Blue sympathy and rainbow get well

Just a quickie post tonight, the last episode of Poldark is on and I love it!

I'm not sure if I'm loving this card though!  It kinda looked better in my head.  I think it's a wee bit drab so tried to brighten it with some sparkly butterflies.  Still don't like it though!

• Colour theme based on the lovely photo over at Time Out #114
• Crafting by Designs - anything goes

This one's a wee bit happier ;)

I actually managed to use some of my much unloved washi tape!  Clouds/sun from Lawn Fawn. I added some sparkle to the raindrops and the sun.

• CASology #308 - cloud
• Crafty Creations #371 - anything goes
• Happy Little Stampers - anything goes with dies
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

Fishing and Snow (and lots of rain)

Well after all our lovely dry weather I reckon we got all our missing rain in one dump this afternoon!  We'd a mad thunder storm and when you thought the rain couldn't get any heavier the tap turned on another bit! Unfortunately there's been lots of flooding, the fire brigade were at the houses at the bottom of our row trying to pump the water away.

So it definately wasn't an outdoorsy type of day, and with nothing to do I've been card making ....
This first one uses an oldie from High Hopes, I really love all their old stamps and am lucky to have quite a few :)
Coloured with watercolour pencils; clear gloss added to the fish and the reel.  Blue stars from stash.  Lawn Fawn cloud die.

• Layout from Your Next Stamp #94
• Simon Says Work it Wednesday July - watercolour
• That's crafty - close to nature
• CASology #308 - cloud

I've been slacking with my Christmas cards, my promise to make a few every month has been long forgotten ;)

I've used good old Snowy for this one, inspired by Cornelia's lovely card over at Muse Christmas.

Coloured with watercolour pencils.  I've used this lovely white sparkly card for my Paper Smooches snowflakes.  Sparkle also added to his pompom (I used to LOVE making these when I was a kid!)

• Muse Christmas Visions #105
• Die Cuttin Divas #379 - Christmas in July
• PINspiration #220 - snowman with scarf
• CRAFT #477 - Christmas

Our view this afternoon ...!

Two blue cards

Ack I've no mojo :(  Reckon it's just because I've been so busy recently there's no energy left for creativity.  The weather has been so good recently, with only the odd drop of rain, that it's almost a sin not to be working outside!

Anyway, this card is for our boss in work.  I just couldn't think what to put on it!  All my flowery stamps have been used for various cards in work and she's seen them all, I figured she likes a bit of cake (don't we all) so I used good old Henry Mouse.
I've also had this lovely sparkly card in my stash for a while so thought I should cut into it.  For my background I chalked up a stencil in purple, green and blue and then coloured my image to match.  Image popped up on foam pads.  Some blue enamel dots to finish.

• General card design based on Bharati's beautiful card over at the Muse Challenge #276
• Make My Monday #76 - colour an image
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - use a die or punch

This one kinda looks better in real life.  I should really have got my lamp out for a better photo!

I smooshed my background with several different blue watercolours.  I also went over it with my waves stencil.  My little girl is an oldie from CC Designs - coloured with watercolour pencils and popped up on foam pads.  Sparkle added to her bathing suit and clear gloss to her flippers, snorkel and goggles. I also stamped some little blue fish in the background but they're hard to see here.

• The Library Challenge #12 - The Little Mermaid - I don't have any mermaid stamps so this is the closest I could get! 
• Addicted to CAS #141 - summertime
• Crafty Cardmakers #216 - holidays / vacations

Guest Designing for Stick It Down

I'm delighted to be Guest Designer this month for the card sketch over at Stick it Down.   Here's this month's sketch:

 And here's my card ....

I thought this sketch would be harder to put together than it actually was!  I cut out a panel slightly larger than my card base, and used the cut off remnants of each section as a guide to cutting the next one, so there was no faffing about trying to work out angles and whatnot.  Hope that makes sense!! I wasn't too worried about matching up my edges as I then die-cut my panel once I'd all the bits stuck down. 

For my sentiment I used a really old set of dies, I can't even remember the manufacturer.  I cut 3 sets of each letter (the top layer is a lovely white glittery card) and then stuck them all together for some dimension.

Weddings and flowers

Well I had a nice couple of days off work, we've been busy out in the garden finishing off our new fence and then I taught myself how to re-grout paving (yay for YouTube!) so I've been doing that too.  I'd make a good builder's mate if I wasn't so knackered! At least it's a bit cooler than it was, much easier to work in.  Anyway back to my real work today for a wee rest hahaha - don't tell my boss I said that ;)

I've quite a few special orders in that I need to get cracking on, and this wedding one is the first.  I just kept it nice and simple using this oldie from Art Gone Wild.  Coloured with watercolour pencils, clear gloss added to their beaks, and sparkle to his grey jacket.  Love my little flower die from Gummiapan.  Red heart sequin from stash.

