This is a card I quickly made the other day for a challenge - left it too late to enter and now I cannot remember which challenge it was for! 

It is a sweet little card which I thought I would share with you.  Just to confuse the issue even more it is a very old stamp and, guess what, I cannot tell you where it came from!

Here it is.   A little bit too CAS perhaps . . . . .

Hello -  Happy Birthday

Add caption
Sentiment: Clearly Besotted Stamps
Stamp - Unknown
Die - Memory Box Parker Numbers

This was simply a matter of stamping the image in Memento Black ink and then colouring in with some Promarkers.

I then stamped the sentiment and added the die cut number.  I think that I should have added a bit of bling or ribbon or something just to add another dimension.

I am afraid that my colouring is rubbish.  However much I try I cannot do basic shading which is a bit of a drawback!  So I go out of my way to avoid any kind of colouring if possible!


That is all for now.

Margaret x

Less is More Challenge Week 130

The inspiration over at  Less is More  this week  is a beautiful image of a pair of very glamorous black shoes.  I am not sure that I was ever able to wear shoes quite as daring as these but I do remember the days when I squeezed my feet into a pair of very pointed stiletto heels but those days are long gone - the flatter the better now!

Anyway, I have managed to come up with something vaguely like the image and for once I happen to have the appropriate stamp which is quite a change for me.

This is the result . . . . .

                      You can never have too many

Add caption
Supplies: Clearly Besotted Stamps
Stamps sets - ' Stepping Out' and  'Building Blocks'
Sentiment - 'Stepping Out'

The stripes are stamped in Black Memento Ink on to a square piece of white card and 
then mounted on to the black card with foam pads.  I then stamped the shoe in black, cut it out and positioned it with foam pads.  It was then finished off with some red pearls - and of course the sentiment.

This actually looks better in real life as it has a 3D effect but unfortunately I could not  show this very well in the photograph - think I will have to go on a photography course!

It is raining here at the moment I must say that it is a nice change to feel a bit cooler!

That is all for now.

Margaret x

CAS(E) this Sketch 37

I made this card a few days ago for Case this Sketch but I have only just got around to posting it.

This is the first time that I have entered this challenge but I think that I shall be back for more.  The blog is packed with inspiration and the Design Team are amazing. 

With Love

Perhaps this is just too simple.  Just one leaf from a Clearly Besotted Stamps Set  'You Are'  and a Sentiment from another set 'Happy Everything'.

These stamps were inked in Versa Magic 'Sea Breeze' and 'Sahara Sand' with a touch of  Hero Arts 'Butter Bar'.  What more could I do than finish off with a few sequins?

Sahara Sand is very relevant to the weather here at the moment although I think that we are building up to a thunderstorm which will hopefully clear the air a bit.

Well that is all for now

Thank you so much for visiting

Margaret x

Clearly Besotted Challenge Week 2 - Seeing Spots (2nd entry)

I thought that I would just quickly post this card - a second entry for the  Challenge over at Clearly Besotted Stamps.    I made this sometime ago and I thought that it would fit the bill today.

I don't know about you but I am finding it a little bit warm for crafting at the moment - what a good excuse for sharing yet another little thing I made earlier!

Hope you like it . . . .

Happy Birthday

Supplies: Clearly Besotted Stamps

Stamp Sets - Background Builders, Leafy Accents, Full of  surprise,
Flower Arrangement

Sentiment - Happy Everything



The polka dot background was stamped first in Versa Magic Chalk Ink 'Spring Pansy'.

The large leaf was then stamped over the top in Memento 'Bamboo Leaves'. The flowers

and butterfly were then added using Versa Magic Chalk Ink 'Perfect Plumeria'. 

It was then  finished off with a strip of scalloped dark green card, some pearls and twine.

Well that is all for now. Perhaps I can come up with something fresh for next time!

Margaret x

Less is More Challenge Week 128 - Not Square or Rectangular

The Challenge at Less is More  this week is for a card that is not square or rectangular.

Recently I have got into the habit of making my own card blanks out of A4 card that I buy in bulk and of course because I usually go for the easy option I usually end up with, guess what? . . . square or rectangular!

Anyway I dug deep into 'my box' and found just one  pretty cream shaped card blank that I have had for ages - I could only have one go at this as it had to be a one layered card.

This is it . . . .

Just for You

This did not involve too much talent!

The centre of the card was lightly sponged with Versa Magic Chalk Ink  'Sea Breeze'  and 'Persimmon' with a touch of 'Pear Tart'.

I then stamped the image with Versa  Magic Pink Grapefruit

 (This is a very old stamp - I am afraid I do not know where I got it from)

The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted Stamps. 

Well, that is all for now.  It is even hotter here today - doing this before the sun gets to me.
Hope you are all surviving!

Margaret x

Polka Dots are all the rage at the moment and I thought that I would kill two birds with one
stone with this card as there are two Challenges,  Clearly Besotted Challenge Seeing Spots and CAS-ual Fridays CFC109 Polka Dots, asking for this theme.


I think that I am being influenced by the sun at the moment  -  there seems to a great deal of 'sunny yellow'  around in this creation!

