Where hast tha been?

Not on Ilkley Moor Baht'at [without a hat], that was in the summer, instead I have been moving house. It has been an extremely stressful experience altogether and it's taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears but we got there in the end and now we have a whole load of boxes to unpack and a new house to get used to.

I know some of you who follow me on other social media sites were surprised, given that I'd only recently moved into a new craft room, but it was all part of the plan as the room was not used as it really should have been and turning it into a useable space certainly helped to get the house sold very quickly (offer on day 1!). The video of my craft room tour is still on my YouTube channel and the new space I'm planning here will have its own tour when I feel it's ready.

I have some blog posts coming up which I got ready ahead of time, but it will be some time before I am back up and running, so I may disappear from my blog for a few weeks as I slowly unpack and find where my stamps and inks are. I know where my Copics and other colouring media are as I took them with me in the car!

This is currently the state of my new craft space...... 

  Thank you for the lovely cards which have come my way and which have cheered me up as I try to make some headway with unpacking. Almost two weeks in and we are doing really well, with thanks from friends and family.

I'm so excited to have my own Squirrel card! I've been following her blog since I started out and she makes such beautifully coloured cards, so I feel very honoured to have one on my mantelpiece.

This one is from my lovely crafty friend Lisa who has a blog post on it. She has listened to a lot about this move from day one and has been hugely understanding and reassuring. Her card is just so her. Stencils, colour and flowers, all beautifully presented.

And this absolute beauty from Michelle arrived and I'd remembered seeing it on her blog in this post and secretly hoping I'd get it - couldn't be happier!!

(Apologies for the shocking photos, they do not do the cards justice! Just making do with what I have on hand, my phone!!)

I'll be back with some posts on colouring classes I've been on lately. They were so much fun, I just have to share!

Have a great day and happy crafting :)

PS If you would like my new address, please send me an email or message me on Instagram :)

The Card Concept #78

Hello Everyone! It's time for another Card Concept challenge. This time I've gone completely the other way and chosen CAS as my card design.

When I saw all those pretty pastels, I felt it needed something simple.

I have to say these challenges are making me revisit a lot of older stamp sets and supplies. This is a set from Sugar Pea Designs that I got last year and have only inked up a couple of times, but I saw Laurie use it recently and it reminded me why it is so great. I also got out my Versa Magic Chalk inks because they give such a soft pastel look. 

This is a one layer card and I inked up the different cake elements in different colours using my Precision Press - a stamping tool really does help with lining it up. My only issue with this stamp set is that if you want a candle on the top, it either has to be wonky (safety!!!!) or you have to mask slightly when you stamp and I was too lazy.

So simple! I hope you feel inspired to join in this  month, I know I'm enjoying these challenges immensely. Thank you for visiting me today, Happy Crafting!

Flower Challenge #12 - Reminder - Tic Tac Toe

Here we are again, the half way point in this month's Flower Challenge - Tic Tac Toe.

 

This time I've gone with the bottom line - White, Die Cuts and Colour. I found that I have a few flower dies that I've received with my magazine subscription to Simply Cards and Papercraft. This is an old Build-A-Flower type die where you get the different elements and stick them together to make a flower.

 
I found some scraps of blue Bazzill paper in my scraps box and managed to get all the petals for two flowers out of it, and some scraps of yellow and black made the stamens and centre. I bent the petals slightly before sticking them together to give them a bit more life.

I took an A2 (US) white card base and found a scrap stitched frame in my scrap box and attached it to the base with some foam tape. I also used some little bits of foam tape to attach the flowers. I applied clear Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen to the flowers and then some glossy accents to the centres. It is super shiny! A simple sentiment in the bottom corner finished it off.

See that shimmer! You have as always until 25th to get your cards up and enter. Happy Crafting and thank you for visiting me today. And look out for next month's challenge - we have quite a special anniversary challenge!

The Card Concept #77

Hello Everyone, I'm delighted to be able to tell you that some time ago I was asked to join The Card Concept Design Team and so here I am with my first post. If you don't know this challenge, it's a fortnightly challenge with a photo to inspire you to make a card in one of 6 different styles. I have to tell you it's a lot of fun to try something different and that's what I've done today, something completely different to my usual style.

I've gone all shabby chic and vintage! I saw the woodgrain, the flowers and the texture on bag and felt it needed something with lots of texture.

My magazine dies came in handy again, and I started off by making some little felt flowers in autumnal colours.

It's a bit fiddly to get them right, but like everything practice makes perfect. I had found a piece of woodgrain paper that was in a paper pad that I bought when I first discovered Hobbycraft had opened in my town 3 years ago. These things eventually come in handy!

I cut the panel down to size and inked up the sides of an A2 (US) card base with some Spiced Marmalade distress ink and an ink duster. I attached the paper to the front and then stamped the sentiment using my Precision Press.

I decided it still looked a little too clean, so I found some self adhesive lace a crafty friend had given me and placed it around the frame on the woodgrain. I then attached the flowers above the sentiment.

It feels good to try something in a completely different style to my usual and I hope you'll give it a go. Thank you so much for visiting me today. Happy Crafting!

Flower Challenge #12 - Tic Tac Toe

Hello Everyone, I hope you've all had a great summer holiday. School starts again this week, so no doubt the weather will get nice and sunny ;)

It's time for another Flower Challenge - can you believe we are on number 12?? This month we have a Tic Tac Toe board for you to pick from (Noughts and Crosses for those in the UK who don't know).

And here is the board you have to choose from. You can pick a line, across, down or diagonally.

 I've gone with the middle line - Gems, Watercolour and CAS

I started with some watercolour card and heat embossed my image (Create A Smile Stamps) in clear gloss embossing powder. I usually use white but I've seen Michelle Short use a lot of clear and I loved the look so gave it a go.

I then got out my Gansai Tambi Pearl Watercolours and coloured in my image.

These paints are so creamy and so shiny too! I love how it turned out. I found I had a mask of the flower so covered it up and then added some less watered down paint to make brighter splatters.

I then cut the panel down and used lots of foam tape to attach it to my A2 (US) card panel and then stamped the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black. A few gems from my stash in matching colours finished it off.

You have until 25th of the month to enter and I'll be back on the 15th with another post to remind you all again. Hope you are all having a great day. Thank you so much for stopping by!