More Christmas for Countryview Challenges

 Hello there! Well another post from me already! You will be surprised to see me pop up again so soon!

I am over at Countryview Challenges again and I have made some more cards for my post - this time using some stamps from Hobbyart that are just lovely!

I have simply stamped them and coloured them using clean colour pens - nice and quick and simple!

I do hope you can join in the fun on Countryview Challenges - and don't forget to check out Susan's advent offers - they are too good to miss and new ones happen daily!

Big hugs

Rachel x

Phoenix from the flames

 Hello there - time for more inspiration for a year to sparkle and shine at Countryview Challenges. This time I decided to use a stamp from Crafty Individuals - a phoenix to help you rise from the ashes of the past couple of years - lets hope so!

I have used metallic embossing powder in the background and a combination of luscious powders and watercolour pens on the bird and flames. Again the sparkle and shine doesn't show so well but trust me - its there!

I hope you have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

A year to sparkle and shine at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there! And a happy 2022! Its here - a bright shiny new year full of hope! And to celebrate we have a new challenge at Countryview Challenges that is all about a year to Sparkle and shine. We want you to include some bling, sparkle and shine.

My make for the first of the month is this one is made using a stamp set from Pink Ink and I coloured in using various luscious powders as watercolours. There is much more sparkle in real life ...it is hard to photograph sparkle!

You can see more inspiration over on the Countryview Challenges blog here

Have a great day - oh and Happy New Year!

Rachel x

Christmas at Country View Challenges

 Hello there!

Well last month has gone and its December again - so all thoughts now turn to Christmas! And thats the challenge theme at Countryview Challenges this month - nice and easy!

I used a sweet poppy stencil and distress inks to create these two super quick cards - plus an old set of stamps from Tim Holtz that comes out every year. 

You can see from this picture mybe that in the first card I used only villanous potion but in the second I combined it with rustic wilderness and crackling campfire for a slightly different look.

Here's a closer picture of the cards - just need to write them all now!!! Oh  - and post them!!!

Have a great 1st December!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

More monochrome at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there - well I am over on the Countryview Challenges blog today with another piece of inspiration for you - the challenge this month is Monochrome - this time I have gone for the blues - using a stamp/die set from Pink Ink.

I love this set - so pretty.... I used die based mica sprays to create the background and combined distress inks, pens and mica powders in colouring the foreground and main image. The shimmer isn't showing up but trust me its there irl. 

Hope you have a great day and remember there's still plenty of time to link up to this months challenge.

Hugs

Rachel xx

Use a stencil (or two) at Countryview Challenges

 Hello there! Well its July again - really how did that happen? There's a new challenge over at Countryview Challenges today and the theme is 'Use a stencil - or two' Now what could be easier than that? I have a twofer for you today with a couple of cards made using aall and create stencils and tracy easson stamps.

In this first card I used bloom in love and joy by Tracy Easson  and the stencil I have used is by aall and create. I also used the salvaged-patina distress oxide ink pad through the stencil and coloured the girl using clean colour pens.

 In my second make I used bloom-and-blossom also from Tracy Easson and the stencil was lotza-crescentz from aall and create. I used crackling-campfire distress oxide through the stencil and clean colour pens to colour the image.

You can get further inspiration and link up to the challengehere

Hope you can join us!

Hugs

Rachel x

Anything but a card at Country View Crafts

 Hello there - pinch punch its the first of the month - and time for a new challenge at Countryview Challenges and this time the theme is 'Anything but a card'. This was the perfect chance for me to use some stamps that to my shame I hadn't yet inked up - so I took them off to my pottery painting studio and got busy.....

I used the stamp set from zinski-art-set-58 and painted the images in glaze before firing in the kiln. I tried using splatters of glaze this time too and I think that worked rather well!

I hope you can join our challenge this month! You'll find more inspiration and the link up here

Hugs

Rachel xx

Wish you were here at Countryview

Hello there! I have a post on Countryview Challenges today ...another piece to hopefully inspire you to join our 'I do like to be beside the seaside' challenge. 

