LLF: red,white and blue

Good morning lovely bloggers - did you sleep well? I think I had one too many pimms and lemonade last night which doesn't bode well for my run at 9.30! Oh well - you live and don't learn eh?

Now I was very naughty last weekend and treated myself to some of the new stamps from LOTV - last months vintage/backgrounds and quotes. There are so many wonderful plates it was hard to choose - so I was waiting until yesterday to find out the new challenge at LLF before I used them properly. And when I found out it was red, white and blue I set to using them as best I could - this is what I came up with:

so this is what I did - I used versa mark and inked up my background plate, stamped directly onto a white card blank and added clear detail embossing powder before heat setting. The I used Barn Door DI and added it all over the card with cut and dry foam. Next I stamped the sentiment in blue and cut using a spellbinders die and matted. I cut two leaves in white and the spiral dies I used to make the flowers. Finally, after assembly I added some of the pearls from the hobby house. And that was it!

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

LLFliliofthevalleythursdaychallenge: Red, white and blue
Simon Sayssimonsaysstampschallenge: Patriotic
Countryview Craftscountryviewchallenges: Sizzling summer

Hope you have a good Friday - and thanks for popping by - I have of course got my run and the bingo tonight but in between the two it'll be time for gardening club - they'll be lots of bags of lettuce going home today! And maybe a few turnips too! Yummy!

Big Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx

sheenas Christmas stamps: card 1

Hello lovelies! How are you? Hope you are well! And a happy 4th July to any visitors from across the pond! I'm feeling a little free-er since I had my last Rainbows for the summer last night - won't really be finished until after our daycamp on the 13th July though. But still - I don't have to worry about planning and all that until September now - so thats all good!

Today I want to show you the first card I've made using Sheena's new Christmas stamps - I've bought most of them so there's more to come - but I need to make them first - I am a bit of a Sheena addict!  - the first is the cottage that comes in a set with the sentiment I've used and also the snow stamp that I've used!

The image was stamped first then I painted it with cosmic shimmer watercolourpaints and after drying masked it off to create the sky. I used a wash of faded jeans and pumice stone DI splodged onto my craft mat and worked with water from a paint brush. After drying and a quick rub over with the old antistatic bag I set about covering the image with snow by stamping with versamark and adding white WOW sparkling snow embossing powder before heat setting. Once it was all done I cut out the image using a spellbinders die and backed with green card. The sentiment was stamped and distressed. The background was made using festive berries and forest moss and another green DI. The red and the green were sneared together on my card then I added the forest moss through an imagination crafts stencil.  Then I stamped all over using teadye and one of the industrial backgrounds from LOTV. I then used further teadye around the edges then added the ribbon. The poinsettia was made from MCS diecutsand the charm is from the Ribbon Girl.

I really enjoyed making this one - lots of inky fun!

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

Crafters Companion July Challengecrafterscompanion: Dies and diecuts
Papertake weeklypapertakeweekly: AG
AIartisticinspirationschallenges: AG
Pin and tackpinandtack: AG
Visible Imagevisibleimage: Inspired by a song - let it snow
Sunday Stamperpinkleart: Home
CHNC2craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2: July extra.

Hope you have a fabulous Thursday - I'll be off to my mums after listening to the children read at school and once I've taken her to do her shopping I'm hoping we'll get some crafty time together!

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you liked my snowy card!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Creative Inspirations: Red white and blue

Good morning lovelies - and before I go any further I must give you all an update on my bingo balls - sadly they are nowhere to be found - but - there is a silver lining - somebody at school has got the same set and is willing to let us use them! So we will play bingo on Friday evening!!! Whoop whoop!!!!! Gosh - I know how to live!

Okay - so today over at Creative Inspirationscinspirations there is a new challenge starting called 'Red, white and blue'.

You may also use Hair / Skin Tones but no other colours please!

This week's prize is from MY MUMS CRAFT SHOP which is a
£10 VOUCHER and a 10% DISCOUNT FOR EVERYONE who joins in with the challenge!!!

 Here's what I did using a fab stamp from Little Claire:

So I used a tentfold card that I pinched from my mum - thanks mum - and covered it with some papers from the papermania portobello road collection. The image was stamped and coloured with promarkers and then cut with my fave spellbinders oval die. The sentiment is words that mum had cut out with her new tattered lace everyday word dies and I managed to snaffle. Oh its good to have a crafty mum!!!!

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

Bearly minebearlymine-challenges: AG

CYPC:craftyourpassionchallenges Red, white and blue

Digi Darlasdigidarlas: Red white and blue

Kaboodle doodleskaboodledoodles: National flag colours

Cupcakecupcakecraftchallenges - not square

simonsaysstampschallenge: patriotic

Thanks for dropping by today and for any comments you may leave - big Crafty hugs until tomorrow!

Rachel x

fun in the sun

Morning lovelies! Phew - that was a busy one yesterday! You'll be glad to know its just the one post today!!! Lol!!! Did you have a good monday - mine seem to be spent in front of the computer for one reason or another! Hopefully there'll be some crafty time later today as I'm off to my mums!

Today I've got one I made for this weeks DP2 challenge - its fun in the sun - and I thought this little cheery chappie was just perfect for it:

The image is from Mos digital Pencil and is coloured with promarkers with tumbled glass DI used around the edge. The central die is a spellbinders die and the vegetation on the left is memory box. The papers are from K and Co and I've added small silk flowers to the card.

