Under a creative spell

Magic Christmas Memories

2022-01-09T21:10:00.002+00:00

One, two, three, one, two, three... keyboard test :). Well hello crafty peeps and a very happy New Year to you all! It's been a while since I last blogged... I hope you have been keeping well.

I don't get to craft much these days. My crafty mojo seems to come and go as it pleases and it's not always possible to catch it at a convenient moment lol 😀. It seems though that it tends to make a brief appearance around Christmas and the festive period so I thought I'd share my most recent Christmas themed make with you.

This scrapbook layout took me a year to complete from when I made my background... I know! 😱 I guess, the creative process needed some time to mature ha ha ha. 😵 Luckily this sketch gave me an idea how to finish my layout.

I absolutely love this photo of my Dad and the little me (many many moons ago!) saying 'hello' to Santa. I wanted to create a page that would reflect my memories of Christmas when I was a child.

In Poland, Christmas celebrations start with a festive family dinner on Christmas Eve and that's when we also get our Christmas pressies from Gwiazdor (a Polish equivalent of Father Christmas). It was my family's tradition that, before we sat at the table, my brother and I would always go outside to wait for the first star to appear in the sky. When it did, it was time to start our celebrations.

In that short period of time that we were outside Gwiazdor would always visit our home to leave presents under the Christmas tree. As you can imagine the arrival of that first star in the sky always had something really magical about it.

NB. I've got no idea what used to happen on cloudy Christmas Eves where we couldn't see any stars... I don't recall having to sit outside all night so there must have been an alternative plan of some sort ha ha ha!

For my background I used a Sleigh & Reindeer (Dreamweaver) and a star background stencil and various embossing pastes from Dreamweaver. I also added some lovely shimmer with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls mist.

The wooden planks have been 'freestyled' from patterned paper, inked with distress inks, and embossed with wood texture embossing folders. I've not tried this technique before, and I love how these came out. The texture is just fab!

The beautiful chippies are from Dusty Attic and I painted them with DecoArt paints. I secured them to the page using my trusty Adhesive Sheets.

I die cut some poinsettias and added lots of foliage to embellish my page. I also fussy cut a handful of lovely elements from old Christmas cards. I layered them using 3D Adhesive Dots.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed walking down the Christmas memory lane with me. That's all from me for now. Till next time...

Big crafty hugs

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I am entering the following challenges:

Country View Challenges Jan 2022 - Your Year to sparkle and shine

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Something New

The Scrappy Sketches - Mapka

#lovely Plum Crazy Tag

2018-11-07T22:09:00.000+00:00

Re-edited: I am absolutely thrilled to say that my tag has been chosen as one of the winners of the Dusty Attic's November Moodboard challenge!!! Yay!! :)

Hello my lovelies,

I hope you're managing to keep away from the wind and autumnal chill and are crafting away something fabulous instead :).

I'd like to share a little tag I created, having a deep plum v autumnal vibe in mind.

I don't get much time (or mojo, sadly...) to craft these days but I was totally bowled over with the Dusty Attic's November moodboard inspiration photo. I love all things purple and the yummy plums on the collage got my creative juices going. Oh, and what about that yummy looking cake with the beautiful leafy crust? So 'Thank you' Dusty Attic for such a delicious inspiration to get me crafting again! Yay! :)

I just couldn't resist it, so I thought I would try to create something for their November challenge. The DT are actually all playing with notebooks this month but that wasn't where my creative muse was taking me, sorry! And since she's a very capricious lady I had to follow the path she was leading me on lol :).

The patterned paper base of my tag includes some stamping and 'double (or triple even?) embossing'. First, I debossed the tag with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and then I embossed the impressed image with Garnet Grenat embossing powder. Then I added some stamping with the Brush Stroke stamp and embossed it with Rose Gold powder.

I also decided to paint some artificial leaves with DecoArt paints to wrap my bouquet of 'harvested' flowers, berries, foliage and frilly grasses.

The flowers and the tag were tinted with Merlot spray ink and I generously sprinkled my harvest bouquet with Mini Prills and Twinklets Diamond Dust. I also added a #lovely chippy from the Dusty Attic Hashtag Sayings #2 set. I heat embossed it with Honey Miel and Rose Gold powders.

Main supplies:
Stampendous: Brush Strokes stamp, embossing powders in Honey Miel, Rose Gold, PEARLustre Garnet Grenat
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: 3D Foam Squares - Black, Dual Tip Glue Pen, Extreme Double-sided Tape
Dusty Attic - Hashtag Sayings #2
DecoArt: Metallic Lustre - Champagne Ice, Americana acrylics in Country Red, Royal Fuchsia, Dioxazine Purple, Bittersweet Chocolate, Snow White
Distress Inks: Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Aged Mahogany, Forest Moss, Black Soot
Memories Most - Merlot

I might have gone a bit crazy with my embellies but hey, who was I to argue with my creative muse if that's what she craved?! lol :)

That's all from me for now, my Friends! Thank you for stopping by and for any lovely comments you may wish to leave to let me know you've been!

Have a very creative week!

Big crafty hugs

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I'm also entering the following challenges:
Frilly and Funkie - A Harvest of Gratitude challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Thanks/Thanksgiving
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes
A Vintage Journey - Paper Stash

Peeking Out From Behind Autumnal Leaves...

2018-10-13T20:31:00.000+01:00

So.... It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you're all keeping well! :)

I thought I would show you this little project I made a while ago but just haven't had a chance to share.

This is a little layered mini album / shadowbox thinggy I made as a keepsake from my nephew's Christening. I was inspired by the awesomeness of layered shadow card kits from Heartfelt Creations. I didn't have the exact supplies so decided to free style it and create my own thing using a selection of dies (Spellbinders and Marianne's Design).....

and punches and flowers from Hobbycraft and 49 and Market...

and Mini Prills and lots of other lush embellies... :). All secured in place with a range of adhesives from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

Thank you so much for your visit today...

Big crafty hugs!

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I would like to enter the following challenges:
Country View Challenges October - Plant-tastic
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything But a Card
JUGS #462 - Celestial Elements (stars)

Christmas is in the Air!

2017-12-25T20:19:00.000+00:00

Yes! It's finally Christmas!!!

I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas, full of joy, love and blessings. I hope that the festive season allows you to enjoy the company of all your loved ones and that your hearts take comfort in remembering those who can no longer be there with you.

Here's the second Christmas card I made this year. In my last post with the vintage Poinsettia Card I mentioned that I have only been able to make a very few cards this year.

This year I was in a die cutting mode and for this card I played with the Tim Holtz Sizzix dies Victorian Carolers and Holiday Lamppost. The lovely glow in the lamp is down to the Rowlux illusion film, which is one of the coolest products ever! I previously used it in my Halloween lantern and I think it's perfect for light related accents.

The banner was stamped and heat embossed using Stampendous Christmas Air stamp and Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

To embellish my card a little I threw in some glitter and a few gold stars. As always, I've used adhesives from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

I also made these couple of cards, simpler in design, but as you will see I was still in the die cutting mode :)

For these cards, I die cut my Vintage Noel signs from 3D Foam Creative Sheets and sprinkled them with the super lush Lime Micro Glitterand Maroon Micro Glitter.

Oh, and I added multiple accents using tissue/washi tapes :).

That's all from me for today! Thank you for stopping by and for all your sweet comments!

With warmest festive wishes

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I would also like to enter the following challenges:
Country View Challenges - December 2017 Christmas
A Vintage Journey - Winter Wonderland
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Celebrate

On the Eve of Christmas Eve

2017-12-23T10:00:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends!

