Mid reminder for Winter at Stamping Sensations

 It's time for more inspiration over at Stamping Sensations where the theme is A/G with the option of Winter.

For my piece I've used a Marianne stamp along with a snowy cabin stamp that came free with a magazine and some branches from Inkylicious. The sky was coloured with distress inks after masking off the lower card for my snowy hillside.

The rest of the team have some great samples to show, so please pop over to the main challenge page where you will also find details of the prize on offer from AALL& Create. Just remember to be in with a chance to win, you must have at least one stamped element on the front of your entry.

Thanks for calling in, Avril xx 

Santa Clause is Coming to Town at Try it on Tuesday

 It's the last challenge of the year at Try it on Tuesday so of course it had to be all about Santa  well he will be on his way in 2 weeks time.

I've used stamps from magazines for my little scene. I blended Chipped Sapphire Di for the sky before stamping the trees, deer and Santa, who was colored with Inktence pencils.  I used a posca pen to add a snowy effect to the trees and then used a fine liner pen to define the stamping. A silver sparkle embossed greeting and. A sprinkling of. Chunky white embossing enamel to finish a long with lots of glitter.

The rest of the team have some great samples to show so pleased pop over to TioTs main page.

I've been a rubbish blogger lately, but I had to use what crafting time I had to actually craft and get Christmas cards made, although I still do need to buy some. They're all written out and in piles to be delivered and others are posted off, phew!  Hopefully I'll be able to catch up now.

I'm planning on making Christmas cards with Teddy and Lucy now,  Lucy's favourite thing is to 'play crafty'  -  Teddy not so much, if it's not quick he gets bored, but loves the end result.

Thanks for calling in, Avril xx 

Winter at Stamping Sensations

 It's time for our last challenge of the year at Stamping Sensations and the theme is A/G with the option of Winter.

For me it was another chance to make a Christmas card.  It was a fairly quick and easy card to make with torn paper mask while inking the sky and then again to create my hillside as I stamped the little trees, using first and second generation inks and adding some inky shading. All the stamps I used were a variety of magazine freebies.

There's a good sprinkling of Chunky white embossing powder and lots of glitter which of course doesn't show.

The rest of the DT have some lovely samples to show, so please visit the main challenge page, where you will also find details of the fabulous prize on offer from  AAll&Create. Just remember to be in with a chance to win, you must have at least one stamped element on the front of your entry.

Avril x 

Traditional Christmas at Try it on Tuesday

The new challenge at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight is Traditional Christmas, so we would love to see what that means to you.

I always think of Snow, cosy nights in round the tree and of course holly.  When I saw this new holly frame stencil at Sweet Poppy I couldn't resist, it's perfect for just framing an image.

I've used Iced Spruce  DI for the stencilling and added Tumbled glass for the sky after stamping my log cabin, which is an old Artistic Outpost stamp.  Lots of glitter, which of course just doesn't show.  

It was a fairly quick card to make, so of course there were a few,  changing the angle of the frame and adding different images stopped it being boring.

Taking photos has been a nightmare lately, grey days and using mirri card just don't seem to work for my photography skills.

There's a few cards in the box, but not near enough - guess  I'll be buying a few this year.

Avril xx

  

Make it Magical mid reminder for Stamping Sensations

It's mid month at Stamping Sensations, which means the DT are showing more samples to inspire you to enter the current challenge with a theme of A/G with the option of Make it Magical.

I've used Lavinia stamps to create this little snowy scene.   I stamped the Christmas Joy tree branches with Shady Lane and a Vintage brown Versafine for the trunk. I stamped Small Olivia,  and one of the fairy foragers helping to decorate the tree and  for the tree line I used the top of one of the small trees from the Pine Trees.  There's lots and lots of glitter, but so hard to photograph.

The rest of the DT have some magical makes for your inspiration, so please visit the main challenge page where you will also find details of some fabulous prizes from Lavinia Stamps.

Avril xx

Sparkle All the Way at Try it on Tuesday

 Our new challenge at Try it on Tuesday is Sparkle All the Way, so lots of Sparkle.

There's a lot of sparkle on my Christmas tag, but the dull weather we've been having in the UK over the last couple of weeks has made this really hard to capture.

