New Year, New Home, New C&C programme

Hows everyone today then ?

The weather is turning decidedly cold here again and we are still getting frosts every night, so winter looks set in for a bit longer yet.........I just don't do cold and can't wait for Spring.......if for no other reason so it's a bit lighter and brighter and I can get some decent photos of my work.

I have a few shares today and need to remind you that there are still a few more days to join in the Stampalot Blog Hop, lots of fabby prizes on offer and some fabulous DT work on your way round. Also don't forget the new Stamp Addicts show on Create and Craft at 2pm tomorrow........another of my sample cards further down.

My first share is a New Home card I made for one of our sons and his partner who have just moved......literally two days before Christmas, nothing like a rush and tear....blame the solicitors who always push things to the last possible date. Although the colours might not be what I would choose personally, they are colours I know they like which is the most important part.

The sentiment is computer generated and set into a frame cut with Nesties and stamped with Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish using TH stormy sky. The DP is Crate Paper which was beautifully glittered in one corner, so I cut it to make the most of the pattern and get it into the bottom left corner of the card. The two flowers were made using a Cuttlebug quilling set and after I assembled the flowers, dipped them in clear UTEE making them glass like. If you look closely you will see the cream ribbon is crinkled up......this was intentional.......I gave it a few blasts with the heat gun to create the effect. This card is for the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesdays - A new beginning

Simon Says - New beginnings

Creative Card Crew - As above

Creative Cottage - Something New

My second card card used one of my favourite stamps from Crafts and Me - Eternity . I created an oval by masking and sponging with TH stormy sky, sage and marigold, then stamped the image with verafine and embossed with detail clear. I coloured the image with the same inks and Copics for the hair and skin. The DP is American Crafts, swirls cut from grunge paper using a TH die and the flowers coloured with Copics to match. The sentiment is an unmounted one....you all know that means I don't have the foggiest who made it. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Paper tearing

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (they also have a Blog Hop this week)

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes

By the Cute and Girlie - Bling it on

My final share is another of the cards I made for Friday's new Stamp Addicts C&C show using the Da Vinci sheet from JudiKins. I stamped with versafine majestic blue and embossed with detail clear, punched a border with Martha Steward cornice punch from Magnolia DP and cut a couple of the keys out and tied with cord. This card is for the following challenge:

Bee Crafty - What's New (the stamps)

Moving Along with the Times - Ring our the old ring in the new ( new stamps)

Slow going in craftland

Good Afternoon everyone.

This enforced resting thing continues.......grief it's so alien to me, but this battered body of mine is still yelling at me "not enough energy". If I need any more convincing it takes me half a day to make a card then I'm shattered and I've not really done anything. So still not blogging and visiting folks, just the essential DT comments and that's about it which means I really, really need to say such a very special thanks to those of your that have still bothered to visit me, despite my lethargy.

A couple of cards - a couple of days worth of effort, how sad is that I ask you.......if I was teaching class at this pace they would all need to sleep over to get everything completed at this rate.

The first one is a sample for good old Stampalot......they are coming Janice, honest they are......using another of the lovely new stamps Magenta 42067M floral silhouette stamped onto a background of Glimmer Mist lemon zest and pearl and Hero Arts S3516 silhouette grass stamped with Tim Holtz scattered straw. The strip across the top is stamped with Hero CG222 music, the DP is Crate, lots of distressed edges, ribbon, buttons and beads added to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Easel card

ABC - Distressing

Flutterby Wednesdays - Wings and buttons

Cute Card Thursday - Tweet and Flutter

Paper Sundaes - At least three embellishments

My second card used lots of Art Impression stamps, a background brayered with Big and Juicy waterfall and a masked crescent moon.......I thought it was time for a deviation from a full moon ! Some DP from stash, punched leaves, lots of glitter on the trees and snow and a rather soggy flower which got 'Daisy'd'......she's so helpful in the crafting department. So it's a bit flatter than when it started life, but with some glitter it looks OK'ish. This card is for the following challenges:

Moving along with the Times - Christmas

Christmas Cards - Christmas trees (mine are still growing)

Glitterbabes - Anything goes

For fun Challenges - Glitter it up

All about Autumn and puppy picture

Hello Peeps, just a quick post to let you know I'm still about and a picture of Buffy and Daisy who is now twelve weeks old and the most hyperactive puppy I have even come across, but absolutely adorable of course. One day I might even get all six of them in one place at one time for a canine family portrait.