Blimey! Where has the time gone?! I know I always promise (including to myself) to craft and blog more, but life has been so busy... non-crafty things always seem to get in the way... I'm sure you all know what I mean. So please forgive me for being such a poor blogger and visitor of late... I do try to visit your beautiful blogs whenever I can, although I don't always have enough time to let you know I've been... But I do and will try to organise myself better soon! :)

Last time I blogged it was Halloween, and now it's nearly Christmas! Sheesh... I'm almost ready with my preparations. What about you? This year I only managed to make a few Christmas cards, which I hope to share over the coming days...

The first one up... is this frosty Poinsettia card.

With this year's cards I was totally in a die cutting mode so I decided to dust off my lush Cut 'N' Boss Machine (one of the best and most memorable gifts I've ever received! - thank you Santa!). I played with a selection of dies I've had for years but (please don't tell anyone, especially my hubby!)) never actually used before...Gasp! Please don't judge me... I'm sure you all know all too well what happens when a good sale comes up and you end up buying supplies in wholesale quantities...! Some dies are like a good wine, you leave them unopened to mature and they just get far better with time.. LOL :)

For this card I used the following dies and punches:
Tim Holtz Sizzix Tattered Poinsettia
Stampendous Dreamweaver Holly and Swirls DL3005
Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia
Marianne Creatables Dies LR0181
Martha Stewart Pine Branch

I also used the following supplies:
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: DODZ 3D, Adhesive Dots Small, E-Z Runner Grand Refillable Dispenser
Papers: Simple Stories - December Documented
Dylusions Ink Spray - White Linen

That's all from me for now! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve (yay!), and that's when me and my family will be gathering for our Christmas Eve dinner to celebrate the reason of the season... and that's when we get to open our Christmas pressies! Soooo excited to see what Santa prepared for me this year! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today and for any sweet comments you'd like to leave. Your time and thoughts are truly appreciated. Warm festive wishes to all

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I would also like to enter the following challenges:
Country View Challenges - December 2017 Christmas
A Vintage Journey - Winter Wonderland
Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog - Most Memorable Gift

Crow's Woes - A Story of A Halloween Raven

2017-10-31T07:27:00.000+00:00

Re-edited: Yeeppie!!! I am a Designer Spotlight with this project over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! Yaaay!!!

Happy Halloween to all!

I haven't blogged for a long while but I've finally been able to find some crafty time and the inspiration came for this Halloween themed project! Just in time to join in the finale of 31 Days of Halloween!

I've decided to alter an old photo frame for this handsome fella. The stamp I used is the Raven Background from Stampendous. I took the inspiration from the JUGS #417 Challenge Photo:

The autumnal colour splatters, the bird theme, feathers...

The frame was first painted with DecoArt's black gesso and then treated with random dollops of alcohol inks in a range of colours. When the inks dried I applied some Dazzling Mettallics wax in Iced Esspresso to highlight the raised areas, along with a touch of Cherry Red acrylic paint.

I also framed the image further with Black Glass Glitter from Stampendous.

At the top I added an ornament cluster with hidden bat wings, mystic medallion and raven's feathers, complemented by a smaller ornament at the bottom with a scull and crossbones. All straight from the pantry essentials for witch's brews and potions... :).

If you'd like to indulge in more Halloween inspiration, do also have a peek at my Halloween lantern and Halloween Witchcraft tag projects. And make sure to check out of the spookylicious projects over at the Stampendous blog with the links to the whole month's worth of Halloween inspiration!

Thank you so much for stopping by and for all your lovely (or terrrrrifying!) comments! Happy Halloween!

Big crafty hugs!

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I would also like to enter the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - All Creatures Great and Small
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Frilly and Funkie - Trick or Treat (bat wings - treat for a witch)
A Vintage Journey - Crazy for Autumn Colour
Country View Challenges October - Mixed Media With Autumnal Hues

Sunflowers In Spring? Why Not?!

2017-04-06T11:00:00.000+01:00

Hello Friends! I hope this post will find you well! :). A very warm welcome to my newest readers and the regular followers, too! So happy to see you here!

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Yes, Spring is finally in the air! Beautiful sunny banks of daffodils, cheerful bunches of tulips, magnolia blooms... aaah, I love this time of year!

In keeping with the season our Stampendous HQ powers are focusing on all things Spring this week and I wanted to join in, too! Here's a birthday card I made for my Mum and while sunflowers are not normally associated with Spring, I thought these lovely sunny blooms would be a great addition to my delicate springtime lilacs hiding in the background.

I stamped the Lilac and Sunny Vase flowers on the Mixed Media Paper and coloured the images with Inktense pencils. I then die cut the images with the corresponding Sunny Vase and Lilac die sets. I varied the height of the blooms with my trusty 3D Foam Squares from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

For my background and vase I used some papers from 7Dots Studio which I stamped with Scrollwork Leaves and which I embossed with the Dreamweaver Metallic Gold Embossing Paste over the Corner Flourishes stencil. The little tag is from the Sunny Vase stamps set.

For the bottom of my vase I sprinkled some flower dust - aka Frantage and (my newly re-discovered loOOOove for) the encrusted jewel technique. I used Bronze Glass Glitter, Spoonful of Rust, Copper Lux Mix and Shabby White Embossing Enamel.

I finished the card with a little butterfly - because I absolutely looove butterflies and always look for an excuse to add one in lol :).

Also sharing today are:

Stampendous Blog
Pam Bray
Louise Healy

I hope you've enjoyed today's post and thank you for all your lovely comments that you may wish to leave (please do!) :). Have a fabulous day!

Big crafty hugs

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Stampendous and DecoArt - Medialicious Blog Hop Finale!

2017-03-17T10:00:00.000+00:00

Hello! And welcome to our Stampendous and DecoArt blog hop finale! We have been hopping (and hoping!) all week to bring you the latest, most awesome products, techniques and inspiration projects! I hope we didn't disappoint and oh boy, I have been drooling over the projects shared by both DTs! If you've missed my Steampunk heart card, that I shared on Monday, you can check it out here. Be sure to check out other projects shared this week as you don't want to miss out on this treat and on the fabulous prizes!

Stampendous:

ASCRS07 Cling Handle with Care

ASCRS08 Cling Skuldoggery

ASCRS09 Cling Unexplained

DecoArt:

Quinacridone Magenta

Cobalt Turquoise Hue

Cobalt Teal Hue

Primary Magenta

Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide

Paynes Gray

Carbon Black

Titanium White

Prussian Blue Hue

Phthalo Blue

Quinacridone Gold

Diarylide Yellow

Pyrrole Red

Green Gold

Primary Yellow Media Mister

Titanium White Antiquing Cream

Patina Antiquing Cream

8oz Bottle Lamp Black Americana Acrylic Paint

Now, onto my today's make. For the focal point I used my all time favourite butterfly stamp from the Butterfly Trio set which I die cut using Butterfly Die Sets die. I stamped it with Sepia Archival ink and painted it with diluted acrylic paints.

My background was stenciled with paints over the Mandala Stencil and I added some stamping with the Script Lines and Andy Skinner's Unexplained Stamp Set. I distressed my background panels with paints and distressing tool.

The sentiment is from the Bible Promises Perfectly Clear Stamp Set which I heat embossed with Detail Black Embossing Powder.

My butterfly was inspired by this gorgeous canvas from Kirsten Sheridan. The little plastic spoon was painted with acrylic paints before it received a Fran-tage Magic treatment with Copper Lux Mix and Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter. This is how it looked before the paints/Fran-tage make over...

And that's after the make-over...:-)

To finish off my card I added some splatters with Perfect Pearls Mist in Heirloom Gold.

