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.

Above my WLS share using a mixture of Lavinia stamps (details to follow, computer crashed).

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.

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.

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

Let Your Spirit Take Flight

Afternoon everyone, I've some cards to share for challenges  

Above for Fab and Funky's Going Round in Circles and Simon Say's Monday Things with Wings. The Butterfly is Lavinia Indra stamped onto a inky splattery background, coloured with Zig Clean Colour pens, a fine tip gold pen and then circles added using three different sized stencils, quickie glue pen and Gilding Tilsen and Lavinia Let your Spirit  sentiment plus sticker words. Also adding at Time Out Challenges who are asking for Favourite Techniques, for me it has to be stamping and backgrounds and at Just us Girls it's Stencil Week, I used three.

This one is for the Snippets Playground using some of the Amazon dies I bought especially to push myself out of the stamping comfort zone (although still a little in the background using an A&C stamp) and with a view to using up some snippets, even remembered a photo of them. Carz4Galz would like to see Pink Flowers so entering there as well.

Have a good weekend.

What's new

Morning all, it's time for our mid way inspiration at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations, our themes are New and I Spy with prizes from Tonic, Whimsy and Visible Image.

My 'New' is a recent purchase of an Andy Skinner stamp and I convinced the little boy has a New Kitten! Stamped, and coloured, then a stencilled wall and a Lavinia tree to build a little scene with him out playing with his new kitten. Would like to link this one to Stencil Fun where the optional extra is Four Legs. Popping to Crafty Calendar's Anything New challenge.

I've two B's, the first above for Blooms, this one using Visible Image Colourful Life and Precious Life stamped together to form one stem of flowers onto a masked central panel, a few additional splats stamped to extend the design, the flowers coloured and some soft stencilling in the background. One for the Floral theme at Dragonfly Dreams and another for Ellies' Garden Party 11 and Bright and Beautiful at Sweet Stampin'.

B for Beautiful and Blooms on this one. Snowdrops always herald the arrival of Spring Flowers and often popping up through frosty or snowy ground, just as mine are doing here with a flurry of snow coming down. They are AALL and Create, stamped, covered with masking fluid and ink applied to build up the background and flicked with water. After removing the masking fluid I coloured with a white pen, a couple of Lavinia sticker words and Posca pen flicked over to create snow. Glitter applied to the tops of flowers and ground. Hoping this fits one or two challenges at Inkspirational Shades of Blue, Colour Hues Blue and White.

Boys and Men

Good morning everyone, this week at Allsorts Ellie would like to see creations suitable for 'Boys and Men', along with the usual A/G alternative. We have two lovely stamps from Sweet Poppy to give away this time round.

For the above card I used Sweet Poppy Stencils Oval Aperture stencil which I inked through to create an outline, then stamped Rocky Waterside a Stampscapes stamp available from Sweet Poppy, they sell a good range of them. I added a little more colour to the landscape, Lavinia tree and Fox, the sentiment an oldie from Penny Black. Cardz4galz would like to see a Countryscape and AAA Birthday a Winter Birthday and think it's fits at Farmquest.

For the second share, fairly CAS and very quick to create using Sweet Poppy Tall Window stencil which I inked through in aqua and yellow, then stamped a little scene inside using Inkylicious birds and Two Jays scenic stamps. Crafters Cafe have the theme One for the Boys

Spring blossoms

It's mid month time at Tag-Along (and ATC's) where we are following my theme of Love and Romance or Anything Goes. Whilst upcoming Valentines Day seems an obvious choice, we are heading into the Wedding season so that's what I have gone with for my tag above. The Church and Blossoms are TRR, a tag cut twice and an aperture created, Pan Pastels to create the background with some greenery stamped using a Lavinia Ivy image. Another of our Granddaughters is getting married in April so this just might come in useful. Daisychain Challenges would like to see dies used so linking up there and Heartquest Tags and Shapes Cards.

A matching envelope for my ATC which uses the smaller Rose on the A&C stamp set I used at the beginning on the month and some hearts using a stencil, texture paste and red glitter. Would like to enter this one at Heartsquest Celebrations challenge

Finally a Christmas card for a couple of challenges, a wreath made using the Spin tool and a good number of Lavinia stamps. ABC Christmas challenge is A for Anything Christmas and B for Bright so hope this fits the bill. And at Christmas all year Round they want A and/or B, I've got Acorns and Berries, finally also linking to Merry Little Christmas.

