The Shell Seekers

Hello friends and hope this post finds you well.

You woudn't believe it's nearly the end of April ... after a balmy week weather wise last week, we seem to have had all 4 seasons in one day here with sun, rain, wind, hail and even a quick flurry of snow!

I'm bringing you my second post on behalf of Incy Wincy Designs and to recap, we'd like you to be Inspired by a Song, Book or Movie. So, make sure your creation represents your favourite and don't forget to tell us what it is!!!

We've got 2 lovely sponsors lined up for you with 2 great prizes and, I have to say, most of the DT are showcasing both sponsors because (like me) they simply couldn't choose which sponsor's images to use :oD!!!!!!!

Our first sponsor is the lovely Sami from Sami Stamps who is offering a prize pack to our first random winner.

Our second sponsor is new to us here at Incy Wincy, but has been around blogland for a while - welcome to Nikki from Melonheadz Illustrating. Nikki is offering our second random winner a bundle from her store.

For this card, I've been inspired by one of our favourite Disney songs "Under the Sea" (eldest Bambino reliably informs me this song comes from the film The Little Mermaid!) and I'm featuring one of Sami's gorgeous images. One of my best memories of this song is a number of years ago, and we'd spent a rather chilly October half term in Yorkshire sorting out my late Grandmother's house. The Bambinos had been with us, and a Disney cassette was one of the most played in the car. We were rolling along the M62 with this song playing out full blast and each of us singing one of the parts ... it was almost like the car joined in as we rocked down the road!!!!!!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is a pre-made 14.8cm square card base in whie
• Papers - are by Melo Vrijhof at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking and are from a set called Summer Splash. I've used the Multicolor Dots and Navy Splash Zentangle papers which I have layered together digitally in my word processing programme.
  
• Image - is the beautifully serene Shell Mermaid 1 from the Ocean section at Sami Stamps. I have brought this girl of the ocean and her little friend to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours together with my Clear Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen before die cutting it with my second largest Sizzix Framelits Fancy Labels die
• Mermaid's Skin - FS2, FS4, FS9, FS3, TN4, FS8
• Mermaid's Hair - CT1, CT2, CT4, GB8
• Mermaid's Top and Tail - GT1, GT2, GT3
• Shell - CR3, PP3, CR5, DR6
• Seahorse and Starfish - OR1, OR2, OR3
• Sand - TN2, EB2, TN3, EB3 (I got the idea for doing the sand like this from this month's Project Class at Kit & Clowder and I'm pretty please with the way it turned out!)
• Sentiment - is another design from Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking, this time by Marisa Lerin and it comes from the Ocean Words Kit. I die cut this using my second smallest Sizzix Framelits Ovals die and then mounted it on my card.

If you're in need of more inspiration to take part in this challenge, please head over to Incy Wincy Designs where my very talented teamies have a bevy of delights for you to savour. Don't forget to come back and link up your project which is Inspired by a Song, Book or Movie ... just be sure to tell us what your inspiration is! This challenge ends on Sunday 1st May 2016, and we'll be back with our next challenge on Monday 2nd May.

Don't forget that Incy Wincy Designs is also on Facebook and we've got a DT Call on at the moment ... all the details for that are in this post.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge #164 at {PIN}Spirational Challenges - I've been inspired by the pink, orange, yellow and green colours of your picture!
• D is for Dots at Alphabet Challenge
• Challenge #46 - Polka Dots or Gingham at Paper Creator - I've gone with the Polka Dots option!
• Challenge #127 - Dots and/or Stripes at Deep Ocean Challenge - I've gone with the Dots option!
• Challenge #62 - Sing us a Song at Ike's World Challenges - I've been inspired by Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid by Disney
• Challenge #313 - Anything Goes at Robyn's Fetish Challenges
• Critters and Creatures Linky Party 3 atEllibelle's Creative Moments

Hope you have a great afternoon!

Hugs, Helen x

The Kettle's on ........

Good morning friends! Hope you are all well today. We're just starting the second week of the school hols here at Casa Mia, and I have to say that I'm feeling quite rested! 

It being the first Monday of the month, it's time to bring you the new challenge from Incy Wincy Designs and this time we'd like you to Colour Me Wonderful! We'd like to you to use your favourite colouring medium and, to be eligible for a prize and / or Top 3 place, you must state in your blog post what your favourite colouring medium is.

We've got 2 great sponsors lined up for you:

Our first sponsor is a new one to us, but Anne-Marie from AMB Illustrations has some great designs in her store; perfect papers and clip art for card making and scrapbooking! Anne-Marie is offering a great prize to our first random winner which is 5 free packs when you purchase 10 packs from her store ... that's 3 for the price of 2! Even if you aren't our winner, Anne-Marie currently has a Spring Sale on in her store - the details are on the store home page.

Our second sponsor is Heather and her team from Lacy Sunshine Stamps who are offering another prize pack to our second lucky winner.

Both of our sponsors have very kindly given the DT some images to showcase for this challenge, so here we go for something a bit different from me using my favourite Alcohol Markers and favourite Distress Inks, and featuring art work by Anne-Marie of AMB Illustrations:

Yup, I've made some ATCs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you like an adventure ......

For this ATC, I have stuck with my usual Alcohol Markers and used them with an Alcohol Resist technique following a tutorial by Alyce at Kit and Clowder. I discovered this technique because February's Create and Learn class came with the bonus of 4 background tutorials too! Thanks for these Alyce ;o) ! My ATC recipe is as follows:

• Base card - is Neenah Solar White Cardstock onto which I "drew" a 3½" x 2½" rectangle using my word processing programme
• Image - of a butterfly and floral swag comes from the Garden Party Clipart Set by Anne-Marie, which I opened in my word processing programme and then layered it onto my ATC rectangle before twisting it so it sat in the corner
• Sentiment - is called Word Art Adventure or Tea and it comes from a bundle called Sugar & Sweet by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. I also added this to my ATC rectangle in an appropriate place ... and then I printed my ATC out.
• Background - has been created using my Spectrum Noir Pens in colours PP3, PP5, HB1, BT2, BT4 which I coloured in blocks over the ATC. Once these inks were dry, I used an Alcohol Resist technique with surgical spirit and a cotton bud to created highlights. 

It's Always Tea Time .....

For this ATC, I have turned to my favourite Distress Inks, which is what springs to my mind when I'm thinking background colouring. I have used this "Smooshing" Technique before, and the contrasting colours of ink have made a lovely blended colour. My ATC recipe is as follows:

• Base card - is Snow White Silver Centura Pearl which I've cut to a 3½" x 2½" ATC
• Background - has been created on Watercolour Card with Distress Inks in Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry, a water spray and a piece of acetate using a "Smooshing Technique". I patted my first ink pad on the acetate, gave it a quick spray of water and then just "smooshed" it onto my card. Whilst it was still wet, I changed to my second ink pad and using the same technique added more colour to the card. Where the pink and blue inks have merged, I've created a lovely purple colour! Once this card was dry, I cut it ¼" smaller than my ATC so that it fits nicely.
• Image - is again from Anne-Marie's Garden Party Clipart Set; this time it's the silhouette of a teapot on a circle with a butterfly and swag, and this design comes in several colourways. I've cut this image with the second smallest Die'sire Essentials Circles Die before mounting it on my ATC.
• Sentiment - is called It's Always Tea Time and it comes from the English Breakfast Mini Kit by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. This was die cut using my second smallest Die'sire Essentials Rectangles Die before it was mounted onto my ATC.

Tea Time .....

For this ATC, I have again turned to my favourite Distress Inks and "Smooshing" Technique, this time with toning colours. My ATC recipe is as follows:

• Base card - is Watercolour Card onto which I "smooshed" Distress Inks in Milled Lavender and Seedless Preserves. Because these colours tone rather than contrast, the blended colour is much more subtle. Once the background was dry, I cut the card to a 3½" x 2½" rectangle
• Image - is a further image from Anne-Marie's Garden Party Clipart Set; this one is very similar to the one on the previous ATC, but the elements are not "grounded" by a shape. I cut this out using my second smallest Die'sire Essentials Scalloped Squares Die and then, to avoid it disappearing into the background, gently distressed the edges with more Seedless Preserves Distress Ink.
• Sentiment - is another one by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. This one comes from her Handwritten Kit #3 and is simply called Label Tea Time. It already had the border around it, so I simply cut this out, and attached it to my ATC.

So, I hope have inspired you to dig out your favourite colouring medium and that you'll Colour Me Wonderful over at Incy Wincy Designs this time. Don't forget to let us know what your favourite colouring medium is! However, if you're in need of further inspiration, please do check out the other great creations by my team mates. We'll be back with our next challenge on Monday 18th April 2016.


I would like to enter these projects into the following challenge:

• Challenge 357 - Create your own Background Paper at C.R.A.F.T. Challenge
• Challenge #16 - Anything Goes with option of Weather at ATC Around the World
• Challenge #115 - ATC or Small Card at Card and Scrap

My "Would You Like an Adventure" ATC into the following challenge:

• Monday Challenge - Try to Resist at Simon Says Stamp Challenge

And my "It's Always Tea Time" ATC into the following challenge:

• Watercolor - at Make My Monday Challenge - I'm hoping that "smooshing" my distress inks with water counts as watercolouring ..... if not, please feel free to delete my entry.

Whatever you're up to this week, I hope you have fun!

Hugs, Helen x

Follow that Star!

Good morning blogging buddies and I hope this post finds you well.

Well today, I can finally share the news I've been bursting to tell you for the last 3½ weeks! I entered the DT call and have been selected to join the Design Team at Feeling Sketchy for the autumn/winter 2015-16 term!!!!!! Regular readers will know that I often join in with sketch challenges, so this probably won't surprise some of you at all :o) ! The team has some old and new faces and all I can say is Wow, some of these girls are totally awesome designers ... you are going to be blown away by their takes on Mich's great sketches.

