In the Garden

Good morning crafters, I hope you're all enjoying your long weekend.  Hope you all got loads of Easter eggs?  Mark took me out for a meal last night instead of buying me an Easter egg, you can't argue with that can you?

It's the first of the month so that means only one thing!  It's time for a new challenge over at the Clarity Stamp Challenge.  The theme for our second challenge is "IN THE GARDEN" which is where I know a lot of us wish we could be.  I keep looking out of the window at our garden thinking it needs a good old tidy up but then it starts snowing and I think better of it.  Oh well one day soon hopefully!

Anyway back to the challenge and here's my inspirational card for the challenge to get your creativity going and if this isn't enough the rest of the design team have loads more ideas for you too.  You could be in with a chance of winning a £50 Clarity Stamp gift voucher.  It's a pity I can't enter myself!!

I love creating scenes with my stamps and the sets are ideal for these types of cards

Materials used:

Stamp - garden set

Stamp - cherry blossom

Stamp - small birds in flight

Stamp - wrought iron chair

Stamp - small tree silhouette

Stamp - haberdashery set

Adirondack ink - lettuce, stonewashed, sunshine yellow

Liquid pearls - pastel raspberry

Glossy accents

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

I love Promarkers - spring is in the air

Stamping Sensations - great outdoors

xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx

Spring Days

Spring?  More like winter isn't it?  I think we've had more adverse weather conditions in the last few weeks than I've every seen before in spring. We've had snow, heavy winds, heavy rains and floods, but very little sunshine!  Those poor spring bulbs will be coming up with their winter jackets on, tee hee.  At least the nights are starting to pull out and the mornings are lighter too and of course we change the clocks at the end of the month so the nights will be even lighter.  Fingers crossed for some better weather though.

Enough of me moaning.....

It's time for another challenge over at Fussy and Fancy and you've guessed it already we've chosen the theme of SPRING DAYS, so brighten us up with some bright spring colours or some lovely spring blooms.  Here's my card to try and brighten your day:

Materials used:

Nestability - scalloped oval

Distress ink - crushed olive & spun sugar

Promarkers

Sentiment - for you

Ribbon & pearl buckle

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers - anything goes
Really Reasonable Ribbons - ribbon & flowers
Whimsy Stamps - stitch it
Creative Inspirations - spring colours
Paper Crafting Journey - ribbon or lace
Inky Impressions - flowers
Paper Shelter - Spring

xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day everyone, hope you all get suitably spoilt!  I know I did with a visit from my daughter yesterday, bunch of flowers in hand and a bag full of crafty goodies.  I was smiling like a Cheshire cat.  Bless her she even buys me a card that I can pick to bits afterwards, she knows me too well!  It's got a great dress on it that would make a brilliant stencil....

My post today is the card that I've made for my Mum who I shall be visiting later today.  I sent her a bouquet of flowers yesterday because I think it's always nice to get a surprise like that isn't it?  I don't do it every year otherwise she'd be waiting for it.

Materials used:

Stamp - clockwork

Coloured with promarkers

Gems from my stash

Stamp - blazing poppies

Cosmic shimmer misting ink - blue lace

(free with Craft Stamper subscription)

Mica powder - pearls & pastels

Versamark

Embossing powder - clear

Adirondack ink - cloudy blue & denim

Ribbon - carnival collection

Nestabilities - labels eighteen

Frantage - aged ivory

Card candi - regal gold

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

IndigoBlu - blue
Passion for Promarkers - one for the ladies
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Creative Inspirations - Mothers day
Dream Valley - Mothers day
Joanna Sheen - Mothers day
Quirky Crafts - no dp
That Craft Place - anything goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - marvellous Mums
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon

xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx

Clarity Stamp Challenge - Launch Day

Happy Friday crafters and I'm pleased to be able to tell you that the Clarity Stamp Challenge blog has launched it's first challenge today, yeah!

It's taken weeks, if not months, of planning and now you're able to join us and share our excitement too.  The theme for our first challenge is "ANYTHING GOES" so dust off your Clarity Stamps and pop along to the blog for some inspiration from the design team.  You could be the lucky winner of a £50 Clarity Stamp gift voucher.  Tempted now?

Here's my inspirational card using a new technique and a new product for me.  I had great fun with a my crafty friend Hazel playing with different ways of using Dylusions Inks and I think I've fallen in love all over again.

Materials used:

Stamp - wire art heart

Stamp - "love" from the birds and flourishes set

Stamp - small leafy swirl

Stamp - love you (NDC)
Adirondack ink - red pepper & denim

Versamark

Clear detail embossing powder

Dylusions ink - postbox red & London blue

Distress ink - worn lipstick
Card candi - regal silver
Ribbon saved from a box of chocolates

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch #42
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon
Crafts and Me - dies/punches
Divas By Design - anything goes
Inky Impressions - splash of red
Dream Valley - ribbon and bling
A Gem of a Challenge - add a bow

xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx

Tara's Corset

Oh dear, I've really been a bad blogger haven't I?  At least I have been on my blog, but I've been busy elsewhere getting ready for the launch of the Clarity Stamp Challenge on the 1st March.  Am I let off?  Pretty please? Aw thanks....

Whilst I'm on a roll, let's get straight onto the new challenge over at Fussy and Fancy where the theme is PINK AND BLACK.  I love this colour combo so this card was really easy to make, but as it was for my bosses daughter I wasn't sure if it was appropriate or not.  Turns out the whole family loved it so more brownie points for me, yeah!

Here's my card, but why not pop over and have a look at what the rest of the team have designed.  I'm totally amazed when I see their projects as they are all so different and use so many different techniques too.

Materials used:

Stamp - Corset

Coloured with promarkers

Papers - Dovecraft "Back to Basics 3"

Embroidery thread from my stash

Background stamp - Latin script

Mica powders - pearl & pastels

Ribbon & pearls

Distress ink - spun sugar

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Inky Chicks - birthday
In The Pink - pink & bling
Inky Impressions - favourite colour combo
Paper Shelter - celebrations
Penny's Paper Crafty - anything goes
Ooh La La - sparkle & shine



xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx

Some exciting Clarity Stamp news

Happy Sunday crafters and I'm here to tell you about some breaking news here in blogland.

Yesterday saw the launch of the new Clarity Stamp Blog Challenge.  We will be kicking off with our first montly challenge on the 1st March but if you want to pop and have a look at the blog beforehand you can say "hello" to the talented design team.

We've got a massive prize for the random winner of £50 to spend on the Clarity Stamp website courtesy of the very talented Barbara Gray, who will be popping in from time to time to say "hello".

We hope that you can come and join in the fun, so remember to put a big circle on your calendars around 1st March and we look forward to seeing you then!

xx Happy crafting and glittery hugs xx