Christmas Tag with Lots of Sparkle

I am loving the deeper colours of blues and greens and purples blended. I would also like to try some in light but keep getting carried away with my colours. With silver this range really works. Its bits of everything in the Tim holtz range. Then finished off with a quick light spray

of Shimmer Mist (new bottle and boy its got good coverage). The die cut is a new Simon Says one that will probably get better use next year as I have so many cards and tags on the go. I see lots of potential. Did need to do some extra times through the cuttlebug to get it to cut clean. Attached quite easily to the tag. Just did lots and lots of wee little dots of glossy accents and then placed on tag and held for a bit till I felt it had attached properly.

I cut the tag itself with just a rectangle die shape and used the oval die that belongs to a tag set. The ribbon is a sheer white ribbon that I just rubbed the different blending foams from the Tim holtz inks along randomly. Worked perfectly.

I think I will end up adding this tag to a card front but will wait and see.

Now to add this:

Just scrapping in by the skin of my teeth for a final tag with Loll

Stamping With Loll : Twelve Tags of Christmas

I have totally enjoyed this Challenge as its what got me making tags in the first place and seeing all the potential. So many ideas to go, thanks Loll.

In My Creative Opinion: 25 Days of Christmas Tags

Tracey McNeelys' tag with blending over the snowflakes gave me the inspiration for this tag.

Happy Little Stampers : HLS  November Christmas Challenge :TAGS

Okay thats it for today. Sorry for the multi posts but I had to catch up.

Hope you enjoyed your visit and come again soon.

Be Merry and Bright

There are a few photos in this post as I have added both cards using this image just one is in greys the other in browns.

Aren't they cute???

This is another digi image. This one is from Tiddly Inks 'Be Merry and Bright Pup'

I have added the link, I mean it doesn't get any better $1 and there are two images. One with the puppy and the other with these wee little birds. Too good, $1:00, what a bargain.

There are some challenges that don't allow digi images that have been hand coloured but they are few and far between.

I love them, it allows me to have more images to colour in and play with and there are so many fantastic artists out there who are willing to share their images at prices that allow us all to have them AND most are instant access so when you NEED/MUST HAVE an image always worth checking them out.

I have favourites and would be happy to list them if anyone is interested. Let me know.

 I print them up on Copic cardstock on my Laser Printer which means I can use them straight away with copics and have no problems. I have also printed up on basic cardstock when colouring with pencils with baby oil and watercolour paper for watercolouring plus now of course there is all this foiling of images than means digi images and sentiments have a new value within crafting.

As you can see with these two cards I printed up on Copic friendly cardstock and coloured in with my copics. My pups are:

coloured with the palest colour then the next colour is sort of splotted (made up!!) on. Next colour for a bit of shadow, very simple and I think they look so cute. I coloured the Christmas lights then added coloured gel pen to the lights for a bit of sparkle. I also used the red glitter gel pen on the sentiment and added glossy accents to the puppies nose.

Would like to enter these in:

Crafting When We Can: Challenge #108 Don't Forget the Animals

2 Creative Chicks: 2 Creative Chicks Showcase #4 Anything Goes

Quirky Crafts Challenge: Challenge #24 Its Nearly quirky Christmas (Anything Goes)

Okay thats it for now. Off to finish some more.

Thanks for coming to have a look and I hope you come again soon.

Merry Christmas

Life doesn't always go the way we hope it will and I have not posted for a couple of days. I had the last three days all planned out and a mighty migraine put a stop to that. I have been suffering from migraines on a regular basis since starting on the wonderful trail of 'The Life Change' twelve long years ago. Apparently I haven't finished changing (into who knows what, but it must be special!!). Migraines are common visitors and at one stage where with me more than not. Now it has become a surprise visit usually once a week, other times 3 times in the same week and of course intensity varies. Enough about my health problems, needless to say I am feeling brilliant now, have slept so much I was up very early and crafting so its time to post some of the cards I have finished in time for

http://lingshappyplace.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/2015-caring-hearts-card-drive.html

This year Australia is joining in with the challenge and I need to post my cards off. If you are interested in joining in either in America, Australia or England there is more information at the link so check it out.