I like to make my own tags for family gifts and this one is for Lucy, who loves fairies and sparkle.  I've used Starr from Lavinia stamps along with some of the foliage  stamps, I've added lots of glitter to her dress, wings and hat and the snow is very sparkly too.

The rest of the design team have some great samples to  show, so please pop over to TioT's home page for all the details.

Avril xx

Make it Magical at Stamping Sensations

Its a new month and a new challenge at Stamping Sensation and this time its A/G with the option of Make it Magical and this month there's two prizes from Lavinia Stamps.

I took the opportunity to make a 'magical' Christmas card using Lavinia stamps - Stargazing Couple, Christmas Joy tree, a couple of the Fairy Foragers and the Fir Cone Branch to make my little scene of decorating the tree.  I coloured the baubles of the tree with gel pens and there's a good sprinkling of glitters, but of course that doesn't show up in the photo.

The rest of the DT have some fabulous inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog, where you will find all the challenge details and details of the wonderful prizes.  Don't forget, to be in with a chance of winning a prize, there must be at lease 1 stamped element on your entry.

I am going to enter this at Allsorts - Magic of the Season

and We Love Stamping - Christmas

Avril xx

 

Make it Magical at Try it on Tuesday

Make it Magical is the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday, so another opportunity to show a couple of pages from my little Fairy Journal.  We're now a couple of pages into Winter and this time the fairies are decorating the tree ready for Christmas,  and as usual it's a double spread.

I've used all Lavinia stamps and lots of glitter and sparkly gel pens for the tree decorations.

The pages are quite colourful, but unfortunately the only time I've had to take photos was mid to late afternoon, so the photos aren't showing the true colours.

The rest of the DT have some great inspirations for you, so please pop over to TioT's main page for all the details.

Avril xx

 

The Witches are A Coming

I  just had to have another play with my new Witches and create another little scene,(using a card shape I saw on Pinterest.)  This time the witches are journeying across the fields for a Halloween party at the castle guided by their dragons.  I had to add the pumpkins as a certain little man loves pumpkins and fortunately he was well enough to go pumpkin picking on Friday, which meant Grandad spent Saturday morning carving pumpkin faces!

 I fussy cut 2 of the witches twice, colouring one set on the reverse so that if you look down inside the card, you will see  the witch walking along the field, if you get my meaning.  

There's still another week to enter our Halloween challenge at Try it on Tuesday so if you've been busy with Halloween makes why not join in the fun. 

 I feel a bit reluctant to put these stamps away as I've really enjoyed playing with them, but I need to make a start with Christmas cards, so far there's only 2 in the box!!

Avril xx

Autumn Colours mid reminder at Stamping Sensations

 

It's mid month inspiration time at Stamping Sensations where the theme this month is Anything Goes with the option of Autumn Colours.

I've eventually got round to using the Moss Flower stamps from Lavinia that I bought in the Summer.  After stamping the flowers I painted them with masking fluid before using various mini stamps to build up the greenery and berries. I coloured the flowers using Inktence pencils and outlined them with sparkly gel pens, and of course a few dots of glitter had to be added.  It looked a little bare  in the center so I added the gold embossed sentiment.

The rest of the team have some glorious Autumn coloured inspiration to show, so please visit the main page, where you will find all the challenge and prize details, but remember to be eligible, you must have at least one stamped element on your entry.

Extra Grandma duties for a poorly little one this week has meant no time for catching up but I'm pleased to say he was a lot better yesterday, so maybe we'll still be able to go pumpkin picking today as planned.

Avril xx 

Halloween at Try it on Tuesday

Beware! The Witches are about.

Halloween is the new theme at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight, so there's a spooky gathering on my card.  I couldn't resist the new Witches from Lavinia Stamps, however I did have some restrain and just bought the Coven of the Blue Moon, the mini Jinx stamps, along with the Witching hour verse.

I made my little scene using various tree and foliage stamps and the mini Castle was stamped multiple times as I don't have any of the larger ones. I re-stamped some of the witches as 3 looked a little lost and of course we had to have a dragon flying in.

The rest of the team have some great inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog where you will find all the challenge details.