DecoArt paints used: Americana Country Red, Bittersweet Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Island Blue, Golden Straw and Media Fluid Acrylic Quinacridone Gold (perfect for vintage rusty makes).

Other Supplies:
Inks: Spiced Chai StazOn Mini, Sepia Archival, Jet Black Archival, Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Papers: Authentique Latest & Greatest, BazzillBasicsPaper Ambrosia
Adhesives: Multi-Medium Matte, E-Z Runner® Grand Dispenser, 3D Foam Squares - Black, Small

Here's the full line-up of the blogs playing today:

I hope you've enjoyed today's post! Thank you for stopping by and for all your lovely comments. Have a fabulous weekend!

Big crafty hugs

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Stampendous and DecoArt - Meant To Bee Together!

2017-03-13T10:00:00.000+00:00

Hello and welcome to our new Stampendous and DecoArt blog hop! This is not the first time these two fabulous companies play together and it certainly will not be the last time. They share this special bond and (media) mix together perfectly. They have Attitude and they are perfect for altering every-day items! :-) Yes, they are meant to Bee together... but more on that in a moment...!

And since we are having a blog hop, we are going to treat you to droolingly gorgeous inspiration from both teams as well as SUPER AWESOME PRIZES!!!

Here's what you need to do to enter into a draw for the Mega Prizes!!!!! Comment to win one of three HUGE prize packages that includes Andy Skinner stamps and DecoArt Media™ Paint plus more! US winners only, please see Stampendous Official Contest Rules here for more details. Want to see all that’s in each prize package? Take a look below:

Stampendous:
ASCRS07 Cling Handle with Care
ASCRS08 Cling Skuldoggery
ASCRS09 Cling Unexplained

DecoArt:
Quinacridone Magenta
Cobalt Turquoise Hue
Cobalt Teal Hue
Primary Magenta
Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide
Paynes Gray
Carbon Black
Titanium White
Prussian Blue Hue
Phthalo Blue
Quinacridone Gold
Diarylide Yellow
Pyrrole Red
Green Gold
Primary Yellow Media Mister
Titanium White Antiquing Cream
Patina Antiquing Cream
8oz Bottle Lamp Black Americana Acrylic Paint

Now, onto my inspiration project. This is a card I made with one of my totally mixed media-licious backgrounds I shared a while ago on Instagram. I spent an afternoon playing with my Creative Palettes and layering paints onto scraps and Mixed Media Papers. I did some stenciling with sequin waste and bubble wraps as well as lots of stamping with bottle caps and building blocks. Whatever was to hand! In addition to regular white, gold and black acrylic paints I also used DecoArt Americana Acrylics in: Bright Yellow, Yellow Light, Pink Chiffon, Carousel Pink, Cadmium Orange and Country Red.

For my focal image I used Stampendous cling Time for Love which I stamped with Jet Black StazOn ink onto acetate and I coloured the image on the reverse side with Papermania metallic pens. I cut out the heart and mounted it onto the card with DODZ-3D so it would look as if it's floating above the detailed background, without getting lost within in. And you can still see the background layers between the cogs and rivets of the image :).

I also added some more stamping with the Honeycomb Wishes Perfectly Clear Stamps Set and I threw in a few cute little heart cogs for good measure.

That's all from me for today! More inspiration is waiting for you here:

Don't forget to leave some love on the participating blogs to be in with a change of winning one of those amazing prize bundles! Thank you for stopping by today and for all your lovely comments. Good luck everyone!

Big crafty hugs

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A Light-Bulb Moment - A Christmas Wish to All Part 3

2017-01-11T11:00:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends! How have the first weeks of 2017 been for you? Mine quite eventful, to say the least, but all in a good way! The Christmas tree and all decorations are gone now but I still have a Christmas/winter project left to share with you. This make is part of the Christmas lights trio I created for the Craft Stamper Magazine and you might have already seen my Altered Christmas Lantern and my Decoupage Christmas Candle. If you haven't, be sure to check them out!

This is an upcycled large light bulb turned into a Christmas bauble ornament. After painting the bulb with Chalky Finish paints, the image was transferred using a dry decoupage technique with Adhesive Sheets rather than through a traditional way of wet decoupage with decoupage glue. Then I heat embossed it with Kaleidoscope powder and coloured it with Inktense pencils, before sealing it all with matte varnish.

There's lots more of wintery and snowy inspiration on the Stampendous blog this week. Be sure to check it out!

Supplies:

Stampendous: Snow Queen; Crystal Micro Glitter, Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter; Kaleidoscope Embossing Powder; Spoonful of Pixie Dust
Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: 3D Foam Snowflakes; Adhesive Sheets 4"x6"
DecoArt Americiana Decor ® Chalky Finish: Everlasting; Vintage
DecoArt Snow-Tex, DuraClear Ultra Matte Varnish
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Tattered Poinsettia
Derwent: Inktense Pencils
Large light bulb
Seam binding ribbon
Pearl lace
Cheese cloth
Spray of foam berries
Decorative pins
Tissue paper

Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments!

Big hugs

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And The Winners Are....!

2017-01-10T21:30:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends! My sincere apologies for the slight delay in drawing the winners of my Seasons Givings Giveaways! Life got in the way again! :-)

So, without further ado......

The winner of my blog giveaway is... Jane !

And the winners of my surprise Instagram giveaway are.... Beverly Jordan and Hellen T!

Congratulations Ladies!!! Please contact me with your address details and the goodies will be on their way shortly!

Big crafty hugs

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Sharing Some Love - Mixed Media Magazine January 2017 issue

2017-01-03T23:30:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends! If you are looking for my Seasons Givings post and giveaway please click here.

I'm just popping in to say that the new issue of the MixedUp Magazine is now available to download! This is not an ordinary digital mag - if you'd like to find out why, check out this post Why digital?

The mag is full of super inspirational projects and oh boy, you really want to see the AMAZING cover project by Helen Chilton!

I am also thrilled to say that I have a Valentine's Day inspiration project featured in the magazine and you can see some cheeky sneak peeks above :).

Be sure to get your copy of the mag - you will find all the details here!

Big crafty hugs

Seasons Givings Giveaway Blog Hop - Year 5

2017-01-01T05:00:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends, I am absolutely delighted to be again taking part in the Seasons Givings blog hop. This is the fifth year running of this fabulous initiative started by our talented hostess Latisha Yoast. This is a wonderful blog hop to say 'thank you' to all our blog readers and followers for their time and kindness whenever they visit our blogs.

My blog had been a bit neglected in this last year and I am really sorry for being such a bad blogger in the recent months. My attention and focus were very much directed to finding my own feet in the new job, settling in the new house and I've started professional studies, too. Somehow these things have exhausted my creative muse which was hiding somewhere reappearing only occasionally and for very short moments. But even with such infrequent posting I have been really touched to see that many of my blog friends remained in contact and for that I want to express my heartfelt gratitude ❤❤❤.

This blog hop is so fabulous for two more reasons. The participating blogs wil be sharing some wonderful crafty inspiration as well as offering some delicious giveaways as a way to say 'thank you'. So be sure to visit them all to see what gems and treasures are waiting for you there!

My inspiration for you is this mixed media canvas panel which I created at the back of this Retro Girl With Attitude project that I shared a while ago.

