Do more of what makes you happy - at Countryview challenges

Good Morning!

And so to another new month - I feel like my mind is still in April and am wondering who stole May and June!!! I guess thats the Covid 19 effect! Anyway, a new challenge starts today at countryviewchallenges and the theme is to 'Do more of what makes you happy'. In this case, there are two things that are making me happy - using a recently learned technique - thanks Jean Hardy - and also using a stamp for the first time - so the new to me technique is the use of clingfilm in background creation -

to do this I just used kohi noor paints to paint my card then put clingfilm over the top whilst it was still wet and crumpled up the clingfilm then left it to dry. When I removed the clingfilm I had this lovely pattern.

Next to the new stamp - I have had this for a while but it had never been inked up - what a tragedy!!!Its called total-chaos and you can find it here. I firstly stamped up the main flower then fussy cut the flower head from a background in my bitsa box. After that I did some background stamping in red and yellow and added the green leaves and finally added some torn dictionary paper.

I quite like the end result but it is very bright!!!

Hop you can join our challenge. You can find further details and link up here

Hugs

Rachel xx

Its all about the words at CCC

Hello there!

Well its a full fortnight since I posted anything - that should give you an insight into my level of busy just now...lol! I thought being furloughed would make life simpler....but it seems not!!! Nevermind...it won't be forever!

Its Christmas card club again and the theme this time is sentiment as focus - no images - well I have sort of fulfilled the brief using some Chocolate Baroque stamps to make a total of 4 cards.

My first two were using the set gold, frankincense and myrrh. I also used the distress oxides speckled egg and broken china to make the background and some speckled egg embossing glaze too. Its a bit of an unusual christmas card but i quite like it!

My second two cards used the holly stampset from chocolate baroque again. I built up the background using gel press prints and the main holly image before then using the leaves to create the garland.

My mum has really rocked the theme - this card used a stamp from Chloe and then dies from Crealies for the flower and sue wilson for the foliage.

The other two used Sheena Douglass stamps on oxide backgrounds.

I hope you have a great Sunday - I have yet another Tracy Evans class this morning - I really loved the gel press one last time and hope this one is just as good!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Snowflakes at Christmas Card Club

Hello there! How are you all? I do hope you are well and happy? As happy as you can be with all this lockdown still in place and the reasons behind it looming in our minds....We are doing good and I am managing home schooling although it is significantly easier with one daughter than the other!!!

The theme is snowflakes at our little Christmas card club this week and I have made 4 more cards - again using my circular gel press - it does get a lot of stick these days!

They are all basically the same although the darker ones are first print and the lighter ones second print!

To create the backgrounds I brayered weathered wood distress oxide all over my gel press then added mermaid lagoon on top through an indigoblu snowflake stencil - I then pulled two prints and repeated the process. Next I added three snowflakes using a TH stamp and then added the TH diecut snowflakes and lots of glitter too that sadly does not show in the photo. The sentiment is another TH stamp.

My mum made two different cards this time - the first uses stamp and die set from Sheena Douglass.

The second uses stamps from hobbyart and dies from sizzix.

I hope you have a great Sunday - its my birthday today and this morning I will be completing an online course with the very lovely Tracy Evans - we are making a book of gel press backgrounds... really enjoyed yesterdays class - and today will hopefully be just as good!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

frolicking fun twofer!

Good morning! Back again with another make for Countryview Crafts where the theme is summer fields. This time I have been using my gel press and paints and some linocut stamps from hobbyart.

I managed to get two prints from my round gelpress and decided to use them for my cards this time around. I applied translucent paints plus some opaque very light blu to my gel press and brayered it across - I took two prints very easily - this is the first deeper coloured print, Once dry I stamped the scene then added distress oxides and more stamping around the edge....

This is the second print - a little less vibrant but totally usable ...I used the same stamp set but chose some different stamps to try and show the fields more...

I do hope you can join the challlenge!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Summer fields at Countryview Crafts

Hello there! Its time for my theme at Countryview Challenges and I have chosen 'Summer Fields' as my topic...I love going for walks and am inspired by the natural world...so its little wonder this theme came to mind for me... Here's what I have done for the first make....

I have used 3 main sets of stamps for this first piece and done lots of stamping onto a landscape I created using a mask and distress oxides (peeled paint and mermaid lagoon...)

The stamps were some grasses from inkylicious, a stamp from woodware and finally the main images come from a set by HobbyArt.

I just love the toad and think him and the grasses really conjure up the sense of summer fields...I hope you agree and can join us!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Humour at Christmas card club

Hello there! Well its CCC again and this fortnight I chose the theme which is 'humour' ...I have so many funny Hobbyart stamps I wanted to use.... and so I set to and made a few gelli prints and used them to create my cards....

The first ..well grumpy sheep! Baa Humbug indeed!!!

Next a lovely dancing sprout....

a scared turkey ....

another scared turkey ....

and finally a pig in a blanket!!!

I think I made up for last time!

My mum has been busy two - her first card is from the Ivory cats CD...

whilst the second is yet another hobbyart set!

I do hope you have a great Sunday ... I am doing day two of a workshop with Tracy Evans this morning - and have two zoom meetings later!!! Busy busy!!!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

accordion card for chocolate baroque

Hello there - I am showing some more samples over on the chocolate baroque blog today - including an accordion card I made...

You can get more details over on the Chocolate Broque design team blog.

Big hugs

Rachel xx