Happy New Year

I cant believe my last post was 1st Dec.  I was busy crafting after that but I made a mini album for my daughters future mother-in-law, Chris, who has become a good friend.  I made one 2 years ago and put photos of Elsie Rose in it, her first pictures, and as Chris has 6 grandchildren I thought she might like a mini album to put photos of them in and can carry it around in her handbag.  I will show you photos of it in a later post. Christmas is over now, thank goodness, but as I have had a bad cold since then I have not started crafting again yet.  I have lots to do this year as I am doing a lot for my daughters wedding in June, so not sure how many challenges I will be able to enter. The first thing I must do is a card for my son who's birthday is on the 13th. Must get my head together to do that.  When I checked my blog yesterday and other blogs I discovered I had won top 3 for my card Remembrance on The Male Room Challenge blog. Thank you so much DT that gave me a real thrill and has given me the impulse  to start crafting again.  I also had my Faux Frame Card showcased on Technique Time Tuesday. Thank you to their DT for choosing my card amongst the other wonderful entries and thank you so much for all the lovely comments I had for all my cards, they really make my day.  Now I have to try and get the winners badges on to my blog and I cant remember how to do it!!!  Oh how I wish I was computer literate. Will be back soon. Happy New Year to you all.

Christmas cards

I have a few friends who view my blog in general and for them and anyone else who may be interested here are a few more of the cards I made from my inky block backgrounds.

I used much more subtle colours on this card.  Not everyone likes bright colours...  I do.  It is of course brighter in reality, the photo has subdued it a lot. I might put some gems on the baubles to bling it up a bit. The embossing powder was a mixture of purple and silver so that the deer had a bit of sparkle on it, but of course it did make the image a lot paler

This is the same deer stamp but on the bright background and I did put gems on the baubles this time.

This is my favourite one I think.  I just love this leaping deer and the colours are my favourite too.  This one has come out well.

This is another soft one using the loopy tree embossed with purple.
The sentiment I have used on all the cards is from the Stampin' Up set Sassy Salutations
All the cards were mounted on textured silver card as I have lots of it so I thought I would use it instead of plain white card as its Christmas!!

I have really enjoyed the challenges this week, but I might not be able to enter any more for a bit as I must now concentrate on Christmas.  I want to make a mini album for a friend, and I promised my daughter a Christmas cake.  I expect all of you are flat out now. Good luck with your Christmas preparations.   Will be in touch again soon.  Viji. xx

Loopy Tree

Another rush today to get this card on the Make My Monday Challenge blog, Contemporary Christmas.  I finished it yesterday and thought I had till Sunday to get it submitted. Only just found out it is today. The card has been made using the coloured block method I used for  the 52CCT challenge but I decided to use softer colours. So this background has been made using Worn Lipstick and Shaded Lilac inks. The Loopy Tree stamp was stamped and heat embossed using white and the again in purple.  Hope you like it.

I was going to submit another one, but time is limited.  I had such fun making inky block backgrounds that  I ended up with 10 not 8 backgrounds which I made into cards last night. I will put some of them on another post so you can see them if you would like to.  It was really good fun making them all.  Thank you for this challenge.

Leaping Reindeer

Two more challenges to enter this week, then I may have to take a little break, so much to do and I'm out a lot next week.  I'll get there I hope.  I just had to enter the  52 Christmas Card Throwdown this week as the challenge is making a background using a block and spritzing it after inking it.  I learnt this technique a long time ago from a demonstration by Ali of Stamps Away.  I just love this technique as it is so quick and effective and I have used it a lot.  I had such fun making the backgrounds using different colours and layouts and ended up with at least 8 backgrounds. I decided to do very bright colours this time, so used Distress inks picked raspberry and peacock feathers, lovely colours. I then stamped different images on them, my favourite leaping deer, another little deer and a funky christmas tree.  I eventually chose a leaping deer.  I love him. I stamped the image with Versamark and heat embossed it using black sparkle embossing powder. Well it is Christmas!!
It has been a rush getting it all done as I only started this afternoon, so I hope I have chosen the right one.

I shall be entering a similar card for the Make My Monday Contemporary Christmas challenge. Once I have this card on the 52 CCT blog I can relax a bit and mount up the other cards and I will have another 8 cards for my Christmas stash. Great!

Winter Tree

This card I made for the Technique Time Tuesday  -  Faux Frame challenge.  I use this quite often although I don't quite make the frame the same way, but I did do it this time just as the video demonstration and I will use this technique again, especially as I now have my Cuttlebug out all the time!!! So thank you for showing us this way of making a frame.

I made the frame as instructions and sponged the background using Big and Juicy inks.  The tree is a stamp from the Stamps Away Tree collection, lovely tree stamps  I use them often.  I stamped it first in black and then again in versamark and heat embossed it using white embossing powder, slightly off centre so the black looks like a shadow. I sprinkled embossing powder in the sky and round the tree to look like snow and it is quite effective,(does not show up too much in photo.) I embossed some white card using a snowflake embossing folder and it came out really well. Pristine white it was and then the inevitable happened!! I turned the card over to put the tape on the back and when I turned it back it was all smudged with blue ink!!! How did that happen?!!! I was not pleased!!   I had to cut the smudges off and so the card became smaller, but it is still all right I think.  That always happens to me. I am afraid I am a bit of a messy worker! Silver bow and some gems were added for a bit of Christmas bling and there is another card for Christmas made.
I have suddenly realised how close Christmas is now, and so I am in a bit of a panic this morning as I am very behind this year and  have so much to do before then.  But I expect I am not the only one!!!  Hope your Christmas preparations are well ahead.

Winter Season

I was hoping to enter last weeks sketch challenge on Colours and Sketches but at the last minute I had to go to my daughters to look after my Granddaughter who was poorly.  It was lovely to see her again and as she wasn't too bad we had a lot of fun.  So this week I decided to enter the colour challenge and use last weeks sketch.  I have had the Stampin' Up set Four Seasons for a while now and have been dying to use it, so this was a good excuse.  It also made me get out my Cuttlebug, which I hardly ever use, because I cant be bothered to get it all out.  I'm so lazy!!! I got all my dies out too and had a good time playing with it.  I have left it out now so I can use it more often. Here's the card...

I don't think I am a very good photographer as this has come out quite pale. The colours are darker really. I stamped the image in Real Red as I don't have Cherry cobbler and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I coloured a background paper with Crumb Cake and had some Old Olive card.  I cut out the circles using my Cuttlebug and had a fancy edging die which I used on the strip of Old Olive card.  It has all been mounted on Natural White Stampin' Up card. The  snowflake stamp is part of the Four Seasons set.  This card is not as pretty as others on show but at least it is another one for my Christmas Card stash.  I am a bit behind with them this year.

It's Been a long time.

Its been a long time since I did any blogging!  I have done an awful lot since the last time.  I went away in my Romahome to Tenby and had a lovely time catching up with old friends and making new.  The weather was a bit dull but it could have been worse. When I got back I did the usual catching up with chores, seeing friends and family and getting my Romahome ready for winter.  Mainly dealing with lots of rust spots.  A very messy job.  Also my daughter was moving again so I went down to see her three weekends running to look after my Granddaughter whilst she packed loads of boxes.  I had a lovely time with Elsie.  She is such fun.  Now I think things will get back to normal and perhaps I can start crafting again.  I started with making the Remembrance card for the The Male Room Challenge and then made a birthday card for my ex. Here is the card I made for him.....

The stamp is from Stamps Away and is a lovely picture.  I did colour it all in with water colour pencils, but the colours dont photograph well.  All the hills and fields are coloured green, honest. I just sponged the background using inks from Stampin' Up and Distress Stormy Sky and various masks to form the background.  I love sponging the backgrounds.  It can be so effective.  I will put Happy Birthday on the inside as I didnt want to spoil the picture by adding it to the front.
I hope to enter more challenges now I up and running again, but I must concentrate on making Christmas cards and presents, then in the New Year I will be focusing on making things for my Daughters wedding, she is getting married in June and I will be very busy making the stationery, table decorations etc. I call myself the Artistic Director of the Maiden/Kirk wedding.!!!!   Should be fun though.  Cant wait.
I have been following your blogs and I must say all your cards are fantastic.  Wish I had your ideas.
Its good to be back. Thanks to everyone for their support, especially my friends Sue and Jacqueline.

