Fairy Stenskape from SplodgeAway

Good morning my lovelies, my card today features the fab 'Fairy StenSkape' and Elegance Card from SplodgeAway. Do pop over to the SplodgeAway blog as there is a fabulous collection of SplodgeAway goodies to be won!

I wanted to try out the SplodgeAway Elegance card with PanPastels and its fab, the pans glide on beautifully. I used the sun mask from the Wolf on Creek StenScape to create the sun with yellow PanPastels and then added Ultramarine blue to create the sky. I used the Fairy StenSkape masks to create the hills and the foliage in the foreground. The Toadstools are also from this mask set, i used browns and reds in PanPastels then added some dots with a white gel pen. I used black PanPastel for the fairy silhouette and stamped in some folaige and tiny toadstools using Lavinia Stamps.

The sentiment is from Crafters Companion and the gorgeous red dotty button was in my pack of dt goodies from SplodgeAway, I thought it was just the job with my toadstools.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Corrosive Challenge: sentiment on the front

Creative inspirations paint: anything goes

Little Blue Button Stamps: create a scene

Stampin for the weekend: Button it up

Word Play Saturday: Magical

Thanks so much for calling by today

Claire xx

Hand Challenge at Chocolate Baroque

Good morning folks, back to work for me this morning but I've got next week off work so i'm counting down. I've got the rather grand job title of 'Director' which roughly translated means 'Jill of all trades' and thats certainly going to be true today as i'm going to be spending the day taking up all the old carpets and getting ready for the decorators, sounds fun (or maybe not lol). Anyway before I dash off to work I wanted to tell you about a fun challenge over at the Chocolate Baroque Ning Group. 

Glenda has set a challenge to create a project based on 'Hands', this was inspired by my very talented teamie Miranda, who created a stunning 'hand' card using the latest Indian themed stamps from Chocolate Baroque

I've created a journal page for the challenge, a little bit outside my comfort zone but I really enjoyed making it. The background was made with PanPastels and stamps from Chocolate Baroque (of course) with some texture created using Maimeri Light Modelling Paste and gilding flakes. I drew round my inky paw and painted the hand with gesso, I used a  little cottage from 'Home Sweet Home' in the centre and some of the gorgeous 'edge' stamps for the ground and the sky and added colour with coloursoft pencils.

Here's another view:

I printed 'With these hands' on the pc and then added a list of crafty stuff I do using my inky mits.

Lastly I added a shadow around my hand with a Derwent Pastel pencil and did a spot of doodling around the edges of the page

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Artistic Stamper: Words

Eclectic Ellapu: anything goes

Our Creative Corner: anything goes

Sweet Stampin: Doodles

Whimsical Designs: Mixed media

Thanks so much for popping by, have a lovely Monday

Claire xx

Wow mega giveaway at SplodgeAway!!

Hi folks, just to give you a quick heads up that there is a fantabulous giveaway over on the SplodgeAway Blog to celebrate all the new followers!!

All these wonderful SplodgeAway goodies are up for grabs so what are you waiting for? The candy is open until Saturday 25th May so pop over to the SplodgeAway Blog and find out how you can win 

Tom will be on Create and Craft this Friday coming so make sure you grab an hour in front of the TV to see all the latest goodies from SplodgeAway!

Good luck everyone

Claire xx

New Beginnings at PanPastel UK

Good morning my lovelies, we've got a brand new challenge starting at PanPastel UK and this week our theme is 'New Beginnings'. As always there is a fabulous PanPastel Starter kit up for grabs thanks to our lovely sponsor Berni from Your Creativity Store so I do hope you're going to join us. If you've got a minute, check out my teamies gorgeous projects, they're sure to inspire you.

I've made a wedding card for my DT project using PanPastels and stamps from Indigo Blu. The background was made with Ultramarine Blue PanPastel and Tint, over stamped with a swirl stamp from Indigo Blu and embossed with white EP. The next layer is glittered card, masked with the scrummy Fancier Lattice mask from SplodgeAway and coloured with Ultramarine Blue PanPastel. I've coloured white card with the same Pans and stamped the couple with Versamark and embossed with white EP. I've used nesties to die cut the couple and layered them up over a pretty doily. I've used some pretty lace, white seam binding ribbon (from the Funkie Junkie Boutique) and a heart charm. I made the heart using Maimeri Light modelling paste, coloured with panPastel.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts: true blue

Cupcake Craft: lots of layers

Daring Cardmakers: Stencil it

Frilly and Funkie: time for weddings

Pretty little Ribbon Shop: Lace

Well i've got a pile of ironing waiting for me this morning, its all good fun isn't it? Hopefully I'll be able to whizz through it and spend the afternoon in my craftroom. 

