Swimming With Dolphins Circular Easel Card

Another short 'n' sweet post from me today I'm afraid - I just don't seem to have enough hours in the day at the moment to get everything done. It's my SIL's birthday shortly and she is a dolphin fanatic. So when Teri over at Delicious Doodles released the image Swimming With Dolphins I knew immediately that I would have to use it on a card for her.

The image was printed directly onto the DP's which are from Fred She Said and then printed again onto plain paper. I coloured the image printed onto plain paper with Promarkers and then cut the mermaid and dolphins out. The seaweed on the DP's was also coloured with Promarkers. The mermaid and dolphins were then mounted onto the DP's using silicone glue and then given a coat of Stickles and Glossy Accents.

I've brayered some white cardstock with ink from a Big Juicy Pad and have done the same with the sentiment from Craftwork Cards. The flowers have been punched from the brayered cardstock using a Nellie Snellon 5 Petal embossing punch. The gems in the centre have been coloured with a Promarker.

Thanks for stopping by today

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Magical Mondays - Shaped Cards
Paper Playtimes - Anything goes
Gingerloft - Dies & Punches
A Gem Of A Challenge - Anything but a square

Faux Butterfly Tile Card

A really quick post from me today - I've got stacks of housework to do :(

This is the card I've made for my MIL for Mother's Day.

I made this faux tile card using my favourite all time butterfly stamp from EJ Crafts. The butterfly was stamped in Memento ink onto a 3" x 3" card and then coloured with Promarkers. The edges were inked with Dusty Concord Distress Ink. The square was then cut into inchies and covered with Glossy Accents. Once dry the inchies were mounted onto another square card. I covered a card blank form Craftwork Cards with some paper from Card Creations added a ribbon from my stash and finished the card off with some Prima E-line flowers topped with Card Candy.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesdays - Give us an inch or three

I love Promarkers - Go dotty

Simon Says Stamp - Mother's Day/ Girly

Passion for Promarkers - In the garden

Creative Inspirations - Mother's Day

Pretty in pink!! Tim Holtz The Sewing Room & Rosette Die

I finally got to play with these two amazing dies. I'd bought the Sewing Room the other day, but hadn't had time to create anything with it and had actually passed on buying the rosette die as I can make them by hand!! Oh such famous and foolish words - of course I can make them by hand, but why bother when the die makes them in seconds! All I can say is it's a good job I've worked this week :)

This card was really quick and easy to make. The trickiest part was faffing around trying to get the mini gems out of the container and onto the card!

The Tailor's Dummy has been cut from a gold flecked pearlescent paper. The edges have inked with Spun Sugar Distress Ink and then curled to give some dimension. The dress has been cut using a large scalloped circle nestability which has then been trimmed to fit. The Rosette has been cut using the new Sizzix Rosette die and the sentiment topper is from Craftwork Cards.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
2 Sisters Challenge - Make your own embellishments
Crafty Emma's - Die cuts
Wee Memories - Anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - Mothers Day/Girly

Shhh I think spring might be here!

I'm not going to say it too loudly, but I really do think Spring is here! My garden is full of daffodils and tulips, and the cherry blossom tree has loads of little buds just waiting to erupt into a mass of flowers. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the warmer, brighter days will soon be here. I really have had enough of the Winter this year and am finding that it has sapped my desire to create. However, if I'm brutally honest it probably has more to do with the fact that I have had to venture into a cold conservatory to rumage through my stash than an actual lack of desire to create! ;)

Anyway, enough of my rambling the challenge over at Delicious Doodles this week is flowers. We want to see lots of flowers on your creations. Up for grabs are two fantastic prizes, one is any three paper pads from our sponsor Pascale's Pad and the other is any three digi's from the Delicious Doodles Store.

As you can no doubt tell, I've been heavily influenced this week by the sudden promised change in season and have made the first of my Easter cards.

The image I've used this week is a new release from Delicious Doodles called On The Lookout. I thought it was perfect for more "grown up" Easter cards. As always the image has been coloured with Promarkers. I've then cut it to shape using Nestabilities Labels 8 and then heat embossed the edges using Heat It Up Gold Embossing Powder. The background paper is a piece of Core'dinations White Wash cardstock which has been run through the Bigshot with a Daisy Texturz Plate and then given a light sanding to expose the core colour. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons new Spring/Easter collection. The flowers are Prima E-line topped with Craftwork Cards Card Candy.

Thanks for stopping by this week.