Supplies:

Stampendous: Beautiful Braid Rubber Stamp, Peacock Background Stencil, Creative Palette Rounds

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: Black 3D Foam Tape, Thin 3D Foam Squares - Black, 3D Foam Pennants, Home & Hobby Extreme Double-Sided Tape - 1/4"

DecoArt Americana Acrylics: Ocean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Bright Green, Antique Green, Light Buttermilk

Spectrum Noir markers:
Hair: LY1, LY3, GB1, GB3, GB7, GB9, GB10, EB7
Face: FS1-FS5, CR2, CR3, CR6, IG1, IB2
Blouse: JG1, DG1, CG2, CG4, GB2, GB10

White and gold chalk markers, Sakura Clear Star pen, black chalk pencil
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology - Small Talk stickers

Now, onto my giveaway:

The package includes:
Cling rubber stamps - Stampendous
Adhesives - Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
mulberry paper roses

Stampendous cling rubber stamps: Lion Reader, Pajama Cat, Lion Crown, Unicorn Forest, PenPattern Cake, Snowy Sled, Tin Man Reader, Sir Toad, Birthday Jazz Cats, Lion With Lamb, Eagle Rock, Picnic Ants, Bundled Kitty, Puppy Pals, PenPattern Frog, Hippo Cycler, Amazing Shoes, Snowman Warm Ears, Newspaper Pup, Hedgehog, Running Horse, Patriotic Painters, Hanging Jeans, Teacup Sailing

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: Mounting Squares (clear), Black Photo Corners, Clear Photo Corners, Click 'n Stick Mounting Squares, White Photo Corners x2, 3D Foam Easter Shapes, 3D Foam Party Shapes. Thin 3D Foam Squares - White

To enter my Giveway simply leave a comment at the end of this post letting me know what your favourite achievements or memories in 2016 have been - crafty or otherwise. I have quite a few ones to cherish, we moved onto a new house, I started a new job, we visited my family in Poland in the summer, my best friends have welcomed new arrivals into their families... just to name a few! :)

You do not have to become a follower of my blog to enter this giveaway but I would be delighted if you chose to become one :). You can follow my blog via the Google Friend Connect ('Join this site' button in my sidebar), on Bloglovin' or by subscribing by email (or you can enter your email in the sidebar gadget).

You can enter until midnight (GMT) on 6th January 2017 and I will draw the winner on the 7th January 2017 :). I will endeavour to contact the winner directly - please be sure I can easily find a way of contacting you back - either via your blog or by leaving your email address with your entry. If the contact is not successful, I will draw another winner/s.

You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr :).

Ps. I have another surprise giveaway on my Instagram profile so be sure to check it out, too! :)

So here's the list of who's joining in with the Fifth Season of Givings!:

Lawn Fawn
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
Reverse Confetti
Taylored Expressions
Paper Smooches
Neat & Tangled
Technique Tuesday
Clear & Simple Stamps
Richard Garay
My Sweet Petunia
JustNick
Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
Sunny Studio Stamps
Inchie Arts llc
Scrapbook Update
Buttons Galore
Latisha Yoast (our lovely hostess!)
Julia Stainton
ChariMoss
Cristina Nunez
Wanda Guess
Vera Yates
Amy Tsuruta
Mary-Ann Maldonado
Lori Craig
Lydia Fiedler
Jenn Shurkus
Lisa Henke
Dina Kowal
Libby Hickson
Emily Leiphart
Cindy Lawrence
Kelly Klapstein
Erica Houtghton
Elise Constable
Julee Tillman
Lee Murphy
Lisa Arana
Giovana Smith
Karen Baker
Lindsay Amrhein
Dana Joy
Marcie Sharp
Megan Hoeppner
Alicia Thelin
Asia King (you are here!)
Debbie Seyer
Yvonne Van De Grijp
Tenia Nelson
Michelle Woerner
Christina Griffiths
Lori McAree
Barbara Anders
Jill Hawkins
Veronica Zalis
Leigh Penner
Margie Higuchi
Amy Coose
Melody Rupple
Karen Letchworth
Heidi Ramsey Blankenship
Jennie Harper
Jodi Collins
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Gracie Chavez
Stephanie Klauck
Savannah O'Gwynn
Terre Fry
Neva Cole
Maria Levine
Misti Oblander
Ceal Pritchett

My biggest thanks are going to Latisha for organising and hosting this fantastic event!

Now, it's only time to wish you all a very happy New Year, full of love, happiness and kindness to and from others. And of course, may this new year be full of creativity and positive energy to achieve the impossible!

Big hugs

A Christmas Wish to All - Part 2

2016-12-28T10:31:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends! I hope you had an amazing Christmas period, enjoyed together with your family and friends. Ours was lovely, too - spent with family, friends and... a leaking radiator! Not exactly my choice of Christmas entertainment if you ask me but it could've been worse :). We moved into our new home earlier this year and the house is still throwing surprises at us here and there!

As promised, here's the second companion from my Christmas Lights set - in my previous post I shared this Christmas lantern and I have one more item to share :).

I love how church candles can be altered with stamped images - they can easily transform ordinary candles into magical ornaments. I've previously shared on my blog another set of altered Christmas candles and I also have one in my Easter Home Decor set.

Stamped images can easily transform ordinary candles into magical ornaments

For my altered candle I stamped this beautiful image onto tissue paper and I coloured it with Spectrum Noir markers first. I also used the alcohol ink markers and an air spritzer to give my Crystal Angel a whimsical look. Then I adhered the image to the candle by gently melting the tissue into the wax.

Use alcohol ink markers and an air spritzer for a whimsical look

To melt tissue into the wax evenly, wrap the candle tightly with grease-proof paper, carefully heat with a heat gun until the image underneath looks sharper and continue to hold the sheet until the wax cools down.

As a finishing touch, I added a glittered 3D foam snowflake, some handmade poinsettia flowers with glass glitter 3D DODZ centres and some lace and seam binding ribbons.

Add handmade poinsettia flowers, ribbons and lace to create a shabby chic look

Supplies:

Stampendous: cling Crystal Angel; Crystal MicroGlitter; Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter

Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: 3D Foam Snowflakes; 3D DODZ

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Tattered Poinsettia

Crafters Companion: Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers

Church candle

Seam binding ribbon

Pearl lace

Cheese cloth

Spray of foam berries

Decorative pins

Tissue paper

Air spritzer tool

I hope you've enjoyed today's post. Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments!

Big hugs

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Mixed Media Place - December mood board
Country View Challenges - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Blog Challenge - Merry and Bright

A Christmas Wish to All - Part 1

2016-12-25T19:15:00.000+00:00

Hello Friends! I've been promising to get back into regular blogging routine and this is still to happen - please forgive me! Hopefully I will be a much better blogger in the New Year! :)

For now, please allow me to wish you all a very happy Christmas, full of love, peace and kindness and also hope that the magic of Christmas can conquer any obstacles and sadness that may be thrown your way. May this festive season be the happiest one ever, one to remember for years to come!

As I haven't done much Christmas crafting this year I thought I would share with you a winter project that appeared in the December 2015 issue of the Craft Stamper magazine. This is actually a trio of mixed media/altered items and today I'm kicking it off with this altered winter lantern. The idea was inspired by the Halloween altered lantern I created some time ago.

If you have an old lantern that has suffered some damage to the glass panes, this is a perfect up-cycling opportunity. You can alter and decorate the lantern to your heart's content, just like I did with layers of 3D foam shapes, crackle paste, paints and DIY shimmer mists. I make my mists quite subtle as I use them more for vintage ageing and delicate shimmer than for intense colour tinting.

You can also replace the glass panels with illusion film sheets - they reflect the light beautifully and guarantee an attention-grabbing look to the whole project. And yes, they are also perfect for stamping! I found that StazOn ink works great on them and the stamped image shows through on both sides. If you want to add more colour to your images, I recommend using alcohol markers on the reverse (unstamped) side – as the markers will make the StazOn ink smudge. The blending pen will then help you move the colour around the image.

The final touches were made with textural snow (toned down with paints after it was dry) and Glossy Accents glittered icicles. To embellish my lantern I added cheese cloth, seam binding ribbon and handmade poinsettia flowers.

Supplies:
Stampendous: Cling Sweater Snowman, Cling Sweater Square, Crystal Micro Glitter, Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter, Spoonful of Pixie Dust
StazOn Ink: Jet Black
StazOn Ink: Emerald Sky
Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: 3D Foam Stars, 3D Foam Snowflakes, DODZ 3D
Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: Pigment Powder - Gold, Pink, Brown
DecoArt Dazzling Metallics ®: Oyster Pearl, Silver Sage, White Pearl
DecoArt Americiana Decor ® Chalky Finish: Everlasting
DecoArt Snow-Tex, Texture Crackle

Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Die: Tattered Poinsettia
Crafters Companion: Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers
Rowlux: White Moire Illusion Film
Glossy Accents
Lantern
Seam binding ribbon
Cheese cloth
Spray of foam berries

Thank you so much for stopping by and for any kind words you'd like to share to let me know you've been here :).

With big warm hugs

I would like to enter the following challenges:
Mixed Media Place - December mood board
Country View Challenges - Christmas
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly Blog Challenge - Merry and Bright

Sooo....I'm back!!!

2016-10-12T22:48:00.000+01:00

Warmest hello to all my dearest friends! So... after a very looooong break, much longer than I've ever anticipated, I am (slowly) getting back to blogging! And you have no idea what a terrifying thought it is for me lol :).

I've been 'away' for such a long time that I am finding it really difficult to get back into blogging routine and to start crafting 'properly' again. A lot has happened since the beginning of this year - I started a new job, I've moved house (I'd love to show you my new fabulous craft room soon!) and I became a student again in my old age! These things have kept me rather busy. Actually, they still do, so please bear with me for a tad longer, until I find my blogging feet again :).

For now, please allow me to share with you a couple of very happy news!

First one up, I am delighted, excited and super grateful to have been invited by the uber talented Katy Leitch to join her team of hand picked designers supporting her brand new baby - a fabulous new digital magazine for all mixed media fans - the Mixed Up Mag! The first issue is already on sale and oh boy, this format takes crafty mags to a completely new level! You really do not want to miss this issue and you can get it here.

And I am really humbled to say that my work is featured in this very first issue in the Halloween gallery. Be sure to check it out!

But that's not all! I am also just as excited and super happy to share that you can also see my work featured again in the November issue of the Craft Stamper magazine!

Here is a little sneak peek of what to look out for! :)

That will be all from me for now :).

But before I go, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who have kept me in their thoughts and stayed in touch via email and social media. I really appreciate your kindness and warm thoughts. And another big thank you to all my followers for not giving up on me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a fabulous week everyone!

Bug crafty hugs

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Happy Birthday To Our Janelle!

2016-06-27T11:16:00.000+01:00

I know I've been AWOL for a very long time and I promise to get back into a blogging mode very soon :).

But today I am popping in to send a birthday wish to someone very special :). Janelle at Rain Puddles Design, a truly gifted artist who is also the right hand of our Stampendous DT Boss, is celebrating her birthday today!

Janelle always works her socks off tirelessly to help run the Stampendous blog and events as smoothly as possible. So the whole Stampendous gang is joining in today for a little birthday wish blog hop to show this fantastic lady how much we love and appreciate her and how grateful we are for all the amazing things she does for us!

Unfortunately the installation of my craft room is still in progress (more on that soon, I promise!) so I haven't been able to make a card for this occasion, but my teammies have prepared some fabulous creations for Janelle! Be sure to check them all out our here:

Stampendous blog

This beautiful image is the Stampendous Sketchy Blooms stamp coloured by me using Spectrum Noir markers :)

So Janelle, you are AMAZING my friend! You always go out of your way to help with anything and you are one of the nicest people on Earth! And you are a truly inspirational artist - I sooo want to be like you, when I grow up! :) Happy birthday lovely girl! I hope you have an amazing day!

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Shabby Chocolatier - Stampendous and DecoArt Blog Hop Finale

2016-03-11T11:00:00.000+00:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to the big Stampendous and DecoArt blog hop finale! Throughout this week both design teams have been very busy tempting you with delicious designs and inspiring projects to get your creative juices flowing.

This collaboration has always been one of my absolute faves as I absolutely loooove playing with stamps and paints! I hope you will enjoy visiting the other posts published earlier this week, if you haven't seen them yet. The week has been packed full with fantastic projects - you really don't want to miss seeing any of them!

So what has this week really been about? The whole Stampendous gang along with our friends at DecoArt have joined forces to show off some fantastic stamps designed for Stampendous by Andy Skinner who's a great mixed media artist and DecoArt International Education Coordinator.

Andy will join us along with his team of international mixed media artists including Julia Stratford-Wright, Mark Gould, Mel Hookham and Jools Robertson. Plus there will be posts this week on the Stampendous and DecoArt blogs as well.

And let me tell you. You’ll want to get your commenting fingers ready… Each comment on a post this week will enter you to win a fabulous prize package! (one comment per post, per person). Contest open to everyone! We have three packages and each has a Fluid Media Starter Kit, all three of Andy Skinner’s new Stampendous Stamp sets and a Jumbo Acrylic Handle. Look at this great prize!

I have a super sweet project for you today! I altered an ordinary, boring, metal CD tin and created this choccie tin instead! Needless to say, the chocolates are long gone - just say'n, in case you wonder...lol.

Stampendous Supplies:

Andy Skinner - Shabby Chic and Toxic stamp sets

Detail Embossing Powders - Black and Gold

VersaMark Watermark embossing ink pad

DecoArt Media: Titan Buff, Quinacridone Gold; Ultra Matte Duraclear Varnish

Other:

Color Solution Alcohol Inks: Pearl White, Creme Brulee

Ribbon - May Arts

Metal tin, self adhesive pearls

StazOn Mini inks - Spiced Chai, Ganache

Directions:

1. Using felt alcohol ink applicator cover the tin with Creme Brulee alcohol ink all around the edge.

2. Cover the top of the lid with Pearl White alcohol ink.

3. Using a cosmetic sponge dab Titan Buff paint all over the tin.
4. Add more Creme Brulee in places for more rusty look.
5. Stamp the 'scratches' with a texture stamp from the Toxic set using Spiced Chai and Ganache inks.
6. Add a wash of Quinacridone Gold paint, wiping some off with a baby wipe.
7. Stamp the labels from the Shabby Chic set and heat emboss in black and gold.
8. Finish off with a small bow and accent pearls.
9. Add choccies.
10. Eat choccies :).

So here's the full line-up of the blogs playing today:

Stampendous Blog

Wendy Price

Asia King (that's me!)

That's all from me for today. Your next stop is Pam Hornschu. Enjoy the hop and good luck in the draw! And have a wonderfully creative weekend! :)

Big crafty hugs

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Caution, Retro Girl With Attitude! Stampendous And DecoArt Blog Hop

2016-03-07T11:00:00.000+00:00

Hello everyone! I am still officially on a blogging break and I haven't been able to craft lately. If you've seen my last post you'll know that there's been a lot going on in my non crafty life and also that my hubby and I are in a process of moving house. Unfortunately the process has been quite traumatic for us and things just keep getting delayed. We still haven't moved yet and we're kind of constantly on a 'high alert' and 'high hope' too that the move will finally happen soon. But I am popping in this week to play with Stampendous and DecoArt peeps with a couple of projects I made a while ago :). Before I tell you all about this week's shenanigans I'll also add that Maureen (the winner of my Seasons Givings giveaway) and I had finally made successful contact :).

