28 August 2013

Whimsy 'Little Flower' and grab a cuppa its a long one!!!!

Good morning folks, here's wishing you a happy Wednesday from sunny Bournemouth.  We've been having some smashing weather over the school holidays it really has been lovely and although we haven't seen a return to those scorching hot days we had a few weeks ago its just been fantastic being able to get out with the kiddies and not to have to worry whether we're going to get drenched or our picnic cut short!  We even made it down the beach AGAIN yesterday that's at least five times this holiday which is unheard of!!! 
 
I even dragged hubby on a walk on Sunday.  The kiddies were raring to go but hubby was a little more dubious.  Anyway I was kind to him I picked a short route in the New Forest but still a good 2.5 mile walk.  Anyway, this walk said it was an 'easy' rating over fairly flat ground with a few slight hills.  Well the hill we came across wasn't what hubby described as 'slight' which I thought was quite amusing that was until my ankle decided to give way on the downward slope the other side and all I really recall seeing is hubby just standing there watching me bounce and roll past him down this blessed hill.  I'm sure at one point I did a roly poly which I haven't done since my school days.  I luckily come to a stop half way down with hubby a little dumbfounded at my exploits as he stood over me saying "what did you do that for?" - REALLY as if I would just intentionally throw myself down a hill!!!!!  Well I dazedly made it to my feet and with a good brush off I was absolutely fine.  How the hell I never broke anything is beyond me and all I remember thinking at the time was "is there anyone watching!"  Hubby's take on it - KARMA for making him walk it in the first place!!!!
 
Well enough of my shenanigans lets move on to things a lot more elegant than my flailing arms and legs.  Its time to share some more Whimsy goodness with you and I have a beauty today.  I have a card to show you which I have made using the delightful Elisabeth Bell stamp 'Little Flower' from Whimsy's August release and you can find her HERE in the Whimsy Store.  She has been stamped with Memento 'rich cocoa' and coloured this time using a base of copics and then prismas over to add in all the shading.  I took my colour inspiration for the gorgeous papers which are also from Whimsy and designed by Michele Roos and are called 'Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden' and can be found HERE at the Whimsy Store; all inked up around the edges and matted onto kraft cardstock.  A couple of the fab sentiments from the new 'Everyday Honeycomb' set HERE again stamped using Memento 'rich cocoa' for a softer look and dirtied up a little using Tim Holtz 'walnut stain' ink.  I added the fantastic 'dragonfly' border die HERE cut from kraft card with a few added pearls.  I SO SO love this die and can see it being used all the time. 
 
Okay enough waffle here's some piccies:-
 
Medium:  copics and prismacolor pencils
Dies:  Whimsy 'dragonfly' border, Whimsy corners, Spellbinders 'fleur de lis' ovals
pearls and ribbon from stash

 
The last piccie is the close up of the image and fab sentiments.  I love the little small one which fits perfectly in the bow.
 
Copics & Prismas list
 
Face/body:  E000, E00, E21, R20, R81
Trousers/plant pot/jug/headband:  BV23 + Black Grape
Apron/flowers:  B60 + Imperial Violet
Blouse/flowers:  R81 + Process Red
Hair/boxes:  E50 + Sienna Brown + Dark Brown
 
Challenges I would like to enter:-
 
 
Right time to love you and leave you folks.  We have a date at the hairdressers to get both kiddiewinkles looking respectable for the start of school next week.  Wow, that snuck up on me and as usual I will have the last minute dash around the shops for any uniform bits I've forgotten.  Going to be a little bit hard on the emotions this September as both of mine have a huge change ahead - my daughter is moving up to the juniors and my boy is heading to senior school. 
 
Well if you've made it to the end of my waffle I think you deserve some choccy or at least a nice cuppa and a bit of cake.  Thank you for popping in and taking the time to visit me.  Take care everyone and catch up with you soon.
 
Happy crafting!
Ann-Marie
xxx
 
 
 
 


21 August 2013

Whimsy Stamps August Rubber and Die Release - Release Day Hop




Welcome to the Whimsy Stamps August 2013 rubber stamp and die release BLOG HOP!

