Back from an unplanned break...

Well .... there's a month gone flying by since I last made any cards and posted to my blog... but I must say I am very happy to be back watercolouring at my desk today.....   just a visitor and life getting in the way, oh and yes some crochet and gardening.

Being the first Monday of the month and being inspired by Darnells IDEAS prompt -  "I" = Inks, I got into the inking mode and stamped some holly images using Antique Linen Distress Ink and then watercolouring over the outline with more Distress Inks... the outline of the stamped image takes up the new colour  - so I did well and made two cards and added gold embossed sentiments.

My third card is just inking the stamp with the green DI and then watercolouring, finishing with the gold embossed sentiment.

My next card is for the September challenge over at CAS Christmas - Woodland Critters .... do you know how hard it is the create snowy cards and ones with 'woodland animals'  - here in Australia - not much snow and our wild critters are kangaroos and possums and dingoes... anyway I managed to find a couple of cute animals to make a clean and simple card, more stamped outlines and watercolouring.

The majority of my cards feature flowers... so when CAS Mix Up September challenge wanted Sunflowers I was pretty happy...  

My first card is stenciled with Distress Inks

and my second is a stamp - where I used markers directly onto the stamp but then added more ink to create depth.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.... have a wonderful day, cheers Robyn

My daughter loves sunflowers and a few years ago I crocheted her this Sunflower blanket.

This is my latest crochet project 

Christmas cards

Had a lovely visit with a friend today.... been quite a while since we got together to stamp and make cards.....   so it was nice to sit afterwards and make a couple of Christmas cards for my stash.

I'm joining challenges at

Just Us Girls #835 - Die week

Just Add Ink #791 - Christmas in July

CAS Christmas August challenge - Santa's Sleigh

Darnell's Weekly IDEAS prompt - Week 2 - "D" = Die Cuts

First card is just all Die Cuts...  a swirly background from my stash backed with pine leaves greenery and hung with a sparkly ornament and sentiment to finish.

Second card I stamped a silhouette Santa sleigh on to a starry night patterned paper, then again on a die cut yellow moon which is easy to position over the first stamping... to create a scene inked up a couple of fir trees and positioned them on a snowy slope and finished with a stamped sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by my blog, have a wonderful day,   Cheers Robyn

Cards using die cut from my never ending stash pile

Two challenges this week, using die cuts as the theme

Darnell's Weekly IDEAS prompt... week 2 "D"  = Dies

Just Us Girls challenge #835 - Dies

For my first card I've used some pieces laying to the side on my desk...a few weeks back I was making cards with this die (Sizzix - Cut Out Leaves) and I decided I wanted the leaf shapes so left the die intact and used scissors to cut around the die giving me a stand alone leaf.  Then I used Distress Oxides to ink the leaves and did this over a white panel so I got a leaf shadow (sort of like using a stencil).  I liked it lots so today I used one leaf die to cut out and glued over a matched inked leaf then arranged my other leaves around and finished with a stamped sentiment.

My second card is made from bits too... this die cut is from a large die - I had trimmed the piece from one edge and into the stash it went.  Same with the background... can't even remember making it - it's on gloss card and I've no idea of the inks but the piece was just the right size for the die cut -- gave it a red cardstock border and finished with a stamped sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by my blog... have a super day and hope I can get back again this week with a Christmas card or two      Cheers Robyn

Here's a pic of my latest crochet knee rug to donate to Palliative Care

Thinking of You and Christmas ...

Hi and thanks for popping over to my blog...  busy week again and we have a visitor staying too, so life is in a jumble...  but I did find time yesterday to make a few cards... lots of bits from my stash again and patterned papers.

My first card is for the Just Us Girls challenge #834 - CASE a DT week... (Copy And Selectively Edit or C0py And Share Everything) --   so that is what I did  --- totally copied Ina's lovely die cut corner card.  As it was, I had the same die cut panel already in my stash, so it was nice and easy to find some pretty coloured background for the die cut and then decided to attach it to a matching blue card and finish off with a lighter die cut sentiment and a few gems.  AND I see I am toooo late to join in the challenge :-(

And now for my Christmas cards this week... I've made a Twofer - so easy to die cut two Santa Sleighs and decorate them for a cards using different background patterned papers and die cut sentiment. I'm joining the challenges at:

    CAS Christmas August challenge - Santa's sleigh

    Just Add Ink challenge #791 - Just Add Christmas in July

....which reminds me - my crochet group did enjoy their Christmas in July morning tea last Tuesday - lots of fun, food and friendship, not much crochet.

Mannny months ago I bought this cool card book with lots of floral preprinted cards and envelopes ... again it was forgotten... but I've had my colouring pencils out and have nearly completed two cards... I do find colouring with whatever medium I use,  quite relaxing.  

So I'm inspired to share with Darnell's Weekly IDEAS prompt...  week 1 "I" = Ink/Colour mediums.

Cheers and have a wonderful day, Robyn

Merry Christmas times Three

It's been a busy week and to join in a few challenges before the end of the month I've basically used some Christmasy patterned papers and three different die cut "Merry Christmas" sentiments and for the last card added a die cut bauble that was in my stash.... so I'm glad to be joining in with 

Christmas Kickstart challenge - #112 -  Grace us with your Presents

Word Power July challenge 

Rudolph Days July challenge 

and Darnells Weekly IDEAS prompt -- "A" = Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by my blog.... have a wonderful day, Cheers Robyn

Three cards from me this week....

 .... and where is this month going????  So much happening all at once, so I am pleased I sat down at my desk with a couple of challenges in mind.

Firstly the CAS Christmas July challenge... is for Snowmen  --  which for some of us is tricky with only having seen snow twice in my lifetime and never at Christmas.  I created a little snow scene for my stamped snowman and added some falling snow with my white paint pen.

 

Next a card for Darnell's Weekly IDEAS prompt... week 3 is "E" = Embossing.  I brayered ink from a  Kaleidacolor ink pad over an embossed panel and added some die cut leaves and sentiment.

My last card is also a Christmas card being inspired by the colours at Jingle Belles - Unicorn Holiday  - Christmas colour palette... to use 3 or more colours - I think I've used all the colours   ....   And also joining again at Christmas Kickstart challenge #112 - Grace Us with your Presents

I went for an easy card - simply cut some patterned papers into present shapes and added a contrasting die cut ribbon bow and finished with a die cut sentiment.
 

Thanks for stopping by my blog.... have a wonderful day, Cheers Robyn

Playing around with Dies

Darnell's Weekly IDEAS prompt - week 2 "D" = Dies/Die Cuts, had me looking for something a bit different... and I found this large Sizzix Thinlet - Folk Art Stencil which I proceeded to die cut from Holographic card - on the pack it says to die cut the design on a card front and use the holographic behind to shine through...  so I just did the exact opposite and then backed it with pink rice paper.

OHH, but then what do you do with all those lovely tiny die cut pieces...  yes silly me decided to glue them all to a card front... well nearly all of them.

The two cards look pretty anyway.

Next I'm trying to keep up with making Christmas cards each post... so here are two easy ones using die cut sentiments from my stash and teaming them with some pretty background papers.

With my first one I'm joining in again over at the Christmas Kickstart challenge #112 - Grace Us with Your Presents

There's also lots of parcels with stripey paper so I'll join the challenge at Jingle Belles - Stars or Stripe Forever.

Thanks for stopping by my blog... have a wonderful week, Cheers Robyn