Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hello!

It's the Fall Coffee Lovers Bloghop so time to ink up those coffee/tea themed stamps:

My mojo went a bit walkabout with this one - let's just say I was really 'procaffeinating' about what to do.  I couldn't decide on colour, design or even stamps...so used the latest Retro Sketch with the colours from Fusion for some inspiration. In hindsight I probably should have had a couple of cups of  strong coffee to get the creative juices flowing!

Hope you have time to join in the fun!

Thanks for calling by,

Claire

Brightly Blooming

Hello again!

I haven't had a play with a Retro Sketch for months and since I had PTI's Lovely Layers already messing up my desk I thought it would work perfectly with this brightly coloured bloom:

The colours are from Colour Throwdown's latest challenge - a couple of scraps of patterned paper, PTI sentiment from Birthday Sentiments and a touch of twine and it all came together pretty quickly.

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Claire x

Calling all Space Cadets

Hey all!

It's been a while since I had a play at Retro Sketches so I rustled up this little card using Arielle's latest sketch:

Francine Vuilleme did a great tutorial for an outer space background on Splitcoast Stampers a few weeks ago and I've been itching to have a go.  The background has been stencilled using a Paper Smooches Polka Dot Border die again with texture paste. Not a great photo - the light was fading by the time I got home from work!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Claire x

Winter/Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hello bloggers!

I almost missed this month's Coffee Lover's Blog Hop so I'm just sneaking this little card in before Mr Linky closes:

I used this week's Retro Sketch for a little inspiration and Waltzingmouse's Coffee Set to fit the coffee lovers theme!

Have a great weekend!

Claire x

Colour Q #296

Hello!

Where on earth does the time go? This week has absolutely flown by and it's time again for a new Colour Q challenge:

It's a rare Colour Q when I have the exact inks. I thought they would be perfect for a masculine 40th card using this fun CAS-ual Fridays set. I love the stripes in this set - it's so easy to create a background in different colours.  I used this week's Retro Sketch for some design inspiration, although I have to admit I've kind of adjusted it a bit.

Check out he blogs of the lovely ladies form the rest of the team won't you?

Happy stamping!

Claire x

Colour Q #293

Evening all!

So after an extended challenge, it's time for Colour Q #293. Can you believe we're almost up to our 300th challenge? It's a bright, bold and fun palette today...I can definitely see a few cards for the boys using these colours:

I used this week's Retro Sketch to kick start my mojo and Mama Elephant's Nursery Deco to create the little nursery scene.  I've had babies on my mind recently as I became an auntie again a couple of weeks ago. In a family of boys, you can imagine my delight that I'm able to buy something pink at last.  And I'm even going to get to see her in person soon when I make a trip back to the UK (dare I say it, without the kids!)

Enjoy getting inky this week - thanks for stopping by!

Claire x

Colour Q #284

Hello bloggers!

There's a brand new set of colours to play with over at Colour Q:

I would have loved to have  had a longer play with these pretty colours but I've had both kidlets  at home sick in the last couple of days so not much time to get creative. It's therefore a very CAS card from me this week - I blended some Blushing Nude,  Perfect Plum and Soft Blue inks and sprayed them with water. I stamped them with some Penny Black poppies, then added some olive watercolour to the base of the poppies and the stems.

Since time was short I got some sketchy inspiration from Retro Sketches too:

Hope you get the time to play around with the colours this week - catch you later!

Claire x

Thinking of You

Hello bloggers!

I haven't had a play over at The Card Concept for a while - they currently have a 'Thinking of You' challenge which I've combined with the latest Retro Sketch:

I haven't inked up W Plus 9's Fresh Cut Florals for ages - as soon as I saw the inspiration pic I thought this would be  the perfect set to use. The chevron arrows peeping through the card stock belong to a strip of washi tape. Despite the many 'thinking of you' sentiments in my stash, not a single one fitted the image so I used a sentiment from a Technique Tuesday set instead..I think 'I'm here for you' gives the same impression!

I'm sticking this one into the 'classy and elegant' category this week - hope you get the chance to join in!

Claire x

Colour Q #275

Hello blogging friends!

It feels an age since I last posted - we've just spent a couple of days camping in an area called Myall Lakes, North of Sydney. We were surrounded by the biggest Goannas I've ever seen - it was a true Aussie experience in the bush. At least it was only Goannas this time...last year we were accompanied by a Red Belly Black snake in a tree about 5 metres away from our tent.  The children came back utterly filthy...they really do just seem to attract the dirt - can someone tell me if this is only a boy thing or do little girls get just as dirty?!

Moving on, it's time for this week's Colour Q challenge:

 It was one of those rare times when I had all the required colours so I stamped a background with WMS' Folk Art Medallion. That was the easy part - the hard part was creating a card with such a busy background so I looked to Retro Sketches for a bit of help and as usual it delivered! I die cut a panel out of vellum which softened the pattern a little, then added the sentiment to a second plain panel of card stock. The little blooms are Paper Smooches stand alone dies.

Hope you get the time to get crafty this week - thanks for stopping,

Claire x

Colour Q #272

Evening bloggers!

So I'm sitting here blogging today feeling like the worst Mum in the world. Dare I say that we haven't got a single Christmas decoration up in our house yet? Or a tree for that matter.  The big bloke has spent the last few weeks renovating and the thought of adding a Christmas tree and all the other paraphernalia that goes with it to the copious amounts of dust is not enticing. Tomorrow though, the Christmas decorations will be coming out from hiding as I attempt to inject a Christmassy feeling throughout the house!

