Holly Bears

As soon as I saw this image I was itching to ink it up and it's turned out to be one of my favourites from the new set from Lili of the Valley.  I love the bears and bunny, and even with so much green (not one of my favourite colours) I was really pleased how it turned out.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Greens: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Reds: Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany
• Ground: Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Card Recipe:

• Christmas Bears from Lili of the Valley
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges 2
• MFT Merry & Bright Paper pack
• Button Twine
• Holly button

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - CAS

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Bear-tastic

You may have seen the news that Lili of the Valley is on Hochanda on Monday with some new Christmas designs. I've been busy making samples which I'm sharing over the next week or so. There are some cute new characters and also some older ones returning. I'm so pleased to see some bears in the mix, and also some of my favourite Lili bunnies and mice.  I hope you love the new images as much as I do.  So here goes with today's sneek peek of one of the new images.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain 
• Holly: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Reds: Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany
• 'Whites': Weathered Wood
• Ground: Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Card Recipe:

• Christmas Bears from Lili of the Valley
• MFT Merry & Bright Plaid paper
• MFT Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges 2
• Flat Backed Pearls
• Memory Box Twilight Snowflakes
• Satin Ribbon

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge using - Anything Goes using Distress Ink Reinkers

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Ellie with Flowers

I've been a bit absent here lately but I've been working on some samples behind the scenes for a new release at Lili of the Valley.  Unfortunately I'm not allowed to share just yet, but trust me, I think they're worth the wait!  

Instead I'm sharing a cute little heffalump from Lee Holland which I've used on a birthday card. I've kept the card design flat so he's ideal for posting safely without the risk of him being damaged!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Ellie: Pumice Stone, Black Soot, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
• Greens: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Flowers: Wilted Violet, Abandoned Coral, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Seedless Preserves, Picked Raspberry
• Ribbon: Picked Raspberry

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Elephant with Flowers from Lee Holland
• Nitwit papers Perfect Pair
• Dovecraft Happy Birthday Die (sponged with Victorian Velvet ink)

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Bright & Cheerful
• That's Crafty - A Summer's Day

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Cat Box

I've created a little kitty gift box with my Silhouette and embossed his white chest fur to give it some texture.  I have been neglecting both my Silhouette and my embossing folders lately so this has put a tick in both of those boxes!  I love embossing when I remember to use it; I think it is a great way to create some texture and can make a card look more professional.  It's perfect for our challenge at As You Like It Challenge where the theme is embossing. The 'wet' kind is far too messy for my liking! :0)

Project Recipe:

• Cat Box Silhouette file
• Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder
• Natural Twine

I've been inspired by:

• Creatalicious - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Here's a Birthday Flyby

I've masked a few stamps together to make today's card from the Mama Elephant 'Me and my Dragon' stamp set.  The sentiment is from the MFT Magical Dragons set and suits it quite well. Dragons are meant to be scary, but this fella reminds me of Toothless from 'How to Train your Dragon'!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Girl's hair: Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick
• Dragon: Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord
• Greens: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Mountains: Hickory Smoke, Black Soot
• Sky: Tumbled Glass

Card Recipe:

• Mama Elephant Me and my Dragon
• MFT Magical Dragons (sentiment)
• Versafine Ink Pad
• Nitwit Collections Papers

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Transport
• Country View Crafts - Add Some Text watercoloured using DI reinkers
• Creatalicious - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Butterfly Wishes

I've loved the Tiny Townies images from Stamping Bella since they were first released and the new butterfly set are no exception.  This one's called Blanche and I even love her dainty hands! The folds on the dress were challenging but she didn't turn out too badly for a first attempt!  I added some white gel pen speckles on her wings and also some speckles on the sky around her although it doesn't show up well in the photograph!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Hair: Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick
• Wings/Ground: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Dress: Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Black Soot

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Stamping Bella Butterfly Girl Blanche 
• Versafine Ink Pad

Other:

• Nitwit Collections Papers
• Clearly Besotted Scrumptious Scripts

I've been inspired by:

• Country View - Add some text using DI Reinkers

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Get in Shape

I've loved this Go Kreate nesting die since I got it years ago. I don't use it much for cutting the images or panels, but instead for creating the actual cardbase shape. I love the flourished edges and it's a great size for my favourite 6x6 sized cards so I can still get a decent sized image (and some fussy bits) on it.  So when I came to consider the new favourite shape or fold at As You Like It Challenge, it had to be this shape!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Unicorn: Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Victorian Velvet, Aged Mahogany
• Greens: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint
• Sky: Tumbled Glass

Card Recipe:

• Unicorn with Butterflies from Lee Holland
• Creative Expressions Chic Floral paper pad
• 15mm Chocolate Purple Satin Ribbon
• Wild Orchid Crafts Cherry Blossom
• Wild Orchid Crafts Open Roses
• Go Kreate Labels nested die
• Crealies Crea-Nest-Lies XXL41 Pierced Circles
• 5mm Purple Crystals

I've been inspired by:

• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Are you Viking what you see?

