Just for Mum

Hi Folks, there are new stamps over at Chocolate Baroque and I have been creating some Mother's Day cards for two very special Mums.

My first card was created using a wrinkle free distress background on watercolour paper. I added some detail by using a Crealie mask and sponging some colour with Distress Ink. I stamped the small honesuckle stamp from the Elegant Edges stamp set over the background in toning colours. I used the large honeysuckle stamp from Fragrant Honeysuckle which I stamped onto a piece of oval watercolour paper and coloured with Distress Markers. The sentiment is taken from the For Mum clear stamp set.

I added some ribbon, and embossed Crealie butterflies to finish.

 

My second card was created by stamping the two Hollyhock stamps across a pencil line onto some green paper. I coloured the images using Polychromos pencils. I stamped the central image onto a piece of white card, and again coloured this with pencils. I wanted to hint at the patchwork nature of the stamps, so added stitching, using my sewing machine, lace, and buttons, to the centre of my flowers. The flowers are made from handmade paper, simply brushed lightly with Distress inkpads. The stamps, other than the sentiment were taken from the Patchwork Landscape stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Blog Hop reminder

Hi Folks, just to remind you that you have five more days to enter the Crafting with Dragonflies baby blog hop challenge. There are lots and lots of prizes on offer. Simply make a baby related card for the challenge, head on over to the challenge blog, and start hopping!

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Crafting with Dragonflies Baby Blog Hop

Hi Folks, it's time for another challenge over at the Crafting with Dragonflies challenge blog.

WE are having a BLOG HOP as well as a Challenge this fortnight!

This year our theme is - BABIES!

We have some wonderful sponsors who have generously donated lots of goodies for you and our wonderful Hilde also has a freebie to give to you to use for the challenge if you want to - go to the main blog for this.

Our Sponsors for this Blog Hop are listed below but the twist is that they are associated with each individual member of the Design Team's blogs, so you need to go to their blog and follow the instructions to be in a chance to win. There is a prize for the Challenge winner as well and our normal TOP THREE awards. You do not have to go in the BLOG HOP as well as the Challenge, but what else have you to do with your time? Of course you will enter both!! However, you do have to be a member of the Crafting with Dragonflies blog to be eligible for the Challenge and Blog Hop prizes. 

OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS

Sponsors: Digistamps4Joy Prize: 

$10 to spend in the store  - on Tania's blog

Sami Stamps Prize:

 

$12 to spend in the store  - Judith has this one

Flourish with a Bling Prize:

 

$15 dollar to spend in the store - you will find this one on Ina's blog

Handmade Harbour prize: 

six digis for the winner  - hiding away on CG's blog

Pickled Potpourri prize: 

 $7 to spend in the store  -  Hilde has charge of this

Meljens prize: four digis for the winner  

 

Sammy, Susan and Wynn are being sponsored by Meljen

Wynn and Sammy will be donating a small gift as their blog prize.

The way you can hop is by thinking of numbers! Go to each Design Team's blog, read the clues and THINK OF NUMBERS while you do this! Remember - our theme is BABIES, so what do Babies have related to NUMBERS?

There may be a small amount of poetry in there........but I am sure you will be able to work that all out! You collect a word or maybe a whole phrase from each blog along the hop and you need to make sure that

1. You leave a comment on a blog to be eligible for that blog's prize
2. You DON'T mention the word/phrase in your comment on that blog!

Leave a comment on the main blog as well as entering your own Baby themed project into the Challenge on the Crafting with Dragonflies blog. Also follow the instructions on the main blog to finish off the hop from there. 

Happy Hopping Folks

Order of the HOP

Crafting with Dragonflies

Tania

Hilde

Wynn

Sammy

CG

Judith

Ina
Susan

Crafting with Dragonflies 

So, you should have arrived at my blog from CG's blog. I hope that you are enjoying your trip around our blogs!

I have created a card to share with you using an image from Sami Stamps, don't you just LOVE this cute image? I have paper pieced the bundle holding the baby, adding shading with Coloursoft pencils to the paper. I have also used a fabulous blingy leaf spray from Flourish with a Bling, another one of our sponsors supporting the baby blog hop. I LOVE the rich green of these leaves. I have added die cut flowers to the leaf spray, and some gorgeous Firefly background paper.

I have a photo of myself at a very tender age that I am posting alongside my card. Those of you that know me will know how many years ago this was taken! Don't you just LOVE the knitted bootees?

Some might say that I still suffer from the chubby cheeks, and we won't mention those legs, lol! I always had lots of dark hair, and I was knicknamed 'The Beatle' because of my hair by the nurses in the hospital. The Beatles were at the height of their popularity when I was born in the sixties.

 Well, I hope you have guessed my key word, and you need to hop over to see Ina next.

Sami is offering a prize of $12 to spend in her store to one of the lucky commenters on my blog over this fortnight. So good luck to you all, and happy hopping! Thanks for stopping by, xx

Eastern Adventure

Hi Folks, I have been working with the new MagicalLandscapes/Fantasy Castles Multibuy stamp set again and wanted to show their versatility. I have made a card with a bit of an Eastern flavour which I am showing you today.