But before Christmas actually does come to our house it's time to post the latest Colour Q palette:

Screams Christmas doesn't it? But not to me. All the cards have gone out and once they're done I'll do anything to avoid making more.  I tied my card in with a couple of other challenges - Retro Sketches and Waltzingmouse Fanatics where the theme is 'anything goes'.  Sad to see it's the last WMS Fanatics challenge.  I wish I'd been able to enter more often (as I do consider myself a bit of a WMS Fanatic) but time just seems to be in very short supply in recent months.

I used WMS Simple Sprig. I wasn't too sure about this set when I first saw it but I've grown to love it...it's perfect for a CAS card.

Hope you can find the time to get into crafty mode this week - go and say hi to the rest of the DT!

Thanks for taking a peek,

Claire x

Colour Q #255

Hello blogging friends!

Tuesday's rolled around once more so it's new Colour Q time....where has the week gone?  Oh that's right, it's been washed away in the torrential rain we've been having here in Sydney.  After months of brilliant blue skies and warm sun,  we're now experiencing payback in the form of non-stop windy, wet and soggy days.

This type of weather seems to play havoc with my mojo. I have to admit I drew a complete blank when I saw this week's colours so I had a bit of help with the latest Retro Sketch:

  I stamped a typed background with W Plus 9 and then stamped the Doodlebug Designs bloom over the top, used a Copic to colour some of the petals and added a resin centre.  The notebook strip was cut with my Cameo and the patterned papers came from a 6x6 Authentique pad - I coloured one of them with the same Copic marker so that it matched the petals on the flower.

Well, let's hope the mojo comes flowing back in the next couple of days...hope you can get some happy stamping going!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x 

Colour Q #245 - keeping it CAS

Evening folks!

Can it really be Tuesday? Again? We've got such a pretty set of colours for you this week - I can see lots of flowery creations for this one:

I gave the flowers a miss and used a sweet little Imaginisce stamp to make a first birthday card for my nephew.  The waves have been stamped using Mama Elephant's Modern Borders and I kept it CAS by embossing the same image in white on the card base.  I used this week's Retro Sketch for a bit of mojo flow:

Make sure you check out the rest of the DT's gorgeous creations again - heaps of inspiration to whet your crafty appetite!

Thanks for popping by!

Claire x

Golden Sparkle - Colour Q #241

Hello bloggers!

Where has the week gone? I can't believe I haven't had the chance to get crafty since the last Colour Q challenge. I wish someone had told me that when the kids go to school, you're actually busier.  How on earth does that work?

There's a striking colour combo for this week's challenge which gives you the chance to add a bit of golden sparkle to your project:

I based my card on the simple sketch over at Retro Sketches.  I substituted Soft Sky for Pool Party and stamped a Hero Arts flower background with some added gold embossing. I thought that stamp went perfectly with the crayon-like flower from SU's Flower Shop.  A couple of die cut swirls and some gold embossed WMS leaves and I was all done.  The chocolate chip background paper is some older SU designer paper...it goes so well with the different shades of blue.

So get your sparkly stuff out - sequins....embossing powder....papers and link up to the latest challenge. Don't forget to pop over to the rest of the DT for some crafty inspiration!

Thanks for looking,

Claire x

'Grunge'

Hello folks!

This blog has been looking a bit too pretty lately - all butterflies, flowers and swirly bits. So when I saw the code word over at Addicted to CAS was 'grunge' I thought it would be a good chance for me to get away from a floral theme. I absolutely love the sketch over at Retro Sketches too so I used that for some inspiration:

Now I don't do grunge. This is about my limit I'm afraid - a few splashes of ink using PTI's Grunge Me and a kind of grungy background stamp from Kaisercraft. I've also used a Kaisercraft sentiment.  I'm really happy with how it turned out...just enough mess to compliment my clean and simple style.

I'll be back later with the next Colour Q palette...back to a flowery theme again!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Retro Umbrella

Morning folks!

Just a quick one as I'm internet challenged this week which is a polite way of saying my internet is completely stuffed. Not much blogging for me then.

The theme at The Card Concept is to use an umbrella so I've used PTI's Scattered Showers together with the latest Retro Sketch:

Another clean and layered one for me...I really must try another one of those styles mustn't I?

Thanks for stopping,

Claire x

Colour Q #233

G'day folks!

It's been quiet on the crafty front for me this week. I have my Mum over from the UK at the moment so not much time to get inky!

Having said that I have managed to play with the brand new combo over at Colour Q - a gorgeous mix of masculine and feminine don't you think?

I used the latest sketch over at Retro Sketches for a bit of inspiration. Shall we say that when Mum comes over the wine is flowing rather too freely and it plays havoc with the mojo, so I definitely needed a bit of help...

Check out the beautiful creations by the rest of the team...you'll be so glad you did!

Thanks for stopping,

Claire x

Merry Christmas and a New Colour Q

Hello bloggers!

Can you believe we only have a few hours to go until Santa arrives?  I'm currently blogging with one eye out the window, waiting for the rural fire service to arrive on to our street. It's an annual tradition for them to drive around the local area with the lights flashing and the siren blaring - Santa sits on the top of the engine throwing sweets to all the local kids, who wait on the street expectantly. My kids love it!

Since it's Tuesday it can only mean another Colour Q challenge. I'm posting a little early today as my in-laws are about to arrive for the festive break. This week the colours are a gorgeous, fresh combination of blues and light brown:

Recognise the papers?  Luckily I had them handy from my previous card so I didn't have to think too hard about what to use. I also used the sketch from this week's Retro Sketches:

Not sure how much crafty time I'll get in the next few days so I'll wish you a wonderful, happy and safe Christmas. Thanks for popping by,

Claire x