For those of you who are new to Whimsy Stamps, we hold a 3-day new release event each month: a Sneak Peek Blog Hop on the day before the release (yesterday) and this month we showcased the new stamps from our fab new artist Jo Davies of Time for Tea Designs for our sneak peek hop, a Release Day Blog Hop on release day (today), and finally a Review Day Blog Hop (tomorrow) the day after the release.

Each blog hop has a prize of 2 new release stamps hidden somewhere along the way and you have 24hrs to enter each prize draw!
 
For my creation I used the new stamp from Crissy Armstrong called 'Horse Love'.  I used to ride a lot when I was younger and would dream of owning my own horse so I've always got a soft spot for these beautiful creatures.  I've made a shaker card for a change haven't done one of these in a long time and it has been coloured up using my copics.
  
Medium:  Copics
Paper:  Prima 'Rondelle'
Dies:  Spellbinders 'Labels 22'
 
The side view next.  I wasn't 100% sure what to use in the shaker part so in the end settled on little pearl flowers which I've had in my stash for an age.
 
 
The close up next.  Unfortunately, it's not a brilliant picture as the light kept bouncing off the acetate when I photographed it - I'd forgotten they're not the easiest things to photograph!
 
List of copics
 
Horse:  W1, W3, W5, W7 + 100 for the mane/tail
Face/Body:  E000, E00, E21, R20
Clothes:  R81, R83, R85/E50, E53, E57
Hair/Boots:  E53, E57, E29
Grass:  G29, G21, G24, G28
 
Don't forget to be entered into today's blog hop prize draw, be sure to leave a comment on ALL of the DT's posts listed below by 12.00PM EST tomorrow.  All winners will be announced on the Whimsy blog on Friday. 
 
To take a peek at today's fabulous new release creations, please click on the links below....

Ann-Marie Sinfield (THAT'S ME!)
Deb Routledge
Debbie Eastman
DeNetra Bates
Ellie Stover
Iris Weichmann
Janette Garcia
Jodi Amidei
Kathy Tanner
Louise Roache
Melissa Andrew
Patricia Garcia
Shannah Bartle
Simonne Clay
Tracy

This is also my Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Challenge card.  Today the Whimsy Stamps rubber team are posting their challenge creations on the challenge blog.  The topic for this month's challenge is 'Clean and Simple' and you still have a couple of weeks left to join in!  As always we have 3 prizes up for grabs: a $15 gift certificate, 5 digi stamps, and 1 surprise rubber stamp.

Okay that's its from me today and thank you for popping in.  Remember to stop by the Whimsy blog again tomorrow for the August Release Review Day blog hop!

Take care folks and happy crafting!

Ann-Marie
xxx



 

20 August 2013

Whimsy Stamps August 'Time for Tea' Blog Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to the ...  Time For Tea Designs for Whimsy Stamps BLOG HOP
Last month we announced the very exciting news that Jo Davies of Time For Tea Designs has joined the Whimsy Stamps family of artists! Jo’s debut release for Whimsy Stamps will be available to buy from the Whimsy store tomorrow (21 August 2013) along with the rest of the brand new August rubber and die release. In the lead up to the release, the Whimsy Stamps DT are excited to share with you an exclusive Time For Tea Designs for Whimsy Stamps BLOG HOP packed full of previews of these fabulous new stamps. This month we are releasing FOUR Time For Tea Designs for Whimsy Stamps rubber stamps:          

                     Bookish                                          Heart Balloon


                     Fall Love                                             Windy Day

The hop starts today (Tuesday August 20th at 12.00PM EST), runs through the entire August release week, and ends on Friday August 23rd at 12.00PM EST. For this hop we have a GRAND PRIZE DRAW! One lucky hopper will WIN the entire new release of ALL FOUR TFTD STAMPS. We're not telling you at which blog the grand prize is being hosted, so be sure to complete the hop to find it!

For my blog hop creation I used the oh so cute Time for Tea image "Fall Love" and isn't she adorable.  I love fall/autumn it is my most favourite season with all the colours and smells.  Anyway I thought to myself I would make an expandable folder with a few sections so that I can keep all of those yummy autumn recipes for warming soups and real comfort food.  I've coloured the image with my trusty copics and all the edges have been inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink 'walnut stain'. 

