Spring Bunnies, Birds and Blooms

Several challenges today and did consider separate posts but seems most unfair expecting people to visit more than one on the same day, plus as I'm still functioning pretty much one armed one post's a bit kinder on the eyes and fingers. 

At Stamping Sensations and Tag-Along (and ATC's) it's Spring, at We Love Stamping it's Wildlife to reflect World Wildlife Day on 3rd March, Birds and/or Bees at Moving Along With The Times and as usual AG at Love to Craft.

My Wildlife share above a rare new make as stamping's difficult still, several older AALL and Create stamps, In the Wild 529 and Seeds of Hope 368, both still available from some stockists. Coloured with Zig Clean Colour pens. The colours match the palette at Colour Dare 692 and Sunday Stamps Wide Open theme and it's a forest animal for Farmquest.

For SS an oldie which was an early play with the Spin Tool back in the Autumn, a central panel using a really old wood mounted PB stamp 3096F Host of Daffodils, surrounded by various Spring blooms from A&C's 623 Elegant Spring all stamped onto a Gelli Plate background.

As with yesterday's post I've utilised ready cut images from my TRR/Reflections drawers and A&C tag base cut from Kraft, a lightly inked and stencilled background and threads at the top to finish. Just Add Ink add ink would like to see stencils and dies

My ATC is another Gelli Plate offcut, the stamp is Penny Black Daffodil Dance 378 inked direct to stamp with Ecoline pens, the same PB quote as above and little envie to match.

This one for Love to Craft also made a few weeks ago uses a good number of Lavinia stamps, in my mind a peaceful Spring meadow. After creating a background I simply stamped the flowers using Versafine Clair inks (if you use them First Stop Stationers are the cheapest around by far, I've recently re-stocked fading colours after several years of use). I'm popping to Ellies Garden Party with all these flowers.

Last but by no means least for MAWTT, another pretty old but un-blogged make, it's times like these I'm so grateful for my 'just in case' back up folders, Lavinia stamps again, Hummingbird and Flower Divine onto a stencilled panel which I carried through to the second panel and matching envie. Just us Girls have the them Stencils and Cards4Galz Birds, Butterflies.

If you are still with me, my thanks for your perseverance.

Bright and sunny Daffodils

Good morning everyone, we have a new challenge at Allsorts today where Sarah has selected the theme of add Ribbon or a Bow. We have some pretty ribbons, stamps and stencils to give away plus for another winner a digital download from Polkadoodles.

Will confess ribbon's are not something I use often these days although doesn't mean I don't have plenty, but the most use they gets these days is plaiting manes for shows, so Sarah's theme was a good opportunity to rummage. 

Daffodils were an obvious choice for a bright sunny card, I have big bag of TRR Spring flowers all cut out and decoupaged ready from my time on their team. In fact the only cutting I had to do was the base layer using the matching outline border die. Some soft stencilling on the background, stamped the A&C words and two ribbons down the edge. Entering Pick 3, Flowers, bright colours, embellishment (ribbons), Fab and Funky Dies and Punches and As you like it Fav colour and why (I love creating with any bright colour, but find yellow so cheery and seems to appear frequently on my makes).

A favourite Andy Skinner stamp called Best Friends, sunray's using a stencil and texture paste, some colouring, sentiment from the same set and remember buying the ribbon years ago in Worthing when visiting one of our Son's and DIL. Hope my Sunshine fits Simon Says Monday Whatever the Weather and Just us Girls Stencils.

We have a new Rudolph Days challenge and being February it's a very short timescale so popping over with the above card using my favourite Lavinia Christmas Fairy Starr, Holly and Winter Berries. Also entering entering ABC Christmas  C for Crimson and StarStampz Fantasy.  

More Poppies

It's mid way time already at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where this months themes are Hearts selected by Faith and Favourite Stamps which Lynn selected. I also have a share for the new challenges at Snippets Playground and Christmas Kickstart.

It's Lavinia Poppies again for me, a masked diagonal panel stamped with Garden Poppy, Group Poppies and in the background Orchard Grass. After shading the edges I stamped Deeper than the Ocean in the centre and matted onto red and black card base. Think this will fit the the themes at Classic Designs Blooms and/or Butterflies, Beautiful Blossoms, Red and/or Pink at (Pin)spirational and add some Red at  Dream Valley.

Above my card for Jo's Christmas Kickstart challenge which is about songs and hymns, my thoughts here are  Mistletoe (and Wine). The wreath is made with Lavinia mini stamps and the sentiment is a real oldie from Penny Black. Neglected Stuff, it's the sentiment which has only been used once or twice and I've had it for years. Would like to enter this at Holly and Ivy challenge.

