What a cute little mousie...

Another beautiful, sunny day here in Newton, oh what joy!

My very pampered pooch has been for an extra long walk today, I couldn't help staying out and just soaking up the glorious weather.

And all this sun is inspiring me to make more spring/ Easter cards.

Heres my make today, yet another House Mouse, I can't get enough of these little cutie pies.

I coloured with Promarkers and layered on to some lilac card, which actually looks darker in the photo than in real life, its actually got a gorgeous golden glimmer, which doesn't show up at all in the pics. This was matted onto a yellow diecut circle and some free pattern paper from a magazine.

I embellished with a MS border and ribbon, four morroccan die corners, each with a gemstone, some flowers, die cut leaves and swirls and stamped sentiments.

I have to admit it is very busy, but I don't care I'm in a bright and bubbly mood. :)

I am entering this card into these challenges...

Joanna Sheen - Spring is in the air

Passion for Promarkers - Animals (well just the one)

Anything Goes - Get ready for Easter

Papertake Weekly - Bingo - Gems, diecuts and flowers

Dutch Dare - Cute and Cuddly

Cute Card Thursday - Anything goes

Paperplay - Spring colours

Hanna and friends - Flowers

Thanks for taking the time to look and thanks in advance for all your lovely comments, they really do make my day.

Big hugs and sunshine

Sue x

Lilac paint fusion card

Good morning all!

Here's my 1st try at the Paint Fusion Lilac stamps

I painted this on some Centura card, so it has a lovely glimmer in the background and I lightly inked the edges, then matted on to lilac card. Before I layered this on to the dark blue card I stamped the lilac stamp around the edge of the blue card using versamark and then again with white Staz on.

All I did to make it into a card was cut two border strips with a Martha Stewart punch and glued them down the sides of a folded A4 centura pearl card, stamped a sentiment and added a ribbon bow, two lilac rosebuds and two pearl headed pins, and three gems on the opposite corner.

I am entering this into the Paperplay - For a Mother challenge.

The Stampman - spring colours

Crafty catz - I spy, something beginning with B - bow

Fab n funky - green blue white

I did try out the fuchia stamps, but not on card, on the front cover of a notebook, so I am waiting for it all to dry then I can put the book back together. So I'll show you that once its all finished.

Thanks for looking

Tatty bye

Hugs Sue x

My 1st paint fusion rose

Good morning all, I hope I find you all well.

Last night I was playing with my new Paint Fusion rose set of stamps.

I'm please with my first attempt at Sheena's rose.

I saw Sheena stamp on to black card, so thought I would give it a go.

After painting the leaves, then the roses, I smudged some white ink around the edges and then went over with a pinky brilliance pad. I quite like the result, it looks a bit misty.

I decided to make it into another Mothers Day card, while I'm in the mood, so I matted on pink then black card. I covered the front of a folded card blank with a backing paper printed from Sheenas CD ( I'm loving the cd, thanks Sheena). I cut double border strips using Spellbinders Morrocan accents or motifs (not sure which) and layered a paper ribbon, again from Sheenas cd. Stamped a sentiment and finished with a double ribbon bow and three pinky gemstones.

I would like to enter it into Totally papercrafts - Ribbon or bows challenge

and Paperplay challenge - For a Mother

Delightful - use pattern paper

ABC - jazz it up

Passionately Artistic - linking party

For the love of craft- blooming gorgeousness

I'm off to try the Fuchia stamp now, I'll be back soon to show you how it turns out.

Thanks for looking.

Bye !

Fathers day at Stamp, Scrap and Doodles Saturdays

Afternoon everyone, hope you are having a lovely Saturday.

The challenge this week at Stamp, Scrap and Doodles Saturdays is

Fathers Day

and our sponsors are 

  

As you can see I used papers from a Forever Friends paper pad

along with a Forever Friends stamped image. I'm not sure what I used to colour the image as I did it a while ago.

My sentiments are from a great set of digi sentiments by our current sponsors Squigglefly. You can find them here

Hope you'll all join in with this weeks challenge, and I'll look forward to seeing all your wonderful cards and creations for Fathers Day.

