Been away far too long!

Well hello stranger I haven't written for soooo long, it has taken me most of the day to remember how it all works. But I'm back to crafting again after the long break.  

I have been very busy over the last 7 months with lots of crafty things to show you all. 

 So what have I been up to. One of our  holidays  last year we traveled to Turkey, it was my first time visiting Turkey and I must say I really enjoyed it.  It was just the girls (Mum, Daughter, Sister and Me) it was so nice to relax by the pool with a book in the sun also spending some quality time with my family.  We all experienced a Turkish Bath and massage which cleanses the skin giving you a longer lasting tan and it worked! I have tan line even now 7 months later.  

I have also branched into making my own cold process soaps, its a lot of fun but I always seem to make an awful lot of washing up! Pictures to follow. 

More news later I want to show a commission that I created last week for an 18th birthday. I made up a box and a band with 18 on the front (so out of practice taking photos forgot to take one of the box)

  I used copics to colour, paper roses which got a splattering of picket fence crackle paint. The cream flowers and butterfly I molded from the new modge podge glue, love this as its so easy to paint.  

Anyway that's it for me tonight I'll be back tomorrow with another make. 

Checks, Stripes and Flowers

Hello everybody, gosh it feels like ages since I last blogged.  I have been having problems with my internet and haven't been able to connect.  Hopefully we are all fixed now. Today is the start of a new challenge over on Anything Goes Challenge blog the theme this week is "Checks, Stripes and Flowers". So head on over and join in. This fortnight we have the lovely Annette hosting so be sure to head on over to her blog and 

leave some love. 

We are also looking for a few new team members to join our fabulous team Click here to apply..

I have been neglecting my character stamps the last few months so this was the perfect challenge to dig them out and use my beloved copics which I'm sorry to say have been not used in a while.. 

Really love this cute stamp from Saturated Canary she is called Wallflower and is a dream to colour.. 

The sentiment comes from Lilly of the Valley.  The hearts are made from clay and mold, sprayed with Dylusion inks and coloured over with Creative Inspirations Paints which give a gorgeous shimmer.. 

Loving these lollipop flowers which have been made from coffee filters, distress inks and creative inspirations  paints. The centres are from Prima.. 

Craft Den's Website is still off line, hoping to be up and running soon.  Check out Craft Den's Facebook Page to keep updated.  

Honey, Honey....

Hello peps, Happy Easter to you all.  Hope you haven't over indulged on the chocolate eggs..  

So sorry I'm a little late with my inspiration today, but better late than never. 

I'm going through a purple faze at the minute, can't seem to get enough.. lol 

I decided to try my hand at the shabby chic style and came up with this card. Unfortunately the photograph's haven't come out every good as the weather today is rather dull..  

I will list and link all Cheery Lynn Dies used at the end of the post so all you have to do is click..lol 

The border on the side is a favourite of mine and seem to reach for it all the time, its called the Frills and Hearts banner and is simply divine.  I used a crimp machine to create that cardboard effect and then applied white paint. 

The smaller border on the other side of the card is the part of the frills and hearts border that you would normally throw away but I think its to pretty so in actual fact you get two borders for the price of one.  You will find that with Cheery Lynn Dies you can sometimes use the positive and negative cuts..     

Here is a close up of the Cutie Fringe flower and the metal butterfly that I heat embossed with Shabby Chic Fantage embossing powders.. 

Copic Colours 

V28, 22, 20

BV95, 93, 91

W7, 5, 3, 2, 1, 0

E41 

V99, 95, 93, 91

I absolutely adore these new daisy strip flowers and the Rose leaf strip is also one of my favourites.. I have also used the Tiny things with wings die for the cute little bumble bee, see if you can spot it between the flowers.  I have again embossed using Fantage embossing powers. On the corners I embossed one of the corner dies and believe me when I tell you they look like metal.. 

This gorgeous paper is a new one for me, its from Maja Designs and is called Vintage Spring Basic and wow is it fabulous!! 

Don't forget to head over to the Challenge blog and join in this week's challenge but you better be quick as it ends later today.  If you missed it don't worry a new challenge theme starts tomorrow and the theme will be... "Back to Nature" and your chance to win $20 coupon to spend in the Cheery Lynn Store.

I would like to enter into the following challenges 

Saturated Canary - Pretty Pastels 

Girl with the Red Balloon

Hello all hope you are all having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I have for you today your daily dose of Doilies, Flourishes and Flowers.. You got it! My Cheery Lynn Inspiration

Our theme and challenge starting tomorrow over on  Cheery Lynn Challenge Blog is

"Think Spring"

You must use a Cheery Lynn Die to enter into the competition, the prize is $ 20 coupon to spend on dies in the Cheery Lynn Store

In Cheery Lynn's last die Release they brought out some cute mini labels.  These labels worked out brilliantly of a banner.  I strung them together with a little bakers twine and added some of the mini butterflies which I have inked with faded jeans Distress inks.  You can't see the sheen very well on the photo as they have been sprayed with some glimmer mist too. 

Here is a close up view of the other butterflies that I have used and that gorgeous Victorian Picket Fence.  For the fence I painted with Tim Holtz Picket Fence crackle paint, distressed with a small amount of Antique Linen distress ink.  The grass at the bottom just adds to the effect.. 

On the other side of the card I used Judy's blooms to create a small flower which I have shaped using a large embossing tool. To the centre I added stamens from Build a Flower #3. You can just make out the twirly things coming up from the flower they were make using the quilling strip die. Check the bottom of this post for the links to all products used to create my card.

Other products I have used are 

Coredination card stock

Here's a close up of the image I used from Saturated Canary called Balloon Wishes.  In the picture below you can also see the hearts boarder that I used.  I die cut it first then ran it through a crimping machine a few times then distressed using DI's 

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges

The ABC Challenge - J For Just as You Like
Vickie's Challenges - Anything Goes
One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
Saturated Canary Challenge - All about books (Have Cute Text)
Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
Oldie but a Goodie - Feeling Floral (Die cuts are over 6 Mths old)
Through the Craftroom Door - Anything goes
Use it Tuesday - Die Cuts, Punches and Cutouts. (Paper Crimper, distress inks are my hoarded goodies)