Honey Bees galore

Welcome to my blog - thank you for visiting me - I am humbled that you call by.

I made this using just the one (retired) Layers of Color set, Honey Bee.

The main image is designed to fit into a spellbinders labels 20 die cut.

 I painted the image with Twinkling H2O's, and added Kindy Glitz for the sparkle.

The sentiment was stamped onto the same parchment like yellow card as the big image, cut using a Spellbinders classic oval and  mounted over a scalloped oval cut from mulberry paper.

The background was created using the small bee image, randomly stamping it over the kraft card stock and painting them.  This was distressed and sponged, and then I added the torn mulberry paper and ribbon before mounting the images onto it.

Rhinestones were added and the the whole mounted onto a cream card base.

I am linking this to:

Art Impressions Challenge #54 - Sparkle and Bling or Embossing

Crop stop Challenge #62 - Rainbow of colours (Must use 4)

SJ PaperCrafts Challenge #2 - flowers (Inc red or pink)

Crafts and Me Challenge #74 - Things with Wings

Divas By Design Challenge #25 - Favourite things (Kindy Glitz and Layers of Color stamps)

Paper Shelter Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #111 - Things With Wings

Simaon Says Stamp - Mothers Day or Special Girl

Thank you for visiting - may your day be blessed

Monkeying Around

Greetings  and welcome - thank you so much for visiting.

One of this weeks releases from McMahon Five Design.com is the set 

Monkey Business by Studio 313.

Isn't he just so cute??  

There are a variety of sentiments with the set - I printed this one, cut it with an oval spellbinder die, sponged it while it was still in the die, and mounted it over a scalloped oval.

I printed the image directly onto the dp from the Prima 6x6 stack Fairy Flora, then painted it with Twinkling H2O's.  the finishing touch was a feather stitch rub-on down one side.

There are some fabulous releases this week - please feel free to follow the links on my side bar to see the other releases by the design team.

Thank you so much for visiting - May your day be blessed

Little Critter

Welcome back - this post is my second for this week releases from McMahon Five Design.com.

This image is one in a series called Funny Little Things by Studio 313 - the image is named Birthday Happiness

There is a lot of sparkle on this card that the camera did not pick up.

The image was printed out on Cryogen curious metallic paper which has a subtle sheen that shows through any medium, and painted with twinkling H2Os - don't you love his crooked wee smile?

Here is a close-up of the balloon, and I highlighted it with some crystal stickles, which were also used on the balloons on the designer paper.

The final touch, which proved to be the most difficult, was to layer the image over these sheets of shiny 'holes'.  They show purple IRL, but the camera picked up a more aqua tone :-(.

Thanks for calling, and please feel free to be inspired by the rest of the Design Team at McMahon Five Design.com - the links to their blogs are all in the sidebar.


I am linking this to:
Craft Us Crazy challenge #20 - Anything Goes
Moving Along with the Times Challenge #135 - Cute Critter
Paper Prettys Wednesday Challenge #192 -_ Add Texture to your card

May your day be blessed

You Are My Sunshine..

Greetings – thank you for visiting today.  

This was to have been posted last night, but the gremlins invaded Blogger and made it go super slow........

I loved this new image from McMahon Digital Stamps as soon as I first saw it and enjoyed making this card.... and I have been humming the tune too.

The image was painted with Twinkling H2Os.

The card base is a medium blue with a layer of bright pink over it, and then a bright yellow die cut. (Think, sunbeams)

I chose to fussy cut around the image and cut the printed string off, and punch holes and thread some narrow ribbon through them instead.  This was then mounted over the die cut and a few pearls added to finish.

I am linking this to:

Belli Challenge #136 - Hearts/Valentines - Old or forgotten - the paints, one of my original purchases

Divas By Design #20 - Anything Goes

Fab and Funky Challenge #106 - Use a digi image

Little Red Wagon challenge #118 - Valentines Day or Love

The Paper Shelter Challenge #49- Love is in the Air

Penny Challenges #72 - Love is in the Air

Truely Scrumptious Challenge #72 - Love and Hearts

Little Miss Muffet Chalenges - Love and Valentines
Moving Along with the Times challenge #134 - Have a Heart
Sarah Hurley Challenge #59 - Love is All Around.
Dare to Be Sassy Thursday Challenge #110 - Valentines
Delightful Challenges - Punches and Dies

Thanks for visiting – may your day be blessed.

Oops, Trying again

Welcome again - why the title - I entered too many challenges in the Less is More Challenge yesterday, so I am trying again....

This time my bird is a whimsical one from Layers of Color named Royal Birds

The image was stamped and then painted.

I then masked it with an oval and sponged around it with gold ink.

The sentiment was then stamped in the gold and embossed - this shot shows just how shimmery the ink gold is.

The final detail was to sponge the card edges.

I am linking this to:

Less is More Challenge #50 - One layer card with a bird.

Thanks for calling by - May your day be blessed.

Pukeko!!

Greetings - I am so glad you choose to come and visit my blog.

The subject of this post is a New Zealand indigenous bird, the Pukeko, also known as a Swamp Hen in other parts of the world.

I love this stylized stamp of these birds which so captures their cheeky nature.

I ran the card through the Flourished Frame folder to emboss it, and stamped the birds inside the frame. 

The birds were then painted with watercolour crayons, mixing a deep blue and black, then to try and give the sheen on the coats that these birds have IRL, I then over-painted them with irridescent blue.

The sentiment was stamped off centre in Memento Tuxedo Black as the birds were the focus of this card.

I am linking this to:

Less is More - One layer card & birds

Crafty Cardmaker Challenge #59 - No Floral Embellishments

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #129 - Bold and Bright - these birsd are both!

Lexi's Creations Challenge #56 - Anything Goes

Lollipop Crafts Challenge #63 - No Embellishments

Stamp and Create - January Challenge - Anything Goes

There She Goes - Challenge #139 -Back To Nature

Truely Madly Crafty January Challenge - Anything Goes

The Crazy Challenge - Tic Tac Toe - flourish, image, word

Thank you for call in -= May your day be blessed.

Christmas is coming!!

Welcome - thanks for visiting my blog again.

This week at McMahon Five Design.com Christmas designs are the theme of the releases - I decided to show case the Purrfect Stocking image.

As a cat lover this image had instant appeal - I decided not to colour the kitten, rather to showcase him by surrounding him with colour.

I used Lyra watercolour crayons to paint the image, added some Crystal Stickles for glitter, over painted the holly leaves with twinkling H20's, and used a metallic gold pen for the bells.

This photo shows the sparkle a little better.

I mounted the coloured image onto some red card stock, and doodled some faux stitching around the edge of the white with a red pen.

The finishing detail was this variegated 'eyelashes' yarn wound around the top of the image panel and tied in a bow.

The other design team diva's have made some amazing samples, so please visit them - the links are on the sidebar.  

I am linking this to:

Inky Impressions Challenge #32 - Glitter it up
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #128 - cute
Charisma Challenge #44 - Cutesy
Crimbo Crakers Challenge #2 - Christmas and sparkle -
Forever Friends November Challenge - something old, something new - vintage image and eyelash yarn
Lili Of The Valley Challenge # 120 - Creature comfort

Thanks for visiting - please call again.

May your day be blessed

Thank You to an Angel in Disguise

Welcome to my blog again, and thank you for visiting - I do appreciate it when you call by.

We recently have had a few disruptions to our usual laid back lifestyle, and during this time we had a friend who visited each day and bought us fresh baking - yummy!!  

This is the thank you card I made for her.

I started by stamping the May Boutique stamp from Layers of Color in black ink on white Cryogenic paper and clear embossing it.  the image was then painted with twinkling H2O's.  

The combination of the paints and paper gave an incredible sparkle to this IRL, and I have tried to capture it here. I then matted that onto a blue card and onto a white base.

  The sentiment was then stamped and cut out and sponged using the smallest die from the Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio.

The twill ribbon was simply folded and held in place with glue dots to make the bow, and the button adhered to the top.

I simple card to make, but one that I was very pleased with, as is the "angel" who received it.

I am linking this to:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #115 - being thank-full

Touch Twin Markers - Florals Pt1

Woodware USA - Challenge #47 - Anything Goes
Anything Goes Challenge #51 - Die Cuts, Punches or both
Sweet Stamps Challenge #36- Clean and Simple
The Stamping Boutique Challenge #17 - Someone Special

Thanks for visiting - may your day be blessed

Spring Flowers

Welcome - and thank you for calling

I decided to use this daffodil tag again on this card - I think the fact that spring is showing her face here at the moment must be influencing me! 

The card was quite fast to make - I gold embossed the tag and scripture, and then rubbed Dandelion ink over the scripture to emphasis it, and painted the daffodils with Twinkling H2O's.

I then assembled the card using dp from the Prima Fairy Flowers paper stack, on which I had stamped and gold embossed the sentiment.

The lace layer was from my stash (it came from my late MIL), the  lace threaded through the hole on the tag was in some blog candy from Michelle. The tag was mounted on foam dots for dimension and some amber coloured rhinestones added and the card was done.

