Make it Magical

It's the first Sunday of November which means it's time for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations and this month our themes are Christmas and Make it Magical....... seems like the perfect opportunity to double up your entries. We have prizes of Christmas themed dies and Lavinia stamps.

Above a card not unlike the one I shared last month for my Guest Designer spot over at Rudolph Days, but this time I went with red and green, the Fairy is Eve, her friend is in a set called Large Hares and Forest Leaves at the top, love this stamp, Winter Berries and Wild Vines, a moon and lots of sparkle. The theme at the Lavinia challenge is all about Sparkle so one I'm entering there.

This one using a selection of AALL an Create stamps including a Robin which is a favourite of many of us, the sentiment is one of my own Christmas Christmas Magic set available from Stamp Addicts. 

The crash of Create and Craft has left many of our favourite retailers in precarious positions owed money going back months, not forgetting the presenters and backroom staff suddenly faced with unemployment. The majority of the industry plan new products months ahead intended for future shows, so most are looking for new outlets to sell products. Sarah from Stamp Addcits and a group of other companies have formed Craft Suppliers Direct which you can find here. It's only a small start but as one said to me this week, anything is better than nothing as we try to build a new future.

Magic of the Season and a spell on the naughty step

Morning Peeps,  at Allsorts this week I am your host and my theme is 'Magic of the Season', as people keep reminding me the big day is not very far away now. The prize is a lovely A4 AALL and Create stamp set.

Above I've used A&C Blackbird (530), I didn't use the Blackbird in the set but there are a couple of tiny ones in the middle of the star collage. Stamped with Versafine Twilight, a couple of of stars stamped again and decoupaged, crackle texture paste and a star stencil, computer generated sentiment along with a matching envie.

I did tell you Witch Hattie would be appearing in a different role and here she is. I thought with the right colours she could turn into quite a nice Christmas image with her wand, a piece of starry base card, stamped her into Sticker Stencil 9 using red Versafine, shaded the edges of the jar with Elements, Holly across the bottom, foliage around Hattie and lots of stickles. The base of the jar is raised, I messed up doing the stamping around her skirt and forgot the mask the bottom, so stamped again, cut out and raised with Pinflair, think I actually prefer the bit of dimension. 

The theme at the new Lavinia challenge is 'Time to Sparkle' so I'm off there with this one. The Starlight Whispers collection landed in my craft room a couple of weeks ago, I've been a bit slow off the mark with them but will be sharing some very soon, if you've not seen this magical collection do pop over and take a look here. 

Now for a confession, today is reveal day at the Card Chain Challenge, I got my swap card which you'll see above made and into the post quickly as my kidney op was pending, but as I had already sent it to Gail in Canada (my Allsorts teamie) I lost sight of which card I sent her. Result, I uploaded for an Allsorts challenge a couple of weeks ago and it only occurred to me when that post went live what I'd done. Apologies sent to Gail and Gail (yes another Gail, this one runs CCC along with Jo), after a spell on the naughty step I was forgiven and it was suggested I share it again today. 

In an attempt to redeem myself here's what went to the local RSPCA shop, this years donation of Christmas cards about 100 in total, most in small packs of 4 and 6 same design and a few larger individual ones. I take cards to them throughout the year, Fairies and of course Animals are always popular with customers.

Cute and Cuddly

Morning Peeps, at Allsorts this week's theme was selected by Lolo, she's taking a sabbatical at the moment so I'm doing the post on her behalf and it's Cute and/or Cuddly along with the usual Anything Goes option. We have two lovely stamp sets to be won.

Now if I panicked last week with our DP theme, this one sent me into total meltdown as me and cute just don't go together, but that's the challenge isn't it? However, I was lucky to win a voucher for Relatively Thoughtful a couple of weeks ago so selected some of the new Andy Skinner stamps with this theme very much in mind. 