Thanks so much for popping by 

Claire xx

Alter it at Fashionable Stamping Challenges

Helllooooo, where on earth did the last two weeks go? They've whizzed by in the blink of an eye so that means its time for our new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges. This time our theme is 'Alter it' and our lucky winner will receive a $20 voucher from Leo, our lovely sponsor from Flonzcraft. So ink up those stamps and get altering :-), if you need some inspiration pop over to the challenge blog and check out the gorgeous samples from my DT sisters.

If you're anything like me, you'll have a huge heap of 'stuff' in the corner of your craft room waiting to be altered - i'm such a hoarder I don't think i'll get everything altered if i live to be 100 lol. Anyway I had a rummge in my heap of rubbish, i mean stuff and found this old gift box that Santa brought a couple of years ago.

I gave the whole thing a coat of gesso and covered the sides with tissue tape. I used a variety of masks and stencils with Maimeri light modelling paste on the front and on a sheet of card to frame the image. Once it was dry I added colour with PanPastels and Dylusions ink, finishing off with some Renaissance treasure gold. 

The focal image is 'Girl with bird on hand' from Flonzcraft, she's coloured with Graph'It and promarkers, the sky and grass were created with PanPastels. I just love this stamp, she's so sweet.

Here's a pic of the sentiment in the corner, stamp from Chocolate Baroque, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and butterfly from the Ribbon Girl. The little frame is actually a die cut fob watch with the top bit cut off to make a little circular frame.

To finish off i've added a silky ribbon bow and a paper rose.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

By the cute and girly: flowers

Charisma Cardz: no digis allowed

Craft Stamper: paper tearing and stamping

Craft your Passion: children at play

Creatalicious: for the girls

Fab'n'funky: favourite embellishment

 (Mine is ribbon but tomorrow it could be butterflies or flowers lol)

Polkadoodles: spring colours/pastels

Simon Says Stamp: flowers

Sweet Pea Stampers: birds of a feather

Top Tip Tuesday: box clever

Thanks for popping by, have a lovely Sunday

Claire xx

Parfum de Paris

Hi there folks, and a big warm welcome to my new followers and friends. This is a very quick post from me as I've had a bit of a yukky week at work and even had to go in this morning, not good so I'm planning an evening in front of the tv doing some colouring. Before put my paws up though,  this week's Stamp of the Week at Chocolate Baroque is the beautiful stamp plate 'Parfum de Paris'

The large background stamp from this set is one of my all time favourites, it looks amazing stamped on black card with versamark and dusted with mica powders but for change I've just stamped it with Black Versafine ink on to a white card blank. The sentiment is from Pretty Poppies, die cut with spellbinders and attached with 3d foam pads. Definitely a quick card, it only took a few minutes to make.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations: keep it simple

Sparkles Forum Challenge: Monochromatic

Wags'n'Whiskers: anything goes

I hope you're having a good weekend. I've got a nasty eye infection so I've prescribed myself some

 chocolate and perhaps a small glass of wine  to perk me up until the antibiotics make me look a bit more human lol. Thanks for popping by

Claire xx

SplodgeAway Elegance Card and a little fairy dust

Good morning folks, I'm back again with another card to showcase the fabulous Elegance Card from SplodgeAway, do pop over to the blog and check out all the DTs reviews of this fab new card. I've also used the beautiful 'Fairy Dust' mask from SplodgeAway for this card.

I began by creating a background on Easy Ink Card using glimmer mists and covering with cling film to dry - I love the cracked ice effect this gives. Once it was dry I embossed the fairy dust mask with my Grand Calibur and inked through the mask with Versamark ink before embossing with a sparkly white EP. 

The image is 'Seeing Through' from Sweet Pea Stamps, stamped on Elegance Card with Memento Tuxedo Black and this time I tested the card with promarkers. The results are fab, the card makes blending so easy and quick, you don't need to keep going over the same areas to get a good blend and even better - the blender pen works a treat. I know this because although I don't use the blender pen a lot, I dropped a purple marker on the image once I'd finished colouring it. eeeeeeeeeee! Panic stations, I nearly just threw it in the bin but decided to see how I got on removing the ink mark with the blender pen and it removed the splodge straight away - brilliant! 

I've die cut the image with oval sizzix dies and added some lilac gems,  pretty paper flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, a little white gesso and some glamour dust.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge: Purple

Wild Orchid Challenge: 3 or more paper flowers

The Stamp Spot: feminine Creations

thanks so much for popping by,

have a good day and happy crafting

Claire xx

Elegance Card and butterfly wreath

Good morning my lovelies, my card today features one of my favourite SplodgeAway masks, the gorgeous butterfly wreath and also the wonderful Elegance Card also from SplodgeAway. This stuff makes blending your alcohol markers a breeze and also doesn't create problems like bleeding, if you want to know more hop over to the SplodgeAway Blog to read my review of the Elegance Card.