So onto this week's big event! The whole Stampendous gang is super excited to play this week with our friends at DecoArt. Mixed Media Artist and DecoArt International Education Coordinator Andy Skinner has designed some fantastic stamps for Stampendous and we’re going to be showing them off all week long.

Andy will join us along with his team of international mixed media artists including Julia Stratford-Wright, Mark Gould, Mel Hookham and Jools Robertson. Plus there will be posts this week on the DecoArt blog as well. Naturally the Stampendous Design Team will be checking in as well.

My project today was initially inspired by the strong retro vibes that I can now see everywhere in fashion, home decor and furniture shops. Totally infused with geometrical shapes and neon love.

When I stamped the Fashion Dame I thought she looked like a girl with quite an attitude so I added the Caution sign from the Andy Skinner's Toxic stamp set, which I thought was quite fitting :). The chipboard buttons were also stamped with Toxic stamp set using the texture design.

To create my background I stared by misting my Linnie Blooms canvas panel with DecoArt Media: Primary Yellow and Yellow Green Misters. When the panel was dry I stenciled Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste through the Pop Rectangles Stencil which I sprinkled with the Summer Shine Embossing Kit. After shaking off the excess powders I heat embossed the paste with the embossing powders overheating in places to get nice thick bubbles. This panel was all about drama and fluorescent toxic hazardous effects (a bit like my life at the moment lol) :). Quite a change from my usual feminine flowery makes :).

The image was coloured with Distress Markers and for stamping I used Black Archival ink and Blue Hawaii StazOn Mini ink. I also used 3D Foam Squares - Black, Regular from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L.

So, here are the blogs playing today:

Oh, and I almost forgot...! Please look out for the new issue of the Craft Stamper's magazine (April 2016). I have a couple of quick makes in there using the free cover stamp :).

I hope you will join us for this week's medialicious blog hop! Don't forget to comment as you visit participating blogs to increase your chances of winning! That's all from me for today and I'll see you again on Friday during our big blog hop finale!

Big crafty hugs

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Challenges for this project:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Create your own background
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Touchy Feely
That's Crafty! Challenges - Masks and Stencils

Maureen Hayes - Where Are You? And a Little Break

2016-02-10T22:58:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovelies! It has been a little quiet on my blog and I apologise for my absence from my blogging and visiting duties.

Some of you may know that there's been lots of new things happening lately in my 'non-crafty' life that have taken the front seat. I've recently started a new job and if that wasn't enough to keep me occupied, my hubby and I are also hoping to move house soon! Sheesh! There are other things going on as well, which I won't bore you with, but suffice to say my head and heart have had their focus turned away from crafting for a short while.

With a heavy heart I had to step down from the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L's design team and I am taking a (hopefully short) break from regular blogging. I might pop in occasionally but I can't promise at the moment... Things with the move are still up in the air but we're starting to prepare for the move as we might have to get everything packed at a very short notice. Then, it will take a little while to organise a new craft room/space in the new house.

I would also like to mention this last call for Maureen Hayes, the winner of my Seasons Givings giveaway - please do get in touch, hun, otherwise I'll have to redraw the winner. I've sent you emails and tried to contact you via your blog but with no success :(. This was Maureen's winning comment:

I know Maureen has seen my winning post but I still haven't received an email with her mailing address. If you know Maureen, please let her know I'm still waiting to hear from her. I will wait another week but after that I will redraw the winner.

So, that's all from me for now! Please, send some positive vibes and prayers my way - they are much needed at the moment and will be greatly appreciated! :) And I hope you won't forget me - I will be back soon! :)

With warmest hugs xx

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I've Been Published! Craft Stamper March 2016

2016-02-01T21:20:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovelies! I hope you are all well and keeping warm, away from these strong winds!

Just a short post to give you heads up about my project and a tutorial shared in the March issue of the Craft Stamper's mag (hitting the shops this Friday or already in your post box if you are a subscriber). I will be showing how to achieve glass etched magic with assistance of your favourite rubber stamps! I am using a goooorgous background stamp Leather Flowers from Stampendous and you can see a tasty sneak peek of my project above :).

I am always sooooo excited to see my work in print - thank you so much Trish (our super fab Editor)!

I hope you will enjoy my tutorial & inspiration! If you can get a copy of the magazine, be sure to check out page 23 :). The mag is FULL of fantastic mixed medialicious projects - you don't want to miss this issue. You can order your copy from Traplet Publications' online SHOP, or download a digital copy from POCKETMAGS!

Thank you for stopping by today!
Big crafty hugs

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Today Is A Good Day

2016-01-14T11:00:00.000+00:00

Hello my lovelies! Warmest welcome to all my new and regular readers! :)

Today over at Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L I am sharing this shimmery art tag and you can see my post here. I created a DIY background using gorgeous Pigment Powders - but to find out more, please hop over to the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L's blog!

Supplies:

Donna Salazar with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® Pigment Powders - Gold, Pink, Brown, Wine (coming soon!) and Silver (coming soon!); Lace Ribbons; Ash Washi Tape (coming soon!)

Adhesive Sheets 4x6", DODZ™ - Small, DODZ™ - 3D, DODZ™ - XL, Thin 3D Foam Squares - Mix Black

Other supplies:

Stampendous: Cling Vintage Letter stamp, Clear Detail Embossing Powder
Donna Salazar Designs MIX'D MEDIA INX - Chiffon
Liquid Pearls, flowers, ornamental berries, manila tag, seam binding ribbon

I really like this colour combo for Spring time projects and the Pigment Powders worked perfectly for me - just like in this Spring Time Art card.

And I just looooove these little Styrofoam berries, they are so cute, don't you think? I bought them in the 'after Christmas sales' a year ago for 50p - a real bargain and I still have loads of them left! I've also used them in this Bird's Nest Artist Trading Block project if you'd like to have another peek.

I hope you like my first project of the new year! Thank you so much for stopping by today and for your lovely comments!

Big crafty hugs

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And The Winner Is.....!

2016-01-07T22:21:00.001+00:00

Hello my lovelies! Thank you soooo much to everyone who's taken part in the Seasons Givings Blog Hop! The blog hop was fantastic! I was amazed by the generosity of the people taking part and there will sure be many happy winners. Also, my biggest and warmest welcome to my new blog followers - thank you so much for joining in the fun and I hope you will find lots of inspiration here!

I also wholeheartedly enjoyed reading your comments and I loved finding out about your new year's resolutions! A lot of us will aim to get our craft rooms and supplies organised better and others hope to try their hand at a new crafting technique.

Using watercolours in crafting is definitely one of your favourite techniques to try in 2016! With this in mind I hope to share more watercolouring tips and projects here on my blog. For now, if you'd like some initial watercolouring inspiration, why don't you check out my Autumnal Wishes card with a Brusho background tutorial or the Floral Seed Packets with my colouring on kraft with Inktense pencils tutorial. You can also see some examples of colouring using watercolour pencils in my Anniversary Pop Up Bouquet Card or Near The Sea Card.

You might also like to check out this Beginners' Guide to the Magic of Watercolour Kindle Edition written by my dearest father-in-law Jack King.

Jack is an amazing artist and has always been a great inspiration to me - and I found this beginners' guide extremely helpful in my watercolour pursuits! One of my FIL's designs has also recently been selected for the charity Christmas cards for The Silver Line helpline and he's currently the 'cover boy' on The Silver Line's Facebook page :).