This card is so simple and I love it. I stamped gold embossed the Christmas lights (NBUS) on watercolour cardstock. I then used Zig watercolour pens to add colour and the water to spread the colour leaving it to get paler as you move away from the edge. Doesn't really show up that well here but they look wonderful.

Off course I finished off with a good dose of Wink of Stella.

Wasn't sure what to add to finish the card off and tried a lot of die cut sentiments and then was about to start looking at stamped sentiments and remembered these chipboard words I had added glue and glitter to last year. yep last year an idea bloomed and then died so they sat there waiting for inspiration in the Christmas thingies.

I have lightened the close up picture so you can see how the inks look. Cool hey!!

Okay so this is one to join the others. More to come.

Would like to enter this in:

Addicted to CAS: Its Our Third Birthday Challenge #77

Code Word : Dimension

Addicted to Stamps and More :Challenge #171: Anything Goes

CAS on Sunday : Challenge #72 Christmas

Thank you for coming to have a look and I hope you visit again soon.

Online Copic Colouring Class - Day 6

This is week six of the online Copic Colouring Class - learning new techniques and trying different techniques and ideas. One thing for sure its lots of practice. The more you practice the better your blending gets, the more you can see what colours work together and which ones don't. Its amazing that you can blend some colours together and yet when you add other colours which maybe in the same colour group but maybe too far apart in the spectrum and you will find that rather than blend it will cause a kind of light patch where the inks have met.

I was pretty boring this time and just stayed in the greys with blending, using the 0 blender pen to remove ink, patches and spots and shadows.

Then I tried browns and a bit of using colourless blender and cloth for texture, need to cut a piece of denim and try that. Do you think my son will notice if I cut a bit from his jeans??? (sorry I'm having a real cackle over that just picturing his big toe getting caught in the hole...... no I will resist)

Then I relented and did a little orange, pink and green colouring. Need to work on my corduroy lines, cant get those lines fine enough and steady. Also did a night sky, started with three shades but should have just gone dark straight up and then made stars with copic colourless blender and some with white gel pen dots. Need up looking more like paw prints. I like the green fox with the yellow snout  etc, it looks cute.

Anyway best finish this and get on with the Christmas cards. Once you have looked here if you have time why not duck over and check out Ruths' post: Crafting While the Baby Naps She was much more adventurous than me and got some brilliant colour combos going.

Thanks for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

Merry Christmas

I was in the mood to do a little colouring and making a humous Christmas card. This is a Bugaboo Digi Stamp and I love her. I have a number of these images and the old couple.

In this instance I did some colouring with my Inktense Pencils as there was minimal water added but it didn't work as well as it could have seeing it was a printed image. But I just drew back over all the black lines with a Copic Liner pen.

I combined a bit of copic in there as well. Stamped the Sentiment which is a new set of sentiments from Joy Clare

LOVE THEM.  Works perfectly with my card.

Had to glue onto another layer of white card stock to straighten out the crinkles caused by putting water on cardstock. Then attached to purple glitter cardstock , looks fantastic.

Finished off with a few little purple gems.

Okay would like to enter this:

Addicted to Stamps and More : Challenge #171 anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Christmas

As You Like It Challenge : Favourite Season and WHY?

My Favourite season Christmas: Christmas is getting together with family, enjoying and relaxing, BBQ's Swimming and enjoying long days in the sun. Time off work, holidays, catching up with friends. Perfect time of the year.

Well thats it for today. Thanks for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

'Tis the Season

I'm so enjoying this tag making business, well sometimes.

 Lets go back two nights and I wasn't enjoying it so much. You know those days where no matter what you do it just doesn't work. Embossed snowflake die cut - perfect. Do another layer of embossing- little too vigorous pull edge off, start again. why not emboss the back as well??? Well cause then as the heat gun hits it in the front, it melts the back, so of course that one stuck to the paper. Start again, yes got three done, now to work on design.

Played around watercolour backgrounds -yuk. go to throw out then think maybe a bit of blending to lift colour.

