Raindrops

This didn't turn out how I pictured it in my head - nothing new there then. I just can't do 'grunge'. I chickened out and ended up sticking a flower on it. First I inked up a piece of white card and ran it through the Grand Calibur with a Mica Mask. I then inked it up with Versamark through the mask and embossed with clear ep. The main image - a Sheena Douglass stamp - I inked with Versamark and embossed with a dark blue ep. The clouds are a Stamp in the Hand stamp. I also used the little raindrops stamp that came with this set and embossed with clear ep. This hardly shows in the photo but IRL it does when the light catches it. I made the little yellow umbrella by using that part of the stamp and a sparkly yellow ep - cutting it out and sticking it on. That's when I decided to add the yellow flower too as the brolly looked a bit lonely being the only dash of yellow. I'm hoping this will cheer up one of my friends who needs a little support at the moment.(another reason why grunge might not have been such a good idea.) What would have been a good idea was to make sure the raindrops were the right way up. Only just noticed and it'too late now!
I'm entering this card into this month's challenge from Stamping Sensations - which is Embossing and Texture.
Thank you for visiting today.
Beryl xx

Top Totty?

I made this card for my daughter to give to a male colleague of hers. It's to go with the Secret Santa pressie she has for him of some Top Totty Beer. As it's in the more traditional Christmas colours I'm entering it into the Sir Stampalot challenge - which, as of this month has been re-vamped with a new look and a new name. It's now called Stamping Sensations and the challenge this week is - you've guessed it - 'Traditional Christmas'.
My image is a digi stamp from Sassy Design Studios - coloured with Promarkers. The bp is from the Artylicious Season's Greetings cd and the sentiment is computer generated. I used an EK success border punch for the strip across the centre and a Cut n Emboss die for the corners.
Off out dancing tonight. The theme is 'red hot' but I won't be wearing an outfit like the one above!!
Thank you for visiting today.
Beryl xx

Dear Santa....

This card was made following the current Sketch N Stash challenge. For the background papers I have used Caroline's Christmas Silhouettes 1 digi kit. The image is a Whiff of Joy stamp coloured with Promarkers, and my Cheery Lynne holly die gets another outing. The flowers have been made with an Xcut snowflake punch and a Martha Stewart water lily punch. The strip across the middle using an EK border punch. The strip separating the two colours, coloured using the same green Promarkers as on the the image.The sentiment is from a set of clear sentiment stamps - I'm afraid I've lost the original packaging, and some card candy to finish off. The 'old' stash I've used is some previously never used maroon good weight paper and the orange card for the nestie oval. This card is woodgrained - but I wouldn't want to see a fence that colour - not in my backyard!!It's been a couple of years since this stamp saw any ink too.
I'm also entering this card into this month's Sir Stampalot challenge - which is to use punches on your project.
Thanks very much for visiting today.
Beryl xx

Nectar Selector

I'm hoping Mr Blogger is placing nice today as I'll be winging my way to a workshop with Sheena Douglass as this card should be posting.
A couple of weeks ago I managed to enter Brenda's Poppy challenge by the skin of my teeth and was delighted that my name came out in the draw. I had the chance to choose something from Sir Stampalot - and chose Tim Holtz' Compendium of Curiosities Vol II. Thank you Brenda - I'm hoping I can come up with some inky creations sometime soon.
This week's challenge from the CD Sunday team is 'Exotic Birds and Blooms' a theme chosen by Christine.
I have used these two stamps together before I know but it was a while back. The 'exotic blooms' are part of a large azalea stamp and I have used the top part of the stamp to make the border. This was coloured with Distress Markers. The humming bird is a Dimensions stamp - coloured with H2O's.
The bp was just what I was looking for - although it took me some time to find it. It's on the Jayne Netley Mayhew II CD set - disc 2. The decoupaged leaf - top corner - is the large leaf on the azalea stamp, the sentiment an oval a nestie and the ribbon from my stash. Hope you'll come and join us this week. Lots of scope again with this theme.
I'd also like to enter this card in the Sir Stampalot challenge this month. The theme is 'Take Flight' so this should fit the bill. I think I'll have to link it to the challenge blog when I get back as I'm not sure what would happen if I try to link a post that isn't published yet. Confusion all round I would think.
Thanks very much for visiting today and enjoy what's left of the weekend.
Beryl xx

A Letter to Santa

This month the challenge from Sir Stampalot is 'Christmas Traditions' amd what's more traditional than a letter to Santa.