As assortment of challenges

Morning Peeps, Jo has a new challenge at Christmas Kickstart and theme is Pink Christmas, I also need to pop to Snippets Playground as I've not entered yet, so cards for both.

Above hopefully there is sufficient pink to fit the theme, the background is Lavinia Flower Petals stencil, the partial wreath is stamped with Fairy Catkins, the small Mouse sprinkling stardust is from Double Trouble and doing a balancing act with his umbrella next to him is Thistlewhisk. Stencil Fun challenge has the option of Four Legs, my little chaps above fit that brief.

This is one I made last August for a good friends first wedding anniversary so safe to blog now. We share a mutual love of Poppies so seemed appropriate to use Penny Black 40-447 Poppy Gems. I don't I don't have a photo of snippets but all the flowers were stamped, some a couple of times onto offcuts, coloured and cut out and from memory I also used an oddment of card to emboss a central circle and sentiment. So popping to the Playground with this one and hoping there are Poppies in Ellies garden, her new challenge Garden Party 11 has just started.

Lastly but by no means least, a Winter scene using a mixture of Lavinia and Inkylicious stamps along with lots of snow and glitter for Fab and Funky's Winter Wonderland theme. Also Try it on Tuesday has the theme of It's Cold Outside. The them at Cardz4Galz is Countryscape and Time Out is All that Glitters

Butterflies and Birds

Like buses with yet another post as we welcome you to the New Year at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations with Mervi's theme of 'Something New' and one I chose of I spy something beginning with B (nothing to do with my name, it's just a letter that always seems popular offering lots of options!). We have prizes from Tonic and Whimsy at the first and Visible Image as the second.

My 'B' is for Butterfly using Visible Image Live Life and Butterfly Ink stamp and coordinating stencil, one I've had for ages but used little so as it's the prize this month at SS it seemed an obvious choice. Various colours of Elements brushed through the stencil to get a rainbow effect and the Butterfly and sentiment (also VI) stamped in black Clair. Girlz Rebel Challenge is exactly the same so entering there and Triple B, Birds and/or Butterflies and Blooms.

My WLS share uses a new to me Lavinia Bird sticker stencil, Elements brushed through the stencil same as above and with the stencil still in place Feather stamped over. I used the same inks to colour the border of a base layer which I stamped over with Magical Mist. I'm linking this one to AAA Birthday where it's Winter Birthdays for the theme. Crafty Calendar is also Something New as is Sweet Stampin' so entering there.

Winter Robin

Good morning to you all, our first challenge of the New Year at Allsorts and Helen has selected the theme of Winter Animals. We have a prize of Christmas Robin stamp and matching dies, in fact exactly the same as what I've used above from Visible Image.

I used a Lavinia tree and twigs to build up the snowy scene, stamped some Holly into the tree, then stamped, coloured and cut out the Robin and large Holly using offcuts raised on foam pads to finish the Winter scene. The word Winter is AALL and Create.

A second share using Penny Black Woodland Pair, I kept the card very simple as it's such a beautifully detailed image, an inky background to set the scene and the image stamped and placed inside an arched card and aperture.

New Year, new challenges

A somewhat belated post, as is usual with me, my post for today was scheduled weeks ago, but in it's wisdom blogger didn't publish. I only just realised and for whatever reason the post wouldn't refresh and publish, so starting over with a shortened version. 

We have new challenges today at Tag-Along (and ATC's) where it's my turn to choose the theme which is an early nod to Spring Weddings, Valentines and other romantic occasions. At Moving Along With The Times it's all about Stencils and Dies and as usual AG at Love to Craft bi monthly challenge.

My Tag-Along tag and pocket above uses AALL and Create Roses and words. Linking this one at Hearsquest shaped card and tags.

This one uses all Lavinia stamps for Love to Craft and I would like to enter Lost Coast's current Winged Things challenge.

At MAWTT I've gone with stencils and Lavinia stamps.