I began by creating a frame using the Butterfly Wreath Mask brayered with Worn Lipstick distress ink, I used SplodgeAway Easy Ink card and popped it through my Grand Calibur to emboss and transfer the ink. I've found that brayering the ink on to the mask creates a lovely soft shade and also gives much better coverage than applying direct to the mask. I pop the ink on my SplodgeMat, roll the brayer over it and then apply it to the mask, easy peasy!

I've also used the SplodgeAway Mat to ink the edges, using the ink left over from the embossing. To create the frame I just cut an aperture in the centre of the Butterfly Wreath and added some faux pearls and pink gems

The gorgeous fairy is a digi from Lavinia Stamps, I absolutely love this image and I'm so happy that some of the Lavinia Stamps are available in this format now, saves a few pennies lol. I've coloured this  with Graph'It markers and added a little glamour dust. To finish off I've added a white organza bow, a paper rose and a little lock charm.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: G is for glitter and gems

CraftDee Bowz: handmade bow

Crafts and Me: use a digi

Crafty Sentiments: add a charm

Creative Card Crew: bling

Deep Ocean: Lets Sparkle

Whoopsi Daisy: pretty in pink

Thanks for visiting today, and for your kind comments, I really appreciate it

Claire xx

Steampunk Birdhouse

Good morning friends, today's project is a bit of recycling featuring the fabulous new 'Punky Flowers' stamps from Chocolate Baroque, combined with the beautiful Steampunk Butterfly.

I picked up the bird house from the pound shop, it was bright green and had some chipboard flowers on it so I eased them off and gave it a coat of white gesso, followed by a coat of cream acrylic paint. I painted the roof and around the base black and then added some gold highlights.

I stamped the cog trees from Punky Flowers on tissue paper using  Stazon ink (red, black and gold), cut them out and created a cog forest by attaching the 'trees' using matte medium.

I stamped the flowers on red and black card, embossed with gold and cut them out, layering them up on the bird house. I did the same with the butterfly and added some red seam binding ribbon,a button and a little twine bow to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Anything goes: shaped but not square

Country View Crafts: how does your garden grow

Craftroom Challenge: stamp your own background

Love to Create: flowers

Natalie and Amy's: things with wings

Ooh La La: red

WOW embossing powders: 3d projects

Thanks for popping by, if you've got a minute do pop over to the Chocolate Baroque DT blog as my teamies have come up with gorgeous projects with these beautiful new stamps

Claire xx

Dahlia Heart

Good morning folks, in view of the fact that a certain puppy has made is his personal mission to destroy everything in my garden I don't think I'll have many flowers this year but with some stamps, ink and paint I can have some flowers indoors at least. 

My project today is an mdf heart, the background was made with acrylic paints, overstamped with text in gold stazon. I've used a large dahlia stamp from Sheena Douglass, coloured with PanPastels and promarkers. I've added some treasure gold around the edges and a scrap of pink ribbon to finish off.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles: Anything but a card

Dream Valley: No squares allowed

Glitter and Sparkle: ribbons

Lacy Sunshine: anything but a square

My Sheri Crafts: flower power

Thanks for popping in, I really do appreciate all your kind comments

have a good day

Claire xx

Tall Trees

Good morning folks, Monday morning so I'm heading off to work as usual (booooo!) but before I go here's a card made with 'Tall Trees' from Chocolate Baroque.  I don't know about you but I tend to have so much fun with new crafty goodies that a lot of my old favourites get left to gather dust which is a real shame. Over at Chocolate Baroque, Glenda has a stamp set on special offer every week so I thought I'd try and dust of some of my old favourite stamps and ink them up.

I've used a shaped card blank, masked off a panel and a moon before inking in the sky with distress inks and a shaving brush. I created the reflection using the stamp from Tall Trees and my SplodgeMat and then created the watery effect with my brayer. I stamped the focal image with Memento Tuxedo Black and then inked in a bit of land around the base of the trees. I then used black and brown ink to give the impression of a the land reflecting in the sea - ok the brown was a bit of a bodge as I picked up the wrong blending tool DOH! But I quite liked the effect so I left it. The sentiment stamp is also from Chocolate Baroque.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges

Charisma Cardz: Black and white plus one

Moving along with the times: CAS

So Artful: Night skies

Sweet Stampin: clean and simple

Totally Papercrafts: CAS

Thanks for popping by, have a good day

Claire xx

In the pink at PanPastel UK

Good morning my lovelies, Sunday already and so its time for a new challenge over at PanPastel Uk and this week we're 'in the pink' so we want to see all your gorgeous pink projects to be in with a chance of winning a fabby PanPastel starter set from our lovely sponsor Berni at Your Creativity Store. 