I created my card firstly by making a distress oxide background using chipped sapphire, tumbled glass and speckled egg. I then added some stamping using a stamp from Crafty Individuals in the background. I also added some hessian and a gel press clean up background. The postcard stamp is another one from Crafty individuals ... and the shells came from my daughter who had collected them on a beach at some point in the last 14 years!!!

I do hope you can join us - you can find out full details and link up here.

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Pottery Painting makes me happy

Hello there!

This month at Countryview Challenges - the theme is 'Do more of what makes you happy'... so I decided I would do some pottery painting - that really does make me happy! Here's my starting point - I use any ink to stamp onto the bisque ware (this is a cake stand) ... it all burns off in the kiln anyway so the stamping really is acting as a guide. I usually choose a colour of ink that I am not going to paint with. I used two sets of AAll and Create stamps in this one.

In this picture you can see the stamping which I did in orange... plus the start of some painting with glaze.

Here's the completed painting with the specialist glaze...  after this point the piece goes back to the pottery studio where its overglazed and then fired in the kiln...

Here's the final piece ....I am pleased with it!!!

and from the side ..... 

Hope you can join us for the challenge!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Animal messages .....

Hello there! Well its already time for me to remind you about the current challenge at Countryview Challenges this month which is 'Animal Magic'. I have made a quick card using the tim-holtz-cling-mounted-stamp-set---funny-farm. Such a cute set!

I started with the stamp set and a distress oxide sheet that I had previously made cut into 7cm squares. I stamped the images then restamped onto white card.

Next I fussy cut the card and added the white images to the distress oxide card.

Finally I added black lines using a sharpie and added them to my card - quick and simple!

Hope you can join us in this challenge - you can link up here!

Hugs

Rachel xx

more splats at Countryview Challenges

Hello there. Its my turn to post over at Countryview Challenges today and the theme is Splats, splashes and drips. I decided to use some Visible Image stamps and make a card for my daughter who is crazy about underwater life - she asked for an aquarium for her birthday this year - so I hope she'll like the card!

I started off with some black card and brayered onto it using some indigoblu metallic paint. Next I used diluted gesso to splatter all over the card in white then, once dry stamped the image of the seahorse both on the card and on some offcut card.

I fussycut the offcut card image and added it to the card with 3d glue. Next I brayered some more indigoblu paint in a different blu colour onto a surface and used this to stamp my swarmed fish. Finally I stamped and added the sentiment.

I really hope Penny likes this ...and itsnot too grown up for her!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xxx

splashes, splats and drips at CountryView Challenges

Hello there! Time for a new challenge at Countryview Challenges - its time to get messy - the theme is splashes, splats and drips. I used a paperartsy set of stamps, inks and paint and had fun!!!
Here's what I did:

I started making a splatty oxide background...

I added my stamping....

used my inktense pencils to colour....

dripped on some paint and splattered with posca.

and finally mounted on to a card.

Hope you can join us at countryviewchallenges!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Love on inspirational quotes

I just love inspirational quotes - there are so many out there - I love that Alison Bomber collates some and puts them into stamp collections too. I chose one from Anne Frank to feature on my card today which is my second post for the love theme over at Countryview challenges this month - here's what I did...

I started by adding white gesso lightly to my card - dried it then added distress oxide inks using a sponge over the top. The colours were gathered twigs, tea dye, mustard seed and wild honey. 

Next I stamped and fussy cut an image by jane-davenport. I chose this image as friends are soooo important in life and I wanted my card to show that!

Next for my inspirational quotes from alison-bomber. 

Finally I put the whole thing together....

I hope you can join us over at countryviewchallenges where you have the chance of winning a £20 voucher.

Hugs

Rachel x

Happy New Year!

Hello and welcome to a new decade! A very happy New Year to you all! Today we have a new challenge at Countryview challenges where the theme for this month is love. I have taken the theme to mean the things I love...and my card reflects this...