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

DP2mosdigitalchallenge: Fun in the sun
Jellyparkjellyparkchallenges: Celebrate summer
Here come the boys:herecometheboysblogchallenge Use a digi
Incy Wincyincywincydesigns: Summer lovin'
ALBCpaulaholifieldcrafts: Dies

I had fun and games at school yesterday - we're running a PTA bingo night on Friday and after ages of searching I found the bingo machine - I decided to check that all was there - but it wasn't - all the balls from 1-19 were missing. Now I've got a vague recollection of them being out for something at the Christmas fair - but they weren't put back in the bingo box!!! Nightmare - so I've got until Friday to try and find or replace them. I've got a back up of some beads that I could number up - but it would be nice to find them!!!!! Lol! These things are sent to try us!!!!

Have a great Tuesday and thanks for calling in!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

CCAYR: Santa

Hello there - phew - well thats been a busy old day and this is post number three! I'll keep it short - just to let you know that CCAYR are starting a new challenge today - its everything to do with santa! Here's what I did:

The image is from a set of stamps by Darkroom Door - its been simply inked up and stamped in black memento ink. The card is a blank from cupcake crafting and the flowers are from my crafts studio.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Squirrel and the Foxthesquirrelandthefox: Christmas in July
Joanna Sheenjoannasheenchallenge: Don't be square
Delicious Doodlesdeliciousdoodleschallenge: Use a charm
Crafty Catzcraftycatzweeklychallenge: Flowers
PCJpaper-craftingjourney: Not square
Crafty Ribbonscraftyribbonschallenge: AG with ribbons
CHNC Challengecraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2: July extra
Card Maniacardmaniachallenges: Christmas in July

Thats all for today! Hope to see you again sometime soon!

Big Hugs

Rachel x

Whoopsi Daisy DT: Girly

Hello again! Hope you're having a great day! This is my second post of the day - so I'll keep it short - its time for a new challenge over at Whoopsi Daisy (cutedaisymay) where the theme is girly - I already sent this card out to Karen P of Stamping in Pink - it was her birthday on Saturday - so I hope its safe to show it now!

I love this card - so feminine - that image has got to be my fave WD image so far! Its coloured with promarkers and I've cut it out using a spellbinders die. The card blank has been covered in floral papers from I think its trimcraft but I could be wrong. The fluorish is from a Marianne die and the flowers are WOC.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Tuesday Throwdowntuesdaythrowdown: Glitz and Glamour
Pennyspennyschallenges: Girl Power
I love Promarkersilovepromarkers.blogspot.co.uk: Pink and blue - not much blue but it is there!
CFAScraftingforallseasons: Girly
OSAATonestitchatatimechallenge: AG

Back again later - I think its 4pm! Thanks for visiting this time and I hope to see you again soon!

Big Hugs

Rachel x

Ist Challenge at Imagination Crafts Challenge Blog: Anything goes.

Good morning lovelies - hope you had a fab weekend! Well I've been waiting for today for nearly a month - I'm so excited to be part of the Imagination Crafts Challenge Blog Design team - and want to thank the wonderful Linda Simpson (lindasimpsoncraftypieceofheaven) for giving me the opportunity! You can find the Challenge Blog here and all the wonderful inspiration given by all members of the design team - the first challenge is Anything goes and it will last a month. If you check out the rules of the challenge the prize will be a whopping £40 to spend in the Imagination Crafts Store - the winner will be chosen randomly and the DT will chose the top 3. You can make anything at all - a card, an altered project whatever - but you must use an Imagination Craft product in the making of your piece - feel free to use other stuff too! We will be back on the 15th of the month to give you some further inspiration.

The DT were all given masks and sparkle medium to work with and this is what I did:

I used the butterfly stamp shown and the mask and the antique bronze and amethyst sparkle medium all from Imagination crafts that you can get here. I also used TH tattered leaves dies, Sam Poole flower stamps, papers from crafty individuals and some letter stamps from Claritystamps.
I started out with a plain papier mache hankie box cover from hobby craft and painted it with pebeo acrylic paint. Once dry I set to work with my sparkle medium and mask - I managed to use the mask easily along the full length of the box without causing too much mess whilst the medium was still wet. Once I had covered all of the surfaces necessary and everything was dry I set about decorating the box. The butterflies were stamped onto crafty individuals papers stuck onto Studio 45 mouldable film. Then I cut them out and heated, moulded and allowed to cool in their 3d shape. The flowers were stamped onto the crafty individuals papers and cut out and assembled according to the Hels Sheridan tutorial here. Finally being a hankie box I added the lettering 'Bless you'.

I would like to enter my hankie box into the following challenges:
Totally Gorjuss:totallygorjuss Wings
Sweet stampinsweetstampinchallengeblog: Not cute
As you like it challengesasyoulikeitchallenge: 3 fave embellies and why: Sparkle medium - its just so pretty, handmade flowers (they're always different!) and butterflies - in any form!
ABACanythingbutacard.: Get messy.
simonsaysstampandshow: AG
Sunday Stamperpinkleart: HOME.

Pop along to the challenge blog and check out what my teamies have made - you won't be disappointed - then come along and join us! Thanks for popping by today - I've got two more posts coming up later - hope to see you there!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx