Beach Time

I can't wait for the real beach time to be here!!

I just hate the cold weather, must be the Maltese in me!!Lol!!

This project I did last year and it sold within minutes of being

on my stall. So I thought I would make one more, 

similar but not exactly the same.

They are little boxes that you can make from Tando kits.

I used 2 kits and when I had decorated them all,

I stuck them together.

I covered the joins with driftwood.

This is just a quick beach scene I painted onto watercolour

card. I stuck it on the back of the box and then

made the beach. 

This next one is an old Little Claire beach hut stamp.

I made the To Beach sign with Balsa wood and

I painted the sky again on card.

This next one was great fun!

Two of the boxes have like a window in the back piece.

I had this die that is a ship in a bottle. It turned out to be 

very near the size of the window.

So I cut it out of card and then stuck it on acetate. 

The boat is a separate die.

The clock does work! The surf board I cut from 

Balsa wood and coloured it with Copics.

Made the lifebelt from clay and also the little Seahorse.

I won't tell you how long it took to make!!

Thanks for taking the time, to not only visit my 

blog but leaving me your lovely messages too.

Big hugs,

Carol

xxxxxx

Winter Wonderland Challenge

If you have been trying to get on 
our Winter Wonderland new
challenge today, we had a problem
with blogger.
I have now managed to get the post
back and it's working.
Thanks to Helen!
Carol 


Today we have a new challenge at Winter Wonderland.

I am the host for this challenge and I chose the theme as

Christmas Flowers.

It would be a good time to join us and

a great incentive to get you started on making your 

Christmas cards. Especially if you have been putting it off!

The challenge lasts for 2 weeks, so plenty of time to enter.

The closing date is Thursday 26th October at 5pm.

You can enter 3 cards but to go into the draw they must

be Christmas cards only and have Christmas Flowers, 

somewhere in your design.

Our Sponsor for this challenge is 

Little Claire Designs and they very kindly gave us

a couple of Digis to use.

I chose Christmas Candle and it can be seen Here

I coloured it with Copics for a change.

It was very easy and enjoyable to colour.

A little bit of Stickles of course!

The prize for the winner, from our very generous 

Sponsor Little Claire is,

3 Digis of your choice!

If you would like even more inspiration, pop over to 

see my Icicles Teamies at the Winter Wonderland blog

Thank you for visiting my little corner, in the beautiful

County of Suffolk. 

The sun is shining as I am writing this, so it will have

to be a walk on the beach this afternoon!

Thank you for the lovely messages on my last post.

I appreciate them all so very much.

Big hugs,

Carol

xxxx

My Hosting Winter Wonderland Challenge Post- Have A Heart!!

This is my first Winter Wonderland hosting for a challenge for 2016.

The theme this week is:

Have A Heart.

To qualify for the prize, somewhere there must be a heart on 

your card or project. Or if a card, could be the shape of the card.

As I am writing this, the sun is streaming in my craft room window.

It doesn't tell you that it is actually blimmin freezing out there though!!

At least it helped me make a card with a Spring feel to it.

I used a Little Claire Digi called Bunny With Tulips.

Such a sweet image and really enjoyed making it.

Little Claire are one of our sponsors this week, 

their prize is an amazing 6 Digi Images!!

Along with Crafters Companion,

whose prize is a £10 voucher to spend in their shop.

As you can see, a very sweet bunny!!

I used Distress Inks to colour this adorable image.

Along with papers from my stash.

For the background, I ran the card blank through my Joy Trouvaille machine, inside a Couture Creations A4 embossing folder called Tied Together.

I added the little hearts at the joins. They were the waste from another die! 

As were the little butterflies.

I used my Tim Holtz ruler with holes in it for the edge around the image.

So if you enter the WW challenge and you can enter 3 times, you will have 

the chance to get this gorgeous image along with 5 others!!

Oh! Don't forget that as it is still February, you don't have to 

make Christmas cards/projects. That is why my card is Spring like!

If you need more inspiration, pop over to the Winter Wonderland

blog and see the fantastic cards from my Snowflakes Teamies.

So join in the fun and you could win a great prize.

Thanks for your lovely messages and as you know

I do love to read them all.

Hugs,

Carol xxxx

Christmas Flowers

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for stopping by and a great time to do so.

 

Starting today, is the new Winter Wonderland weekly challenge.

 

The theme is:

Christmas Flowers.

 

Obviously for me it's Poinsettias.

 

My paper choice is from a Trimcraft paper pad,

I bought at Sandown Park Fair.

The Stamp at the top, is and old Little Claire stamp.

It's from when I was on their DT.

 

 

The sentiment, was from a free set of stamps with a magazine.

 

The charm I bought at Ally Pally Fair.

 

Our generous sponsor this week is Crafty Sentiments.

 

The winner's prize is 3 Free Digis.

 

 

Take a few minutes, click here and pop over to their shop.

You will love the amazing selection of images to choose from.

 

Don't forget to look at the gorgeous cards,

made by the amazing Snowflake Design Team.