So, this morning brings the start of Challenge #130 and here is the sketch we'd like you to follow:

This challenge is bring kindly sponsored by Jodie and the team at Bugaboo Digital Stamps: Jodie has supplied some images for the existing DT members to use, but all us new girls had to use this sketch as the basis of our DT Application (great idea Cathy!), so we're not necessarily using sponsor images this time. Don't forget that Jodie offers a Freebie every Friday, so why not head over to her store and check out this week's freebie, plus inspiration using it from the Bugaboo Design Team.

Anyway, here's my card using Mich's sketch as the basis of my design:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is regular lightweight cardstock, which I have cut, scored and folded to around 9cm square. I've then taken my largest Die'sire Essentials Star die and ensured that the top point of the star is well over the fold of my cardstock, and then die cut this to give an opening base card
• Design Paper - is called December Snows Paper 4 and is by Paulette at Create with TLC. This paper was part of Paulette's December 2012 "Club" and has a very elegant navy blue pattern on a dark grey background, with swirling snowflakes.
• Image and Sentiment - are both by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper Digital Scrapbooking. The Shooting Star comes from the Outer Space Illustrations Kit, and the Star of Wonder sentiment comes from the Star of Wonder Kit. I digitally merged these 2 items, resized them to fit my card base and printed them out. I coloured the star and it's tail using my silver gel pen before fussy cutting them and I also cut a fish tail banner into the sentiment.

This card was quite quick and easy to make, and I think a few of these little mini cards (it's around 7.5cm square!) bagged together might go down well at my Church's Christmas Fayre next month.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge #235 - Anything Goes at Die Cutting Divas
• Challenge #141 - Let's Get Started on Christmas (with a sentiment) at Aud Sentiments
• Challenge #275 - Anything Christmas at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges
• Challenge #164 CAS at Addicted to Stamps and More
• Challenge 6 - Christmas/Winter Theme at A Snowflakes Promise (Second Entry)
• Challenge #264 - Clean and Simple at Tuesday Throwdown

I hope I've inspired you to have a go with Sketch Challenge #130 but if you need further inspiration, please head over to Feeling Sketchy and check out the awesome and varied creations from my team mates. Then come back and share your project featuring our sketch - this challenge closes on Wednesday October 14th 2015.

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x

Mum's the Word!

Morning all and hope you are well.


It's new challenge time at Lexi's Creations and this one will get you organised super early as we're looking for your creations for Mother's Day. Your creation doesn't just have to be a card ... a gift, scrapbook page, anything as long as it is something you can give to your Mum on Mother's Day.


Of course everyone likes the opportunity to win a prize, and this fortnight our sponsor is the lovely Lexi from Fairy Dust Crafts who will be letting our lucky winner choose 5 digital images from her store. Fairy Dust Crafts  is "Your one stop shop for Lexi's Digi images and a growing choice of delicious crafting goodies. Here you can find all Lexi's Creations digital images...also available as clear rubber stamps plus other crafting goodies in store now!" Lexi has very kindly let us loose in the store too, and here is my card featuring one of her gorgeous digis:

It's the first time I've made a teepee card, and it's one I think I'll make again, especially as it doesn't quite look like I've coated the card in glue and then thrown my embellishments tin at it!!!!! My uncluttered style remains intact!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is normal printer card in cream which I have cut into 10.5cm squares, and then scored, folded and stuck to make the Teepee card.
• Design Papers - are from a set called Enchanted which are available from a scrapbooking site I've found called Pixel Scrapper. The papers I've used are called Colourful Roses and Wood and were both designed by Sheila Reid. 
  
• Image - this lovely scene is called Butterflies and it comes from the pen of Lexi at Fairy Dust Crafts. I've brought the image to life very simply using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the following colours before I die cut it using my third largest Framelits Oval Die with an "Out of the Box" technique:
• Butterflies - CR4, CR5, CR6, GB9, GB10
• Flower - LV2, LV3, GB9, JG6, JG7
• Outline - BT1
• Sentiment- is digitally put together using 2 elements from the Enchanted kit: the Love Circle Stamp and Purple Stain, both designed by Brooke Gazarek. I've then added a computer generated sentiment to this using the Kristen font in my word processing package to make the sentiment appropriate for my MiL (regular readers may remember that she's a "church" lady, so normal Mother's Day sentiments are no good!). I then printed this out onto the same cream coloured card, before mounting it on a blank side of the teepee.
• Bow - is made using ribbon from a recent "grab bag" purchase (Hobbycraft - £5), a button from an Assorted Bag and finished with a twine bow.

So, there you have it ... an unusual card for my MiL for Mothering Sunday. I hope you'll come over to Lexi's Creations and see the other gorgeous makes from the DT and our Guest Designer Bo, and then come back and share your Mother's Day projects with us. This challenge will close on Saturday 15th March 2014.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:

• March Challenge - One for the Girls at Bearly Mine Inpsiration & Challenges
• G is for Girls at ABC Challenges
• Fun Folds at Sweet Stamps
• Challenge #64 - Something Spooled  at The Squirrel and The Fox - Ribbon and Twine
• Challenge #101 - any Sentiment for a Girl at Aud Sentiments

Hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x