The main stamp is from Sugar Nellie - stamped with Versafine, heat embossed and then coloured with Promarkers. Matted onto a nesite it is backed by a cuttlebugged piece - highlighted with Distress Fired brick and cut with a Wizard labels die. The greeting is from Creative Expressions - again stamped and embossed in Versafine and cut with a smaller label from the same set. Both the labels pieces have been edged with Topiary embossing powder (a dark green with hints of gold in it). The snowflake has been cut from another Wizard die and the ribbon is from my stash. The lovely check bp is from a Crafters Companion cd (don't ask me which one - I had most of them out looking for this bp and promptly forgot which one I'd found it on.)

Thanks very much for visiting today.

Beryl xx



Home Made Buttons

Surprise! My second posting in a week. I wonder how long this will last. I've missed out on so many challenges (and my blog hopping) over these last few months. I just hope now the weather is turning and I'll be doing less outside I can do a bit more crafting. So - I made this card with the Sir Stampalot challenge in mind - 'Autumn Breezes'.  I had hoped to enter all the Sir Stampalot challenges and thought it would be a breeze - no pun intended - as it's a monthly challenge. But I haven't even managed that.The requirement is Autumnal colours, a button and a bow (or more).

The stamped image is from the Elusive Images Essence of Nature stamp late - coloured with Distress Inks and the bp is from the Essence of Nature cd.

I made the buttons from shrink plastic - cut with a Cuttlebug maple leaf die - punched a couple of holes for the thread before shinking and then coloured with Caramel alcohol ink. The ribbon across the corner was from my ribbon box.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Punching for Sir Stampalot

The challenge from Sir Stampalot this month is to use punches on your work. I started off being very brave and using one of my Graphicus Guild papers for the background - well it is for my daughter so I was feeling quite generous. The image is Penny Black - coloured with Promarkers and edged with Distress ink. I've mounted it onto some mirri card which I had coloured with alcohol inks. I punched the garden trellis twice onto pearl paper and slightly off set it to make it less open. The white border at the bottom is part of a parcel of goodies sent to me by my friend Martha (USA). The flowers were punched from some quite old Papermania papers which had been sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer spray. After I'd stuck them all on they still didn't look very inspriring so I rubbed some stickles over them a bit. I cut a corner piece from the garden trellis stamp in white and overlayed it with another, cut from the same coloured mirri card. I also punched the leaves/stems from the same piece.

There's a fab prize this month from Sir Stampalot again this month so why not give it a go.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

Sir Stampalot challenge #2

I missed the very first challenge from Sir Stampalot but have managed to get a card done for the current challenge which is 'Butterflies and Blossoms'.

I have used an Elusive Images stamp - coloured with Inktense pencils. I decoupaged the butterfly and some of the leaves.I also added another butterfly from the same set top right. I followed the poppy theme from the stamp and made some poppy blooms from a new punch that I bought at Port Sunlight. The paper used is some quite old Papermania paper, sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer spray. The flower centres are black punched card which I've then covered in black stickles. The flourish is white card - sprayed with Glimmer mist and then cut from a Sissix die.The bp is from a Graphicus Guild pack and the butterfly border is from a selection of punched borders sent to me by my Stateside friend - Martha. The card is just a tad under 8 x 8 - it had to be once I'd decided to use those poppies - which are quite large.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Sir Stampalot Have Moved

Sir Stampalot have just moved to new premises and to celebrate they are having a blog hop and a one off challenge. If I'd been making cards before I moved here to Wales I'd could have visited Sir Stampalot whenever I pleased but, for now, I have to make do with the Inernet to shop with them, and the big shows of course. The challenge is to make something with 'movement' in mind - moving house, something on your card that moves, kinetic card or anything that represents movement. I have chosen to make a moving house card using a Clairity stamp. I have also stamped it onto shrink plastic to make a dangly key ring. I've coloured with Inktense pencils and matted the greeting and house oval onto nestie shapes. The small oval is courtesy of Lesley, who has kindly punched some out for me after I lost my small scalloped oval. The flowers are made with my Nellie Snellen punches and a couple of Prima flowers. The leaves were punched from some cardstock which has been glimmer misted and some which had been coloured with pearlescent glue. And the bp? That's the other half of the Graphicus Guild sheet that I used on the previous card.

If you want to enter this challenge pop across to Brenda's blog to get the details.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx