The Travellers Return

Hello.  Welcome.  Well, here I am, back in Norwayland, after a brief but fun visit to the UK.  It turned into a bit of a gourmet tour.  No complaints there.  But where did all this laundry come from??  I thought it was under control before I left but now there's a mountain here.  Ah well, let's craft LOL

Home in time to sneak an entry in over at Scraps of Life for Rudolf Days.  I made a small one layer card using a NBUS stamp that came free with a magazine.  I used my watercolour pencils and my water brush.  Over at OLCC they wanted circles so I hope the moon, pom pom and berries fit LOL.  

Joining the fun at
March Rudolph Day
NBUS Challenge #4
OLCC #6 - Circles
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Altered Cards

Hello.  Welcome.  Here we are back with the altered playing cards.  Claudine has posted the final cards this week.  Can you believe it!!  OK,  I still have 8 blank cards, but I am so pleased and amazed that I have managed to do this challenge.  I hope to get the last 6 done next week when I return from my little week away, but here's two I managed to do before leaving home.  You can find Claudine's week 27 cards HERE.

I only had black and brown archival so I decided to use some of the backgrounds I made last week using reinkers and didn't use.  I picked caramel and green.  The green was a bit patchy but you can see the gold spritz.

I stamped using various PaperArtsy LP stamps.  I used the large oak leaf, black archival and Simon Says Stamp clear embossing powder (NBUS).  I used the postage collage stamp and Vintage Photo distress embossing powder (NBUS).

I stamped the eyes postage stamp and script stamp on grey paper.  The heart was stamped on book paper.  The sentiment is a Unity Stamp.   I added some washi tape, thanks Shery, and inked the edges.

I stamped more LP postage stamps and the large oak leaf on grey paper.  The sentiment is from Do crafts and more washi tape

The pair.  Only 6 to go to complete my deck!

Joining the fun at
Claudine's Altered Playing Card Challenge Week 27
NBUS Challenge 4
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -Anything Goes
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer Utfordring 27
The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Inky Background

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

5 Carat Love

Hello.  Welcome. Managed to get my March calender pages together before jetting off to the UK. I was a little short of time so I kept it simple.

Looks like it's going to be a die cut calendar.  I used Go Create bunny die.  Old as the hills but NBUS.   About time he got some action.   I cut my calendar pages from MME patterned paper using Sizzix scalloped heart die.  I cut the bunny and lots of carrots and paper pieced him.

Joining the fun at
The Craft Barn Calendar Challenge March
NBUS Challenge 4
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge -Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - A Cut Above
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer Utfordring 11

Thanks for dropping by. Have a great day and don't forget to link up your NBUS projects.  Hugz

Little Cuties

Hello.  Welcome.  Handmade flowers and CAS.  

I die cut a panel using Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle die.  I stamped using part of Unity Stamp Co. Chickenwire background and Spiced Marmalade distress ink.  I stamped Unity Stamp Co. Thoughts in a Jar using Pine Needles distress ink.  My blooms were made using Cheery Lynn Cuties 2 die.  I coloured with Mustard Seed distress ink.  

Joining the fun at
The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Handmade Flowers
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 177 - Anything Goes 
CASology Week 138 - Blossom 
Rubber Dance March Colour Challenge 
Addicted To Stamps Challenge 136 - Anything Goes 
The Unity Stamp Co. Friends With Flair

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

You Got To Start Somewhere

Hello.  Welcome.  Project Life.  Great LO's, never quite understood it.  Then Ett Trykk set a challenge to make a 4x6 layout.  No, probably not going to do that.  Then I found three photo's that seemed to go together and Prima Free Spirit 4x6 ATC cards and well........  It's my first attempt.  Not much in the way of embellishments.  But you got to start somewhere right??  Be gentle with me.....

This was me, trying out skating on the frozen fjord, a few years ago. 

Adventure.  Yeah, right

She looks very skeptical.  

This seems like the best idea.  I used STAMPlorations bubbles stencil and Stormy Sky distress ink on this music print card.  The journalling was computer generated.  Sea ice does sing you know.  

Joining the fun at
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer Utfordring 3
Scribble and Scrap Crafts Challenge 40 - Anything Goes 
Country View Challenge - Anything Goes 
Papertake Weekly - Happy Anything 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Neon

Hello.  Welcome.  I fancied some brights. 

I used Stormy Sky distress ink on my blue base card.  I cut my neon card into wavy stripes freehand.  The fish is Cheery Lynn Koi cut from copper metal sheet.  The birthday is also a Cheery Lynn die and I used Sizzix alphadies for the happy.  