Acetate window with blending behind for night sky - nah measured up crooked so wasn't perfect alignment of window. Time to just stop, no tag tonight.

Then last night I got home and in between doing dinner an idea formed and this is it. Five minutes later it was finished.

Used the piece of cardstock I had done the watercolouring disaster on. Blended in some of the new blue from Tim Holtz Distress Inks, perfect finish. The silver tree looks brilliant.

Die cut rectangle stitch die.Used the same die to cut the silver cardstock so one would fit in the other. Trimmed the silver card stock down and used a border die to cut the top.

This time I added these clear glitter enamel dots, totally awesome. They pick up the blue behind and I love them. I attached the top layer to a white layer to hold the top layer together, which I then laid down on the craft mat to attach and yes you guessed it, I hadn't wiped the craft mat after blending so had a nice blue mess on the back of the white layer. 

Added this fantastic white patterned vellum to the back - stuck at  slight angle and 'Bob's your uncle' as we say in Australia. All fixed.

Check out the beautiful colouring and sparkle of those dots.

Finished off with a bit of sheer white and silver ribbon and a big square clear gem and the sentiment 'Tis the Season' is a rub on.

Off to add this to :

Stamping with Loll: Twelve Days of Christmas Tags

In my creative Opinion: 25 Days of Christmas Tags Day 16

I cant really say with this one who gave me the inspiration on this tag, it just fell into place. Having seen embossed and blended tags and cards over time it could be anyone.

Inkspirational: Challenge #95 Anything Goes with Silver

 Thank you for coming to have a look and I hope you visit again soon.

3 French Hens

I bought a this Penny Black stamp set last year but I didn't get it in time for  last Christmas so now I have painted in all the different images. 

Each is an individual covering the 12 days of Christmas.  I painted with my Peerless watercolours. Then I added bits of bling here and there and in some instances I have added glossy accents to  just little bits.

They are so cute but they are small so I spent the best part of a day trying to decide just what I wanted to do re layout. That is why there is only one today.

Thought these would make a great gift set for someone else to use, but also wanted to put a sentiment on each card as well as the little saying that goes with each stamp.

I decided to cut out the image in a square shape and used two different dies as I don't have the square stitched die set. 

Here I have used an old die set that cuts small squares and the stitches are from another set of dies I bought that I looked at and didn't research properly - (A) They don't cut squares they just cut the stitch marks and (B) they are very small. 

This one I have used is the biggest. Lesson learnt, look for sizes and measure up on a piece of paper and check all written to make sure they do what you want. If its too cheap to be true thats cause your not reading and checking properly lol.

After I cut out the little square because its watercolour paper it is a different white to the card base so I decided to bling it up with some red glitter cardstock.

Another lesson learnt I cut out twelve of these pieces of card stock. By the time I finished I had red glitter everywhere, stuck in my cutter and the blade that had been fairly new was now blunt and leaving little fluffy bits hanging off my white card bases. What a waste, time for a new blade. So I have put the old one aside in a little zip lock bag labeled 'for glitter cardstock'. 

Anyhooo then it was what to do with the little title that comes with each image and add a sentiment. Long story shortened here I ended up deciding to go with this design and feel it works. After I stamped the little title I hand cut out then added some silver pen ink to the number.

Added the tag with the stamped sentiment. Added wee piece of Christmas ribbon and a great big red gem to hid the hole I had cut into the tag which was way too big for the tag size.

All disasters fell into place and I am happy with this one. So hopefully the other 11 will follow suit.

I would like to enter this in:

Penny Black and More : November Challenge : Anything Christmas

even have Penny Black stamps for once, even though you can use 

any stamps as long as they are Christmas theme.

Just Us Girls Challenge 319 : Use watercolouring somewhere on my project

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite Hobby (and tell us why)

My Favourite Hobby is making cards and reading. As long as I am doing something I am happy. Love colouring and painting images for cards and have a fold chock a block full of images ready to go and always have a book on hand. You never know when you might have to wait somewhere so a book should always be handy.

Like to thank the DT's at 'As You Like it Challenge' for picking my card in the last challenge as Top 3 Picks.