I created a wrinkle free Distress background using Ripe Persimmon and Antique Linen Distress re-inkers, and then stamped a large paisley stamp from Indian Elephant using Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink. I used a palm tree stamp from Peace on Earth showing that Christmas stamps can be used all year round, not just at Christmas! The sentiment is from the Artistic Affirmations stamp set.

I stamped the main image onto a piece of white card using gold embossing powder, and coloured the image with Distress Markers, sticking to the blue and orange theme of the card as much as possible. Finally, I swirled some blue and orange Distress Ink around the edge of the card to soften the white background. I used some Versamark around the edges of the main background card, and added some gold embossing powder, which I heated to melt. Some dark blue card to mat the layers completed the card.

I thought that this would make a great 'Bon Voyage' card for someone heading off on their travels. These castles are so adaptable, and I have lots of plans for different settings, so watch this space!
Thanks for stopping by, xx

Have a Fairy Happy Birthday!

Hi Folks, here's a project for you using stamps from the new Spring Fairy Collection stamp set combined with some older favourites. I wanted to create a gift set that comprised of a card, gift tag and matching wrapping paper, using soft pastel tones. I picked five shades of Memento Ink, and created a background on my tag, and a large piece of white card. I used brushes dabbing off the excess ink to avoid brush marks and blending the colours together where they met. I stamped the fairies and butterflies using Versafine Onyx Black Ink for a nice crisp impression. The extra fairies and buterflies are from the Winter Fairy and Autumn Fairy stamp sets.

To make the tag, I added a sprinkling of glitter on the butterfly wings and the trail of stars. The sentiment comes from the Fairyland Words clear stamp set. To make the card, I added some clouds from the Magical Landscapes/Fantasy Castles Multibuy stamp set and a flower from the Decadent Brocade stamp set, which has been decoupaged. I have added some die cut leaves, and a sentiment as before.

The wrapping paper was created using the same stamps as the tag, stamped with each of the ink colours, graduating across the paper.

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Springtime Fairy

Hi Folks, I have another fairy sample to show you, using the Spring Fairy unmounted stamp collection from Chocolate Baroque 

I have made a background using Distress Inks and and brushes on a piece of white card, dabbing off the excess ink first, to avoid any brush marks. This gives a lovely air brushed look. I have then added a stencil, this one is from Crafter's Workshop and is called 'Mini Graceful Flower', before adding more of the same colours.

I have stamped three butterflies from the set onto vellum, using white embossing powder, and coloured the reverse using Copic Markers. The fairy was simply stamped onto a spare piece of card and coloured with Inktense pencils. I have added a couple of mini gems to her hair.

 

Thanks for stopping by, xx

Over the Rainbow

Hi Folks, I hope that you are enjoying some Spring sunshine wherever you are. I have made a card using the new Magical Landscapes/Fantasy Castles Multibuy stamp set from Chocolate Baroque
These are great stamps to use by themselves or to mix and match with some of the other stamp sets in the Chocolate Baroque range. I stamped the castle and masked this off by stamping a second image onto masking paper and covering the image. I then added some trees from the same set, Country Views and English Cottages before colouring the background with Pan Pastels. I added some rain clouds and extra colour with the Pan Pastels, and then completed the background with a rainbow, using the Pan Pastels, blending the colours into each other for a softened effect.

I coloured the stamped images with Distress Markers and a waterbrush, and added a sentiment from the Fairyland Words clear stamp set.

I always love to see a rainbow after the rain, it is a piece of Nature's magic. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx

Make a shaped card

Hi Folks, it's time for another challenge over at the Crafting with Dragonflies challenge blog. This week the challenge is to make a shaped card. I have chosen to make a shaped easel card, using an image from one of our sponsors MilkCoffe, called 'Swirly Bird'. I have paper pieced the image using patterned papers from my stash. The flowers are also some golden oldies that have been lurking in my embellishment cupboard for ages.

Our sponsors this week are All Dressed Up who are offering a prize of two digis to the Winner

MilkCoffee who are offering a prize of five digis to the Winner

So have a go at entering our challenge and make a shaped card! Thanks for stopping by, xx

Butterfly Fairy

Hi Folks, goodness this year is going fast! With the start of March, my mind turns to Spring,the garden seems to be showing signs of wanting to get going again with new plant shoots showing their heads, and the birds are preparing themselves in our loft to hatch their eggs again. The good weather seems to lift the spirits, and promises a farewell to the Winter months.

The new Spring Fairy stamps were just the ticket to create a Spring scene that seemed to echo those feelings. I promise that no butterflies or fairies were harmed in the making of this project! I created a background using paper masks and Memento inks in soft greens and lilacs. I added some foliage from the Spring is in the Air/Spring Foliage Multibuy stamp set, again using Memento inks. I painted the flower heads with bleach, before colouring them with pencils. I stamped along the bottom edge using the top of the bird and foliage stamp from the new stamp set, it makes a great edging stamp.

I stamped the fairy, and the large butterfly from Patchwork Butterfly and coloured them with pencils. I stamped the antennae of the butterfly onto the background. I cut off the fairy wings, and the butterfly body  before adding them to the background.

 

I have added my card to the following challenges: 

Spring is Coming 

Fantasy Stampers Challenge Blog Spring Colours

Hiding in my Craft Room Spring Colours

This month the DT have again excelled themselves with some great samples, so do be sure to pop over to the Design Team Blog Thanks for stopping by,  xx