Dies To Die For (DT) Wildflowers

Hello everyone, here I am, and I've gone a bit grown-up (don't worry, it won't last long).

and the lovely things used

MFT Wildflowers
MFT Big Greetings

MFT 6x6 Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots

MFT 6x6 Bundles of Blossoms Brights

MFT 6x6 Party Patterns

Versafine Onyx Black

I used Langton Smooth Grain watercolour paper this time instead of my usual Bristol Board, worryingly I can see me falling in love with this ..... anyhoo, image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)
Sadly, several Post-It Notes were harmed in the making of this card.

I'm now off out for tail trim and colour, and after I have prepped a pork and apple casserole for dinner, I intend to get inky this afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

As You Like It (DT) Favourite Season

Morning all, hope you are well this fine and sunny (hopefully) Thursday.  Here we are at the end of September and it is still t-shirt warm, amazing.

Which brings me nicely to the new challenge over as AS YOU LIKE IT and the theme is

Favourite Season.

It's a toss up between Spring and Autumn for me, Winter is too dark and (certainly this year) Summer is far too hot.  I love the mellow richness of this time of year, the colours, the smells, apples, blackberries and pears, and I don't even mind the shorter evenings so long as I can get home in daylight!

CC Designs : Scarecrow Henry

Your Next Stamp 6x6 : Fabulous Fall

Orange matting layers and leaves coloured with Apricot Copic

MFT Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Rectangle Stax

and I think the leaf dies are Marianne Designs but have long since lost the packaging

Henry has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours.

The sponsor of this challenge is a £20 voucher from

Hugs to all

Bear on A Bun (DT) DTDF

Well, ok, it can be a cupcake if you want to be fancy!

Had a week off work, but instead of managing to secure myself some lovely crafting time, the husband has been dragging me out of the house, kicking and screaming because I've been parted from the paintbrushes.  Which rather explains why I am here with a very CAS but still festive little make.

Sorry for the greyness of the photo - yesterday had a limited amount of sunshine and it was heading towards seriously rather wet by the time that I remembered I hadn't done this.  I need to get my "winter-time" lighting arrangement sorted out.

Stamping Bella - Polar Bear on a Cupcake Stuffie

MFT 6x6 - Hearts and Stripes

Whimsy Stamps - Christmas Greetings

Painted entirely with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

and that's all she wrote folks

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

Tick Tick Tick

Afternoon all, happy Sunday to you.  Yesterday, when we popped into town, I bought a little clock for my craft desk.  I'm not sure it was a great idea as I've been working on a make for the MFT 2018 Superstar Challenge and it all has done is remind me how little time there is left to enter!

I entered the Clean and Simple category previously, and I honestly had not wanted to enter the Colouring Virtuoso category because in my heart of hearts I know I will just be making up the numbers.  Don't ask me what changed my mind, it certainly wasn't a late flush of confidence or a bolt of talent from the heavens, I rather suspect it was more of a well intentioned nagging mate!

Having looked at the already entered cards, there are so many done using Copics, but you know me, I like my paintbrush and inks, so there's a point of difference for you right there.

The two stamp sets used are:

MFT New Best Friend; and

MFT Little Buddies

I'm not sure what the circle frame is called, but it is definitely Die-Namics

MFT Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours, with a dash of Polychromos Pencils for hair detail.

That's it.

Hugs to all

Dies To Die For (DT) Kitten Flowers

Happy Saturday everyone, I'm here today with someone who is feeling feline furry!

Geddit, see what I did there?

This cute, but slightly shy, little critter is

Whimsy Stamps : Kitten Flowers (Lee Holland Collection)

Your Next Stamp 6x6 : Fabulous Fall

Stamping Bella : Smile Dies (x3)

Versafine Inkpad Onyx Black

I've painted the kitty with a very smallpalette of autumnal colours of Distress Inks (ReInkers) although I think, looking at it now, I could have gone a lot deeper with the shading tones,

and with a Pumpkin Copic I inked up the matting layers and a swatch to cut the Smile from

so that everything coordinated

I'm now away from work for a week, so with two weekends and five days in between, I am aiming for at least a couple of days of serious colouring therapy!

Hugs to all

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

As You Like It (DT) Boy or Girl

Hello peeps, you see me today with the start of a tiny scamper in my step as I only have to get through two more days of work and then it's HOLIDAAAAAAAAAAAYS!

So, before I get all hysterical and giggly, I am here with my DT make for the

As You Like It Challenge and our theme is Boy or Girl.

I actually like making cards for the boys, they suit my CAS style really well, but, the majority of my makes are for the ladies.  I made this one for my wonderful mum who had her 81st birthday this week.  Love you mum!

So for this one I have used

CC Designs - Balloon Lucy

MFT Die-Namics Big Birthday

Papers from Nitwits and MFT

Lucy has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils and then fussy cut, including that balloon string (which was a heart stopper).

Our sponsor for this challenge is

PolkaDoodles

Hugs to all

It's that time of year folks ......

Somehow, despite a great deal of resistance, I have agreed to be thoroughly humiliated again this year, it will be 2017 on repeat, GroundHog Day, deja vue, and all that jazz.

Yes, it is time for the MFT 2018 Card Design Superstar Challenge.  Sigh.

Last year I wept buckets over the Colouring Virtuoso category, so we are giving that a definite miss this time, but instead will pop something of very little hope into the Clean And Simple Genius (ha) category.

Probably not enough white space, but there is lots of sky...... who am I kidding.

MFT ingredients used are

Furever Friends stamp set

Brushstroke Expressions sentiments

Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

6x6 Lucky Prints

Black card from PDA Card & Craft

and the whole thing painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

I must be insane.

Dies To Die For (DT) Furever Friends

Hello everyone, I'm here today with a double dose of some furriness to share with you.

Now, we all love our friends, but how may of us take the time to tell them we do?  I really enjoy making random friendship cards, those ones for no particular reason but just because, and this super cute stamp set is perfect for that.

So for this one I have used

MFT Clear Stamps - Furever Friends

Your Next Stamp - Smiley Happy Alphabet

MFT DieNamics - Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

MFT 6x6 - True Blue Houndstooth

Your Next Stamp 6x6 - Fabulous Fall

and because I was having so much fun

again the

MFT Clear Stamps - Furever Friends

MFT Clear Stamps - Sassy Pants Best Friends

Both cards are painted in Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours but rather than use my

usual Bristol Board this time I have pushed the boat out and used proper watercolour paper.

I normally stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black, which dries really fast on the BB, but the trick with watercolour paper is to plan ahead and stamp one day and paint the next, it gives the ink a chance to dry properly and stops it bleeding into your colours when you get it wet.

I've been asked about the clouds using the Mini Cloud Edges Stencil - I do these with Distress Ink Oxide Broken China - I used to do it with my finger, but found it was too mucky and I was getting blue ink in places no squirrel ever wants to find it, so I experimented with a few things and, after some trial and error, I have found that for me the Tsukineko Finger Daubers are the best thing EVER!

The background paper on the second card is from an old Papermania pad that was purple and green themed.  This "sunburst" design is the last page of that pattern, which is a shame.

Hugs to all

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

(new releases from MFT and Stamping Bella now available guys!)

Dies To Die For (DT) CCD Nerdy

Morning all, here I am again.  Welcome to September, my favourite month of the year.

I have a confession today - I am a Stationery Addict.

(note the capital S and capital A, it is that serious)

I love pencils and pens and pretty notepapers, and I cannot walk into a stationery store and come out of it empty handed, it might only be a packet of standard envelopes or a pencil sharpener but it still makes me happy, very happy.  I may have to live for many more years than my prescribed allotment just so that I can use up some of the numerous notebooks that I just "had to have" (and if I really like a particular one, I have to get a spare as well).

I wonder if there is a therapy available for this, surely I can't be alone in my madness.

So, anyhoo, when I saw this on the CC Designs new release list, I knew it had my name written all over it, in crayon of course.

And for this colourful little number I have used:

CC Designs Nerdy Clear Stamps

Die-Versions Express Edges Just A Note

MFT 6x6 Farm Fresh Gingham

The images stamped with multiple masks and painted in Distress Inks (ReInkers).

Black card (super heavyweight) from PDA Card & Craft

A simple little card this time but with a lot of impact and a whole lot of fun

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE