I am on a roll! Two more Easter Cards!

Thought I'd make another 2 cards today, not going to get much time over the next few weeks as it's the last day of term! LOL

Kept it easy by sticking to the same sort of design as yesterdays makes. Papers from the same collection, same sort of layout, just swapped a few of the embellies and die cuts.

I haven't got the same buzz from making these today as I did yesterday. Is it because I have "cheated?"

Things I could do better

I could have tried to make up a different design instead of cheating. LOL

The birdcage is slightly wonky on one card

I wish I had delved deeper into my pot of flowers and added an extra layer of blooms to one of the flowers.

Things I am happy with

By making these cards I took time to sort out my little glue pot with the thin metal tip!

I have uncovered crafty stash that I had forgotten I had whilst looking for something I still haven't found! LOL

I still love the papers.

I am joining in with challenges over at;

Crafting from the Heart #200 Anything goes

Crafts Galore Encore - March

That's Crafty - Spring into Action

LTCCB #20 - March Anything Goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - March

That's all for now folks!

Adele

xXx

Easter cards!

Oh goodness me....I have actually made something. Not one but two Easter cards....although I cheated and made them as good as identical! Not only that, I actually spent time in my craft clutter room!

Twas not easy, I tried cutting a few die shapes but could only find one cutting plate, eventually I found the other one among my embossing folders!

It's been so long since I actually finished something, hopefully it will help motivate me into clearing and organising some more things in my craft room.

Things I could do better

* My glue is a bit heavy handed as I need to clean and refill my fine, metal tip applicator.

* My favourite distressing ink is no more, I opened a new one and the colour is not as subtle- too           orange and too heavy handed due to it be a new and juicy ink!

* Should have thought through the design a bit more, took time cutting out an egg shape by hand as I     didn't have one and didn't want to use just an oval....but I have covered so much with flowers you       cannot really tell it's egg shape anymore! LOL

Things I am happy with

* I actually made something

* Love the pwetty papers

* I actually made something

* I think this is the first time I have used the little bunny

* I love the colours

* I actually made something

I am entering these cards into;

Crafty Creations Challenges  # 363 Anything Goes

Crafting from the heart #200 Anything Goes

Craftyhazelnut's patterned paper challenge March 2018

Creative Craft Cottage #105 make it Feminine

Pile it on #140 Circles and/or squares.

I'd love to go back up into my little craft room and carry on my attempts at being creative...but I really must get on with other things! LOL

Bye for now

Adele

xXx

Confidence Class at Kit and Clowder

Yesterday I joined in with a Confidence Class over on Kit and Clowder's Facebook Page. Basically it is to encourage you to pick up your pencils or markers and make time, even if it just 10 minutes, to practice one of the classes. You don't need to be a paid for member of the Kit and Clowder community to join in and on their website there are a few options of freebie classes for you to try out.

I decided to try my hand at Chapter 3 of the Colouring Eyes Class.

Now funny enough I had set myself a few things to try out, sort of mini goals to make me push myself out of what little comfort zone I have! Now these goals were to try out different skin tones and hair colours, not something I have really done before.

Once again, I have mixed feelings about my achievements on this class.

What I didn't like! 

I found it tricky working on such a small area of colour in these eyes but quite pleased with the outcome of the eyes itself.

I struggled finding colour combinations for darker skin tones in my stash and I am really apprehensive of putting dark colour to paper at the best of times. I don't think the actual colour of the skin tone is too bad but the blending is awful. I have struggled with some of my E Colour markers over the last week or so, they are not playing nicely and are leaving a waxy like finish on my images.

Colour choices for hair...hmmm, not sure but overall effect...not too bad!

What I did like!

Hmmm...struggling with this bit, not over keen on my outcomes.

I like the fact I tried things out of my comfort zone.

The awful blending of the skin tones prompted me to clean up some of my Copics last night. I worked through all of my Earth tones and I am eager to try them out again to see they if are any better!

I like the fact I made time to practice!

Fingers crossed I can find some time today to find a bit creativity.

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

Fuzzypuffs - Bella Bear with Copics!

With the arrival of my new Copics this week, I have a very small collection of Warm Greys which I was eager to try out. So I decided to try another of the images from the Polkadoodles, Fuzzypuff digi collection. I had a copy of Bella Bear just sitting there waiting to be brought to life with some colour!

Still trying to add more depth and detail to my colouring which doesn't always go as planned, but that's why is called PRACTICE! There are several issues I am not happy with, but glad I tried, there are also a few thing I am quite please with.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE!

