August Already

August already! Where do the months go? I have been playing with the stamps from the latest issue of Creative Stamping Magazine.

 They are very summery and sultery. I chose to stamp the butterfly and flowers onto black card with white embossing powder. I added colour using mica paints to give them a metallic sheen. The sentiment is part of s set from Quick Cards magazine.

Surprising what you can do with a few freebies!!

Challenges I am entering:

Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Card Challenge - Butterflies

A Beautiful Day

We have a beautiful sunny day here today in the South of England as these pictures show from my garden.

Its far too nice to be inside so I created a CAS card which didn't take too long

I painted a small square patch of the card using acrylic paint before using Indigo Blu, Sheena Douglass Stamps and Creative Expressions dotty pattern over the top.

I hope you are enjoying your day and doing what makes you happy!

Challenges I am entering:

 Ruby's Rainbow - CAS

LadyBug Crafts - Anything Goes

My Craft Creations - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Quick and Easy

Fantasy Stampers Challenge - CAS

Emboss it at The Crafting Cafe

At the Crafting Cafe Challenge blog this month we are asking you to show us a card with embossing, be it wet or dry.

The  prize of 6 pots of WOW! embossing powders as WOW! is our sponsor this month.

For my DT piece I created this......

 I used the Cracked Glass technique. I stamped and coloured the butterfly  - a favourite of mine by Anna Griffin - with Distress Pens Then I covered the mountboard with Perfect Medium before applying WOW! Embossing Ultra High Clear Powder. I repeated this three times to get a thick coverage. Then I let it cool before bending the whole piece to give a cracked look. Finally I applied a dark brown ink with Cut N Dry Foam to highlight the cracks.

The papers I selected are the new ones from Docrafts - Madame Payraud which is a great curiosity style collection. I aged the papers further with Distress Inks before cutting them into squares and mounting them onto brown card. 

I would love to see your creations too! So join us at The Crafting Cafe.

Other Challenges I am entering:
4Crafty Chicks - Things with Wings

Nature with wings

It is very hot and humid here on the South Coast today, but its never to hot for crafting!

"Flowers and Butterflies

Drift in colour

Illuminating Spring"

Today I am sharing another card which I made purely for enjoyment. I bought the background stamp from HobbyCraft yesterday and its by DoCrafts Papermania. The sentiment is from a Creative Expressions stamp set and the flourished from a free set I had from a magazine some time ago.

To make the card I stamped the butterfly background using Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, then I overstamped with the flourish stamp and sentiment in Black Soot. I stamped the background again and cut out a butterfly from it, used Distress Inks and a waterbrush and then used Sepia Accents to give it a glossy look.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Fashionable Stamping Challenge- Nature
Dream Valley Challenges - Wings
Craft Your Passion - Things with Wings
Fashionista Challenge - Winged Things

Spring Inspiration

Today it is my turn to share my monthly DT project for WOW! Embossing Powders with you. I used the monthly choice of Pastel powder colours that was set by WOW! and the butterfly stamp from one of the new sets from WOW!  For more information visit the blog. If you leave a comment there you are in with a chance of winning 12! WOW! Powders.

Other challenges I am entering :

Get Hippity with Ippity - Things with Wings
Paper Creations Ink - Things With Wings
The Pink Elephant  - Butterflies

D for Dry Embossing

This week at The Alphabet Challenge we have reached D which is for Dry Embossing.  I made my card using embossing folders and a Sizzix machine. I used Core'dinations card stock to emboss the butterflies and then sanded it down afterwards. Do go over to the blog to see more inspiration and to join in the challenge.

Other challenges I am entering :
Samuel Taylors Crafts - Butterflies

New Year - New Challenge

I was recently asked to be on Its Crafting Time's Design Team for this year and jumped at the chance.  The new challenge begins today. This is my DT piece. I used Distress Inks without cleaning the stamp each time to get a range of blue and greens. The butterfly at the bottom was stamped and decoupaged to give a 3D element to the card.


The themes are as follows:


W/C  9th January   - Green & Purple
W/C 16th January  - Sketch
W/C 23rd January  - Buttons & Bows
W/C 30th January  - Newspaper


I look forward to seeing your take on the theme!

Stamping on Canvas

This piece I have made for Wow Embossing Powder DT requirements, but I thought I would enter it into the Fashionable Stamping challenge which is Anything but a Card. I inked the canvas with Distress Ink and then stamped and embossed a Crafty Individuals text stamp. I also stamped and embossed a fern design onto the background. I stamped and coloured the butterflies with Distress Ink and embossed with clear glossy powder. The middle butterfly I stuck onto the canvas and then poured WoW Ultra High Clear Embossing Powder over the top. I finished the canvas with Tim Holtz Tissue tape around the edges.

Other challenges I am entering

Stamptacular - Anything

Stamps r Us - Nature's Gifts

Tag Tuesday - Butterfly

The theme at Tag Tuesday for this week is Butterflies. I made this tag using Tim Holtz's faux enamel technique using Old Linen Distress Ink, Clear embossing powder and Walnut Distress Ink. I added tissue tape onto the background. The Anna Griffin butterfly stamp I stamped and used the direct to paper technique with Distress ink to colour. I then brushed out the colour with a water brush. I added dropped off gold UTEE onto the wings. Finally I made a bead dangle with butterfly beads to decorate.