Medium:  copics
Papers:  My Minds Eye 'everyday tango'
Dies:  Spellbinders labels 22
 
A picture of the open folder so you can see all the sections.
 
 
 
 
Final picture is a close up of the gorgeous image.  She was lovely to colour and I love how the hair turned out. 
 
List of copics
Face/Body:  E000, E00, E21, R20
Clothes:  B23, B26, B32, E13, E15, E08
Hair/Boots:  E53, E57, E29
 
Okay folks, if you would like to hop along with us today, please CLICK HERE to start the hop at the Whimsy blog. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy hopping!
 
 
Take care
Ann-Marie
xxx

15 August 2013

New Challenge at The ABC Challenge

Hello everyone and a very happy Thursday to you I hope you are all well.
 
Today its time for another new challenge over at The ABC Challenges and I have my DT  card to share with you all.  We are now on the letter T so that's T for Thank you folks.  We are being sponsored by Lili of the Valley and The Paper Shelter this challenge so two fabby sponsors this time.  We'd love to see you join in and have a chance at winning - you've got to be in it to win it folks!  As usual there are some gorgeous creations from my teamies so do pop over and take a peep at the lovely inspiration.

So moving on here is my card.  I was given the chance to play with this adorable image - isn't she a cutie.  This is 'Lets go to Sleep' and I have coloured her with my copics and cut her out before raising her up slightly with glue gel. 

Image:  The Paper Shelter 'Lets go to Sleep'
Medium:  copics
Papers:  Making Memories 'Meg' (from really old stash!)
Dies:  Spellbinders 'Fleur de Lis' rectangles
 
The side view up next where you can see I have decorated the inside to compliment the front.

 
Lastly the close up.  Fairly happy with my colouring on this one.  Is it just me or does anyone else struggle colouring with the 'BV' copics I always seem to have trouble blending them together but I got there in the end.  I also went with a bit of a different hair colour I normally go for a darkish brown but tried a blondish colour combo this time and I really quite like it so that's one I'll be using again. 
 
List of copics
 
Face/body:  E000, E11, E21, R20, R81
Clothes:  BV02, BV04, BV08/BG11, BG13, BG15
Hair:  E50, E53, E31, E33, E35
Puppy:  E50, E53, E31, E33, E35, E37
 
I made this card following the great sketch over at The Sweet Stop so would like to enter my card into that challenge.
 
That's all from me today.  If the weather holds we're off to the fair this afternoon, well I think we'll go whatever the weather what's a bit of rain when there's candyfloss to be had!!!
 
Enjoy your day my friends, take care.
Ann-Marie
xxx
 
 

7 August 2013

Howdy cowboy!

Good morning everyone I hope you are all well and having a good week so far.  We went on a little uniform shopping trip yesterday and started getting my boy's secondary school kit.  Well what can I say when he tried on that blazer - I think it suddenly hit home that my little boy is not so much my LITTLE boy anymore he looked so grown up. 
 
Okay onto my card.  Again I'm here to show you a little Whimsy inspiration today and its something different for me - I made a card for a man.  I don't do it very often but these images from Kenny K are just perfect.  I used the new Cheyenne from Whimsy's newest July release and she can be found HERE.  I also used the new sentiments set 'Giddy Up' by Raindrop Echo Designs.  It has some fab sentiments in it and also the 'Wanted' poster and even a cowboy hat stamp so really useful and can be found HERE in the Whimsy Store.
 
Image: 'Cheyenne' by Kenny K for Whimsy Stamps
Sentiments:  'Giddy Up' by Raindrop Echo Designs
Medium:  copics
Papers: Nitwits
 
Okay a quick side view.  I used foam pads to raise up the sentiments and 3d gel to raise the image up.
 
 
The papers were ones I printed out again and are from Nitwits as is the cowboy frame with barrel and boots and stuff.  I didn't want to over embellish the card as the background was quite busy but did add a little string and tied it sort of like a lasso around the wanted poster.
 
Last piccie is a close up.  
 
List of copics
Skin:  E000, E11, E21
Hair:  E31, E35, E37, E29
Clothes/boots/gloves:  B91, B93, B95, B97, B99/ R43, R46, R59
 
I've just seen actually on the close up that I forgot to go around the edge of the image with a black pen so you can see little bits of white where I've cut her out.  That's just going to annoy me now but that's what you get for doing it at 2 a.m.!!!
 