I don't like how I have shaded the head- it is printed out slightly larger than I usually would to try to incorporate more detail but I don't think the 3 shades of warm grey are enough to provide a more even contrast in my shading of the head! (???)

I also mucked up the cheeks, not sure how/why but just don't like the effect.

I added detail to the dress in a bright pink...I didn't like it so I added white dots.......and liked it even less! LOL

Bit heavy handed and rushed the lace on the bottom of the dress.

THINGS I AM QUITE HAPPY WITH!

This is a difficult thing for me to write as I have no confidence and feel it's like "blowing my own trumpet!

I like the fact I tried out some new colours. The Warm Greys as well as the brighter green, it is not a colour I would usually go for but the Classes over at Kit and Clowder are giving my the confidence to try ideas that are new to me.

I quite like the shading on the dress itself (just ruined it with the stripes!) and the little pink bow came out ok too.

Pleased with the rather blotchy shaded effect on the bears legs!

Right I had best get on with some paperwork so that I can do some guilt free crafting later!

Take care.

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

No excuses, let's get this Class Complete!

Well, Mr Postie didn't let me down today. My new Copic colours arrived and are now labelled and stored alongside their colour family buddies. My Copic Colour Charts have all been updated.

Well, what next? I had no excuses not to complete the March Marker Class over at Kit and Clowder.
I was out of my comfort zone just looking at the depth of colours let alone starting to put that dark blue on to my image!!! EEK!

I chanted to myself over and over, it's just practice, enjoy! It's just practice enjoy!

Okay, it isn't perfect, but it is my first time ever of trying sky and rain and without the classes I would never have had the confidence to try. Therefore I am more than happy with my practice image. 

Still loving my journey with Kit and Clowder.

Onwards and upwards...sideways...maybe plummeting down occasionally but as long as I get back up and continue trying that really is all that matters!

Bye for now

Adele

xXx

My name is Adele and I am a Copic Addict!

The title says it all!

I ordered a few new Copics over the weekend from two different online shops. One order arrived yesterday but unfortunately it was the one with a boring, but needed, C3 refil, a Warm Grey, W5 to build on my grey collection, and a white Fine Posca. Perhaps boring is not the right way to phrase them, but not very exciting either.

Unfortunately, the NEW colours that I ordered from a different site still haven't arrived! So eager to get my sticky mitts on them, especially as it took me SOOOO LONG to decide on which colours to buy! It's just as well I have had a meeting at Amelia's school for a good part of the day otherwise I would be in serious sulky mode!

I did however receive a new marker holder bag to store some of my Copic stash in! My new little lid labels really work well but only time will tell how user friendly my new system is. Hopefully I will be very pleased with it and I will probably be ordering another one very shortly so that I can store my Greys and Earth colours in the same way. (They are currently stored in the small Copic case which only holds 24 markers.)

Still need to work out how and where to store my Copic Refills though!

Yes, my name is Adele and I am definitely a Copic Addict!

xXx

Kit and Clowder - Colouring Eyes Class 2

Oh my goodness, I have fallen in love with colouring all over again. I am so enjoying the relaxation of it all!

Well Mr Postie never arrived with my new Copic colours so I thought I'd revisit the Colouring Eyes Class over at Kit and Clowder!

Trying to add so much more depth and detail to what I am used to is rather challenging, I have gone too heavy handed with my new white ultra fine marker! lol....I did warn you on my previous post!

While I was out of comfort zone anyway I thought I'd try  different colour hair. It turned out more purple than I had intended, I had  pictured it pinker. Great fun all the same!

love

Adele

xXx

Polkadoodles Fuzzypuffs!!!!

Alongside the fabulous monthly classes over at Kit and Clowder I have been amazed by the freebie images, classes and discount codes that I have seen as an additional bonus! The other day I just couldn't resist the discount code for Polkadoodles and treated myself to the gorgeous Fuzzypuffs Digi Kit.

I am currently working on my Kit and Clowder March Class but have had to put it on hold. I treated myself to a few new Copic colours as well as a refill, which I needed to complete the background. Eagerly awaiting Mr Postie but I didn't want to have idle hands until they arrive.

So last night I tried to apply some of the techniques I have learnt from the classes to a few of the images from the Fuzzypuffs Kit!

EEK, still putting myself out of my comfort zone I printed out a few images but at a larger size than I would normally. (approx 4x3") Ok, not huge but I tried to add a little more detail to my colouring than I have done in the past.