I hope you enjoyed your visit and come again soon.

Sending Hugs because you can never have too many.

I made this card and gave it to one of the ladies who works with Elysha at her Community Access program. This wonderful lady comes in every second Wednesday and volunteers with the young adults helping them make craft items to take home for Mothers day; Fathers Day; Christmas; Easter etc. 

She has these amazing ideas and nothing Elysha has brought home has made me feel 'what a waste or how silly'. So so clever and wonderful inspiration. The latest items Elysha has brought home are 'A slice mix in a jar' - all layered so it looks really pretty and another is for 'choice chip biscuits' again in layers. Each is in a glass jar with a pretty lid and the recipe attached. 

They and other 'gifts' are lined up on a shelf in her room for Christmas - she is so excited to have a present that she made for each sister, brother, sister-in-law etc.

This wonderful lady who does this volunteers and brings everything preplanned and so enjoyed and if one of the young people is away then they all work together to make one for them to have when they come back.

She does all this though struggling with some major health issues of her own, so I felt she deserved a gift of her own(homemade caramel slice) and a card letting her know we really do appreciate all she does.

This is the card I made, it was actually a very quick put together but started out very slowly with lots of ideas. I actually threw away most of the first card after I rescued what I could -only the butterfly in truth.

So this is take two. The base is one from Papertrey who make a selection of these gold/silver and white backgrounds in chevron, dots, spots, stripes etc. This base is gold and white and the gold has a wonderful sheen.

The stamped sentiment is also Papertrey. I saved up all my wants and did a once in two years buy but at the time the die for this sentiment wasn't available. 

The beautiful butterfly is Hero Arts, but as it doesn't have a body I improvised with the body from a butterfly die cut from Memory Box. Finished off with one reddy/pink and one yellow enamel dot.

I would like to add this to:

Butterfly Challenge: #42 Butterflies + Z is for Zig Zags

Mrs A, I finally made a card that fits the challenge.

Share Handmade Kindness Challenge Week 2 : Community

Given to volunteer at Community program

Just managed to squeeze this one in lol.

A bit More time to Craft Challenge: Challenge #8 Always Anything Goes

Alright thats it for this post so thanks for coming to have a look and I hope you come again soon.

Christmas Tag Critters Stack

Interesting title, yes I know. I couldn't think what to use for the title and thought this will perk your interest. 

You may remember a while ago I did these same critters on a Christmas card. Well at the time I never do anything by ones so I painted four versions each slightly different in colours chosen.

They were painted using the Peerless watercolours. I cut the red tag extending it like I did yesterday, only this time it didn't work properly so I did it again twice and settled on the last one and did some masking.

Here you can see where it ended up going at a slight angle. Have decided to try something else but for now it has been used as a background to the painted layer.

By adhering the white layer at an angle I have stopped you from seeing that the layer underneath was crooked. Then I felt it needed a sentiment but I didn't have any that went down rather than across.

 I looked through my sentiments and found the ones I have used. They are from an old stamp set and are a collection of random christmas words. I silver embossed them down the length of the vellum then did a die cut on the vellum then attached between the red and white layer. Swiped the silver ink pad along the edges of the white panel as it was only die cut at the top and looked a bit plain.

I wasn't happy with the christmas decorations that I had silver embossed from the critters ears as they looked too flat, so some silver glitter enamel dots did the job.  Finished off with a silver glitter star and silver and red ribbon for the tag top.

Another tag done and now I will enter this at:

Stamping with Loll : Day Eleven--- Twelve Tags of Christmas

If you haven't checked out the tags being done there yet then go and have a lot. So many brilliant tags and Loll has a guest designer or two joining her each day with inspiration tags - totally worth looking at.

In My Creative Opinion : 25 Days of Christmas Tags - Day 13

Another blog worth checking out with tags being done by Tracey and other guest designers as well as those being linked by others. So much inspiration. My inspiration on this day was  Maureen Plut with the vellum layer.

A Gem of a Challenge :Challenge 157 Christmas Critters

I do believe my tag fits the bill.

Thank you for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.