Challenges I'm entering

Paperplay - Fathers Day/ Mens card

CRAFT - Fathers Day

Delicious Doodles - Fathers Day

Stamp Something - Something Punched

Delightful challenge - Fathers Day

Crafts and Me - Stamp Something

Fab n Funky - Magnificent men

Creative Inspiration - Card for Dad

Handmade Monday #16

Oh my word how late am I? Completely forgot about Handmade Monday, sorry!

Well I've been really busy this last week trying to get lots of DT card made in advance, so that I can get down to some more painting. Of course I cant show these today, they will just get posted as and when.

What I can show are a couple of new painted gift designs, 

Firstly a plain pine frame, painted with a daisy pattern

More coasters this time a sunflower design

This I made for my friends grandaughters bedroom and they were so thrilled I decided to paint some more.

I left these plain ready to personalise. 

I have made a couple of other things as well but not quite finished them, so I'll save them till next week.

Now dont forget to pop over to Wendy's blog 1st Unique Gifts and check out what everyone else has been upto this week. 

Challenges I am entering

Flutterby Wednesday - Anything but a card - My fairy doorhangers

Paper play - Anything goes

Handmade Monday #14

Afternoon all, hope you're all enjoying your long weekend. I've just come in from a very long bike ride with the kids, eaten a delicious chicken dinner and before I jump in the bath, to soak my aching muscles, I thought I'd make an early start on Handmade Monday.

The children had a couple of days in school last week, so I managed to get some painting done. Hope you've got a cuppa, its quite a long post with a good few photos to show.

I got this watering can a few weeks ago, but only just got round to painting it. As you can see, I painted my favourites, poppies. If you were watching C&C on Saturday morning, you would have seen this pic on Sheena's Paint Fusion show. I'm thrilled it was shown and now when I have it on display at my next craft fair, I can truthfully say 'as seen on tv'. How good is that :0) lol

A poppy mirror

Another poppy mirror with a slightly different design, you never get them the same even if you try.

I painted this mirror with daisies for a change.

I found a blue candle and thought the daisies would look nice, I think it worked OK. In the pic you can see how I wrapped it and finished it with a ribbon, ready to sell.

Butterfly and wild rose notebook.

I actually found some ready made, hard backed notebooks, so I took the covers off, painted, crackled and distressed them, before painting the details, then I edged the covers and the butterflies with  hologram and stardust glitter embossing powders, which unfortunately doesn't show on the photos, then I re attached the covers.

Here's a similar design on a candle

and on a terracotta plant pot. This hasn't got a butterfly on, not sure if one will fit, the flowers go all the way round, think I will add some dimensional paint or liquid pearls to the pattern around the top. Its not quite finished yet.

These are just a couple of my practice fairies, not too sure about them, I always have difficulty painting faces, need to find a rubber stamp to use I think.

 Thanks for taking the time to look, please feel free to leave a comment, its great to get feedback, or even constructive criticism.

I would love it if you join my Facebook group- Crafting with Love, (sorry about the shameless begging)

If you would like to see what lots of other crafters have been up to, then don't forget to pop over to Wendy's blog 1st Unique Gifts and follow the links.

I am going to enter some of these into these challenges

Make it Colourful - Black with a dash of red - My poppy paintings? ( not sure if these fit the challenge properly)

Stamp something - Things with wings - butterflies and fairies

Paperplay - Altered item / use an object- Notebook, mirrors, candle

Delightful challenges - Distressing - Notebook

Crafts and Me - Distressed/ vintage - Notebook

Creative Inspirations - Spring colours - Pink, yellow and green - Daisies and wild roses

Sundays with Chrissy - Flowers

Well that's the lot for now, thank goodness I hear you sigh, I did warn you it was a long one.

 Enjoy the rest of your weekend and bank holiday.

Hugs Sue x

For a wonderful mum

Good Morning everyone Happy Friday, What happened to the lovely weather. Fingers crossed it comes back for the next couple of weeks while the children are off school.

I would like to share this card with you today, I made it following the sketch over at the Sugarbowl, its the second one using the sketch, unfortunately I made the first without reading the rest of the theme, which was Pink and I had made a boys, blue card. So here's my very pink card instead.

I decided to try a shaped easel card after being inspired by my very talented blogging buddy Donna. Why not pop over and check out her cards and creations.

