Best Friends!

Hi everyone,

This is the last of the Lili of the Valley images, on the stamp plate I bought. A very cute image suitable for many occasions. I used a Nestie label 2, to cut out just half the shape and then made it into a pop out, fold back card. I stamped the image onto another piece of card, cut with the Label 2 shape, with Versafine Smokey Grey ink. I then coloured it with distress inks.

The background was 120gm white paper, coloured with Faded Jeans distress ink and run through my Cuttlebug in the swiss dots folder. The flowers are a Cuttlebug die, cut and coloured with Spun Sugar distress ink and edged with Tea Dye and Star Dust Stickles. Added a couple of punched leaves to complete the picture.

I finished with adding dots of Stickles to the raised swiss dots and the spots on her dress.

The weather is supposed to be a lot drier and warmer for a change this weekend. My cousin who lives in Malta (my mother was Maltese), said that it is so hot over there, she has the air conditioning on and a fan and she still cannot get cool. The only place is going down to the sea! She was over here a couple of weeks ago in the rain!! Are we ever happy?!

Have a good weekend.

Carolx

Take one ink pad

Hi everyone,

This is a very different card for me, very plain. I was actually showing some friends how you can make a card completely with just one distress ink pad.

The boat and seagull stamps are from the 'Scene It' range of stamps, from Creative Expressions. The distress ink pad is Dusty Concord.

It may be simple but when viewed from a distance, it is very atmospheric. I made a larger version for a charity that I make cards for, as a sympathy card.

On a happier note, I have just made my husbands' birthday card, 60th!!! He is not a happy bunny. Still we have an excuse to celebrate with friends and family.

I promise a much prettier card next time.

Carolx

Another Lili of the Valley.

Hi everyone,

The sun is actually shining this morning. I know we wanted some rain, but the trouble is with this country, when the rain starts, it doesn't know when to stop! I had one small area of garden to plant up and I trapped my sciatic nerve on Sunday. Ouch!! So I cannot get out and do any digging. I am not a happy bunny.

This little girl is soooo cute! The background is one of the Tim Holtz embossing folders, with Dusty Concord distress ink around the edges. Then laid over a piece of patterned paper from my stash. Attached then to a piece of white card that I edged with the Martha Stewart daisy punch, also distressed with Dusty Concord.

The greeting tag was cut on the fold with Nesties label 2 and I stamped another message inside. Distressed around the edges and a touch of Stickles just on the edges. This label 2 makes very nice gift tags, whatever size you need.

I coloured her with distress inks. She looks so shy, with her sideways mouth and crossed feet, I thought she had to have very rosy cheeks! A card for any age I think.

Thank you very much for visiting my blog.
Carol x

Mirror, mirror............

Hi everyone,

This is the second card from the Lili of the Valley stamp plate. The dotty background paper I made by colouring a piece of paper with Stormy Sky distress ink, running it through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder, then when I had put the card together I put a dot of Stickles on each dot. I did have a piece of paper that I had bought, that looked exactly the same. The only thing was I couldn't make myself cut into it!!! Sound familiar?!

I did add Glossy Accents to the mirror but you cannot see it in the photo. This little girl reminds me of my granddaughter. I often find her in my shoes!

Thank you for looking at my work and for the nice comments. They are much appreciated.
Carol x

Lili of the Valley Fairies.

Hi everyone,

I just love this stamp plate from Lili of the Valley. They all have such lovely faces and great detail.

This is the first card I made from the plate. Colouring with distress inks, of course. They are perfect for these stamps, as they can be as light and delicate as you wish.

I know I always add Stickles, but they seem to lift an image off the page and we all need a bit of bling in our lives! I have made another 3 cards from this plate, which I will post over the next few days.

Have a good weekend.

Carol x

Another Pepper & Friends

Hi,

Well, so much for having an early night last night. I went to bed, my husband's snoring was so loud I couldn't get any sleep for hours! I could have made a few more cards!!

For this card, I used the Crafts-Too embossing folder for the tree background, with co-ordinations card. I sanded over the embossing and added cinnamon Stickles onto the leaves.

Pepper was stamped with Versafine Smokey Grey and coloured with, guess what? Yeh! Distress inks! I then made it into a tent card.

This stamp is very strange, because if you colour the dog with black ink, he looks bigger. The flowers have a light touch of Stickles star dust on them.

I am playing with Lili of the Valley stamps at the moment. They are very cute and I will post them quite soon.

Thank you for the comments. Its nice to know my work is being viewed.

Carol x

Butterfly Tastic.

Hi,

What a mad week! Had no time for serious playtime, just a few quick cards.
This card was made with Pepper & Friends stamps. The background stamp was stamped with Versafine Smokey Grey and coloured with Sakura Stardust pens.

I love this little barrow as it is a very useful stamp. Great detail and very quick to colour. I used distress inks to colour, with a touch of Stickles Star Dust. A couple of Nestie butterflies flew on and a few card candy dots!

The barrow can also be suitable for a man's card, as you can just make the background less girly.

I did make another card with this set, which I will post, hopefully tomorrow.

I must have an early night for a change.

Carol

Christmas Galore!

Hi,

It's Christmas again tonight! From the more elaborate......

I have put together a few more of the samples I made for Little Claire. I think you will agree that the stamps are different. You can make multi folding cards for the 'special' people in your life, or if you are making a large number of cards, you can still get a professional finish, even with a simple design.

Some of the stamps are also available as peel offs. The polar bear above is available as peel off, however, my image was stamped with Versamark Watermark ink and embossed with Black Sparkle embossing powder. A very quick card to make but I think very classy.

The reindeer above is so cute! Just a simple tent card with a Cuttlebug background, distress inks, Stickles and Glossy Accents......Simples!

A friend on mine has a Westie. What card do you think she will get this year?! Oops, I forgot she reads my blog!

Well off to bed, early night tonight as lots to do tomorrow. DIY again.

Carol

It's A Peel Off!!

Hi,

Hope you all had a good weekend. I was decorating just for a change! My life for the last year has been decorating or organising builders. I think at last the end is in sight!

I thought I would have a break from posting more christmas cards!

Little Claire had sent us some peel offs. Now I am not normally a peel off person but, this card has a peel off as the main image!

I know its difficult to believe but it does look like a stamped and embossed image. That's quality!

Just cut with Nesties, edged with distress inks, with a few dots and edged over with Stickles. So easy!

Behind the flowers are Fern leaves, which is a Little Claire cutting die.

An absolutely brilliant, very useful die. Cuts very cleanly and then you can cut the leaves to whatever length you want.

I just love this die and have to stop myself putting them on every card I make. You will even see it on my Christmas cards!!

Well I maybe back to Christmas cards again very soon.

Carol x

Two by Two

Hi,

Well my new grass patch has grown very nicely but there are a couple of small barren bits!
A bit more seed tomorrow I think. The rain definately helped and now the grass that has grown, needs cutting!

That is a job for another day.

This is my favourite stamp from this selection from Little Claire.

The expression on the Daddy bear's face is amazing.

He has such a look of hope and wonder, as he gazes at the star.

So I felt he needed a simple card. I sprayed Iridescent Gold Tatterd Angels Glimmer Mist onto a piece of navy card.

Added dots of dries white glue and crystal fine glitter for snow. Also added gold to the star and Star Dust Stickles on top of it.


I coloured their scarves with distress inks and clear glue with fine crystal glitter, to their bodies.

I know it is distress inks again but the next card is coloured with Copics!




I applied ink to the top half of the stamp only and coloured it with Copics.

I used Nesties to cut out the image and the background.

I then inked up the parcels on the stamp. Coloured them with Copics and used foam pads to 3D them onto the card.

Just another way of using the stamp I had used previously.

Thanks for looking and I enjoy reading the comments.

Carol x

We Three Cool Christmas Cats!

Hi,

Another of my Christmas sample cards for Little Claire.

These cats are so cool! Love their faces and hats.

I created the background with torn paper, sponge and inks.

The tree was made from 4 sizes of heart shaped Nesties.

I coloured the cats and tree with Distress Inks for a change.

OK we all have our addictions and Distress Inks are mine!!

I will make my next posting a

card where I have used Copics!

I did use ultra fine glitter instead of Stickles for a change though.

Carol x

Christmas in August!!

Hi,

Well we have had some rain at last in West Sussex! I could here my plants cheering!! At least I had a night off from hosing.

This is the first of a number of cards I have made for Little Claire, using their brilliant, new Christmas stamps.

This one I coloured with Distress Inks but I have also done another version, using Copic pens, which I will post another day.

I added stickles and Glossy Accents to the baubles and crystal glitter to her dress trim.

There are so many great stamps, I didn't know which one to post first but as this was the first one I made, I thought I would start posting with it as well.

For the tree, I just daubled (technical term), Peeled Paint Distress Ink to add texture.

I used a Sakura Stardust gold pen on the stars, with Stickles over it.
For her dress I used Victorian Velvet Distress Ink.
I love this colour, as it has a real velvet appearance, that unfortunetly, this photo does not show very well.





The holly leaves are the Cuttlebug embossing folder, run through with white card. I cut out the leaves, coloured them with Peeled Paint Distrss Ink and Eucalyptus Stickles. Added some red Card Candy for the berries.


I will post another of my Christmas cards over the weekend.

Now which one will it be?!!!
Have a good weekend,

Carol x

A Man's Idea of Multi-tasking!!

Hello,

Hope you had a good weekend.

It rained a bit tonight, just after my husband had hosed the garden! My new patch of grass is looking good. I say a patch, it is about 10' by 18'. I am just pleased that it has actually survived!

This is the brilliant August stamp for Little Claire's Club members.

I made the card as a stepped centre card and had to draw the tree trunks, as I did not have a suitable stamp.

The boxer shorts will make a great card on their own.

I coloured the image with Distress Inks and I added some Glossy Accents to the beer glass.

Check out the Little Claire web site, link above. They have a slide show of all the designers ideas. There are plenty of great cards that will not fail to inspire you.

The two little owls are from the new range of peel offs, from Little Claire.
Sorry they are a bit of a blur!
I am not generally a great lover of peel offs, but I must admit to really liking the little owls. They sat so well on my tree.

There are also some new Christmas peel offs that will make some great cards, very quickly!

I can't wait to show you samples from the Christmas stamp range. You will just want all of them!! The stamps, not my samples!

Catch you all in a couple of days.

Carol