Be Yourself...

Good morning,  hope you have enjoyed a good week , August is almost done - it's been a strange month weatherwise (even for the UK)- sweltering temperatures at the beginning of the month- two weeks later and it's unseasonably cold, wet and windy - feels very autumnal already!

Kids are back at school next week, my three school age granddaughters are really looking forward to getting back to normal (or approaching normal!) and seeing their friends again. I'm hoping that they all stay safe and well, but I do think it's vital that they get back to school.

Here's the card I made for this week's challenge at Sweet Stampin', the theme this week is 'paper piecing'. I made the background on the gelli plate, brayered DIs, sprinkled water and then stencilled the flowery swirls. The stamps are Polkadoodles (Ulla Be Yourself Stamp Set). The girl is stamped and coloured with copics, paper pieced dress, glittered wings, fussy cut and popped onto foam. I stamped the little butterflies onto the background and coloured them, then stamped them again onto card, cut them out and stuck them on top, folding out wings for dimension. 

Please hop on over to Sweet Stampin' - there are some fabulous makes from my teamies to give you inspiration- and we would love to have you play along this week.

Thank you for visiting- enjoy the weekend.

Chris

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Challenge entries:
polkadoodle #35
kraftychicks #522
craftysentiments 25 Aug Challenge
dreamvalley #231
allsorts #587
craftyfriends #143

A little doodling...

Good morning, another week gone- we're heading towards autumn really quickly now, kids will be returning to school in just over a week and the days are already getting noticeably shorter. I'm hoping to get a few more 'garden' days in before the summer ends- nothing like a good read sitting outside in the fresh air! It's great now that the libraries have reopened and I don't have to worry about running out of books!

This week the challenge theme at Sweet Stampin' is 'doodling'- now I love a bit of doodling so thought I'd join in with Team Wends and share this card. I succumbed to temptation and bought this cute stamp by Aall &Create ( a couple of others and some stencils leaped into my basket when I wasn't looking, you know how it happens). Anyway I created the background using my gelli plate, distress inks and one of the stencils. The images are coloured with copics and fussy cut (just love the bunnies!) I stuck them on the background and stamped the sentiment- it looked a bit bare so I doodled the border with a black fineline pen. 

AS always the Sweeties have come up with some wonderful ideas (even the doodle-phobic ones!) so do hop over and take a peek. We'd love to see your doodles too- just remember to stamp something as well.

Thanks for visiting,

have a good weekend

Chris

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Challenge entries:
classicdesign #8
audsentiments #258
craftycreations #412
ellibelle - August Challenge (bunnies, border, blue)
lilredwagon #563
simonsaysstamp oh so cute

Back to school- Guest Designer for CRAFT Challenge

Good morning, I was delighted to be invited to Guest Design for  CRAFT Challenge., thank you ladies!

The theme is 'Back to School' and there are two fabulous sponsors for this- 

Cute'N'Crafty Mommy

Prize is 3 images

and 

Oddball Art

Prize is $10 for store

To make my card I used 2 images from Oddball Art -Book Stacks and Bookworm Astrid the Fairy. As you can see I cropped the fairy image to make her look like a studious girl to fit the theme (the beauty of digis!) Both images are coloured with Copics and fussy cut (the book stack took a while!). The background was made by brayering Antique Linen Distress Oxide quickly over the  gelli plate, and sprizing lightly with water before printing it onto my cardstock. I used a light grey ink to stamp  the words and numbers onto the background- very subtle! With hindsight I wish I'd used a darker ink for the sentiment. I added a little stencilling around the circle aperture and inked the edges, then added my images. I'll  give this card to my eldest granddaughter, Olivia the Bookworm, to wish her good luck for the new term. I think it's going to be strange and different for the schoolkids this year, hopefully they will quickly get used to the new regime...and even more hopefully they will stay safe and well.

Guess I'd better make two more back to school cards for the younger girls now!

Thanks for visiting and have a lovely day

Chris

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Challenge entries:
EllibelleCraftyWednesday #August
paperfunday #20
alwaysfun #176

Bugaboo New Release- it's a princess!

Hello.

 It's much cooler here now - the oppressive heatwave has passed, we have had some rain, and I can function more like a human being again. Husband and dog no longer have to tiptoe past me in the hope that I won't spot them... 

This weeks new release at Bugaboo is a cute Bobblehead princess. I coloured her up with my Copics, fussy cut her and popped her on the front of my aperture card. Of course, every princess needs a castle to live in so I created a little home for her using die cuts and stencils. The sentiment is a stamp (Paper Smooches)

For more ideas using this cute image pop over to Catch the Bug to see what my talented teamies have come up with.

Thanks for stopping by

Chris

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Challenge entries:

digichoosday. #33

craftinghappiness #62

craftycardmakers #261

leannsworld101. #29

intaas. #90   The Little Princess- Frances Hodgson Burnett

craftyfriends #142

aperfecttimetocraft #8

Favourite Colour Combo at Sweet Stampin'

Good morning, this week's challenge at Sweet Stampin' is to use your favourite colour combo. 

I decided to make a Christmas card as we were in the throes of the heatwave at the time and I wanted to think about cold things and forget that I was melting! I'd had a really terrible night- didn't sleep until it was getting light and was so cross and grumpy I shut myself away in the craft room so my husband didn't have to put up with me....he gets the blame for loads of stuff (usually because he did it!!!) but I couldn't blame the heat on him.

Anyway this is the card, using my favourite blue/ brown combo. The blues are very soft and look more grey in the photo but I was too hot to care! The cute stamp is from Whimsy, can't remember where the snowflake die comes from but it is pretty!

Thankfully, it's cooled down a lot now- sleep is possible again and Hubby can stop tiptoeing around me!

Take a peek here to see what the rest of the Sweeties have been up to this week

Thanks for visiting

Have a lovely weekend

Chris

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Challenge entries:
CHNC #503
kraftychicks #520
cutiepie #160
dreamvalley #230
creativecraftcottage #132
christmaskickstart #35

A CAS tutorial at Fab'n'Funky

Good morning, it's our summer break over at Fab'n' Funky and our usual weekly challenges are on hold until September., but lovely Buffy has made a wonderful step by step tutorial for you.

If you're a fan of CAS, stuck for inspiration or don't know where to start you won't want to miss this

Here's the card I made following the very clear tutorial- I can vouch for how easy it is to follow and this card was quick and easy to make (would have been even quicker if I hadn't foolishly decided to add all the gems- it looked good without them!.) The large poinsettia is a PB stamp, it looks fabulous stamped multi times and layered up but I kept it simple this time!

Do hop over to Fab'n' Funky to take a look - and I'm sure Buffy would appreciate a visit too.

Thanks for stopping by

Chris

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Challenge entries:
hollyandivy #76
tuesdaythrowdown #463
mmmchallenge #128
CAS christmas -August Challenge
pennyblacksaturdaychallenge August ATG

Sweet treats at Catch the bug

This week's new release at Catch the Bug is a real treat- a cute Knobbly Knees kid carrying the biggest ice cream scoop you ever saw- and what great timing- slap bang in the middle of a heat wave! It's been sweltering here for days now and there's more to come, I know I shouldn't complain about the sunshine but it's been a bit too hot for me,...especially at night, so difficult to get to sleep- ah well, this is the UK, probably be moaning about the cold or rain next week!

I've coloured the image with copics and stencilled some clouds in the background. The two small ice cream cones are last Friday's Freebie (still available to grab now if you're quick!) printed small and fussy cut.

As always, the new releases are half price for a week- AND the CIJ Sale has been extended until 15th August  at Bugaboo

Thanks for visiting

Chris 

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Challenges entered:

craftinghappiness #61

LTSCB  #136

audsentiments #257

lilredwagon #561

A Friday treat!

It's Friday again- time for a new Freebie at Catch the Bug, this week Jodie has a real treat for you with this sweet image- and how apt is this in the middle of a heatwave! 

It was hot here yesterday and today we're expecting temperatures in the mid thirties- a bit too warm for me! 

I made a fairly CAS card to feature this cool image- I printed it 3 times so that I could decoupage the top layers and stamped a swoosh 3 times in Neapolitan colours. Sentiment is computer generated! 

Thanks for visiting, don't forget to pop over here to grab your Freebie!