Sunny Side Up

Supplies: Clearly Besotted Stamps

Stamps Set - 'You Are',   Sentiment 'Honeycomb'
Dies - 'You Are'

I started off by stamping the swirl for the stem of the flower in Memento 'Bamboo Leaves' - I have had this stamp for ages -  the polka dots circles were  randomly stamped around it in Hero Arts 'Butter Bar'.

The flower was then die cut from a piece of Hero Arts Hues Card, stamped and embossed with white embossing powder.

To finish off I attached a piece of matching Yellow card which had been punched with a scallop edge punch.

That is all for now. 
Hope that you are all coping with the heat wave in the UK!

Thank you so much for visiting.

Margaret x

Colour Q Challenge 197

I have been an admirer of the colourQ  Royal Court Design Team long before I started to blog - which incidentally is only a few weeks ago! 

Choosing a colour combination when making a card is so difficult but these clever ladies come up with something original week after week and is a great inspiration to us all.

Well, at last, I thought that I would take the plunge and enter one of their challenges hoping that my interpretation of the colour palette comes up to scratch.

This is what I have come up with . . . . 

Supplies: Clearly Besotted Stamps

Stamps sets - 'You Are',   'Background Builders',  Butterfly Wishes
 Die - "Butterfly Wishes Die Collection'
Sentiment - 'Happy Everything'

I started off by randomly stamping the flower in Brilliance 'Sunflower Yellow' and then used the small circle stamp to fill in the centre of the flower using Versa Magic  'Pink Grapefruit'.

I then tried to balance the colour by using the circle stamp again - this time using Memento 'Bamboo Leaves'.

The butterfly die was stamped over with a co-ordinating spotted stamp from  'Background Builders' another very useful set from Clearly Besotted.

This was then mounted onto green card and finished off with some yellow ribbon and two green pearls.

I do hope that this qualifies!

Thank you for visiting

Margaret x

Less is More Challenge Week 127 - Shades of Grey

The Challenge at Less is More this week is Shades of Grey. Not an easy one - I found it very
difficult not to introduce another colour to brighten things up!


Anyway, I think I have stuck to the rules and this is what I came up with . . .

Shades of Grey

Supplies: Clearly Besotted Stamps

Stamps - 'Flower Arrangement'
'Birthday Wishes'

I used the individual flowers and leaves from the 'Flower Arrangement' set.  These were then stamped randomly in Vesafine Smokey Grey ink and Memento Tuxedo Black.   Occasionally blotting the Tuxedo Black and stamping again produced another shade of grey

I finished off by punching an edge on a piece of ridged card that I have had for some time and used some crystals for the centre of some of the flowers.

I hope that I am not too late for this weeks entry - it has been a little bit more of an effort with all this lovely weather.

Thank you so much for dropping by.

Margaret x

Scrabbling Around

A few days ago I realised that I had to make a 'New Home' card but had absolutely nothing to make it with - another challenge!

I thought about just cutting out a square and a triangle and paper piece a house but then I suddenly thought of the Clearly Besotted Honeycomb set. There is a frame stamp in it which with a little imagination can be turned into a row of houses - so this is what I came up with . . . 

Good Luck

Suplies Clearly Besotted Stamps

Stamps - 'Honeycomb',  'Leafy Accents',  'You're a Hoot'

I started off by stamping the houses in Memento Tuxedo Black at the top of the card and

then lightly sponged a small area below the houses with Versa Magic 'Sea Breeze'.

My trusty 'Leafy Accents' was used for the branch and the owl die cut from ' You're a Hoot'. The image of the owl and the flowers were stamped in Memento Rose Red.

Using a ProMARKER I added doors, windows and chimneys to the houses and the sentiment comes from a couple of different Clearly Besotted Stamps sets.

From what I have seen over at Clearly Besotted Blog one of the new sets to be released this month is 'Home Sweet Home' so perhaps I should have waited!

That is all for now.

Thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comments.

Margaret x

Less is More Challenge Week 126 - Lucky Dip

The Challenge at Less is More this week is Sand.

I have had to scrape around a bit for this one as sand is a bit thin on the ground here!

Anyway, I found this Clarity Stamp which I have had for some time and thought that I could adapt that.

This is the final result . . . .

Sending You Sunshine

Supplies: Clarity Stamps
Clearly Besotted Stamps

I die cut a piece of card and using torn paper for a mask, I started to create a scene by lightly sponging the sky with Versa Magic 'Aquatic Splash' chalk ink. 

A punched out disk was used as a mask for the sun and then lightly sponged over with 'Pink Grapefruit' and 'Persimmon'.  

It is possible to create the image of mountains by changing the angle of the mask as you gradually work down the picture.  I stamped the image - which incidentally is a figure sunbathing under a tree - with Versa Magic 'Eggplant'.

At the bottom I sponged the sand in 'Sunflower Yellow' and embossed in Sparkle N Sprinkle embossing powder.

I finished off by mounting the picture on a piece of sand coloured textured card and stamped the sentiment from Clearly Besotted.

I hope that this will be 'Sandy ' enough.

That is all for now.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Margaret x