Got my eye on you

Morning Peeps, a quick post with a share for the current Lavinia Challenge with the theme of Animal Magic, which closes tomorrow.

I started by masking a focal circle into which I stamped Arch of Angels and added some stencilled brickwork, Fairy Path leads up to the arch where Pipin is sitting gazing upwards, oblivious to who may be watching him. Next masked and extended Tree of Wisdom, topped with some leaves using Oak Leaf Flourish. A Fox keenly watching Pipin and little Strooms in the foreground. Down the leading edge Faerie Spells stamped with Versamark and gold mica minerals brushed over, with do have sparkle but not in my photo. The minerals do add a lovely subtle shimmer over Versamark as well as Clair as both stay wet long enough to apply.

I've already entered this one so sharing here as well, Sticker Stencil Bottle Bundle which comes complete with jar stopper stamp. Inside Pheasant who is being eyed up by Reynard from Fox Set 2, Tree of Hope, mini leaves and berries on the tree and around the bottle.

Just over a week to go now, 1st April and we will reveal all!!

Hope you all have a crafty week, lets hope the suns returns, been very dismal and wet here last few days after the lovely hint of Spring.

Young mind, wild heart, free sould

Morning everyone, I've stepped right outside my comfort zone with this one but when I saw this beautiful image on Lynn's blog I just had to make a card with it.

It's a freebie for this month Gecko Galz challenge and really is gorgeous with so much colour, detail and depth. I printed her three time so I could cut out part of the elaborate headdress to decoupage. The frame is a ready made one to which I added some stars using a stencil and Lavinia's brand new Flying Fig ink, then arranged the image so the decoupaged elements sat just over the edges of the frame.

The papers are from MCS - know I'm a rarity but I don't buy or own any paper packs, but these I thought were quite complimentary to the colours of the image. A snippet of lace from my box which never seems to diminish and a sentiment cut into three from my Moments set.

Now for the Path of Positivity where this month it's about making something you wouldn't normally make, it is still a card but using a technique and products I wouldn't usually work with. I was gifted the recent release of Lavinia Mica Minerals and among them a beautifully vibrant red which just said Poppies to me. It's a landscape DL card topped with a black panel onto which I stamped Leaf Spray and Wild Poppies using Versamark then brushed green mica powder onto the grasses, covering the Poppies loosely with a tissue whilst doing it, then reversing the process to add the red. Some white Posca dots, cord and a stamped envie.

We're edging forward to 1st April when all will be revealed!

Spring Hellebore and Poppies

Morning Peeps, it's mid month inspiration time at Stamping Sensations and We Love Stamping challenges where we have Spring themes along with the usual Anything Goes. We have prizes from Buddly Crafts and Lisa Horton crafts.

Above a tag using AALL and Create Tag it Yourself (27). The bloom is A&C Hellebore (1063) and a little squirrel, both stamped onto offcuts and cut out. The trellis is from Spellbinders and the sentiment stamped onto another snippet and heat embossed with detail white. I am popping over to the Snippets Playground with this one as there were lots of snippets, although I don't have a photo of them, so maybe a spell in the naughty corner? Ellie had a new challenge where she would like to see Anything from the Garden, we have both Hellebore and Squirrels so this should fit the brief.

This one uses one of my many Penny Black Poppy stamps, this one Spontaneous Joy (40-597) inked direct to stamp with Ecoline brush pens and stamped onto an oxide background. The die frame is I think JND but no longer have the packing. One of my own sentiments.

Another gently hint to keep your eyes open for news of a new challenge, can say no more until 1st April.

For a lady (plus a little bit of news)

Morning to you all, Lynn has selected our Allsorts theme this time round and it's Feminine with the usual A/G. Our prizes come from Stamp Addicts.

Before I tell you about my makes, a little heads up that something new will be appearing on 1st April (no, not an April Fool!), a new challenge that's a little bit different which we think might appeal to lots of you. More information coming very soon.

Above a bit of inky grungy fun using some Stamp Addicts Addictions, sort of inchies only bigger, these are 7cm square and very sturdy, I coloured with Oxide and Dylusions sprays and no warping at all. The pattern is Spring Flowers, it's not large enough to cover all four panels in one go but the pattern matches up nicely repeat stamped. I coloured just a few of the flowers, added som gold Tilsen to the centres of some flowers then have two coats of Amazing Glaze UTEE and a sentiment from my Believe set.

I would like to enter this at the current Path of Positivity challenge where they would like to see 'something you wouldn't normally make'. Whilst I've used inchies and similar before, it's been a very long while as I usually stick with conventional stamping and cards. But last week I was prompted by Sarah at Stamp Addicts to give it a go again, so above is the result.