Its a stamp from Aall and create - I love them and this one particularly. It conjures up images of Australia for me when I had such a wonderful holiday  in a campervan with my dear departed Shaun - such precious memories indeed.

I stamped the image and simply coloured with watercolour pencils.

I do hope you can join our challenge by linking up here.

Big hugs and a happy 2020 to you!

Rachel xx

More stars!

Hello there! I have another post for Countryview Challenges today - the theme this month is stars - and I have made a card using some stamps from Lavinia ... did you know Countryview Challenges is now stocking many Lavinia stamps?

To create this I first made a brushos background using turquoise and purple ontop of  some stars I added to the card using brusho resist crayon through a stencil. It worked quite well but I did go back in with my poscapen to tighten up some of the stars.

Once the background was dry I overstamped the tree and the unicorn then added the words.

I hope you like what I did.

Have a really Merry Christmas!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Stars at countryview challenges

Hello there! Wow! December! That means its time for a new challenge at Countryview Challenges. The theme this time is 'Stars'...I have used some paints and a star stencil and a stamp from Tracy Easson to make a card....

I started by brayering a blue background using three different paint colours. Then I added the stars and moon using a stencil. Finally I stamped the image and then painted her in ....

Here's a different angle so you get more of an idea of metallic paints...

I really hope you can join us! There's a £20 voucher up for grabs!

Hugs

Rachel xxx

stamping fun at Countryview Challenges

Hello there! I am shoing these cards over at Countryview Challenges today - the theme this month is 'hand stamped' so I took the opportunity to use some of my new stamps and play!

This first one used a stamp set from Aalland create - I used distress oxides to make the background and added stencilling and stamping - fab new stamps - love them.

This one uses Lavinia stamps - some older and some much more recent... the background was created again using distress oxides.

and finally more distress oxides with lavinia stamps...

I hope you have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Handstamped image at Countryview challenges

Hello there and Happy November! I do hope you are well and happy! Time to share a new challenge with you since its the first today. The theme at Countryview challenges is handstamped image. I really enjoyed this one - stamping is my favourite thing! Here is what I made:

Two cards made by stamping one background image.

I started by using inks and a mask and a landscape stencil to create a background...

then I used a paperartsy stencil to add some of  the flora.

Then the stamping - my favourite part. Paperartsy stamps here - all by Kay Carley.

Colouring - mostly using water colour pencils.

Then I cut the picture in two to create two cards - this first one I just added a sentiment.

To the second I added more stamping in black with Lavinia stamps.... and a sentiment.

I hope you can join us!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

A more successful Bokeh!

Hello there! Its my turn over at Countryview Challenges today. The theme this month is bokeh technique - well I am glad to say that this time my card is more successful and my blurry circles look quite good.

I started out with a background of poorly blended distress inks - think I need some re-inkers!!! All blues from light to dark.

Next I used my fave aallandcreate stencil and added water through it to create a faux bleached bokeh effect.

I inked up my lovely stamps from Tracy Scott at Paperartsy and just stamped these beautiful butterflies....

Then mounted and outlined in blank and voila!

Have a great day!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

tall tales and fish scales

Hello there - I am posting for Countyview challenges today - its my challenge - under the sea. My inspirational post today involves a picture of my Penny as a mermaid. She has always loved mermaids and had the opportunity at Center Parcs this summer to be one - and the photo that they took is the source of my inspiration for my project.

Having fussy cut the Penny mermaid out I started a canvas using another paperartsy stencil and some opaque paste. 

Once dry I used paperartsy paints and cut and dry foam to colour the background. 

Next I turned to jane-davenport-artomology-spellbinders-washi-mermaids and cut some parts out and added them to the background along with the mermaid photograph using mod-podge glossy.

I then added a few sequins and repainted the vegetation!

I hope I have inspired you to make a collage!

Big hugs

Rachel xx