The image above is called 'All you need is a hug" and hugging a Dog or Horse come right at the top of my agenda. I stamped the image with Versafine and did some very basic colouring with Ecoline pens, dragged ink pads down the base, stamped the sentiment which comes in the set, placed in a ready made frame within I aged a bit and finito.

This image is called 'Best Friends', using a stamp platform I inked the stamp with three colours of Elements, spritzed liberally with water and left for a few minutes to dry (leaving everything in the stamp platform). When dry'ish I inked the stamp again, this time with Versafine Pinecone and stamped to bring back the outline. So simple and ages since I did this but quite like the effect, the sentiment again comes with the image.

Now a Fairy for the current Path of Positivity challenge which has a focus on 'Growth and Change'. Under the pink evening sky (this is Fairyland remember) Seren is contemplating the events of the day and discussing with the Wallace Family what needs to be changed to make tomorrow an even better day. Additional stamps to build on the inked background are Wild Poppies, Leaf Spray and Snow Shrub and sentiment Embrace your Dreams.

Rudolph Days has rolled round again so here is my share. Another opportunity to indulge my passion for floral wreaths, all stamps are Lavinia, Holly, Mistletoe and Berries, the sentiment from my own Christmas Magic stamp set and Poinsettias Two Red Robins with liberal lashing of gesso and glitter. With the very public crash of Hochanda/Create and Craft my sentiment sets are currently only available from Stamp Addicts but a new outlet is in the offing.

An alternative take, snippets and cobwebs

Morning Peeps, a new Allsorts challenge and Sarah would like us to use Design Papers this week with the option of Anything Goes as per usual. Our prize come AALL and Create.

Many thanks for all the get well wishes and encouragement. Improvement continues, I've managed quite an inky week and yesterday afternoon actually drove myself and ventured out for something other than escorted medical trips and fortnightly trip to the village for nails, can't miss that one.

Now I'll confess to a dilemma here, I don't own any DP's, shock horror to many I know. I did have quite a stash accumulated over the years which I looked at, stroked but very rarely used as love to create my own backgrounds. So when my craft room had it's refurb in the Spring decided to donated all to a more deserving home. I do have MCS to fall back on but for this card used what I hope is an acceptable alternative, A&C layer it up washi tape.

But just so I'm not blacklisted from the team here's a project with some 'proper' DP which I found in my files from last year but never blogged. 

It's a clock kit with coordinating DP's, flower etc., from Oakwood Archer, one I did for Create and Craft before I made the decision earlier this year to cut back on some DT's. From memory I sprayed the clock frame with Oxides, covered the base with the DP, fixed the clock hands in place and added the flowers and leaves.

There's a new challenge over at the Snippets Playground, after all the fun and excitement of the conker hun and competition I had to sit down so made a card. I think the words would also fit the The Path of Positivity current focus of 'Growth and Change'.

A Kraft card base.....I've a pile of it which I really don't use often enough. Snippets for the flower, two of the circles, birdies and sentiments which were all stamped, cut out and paper pieced. Oxides and are nice and chalky and work well on Kraft, stamps are Flower Trio (924), Quill Ends (908) and Power of the Word (754)). Finally some stamping down the leading edge using the same sets and washi tape.

Always had a fascination with cobwebs so couldn't resist a few photos yesterday when it was misty and frosty with a good display of them in the gardens, particularly spectacular on the Mahonia's.

Have a good weekend everyone, although if weathers like here where it's throwing it down, won't be too much outdoor activity.

Crunched Leafdrops

Time for some mid month inspiration at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where it's all about Autumn. We have prizes from AALL and Create and Stamp Addicts.

I instantly fell in love with Abs Crunched Leafdrop (1109) and matching dies Leafinately Detailed (25) when released last year. I stamped the leaves onto a piece of cardstock inked in Autumnal colours, cut out with the dies and arranged onto a acetate panel. Inside an Autumnal scene from MCS and of course my favourite squirrel.

For SS I've used Stamp Addicts Hot Air Balloons and Scenic Sailing, stamped the mountain range and added some Pan Pastels for colour, a big sun a few worker stamps, then the balloons which I stamped, cut out, coloured and raised using Pinflair.