Due to this enforced crafting lay off, a share of a card I did a month or two back for Stampalot samples, but not yet blogged so I thought I would use it for a few challenges.

The card above is using good old favourite.......are you ready for it......Stampendous P107 Agapanthus cluster along with Hero Arts S5316 silhouette grass, F5042 leaf flourish and G3316 harlequin. All stamped with versafine sepia onto a background created with Tim Holtz mustard seed and wild honey. I distressed the edges and embossed with detail gold. The sentiment is Hero CG189 which I cut into pieces after stamping. I made the rose from grunge paper stamping with the same swirl stamp and colouring with the TH inks. This is for the following challenges:

The Stampman - Distressed

Creative Card Crew - Autumn/Fall Colours

Spoonful of Sugar - Fall into Autumn Colours

My second card is a really quick and simple one following the Midnight Madness sketch this week. The DP is Crate Paper which I also used to make a rather full flower using my Tattered Floral Die. A border using Martha Stewart floral vine and Sizzix swirls. The sentiment is Penny Black 4075F which I think is a lovely verse with so many applications and to finish a generous helping of gems or should I say diamonds ? This card is for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

By the Cute and Girly - Indian Summer

Tuesday Taggers - Diamonds are Forever (memo to Tagger girls, have to say this is an awesome theme, very imaginative indeed)

DT vacancies, challenges and puppy update

Little and Large

Good Afternoon folks and what a wet one it is here in the Fens, but much needed and I guess I will have to put up the the sub zero temperatures, or at least what fees that way after the Med heat.

Might be a bit of a long post as lots to tell you about. First of all I am looking to expand my DT over at Penny Black at Allsorts. We have just started our second month and after a wonderful first month I think the time is right to spread our wings a bit and incorporate a bit of new blood. So if you love your Penny Blacks, can commit to submitting a piece of artwork each month and commenting on entries and feel you have what it takes to join our little gang pop over to the Chalenge blog now to see what you have to do.

So hows it going with the puppies ? Up and down is probably the best way to describe it. Two rather noisy nights eventually led to desperate measures by 3am this monring when no amount of pacifying was going to settle Daisy. We remembered the old trick of giving puppies something smelling of their Mother, well we did not have that so as Daisy has spent most of last evening on hubbys lap he gave her his trousers to lay on in her basket.......I did say drastic measures and at that time of the monring anything goes.......not another peep out of her till almost seven, so I figure he can say goodby to a decent pair of linen trousers.

Apart from that all is going well considering how young they are. And the star of the show has to be Bernie the St Bernards, he is being an asolute darling with them. It's nigh impossible to get a picture of them all together but I did catch the one above earlier.

I also want to thank the team at Crafts and Me for selecting me for their Top three last week.

I have somehow managed a couple of cards, taken me almost two days, but here they are. The first is my saftey net style using My Minds Eye DP's, some of the beautiful lace I bought in Cadiz and the main image Penny Black 3877K an afternoon inked with Tim Holtz dusky concored and peeled paint, spritzed before stamping to bleed the colours a bit and stamped onto linen cardstock. The flower is made with punches from the same DP's scrunched up to age and spritzed with Glimmer Mist dazzling diamonds. The sentiment is Penny Black 4070F Dreams. The butterfly is also punched from the same DP and glittered.