Remembrance

I cant believe its 3 months since I last put something on my blog.  Such a lot has happened, but more of that later.  I managed to start crafting again this weekend and it was lovely.  I bought from Stamps Away, some months ago, two Spitfire stamps.  I thought they would be useful for Men cards!  I particularly had in mind my ex husband (yes - we are still friends) as his birthday is in November and he loves planes and plane spotting.  He used to be in the Royal Observer Corps when he was young, as was his Father before him, although of course his Father was in the Observer Corps during the war.  Anyway I decided it was time to make his card, but before I started I just had a quick look through the various challenge blogs and saw the Remembrance challenge on The Male Room, so I thought I would have a go at that.  Here is the card....

I coloured in the spitfire and sky etc using water colour pencils, I dont have much success with Promarkers,
but I have discovered they dont photograph well, the colours dont show up.  I will have to in future paint using Distress inks or paints or persevere with the Promarkers. I first mounted the image on pale blue card and then on to a plain white card, but I didnt like that so I took it off and sponged the cloudy background using Stormy Sky Distress ink and a cloud mask. The sentiment is from Sheena Douglas and the poppy was made using a Stampin' Up stamp and coloured with a red Promarker.

Summer Silhouettes 2.

I had great difficulty deciding which card I was going to submit to the Colours and Sketches challenge.  So I thought I would send this one too.  It is very similar of course, but with a bit more red in it.

I have mounted this one on to Red Card for a change. Again the technique is the same as the last one.

This might be my last post for some time, or at least the last challenge I will do.  I am away again in my Romahome tomorrow for 10 days or so and then I will be home for two weeks and off again in it at the end of September.  I am determined to use it as much as possible this year as last year was such a disaster weather wise.  When I get back I want to focus on making Memory Books as I have been promising myself I would make some of my Granddaughter for two years now ever since she was born. It will take sometime as I have hundreds of photos I have got to sort out first!! I might do the odd challenge and I will of course post progress of the books on this blog. I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer.  I will of course continue to follow your blogs, because I love them.  Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post comments on my blog. They really are much appreciated and keep my spirits up especially when I am having a bit of a card design block and think 'my cards are rubbish.'  So thank you to you all   Love Viji. x

Summer Silhouettes

Here is another clean and simple card ( I cant do fancy) for the Colours and Sketches colour challenge this week.

Unfortunately it has photographed very pale again and is distorted.  I can assure you the card is straight edged not wavy!!
I did not have Bashful Blue or Crumb Cake ( I thought I had) so I used Ballet Blue and Creamy Caramel.  I did have Real Red.  I inked up a block with the blue and caramel and spritzed it with water and stamped it onto the card.  This is a technique I saw demonstrated by Ali Reeve of Stamps Away on Create and Craft some months ago and fell in love with the technique and immediately set about making a lot of cards using it.  It was great fun as you just stamp an image over the top and you have a great, simple, quick card. I took the cards along to my craft group to show them, but it was a bit messy for some of them to use.  I dont mind messy, in fact when I am trying to be clean, it still can be messy!!!  I have used this technique often since.
Technique Time Tuesday challenge this month is Smackin' Acetate and it is a very similar technique, so of course I had a lovely time with that challenge too.  For the rest of the card I used Stampin' Up Summer Silhouettes which is a lovely set.  The sentiment is an odd one I had. The card is mounted on Real Red card stock.  I again made quite a few for my stash, but with different layouts.  I had a great time.  Hope you like it.

Green dragonfly.

I thought I might enter this card too in the  Make My Monday challenge.  It is very different to the last one, being very bold instead of soft.  It uses the Clarity Dragonfly and the Stampin' Up Just Believe grasses stamp.  I used Big and Juicy Mountain Meadow inks to sponge the colours through the apertures.  The stamps where also inked up in it using the different shades.  It has a different feel to the last one doesn't it?