I really adore these little Viking Kids from CC Designs so I've made them the centre of attention for today's creation.  After my recent 'bright' colour schemes, especially Monday's puppy, I've returned to some pastel colour tones!

I hope you're Viking my card! :0)

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Hair: Scattered Straw, Brushed Corduroy, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Aged Mahogany
• Browns: Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs
• Grass: Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Dino: Wilted Violet, Pumice Stone
• Greys: Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Viking Kids from CC Designs
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Stitched Basic Edges
• MFT Plaid Patterns paper pad

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Dandelion Clock

I've used an old LOTV image for today's card. The papers were also originally from LOTV but they are available now only as digis from Nitwit Creations. 

I've opted for a fussy card, with lots of embellishments including some gorgeous lilac satin ribbon, various flowers and some sparkly rhinestones.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Hair: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick
• Greens: Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn
• Dandelion: Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, 
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Purples: Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet
• Ground: Pumice Stone, Black Soot

Card Recipe:

• Dandelion Clock from Lili of the Valley
• Nitwit Collections Papers
• Wild Orchid Crafts Cosmos Daisy
• Wild Orchid Crafts Open Roses
• Wild Orchid Crafts Mini Rosebuds
• Crealies Crea-Nest-Lies XXL Double Stitched Rectangles
• 5mm Purple Crystals
• 15mm Lilac Satin Ribbon

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - All Things Bright and Beautiful

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

It's Your Day

I created this fun birthday card using an image by Lee Holland. I've got a few of his images recently and love his cute critters.  I hope you do too!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Grass/Balloon: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Purples: Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Wilted Violet
• Reds: Festive Berries, Fired Brick
• Grey: Pumice Stone

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Whimsy Stamps Puppy with Balloons
• Versafine Ink Pad
• Lawn Fawn Plaid Paper Pack

I've been inspired by:

• Creative Inspirations - Clean & Simple
• Whimsy Inspires - Anything Goes
• Country View Crafts - The Written Word (Using DI Reinkers from CVC)

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

... Simples!

I recently treated myself to a few (more) Clearly Besotted stamps and these meerkats happened to fall into my cart!  I think I may have got the colours wrong because according to Google (and hindsight) I think they're more grey than beige/brown but I think mine have been using 'Just for Men' hair dye to get rid of their greys!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Grass: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Rock: Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Card Recipe:

• Got Your Back from Clearly Besotted
• Versafine Ink Pad

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Masculine

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Best Friends Forever

Another stamp set that fell into my cart during my spending frenzy at Clearly Besotted was this cute little 'hot stuff' set. I've used 3 of the baby dragons and one of the sentiments from the set to create today's clean and simple card.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Orange Dragon:  Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge
• Purple Dragon: Wilted Violet, Dusty Concord
• Red Dragon: Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany
• Grass: Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass

Card Recipe:

• Clearly Besotted Hot Stuff stamp set
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Merry & Bright paper pad

I've been inspired by:

• The Daily Marker Challenge (My first time joining in here!)

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Bear Hugs

I can't believe it's June tomorrow!  Where is this year going?  Anyhoo, today I'm using a little stamp which was sent to me by a very lovely friend. I think she might have an inkling that I love bears!  

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
• Grass: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass

Card Recipe:

• CC Designs Fluffy Bear (sadly now retired)
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Stitched Basic Edges 2
• MFT Plaid Patterns paper pad

I've been inspired by:

• That's Crafty - A stitch in time
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Have a Pawfect Birthday

I've made a kitty card similar to the puppy version I shared a fortnight ago. I love the sentiment to go with this one!  I've kept the layout very simple to focus on the image and used a soft seam binding for texture across the top. I like the soft colour and texture of the seam binding which is far less bulky than my usual satin ribbon choice.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Hair: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, 
• Skin: Tattered Rose, Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick
• Grass: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Reds: Candied Apple, Barn Door, Aged Mahogany
• Fur: Tea Dye, Vintage Photo

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• MFT New Best Friend
• MFT Dienamics New Best Friend
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges 2

Other:

• Nitwit Collections Papers
• Seam binding
• Twine

I've been inspired by:

• Creative Inspirations - Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Cute Cubs

I had a little spending spree at Clearly Besotted last week and these cute cubs were one of the things that fell into my basket.  It would be rude not to let them out to play, wouldn't it? I just want to give them a snuggle!  The one on the right looks like he's giving instructions to the others!  I used 3 cub stamps and a sentiment from the set, masking the cub on the left in order to add the middle one behind him.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Cubs: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Worn Lipstick
• Grass: Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass

Card Recipe:

• Cute Cubs from Clearly Besotted
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Plaid Patterns paper pad

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Masculine
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Use more than one stamp

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Strike up the Band

A lovely friend heard that I was trying to get my inky little paws on the MFT 'Strike up the Band' stamp set. I think it's now retired so she really kindly re-homed her set!  I love these little guys in their red coats (I imagine them wearing little red velvet coats!) and I know I'm going to love using these. I'm so happy to play with them today and have teamed them up with an appropriate sentiment from the same set. I hoped it was a little more masculine than my usual 'cuties' and therefore increase my masculine card counter!

