August Clarity Challenge

Well I have finally got up the courage to enter the Clarity Stamp Challenge. This month the challenge is based on the game of Tic-Tac-Toe. I decided to use the horizontal line, Stencil, Stamp and Grunge Paste. I started by putting grunge paste through the Cracked Box Frame Stencil. Whilst waiting for the Grunge Paste to dry I stamped up a small square of card with the following stamps NDC 102 (Alice), NDC 87 (Pine Forest) and the flowers from the Remountable Home Clear Stamp Set. I used the following Adirondack colours, Espresso, Meadow, Denim, Wild Plum, Butterscotch and Sunset Orange. I started by stamping Alice in Espresso and then masked before stamping the Pine Forest in Meadow. I then added the moon mask and using the cloud mask created the sky with a stencil brush loaded with Denim. The mask was then removed and the sun coloured with Butterscotch and highlighted with Sunset Orange. The meadow area was created using a stencil brush loaded with Meadow. Shadows were then added to the Pine Forest using a cotton bud and Meadow. At this point I removed the Alice mask and stamped the flowers along the bottom in Wild Plum using first, second and third generation. Alice was coloured using the Spectrum Noir pencils. Once completed I ran a black Spectrum Noir pen around the edge. To finish the design I replaced the stencil and using stencil brushes loaded with Denim, Meadow and Wild Plum I inked the grunge paste. In order to create some interest I then rubbed over the grunge paste with some silver Metallic Wax Polish. After trimming the card I then went round the edge with a black Spectrum Noir pen before mounting on a card blank.

Crafting Fun

Well it is a couple of weeks since my last post. I spent a long weekend with my best friend and her family for Easter and did manage to get some crafting in with my 9 year old Godson. We did some Decopatch, although we did not have the right glue I do not think our attempts were too bad. Matthew did a Dinosaur and I did a Teddy Bear.

Matthew was that impressed with his attempt that it came to Snettisham Deer Park with us on the Sunday. This afternoon I have managed to make two cards, a leaving card for a work colleague who will be finishing on Wednesday, and a Birthday Card for my Partner's Grandaughter who will be 7 years old in May.

The leaving card was created using the nesting dies CD-ROM from My Craft Studio and a Clipart image from the Serif PagePlus 5.0 CD-ROM.

The birthday card was created using the Daisy punch from Tonic Studios. The topper was taken from the Crafter's Companion Barkley Everyday Papercrafting CD-ROM.

Crafty Day

Well let's us start with catching up on some of the cards I made last weekend which got finished yesterday. The first was made using dies from Tattered Lace (Trio of Owls and Lacy Daisy). The background was embossed on Centura Pearl cardstock using the free embossing folder which came with the eBosser. I then inked this with Espresso Adirondack. The trellis was a remnant left over from a previous card and is a Spellbinders die. This was made for a member of the Westdale Trefoil Guild who will be celebrating her 70th birthday next month.

The second card was made using the Embellishment Attic CD-ROM by My Craft Studio. The background paper was designed using the Shabby Sweet CD-ROMs, also by My Craft Studio. This was made for a work colleague who will be celebrating her 30th birthday at the end of the month.

The Easter Card was made using Craft Artist 2 Professional and free digikits from Daisytrail. This card will be for my Godson and I incorporated a pocket to put in a little gift.

The final one was made this afternoon and is for a work colleague who will be leaving the company at the end of the month. I used the Nesting Dies CD-ROM from My Craft Studio. The image of the Cricketer was taken from the Art Gallery which came with Serif PagePlus 5.0

What a Clarity afternoon!

As a result of Barbara Gray's blog 'One day at a time' I decided to have a go at the gilding flakes and double sided adhesive technique. Although I do not have the allium stamps, I decided to use the large landscape and the boy fishing stamps. I started by stamping the large landscape on the A6 double sided adhesive and then added the image of the boy fishing. I then covered this side with a piece of A6 acetate before adding the variegated green gilding flakes to the back. I then mounted this on some pale brown and brown cardstock before mounting on a piece of Theuva card which I used stonewashed Adirondack and a blending tool to add some colour. I then decided to have a go at some heat embossing and added some reeds and a poppy. This wasn't as successful as I didn't make sure that all the loose bits of embossing powder had gone. I then decided to have a go at the Gelli Plate and added the stamps from the Birdhouse stamp kit.

A bit out of date!!!!

Well I should have wrote something on this blog last weekend. Mum phoned me on the Friday and asked if it was too late for me to make a card for my Grandmas's 92nd birthday, of course I send no. So last Saturday was spent making the card. I used the Tonic Daisy punch, Core d'inations card stock, mirror card, Spellbinders trellis die, toppers from the Hunkydory Shimmering Watercolours kit and some Gems.

Sunday I went to the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC with my Mum. We joined the coach at 08:10 outside the local Co-op and after various pick-ups made our way to the NEC. We arrived just after 10am and had a coffee before going into the show. My first port of call was the Clarity stand, after which we just meandered around the different stands. The photograph below is just some of the things I purchased.

On a couple of previous blogs I mentioned that I had been lucky enough to win some things. I was a runner up on a competition on Barbara Gray's blog 'One day at a time' and was sent a 6x6" Gelli Plate along with the piece of artwork on the right hand side of the following photograph. The photograph on the left is the card made by Nancy Watt on the Embellishment Attic show on Create and Craft, where I was lucky enough to have my email drawn out of the Cup of Chance.

Totally a crafting day today

Well I have managed to get all the cards finished for this month. A fishing card for my Partner's birthday using the Tonic Studios Baroque Oval Die, Cored'inations cardstock and Anita Designs Topper.

A Mother's Day Card for my Mum using a Tattered Lace die to frame a Cross Stitch Rose taken from an old issue of Quick & Easy Cross Stitch magazine, mounted on Hunkydory's Adorable Scorable Cardstock.

And finally a birthday card for my Grandma's 92nd birthday using Tonic dies Oriental Lily and the Butterfly Strip punch.

A very successful day all in all, especially as I had an email read out on the Embellishment Attic show on Create and Craft and had my name pulled out of the cup of chance to win one of Nancy Watt's creations.

Not very good at this blogging lark yet!

Well I am still making cards and I have made these one's since my last blog post.

These were all created for members of Westdale Trefoil Guild here in Nottingham.