The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #163 - W is for Water

Poor Edna, she looks remarkably calm considering she's about to get her hair really, really wet!

We're all about W is for Water for the next fortnight over at The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers.

For my card I went with watercolouring for the background and a simple, water conservation slogan. The gorgeous cocktail images are from Jane's Doodles.

I added a few diamantes to the sentiment circle as it looked like it needed a little extra something.
My sistahs have gone to town with this theme, so please head on over and join the watery fun!

Let's Hop - Game 2 at Card Chain Challenge

Hi there cardmakers, I hope you are all keeping well and finding some happy moments in all the current strangeness.

We're having a blast with the Card Chain Challenge Blog Hop this month and the response has been brilliant. You guys are amazing!

I thought I'd play along in Game #2 today and share a few of my favourite cards that I've sent. I always think that my CCC makes are some of the most unusual and atypical of my cards as the themes vary so much from challenge to challenge and push me to try new things.

Back in May 2019 I sent this card to Dawn in NZ. I'd won this stamp set from the lovely Donna Mikassa and couldn't wait to get it inked up and on it's way as I know how much Dawn likes butterflies.

Another card I enjoyed making was this one from October 2018 which I sent to Hilary. I was delighted to see it featured in her post for Game #4. I especially like that this one came out looking just like the version in my head!

June 2018 was a fun challenge, and gave me the opportunity to ink up some cute monkeys for Arlene!

I love MFT products and am a HUGE fan of the very talented Yoshi who creates the Birdie Brown range. This little dog crossed the miles to Marga in Spain in August 2017. I think that ribbon was still damp when I photographed the card as it looks so juicy.

In June 2014 Dawn was my recipient and this little card reached her in record time as it felt like just a few days after I posted it, Dawn emailed to say it had reached her!

I'd like to say a very big thank you to Deborah for starting the challenge all those years ago. It's always been a favourite challenge and one that gets right to the heart of why I enjoy making and sending homemade cards. I'd like also to thank Gail for stepping in and offering support when things got tough for Deborah. It's been a joy to be so closely involved in this challenge over the last few years, and being a part of this little community of friendship, kindness and crafting just means the world to me!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #32 - Mid Month Reminder

It's reminder time at Christmas Kickstart!

We're all about tags this month and who better to have as elf then the lovely, and very talented, Tracey from In My Creative Opinion.

Tracey made this lovely card to launch the challenge...

and I couldn't resist making this little cutie as my 'Inspired by' creation.

The image and sentiment are from Mama Elephant set Cool Penguins. The pretty DP is some I found in my stash and must of cut for another project.

Rudolph is offering a very appropriate prize for his Random Raffle! 

All entrants will go into the hat for the chance to win these lovely dies.

Keep safe, and keep crafting!

Seize the Birthday - Watercolouring!

It's my final appearance as Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday - boo hoo!

I want to thank Nancy and the guys for inviting me as I've had a blast and loved every minute.

The challenge for the next two weeks is 'Watercolouring'. To be honest, I haven't yet produced a water coloured card that I like. 😢 It's a technique I love but need to practise, so I decided to 'cheat' and go for a smoochy, watercolour background for my little Kraftin' Kimmie bookworm. After stamping the sentiment I ran the background through the Cuttlebug.

I very much hope you'll play along with this challenge and leave lot's of love for the DT crew when you visit.

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #162 - T is for Technique

Hi there, it's time for a brand new challenge over at The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers. Our theme is 'T is for Technique' and we're sharing some of our favourite ways to create new or unusual looks on our cards.

My technique is a fun one which involves inking and stamping with the reverse of your cling stamps to create an outline. This is such a quick and easy way of adding colour.

I'm not sure where I first saw this method of stamping but it's one I use from time to time. The stamp that you pick has to be symmetrical and it works brilliantly with a Mysti as you can build up layers of colour before switching the stamp around and using the side with the impression. It feels counterintuitive to work like this, and you have to think about what you are doing to avoid mistakes, but other then that it's a doddle! 

In this picture you can see the stamp upside down waiting to have the raised side adhered to the Mysti. I made a few different cards in a batch using this technique as it's so easy.