Have a great weekend 

Chris

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Challenge entries:
shoppingourstash #426
kraftychicks #519
ikesworld #135
colouringinscrapland (summer) July/Aug Challenge

August sketch challenge at Catch the Bug

Good morning, there's a lovely new sketch challenge over at Catch the Bug for the month of August.

Here's the sketch-

And here's my card featuring 

Snowflake Reindeer Silhouette ( x2!)

I printed the beautiful image twice, once in black and once in grey. fussy cut both images and added tiny gems ( the clear gems on the black image not showing up in the photo.)

A scrap of dp cut with a banner die and a small rectangle of pearlescent deep gold card cut in a rectangle and embossed, a die cut sentiment to finish.

Quick and simple- and lovely and flat for posting.

You have the whole month to join in- please visit Catch the Bug for more inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by

have a good week.

Chris

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Challenge entries:

craftinghappiness #60

dreamvalley #229

mmmchallenge #128

12monthsofchristmas #68

CCAYR  August

craftyhazelnutschristmas #501

August Challenge at Crafty Calendar- Anything Goes.

This month at Crafty Calendar we are sponsored by the fabulous Polkadoodles

...and it's Anything Goes

I made a card featuring the cute Ruby Dog Days.

I coloured the image using my Copics, then covered it with masking fluid. I stencilled the gingham background using a stencil from Newton's Nook and peach coloured dye inkpad and stamped the sentiment with brown Versafine Clair. Layered the panel onto brown cardstock and attached to card blank- that's it! 

Please pop over to Crafty Calendar to see what the rest of the team have been up to- hope to see you play along this month

Chris

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Challenge entries:
dragonflydreams August Ch.
gem of a challenge #16
polkadoodle #31
digichoosday #30

Guest Design for Digi Doodle Studios-Things with Wings

After winning a recent challenge I was delighted to be invited to Guest Design for

 Digi Doodle Challenges, 

of course I accepted:)

The theme for this month is ' Things with Wings'

I made a tunnel easel card featuring the sweet Briar Berry Spry Fairy perching on her toadstool- so lovely to colour with my Copics, glitter pen added to the tips of her wings.

She's sitting here in front of her tree house - I drew the house, coloured it and the grass and sky added the die cut leaves and flowers and placed it in the aperture. 

The scene on the front of the card is created with various die cuts- trees, leaves toadstools and grass and a few tiny punched daisies.

There are loads of beautiful creations from the very talented Design Team showcasing these sweet digis over at Digi Doodle Challenges so do hop over and take a look, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Dina, Lisa and Ladies for inviting me to join you this month.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today- have a great weekend

Chris

x

Challenge entries:
aperfecttimetocraft #8
crafterscafe #248
worldwideopendesignteam #7
fairyandtheunicorn August Challenge
colourcrazy #29
creativefingers #190
audsentiments #256
craftygalscorner #209

Happy Anniversary!

Good morning- August has arrived- it will be a bit strange this year for those families that usually have an overseas holiday this month and are having to stay at home - but better safe than sorry, after the last 5 months we don't want to risk the virus getting a hold again. I'm hoping that the weather is kind to us- not too much of a hardship staying in the UK if the sun is shining.

This week's challenge theme at Sweet Stampin' is Wedding/ Anniversary, it's my crazy, but much loved sister's 25th Anniversary next week so I'm sharing something I made for her and lovely Trev. 

As it's their silver wedding celebration I was going to make them something elegant and sophisticated but somehow this happened! It's a fairly large (about A4 size) chipboard block thingy that stands up by itself. I 've painted it a pale silvery white and covered the front with silver glitter card. The cute gnomes are from Sheepski Designs, coloured with copics, then fussy cut. The daisies are Polkadoodles stamps, again coloured with copic then die cut. Butterflies, stamped and die cut, coloured with copics and Wink of Stella. Wooden letters painted pale blue The little banner is hand made. I'm going to stand this in a pot with a Rose bush. It was a lot of fun to make.

Thanks for stopping by- I'll be back very soon...

Challenge entries:
sheepski #41
audsentiments #256
kraftychicks #518
craftysentiments 28/7 Challenge
LTCCB#49
pearlysparkles #54
classicdesign #8
notjustcards- July