I am so honoured to be part of the Winter Wonderland Team.

........................................

House move.

Thank you for all your lovely messages regarding our move.

I am now getting superstitious, about saying where we are in the

long winded process.

You will not believe what happened last week.

I will have to keep you in suspense for a week or two yet!!

 

Don't forget you have until 5pm next Thursday,

to enter up to three entries in the challenge.

Good luck to you all.

Hugs,

Carol S.xx

 

 

 



Dancing Queen

Hi Everyone, I would like to welcome on board my new follower. I really would like to get to 50 followers soon please. Pretty please!!

 

I can't believe that 10 days have gone already this year! Christmas seems as if it was weeks ago now.

 

Are all of you in the UK, as fed up as I am, with continuous strong winds and rain?! It's so boring having the lights on most of the day. Whinge, whinge!!

 

This card is made, using a stamp from the last release of girly stamps, from Lili of the Valley. She is called 'Dancing Queen'. I used a mixture of Copics pens and Distress Inks to colour with.



 

 

I stamped the image onto Water Colour 350gsm card. I like to use this weight, as you can wet the area you want get a good blend in, before you add the ink. It then blends itself. Just like using proper water colour paints.

 

The sentiments were a mixture of makes. The HHHooray was from a set of Crafter's Companion Bebunni, Birthday Bunny. The 'it's your birthday', was I think, an old Little Claire stamp.

 

 

I added a little Star Dust Stickles here and there. I think it still qualifies as a CAS card, do you agree? It is so hard not to put on embellies. My itchy fingers hover over my drawers of flowers!

 

I have found some challenges to enter this card into. My New Year resolution remember!

 

                            Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

                            Hobby House Challenge - Ribbons

                            Creative Craft Challenges - Anything goes

                            Addicted to Stamps -Make Your Mark - Using Marker pens

 

Wow, I have never entered so many in one posting!!

 

Thank you for taking time out to stop by my blog and I hoe you have liked what you see. If you decide to join as a follower, I will return the favour on your blog.

 

Big hugs,

 

Carol S.xx

 



I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles!

Hi everyone,

What a terrible day! The rain just didn't stop, only briefly for about ten minutes around 3pm! I was unable to go to the Village Fete where I was going to have a stall. Yet Friday was really hot! So instead, I started to decorate my craft room.

My Buddha Nut certainly got a lot of interest at the Market on Friday. One lady said she really wanted it but knew her husband wouldn't understand if she took it home! I said I didn't think any man would 'get it'!

I think I am going to make a Fairy Garden with another one.

This card is made using Little Claire's Dream a Little Dream stamp.

For the Background I used a Tattered Angels Stencil as a mask. Using Walnut Stain Distress Ink and Dry Foam, I applied ink around the edges of the mask.

The green Nestie shape I first put it in a Cuttlebug folder and then edged it with Walnut Stain.

I coloured the little girl with Distress Inks, using Peeled Paint for her jeans and grass. Dried Marigold for her top, socks and shoes. Her hair and the tree stump, I used Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Black soot.

The flower was a Nestie die, edged with Walnut Stain and a bit of raffia tied through the button.

The paper that has the glittered circles on it is in a box that I cannot get to at the moment, as boxes are piled infront of the shelf!! I made this on Wednesday and forgot to write down the paper.

It was a paper that I found it very hard to put into my paper trimmer!Lol! I am sure you know the feeling. It is very painful.

Well it is 1.30am so I am going to get to bed.

Good night and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Luv,

Carol S.xx

Dream A Little Dream

Hi everyone,

At last it's raining and has been all day! Am I complaining? No way!! I could here my plants cheering!Lol!! And I don't have to drag the watering can up and down the garden!

Now I ask you, is this not the cutest little girl you have seen since my last post with Blissful?!

Again she is a Little Claire stamp called Dream A Little Dream.

She is coloured with Distress Inks. For her face and hair I used Antique Linen, as this gives a true blonde colour and a good skin base, with Tattered Rose added for her cheeks. Her top and socks is Spun Sugar and her jeans, Faded Jeans.

On the bubbles I put a little Stickles and when dry, I put a spot of Viva Glass Effect Gel Crystal Clear over the top. This makes the bubbles 3D. I also put a dot of Gel on each section of the scallop circle and ran Stickles around the edges.

The sentiment was from Claire's Sentiment set from Little Claire.

Like lots of stamps you can change her very easily by not inking the bubbles and changing the bubble stick into a flower or a balloon.

I hope you like her and thanks for stopping by.

Luv,
Carol xx

Blissful!

Hi everyone,

What a beautiful day it was here in my corner of West Sussex. No wind for a change.

I went to a Garden Centre in the Ashdown Forest with my friend Jill, who has been crafting with me. We had lunch, sitting on a balcony overlooking the Forest and with the scent of roses below us. Heaven!

I bought a few plants for my wild flower garden, which hopefully will survive the dry weather we are having.