Still plenty of time to join in, the challenges run until 30th October and as always you can join in three times.

A bit of Fantasy

Morning Peeps, at Allsorts this week along with the usual Anything Goes option Ellie has selected the theme of Magic, Myths and Legends. Our prizes come from Lavinia Stamps. 

So happy to tell you that my kidney op was eventually done this week, two days hospital, now back home and the best part stent gone, was becoming part of me! Which explains my lack of visits this week but hopefully normal service is resuming (slowly).

Loads of Lavinia stamps from the Dream Witch collection in both of these plus a few older ones, above uses Tree of Spirits, Marcie, Flittermice, Magical Mist, Hocus Pocus, Arch of Angels, Secret Garden and Fairy Path. A background of Versafine Clair applied with blending brushes and stamping built us using a variety of Versafine and Elements inks.

This one uses what I think is my favourite Witch from the collection Hattie (who you will see in a week or two in a totally different role) along with Bubbling Cauldron, Magical Mist, Tree of Spirits, Hill House and Slender Mushroom. The background created in exactly the same way as above, added colour elements to both using Posca sparkle pens.

As most know I don't really enter challenges, mainly because small print and linking plays havoc with my failing vision so I restrict that activity to my challenges (and why you may get a dodgy comment at times!!) But there's one or two I do like to join in with and The Path of Positivity is one, probably because I've always loved inspirational quotes. This month their focus is on 'Growth and Change' so I think this one from my Moments set should fit the bill nicely.

An inky stencilled background and a now retired AALL and Create stamp set, flowers coloured to create an Autumnal feel, glossy accents on the bottles and the sentiment cut in two with a little birdie to finish.

All rather Autumnal

The first Sunday of October so it time for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations and this month our themes are Autumn Colours and would you believe Autumn!!! Well it is a beautiful season even if the weather is not so good, prizes come from AALL and Create and Stamp Addicts.

I love creating Autumn card as the colours of the season are so rich, I'm just not so keen on the cool weather and dark nights. There had to be Squirrel because I very much associate them with this time of year, although they are in the garden all year round, their Autumnal antics stashing food are such fun to watch. As we have a variety of colours, grey, black and and now some red/brown ones from interbreeding it's easy to see whose doing what, one bury's some food, ten minutes another digs it up. 

Above a bit grungy with a base of recycled corrugated, acrylic paint and gesso. Stamps used are AALL and Create are Flower Journey (904) and Key Botanicals (564). 

This one uses stamps from Lavinia's Sunbloom collection, Bumblehums, Twila, Flower Devine set plus a few worker stamps to build up the scene onto an inked background.

Now my Stamping Sensations shares, a lush richly coloured MCS backing paper and Stamp Addicts Swallowtail Butterfly stamped twice, one cut smaller to layer and coloured with Ecoline pens with a pen nib for the thorax. The sentiment is from my Moments sentiment set.... looks crooked, it's not irl so think the base card bowed a bit.

My final Autumnal share using a variety of AALL and Create stamps, Crunched Leafdrops (1109), matching die Leafinately Detailed (25) and Undergrowth stencil (162) onto a somewhat grungy background which I think was a mop up.

I've continued playing with the new Lavinia Witches, really surprised myself how much I've enjoyed working with a style of stamps I'd never have dreamt of buying. This one uses Marcie and several worker stamps from the Dream Witch collection, stamped into the jar from Sticker Stencil 9 and Fairy Web, that and Marcie's skirt have generous coatings of stickles.

Inks are Elements which are new to me, as they are water based I expected them to be similar to regular DI's, but they are so much juicier, so far I've only cracked open about half of the set so more play to come. With DI's one usually has to rub the brush over the inkpad several times to pick up colour, with these one brush either way and loaded, meaning it's a learning curve all of it's own making sure brushes are not saturated with ink. The current Lavinia Challenge is Bewitched so why not join in.