel

2 packs of paper strips

Kanban butterfly stamps

sentiment stamps

Lindsay mason puppy stamps

silhouette tree stickers

I hope somebody can find a home for these items! I will draw a name from all comments left on this post by the 1st May.

Big Hugs to you and a Happy Easter.

Rachel xx