OK, let's move onto what you all have been waiting for - the winners of my giveaways!

First up - my giveaway #1:

And the winner is.......

Next - my giveaway #2:

And the winner is..........

the lucky commenter on my Seashell Jar Card post:

Congratulations Maureen Hayes and Samantha Wade! Ladies please contact me with your postal addresses and your goodies will be on their way, soon!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered! I hope to have another giveaway in a near future so stay tuned!

Big crafty hugs

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Seasons Givings Giveaway Blog Hop And Crystal Angel

2016-01-01T05:00:00.000+00:00

Happy New Year everyone! I am absolutely trilled to be taking part in this year's Seasons Givings Blog Hop!

This is a blog hop with a difference - each participating blog will not only have some crafty inspiration waiting for you - each blog will also have a sweet crafty surprise to give away!

What a fantastic way to start the year - you might just be the lucky winner of some fantastic crafty goodies!

As my inspiration today I'd like to share my last winter themed card for this season. Like the Angel on the card, I'm blowing the snowflakes away - except I am wishing for the winter to end and for the spring to arrive before too long :). I hope you'll like this card and that it will encourage you to look around my blog to check out my other projects as well :). You might like to have a peek at my Top Ten Picks from 2015 - a collection of my favourite projects from the last 12 months :).

Supplies:

Stampendous: Cling Crystal Angel, Teal Encrusted Jewel Kit, Royal Purple Glass Glitter, Mixed Media White Paper, Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®

Plus: Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper®; Tim Holtz Marker Spritzer Tool, ribbon - May Arts, Sakura Clear Star pen

Adhesives by Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L®: Creative Photo Corners - Silver, Crafty Foam Tape, 3D Foam Snowflakes, 1/2" Extreme Double-Sided Tape, Pigment Powders - Pink, Blue

Chameleon Alcohol Pens: BL3, BL6, BG4, CG8, NU1, BK4

Instructions:

1. Prepare an A6 card blank from purple cardstock.

2. Trim a panel from White Media Paper 1/16th inch smaller on each side.

3. Sprinkle the powders, glitters and mica fragments from the Teal Kit over the panel and heat from underneath using encrusted jewel technique.

4. Embellish the panel with silver photo corners and purple ribbon. Adhere to the card base using Extreme tape.

5. Stamp the Crystal Angel in black onto Media Paper and colour in. Stamp the Angel again onto scrap paper and cut it out.

6. Use the cut-out Angel as a mask to cover the Angel on your main stamped image. Using the spritzer tool air brush the background snowflake with pink, purple and blue markers.

7. Fussy cut the image and adhere it to the card over the foam tape.

8. Decorate a foam snowflake with pigment powders and Royal Purple Glass Glitter and adhere it to the centre of the image.

9. Add highlights to the image with the Clear Star pen.

Also sharing today:
Stampendous Blog
Lea Fritts
Rhea Weigand - Alumni designer

Challenges for this card:
That's Crafty Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Frilly and Funkie - Holiday Hues

Giveaway #1 - How To Enter!

As it's a Season of Givings I'm giving away not one, but two generous bundles! :). To enter my Giveway #1 simply leave a comment at the end of this post letting me know what your New Year's resolution is (or are?) - crafty or otherwise. My New Year's Resolution for 2016 is to get a new (bigger?) craft room - how's that for a challenge? lol :). So now I'd love to know what you want to aim for in 2016!

You do not have to become a follower of my blog to enter this giveaway but I would be delighted if you chose to become one :). You can follow my blog via the Google Friend Connect ('Join this site' button in my sidebar), on Bloglovin' or by subscribing by email (or you can enter your email in the sidebar gadget).

You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr :).

Included in the bundle:

Stampendous clear stamp sets x6 - BlockArt Tweet Friends, Cat Sayings, Beary Mice, Dog Sayings, Hoppy Moments, Mice Wishes

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: 1x pack of Clear Photo Corners, E-Z Dots Mini Runner, 1x 3D Foam Pennants, 2x Creative Photo Corners - Silver, 2x Creative Photo Corners - Gold

2x Crimson Cloud clear stamp sets; 4x unmounted rubber stamps - Aspects of Design & others

2x wood mounted stamps - Wild Flowers and Nature Trail

1x pack of Christmas Bows; 1x Rubby Slipper ColorBox Glitter; 2x WOW! Embossing Powders - Ruby Romance & Red Glitz; 1x 5 pcs Cuttlebug Occasions Embossing/Die Set

Fancy Pants - Be Different Button Set & Toppers; John Lewis Christmas Mittens Card Toppers

Giveaway #2 - How To Enter!

The Giveaway #2 is my way of saying 'THANK YOU' to my lovely blog followers and those who take time to leave a few words on the projects I share - you are the reason I keep blogging and keep sharing my crafty potterings. Thank you so much for all your friendship and support in 2015!

To enter my Giveaway #2, please become a follower of my blog (if you're not one already) and leave a comment on any of the projects I blogged in December 2015. The number of comments you leave will equal the number of times your name will be put in the hat :).

If you follow my blog already and have commented on any of my projects in December, your name has been automatically added to the draw - yay! :)

To become a follower you can use the Google Friend Connect button ('Join this site' button in my sidebar), you can follow me via Bloglovin' or by subscribing by email (or you can enter your email in the sidebar gadget).

Ps. You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr :).

Included in the bundle:

1x jewellery/trinket Box hand decorated (by yours truly lol)

7x The Artistic Stamper unmounted rubber stamps: Sneaker #1, Money Bird, Birdz set, Kiki, Franswar, Mystical Bird, Mechanical Bird

1x Crafty Individuals unmounted rubber stamp CI-282,

1x Marianne Design clear stamp set - CS0860

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: 1x Adhesibe Essentials Bundle, 1x pack of Mounting Squares, 1x 3D Foam Pennants, 2x Creative Photo Corners - Silver, 2x Creative Photo Corners - Gold

2x paper packs 6x6" - Lawn Fawn & Paper Cellar, 1x Tombow Foam Tape

1x Spellbinders In'spire Caged die, 1x Hampton Art Jillibean Soup Pea Pod Parts,

1x Stampendous Spoonful of Confetting Fran-tage kit

1x origami paper set, 1x pack of book corners/markers, 1x acrylic mini album,

1x Woodware border craft punch - Holly Leaf, 1x decorative edge scissors - Wave,

15x mulberry paper roses, 5x dry poppy seed heads

Both giveaways are open internationally. You can enter until midnight (GMT) on 6th January 2016 and I will draw the winners on the 7th January 2016 :). I will endeavour to contact the winners directly - please be sure I can easily find a way of contacting you back - either via your blog or by leaving your email with your entry. If the contact is not successful, I will draw another winner/s.

Every single participant has something exciting to give away so be sure to visit them all and enter in the drawings. Your next stop is: Jennifer Ingle aka JINGLE :).