• My Time to Craft #375 - Wedding
• Simply Create Too #140 - no patterned DP
• Penny Black and More July - things with wings

This one uses my new flower stamp from Impression Obsession.
I went over the flowers with my clear sparkle pen, and then got a bit carried away and added clear gloss and glitter to the flower centres too!  Fussy cut and mounted on foam pads.  Brick stencil for background and then lots of clear bling to finish.

• Simon Says Stamp Monday - add a little sparkle
• Allsorts #476/477 - flowers all over
• 
  

Bunnies Galore

Hurrah, off work again!  This time for the Twelfth holidays and I've treated myself to Monday and Tuesday too :)
I reckon 90% of the country is glued to the football this evening, not everyone wishing England well!!  Reckon our nose is out of joint when a bad referee decision in the play offs cost us our place in the World Cup!  Shame as our boys and the supporters would have had such a blast at it!

Anyway, I can't be doing with football (too much money and too much acting in it for me!) so I've had my stamps out instead.  These cards are both inspired by the MFT Summer School.

This first one is for the Primary Colours challenge - red, yellow and blue.  Stephanie has a fab video on the post on how to make this sky background.  I coloured my LOTV bunny with watercolour pencils and popped him up on foam pads.  Clear gloss and glitter added to the balloon, sparkle to the icing, and clear gloss to the yellow plate.  Red/gold stars from stash.

• Addicted to Stamps #300 - Happy Birthday
• Word Art Wednesday #342/343 - anything goes
• Happy Little Stampers Watercolour July - Birthday
• Simon Says Stamp Work it Wednesday June - the great outdoors

And this one is for the MFT Summer School challenge - repetition.

It kinda looked better in my head, and this is effort #2 so I've no excuse!  I think half the problem came when I painted my purple flower with the ink pad I stamped my text in and it didn't seem to work properly and turned a different shade than the stamped text.  Reckon it's the wrong type of ink pad ;)

Bunny is another LOTV cutie - I've since added clear gloss to the flowers to try to lift it a bit.  Didn't work. 

• Happy Little Stampers CAS July - animals
• Crafty Creations #370 - anything goes
• Crafting by Designs - anything goes

So that's me completed the 5 Summer School challenges - so pleased as I didn't think I was going to manage it!

Crafting with my niece

I'd a nice crafty evening with my 8yr old niece as she made a card for her mum.   After a bit of a hunt through some of my stamps (she says I have a lot of stuff hahaha) she decided to use this MFT penguin set.  She coloured them with pencils - her colouring is neater than mine!  She then added clear gloss and glitter to the beach towel and the ice cream and as you can see she's a fan of sequins!
I'd like to enter her card into the Simon Says Stamp Kids Summer Vacation challenge.

Here's a close up of her card - sorry it's not the best quality, it was a bit of a rush photo!

My card for this evening is for the MFT summer school challenge - complementary colours

I went for the purple/yellow theme, hope my touches of green are OK!
I've used a Prima stamp and coloured with watercolour pencils, and added a few dots of clear gloss to the long purple flowers - no idea what they're supposed to be, but they're kinda like a mini version of my delphiniums!

• That's Crafty - close to nature
• Stamping Sensations July - in my garden
• Crafting by Designs July - anything goes
• Addicted to Stamps #299 - CAS
• Word Art Wednesday #342/343 - anything goes

Ruth's Birthday card

It's Summer School time at MFT and I'd hoped to find some time to play, but we've been busy in the garden replacing a fence, so I've been painting planks of wood instead!  It's still scorchio here, so it's warm work!!

Anyway this card is for my sister, she's off on hols shortly so I imagine she'll have one or two of these while she's away!  My drinks are from Newton's Nook - coloured with watercolour pencils, sparkle added to the drink and clear gloss to some of the fruit etc.  Sentiment heat embossed and popped up on foam pads.

• This card is based on the MFT challenge for symmetry
• CASual Fridays #203 - heat embossing
• Through the Craft Room Door - anything goes
  
• Love to Scrap #111 - anything goes
• Seize the Birthday - sequins

Whales and Butterflies

Well that's my house sparkling, the ironing done and the garden weeded, so you're welcome to come visit!  I'd been a bit slovenly during the hot hot weather and it was a bit cooler today so I thought I'd better get my act together!!

So there wasn't much time for card making!  This ones a wee quickie using an old High Hopes stamp. I used the same splash watercolour technique as yesterday, and added a few splatters for good measure.  Gloss and glitter added to his water spout and droplets, and a bit of bling to finish.

• Cute Card Thursday #536 - CAS
• Just Us Girls #447 - anything goes
• Cupcake Inspirations #449 - under the sea
• Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

It's summer school time at MFT :)

I'd love to have had a bit more time and a bit more mojo to play along!  Anyway, I loved Laurie's butterfly card so much I made one much the same.  I added some embossed lines to the background.  The little silver dots are the popped out bits from the edge of the butterflies.  I'll hopefully get time tomorrow to play along and be a bit more original!
MFT stitched dies; Marianne butterfly die

• MFT Summer School - White Space
• Crafty Catz #423 - embossing
• Die Cuttin Divas #375 - butterfly