It's been busy, busy catching up the last few days as we had a week away while the twins were visiting their other Granny in Ireland, just as pleased the weather has been fine to get the washing dry.

Thanks for calling in, Avril xx

 

Autumn Colours at Stamping Sensations

It's time for a new challenge  at Stamping Sensations and this month it's Anything Goes with the option of Autumn Colours

The Design Team are following the option and using the Autumn colours as our inspiration.

I've used Lavinia stamps to build up my little scene, stamping my pheasant, leaves and trees in brown Versafine ink and Inktense pencils to colour the oak leaves with distress inks for the grassy hills.

Please pop over to the main challenge page to see lots of lovely inspiration and also details of the fabulous prize on offer.  Just don't forget, there must be at least 1 stamped image on your project to qualify.

Avril xx

Autumn Magic at Try it on Tuesday

It's time for a new challenge at Try it on Tuesday and this fortnight it's Autumn Magic.

I've used a Stampingbella stamp -  Fay Loves Fall,  that I bought at a craft show earlier in the year (another purchase with the twins in mind).  I've also added the Oak Leaves from Lavinia Stamps and some  stencilling in Carved Pumpkin Distress ink.

The rest of the team have some fabulous Autumn themed inspiration for you, so please visit the challenge page for all the details.

Thanks for calling in,

Avril x

 

GD at Allsorts - Sympathy/Get Well

 

It's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts blog, where I have the pleasure of being the Guest Designer this week.  Their challenge this time around is Sympathy/Get Well.

I've used this cute little Anita Jeram  rabbit, borrowed from my crafty friend, (it's so handy when your craft buddy like the same things as you do!)  It's stamped onto white linen card and I've paper pieced his umbrella with an offcut of the navy backing layer, only problem was with so much white it was difficult to photograph.

The lovely team at Allsorts have some fabulous inspiration for you so please pop over to the home page, where you will also find all the challenge details.

A big thank you to the team at Allsorts for asking me to join them as GD.

Avril xx

Mid month Reminder for Stamping Sensations

It's time for some mid month inspirations at Stamping Sensations, where the theme this month is Anything Goes with the option of Animal Magic.

I'm showing a double page from the little fairy journal that I've made for Teddy and Lucy, which is a story about 4 little rabbits that have wandered into Fairy Land.  I've used Lavinia stamps for the animals and scenery and Distress inks for the background.
 

The rest of the Design Team have some fabulous inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog pages where you will also find all the challenge details.

Thanks for calling in,

Avril xx

Black & White + 1 at Try it on Tuesday

 It's time for a new challenge at Try it on Tuesday and this fortnight it's Black and White Plus 1colour.

I've opted for a CAS design using an old Flonzcraft stamp.  It's a computer generated sentiment, which was printed out onto card and then I positioned my stamp.  I stamped a send image of one lady in Versafine Hawthorn Rose and fussy cut just the dress and adding lots of glitter in the same shade.

The rest of the DT have been very creative and have some great inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog, where you will also find all the challenge details. 

It's Grandma duties again, my daughter even said last week they've been with me more than they've been home - just what I was thinking!

Avril xx

Make it Colourful at TioT

It's time for a new challenge at Try it on Tuesday and this fortnight it's Make it Colourful.

I've used a Gelli print background.  I've used Lavinia's Forest Flower stamp which was coloured with Glitter gel pens and outlined the flower petals with white gel pen, stamped the grass and believe it or not, I added, Glamour Dust among the grasses, but of course it doesn't show.

The rest of the DT have some lovely colourful makes to show, so please pop over to TioT, where you will find all the challenge details.

Avril xx

 

Animal Magic at Stamping Sensations

Its September and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month it's Anything Goes with the option of Animal Magic.

I've used Lupin, the gorgeous hare from Lavinia, he was stamped then masked before building up the little scene.

I did intend to add 'A little bird told me it's your birthday', however, Lucy saw it and asked if it was a picture for her, so of course I said yes, now to buy a frame to fit and put it up in their bedroom.

The rest of the DT are also following the Animal Magic theme, so please head over to the challenge page for some great inspiration and details of the fabulous prizes from AALL&Create.  Just remember, to be eligible there must be at least one stamped element on your entry.

The craft room has been very neglected lately as we've had the twins quite a few extra days while Laura has covered some extra holiday shifts, I still get to craft as Lucy loves to 'play crafty', Teddy not so much but he does like the Cuttlebug and 'sprinkling' (in excess) glitter!  He's more interested in cars and building tracks and ramps and of course dinosaurs.

A busy day ahead as I'm on Grandma duty again.

Avril xx 

 

Make it Feminine at Try it on Tuesday

Make it Feminine is the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight, so time to get creative with the 'girls' in mind.

I've had this stamp a few years and it's only it's 2nd inking - shame on me!

My background was watery distress ink painted onto my card base with a long bristle brush and the flowers were coloured with Inktense pencils on watercolour card before fussy cutting.

The rest of the DT have some lovely samples to show, so please pop over to the challenge blog for all the details.

Thanks for calling in, I know I'm a terrible blogger at the moment, but I really don't know where time goes.

Have a great day, Avril xx 

 

Mid month Reminder for Stamping Sensations

 

It's time for the mid month post for Stamping Sensations where the theme is Anything Goes with the option of Summer in the Garden, which the DT are following.

I've used a variety of stamps from Lavinia, stamped in various shades of Versafine Clair,  on an Oxide ink blended background.

The rest of the DT have some gorgeous samples to show you, so pleaser pop over to the main blog to see, you'll also find all the challenge details but just remember you must include at least one stamped element on you project to be eligible to win one of the fabulous prizes on offer.

Avril xx

Keep it Simple at TioT

 

Keep It Simple is the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight.  I don't know about you, but I often think does it need something else, so restrain this time

I've used Lupin from Lavinia, coloured with pencils and masked him before adding a flourish stencil.  I added some grass, but wondered afterwards if it was necessary, see what I mean about restraint.

The rest of the DT are showing some great samples, so pleased pop over to TioT's main page, where you will also find all the challenge details.

It's Grandma duties today and tomorrow with a sleepover tonight.  I've promised we can make biscuits, the hard part of that is getting them NOT to eat them as soon as the come out of the oven!

Thanks for calling in, Avril x

Summer in the Garden at Stamping Sensations

The new challenge at Stamping Sensations this month is Anything Goes with the option of Summer in the Garden which the DT are following.

For me, what could be nicer than blue skies and pretty flowers in the garden,  I've used A&C 's Blooming Field stamped onto watercolor paper and coloured with of watercolor pencils and Inktense. The background was made by wetting the card and using a big brush to drag an inky mix across the paper.

There are some fabulous prizes from Lisa Horton Crafts so please check out the challenge post for all the details and remember, there must be at least one stamped element on your project.

Thanks for calling in, Avril x

In the Garden at TioT

 In the Garden is our new challenge at Try it on Tuesday and we would love to see what's in your garden.

Lots of flowers and pretty colours was my inspiration and of course having new stamps to play with helped.

Another gelli plate background and I've stamped the flowers from the Devine Set, coloured with watercolour pencils and then a Wink of Stella Clear and lots of pink and green glitter.

The rest of the DTY have some great inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog where you will find all the details.

Thanks for calling in.

Avril xx

New stamps

A post from me that's not a DT post - makes a change.  I had lovely play afternoon -  we had showers,  so the perfect place to be is in the craft room playing with flower stamps from the new release at Lavinia,  a couple of fairly quick makes too, using  some Gelli plate backgrounds that were in a box.

I've used  Twilight Lily and one of the flowers from the Flower Devine set, coloured with watercolour pencils and although it's difficult to see, there's dots of gold glitter above the flower heads and green glitter amongst the stamped grasses.  There's nothing like new stamps to get the mojo going!

Our weather forecast isn't looking too good for the next week, I just hope this week wasn't our summer.

Thanks for calling in, have a great day.

Avril xx

 

Christmas in July Mid month for Stamping Sensations

 We're mid way through this months challenge at Stamping Sensations where the theme is Anything Goes with an option of Christmas in July, which is the option the DT are following.  Just remember there must be at least one stamped image on your project.

I love these Anita Jeram images and have a few now and when I saw these at a Craft fair recently, I couldn't resist buying a couple - my excuse is the twins might like to use them for cards in a couple of years, Lucy already asks can we play 'crafty'.