Next my mid month share for WLS Kraft card, a heart created with a mask and white inkpad, light is so bad here lately that difficult to get a decent photo so doesn't look very white. The sentiment is Penny Black Black 30-297 Sprinkles and Smiles and Flower 40-669 Radiant all heat embossed with detail white EP, the flower head stamped again, coloured and cut out and raised on pinflair. Triple B would like Blooms so linking the above and my chosen three at Retro Rubber are Kraft, Your Choice and Heat Embossing, Radiant is long since discontinued, purchased about 2010/12 before the supplier closed.

And my Snippets share, I had fun with dies, an oddment of fabric scrim found in one of the garden sheds and some yellow fibre. A watery inky base panel, crackle texture paste and stencil wall and of course there had to be some stamping which comes from Hero Arts stamp Old French Writing. It's a real oldie which used to come out regularly at classes I ran at a shop selling them, sadly long since closed in 2014 so it dates well before then. Cut the flower heads a second time to decoupage, coloured with stencil brushes and arranged onto the other elements, a bow and tag with sticker stencils. Girlz Creative/Girlz Rebel it's ribbon or twine and a stencilled wall for Stencil Fun and finally dies for Fab and Funky.

My snippets, well some of them before they joined the others already in the bin, you might see this photo again as I made a couple at the same time from the oddments.

Flutterbys for Allsorts

Morning all, Val has selected the theme at Allsorts this time round, it's Embossing dry or wet, or as always theres the A/G option and a super prize of matching embossing folder and stencils from Lisa Horton Crafts. It's also mid way time at Tag-Along (and ATC's) where we are following Pinky's Add a Number theme.

In a crafty clear out I found a pack of A5 frames so used one to create the card above, an inky offcut stamped over with an A&C background stamp and heat embossed with detail white, then two Butterflies which are also A&C stamped onto vellum, again heat embossed, coloured on the reverse and cut out. I am sure Ellie has Butterflies in her garden so adding to her Garden Party 12 and Sweet Stampin' no DP theme.

For my second share I used Lisa Horton Sunflower and Roses bundle (die, EF and layering stencils) and Versafine Clair inks. The base is a really old TL honeycomb die which I placed behind an arch frame, the lilac behind that is a real rarity for me, a 12x12 sheet of DP from a pad I was gifted and the sentiment from my Moments stamp set, available mounted or unmounted. I would like to enter this one at: Can you handle the Pressure (EF and dies), Addicted to Stamps, Craft Rocket and Girls Creative challenges.

My tag above uses a retired A&C set, stamped with Versamark onto black card and brushed over with several colours of mica powder. The clocks were stamped again, coloured in the same way and fixed with twine to hang from the word, also A&C. Adding this at Hearts Quest Tags.

I seem to have two ATC's both using old A&C stamps, the first onto a Gelli Plate offcut, the flower stamped with Versafine Clair, another number stamped then and a bow tied across. The Nuthatch stamped onto another inky offcut, the little feet come in the same set but looking at it now not too sure they look like feet!

Fantasy Worlds

Good morning coupled with apologies for being a tardy blogger this week, this post was started last weekend but before I finished it my iMac which was on borrowed time did a final nose dive. Whilst I have a tablet and phone my dodgy eyes and dexterity can do little on either when it comes to typing.

It's been a nightmare week! Apple stopped making the 27" desktop, so ordered a new Cube and 27" monitor, but setting up the peripherals has been another matter, the magic keyboard and mouse are much too small for me so always use Logitech and they just wouldn't pair. So a trip yesterday to the Genius Bar in Cambridge and sorted or so I thought, I can use it OK now, but the Mac mail system which is identical to old machine just doesn't want to play ball as yet.

Explanations made I'll move onto craft and my projects for Hearts Quests Fantasy challenge where I was thrilled to be invited by Becca to be their Guest Designer for February and the Snippets Playground.

Lavinia stamps were my obvious choice and above a triptych card with the Fairies and Bunnies enjoying some early Spring weather. On the left Everlee sitting on the Secret Garden Sign and on the right Pris on her Swing, in the middle Pipin and one the the Wild Hares. The scene around the focal images was built up with Rosemary for the grass along with Bluebells and Fairy Bells and as I used a stencil for the sun and hills hope that's sufficient for Stencil Fun. All About Papercraft is focusing on stamps, lots used on this one.

I'm continuing to try and stretch myself with dies and the aim of this one was to see if stamping and dies would combined into a scene. Starting place was a watercolour background, literally just 'sloshed' water and colour across first adding a sun mask, next stamped some grass and flowers, then the Hummingbird coloured in, all stamps Lavinia and finally arranged the die cut flowers and leaves. Below my snippets. As You Like It asks for fav dies, this flower one appeals with the layers giving dimension and at Craft Rocket they would like to see Flowers and of course it's Flowers at Beautiful Blossoms.