After a blissful day, this stamp is called Blissful, from Little Claire. She is just gorgeous.

I love the detail, even her eyelashes, just a simple line but makes all the difference to the finished effect.

I coloured her with Distress Inks, Spun Sugar for her dress. Peeled Paint for her bag and the grass. Dusty Concorde for her shoes, dress and bag detail.

For her skin, I put a very watered down mix of Antique Linen on first, as a base coat. Then Tattered Rose for shading and her cheeks. Her hair was Walnut Stain, Tea Dye and Black Soot.

The sentiment stamp is Claire's Sentiments from Little Claire. A set of 12 different messages for all occasions.

I hope you like Blissful as much as I do. She is so very cute yet serene.

Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a lovely comment.

Luv,

Carol xx

Little Claire's May Club Stamp Set

Hi everyone,

Well, Bank Holiday Monday turned out a bit sunnier than it was when I was doing my last posting. So I spent a few hours, planting up a few plants in my wild flower garden area.

Both of these cards are made using the new Little Claire Gerbera stamp set. This is the set for Club members for this month. Pop over to the Little Claire shop and see the full DT Gallery. You can also join the club and then you can get this set of stamps. Simples!!Lol!

There are 5 stamps in the set. The large single Gerbera flower, the smaller flower, the corner 3 flowers and 2 different text stamps! Wow!! All these stamps for joining the club for £8!This card shows the size of the large Gerbera, it is just under 3" across! The leaves are the same as the ones that are on my boxes (last post), the Little Claire Fern Die.

I was tempted to colour them with my Copics but preferred the finish of the Distress Inks, as the colours were nearer to the true colours of the Gerbera flower. I don't have all the colours in the Copics range that I would need to get the shading right. I only need one Distress ink colour and just add a drop of water to change the depth of colour.

Pop over to the Little Claire blog for the new challenge. Will post details later.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your lovely comments.
Luv,Carol xx

I Am Seriously Fed Up With Blogger!!!!!

Hi Everyone,

I am afraid I am still unable to leave comments on your amazing cards!! All I get is a Google sign in box and when I sign in, it just goes back to a sign in request again!! Grrrrr!!!

How long is this going on for ?! I am going to check out if there is any updated info on the 'fix'.

Deep breath! These are another 3 boxes I have decorated, to go with the 2 smaller long boxes.

They are all a good size. The middle one will take packets of seeds standing up and would be an ideal use for it. A nice gift for somebody that has everything! I bought them from The Craft Barn in Lingfield, Surrey.

I painted them with Ivory Emulsion paint, and then used Walnut Stain Distress Ink to 'age' them. The fern leaves are made using The Fern Leaf Die from Little Claire. I just love this Die and it cuts beautifully every time.
The roses and leaves on the top of the boxes are Woodware punches, also from The Craft Barn.

Hope you have a good bank holiday weekend.

Well now I am going to see if I can still post!!



Signing off,

pretty fed up ,

in the Sussex countryside,

in the wind,

Luv,

Carol S.xx

Shh!! A Sneaky Peek!!

Hi everyone,

Just another quick posting, as I have to get up at 6am tomorrow morning!! This is a sneaky peek of the Great Outdoors set of stamps from Little Claire.

They will be launched next week but if you want to, you can purchase in advance.

All you have to do is telephone 0151 342 5715, mention that you saw this on my blog and you will also get a free gift.

The three stamps on this card are only the embellishment stamps. There are 3 other larger stamps in this set. What a tease!Lol!

This will be a very useful set, as it can be for male or female. With Father's Day in a few weeks, could be very useful.

Thanks for stopping by,
Luv,

Carol S. xx

Little Claire's New Stamps

Hi everyone,

Hopefully this time this post will stay in place!! What a few frustrating days with Blogger!!

The Claire's Sentiments are the new set just launched. There are 12 stamps in the set, covering most occasions! They will feature on Thursday 19th May at 2pm on Create and Craft, along with yet more new sets. Set your TV to record if you will not be around.

The main image is the Spikey Flowers stamp which I love, as it is so useful if you find you have forgotten someones birthday. There is no colouring that is really necessary. I just stamped and embossed with black sparkle and added a bit of Stickles.

A very quick card to make but looks like you spent hours on it!!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Luv,

Carolxx

Little Claire On Create & Craft TV

Hi All,

Did you see Steve this morning on C & C? I said in my last post I hoped that Steve would get the presenter, Leonie and he did!! And what a difference. She showed all the cards and handled them all, with the care that they should get.

It makes such a difference when the presenter knows what she is talking about. There were 'sell outs' again which is great news.

It was funny seeing these cards on the show, as I had forgotten to post them! I had completely forgotten that I had even made a black and white one. I even thought when watching the show, what a nice idea, doing just black and white!Lol!! Ok, I know it's my age!

I must admit, I do like the simplicity of these stamps, yet they are also elegant. A very useful set to have in your stash. Thanks for popping into my pages and please let me know if you like what you see.

Come back soon.

Luv,

Carol S. xx