Life with dreams can fly

Hello

Today I'm sharing another tag made for a challenge with Isa. The colours and images are based on the May moodboard for the tagalong group.

The challenge also had to include a resist technique. I started with some Distress Oxide for the background...

...and stencilled over pink flowers, before embossing them with clear embossing powder.

I then overlaid the stencil again, slightly down and left, before stencilling again with violet.

No photos of the next step where I covered the tag with tissue and ironed over it to remove the ink and embossing powder to reveal the pink again. The effect is to leave a drop shadow.

 

 

I added a little background stamping, a die cut window and cut a hummingbird using a magazine stamp. Of course there had to be a few ink spatters too.

 

The hummingbird provided the perfect opportunity to try out some new Sakura Gelly Roll pens. Sparkly!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

Welcome 2023

Hello and Happy New Year

The last couple of weeks of 2022 were very busy but I managed to save for myself a few days, at the end of the year and the start of 2023, to do a bit of crafting.

I've had a little play with the Gelli plate and GiogioCraft's gate stencils.

The base of the tag was prepared with some gesso to act as a resist, before smooshing through Distress Oxide ink.

With a few embellishments added the first tag of the year emerged...

I believe in looking forward, but most importantly enjoying and making the most of the present moment. I wish you many happy days, hours, minutes and seconds in 2023 xxx

Faux wood

Hello

Another month and another tag challenge with Isa. This next theme is for September and October and is grids. 

I joined Isa's YouTube workshop on creating faux wood effects. It's a technique for a weathered, painted wood effect, which obviously I won't share, but you can message her to access it here. This is the card I made...

Having made some strips of faux wood I thought I could use them on the grids tag.

I used Distress Oxide ink on the background and lifted out a watery sun by wrapping the end of a round wooden stamp in a baby wipe and pressing it into the card.

Then just a matter of creating a trellis and adding some die cut flowers.

Hoping that trellis counts as a grid. 

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a lovely week xx

Minitag catch up

Hello

The summer is over and it's time for a bit of a catch up with crafting and blogging.

I finished the last three tags for the summer mini tag challenge with Isa on Facebook. With holiday and COVID it was certainly a challenge to even manage the minitags. Thankfully normal service is now resumed!

Week 7 - numbers, using stamps from Creative Stamping magazine.

 

Week 8 - metallic, using a gel print on gold metallic card.

  

 

Week 9 - trees, using Distress Oxide ink and stamps from Crafty Individuals and Katzelkraft.

 

If you're wondering ataraxia is a state of serene calmness...something I'm working on.

Heading back to work after a long break is always hard, but my lovely husband brightened my week with this fantastic gift of DecoTime alcohol and aqua markers.

I've only had time for a little play but they seem very juicy compared with ProMarkers and I like the brush tip. An added bonus is that they came with storage. I might not have time to use them but just looking at all those colours is enough to make me smile. It's helping with the ataraxia!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely week xx

 

 

 

Butterfly tag

Hello

Today I'm sharing a tag made for the summer mini tag challenge with Isa on Facebook. I can't recommend this group enough. Isa is a very generous host with lots of FB and YouTube lives in the month and prize giveaways.

This tag was made for the theme transparent. I'm afraid I went with the obvious butterfly.

I stamped the butterfuly on white card and acetate. I embossed the acetate one, which was a bit tricky as it was ordinary acetate and nearly melted! I added a little gold gilding wax in places.

As the tag turned out better than I expected I made a matching birthday card.

The background stamp is from Studiolight, the butterfly IndigoBlu and the sentiment Elizabeth Designs.

Thank you for stopping by. I always welcome and appreciate your comments. Have a lovely week xx

Happiness

Hello

As we start to get into summer I have a few weddings coming up and I thought the Klimt inspired stencil from GiogioCraft would be perfect.

 I used glitter paste through the stencil and when it was totally dry masked it off and added more stamping and stencilling in the background.

I like to give the sense of depth even on flat cards, so I added some shading in pencil and Promarker.

The paste is very pretty when it catches the light.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

A touch of Klimt

Hello

I managed an afternoon in the craft room on the bonus bank holiday. Perfect for trying out some of my new Klimt inspired stencils from GiogioCraft.

I started with yellow chalk paint on black card and then added red, blue, green and gold translucent paints over the top. I masked off the lady and stencilled the background with Distress Oxide ink.

The second try I coloured in the skin with pencil...not sure I like it...

The third go was with black paint on white card, overlaid with the colours and gold again, and gold stencilling in the bacground.