I am going to try and have ago at the latest CAS sketch challenge, if I have time, otherwise this will be my last post again for a while.  I am going to my daughter's for the weekend and off in the Romahome again at the end of next week. Might go to Anglesey or mid Wales. Enjoy the rest of August.  See you soon.  Viji. x

Aliums

 Make My Monday challenge this week is silhouettes. I love silhouette stamps and I have quite a few of them, so it was difficult to make up my mind which ones to use.  In the end I chose  a Clarity stamp Aliums. I haven't used this stamp much so thought this would be a good opportunity.  I also thought of Clarity's dragonfly, so made a card using that stamp too.  Technique Time Tuesday  have a technique challenge making backgrounds (Smackin' Acetate) and this was right up my street so I thought I would combine the two challenges.
I have only got one set of Stampin' Up write markers, the New In Colour set.  These colours are very soft so I used those just as the video showed.  I made quite a few trial backgrounds and chose the one I liked the best.  However they where all quite nice so I ended up stamping silhouettes on all of them so now have 6 extra cards to add to my stash.  When it came to stamping the image I decided that as the colours where so soft, black would be too harsh, so I used a Distress ink in Tumbling Glass to stamp the faded image in the background and Stampin' Up's Pacific Point for the main images.  I really like that colour, it is a lovely blue.
Assembling the card gave me some problems as I looked at the DT cards and cards that had been already been submitted and they were stunning, all beautifully mounted using ribbons and embellishments and shapes and imaginative layouts.  I don't seem to be able to do this.  My cards on the whole are just very simply mounted with nothing too fancy on them and I did feel that this stamp needed a simple setting.  So here it is.

  I did put a little bit of bling on it, by adding a gem in the centre of the blooms.  I hope you like it.

Just for interest I am showing the dragonfly one I made, but wont be submitting this one in either of the challenges

Actually this doesn't look too bad in the photo, but I don't think it is as good a the Aliums. I am looking forward to your comments...thank you.  Viji x

Pink Butterfly

Space is very limited in the Romahome so crafting is difficult, but this time when I went away I did some Zentangle, as it doesn't take up much space or equipment and so is easy to do.   I used to do it as a child, but then it didn't have a fancy name, it was just doodling!  I haven't done any for years, in fact I think the last time was when I was at college, a very long time ago!  I love doing it, so I looked at this weeks Colours and Sketches blog and saw the colour challenge so thought I would have a go and feature one of my Zentangle panels.  It took me as long time to get round to doing the card because I have been away from it for so long and I needed to get my head back into crafting mode. I did enjoy it although I am not very happy with the result, but thought I would submit it anyway.  Just to get back in there!.   So here it is.....

Again it hasn't photographed too well.  The butterfly is a Sheena Douglas stamp and I coloured it with Melon Mambo ink painted on and I can assure you that it was symmetrical, The left wing is the same as the right.  I then coloured the body grey using a grey water colour pencil as I don't have the Grey ink and I also coloured two panels in grey  the top left hand one and the bottom right with bubbles. The rest of the panel I sponged in Old Olive, again it has come out in the photo very pale.  the whole panel is mounted on Melon Mambo card.  I love this colour combination.  I have looked at the design team and the entries and there are some stunning cards entered.  Oh well at least I am back on the horse, for a while anyway.  Must have a go at some of the other challenges now.  Make My Monday silhouettes looks good, but which stamp set to use... decisions, decisions.
See you again soon.  Viji. x

I'm back (for the moment)

Its nearly six weeks since my last post and since I did any crafting (except for a little bit while away, more about that later) I hope I can remember what I have to do.  I have had two trips away in my Romahome, I had a wonderful time.  The first trip was to Suffolk, a part of the country I have not visited before. I have always wanted to go to Southwold, so I made my way across country to there.  It is a lovely little seaside town and lived up to my expectations.  I shall certainly go there again.  I met some lovely, interesting people and visited some very interesting places and the weather was fantastic.  My second trip was much quieter, just to the Welsh Borders and it was very quiet, on one site I was on my own!! Something I did not expect at this time of year. I needed the quiet as the week before I had had a lot of problems at home with things going wrong, the worst one being water pouring down into my airing cupboard!!  All my sheets etc were soaked and all had to be washed again, but at least I got to sort all the cupboard out. A very good neighbour came and sorted it out for me.  I dont know what I would have done without him.  I really do have some lovely neighbours, so I sent him one of my thank you cards that I made just after Christmas, plus a present because I was so grateful to him.  Here is the card I sent.