For this card I stamped the image and added a little scene by just using the tops of some small fir trees, lots of glitter and some chunky white embossing enamel.

The rest of the team have some fabulous Christmas samples to get you in the mood for Christmas stamping, so please pop over to the main challenge page for all the details.

Well that's two in the box, let's see if I can keep it up.

Avril xx

Things With Wings at TioT

Our new challenge at Try it on Tuesday is Things With Wings, lots of choice there.

I've used a Lavinia fairy on a Gelli print background and as her wings overlapped the print, I stamped extra wings, lightly coloured with Cracked pistachio  and lots of Diamond Dust stickles.

The rest of the team have lots of varied inspiration for you, so please pop over to the challenge page where you will also find all the challenge details.

Busy day ahead, picking the twins up from nursery for their weekly sleepover and then the fun begins!

Have a great day, Avril xx

 

Christmas in July for Stamping Sensations

It's time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and the theme this month is Anything Goes,  but for those who like a challenge there is an optional twist of Christmas in July which is the route the Design Team have followed.   However,  the simple rule remains that there must be at least one stamped element on your entry to be eligible.  There's also some fabulous prizes on offer from AALL & Create, so please pop over to the main challenge page for all the details.

I've used some of my favourite stamps to create my winter scene - the girls are from Crafty Individuals and the rest of the scene are a mix of Tim Holtz stamps, along with some chunky white embossing enamel  and lots of glitter, which of course doesn't show.

The rest of the DT have some fabulous inspiration, so please pay them a visit.

I don't usually start my Christmas cards till a lot later in the year, but the thought of no last minute panic batch making for quickness is very tempting and I think I might just set myself a target - maybe 1 a week.

Thanks for calling in, Avril xx

 

Here Comes Summer at TioT

 The new challenge at Try it on Tuesday Try it on Tuesday is Here Comes Summer and it looks like the weather has taken this challenge on board.

If I have a day to myself and the sun i shining, there's nothing better than sitting in the garden and reading - hubby says it's the only time I sit still - I've always got to be pottering or trimming back something or other.  So for my summer reading I've made a new bookmark using some craft magazine freebie stamps.

The rest of the team have some great inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main challenge page, where you will also find all the challenge details.

Avril xx

June Mid month at Stamping Sensations

It's time for some mid month inspirations for the current challenge at Stamping Sensations Stamping Sensations where there's an Anything Goes option for the summer mood board.

                          

I've used the mood board option of the little house to show a page from my little fairy journal featuring the story of 4 little rabbits who have found their way into fairyland. The stamps are all from Lavinia.

The rest of the team have some great inspiration for you, so please visit the main blog, and you will also find all the challenge details.

I've had a busy week as Laura badly sprained her ankle, so extra Grandma duties and extra sleepover didn't leave much time for crafting. They're away on holiday this week, so catching up on all things crafty is the plan, but then you know what they say about plans!

Avril x 

Use Book Pages at TioT

It's time for a new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday and this fortnight we are asking you to Use Book Pages.

I love journal pages, but don't always seem to have the time these days, so this was a pleasure for me, which gave me my inspiration.  I've covered the page with torn book pages and then gave them a watery Gesso covering.  I used a couple of Oxide sprays and then Distress crayon in Shaded Lilac. My focal point is layers of music paper, book page with a little torn corrugated paper in between, muslin and flowers.  Cut apart words edged in lilac to finish.

The rest of the team have been very creative, so please visit the challenge page and take a look, and you'll also find all the challenge details.

Avril xx

 

June Mood board for Stamping Sensations

It's time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month we've another Mood Board for you with lots of summer inspiration, or there's always the Anything Goes option, just remember, there must be at least one stamped element on your  entry.

We also have 2 fabulous prizes of stamps from Lavinia for lucky winners.

                    

                              

I chose the Pink Roses as my inspiration and stamped the Tim Holtz Roses on a Peacock feathers inky background and coloured them with Picked Raspberry Distress ink.  I've added some very subtle stencilling in the background and then some random stamped crackle using the Peacock feathers ink for detail.

The rest of the Design Team have some fabulous inspiration so please pop over to the main challenge page for all the details.  