 Before you go I'd like to tell you about this card. I used XL frames - frilly #2 - from Go Kreate to make the base easel card, then various sizes of Nesties - Labels 8 for the mats and layers. 

I chose this Adorables image by Sugar Nellie, this is the first time I have used this one and I think I have a new favourite. She is so pretty and easily coloured using Copics.

This is the inside or base of card, I repeated the design from the sketch, using the same papers, ribbon and lace as the front. The papers are from Papermania - Summer Bloom, yes I'm still using them, they're still my faves.

Here's a side view so you can see the easel design better. I used flowers from Wild Orchid and the ribbon and lace are from stash. I had already made a card for my mum for Sunday, but think I'll give her this instead.

I am entering it into these challenges;

The Sugarbowl - Sketch and Pink theme

Paperplay - For Mum

My Time To Craft - #134 Mums the Word

Cupcake - Flowers for mum

Allsorts challenge - For a Special Lady

Craft Your Days Away - For Mum

One Stitch At A Time -  Mothers Day

Delicious Doodles - For mum

Stampin for the weekend - For mum/ mothers day

First DT card for Truly Scrumptious

Good morning everyone, its time for a new challenge over at Truly Scrumptious and its my first week as part of the design team. Its a sketch challenge this week and we are thrilled to be sponsored by Digital Delights.

Here's my card inspired by the sketch.

I used paper from a Papermania pad. The image and sentiment are both Lili of the Valley.

I coloured her with Copics, die cut the image and distressed around the edge with Brilliance ink, to give a nice glimmer. I also glittered her wings and dandelion clocks, although this doesn't show up in the photos.

I used flowers from the Hobby House, a strip of yellow satin ribbon, and white lace and some gems to finish.

Its a nice easy sketch, so be sure to come and join in the fun.

I am going to enter it into these challenges:

Rainbow Lady - Tie a yellow ribbon

Hanna and friends - #87 Spring

Paperplay - Distressing

One Stop Craft Challenge - #124 Angel and Fairies

LOTV - #89 Punch it

Totally Gorjuss - Spring is Sprung

Fun at Fairy Knoll - Happy

Scrappy Frogs - Flowers and lace

Crafts and Me - Yellow

Paint fusion - Flowers for mum

I painted this wild flower plaque a few days ago, then made it into a card to enter into The Stampman's challenge - Mothers Day- Floral.

Firstly I painted a crackle background, then used my Paint Fusion kit again and I finished off by distressing with distress inks and embossing a couple of gold swirls and all around the edge.

I was inspired by A Spoonful of Sugar challenge - Vintage/ Shabby theme

and Creative Inspirations - colour scheme

Colour create - #66 Photo inspiration and optional extra - leaves

Delicious Doodles - #16 - Use green for St Patrick's Day

Secret Crafter Saturday challenge - Flowers for mum

Paperplay  - Shades of green

Allsorts - Luck of the Irish - I used lots of green

 

Getting messy with powders and inks

I've been playing with embossing powders, Mica powders and Distress inks. Thought I'd make a few flowers from pattern paper, then I got carried away, adding glaze and antique gold mica powder.

I also had a go at embossing on to patterned paper and decided to put them together to make a card. This distressed, grungy look is totally out of my comfort zone, but I do like playing around.

These roses are made using punched patterned paper shapes, sprayed with mica spray, then cut down into various size bits ,embossed and glued together. The little ones were very fiddly. I then added glaze and dipped them in gold mica powder. They look so much nicer in real life, like they've been dipped in molten gold, the photo makes them just look dirty.

Many of you probably already know how to make these, but if not, let me know if you want detailed instructions and I'll do a tutorial.

This stamp is Agapanthus Cluster from Stampendous, stamped on to pattern paper, K and Co, and embossed in white. The background is the same stamp not embossed.

Everything was distressed and inked to within an inch of its life, I always go a bit over board once I get started.

I am going to enter this card into these challenges;

Stamp with fun - sketch by Emmi41 - I flipped it though, hope you dont mind.

The ABC challenge - Team A - O is for Old fashioned

Simon says stamp - Make your own embellishments

Paperplay - Add shine

Secret crafter - A Stamped flower