Joining the fun at
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 176 - Celebrate
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Lions and Lambs, oh my....
Country View Challenge - Anything Goes 
Papertake Weekly - Happy Anything 
Scribble and Scrap Challenge 40 - Anything Goes 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

It Should Be Easy, Easy, Easy

Hello.  Welcome.  I am working on a deck of altered playing cards for Claudine's Altered Playing Card Challenge.  Whilst agonising for hours yesterday on the perfect stamp I wondered why I was making this so difficult!!  I mean, it's a CASE.  Claudine comes up with the ideas, the colours, the design.  So why is it taking me so long!!!!!  Well, despite my inability to find the perfect stamp I am slowly getting my collection together.  Monday Claudine will post her final cards.  I still have 10 blank!  Better get on with it!!!!   You can find Claudine's cards from week 25 HERE. 

Woz dat den!!  OK, so Claudine's first steps involved reinkers and alcohol blending solution.  I got some of those I thought and merrily splashed stuff about.  It wasn't til I read Elizabeth's post that I realised that mixing alcohol blender with pigment and dye reinkers is probably not going to result in a happy marriage.  Spritzing on top with a waterbased homemade shimmer mix is probably not going to help the situation!!  The above photo are my resulting backgrounds.  I did mop the ink that refused to dry on the far right with the bottom right piece.  I think that ended up being one of the pieces I chose.  So, inky backgrounds

I liked the red one.  I added some gold embossing paste through a homemade star stencil.  My homemade shimmer adds quite a nice gold effect, maybe not visible

When I put my stamped image on it looked a bit bare so I checked Claudine's post and added the white lines to the stars and my star border. 

I used Curious Corrin coloured in bright mediums.  The sentiment is from Unity I am woman set.  Going to join this up at Stampotique Designers Challenge 186 - Stars

For my second card I chose the brown background and sprayed jade dylusions through Dreamweavers waves stencil.  Arrrrggggggg!!  My man said it's arty.  Step back and reappraise.  OK, maybe not the perfectly stencil background one envisioned, but it is kinda arty.  I can't afford to lose the ace of diamonds so onward and upward we shall go

I used Unity Harmony Girl and another sentiment from the I am woman set.  I was actually looking for a wide mouthed huge screaming monster, just because, but I think this works as well.  Hugz

Going to join the fun at
Unity Stamp Co. Friends With Flair
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer Utfordring 23

Two more to love.  Definitely worth the time to dig through the stash and find the right stamps.  Love these.  Amazingly I love most of the cards I have made for this challenge and the others are definitely OK to good.  It's become like a little library of techniques.  Thanks so much Claudine

Thanks you for dropping by.  This is a friends with flair post so do leave a little love for the chance to win some rubber.   Have you seen Darnell is going starting NBUS #4 tomorrow.  Check it out. 

My APC's joining the fun at
Claudine's APC Challenge Week 25
Addicted To Stamps Challenge 136 - Anything Goes
Country View Challenges - Anything Goes
OCS March Anything Goes Challenge 

Memories

Hello.  Welcome.  I have been playing with the Die-namites sketch, which is in my favourite style.  Simple!!  Yeah.  So I decided to layer Die-namites Cattails, black on white.  Then I added another layer of white.  And black.  Then I spotted the challenge over at Time Out and made this.....

I embossed a panel using a sizzix embossing folder and cut a circle aperture.  I backed it with blue card and added my cattails.  The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp from the Sizzix/HA florals set.  

Joining the fun at
Die-namites Challenge 
Time Out Challenge 27 - CAS B&W +1 
Hero Arts Nature Challenge 
Country View Challenge - Anything Goes 
CASology Week 138 - Blossom 
AAA Cards Game 35 - Bare Naked CAS 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Purple Puffin And Lucky Ducky

Hello.  Welcome.  A special hi and hello to Carol.  So glad you have joined my happy following.  Hugz all round and a happy St Patrick's Day to you all.  

Over at Claudine's Altered Playing Card Challenge it's week 26.  Only one more week to go she says.  So I count my blank cards and there are 12!!!  Gulp.  Better get my clogs on.  Luckily I was really inspired by Claudine's cards this week.  She went all monochromatic.

I started by covering my cards with patterned paper

I used Tando Distorted Harlequin mask and Colorbox Irish ink on the green card.  I used STAMPlorations Bubble stencil and Colorbox Plumeria ink on the purple card

I used Crafty Individuals Puffin, stamped on purle patterned paper.  I added some purple glitter tape and cut the letters from self adhesive plastic using Sizzix Ida Lou alphabet.

Now, see, I was looking for Irish blessings, what with St Paddy's day and the green theme, and I came across this!!!  It seemed very amusing at the time!!  Maybe I should have picked something a little more traditional!   I used Crafty Individuals Jolly Duck, coloured with green watercolours and wink of stella.  I added a tiny green horseshoe to his hat, for luck.  He needs it if there's people going around with guns.  I'm going to join my lucky duck over at Unruly Paperarts RAQ - I Should Be So Lucky

So there they are, my monochrome birdie pair.  