It's such a gorgeous stencil I'm sure it will make another appearance in due course. Which do you like best?

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely creative week xxx

Party mouse

Hello

Today I'm sharing a quick card inspired by @Katarinas_crafts designs for Lavinia.

I've left space for a sentiment but still can't decide if it needs one. I think there's a scope to be a lot more ambitious with these little mice when I have a bit more time.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

April Tagalong

Hello

I've been joining in with challenges set by Isa. This month the tag challenge is on the theme of shimmer and wings. There is also a colour challenge which is analagous. As time is at a bit of a premium at the moment I have tried to combine them.

The background has plenty of shimmer using Cosmic Shimmer pixie powders and Pentart glitter paste. The stamp set is from Angela Poole and comes with co-ordinating stencils as well.

If you are interested you need to ask to join the tagalong group. 

Not long now until the swifts, swallows and martins are back, hopefully bringing a bit of sunshine with them.

Have a lovely week xxx

March tagalong

Hello

This year I'm joining in with challenges set by Isa.

If you are interested you need to ask to join the private tagalong group. This month the tutorial and challenge uses geometric shapes.

 

Before this challenge I had never really used tags but the format is slowly beginning to grow on me.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

 

Sail away

Hello

It seems like it's been a long winter and at last there are a few signs of spring around the corner. This week I needed a bit of relaxing time and what better than some colouring in with my new Koh-i-Noor watercolour pencils, purchased recently in Prague. 

The boat and hare are from Lavinia and the wreath is mostly using Card-io stamps with distress oxide inks. It also fits the brief for the colour challenge with Isa.C Art&Craft.

I feel more relaxed already thinking about drifting off in the moonlight.

Have a lovely weekend. Thank you for stopping by xxx

Lace

Hello

Been a busy few days but I managed a bit of relaxing colouring for a February challenge hosted by Calicrafty Pam with the prompt 'lace'.

I'm not keen on lace on projects, maybe a bit of ribbon, it's something about the texture I think, but I do have a lovely lace stencil from GiogioCraft.

It was a good opportunity to get out a Hunkydory stamp I have hardly used.

You can just about see in the detail that I decoupaged the flowers, and I enjoyed colouring the tiny bits of colour in the beads, very therapeutic.

Hope you have a relaxing day doing something you enjoy. Thank you for stopping by xx

 

February tagalong

Hello

This year I'm joining in with a monthly tagalong hosted by Isa on FB. There is a live technique tutorial  and this month the feature was gesso. If you are interested you need to ask to join the private tagalong group. I won't share her techniques for obvious reasons.

February tagalong - using gesso to tone down background papers, use as a resist or applied thickly for texture.

 

 

I'm really enjoying being pushed to try new things and being a bit more adventurous in my crafting.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

Signs of spring

Hello

A quick one today as I want to be making and not blogging. Usually I love winter but I think nearly four weeks without heating and hot water have taken their toll and I'm very much looking for signs of spring.

I thought this little die-cut bird from Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine would bring a bit of brightness.

Good news is work on the new boiler starts in two days. Hurrah!

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you are cosy wherever you are xx

Art journal - January

Hello

Today I'm sharing the start of an art journal for this year as I am joining in with #tagalongaj on FB. If you want to know more you can see the details at Isa.C Art&Craft.

I found a journal from the old 'Craft Barn' days with the cover decorated in air dry clay.

The prompts for this month are yellow, big letters or numbers and circles.

I think I fulfilled the brief. I enjoyed this and wonder why I haven't done more art journalling...too little time, too many crafts!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day xx

January tagalong

Hello

This year I'm going to join in with challenges set by Isa who designs for Katzelkraft and Crafty Individuals.

If you are interested you need to ask to join the private tagalong group. I won't share her techniques for obvious reasons. There will be live demos and prizes. I've really missed crafting with other people and this is a good compromise for present circumstances. 

January tagalong

The FBlive demos a technique, not a design, so everyone's tags are different.

Isa is also hosting a monthly art journal challenge, a monthly Christmas card challenge, and most intriguingly a basket challenge. The idea behind the basket challenge is to gather together a bunch of old and unfulfilled crafting supplies and do something with them.

Did I say it's free?! Maybe 'see' some of you at the next FB live in February.

Thank you for stopping by have a lovely week xx

Foxy fun

Hello

I'm back today with another couple of cards made with the background paper I showed here and a mixture of all sorts of stamps.

I'm enjoying these slightly magical, whimsical scenes so there may be more to come!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Your comments are always welcome. xx