We only have a very small The Works in our area and they don't sell any craft products, mainly books, a few paints and chipboard pieces including Fairy Doors which Hubby picked up certain I would want them, so to appease bought two. 

I gave one a couple of coats of white acrylic pain, stamped some little flowers and leaves, then decorated with TRR flowers and Ivy, some 'grass' across the bottom and a Lavinia Bunny, Fairy signpost and Butterfly. Would like to enter this at Creative Artiste

Inside we find Zemira releasing a kaleidoscope of Flutterbies in her sunny garden.

The Fantasy challenge is open right through to the 28th so we hope you will join in with your Fantasy creations.

Hearts and Flowers

I'm back again with shares for our February challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where this months themes are Hearts as selected by Faith and Favourite Stamps which Lynn selected. Prizes are stamps from Lavinia and Penny Black stamps and a voucher from Buddly Crafts. 

And as it's the first of the month it coincides with our February challenges at Tag-Along (and ATC's where Pinky chose the theme of Add a Number and MAWTT where Wendy has chosen Floral as her theme, so a photo heavy post.

No secret that Lavinia are my favourite stamps and that Poppies rate pretty highly as well, so the two combined on the above card. I started with an softly inked background and sun then stamped Garden Poppy, Group Poppies and in the background Orchard Grass. I then painted over the smaller Poppies with Dr Phil Martins white bleed proof paint and some liquid pearls. Linking up to Beautiful Blossooms

Above my WLS share using a mixture of Lavinia stamps, Bobby the Robin, sitting on Flower Devine, some stencilled hearts and a Penny Black sentiment. Adding this one at Heartsquest, Sweet Stampin' and Sunday Stamps.

This one uses AALL and Create Roadway Vistas, cut twice in black and pink and one offset over the other and placed on a white card blank, the focal image is Berry Bliss and one of the worker stamps stamped above and below to extend the design. Die cut hearts and words stamped in white onto black. Adding this one at Lost Coast, Pearly Sparkles and Creative Moments and If you give a Crafter a Cookie.

I love adding numbers to my work so enjoyed this theme, an inky background and an old A&C stamp, the Butterfly was stamped a second time, coloured and cut out to decoupage and crackle glaze applied, then ribbon for the thorax.

A&C stamps again for my ATC, the background was a mop up from another project and both the Butterfly and Dragonfly stamped a second time to decoupage. The number 4 stamped in green to carry the colour. 

Last but by no means least my MAWTT share which uses a plethora of AALL and Create stamps, Rosey Daze, Petal Pop and Tangerine Wings, all stamped and coloured with Ecoline pens, onto a triptych base made by cutting three tag dies and fixing together. Popping to Dragonfly Dreams with this one.

I do hope you will join in this months challenges and look forward to visiting your entries.

Serenity

Good morning everyone, this week at Allsorts Donna has selected the theme of 'Create your own background' and as always theres the A/G option. Our prizes are a set of background stamps from AALL and Create.

I have used a Visible Image stamp called Calm over Chaos which I stamped with Clair black and then used two different stencils and Clair inks to create the background. The words come from the same stamp set as does the Cherry Blossom across the top. Time Out asks for favourite techniques, mine has always been stamping and with my own background along with inspirational quotes, finally another for the Stencil Challenge.

This was my first make using Mutifarious card. I was happy to have the opportunity to try it out and have to say I'm pretty impressed, it's 350gsm and seems to take everything you throw at it without any warp. And the very best part for me as I usually cut all my own stamping pieces from A3 or A4 cardstock, is it comes in a variety of ready cut sizes in packs of 20.  

And an ATC using A&C Ephemera Floral Confetti and Enchanting Larking rub on's over an inked offcut. 

Am making a last minute dash to Rudolph Days challenge. A floral wreath onto a Gelli Plate background using the Spin tool, several Lavinia Mini stamps, Holly, Clair inks and a Penny Black sentiment. In a tidy up after Christmas I found a box under a spare bed ....sure I'm not alone in spreading craft all over the house! I'm pretty sure the contents are pre-Covid when I used to run regular classes and among other things it contained several dozen sheets of one sided pearlescent card. It's not something I use these days so used the white side to made a whole pile of backgrounds, this being one of those. It's a (tentative) circle for Fab n Funky, plus Jingle Bells have an inspirational photo, mine came from the Christmas Tree colours and branches and also linking to C.R.A.F.T Christmas