Joining the fun at
Crafty Individuals March Challenge - The Animal World
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Things That Fly
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Lions and Lambs, oh my...
Country View Challenge March - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Happy Anything 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

One Thing Leads To Another And Suddenly It's Christmas

Hello.  Welcome.  A series of events resulted in this alternative Christmas card.  Over at CHNC  Hazel wanted a Christmas card with black.  I had been looking through my precuts box and seen a santa sledge and a palm tree in black and when I saw the tropical theme at CASology it was a bit of a eureka moment.

I tried it with white, but that was too stark.  It didn't look good on cream and then I thought tropical, hence the orange base card

I used Sizzix Palm Tree die and Britannia Christmas Flight die cut from black card.  

Joining the fun at
CHNC Challenge 220 - Use Some Black 
CASology Week 137 - Tropical 
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - B is for.... black
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Things That Fly 
ABC Christmas Challenge - E For Edging Punch or Die 

Thanks for your visit.  Don't forget to leave out some carrots for Rudolf.  Hugz

No Said Turtle, It's Ducky's Birthday Today

Hello.  Welcome.  A little happy busness first and then on to today's crafty fun. I offered a little prize on this post.  I have used Mr R. to draw a lucky lady from all the eligible comments.  I had to discard 3 cos they were made by me LOL, and I am pleased that the lady selected did actually say she was interested in trying the chocolate tea, which was part of my modest giveaway.  And the lucky winner was number 20 that's...... 

Kay Wallace

Congrats Kay.  Drop me an email with your details to craftynomad at gmail dot com and I will get the card and the chocolate tea in the post.  

Looking in the tea box there are still a few bags left so I  consulted again with the mighty Mr Random and he picked 

D Ann

and

Kim Heggins

Please contact me at craftynomad at gmail dot com and I will pop a few bags in the post for you to try.  If I don't hear from you by the 22nd I will assume you aren't interested and will draw new names.  Thanks for visiting and playing along.  Hugz

To the craft.....   Over at The Craft Barn the weekly challenge for the past week was to cover something in DecoMache style.  Not so many entries for this one.  I have seen deco mache papers once and remember that they are extremely delicate so I decided to use some tissue paper I had with silver butterflies on it.  Unfortunately, sock monster appears to have eaten it, so I resorted to some mop up tissue. 

I found some chipboard circles and painted with Rose fresco finish paint.  Then I stuck on my inky painty papers.  

I found a piece of inky painty card in the scraps to back my circle frames and stamped Crafty Individuals Jolly Duck on white and also on the above card

I put it all together and made a little hangy thing

The top piece.  I framed the sentiment from Jolly Duck, covered it in glossy accents and added some burlap fibers behind the circle.  

Here's Jolly Duck himself.  I used wink of stella purple and green on his hat and bow.  I coloured the duck with distress ink and a water brush and added some gold dots.  Some more burlap threads. 

Joining the fun at

The Craft Barn Weekly Challenge - Deco Mache

Crafty Individuals March Challenge - Animal World

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - B is for.... birthday bird
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Things That Fly 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Hoppy Easter Bunny

Hello.  Welcome.  A special hi and hello to Kerry, Monica, Holly and Shilpa.  Yeah.  So glad you have joined my happy little band.  Hugz all round.

Working on a little Easter bunny today. 

I started by cutting my card base using Sizzix Vintage Cabinet die and sponged Bundled Sage distress ink through STAMPlorations Bubbles stencil. 

I cut a frame from a scrap of painty inky card using Vintage and Mini Cabinet dies.  

I cut lots of tiny flowers and pinwheels from Cheery Lynn BAF#3 Embellishments and added a drop of gold glitter glue to each.  I cut Cheery Lynn Rum Punch Tiny Doily from yellow card, backed it with some of the painty inky card and then cut it again in white and cut out the star shape.  The rabbit is from Unity Stamp Co. Sweet Thoughts of Spring set

Joining the fun at
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 175 - Easter 
STAMPlorations Flash Stencil Linky Party 
Rubber Dance March Colour Challenge 
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - B is for....  bunny
DRS Designs Challenge 165 - Flowers Abound 
Unity Stamp Co Challenge 26 - Colour
Unity Stamp Co. Friends With Flair

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Pack Up Your Toothpaste

Hello.  Welcome.  Playing with stencils, ink, stamps and ye olde cardboard tube from the center on the kitchen paper roll.  

Take one cardboard tube. 

I used STAMPlorations Happy Flower stencil and splatted with Mustard Seed distress stain.  Ooops, too much splatting.  Lots of colour under my stencil.  So I ran it throug the big shot and embossed the flowers

Pretty, but I felt it needed a bit more colour

OK, I went a little crazy with the Ripe Persimon.  

I wrapped it around my cardboard tube and then forgot to take more photo's!!

Ta dah.  I added lace to the bottom, squeezed it flat and glued.  I stamped and watercoloured flowers from STAMPlorations Bloom Sketches, fussy cut and stuck them on.  The words are also from the Bloom Sketches set.  I added some more lace around the top.  The two leaf brads hold the twine and the flower brad holds it closed.  I know it looks a bit like very colourful toothpaste tube but these are excellent for small gifts.  A necklace, some markers maybe for a crafty friend, a silk scarf.  Have also decided it makes just a nice bit of wall art, or add a bit of pot potpourri and it would be great smelling wall art.  

Joining the fun at
STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge 29
STAMPlorations Flash Stencil Linky Party
STAMPlorations March Challenge - Stamps and Stencils
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer - Utfordring 16
STAMPlorations - Anything Goes Challenge 
Our Creative Corner - Junk in Your Trunk 

Thanks for your visit.  Hugz

A Tennis Ball With Wings

Hello.  Welcome.  Over at Ett Trykk one of their 10year celebration challenges is a quick card or two.  Now, that is something I often aspire to but seldom accomplish.  Today was a happy mail day with a delivery from STAMPlorations which included a couple of their stencils.  So I decided to see if I could do quick card with a stencil background and my favourite bird from Unity. 

I cut 4 10cm square pieces of card and die cut three edges using my Simon Says Stamp Stitch Rectange die.  I stamped a sentiment and then the bird from Unity Stamp Co. Swagger set on two of the card pieces.  There are three sentiments with this cute bird.  I have used two of them.  The birds were coloured with watercolour pencils and a waterbrush.

I used STAMPlorations Happy Flower stencil and distress inks on the other two pieces of card.  I bumped the stencil, a bit far on this red version!!  It look a bit unfocused.   Oops, crafty finger smudge in corner!!  Less haste, more speed.......

I smudged the ink on this one using an eraser to draw the ink towards the edge of the panel.  No really, I did that on purpose.  Good or bad idea??

I mounted the stenciled panel on a pale green base card.  Then I cut round the birds and mounted on foam pads in front of the stenciled panels.  These two little cuties took less that 30 minutes.   I do kinda like the soft look the bumping gives.  Trying to perfect the imperfect look ROFL. 

Thanks for dropping by.  Hugz

Joining the fun at
Ett Trykk Vi Jubilerer Utfordring 18
STAMPlorations March Challenge - Stamps and Stencils
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - B is for...  bird
STAMPlorations Flash Stencil Linky Party 
Unity Stamp Co. Friends With Flair 

Embrace The Imperfections

Hello.  Welcome.  Hope you are having a happy Sunday.  It's another grey wet day so here I sit crafting away.  You must think it's grey and wet here all the time, but that's the best time to craft isn't it?  I use the sunny days to be outside.  Over at PaperArtsy they have a minature art theme and there's lots of projects being linked into the gallery.  I decided to use some techniques from Clare's post.  She made an ATC shadow box.  I love ATC's and it's been a while since I made one.  

I liked the embossed frame Clare made from recycled packaging.  I didn't have that stamp but I have plenty packaging LOL so I cut a  piece of plastic using Sizzix ATC die, drew a frame with an embossing pen and embossed with black powder.  I think we need to ask the industry to use heat resistant packaging!!   It bent and buckled but I weighed it down whilst warm and it survived.  That's what we call texture!  No picture cos my camera didn't like the transparent aspect.  Back to this later.....

I stuck a piece of Chatsworth paper onto some chipboard and cut with Sizzix ATC die.  Then I added some Worn Lipstick distress ink and some black acrylic using the smudgy stamp from HP1105.  I stamped the bird from PaperArtsy HP1103, masked and stamped the birdcage from the same set.  I coloured the bird with Inky Pool fresco finish paint.

Because I had cut the plastic frame I was talking about earlier and then did the heat embossing it was a bit wonky so I knew when I added it to my ATC it wouldn't reach the edges.  So I inked the edges in black.

So here's the frame, in place on my ATC.  I added black and white acrylic behind to make the border opaque.  I love the texture the embossing powder gives.  I like the old glass effect the wonky heated plastic gives, but you probably aren't seeing that.  

I stamped the sentiment from JOFY15 on white shrink plastic and skrunk it.  It actually behaved quite well.  I did have images of it rolling up like a pig in a blanket!! 

Joining the fun at
PaperArtsy 
Virginia's View Challenge 13 - Embossing 

Thanks for dropping by.  I'm off to try stamping and painting some glass slides.  Another fun technique on the PaperArtsy blog.  What fun.  Hugz