Challenges I would like to enter
 
 
Okay time to go and do a little colouring I think.  The kiddiewinkles are happy on the Xbox so I'm going to grab me some crafty time for half hour.
 
Catch up with you soon folks, take care
Ann-Marie
xxx
 
 
 
 
 































 

4 August 2013

Apple of my Eye

Hello everyone and a happy Sunday to you all.  The summer holidays are going well at the moment the kiddies have yet to mutter those fatal words "I'm bored" so that's good.  We've been having a few lovely dry days so they've been able to get out in the garden.  Not sure the neighbours at the bottom of the garden are glad about it with the amount of balls that have gone their way in the past two days so no doubt they're praying for rain!!!

Anyway, I just thought I would share with you some gorgeousness of the Whimsy variety today.  I've made a sort of picture frame, well really its a small square 6 x 6 canvas and rather than use the front I turned it over and used the back of it.  I used a stamp from the beautiful stamp set 'Apple of my Eye' by Monika Martinson which was from the newest July release and can be purchased from the Whimsy Store HERE.  Its a lovely set and really versatile and there's some great sentiments in it too and I've used one on my frame.
 
Lets get a couple of piccies up to show you:- 

 
I covered the whole thing with papers.  They're ones I've printed off at some point so got a feeling they're NitWits but not 100% sure.  It was quite a challenge getting them folded neatly around the edges.  Added some ribbon, lace and pearls to pretty it up some and a few flowers.
 
I decided the stamp was crying out to be layered and I've seen Mariska's gorgeous works of art and followed her tutorial here.  I must say its quite time consuming but well worth the effort.

Medium:  copics
Papers:  NitWits?
Ribbon/Lace:  The Ribbon Girl
Flowers:  a mixture of The Ribbon Girl, WOC and stash
Dies:  Spellbinders 'fancy tags', Marianne Design Creatables bird house

Copics used
Flowers:  R81, R83, R85, R59, Y17
Leaves:  G20, G24, YG63, YG67
Branches:  E31, E33, E35, E37, E29
 
Challenges I would like to enter:-
 
 
 
 
 
Right time for me to go I think but before I do just want to say a big thank you for dropping by it really is very much appreciated. 
 
Enjoy your day folks, take care.
Ann-Marie
xxx
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1 August 2013

New Challenge at ABC Challenges

Hello everyone I hope you are all doing well today and if you have kiddiewinkles at home for the holidays lets hope you're staying sane!!!!. 
 
Today its time for another new challenge over at The ABC Challenges and I have my DT  card to share with you all following the required theme.  We are on the letter S so that's S for Stitching folks, real or fake.  We are being sponsored by the fabulous Tilda's Town this challenge and we'd love to see you join in and have a chance at the great prize.  Once again my teamies have made some gorgeous creations  so do pop over and take a peep at the lovely inspiration.
 
Anyway, time to show you my card.  I dug out one of my favourite Tilda's she's Tilda in Summer Rain from the Sweet Rainbow Collection and coloured her with my copics.  I opted to go for fake stitching but now wish I'd used my little sewing machine I think it would have looked better, but never mind.
 
Image:  Magnolia Tilda 'Tilda in Summer Rain'
Medium:  copics
Papers:  Marianne Design 'Eline's Babies blue'
Dies:  Spellbinders 'Romantic Rectangles', Magnolia swirl, Whimsy corner
Sentiment:  Craftwork cards die cut
Ribbon and pearls from stash
 
Just a little side view next and I've decorated the inside to compliment the front.

 
Lastly the close up and you can see the lovely teardrop gems.  I don't know where I got them from but they're so useful and great for little raindrops.

copics used
 
Face:  E000, E21, E11, R20
Hair:  E31, E35, E37, E29
Dress/Umbrella:  B91, B93, B95, B97, B91/YG91, YG95
Boots:  W1, W3, W5, W7
 
Right, best get lively and push the hoover around and flick the duster about, gotta make sure it looks like I've done something today when hubby gets home, he he!!!!!
 
Take care and catch up with you soon.
 
Ann-Marie
xxx