For this one I used Floral Background stamped onto vellum and heat embossed with detail white. I cut back the vellum to expose part of the vellum and laid over an brayered background. The same with Poppy Wreath, cut out a few of the flowers and placed onto ribbon and added a sentiment from my Moments stamp set.

Flowers, Mice and a New Baby

Morning everyone, a quick post with shares for the new challenges at Snippets Playground, Path of Positivity and Lavinia.

Below my snippets for the card at the top which uses Penny Black 40-669 Radiant and coordinating die which was stamped with DI's onto an off cut, the colour dragged out and placed on the brayered background. The background stamping is Lavinia Faerie Spells, the focal words from my new sentiments stamped onto a black snippet and very frugally for me the black mat is just a narrow frame cut from the leftover after cutting an arch card base. A matching envie and some funky twine

Before I move on to my other shares meet Cecilia Joy, the newest member of the family who arrived at 16.48pm on Saturday 1st March weighing 7th 12oz. All went well at the birth and they came home the following morning, all seems to be going OK as they settle into their new routine. We were so chuffed to see Joy in the name as it's my middle name and also Azaria's Mum's (our eldest Daughter) name. She was only an hour or so old in this photo, the red blotches have all gone and already she is putting on weight.

At the Path of Positivity this month the brief is 'Create a project you wouldn't normally make'. Wasn't sure where I would go with this one until I opened a draw and languishing at the bottom a bag of bookmarks which I bought may years ago intent on using and never have. So definitely something I wouldn't usually make. 

First I used Oxides and water onto a piece of acetate to ink the bookmark, then stamped Lavinia Honeysuckle, coloured in with watercolour pencils, added some stencilling and words and finally some funky fibres to match the colours. Each one comes with it's own little acetate pocket.

Finally, an entry into Lavinia's Animal Magic challenge using one of the stencils from Sticker Stencil 11 which I inked with a mixture of Elements and Clair, the Mice are Minni and Moo and Basil and Bibi and inside the jar some Thyme. Around the bottom Leaf Spray, some stickles, the wording is Words of Spring and some Magical Mist coming out of the top of the jar plus more sparkle. In the background stencilling using Stone stencil.

Many thanks for your visits, your kind words are always appreciated.

Spring flowers and Bunnies

A new month has rolled round with challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations, themes are both Spring, now theres a coincidence! Prizes of Penny Black stamps from Buddly Crafts, one of the few UK stockists of Penny Black these days and Lisa Horton embossing folders and stencils.

The background of the above was one of several I created back in the Autumn. I had been on the lookout for a Maple tree for this very purpose and purely by chance we drove past a garden centre where I spotted one in their car park, so of course we diverted and I availed myself of a few of their leaves!

Using DI's and water I created several backgrounds suitable for different seasons and the great thing is no two are alike. With the background already made it was pretty quick to finish the card stamping Penny Black 3355K Iris, 1483E Cherish Yesterday and 40-592 Lilac with different colours of Versafine Clair.

I've loved this AALL and Create Bunny since the day it was released, in fact it was one of my very first sets from them, it's an A4 set called In the Wild (529) and still available from several stockists. It's teamed up with Elegant Spring Florals (623) another A4 set still available. An inky stencilled background, the images stamped and coloured with Ecoline pens and a matching envie.

Today is also reveal day at the Card Chain Challenge and above is the card I sent to Imke in Germany following the colour palette of Cherry, Butter and Sage and a loose hint of Celestial with the stars, the design is a take on one I saw on Pinterest, all stamps are from Lavinia. I received a lovely card from blogging friend Kath.

Fly Free at Allsorts

Morning to you all, this week at Allsorts our theme has been selected by Helen and is CAS with the usual A/G, our prizes come from Oakwood Direct.

For me it's that difficult theme again but one I make myself use now and then as it's therapeutic to step outside the comfort zone. The background stencil is one I created with acetate on the scan and cut after seeing a similar one for sale and inked with Elements, the Reeds and Birdie are a Sweet Poppy stencil and inked with Clair Onyx and the words from an AALL an Create set.

My second card uses what is a sort of gel plate, I saw my team mate Val use it a while back so had to buy one but no longer have the packing so no idea of the make any more (update, Val's just told me it's from Crafty Roo - who have a closing down sale) After inking the plate to create the base I simply stamped Lavinia Lumus, a Bee from Bumble and Hum and words from Bumble Words.