This card is for the following challenges:

Flutterby Wednesday - must have a butterfly or fairy

Cupcake Challenge - Use lace

Crafts and me - Purple and green

Stamp Man - 2 colours

My second card uses one of my lovely new Sweet Pea stamps called Poppy Love which I stamped and embossed with detail clear and then masked to create a sun over the rays whch are part of the stamps using Tim Holtz mustard seed and dried marigold, then coloured with Copics. The double sided DP is Crate Paper, some lace, a magnolia flower adn swirl cut with a Sizzix die. This card is for the following challenges:

Sweet Pea Stamps Challenge - Carnival colours

Charisma Cards - Easel card

Tuesday Taggers - Sunshine

Quilled Flowers

Hope everyone is OK..........sorry I've been a bit quiet, still playing catch up at work after a week away for the wedding and craft has had to take a bit of a back seat.

But I have managed to create one card using the brand new Cuttlebug Quilled Daisy Kit newly arrived at Sir Stampalot. The first delivery sold out double quick but more are on their way. I have always fancied having a go at quilling, but never quite got round to buying all the bits and pieces you need, so when I saw this set had to give it a go and so pleased I did because it is super easy. The set contains all the dies to cut the petal, stamens, central spin and leaves, plus has a quilling took and some wire stems.

I randomly stamped a card with Hero Arts F5942 leaf swirl and K5058 friendship writing using Tim Holtz bundled sage and Victorian Velvet. The Crate Paper DP down the side is punched with Martha Steward embossed butterflies and I used the little cut outs to decorate the finished card. I made two flowers with the quilling set using the same DP and created swirly stems with Sizzix dies run through the Big Shot. The little sentiment cut on Nesties is an unmounted one of which I have no idea of the make and I coloured some core with Copics to match.

This card is my entry for this weeks Tuesday Taggers who have the theme "all that Blooms", Everybody Art Challenges who want to see "Things with Wings" and A Spoonful of Sugar whose new theme is "Floral Delights".

Jack and Jill went up the hill

Where's this week going ? All those jobs I was going to do 'tomorrow' remain undone and suddenly the wedding is the week after next......scary or what when I think what's to be done, not least wearing in my new shoes that still sit in the box.

But that's the least of our problems.........the Matron of Honours dress is somewhere between here and Paris where she lives. She came over for fittings twice and as there is already so much to take over for the wedding including the four girls bridesmaid dresses, they said they would send hers on when the final adjustments were made. Initially they said it was delayed because of the Volcanic Cloud.....lame excuse it seems because now they have no idea where it is other than "in France". So panic is just beginning to set on as her dress and the other four have been made in identical material so no way we could match it up at this late stage. Another call to the dressmaker shortly as she promised faithfully to track it down today.

Crafting, well just a bit and a card for some challenges. ABC challenge who are up to "U for Unused Stash - a stamp that I 'had' to have when I saw it forever ago and never inked it up, Cupcake challenge who want to see "Buttons", Tuesday Taggers who want us to go "Outside the Comfort Zone"........as I said in my last post working with circles is something I avoid like the plague. And I have followed the sketch from Creative Card Crew for the layout of my easel card. And finally The Crafty Pad would like us to "Give it a Punch".

The stamp is from Stampabilities KR1042 Jack and Jill which I stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear and coloured with Prismacolor pencils and Marvy pens. The plain circles is cut with a Nestie thorough the Big Shot and the scalloped one is a Marianne stencil. The gorgeous double sided Crate Paper DP is one of the new designs and the middle panel of the front of the card is a plain piece of linen card embossed with Swiss Dots folder then lightly inked with a chalk eye pad. The border and corners are Martha Stewart are doily lace trim, the largest flower yet another of the new ones from Magnolia and a couple of smaller ones from my stash. And finally tiny buttons across the bottom border strip.

Spring Blossoms

Good Morning peeps, what a lovey day it is here in the Fens, sunshine no wind the smell of prunus blossom in the air and just lovely. Hope it's the same your way.

At last our eldest son and his wife eventually got home from Thailand yesterday after their enforced extended holiday. But I hear there are lots of people still stranded outside Europe, so that are lucky to have got booked onto flights.