I found it really tricky to colour Bella Bear though, I tried to give texture to fur and I although I am still quite pleased with the overall result, I am not sure of the finish effect for the bear's fur! Still it was fun to try.

I also tried to colour Earlie Hedgehog, she is just soooo cute.

One thing that did arrive today was my new white Ultra fine Posca pen...so watch out, everything is likely to have white dots on!

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

Copics - labelling and organising.

I have had a really bad weekend, pain levels through the roof, Fibro fog, headache, pins & needles, blurred vision...........just thoroughly fed up with it all.

I decided not to even try to craft yesterday, I couldn't concentrate and to be honest, I was feeling so negative I was never going to be happy with my achievements, no matter how good or bad they were! LOL

Instead, I let my Paypal account take a bit of a bashing and ordered  a few more Copics colours, a refill and a white fine liner. Then a lovely crafty friend popped a few crafty packages up for sale so I grabbed two of them as well!!! Some pretty flowers (can never have enough bloomers!) and a lovely little package for flower making; a few dies, stamens, leaves and some Oil Pastels. Considering I have only recently bought my first even sheets of Foamiran, I thought it was an omen and just had to buy them!

I had spent some considerable time umm'ing and arr'ing  about what Copics to buy as the majority of my markers are Ciao, with the exception of a handful of Sketch markers. Now for me, being an indecisive little Pisces fish, swimming around in circles and never getting anywhere, it was a HUGE decision! I have no issues at all with the Ciao markers, would I rather get more variety of colours in my collection or start increasing the Sketch markers....mainly because I like the look of them!!! Well let's face it, any Copic lover out there will hopefully know what I mean!
I tried to do a bit of research into comparing Ciao vs Sketch, tried to look at sizes of ink capacity and justify paying the extra for the Sketch markers.....but I just couldn't. Eventually the marker will need a refill, whatever one I buy. So I decided on more Ciao markers, unless I really want need a particular colour that is only available in a Sketch marker!

Trying to make myself more organised in anticipation of my new Copics arriving, I decided to make up my own little labels to go onto the lids of my Ciao markers. My pathetic little attempt ended up being quite time consuming! Initially I made up tiny labels stating colour range and number, eg YR02
but by doing this the font size needed to be so small it really wasn't user friendly, especially for my Fibro foggy brain and eyes! I decided that it wasn't really essential as I do have my Copics stored separately in their colour ranges, so for me personally, just the relevant number sticker on the lid would make my life easier.

I worked though the range, listing each number available in each colour range and printed out onto Copic card. I found my regular, single hole punch worked a treat as did my mini glue dots. I personally thought it easier for me to only colour in labels for the lighter shades.

Unfortunately I ran out of glue dots before I could complete the job, but hopefully they will arrive soon along with my new Copics so I can continue my quest of Copic organisation!

If anyone would like a copy of the number ranges to make up their own labels, just give me a shout.

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

Another Chapter of Kit and Clowder!

I am just so not feeling it today. I ache all over, head pounding, back and nerve pain level is through the roof...just don't know what to do with myself. So fed up of it! A heat pad, paracetamol, cuddles with the dog and a bit of craft therapy. That's about all I can manage today!

I managed to complete her coat yesterday and the rest of her outfit today. Quite scary trying to work with the shading as well as various colours in the tartan. It wasn't helpful that my C3 marker is running dry so I had to use my C5 for shadowing! EEK.

As much as I am loving this whole process, I ache so much today, I just don't think I can do any more today. Might need to cuddle up on the sofa with hubby and a nice glass of (medicinal) red!

Take care out there, the Beast from the east has reared it's ugly head again and rather that there being the first signs of Spring, we are having wintry blizzards! Oh joy! LOL

See you soon,

Adele

xXx

Kit and Clowder - March 2018 Class

Oh my goodness, this is another one that is going to really push me out of my boundaries!

I downloaded the image (and another which jumped into the basket by accident...ahem) from The  Paper Shelter and printed off yesterday. So I promised myself that I would at least do the first Chapter of the class today.

I have never put so much detail into colouring skin before! EEK

OK, not perfect, loads of room for improvement but that's what the class is all about. PRACTICE!

Fingers crossed, I can make time for the next chapter of the class this afternoon!

If you would like to learn more about the Classes, pop over to Kit and Clowder and take a look.

