New Lavinia Stamps

Hi! I bought two new stamps at the NEC Hobbycrafts show in March, and this is the first card I made with them. I coloured the background with ink dusters on watercolour paper, and then spritzed with water to blend it a little. I coloured the flowers with promarkers, and used a Gelly Roll 'clear star' pen on her wings to make them shimmer.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Color Throwdown:

Dragonfly Dreams: "Spring is in the Air"

Uniko: "Use Metallics" - the wings look metallic, so I hope that is ok for the challenge!

New purchases from the NEC Hobbycrafts Show...

Hi! I went to the Hobbycrafts Show at the NEC last weekend with my best mate Linda (Crafty Distraction), and bought far too much stuff... I haven't had chance to try most of it yet, but here's a card I made using a new stencil from Clarity Stamps, and a new Lavinia fairy stamp:

 

I used ink dusters to create the background, coloured the wings and outlined the branches with iridescent gel pen, and added Stickles to her hair and the dandelion.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Craft for the Craic: "Something Glittery"

Crafts Galore: "Use a Stamp or Digi Image"

Autumn Colours

Hi! Just Us Girls has a challenge to use autumn colours:

The challenge ends later today, so I've been trying out a few things tonight, and have come up with this:

I used ink dusters and Adirondack inks through the trees stencil, used torn paper as a mask for the hills, and then stamped the images over the top. I added Stickles to her wings and to the flower heads, to add a bit of sparkle.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges:

My Time To Craft: "Fairies"

Sweet Stampin': "Bingo Board" (Flowers, Orange, Trees)

New Memory Box Stencil

A while ago I came across this beautiful card:

The blog I found it on is here, and is well worth a visit - some gorgeous cards!

Anyway, I fell in love with the stencil, and had to get one... It arrived a few days ago, and I've just had a go with it tonight. My card didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped - I think I need some more practice! But I'm still quite pleased with it. The colours I used were inspired by the Seize The Birthday challenge: "Nothing But Neutrals". 

Here's my card:

I used ink dusters over the stencil, stamped the cow parsley in dark grey ink, and added some definition to the trees with a fine black marker. I've tried to keep it simple, and have resisted the urge to add glitter or flowers, so that it would be suitable for a man. Man cards are so difficult! 

I'm also entering this into these two challenges:

Come And Get It: "It's a Guy Thing"

Friday Mashup: "Stencil This!"

Create a project with "stencils"

Create a project with "a monochromatic theme"

or Mash it Up! and Create a project with "stencils and a monochromatic theme"

I love my new stencil! I might try another one, but put a sun or moon where the 'Happy Birthday' is, to set it off a bit. I'm wondering if I should've added the sentiment as a label instead of stamping straight onto the card, as it's a bit dark :-s

Cat Obsession

I've made some more cat stencil cards, although I think I really ought to stop and make something different! But here are a few new ones:

I was inspired by Colour Q's challenge to make this one in black, grey and red.

I'm also entering it in The Paper Players challenge: Clean-and-Simple challenge...Watercolor!
The grey background was created with ink dusters, and the flowers were stamped and then coloured using ink and water brushes.

I'm entering this one in the Cupcake Inspirations challenge - gorgeous colours in this challenge! The colours haven't come out very clearly in my photo, though

   

I tried something a bit different with this one, and I'm not sure if it worked or not... I think I prefer the flowers, but I like the 3D punched hearts with the stamped images. I'm entering this in the Papertake Weekly Challenge: Words, Words, Words

Made a Cat Stencil...

Hiya! I've made a cat stencil, to make cat versions of the butterfly cards I made earlier. A bit obsessed with stencils at the moment! I wanted to make the same card in different colours, and have been inspired by quite a few challenges :)

Here are a cards few I made with the new stencil:

I'm entering this card into The Crazy Challenge : Springtime, because of the bright colours, which make me think of daffodils, tulips, forget-me-nots and rain-soaked grass :)

I'm entering this one into the following challenges:
Inkspirational Challenges

Color Throwdown

 
These two challenges made me use colours I would not normally think to use, and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out :)

I'm entering this one into the Simon Says Stamp "Make Your Own Background" challenge, as these cards are home-made backgrounds that take shape because of a stencil :)

I'm entering this one into the following challenges:
Allsorts "Quick and Easy Does it!"
Crafty Sentiments "Anything Goes"

I'm entering this one into the Wags n Whiskers "Flowers" challenge. Any of these cards fit the 'flowers' theme, but all my favourite flowers are blue, so this is the one!

I'm entering this one into The Pink Elephant challenge - love the colours!

I'm entering this one into the CASology challenge: "Sweet", because cats and flowers are sweet, and because the colours remind me of sweets!

Butterfly Mask

Spent the day playing with a butterfly mask I bought a little while ago. Here are a few of the cards I made:

I'm entering this one in the Color Throwdown Challenge - I fell in love with these colours:

And this one is for the Colour Q challenge - lovely to use much brighter colours than I'd normally choose :)  :

And here are a couple more, using the stencil that fits inside the mask:

I love stencils now!

Here's another card using a stencil I bought ages ago and didn't know what to do with. I think stencils are my new obsession, now...

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Allsorts : Warm sunshiny colours
The squirrel & Fox : Spring or Autumn

 

It's been a while...

I've been making cards on and off, but haven't been on here for ages, and have missed it!

This weekend I made a few cards for the first time in a while. Here's one of them. I've been trying to use some of the stencils I bought and then forgot about.

I am entering this card in the ColourQ challenge #255, here:

I am also entering this in the Crafty Creations challenge, 'Dig Deep: Use something old from yourStash', as I have had the stencil for quite a while, and have not got around to using it before...

Christmas cards, of course...

I actually managed to get my cards made and posted before the deadline this year! Must be a first...

Christmas cards are a bit stressful, as you have to make so many. It doesn't help that I always seem to leave it 'til the last minute! I had a go at some small (7.7cm x 7.7cm) cards, to speed up the process. They still seemed to take a while, though! Here are some snaps of them - please excuse the messy desk!

 Sheep & robin digistamps by Cuddly Buddly

 Pear tree digistamp by Pink Petticoat

I also got a new Indigo Blu snowflakes stamp which I had to try out. I embossed the image with clear embossing powder and used ink dusters to add the blue & purple inked background:

Using a plain digi tree and 2 snowflake punches, I made some Christmas Tree cards:

I'm entering this one in the Crafty Creations Challenge: Anything Goes

And finally I thought I'd better use the beautiful trees stamps I borrowed from Crafty Distraction AGES ago (sorry!), so I had a go at some snow scenes:

I'm entering this one in Lexi's Creations challenge: Snow

I'm entering this one in the Allsorts Challenge: Brown/Blue/Aqua


I also couldn't resist making a couple of cards with a festive photo of my beautiful girls, Emily & Darwin:

Fairies & Glitter

I got a few new Lavinia stamps recently - I'm still so obsessed with Lavinia stuff! Here are a couple of cards I made with my new stamps:

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
By the Cute and Girly Challenges: Cute and Girly
Divas By Design: Make it Girly

I'm entering the last one in Crafts and Me: Something New