Just the one share today for this weeks Tuesday Taggers with the theme Memories, mine are childhood ones as this lovely stamp reminds me of apple scrumping........goodness knows whey we used to do it as we were surrounded by orchards......I guess picking the ones available was no fun. And it is also my entry for Everybody Art Challenges who want cards based on a Song Title........mine is Your my Best Friend by Queen of course and Creative Card Crew April Showers bring May Flowers......I've got nothing resembling rain so have gone with the flowers and blossom element.

My stamp is the one I used a week or so back Hero Arts K5353 In the Garden stamped very simply with Big and Juicy soothing sunset. The DP is Crate Paper, the punch Martha Stewart eyelet lace and eyelets, ribbon, flowers and pearls to embellish.

Circle of Butterflies

Saturday morning again and that means we have a new challenge for you at Allsorts. And this week Emma is our host who has provided a picture of a rather nice bracelet for her theme Photo Inspiration.

And I was so pleased to be able to take the picture of my card in the garden amidst one of the Spirea bushes that is full of beautiful heady blossoms. the pictures a bit lopsided, but you can't reason with nature and the way the branches lay. But what beautiful weather we have had this week and apart from the Camellias which are suffering from the nightly frosts, everything else is bursting into leaf and blossom. This really is my favourite time of year and I can't wait for the lilacs to come into flower filling the air with their perfume.

So the challenge.........I admit I got a bit confused with this one at first.....I know, par for the course and spent a morning making a lovely project based on a photograph. Silly me, I had not seen Emma's bracelet picture. No problem though as you get to see that one next Saturday as it fits that theme nicely........of course I can't say what it is yet, you have to wait and see.

It's no secret that I love playing with anything remotely connected to butterflies so it was no hassle making a card with them and I literally followed the circle of butterflies on Emma's bracelet. I created a background by inking a silicone sheet with Brilliance thyme, orchid and silver, spritzing with water and squishing a piece of carstock around in it. I them stamped Hero Arts H2356 Old French Writing using black stayzone, but used the third stamping to achieve a subtle image. I inked Penny Black 4040K Sparklers with Tim Holtz distress inks peeled paint and Victorian velvet, added some yellow Marvy pen to the centre of the flower heads and spritzed with water before stamping to achieve a watercolour effect.

I placed punched fern leaves around the edges of the Nestie circles, then some pounced butterflies. The background DP is Crate Paper, the corners are made using Martha Stewart around the page eyelet lace and finally pearls and gems added to embellish.

Butterflies, birds and bees

Good Morning peeps, hope you are all having a good weekend.

Just in case any of you have missed all my subtle hints, our Stampalot challenge starts on Thursday 1st April when a fantastic prize will be on offer. And there is still chance to enter for the Hero Arts Goody Bag, so if you have not already added your name here's where you need to go.

I have one quick share for you which is for this weeks Penny Black challenge which has the theme "Butterflies and Bees" not sure where the birds got to though eh Kath ? But a lovely theme all the same.

The main image is another of the new releases Penny Black 4042K Daisy fields. The background is stamped (after first stamping off the excess ink) with Hero Arts K5313 Silhouette Ivy using Tim Holtz bundled sage, then the main PB image inked up with Tim Holtz worn lipstick, spritzed with water then stamped over the ivy. The mat was cut with Nesties through the Big Shot and layered over another of the gorgeous new Crate Paper DP's.

Some ribbon laced down one side, gems and two butterflies stamped with Penny Black 3819D Polka Wings onto iridescent vellum and coloured with chalk inks. The swirl is a Sizzix die run through the Big Shot.

Easter bunny basket

This one seems to have taken me forever, spent ages on the DS trying to create the basket with a variety of Cricut cartridges. It's not quite what I had in mind shape wise, but I've faffed enough for one day I think.

The Crate Paper DP is more of the new stock at Sir Stampalot which seems to be walking out of the door quicker than it arrives. Not surprising because it really is yummy, the colours are beautiful, it's double sided and the texture lovely.

I stamped Penny Black 3868J Portraits onto some of the patterned side, cut them out and stuck to the plain panels, the cut out some of the butterflies on the patterned side and decoupaged them adding some glitter. I created the handle using Martha Steward eyelet lace and attached with brads and flowers cut with a stencil through the Big Shot and ribbon on the corners.

My basket fits two challenges Stamping for the Weekend and Everybody Art Challenge who both have the theme Easter.

Yummy new DP's

I'm back again, trying to keep my promise to myself to stay busy and positive, do some crafting and blogging. So for starters a card for this weeks Penny Black challenge which has a sketch designed by Carole.

For some odd reason I always have a mental block working with circles, but am reasonably happy with what I have come up with, well at least it's growing on me. I cut a circle with a Nestie then sponging with Tim Holtz Spun Sugar and Dried Marigold distress inks created a pinwheel effect over which I stamped Penny Black 4041J Purple Folds. I stamped it three more times, cut our two and coloured with a mixture of Marvy pens and the same TH inks then dabbed all over with Versamark Dazzle Frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl which blended the colours and made the pieces pliable to shape before layering them onto the main image.

The Crate Paper DP's are from their yummy new range which somehow found their way home from Stampalot with me at the weekend. Do check them out because the designs and colours are just divine and the quality and texture lend themselves brilliantly to the Martha Stewart punches. I stamped Penny Black 3857H over the corner of the reverse DP and a sentiment which is from an unmounted Hero set. Some ribbon and a pearl pin made up with a hat pin from Spellbound (link on sidebar) to embellish.

A couple of challenges and Candy news

Well it's still snowing on and off and by the look of the news it's pretty bad in some parts. Here in the Fens we had a heavy fall this morning which compounded by the hard frosts we've had almost every day on top of the Christmas snow which is still laying around, it's pretty treacherous out there. Whatever your weather, keep warm and safe.

A mixed bunch here and might be a long post so grab a coffee first. Two cards, candy news, some challenges, another tutorial and the first of some very overdue samples for Sir Stampalot using one of the new releases from Hero Arts. And for those of you on the look out for a bargain, their mega sale starts on Saturday 9th January, but if you cant wait there are already some sale goodies to be grabbed right here.

Just had a quick nose myself and there are some real bargains to be had - Alphametal Stamp Kit - £29.95 down to £9.95, Tim Holt stamp sets half price, Rubber Soul stamp sets £12.50 down to £5, Ladybug and friends £10.99 down to £6. Me thinks I need to do some serious shopping......................

Now the candy news. I have said many times that I have been overwhelmed by the friendship I have received here in blogland and the wonderful friends I have met. I realised this week that my followers are close to reaching 200.......this just astounds me it really does, so as a thank you I am offering some candy. It is a bit of a mixed bag, stamps, ribbons, cardstock, flowers, DP's and lots more, I am just waiting for a decent bit of daylight to take some photos, then I will get it posted up over the next few days.

A few people have asked me how I do the messy aceate, glue and foil technique like the one above, so working on a tutorial for that, but again need better weather before I can bag some decent photographs.

On to some challenges. My first card is for this weeks Creative Card Crew which had a theme just made for me "Distressing" and Everybody Art Challenges wants us to use our favourite colour combo. Well I love all colours so it's a hard call to decide on my favourite, but as I repeatedly drift back to autumnal colours and getting all stressed out.......some days that's not just my cards either I can tell you.........so I guess these colours must be some of my favourites.

For this card I started with Glimmer Mists pineapple, copper, gold terracotta, vanilla breeze and iridescent gold to create a background piece. I then stamped onto this with Hero Arts G3316 Harlequin, F5042 Leaf Flourish and H2365 Old French Writing using a mixture of versafine sepia, versamark and detail gold embossing powder. To add a bit more interest I sponged some brilliance gold through a piece of mesh and distressed the edges with Tim Holtz brushed corduroy. Next I stamped good old favourite Stampendous P107 Agapanthus Cluster onto a piece of acetate using versafine black and heat embossed with detail clear and the same Hero swirl down the side and embossed with gold.