I am linking this to:

Our Daily Bread Designs Stamping In Time Challenge #42 - Lace

Lily Pad Cards Simons Says Resist Challenge - Resist technique

Just Add Ink Challenge #82 - Something From Your Stash - the lace

The Poodles Parlor - Anything Goes

Show and Tell at the Crafting Misfit - Anything Goes

AiFactory - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments Challenge#35 - Anything Goes

Case Study Challenge #54 - Show Us Your Style

CCEE Challenge #1134 - Gold (embossing)

Pixie dust Studio Challenge #89 - Tag It

Thanks for visiting - May your day be blessed

I tagged it!!

A warm welcome to you all - it is so gratifying when my counter tells me you have visited. I do hope you enjoy your visits.

Some months ago I won some stamps on a new release blog hop by Our Daily Bread Designs, and this weekend I inked them up - and this is the result.

The motivation behind inking them up was that The Our Daily Bread Blog Team have a challenge  in which a tag must be used!

I stamped the tag and sentiment in Violet ink and clear embossed them. The flowers were stamped again with black ink on white card and painted with twinkling H2Os, fussy cut, and then adhered over the original - you can just see the sparkle in this shot.

The doily is one from a pack I bought years ago when I first started stamping. Unfortunately they are plate size, not cocktail size, so I had to trim it to fit somewhat more than I would prefer.

The lace is some I have on hand, but after adding that, I still felt the whole was somewhat dull, so out came the rhinestones and volia, I was very happy with the end result.

I am linking this to:

Our Daily Bread Designs - Shining the Light challenge #72 - Add a tag

Really reasonable Ribbon Challenge #30 - Keep it Clean, use ribbon and/or lace

Sundays With chrissy - Challenge #20 - K.I.S.S.-Keep it Simple Stamper

Creative Stamp Friends - Challenge #31 - Handmade background

Happileigh stamping - challenge #35 - Keep it cool (Cool colours)

Kaboodle Doodle challenge #80 - bag or Tag it

Thank you for visiting - May your day be blessed

New Mexico Release..

Welcome back for a second release today - with having made my cards early thanks to the break, when this new set, New Mexico  by McMahon Five Design.com was offered, I took the opportunity to use it.

This is the first card I made

The background card was embossed with the Retro Squares folder, and the edges sponged with Memento Bamboo Leaves ink before being mounted on an olive green base.

The sentiment was cut out and embossed with a Nestabilities rectangle , and sponged with the same ink. The scalloped rectangle was sponged with Whisper Orange ink.

The jars were 'fussy cut' and painted with twinkling H2O's and mounted on foam spots.  

The second card I used some dp by Studio 313, called Ocean Water, but turned it ninety degrees to make it look like smoke whisps.

I cut the sentiment out and mounted it on the same card as the base of the card.

The sombrero was fussy cut and coloured with watercolour pens

The peppers were again coloured with the watercolour pens and fussy cut, and then I put a layer of dimensional glue over them, which gave them a wonderful glaze and made them a real feature of the card.

I finished the card with some bright red ribbon and a button.

I am linking this to:

Divas by Design Challenge #8 - Birthdays (second card)
AiFactory - Anything Goes - (first card)
Craft Us Crazy Challenge #14 - Anything Goes - second card
Crafty Sentiments - Dies and Punches - first card
Do You Stack up - challenge #32 - embossing - card one
Paper Play Challenge #32 - create your own Dp - first card
Pixie dust studio Challenge #87 - Boys will be boys - second card

Thanks for calling by - may your day be blessed

Break over!!

The summer (mid-winter for me) break for the Design Team for McMahon Five Design is over and we are all keen to present to you the new releases for this week.

This first image Shipwrecked is a wonderful atmospheric vintage image from McMahon Five Vintage Stamps

I painted the image with Twinkling H2Os after printing it out on watercolour paper giving the whole a rather eerie impression.

I then mounted the image over some distressed, double embossed card.

Here is a close up of the double embossed card. 

After mounting this on a deep blue base card, I then added the white panel and buttons.  This then had the ribbon added before it was mounted onto a white base card.

My second card this week is using an image from Solocosmo Digital Stamps.

I took the baby cupcake image and came up with this card

I made the background of the card by 'blocking' Pearlescent Lavender and Orchid inks direct to white card. (I learnt the technique here)  This gives a subtle sheen to the base.

The image was printed out and painted with Twinkling H2O's, had some pink rhinestones added and was mounted on dimensional foam dots.

The sentiment was stamped in the Orchid ink and mounted over some lace

The very base of the card is pink, and I taped some narrow pink lace to the edges before machine stitching the main panel onto it.

Please visit the rest of the design team (names and links on my sidebar) to see all the other exciting releases from McMahon Five Designs.com this week.

Thank you for visiting - may your day be blessed.