Not a very good picture I'm afraid. I used a selection of Stampin' Up stamps and of course the usual triple layer technique.
In between trips in the Romahome, (called Matilda) I spent my birthday weekend with my daughter Beth, her partner Andy and lovely little granddaughter Elsie.  I was treated to a pedicure, a lunch out and then in the evening a wonderful Proms in the Park concert at Blenheim Palace, it was fantastic, complete with cannons. muskets, and fireworks which were spectacular!! It was also very very hot!!!! We practically melted.  Here is the thank you card I sent Beth, again from my stash.  I shall have to make some more, my stash is getting low.

This stamp set is Vintage Vogue from   Stampin' Up.  Its one of my favourites and I use it a lot.
So it has been a wonderful summer so far and it isnt over yet.  In between all these trips I caught up with jobs round the house and garden, getting up at 6 a.m. to do a couple of hours in the garden before it got too hot.  So I had no time to craft, but I did keep in touch with the blogs and have missed some lovely challenges.  I am going to try a do a couple before I go off again, which I hope to do soon, not sure where yet.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
  

News update

I cant believe it is over a month since I have done any craft challenges.  I have been away a lot and when home very busy with catching up.  Its a shame really as I have missed some lovely challenges that I would love to have had a go at.   At the end of May  I went away in my Romahome for a weekend and we had lovely weather, I was home for 3 days during which I had a tummy upset so did not feel like doing anything. Then on Friday the 7th June I drove down to Dartmouth for the weekend to look after my little Granddaughter Elsie whilst her Mum and Dad went to a wedding.  She was adorable, SO good for me, did everything I told her too and we had a lot of fun together, she was an angel.  I drove home on the Sunday, and on the Tuesday I had a phone call from my daughter saying Elsie had 'bounced'  out of her cot and landed on her head.  Luckily she did not damage her head, but she dislocated and broke her elbow.  Poor love, she had to have her arm in plaster and I went down to her home to help look after her for a few days whilst her Mum and Dad worked. She was very good, but not very comfortable at first and then she got used to it.  Since I have been back I have been catching up with chores as I am off again tomorrow to Suffolk in the Romahome for 10 days.  I was meant to go today, but I have a bad cold and do not feel like driving all that way.  Hope I'm ok tomorrow!
I gave Elsie for her birthday a doll's pram but there weren't any pretty covers for it, so I asked my good friend Sue, who makes the most beautiful quilts as well as cards, if she could make a little quilt and pillow for Elsie's dolls pram.  I collected it this week, it is lovely, pink, embroidered and has a frill all round it and I am sure Elsie will love it. Thanks Sue for all your lovely work.  Here is the card I quickly made for her to say 'Thank You'.

I love these triple layer cards they are quick and easy to make. The stamp is a Sheena Douglas stamp and I used the wet stamping technique where you spritz the stamp with water after you have applied the ink and then you get this nice water colour effect. It is all very simple and effective.
That's all for now.  I wont be crafting again now until the middle of July as I am away until then. Bye for now. Thanks for dropping by.  Viji. x

Rain or Shine

I'm so pleased!!!! I got Honourable Mention on the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown  challenge, red and white. Thank you so much DT. That's great!!
I have not had much time this week to make cards. It has been so busy again, but I have managed to make one today and I will enter it into two challenges, the Colours and Sketches sketch challenge for this week and the Make My Monday greens and yellows challenge.

I used the Rain or Shine stamp set and inks from Stampin' Up. The background is a design paper from stash in a pale green, the umbrella and sentiment have been stamped in Handsome Hunter and the handle and rain in Daffodil Yellow. It has been mounted  on pale yellow card and yellow ribbon and bow, made using fork method, added.  I coloured in the flowers on the umbrella using a promarker. Its made quite a nice little card I think. I have made a small card this time, it is only 5x5" usually my cards are a lot bigger.
I dont know whether I will be able to do anything next week.  I am off to see my Granddaughter tomorrow and when I get back on Saturday, I have got a lot of clearing up to do in the garden, as I have had a 'nice young man' in to repair and paint my fences and there is a lot to tidy up.  I am hoping to go away again for a few days next week too, in my Romahome, but it depends on how I get on and the weather of course.  I hope you all have a lovely bank holiday weekend.

Jane Eyre

I love this weeks  Make My Monday challenge - Literary Inspirations - Jane Eyre.  I just had to have a go at this challenge. It has really got my old brain going, in fact I love these challenges because they really get me thinking.  I had two or three ideas for this one, but so far have only had time to make one card. I was inspired by the story not the book cover.  I don't have any Victorian Ladies or Gentlemen stamps in fact I don't have any people stamps, I'm more into nature and scenic stamps.  So I thought about the location for the story, the bleak moors, the remote house and remote master, after all Rochester wasn't very warm was he and I thought of poor Jane, who must have been so lonely at first, miles from anywhere, living in a huge hall with a little girl and a man who was quite unemotional and aloof.  Here is my card.  I hope it is suitably atmospheric.

The background was not brayered as I was going to do, but sponged using Distress inks and cut and dry foam.  The middle panel, was brayered and the grasses stamp is from Stampin' Up, Just Believe set. The wistful face of Jane (?) is a freebie from a craft mag. The face was originally white of course, but I thought it was a bit stark, so I toned it down a bit by gently sponging a very pale blue on it. I hope you like it.
I am busy gardening today, but I might have another go tonight, making a card using another of my ideas, a bit more ordinary this time.  I might put in on my blog and I might not.  It depends how it turns out. I hope you are enjoying the sunshine, rain supposed to be coming later.

Red and White Christmas.

This is the card for the 52CCT colour challenge.  I love red, my favourite colour, but I had to do a lot of thinking which stamp to use. I love this Tim Holtz stamp, it is a set of four and I haven't used it before, so I thought I would use it in this challenge as its a little bit different. The ink is Poppy Parade, a lovely red.  I have kept is simple as the DT seem to like simple, so I didn't put any bling on it although I could have put a little bit perhaps, just a red gem on a circle perhaps, but left it in the end.  The top image is mounted on foam pads just to lift it up a bit.  I also did the same layout but mounted it on white card instead of red.  Which one do you like best?

White on red

Red on White

Grubby Oak Tree Card

Here is the card I have made for the  Colours and Sketches sketch challenge this week.  I don't like it very much, it has not turned out how I wanted it to.  I had the idea of using the Oak tree from Stampin' Up's Lovely as a tree stamp set and I wanted to do torn edges because I like the torn paper effect.  I thought I would sponge the edges with a dark brown ink, I used Creamy Caramel, but once I had done it I didn't like it.  I thought it just looked grubby.  I mounted it all on a background paper I had made using Tea Dye Distress inks, so I think the whole effect is quite dull. I sprayed gold mica on to the background but that hasn't shown up at all.  I think I should have used a different colour for the edges.  Any ideas?  I did think of colouring in the tree, but that meant I should have coloured in the bee and leaves as well and you can sometimes make it worse trying to make  it better, so I left it.  I haven't got time at the moment to try again, so I am submitting it to the challenge.  You never know, someone might quite like it.

I'm back!!

I'm back!! I have been away in my Romahome, had a lovely time, weather dry but cold, but lots of good company and loads of laughs.  Then I went and visited my daughter and granddaughter and had a super time, the weather was gorgeous, those two hot days we had last week.  (Hope that wasn't our summer) We explored Oxford, its a very interesting town and I cant wait to explore more of it. Later we played with the sand and water in the garden with Elsie.  I bought her a doll's pram and she loved it.  She is such a lovely little girl and quite the little Mother looking after her dolly.  Cant wait to see her again.  The rest of the time I have been catching up on things, but I'm back crafting now.  I sent Beth a Thank You card for the lovely  time I had and the presents she bought me.  After Christmas I discovered I had no Thank You cards to send people so I set to and made ten so I now have a stash of them.  I had great fun making them.  I used the triple layer technique and was able to use lots of stamps I haven't used before or not used often.  Here is the one I sent to Beth.

I like this technique because it is simple and quite quick and you can produce some lovely cards. The stamps I used were Everything Eleanor from Stampin' Up.
I was very pleased to discover just before I went away that I had achieved Top Three in the Make My Monday One Layer Challenge with my Little Bit of Sunshine.  I was thrilled and it was lovely to go away on a high.  Made my day.
 I have missed some lovely challenges whilst I have been away, some I would really have loved to have a go at, but never mind, perhaps I'll try the ideas sometime.  Yesterday I made two cards, one for the Colours and Sketches challenge and one for 52 Christmas Card Throwdown..