I am entering this card at We Love Stamping as they are celebrating 15yrs and their Birthday theme is Fabulous Florals .

Avril xx

Emboss It at Try it on Tuesday

Our new challenge at TioT this fortnight is all about Embossing , what kind of embossing is up to you.

I used texture paste through a Tim Holtz stencil on an ink blended background. When the paste was completely dry I replaced the stencil and coloured over the flowers using Oxide inks.

I added some die cut flowers coloured with Picked Raspberry, over a heat embossed A&C  topper and a heat embossed birthday sentiment to finish.

The rest of the team have been very creative with their embossing, so please pop over to TioT's where you will find all the challenge details.

 Extra Grandma duties lately have kept me out of the craft room and at almost three and a half, the twins are so full of energy and curiosity I'm exhausted when they go home, but I wouldn't change anything, not even the finger prodding my nose at 6.30 on a Wednesday morning to wake me up after Tuesday's sleepover!

Thanks for calling in,

Avril x

 

Mid Month Inspiration at Stamping Sensations.

It's time for some inspiration for the current mood board challenge at Stamping Sensations 

                          

I've taken then green and flowers  and circles from the bottom left for my inspiration and made a summer floral wreath.

I've used Lavinia stamps for all the flowers and leaves along with a Birthday greeting.

The rest of the DT have some gorgeous samples to show, so please pop over to the main blog for all the details.

Thanks for calling in, Avril xx

Small Things at TioT

Small Things is the new challenge at Try it on Tuesday this fortnight, so I opted to alter a little chocolate box.

I gave the top a coat of Gesso to cover the printed description on the top of the box, leaving the gold edge.  I then made a template of the heart shape and cut the top layer from a printed napkin, which I applied with DecoArt Decou-page and that was it, very simple.

The rest of the Design Team have some great samples to show, so please pop over to the home page of the challenge.

Thanks for calling in.

Avril xx

 

May Mood Board at Stamping Sensations

It's time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this time we have a lovely Mood board for you.  I've used AALL&Create In the Bucket (451) as my focal image and Church Etc (304) on the background.  I took my inspiration from the colours of the Mood board.

                               

The rest of the DT have some fabulous inspiration for you, so please visit the challenge page for all the details, and you'll also find details of the fabulous AALL&CREATE prize on offer.

Thanks for calling in,

Avril xx

Fantasy at TioT

Our new challenge at Try it on Tuesday is Fantasy, so I thought I'd show another page from the Fairy journal I'm making for the twins.

I've used Lavinia stamps to create the little scene of washing day, coloured with inks and pencils.

The rest of the DT have created some fabulous samples, so please pop over to TioT's home page for all the details.

Avril x 

 

Just For You

It's mid month inspiration at Stamping Sensations for our Spring Mood board.

                             

 This time around I took the bird and Daisey for my inspiration and gave it a fun element.  After making the background I coloured and fussy cut the  TH Crazy birds, incorporating the pink and blue colours from the board.

The rest of the DT have some lovely samples for your inspiration, so please pop over to the main challenge page for all the details.

It's ages since I entered any challenges but Allsorts have a Spring themed challenge so I'm entering the fun over there.

Thanks for calling in,

Avril xx

Inspired by a Song at TioT

The new challenge at Try it on Tuesday is Inspired by a Song - my choice was .....bet you can guess -  Lady in Red.

I've used Graphic 45  Couture stamps and papers, I do love this elegant lady and I've given her a 'real' feather for her fan.

The rest of the DT have some fabulous inspiration for you, so please pop over to the challenge page to see their wonderful samples.

Thanks for calling in.

Avril xx

 

Spring Mood board at Stamping Sensations

                             

The new challenge at Stamping Sensations with a Spring themed Mood Board for inspiration.

I decided to create another page in my journal using the pink blossom and Eiffel Tower for my inspiration.  I've used a couple of older stamps from Crafty Individuals CI-260 andCI-156 along with a Stampendous Blossom Spray.  

The rest of the team have some lovely inspiration for you, so please pop over to the main blog for all the challenge details.  We also have a Crafty Individuals £25 gift voucher for on lucky entrant.

Thanks for calling in.

Avril x