Much needed Craft Therapy

Still got Amelia's EHCP paperwork to get sorted but I am struggling to think straight. Chronic pain and sleepless nights aren't exactly helpful! Took my mum to the hospital this morning and once home I felt I needed to focus on something relaxing.

What better excuse did I need to try out the Colouring Eyes Class over at Kit and Clowder.

Another class which is putting me completely out of my comfort zone.

Working on this class is going to be a challenge for me, the scale of the images allows for so much more details than a lot of the images I have worked on. BUT hopefully trying new ideas and putting myself out of that comfort zone will help my learning journey and keep me focused. HOPEFULLY.

Things to do:

Look at the class tutorials regarding contaminated Copic Markers

Invest in a new white gel pen.

Buy loads more Copic Markers to add to my collection! Tee hee!!

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

First Kit & Clowder Class Complete!!!

Oh goodness, I have really enjoyed this whole procedure. Never attempted anything like this class before and it put me out of my comfort zone, especially towards the end when I tried the timber table effect and the background colouring! Ok, I have still got an awful lot to learn, the results are far from perfect but at least I am crafting again.

I would encourage anyone who wants to either start of improve their colouring to have a go at one of the classes over at Kit and Clowder. 

Now what next, I have a freebie class to do, or I could play with some of the new digi images that just somehow jumped into my inbox!!!

Decisions, decisions!

Adele

xXx

More Copic Colouring with Kit and Clowder

Had an absolutely rotten day yesterday. Had some ladies around from the Council talking about Amelia's needs and how her disability effects both her and us as a family. Then Amelia's ECHP turned up, full of pie in the sky expectations about long term goals of independence. I felt emotionally drained to say the least.

Then, what I expected to be a fairly routine trip to the vets with my mum and dad's 10 year old Cocker Spaniel, took a shock turn, I ended up a blubbering wreck! I tried to be strong for mum and dad but just couldn't help crying in front of them. Not exactly much help!

SO, today I tried to get back into my crafting!

I attempted Chapter 4 of the February Class - The Glass!

...and then Chapter 5 -The Table top!

Had a bit of a disaster with the shadow on the table top but hey ho, live and learn!

I hope to get the last Chapter complete tonight but will have to see!

Great fun, and SO informative.

Adele

xXx

Kit & Clowder Colouring Class - February 2018

OM MY GOODNESS! So yesterday I signed up over at Kit and Clowder to my first ever class and I am so loving doing this. I have been taken out of my (teenie weenie) comfort zone already and have so enjoyed my afternoon of colouring!

I was concerned as I didn't have half the suggested copic colours so I had to improvise quite a bit!

Still got the glass, table surface and background to try.

The image came from Power Poppy and as part of the Class you also get a discount voucher to use IF you want to buy the image. I was very naughty as another image jumped in my virtual basket too!!

Hope to get this finished tomorrow..

See you soon!

Adele

xXx

Kit & Clowder Monthly Colouring Classes!!!

I am not good at putting myself out of my comfort zone, and that zone is now so small it certainly needs a bit of pulling back into shape! As it's by Birthday I decided what better time to treat myself and commit to trying something new.

I have signed up for the Monthly Colouring Classes at Kit and Clowder. There are a few things that just by looking at the classes, straight away I can identify things that I have never really attempted before; colouring a range of skin tones, colouring backgrounds........I realised I have had very little experience colouring natural scenes and the majority of my past work has been cute characters.

So as soon as I could I jumped straight in with my first attempt at the class. One thing I like is the fact that it stresses these are practice sheets and that we shouldn't be afraid of making errors, after all that's how we learn. Just as well as there I was happily playing with various colour swatches on a scrap of paper then realised the ink had soaked right through onto my image!! LOL
Live and learn Adele, live and learn!

Not sure about the colours I have gone for as alternatives to those in the class, and there is certainly loads more room for progress but overall, yes, I am quite pleased with how it's coming along. BUT more importantly am I enjoying the process? I am enjoying the fact that there is a very active and supportive community alongside me?

YES!!!!!

Bye for now.

Adele

xXx

New stash overload!!!

Oh my!!! When all the little orders you placed before/during the snow turn up at the same time!! (Does a happy dance!) When you sit and admire your new stash and look forward to slotting some of it in to your newly organised storage.

When you are just so happy with your new stash, you don't think it gets any better....then this bad boy arrives!!!

Watch out, if it doesn't move it will end up being labelled!

Just wishing I had ordered the power cable as well.

(goes off to the garage in search of hubby's battery stash!)

Happy crafting everyone!

Adele

xXx