Claire x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Colour Create - Pastels
Crafty Purple Frog - Green
Delightful Challenges - Pastels
Digi Doodles Shops Best - Ribbons & Bows
Simon Says Stamp - Mothers Day/Girly
Stamping Vacation - Easter
Passion for Promarkers - In the Garden

Shrink Plastic and Ching-Chou Kuik's Flowing in Blue

It's challenge time again over at Sweet Pea Stampers and this week we want to see your punches! So if you want to be in with a chance of winning three fabulous sheets of Sweet Pea digital decoupage provided by the lovely Amy over at Crafty Purple Frog, then you know what to do - grab those punches and getting creating!

Now you'll have to think a little about my project to work out where punches have come into it. My project this week is something a little different - yep I've been playing and experimenting again!!! I warn you now it's not perfect, but I'm definitely going to work some more on this project to get it right as it's showing potential! I hope you like and aren't too disappointed that it's not a card or papercraft project.

I stamped the image Flowing in Blue by Ching-Chou Kuik onto some shrink plastic using Stazon Ink. The image was then coloured in using Derwent Coloursoft Pencils and Sakura Clear Star Gel Pen. I used a hole punch to make a hole either end of the pendant prior to shrinking it. Once I'd shrunk it to size, I used a gold paint pen on the edges and then heat embossed the front using clear detail powder. The chain and findings are from a necklace that I got in the 10 items for £5 sale from Claire's Accessories. The beads have been attached to head pins before adding them to lengths of chain.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Claire xx

I'd like to enter this necklace into the following challenges:
Crafty Purple Frog - Green
Crafts & Me - Anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Anything but a card
Let's Ink It Up - Die cuts/Punches
The Secret Crafter - Anything but a card

This brayer thing and Versamark Ink!!

I decided that I'd had enough of moving my brayer around in my tool box, so thought I'd better get it out to play. I've never used a brayer before and if I'm honest the wretched thing intimated me. I watched a few tutorials on YouTube and decided to go for it!

Now I have to say I found it fairly tricky the first few times I tried, but as with anything the more you do it the easier it becomes. I ain't no Barbara Gray that's for sure, but I'm certainly not mortified by the end result! What do you think??

I used smooth white cardstock for this project (I know glossy is recommended, but I was feelin' tight and concerned that if I stuffed up that it would start getting expensive!). I stamped the parsley head from Viva Decor - My Paper World Grasses and Embellishments using Versamark Ink and then brayered over it using a Big Juicy Inkpad. The images was then mounted onto pink paper before mounting on the card.

The butterflies were stamped using Versamark Ink onto my brayered "mistakes" (see that's why I never chuck anything out!!!). They were then cut out and shaped to give dimension. I rolled a cocktail stick covered with Stickles lightly over the wings to give them a bit of glitz. The Happy Birthday Sentiment is part of a set from Ladybug Crafts Ink which I've stamped using the same Big Juicy pad. The gemstones are from my stash.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
One Stop Craft Challenge - Bling
Phindy's Place - Summer colours
Samuel Taylors Crafts - Butterflies

CSN Review

As some of you may recall I decided to be a little selfish with my last CSN giveaway and opted to do a review instead. I know that it seems an absolute age ago and you'd probably thought I'd forgotten!! Well I hadn't forgotten, it just took me a very long time to be able to choose and receive my product!

I decided that I needed a new food processor, the main reason being that my old one blew up. Also, I've started back on Slimming World and have developed an obsession with homemade coleslaw which is almost impossible for me to make by hand! So a new food processor for me it was!

I didn't want to spend a huge amount on a food processor as it's not a make or break piece of equipment, so I settled on this one. The only problem was it was out of stock for weeks (as were most of the other machines in this price range), so I decided to trial their "email me when back in stock" system. I have to say it worked fantastically well and I ordered my food processor. I was given an expected delivery date of 23/3, but actually received the item on 21/3 (a total of ten days from point of order to receipt, not the fastest delivery time, but by no means the slowest). I received numerous emails updating me on my order status, which is not only helpful, but also reassuring!

I unpacked my new toy and after a quick wash of the bowls and blades decided to use it to shred, grate and slice carrots, cabbage and onions for my coleslaw. It performed the job perfectly. I have yet to try the blender attachment so can't comment on this.

My only criticisms of CSN would be the lack of stock and slowish delivery time. Had I needed this item urgently then I would've been forced to approach another supplier. I had no worries over the price as they offer a price matching service and a quick look around showed only one retailer who was cheaper, but had no stock!

Would I use them again - yep, as long as I wasn't in a hurry and I would definitely take advantage of their price matching option.