I began by making a background using Permanent red tint PanPastel and stamped with a ruler stamp from EcoGreen with Tea Dye distress ink. My dress form die cut was embossed with a texture fade and coloured with more PanPastels, I made a little skirt from a scrap of fabric and some tulle and added a little ribbon belt with a blingy diamante buckle. 

The sentiment was a freebie stamp with Simply Homemade, layered up over a corrugated die cut heart. I've added a couple of tiny cotton reels wound with pink twine (from the lovely Linda over at the Funkie Junkie Boutique) and i've used the twine and some little pearls to add a bit of a swirl across the card. The seam binding ribbon and lace were from The Ribbon Girl

My flower is a bit of recycling, I'd got pink PanPastel everywhere and used a couple of babywipes to mop it up, the babywipes were such a pretty colour I let them dry and die cut them with tattered florals, layering them up with a pretty pearl brad.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafts and Me: lace

Crafty Sentiments: use a sentiment

Everybody Art : Fabric

Happy Campers: use lace

Jellypark: girly Girl

Milk Coffee: shabby chic/vintage

Penny's Papercrafty: die cuts/punches

Perfect Sentiment: dry embossing

Pumpkin Spice: flowers

Simply Create too: anything goes

Pop over and check out my talented teamies projects if you've got a few minutes, they have really come up with some gorgeous projects again this week. Well i've got a date with a basket of ironing and a pile of paperwork for work so i'd better get to it

thanks so much for visiting

have a lovely Sunday

Claire xx

Quick and Easy SplodgeAway

Hi there friends, hope you're having a good weekend. I had all good intentions of spending the day in the garden but the weather soon put paid to that so I've had a lazy afternoon watching tv and eating chocolate (much more fun lol). My card today is a very quick and easy card made with SplodgeAway masks and some of my old favourite stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

I've used the gorgeous Vintage Birdcage masks and one of the pretty feminine border masks with dylusions spray inks. Once the background was dry I stamped the sentiment, bird and the swirly border using stamps from Fly Away with Me by Chocolate Baroque, a bit of black card for matting and layering and the card was finished. Easy peasy :-)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Addicted to stamps and more: CAS

A Gem of a challenge: things with wings

Creative Corner: things with wings

Sweet Stampin: clean and simple

Totally Papercrafts: clean and simple

I'm off back to the TV and chocolate now so enjoy the rest of your day and I'll be back in the morning with my DT project for PanPastel UK

Thanks for popping by, 

Claire xx

Snowy SplodgeAway

Hi there my lovelies, well this week is whizzing past isn't it? Today I'm sharing another card made as part of my debut  with the  SplodgeAway DT, this time I've used the amazing Wolf on Creek StenSkape masks with myPanPastels.

I've used black Pastelmat for my base and began by applying white PanPastel through the mask to create the moon. I carried on with the white PanPastel using the hills, rocks and trees masks to create my scene, adding the wolf last. Once I'd got the basic shapes in the scene I added Paynes Grey, Neutral Grey and black PanPastels to create some shadows and add some depth. I added some definition with white pastel pencils and added the snow with a white gel pen. Last but not least I stamped the sentiment which is a stamp from Chocolate Baroque.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A gem of a challenge: make it sentimental

Cards for Men: animals

Crafting for all seasons: Monochromatic

Creative Craft Challenge: all about animals

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday: black accents

So Artful: night skies

Southern Girls: You can say that

Word Art Wednesday: anything goes

I really love the StenSkape masks, they make it so easy to make a scene (and of course I do love to make a scene lol). If you've got a few minutes, do pop over to the SplodgeAway shop and check them out, although I must warn you they are addictive :-)

Thanks for popping by today

Claire xx

Steampunk Splodge Away

Good morning my lovelies, today's card is another SplodgeAway DT project, this time using the gorgeous 'Complex Frame' available of course from SplodgeAway. I had loads of messy fun making this project, you can imagine the colour of my paws when I'd finished lol.

The background was made simply by popping the mask on some matte gold card and spraying with black gold glimmer mist. Once that was dry I added my own 'frantage' type mix of EP,  gold and silver glitter, microbeads etc to the centre and heated it to set it all. The focal image is from Chocolate Baroque (Steampunk Travels), embossed on gold card and fussy cut with a glass cabochon over the clock face. You can see the detail a bit better in this pic.

To finish off i've added a black bow, a brass button, some screw head brads and a little key charm.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Deep Ocean: Lets Sparkle

Loves Rubber Stamps: anything goes

Make my Monday: something that flies

Ooh La La: Vintage/Nostalgic

Papertake Weekly: Anything goes

Stamping Sensations: embossing/texture

Thanks for popping by and for your lovely comments, they always make me smile although  I may struggle to smile today as I've got a trip to the dentist lined up and I'm having a tooth out!! How scared am I????  Eeeeeeeeek, I'm sure I'll be fine. If I tell myself that often enough I may believe it

have a good day

Claire xx