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
• Grass: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Reds: Candied Apple, Aged Mahogany
• Tails: Hickory Smoke
• Drums/Symbols - Hickory Smoke, Black Soot, Antique Linen
• Horn - Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge

Card Recipe:

• MFT Strike up the Band
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Stitched Basic Edges 2
• MFT Plaid patterns Merry & Bright Paper Pad

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Use more than 1 stamp
• That's Crafty - Stitching
• Simon's Monday Challenge - Masculine (it's for my Brother-in-law)

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Hoppy Birthday

We're looking at flora and fauna at As You Like It Challenge this week, and for me it's definitely got to be fauna! I love most things cute and furry so these bunnies fit the bill perfectly!  They're from Mama Elephant and there's a whole host of them in the set.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Fur: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs
• Ears: Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
• Tail: Hickory Smoke
• Grass: Shabby Shutters, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss
• Sky: Tumbled Glass
• Banner: Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Fired Brick

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Mama Elephant Hippity Hop
• Versafine Ink Pad
• MFT Dienamics Stitched Basic Edges 2
• MFT Paper Pad

Other

• Crealies flower duo die CLDD35
• Crealies flower duo die CLset35
• 15mm Satin Ribbon
• Large flat backed pearl

I've been inspired by:

• Country View Crafts - Humorous watercoloured using DI Reinkers and Pads from CVC
• Penny Black & More - Anything Goes

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

Tweetings

We're in the middle of a heatwave here in the UK so for my midweek card I've made a Christmas card!  I decided that I have been neglecting my good intention of making a few Christmas cards per month and today's card is a feeble attempt to increase the numbers (by 1) with a tweet sweet stamp set from Honey Bee called Season's Tweetings (I've used the sentiment of the same name too).

The birds are really cute and could be chicks, penguins or robins so are quite versatile.  I stamped and masked 3 of them in this mini flock and sponged ink around them in Victorian Velvet, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and Black Soot.

Water-coloured on Langton Watercolour paper with Ranger Distress Ink Reinkers:

• Birds: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
• Greens: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint
• Sky: Victorian Velvet, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky, Black Soot
• Santa Hat: Festive Berries, Aged Mahogany, Iced Spruce

Card Recipe:

From Dies To Die For:

• Honey Bee Stamps Season's Tweetings (Image and sentiment)
• Versafine Ink Pad

Other:

• Nitwit Collections Papers (Promises Solids)
• Black Glaze Pen
• White Gel Pen

I've been inspired by:

• Crafty Calendar - Things with Wings
• Country View Crafts - Humorous watercoloured using DI Reinkers and Pads from CVC
• Crafty Inspirations - CAS (or Fussy, but it's easy to see which I opted for!)
• Simon's Wednesday Challenge - Use more than one stamp (using Honey Bee Stamp Set & watercoloured using DI Reinkers)

Happy crafting
Annette
xx

3 Bottles

I decided to try to be organised for my holidays this year by buying some 100ml cosmetic bottles for my holibobs (Wilkos had them for 50p each or 3 for 2).  They even have detachable clips to prevent them from dispensing whilst squished in transit.  

I decided to decorate the labels with semi-related images;  I chose 

1. James with his umbrella for shower gel, 
2. Umbrella bear with a wet head for shampoo, and 
3. Dressed Up girlie bear touching her face for cleanser

Well, they kind of work!  :0)

All of the digis are from Lili of the Valley and I printed them onto normal white printer labels.  I will admit that the labels were awful to colour but the images were so small I decided it didn't really matter. My blending and shading sort of went out the window but they'll be no prizes for colouring on this project!

I covered the labels with clear tape to protect them from condensation and moisture when they're in the bathroom, but I took the photographs before I added the tape because I knew it would be difficult to photograph if they were glossy.

In case you're desperate to know, the font I used for the text is called "KG Beneath Your Beautiful Chunk".  It bothers me that I want to change the "your" in its name to "you're" because as it currently reads I am left to ponder what a 'KG' is, why one might be stored beneath a 'chunk' and what a 'chunk' actually is (beautiful or otherwise).  

Surely these are too many questions for a mere font name to generate?

I'm off to lie down in a dark room.

Recipe:

• Dressed Up from Lili of the Valley (cleanser)
• James Umbrella from Lili of the Vallley (shower gel)
• Umbrella bear from Lili of the Valley (shampoo)
• Wilko empty cosmetic dispensers
• Coloured (badly) with Copics
• White printer labels
• Font: KG Beneath Your Beautiful Chunk

I've been inspired by:

• Simon's Monday Challenge - Inspired by a Song (Summer Holiday!)

Happy crafting
Annette
xx