Lawn Fawn

Lawnfawn.blogspot.com

Scrapbook Cards & Today Magazine

http://www.scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

http://www.scrapbook-adhesives.com/blog

Reverse Confetti

https://reverseconfetti.com/blog/

Technique Tuesday

http://techniquetuesday.typepad.com

CAS-ual Friday Stamps

http://cas-ualfridaysstamps.blogspot.com

Verve Stamps

http://www.vervestamps.blogspot.com

Donna Salazar

http://donnasalazardesigns.blogspot.com

Richard Garay

http://www.richardgaray.com/blog/

AdTech

https://makesomethingreat.wordpress.com

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store

http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com

Inchie Arts

http://www.inchiearts.typepad.com

Avocado Arts

http://www.avocadoarts.blogspot.com

OHscrap (Bossy Joscie)

http://www.cutchens.com

Rubermoon Stamps

http://www.rubbermoonarts.blogspot.com

Latina Crafter

http://latinacrafter.blogspot.com

A Jillian Vance Design

http://blog.ajillianvancedesign.com

JustNick

http://justnick.myshopify.com/blogs/justnick

Your Everyday Stamps

http://youreverydaystamps.blogspot.com

Latisha Yoast

http://www.crafteebee.blogspot.com

AJ Otto

http://thewillowgarden.blogspot.com

Kimberly Crawford

http://kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com

Julia Stainton

http://juliastainton.com/blog/

Laurie Willison

http://www.soapboxcreations.blogspot.com

Teri Anderson

https://terisplace.wordpress.com

Jennifer Gallacher

http://jengallacher.blogspot.com

Vera Yates

http://www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com

Wanda Guess

http://www.ablogcalledwanda.com

Nichol Magouirk

http://www.nicholmagouirk.typepad.com

Kelly Klapstein

http://www.kellycreates.ca

Anabelle O’Malley

http://www.anabelleom.blogspot.com

Kim Watson

http://kj-starre.blogspot.com

Chari Moss

http://www.mossymade.com

Laura Bassen

https://laurafadora.wordpress.com

Lydia Fiedler

http://understandblue.blogspot.com

Lisa Adametz

http://www.papergrace.com

Alice Wertz

http://aliceslittlewonderland.blogspot.com

Daniela Dobson

http://danieladobson.blogspot.com

Jenn Shurkus

Shurkus.com

Lori Craig

http://loricraig.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com

Amy Tsuruta

http://tsurutadesigns.blogspot.com

Lisa Henke

http://www.mylittlecreativeescape.blogspot.com

Margie Higuchi

http://margieh.blogspot.com

Lee Murphy

http://luvleestamper.blogspot.com

Lori Tecler

http://inkingaloud.blogspot.com

Dina Kowal

http://mamadinis.blogspot.com

Loretta Lock

http://lovetocreate.blogspot.ca

Darsie Bruno

http://craftingwithdarsie.blogspot.com

Marcie Sharp

http://www.cardmakinchaos.blogspot.com

Veronica Zalis

http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/?m=1

Barbara Anders

http://barspaperpursuits.blogspot.com

Maria Levine

http://riacreations.blogspot.com

Dana Joy

http://www.gotjoycreations.blogspot.com

Melody Rupple

http://apapermelody.blogspot.com

Keri Sereika

http://www.pinklemonade.typepad.com

Asia King (YOU ARE HERE)

http://underacreativespell.blogspot.com

Jennifer Ingle

http://justjingle.blogspot.com

Yvonne Van de Grijp

http://phoebeez.blogspot.nl

Beth Pingry

http://bethpingry.com

Erica Houghton

http://ericahoughton.blogspot.com

Mary-Ann Maldonado

http://lumpbumpandclump.blogspot.com

Piali Biswas

http://touchofcreation.blogspot.com

Ashley Newell

http://www.hearthugsdesigns.com

Nicole Maki

http://madebynicole.blogspot.com

Julee Tilman

http://www.poeticartistry.blogspot.com

Leigh Penner

http://www.leighpenner.blogspot.com

Christina Griffiths

http://flowersribbonsandpearls.blogspot.co.uk

Lindsay Amrhein

http://lindsayamrhein.blogspot.com

Laura Williams

http://www.lauralooloo.blogspot.com

Debbie Seyer

http://www.debbieseyer.com/my_weblog/

Christine Emberson

http://creativity-continues.blogspot.co.uk

Kerry Urbatch

http://www.thestampingbugsjourney.blogspot.com

Linda Lucas

http://lovelylindascraftcentral.blogspot.com.au

Tosha Leyendekker

http://www.stamptalkwithtosh.blogspot.com

Giovana Smith

http://giovana-believe.blogspot.com

Bunny Vance

http://www.bunnyrunswithscissors.com

Stacey Schafer

http://stampinwithstacey.blogspot.com

Lee Ann Barrett

http://greytpapercrafts.blogspot.com

Ruby Naz

http://www.arareruby.com

Julie Dinn

http://www.kreativejewels2.com

Jill Hawkins

https://fastestturtle.wordpress.com

Christiana Reulling

http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.com

Jodi Collins

http://stampingalatte.blogspot.com

Gracie Chavez

http://gracielliedesign.blogspot.com

Michelle Woerner

http://stopandstamptheroses.blogspot.com

Tania Willis

http://www.throughtrialsiambeingpurified.blogspot.com

Karisse Schilling

http://karissejoy.com

Lori McAree

http://smilingwhilestamping.blogspot.com

Ashley Harris

http://www.ashleyharris.typepad.com

Emily Leiphart

http://www.leiphartonart.blogspot.ca

Heidi Blankenship

http://embellished-dreams.blogspot.com

Coralynn Murray

http://sunrisestamper1.blogspot.ca

Tenia Nelson

http://jazzypaper.blogspot.com

Pretty Philosophie

http://www.prettyphilosophie.org

Jillian Vance

http://www.princessandthepaper.com

Misti Oblander

http://misti-acardaday.blogspot.com

Ceal Pritchett

http://simplybeautifulcreations.blogspot.com

Happy New Year everyone, may the New Year bring you many happy moments to share and new blessings to cherish.

And my heartfelt 'thank you' to Latisha Yoast - the fabulous lady who's behind this fantastic idea of Seasons Givings and who's committed a great amount of time to make it all happen!

Good luck and warm festive hugs!

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My Year In Review - Top Picks From 2015

2015-12-31T22:16:00.000+00:00

Hello everyone! Are you ready to greet 2016? With the New Year just hours away, I thought I'd share my Top Ten for 2015 - a collection of my favourite projects from this year. If you'd like a closer look, here are some handy links to take you right over to the original posts with the projects you might like to see again.

Shabby Chic Dress Form - I made this dress form during a Spellbinders Partner Blog Hop and I have tutorial for it, too. You will be surprised what it looked like before the transformation!

Spring Art card - this spring inspired card was made as my guest DT make for the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog.

Bird's Nest Artist Trading Block - shabby chic, serene take, using the Sizzix ATB die and my all time fave stamp Nestled Bird from Stampendous.

Steampunk dRamatic Society - a Steampunk version of the artist trading block die. Certainly much more drama going on there, contrary to its calm shabby chic 'sibling' above.

Mr & Mrs Wedding Card - this card opened this year's wedding makes season on my blog...

Sunflower Wedding Card - another wedding card for family nuptials which took place in a stunning scenery of Château de Javarzay in Chef-Boutonne in France. This region is known for its numerous sunflower fields - a truly magical place...

Sunflower Layout - a scrapbook page I created to commemorate this magical sunflower themed wedding.

Woodland Fairy - a sweet mixed media wall hanging with a sleeping woodland beauty.

Gardener's Dream Seed Packets - floral gift packets with a short tutorial - perfect as a lovely handmade gift for any keen gardener.

Snowy Postcard - most recent project in the above collection - a Christmas card inspired by Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015.

I hope you will enjoy hopping through my favourite picks... I'd love to know which one is your favourite? :)

Finally, my heartfelt 'thank you' for your friendship and encouragement throughout these past 12 months. Every single click, every single comment, every message with a question or feedback, they have all been a real gift to me - thank you, thank you, thank you. Have your eyes peeled tomorrow as I will be back with a sweet surprise for you. Or maybe even two!

Until then, let's raise a glass for a happy, successful and full of accomplished dreams 2016! Happy New Year, my friends!

Big New Year's hugs!

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