After joining the acetate the the base piece with some brads, wrapped some gold cord round and mounted it onto a piece of Crate Paper DP, again distressed around the edges. Finally I added a flower, some gold gems and a journaling tag.

Tuesday Taggers (and a Stampalot sample) has the lovely theme of Black and White, always a pleasure to work with and I love the crispness of the combination. I stamped some swirls onto the card itself with Inkadinkado 97632 then stamped one of my new Hero stamps CG165 Silhouette Bells onto white linen cardstock using versafine black and embossed with detail clear. I cut nested mounts on Cricut Storybook and cut a central oval with nesties through the Big Shot Express. More roses I'm afraid, this time with black vellum, white pearls for stamens and some punched leaves.

My rose tutorial can be found here for anyone who fancies a go at making them, believe me they are very simple and much cheaper than the commercially produced ones.........plus you can make them from your DP's so you get an exact colour match.

Friday Sketchers 54

Good morning everyone, a beautiful sunny start to the day here, hope it's the same where you are.

I'm up against time here this morning as decided to treat myself to a laptop so I can transfer my Cricut software to it.............. and if I'm honest so I can blog on the go even when I'm away from my desk. But it will free up my desktop so justified I've told myself and John Lewis has a very nice new Toshiba on offer so I'm headed that way shortly.

Before I go, just found time to do this weeks Friday Sketchers challenge which is a lovely sketch from Jacqueline from the Netherlands. Have to say I'm not 100% happy with the finished article as not sure about the DP which is a double sided one from Crate Paper. I had decided on my image Penny Black 3949H and though the DP would match, but might be a tad dark for a summers day. But laptop calling, decided to go with it. The greeting is a skinny stamp from Stamps by Judith available from StampAddicts. Ovals cut on the cuttlebug with nesties.

Stamped as usual with versafine black and clear emboss, coloured with Marvy pens, stamped a second image for the two flowers at the top of the sketch and diamond glazed all. I cut the card itself on Cricut Wild Card, welding and flipping one of the shapes to achieve Jacquelin's chosen shape. I have used three beads threaded on a pin to fit with the left hand corner of the sketch and tied with a bow.

Also sharing a picture of one of the lupins and digitalis which are just coming out in the garden and also a hydrangea which is just showing colour. And by way of an explanation on the merecats before anyone asks, they totally fascinate me and when I saw these advertised in a ST supplement last year my Dad told me to buy them, so now they sit amongst the flowers.

Secret Crafter challenge 33

There's a moral for me when bying DP's, wear my glasses, otherwise you get surprises as I did with this on from Crate, it's got new baby words, not pretty flowers. Anyhow, it's come in useful as the challenge for Secret Crafter this week is "New Beginnings".

Quite a simple card really which is just as well as I've got the shakes a bit today (no not the vino, although I did have a glass or two last night, just MS). I have made an aperture within the top later of DP by cutting diagonal lines and rolling them back, stamped the corners with a duck corner stamp (no idea of the origin) and cut a pram on the Cricut (stretch your imagination) and placed in the apertures. Stamped a sentiment with a Judikins stamp (sorry no ref on it) and added gems.

Happy Easter

I made this for my chocoholic Granddaughter. In case you wonder why I've made only one when I have four granddaughters and a grandson the answer is simple - two will be away for Easter sailing on the Broads, two live some distance away so these four have opted for "the dosh" as one so eloquently put it.
The four sides of the box were cut on the cricut machine using Wild Card and Plantin Schoolbook welding various elements together on the DS to achieve four pieces with side flaps and bottoms for joining. I scored lines where I wanted the joins and stuck all pieces together with Art Institute dries clear glue which gives a strong, almost instant weld. I then cut out for pieces as the outer sides using the same cartridges and Crate Paper (SirStampalot) and stuck them in place leaving a small white border at the top to give definition. Finally I added a handle fixed with gem brads, flowers and ribbons on each corner and gems in the centre of the flowers.