Gotta get this one off my chest..............................

I am absolutely seething with the latest reply received from Royal Mail.................a good number of you saw my post last weekend here and kindly left me your thoughts which were very helpful.

On Monday I wrote a concise letter to Royal Mail outlining my areas of complaint, provided copies of the receipts from the PO and also gave them the link to my post so they could read the various comments. They replied on Wednesday stating their system could not gain access to my blog so could I mail them the comments and also provide them with full details of the packages and recipients addresses which had been subjected to surcharges.

This I did the same day and yesterday received this answer.......................

I'm sorry to hear that you feel you've been incorrectly surcharged for a number of items - and for the further distress this caused you. I would therefore like to inspect the items to determine whether or not they have been correctly surcharged, and to identify why you may be experiencing repeat problems. Please could you send the surcharged items, together with a copy of this email, to the FreepostT address below, and I'll be in touch again once my enquiries are concluded.

Clearly the conduct their business on a Parallel Universe....................how on earth do they think I can obtain and return the packages some of which were sent several weeks ago to various recipients in the UK. I'm absolutely sure they realise that and their crazy suggestion gives them the perfect cop out.

They also suggest that a certain degree of "customer education is necessary"..................the steam just turned to thick smoke at this point. Not a mention of the Post Office making any mistakes in their weighing at either end of the postal process, or of course the package of cards they lost in October.

I'm not bothering with any more minions, my next letter goes to the top and by luck a good friend just happens to be the Consumer Editor for on the the National newspapers. So you can guess what activity my weekend holds.

OK, got that out of my system a bit so onto some craft and a Celebration of Nations which is the theme Nicola has chosen for us at Allsorts this week and what a perfect one with the Olympics on the horizon.

My card is pretty simple, but I had visualised it in my head weeks ago and I wanted to make the Olympic symbol the focal point along with the Tennyson verse which has been selected as the London motto for the event.

I cut the five circles in the appropriate colours on the Cricut and interlinked them, mounting them onto a piece of white card embossed with a cuttlebug folder. I printed the verse on the computer and cut with a Nestie. As I said a very simple card but which I hope makes a statement. 

Enjoy the weekend.

Hero 2012 debut stamps hit town

Hello peeps, time for a new challenge at Allsorts and this week Fleur is our host and it will be a two week challenge to tide us over the Christmas holiday period. The theme is 'Blue and Brown' a really lovely colour combo which I love working with, so afraid this post is a bit picture heavy.

I had my DT cards all done ages ago, but then the Hero Art 2012 Debut stamps hit Sir Stampalot a couple of days ago so of course I was straight into demo samples and had to share a couple of the gorgeous new images...........doesn't take a lot to get me excited. They are already shipping from the shop so you can go here and be amongst the first in the UK to get your hands on them.

So first off with the card at the top of this post which uses Hero Arts K5576 Newspaper Tulips. I inked the stamp with Aquamarkers, spritzed with water and stamped onto a piece of Fabriano watercolour card and lightly distressed the edges with TH broken china and tea dye. The DP is Kaiser.

My second card used another of the newbies, Hero Arts K5540 Spring Dream this time inked with hero Hues Latte. The frame cut with Nesties and the background DP are all Bo Bunny. The border are corners are Spellbinders Parisien Accents, plus some flowers and leaves cut from a Marianne die and a piece of cheesecloth which I inked with TH broken china to tone down the colour.

Next up my original DT cards, the one above uses the beautiful Hero Arts S5362 Dogwood stamp which I stamped onto a base piece using versafine sepia and embossed with detail clear, then stamped a second time onto some DP from stash to cut out and decoupage. The sentiment is a section on Penny Black 2695J  and lots of pearls to embellish.

And finally, my fourth card uses a quite old stamp from Penny Black which I always think makes a perfect male card. I masked a piece of Fabrinao watercolour card round the edges and two central section to create three panels. With the masking in place I sponged the panels with TH broken china, then stamped stamped Hero Arts S5364 Antique flower background using Hero chalk ink latte. I then removed the two centre piece of masking tape and stamped  Penny Black 2827K  using versafine sepia and embossed with detail clear before removing the remainder of the masking tape. I embossed a piece of Coredinations with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and sanded lightly to use as a background piece.

Have a good weekend peeps and hope you all get you final Christmas preparations done and dusted in time to enjoy a wonderful Christmas.

Flowers and Swirls

Saturday Morning peeps, so it must mean a new challenge at Allsorts and this week week we welcome Jill hosting her first challenge with us and her theme is "Flowers and Swirls", what a fab combination.

Two shares, the first using one of Ruth's new pieces of artwork at A Passion for Stamps, which I coloured very simply with Aquamarkers and made into an easel card................I know, again...........made a swirly flower from the Magnolia DP which is also on the base of the card and some swirls cut from a Sizzix die. The sentiment is Penny Black.

My second share is another card with a stamp I love Penny Black 40-025 Thinking of You stamped and embossed and coloured with Copics. The DP is Nitwits, the swirl a Sizzix die and the flower made using a Cuttlebug quilling die.

All white on the night

I've come to the conclusion it's a conspiracy at Allsorts and my fellow DT's are setting me as well as all you peeps a challenge just lately ...............only joking Emma, it's a great theme really, I just freaked at first.

White and more white sent me into total panic, but I actually quite like my card now it's finished and it has a purpose as one of our sons and his wife celebrated their first anniversary last week.................hard to believe it's a whole year ago since we were having a ball in France for their wedding.

The sentiment is computer generated, the base run through the Cuttlebug using Swiss dots, a Marianne die swirly leaf, mat punched with MS round the page vintage lace and a light brush of TH tea dye round the edges to give definition. Oh yes, and a dusting of Stickes frosted lace. How simple was that when I eventually got my head round the idea.

I always keep my odds and ends of linen and pearl card after I have scored and cut a batch of card blanks.........too nice to throw away.............. and several came in useful here for the punched mat, little flowers, leaves and swirl which were all made from those odds and ends. So I think it might just about qualify for Jules weekly event. Hope you realise just how honoured you are matie, I've not entered a challenge since about March.

Don't forget we have a DT call going over at Allsorts Challenge blog, we are looking for two new teamies, so if you fancy joining the team, pop over and see what you need to do.

Thanks for popping in and Mr Blogger obliging, there should be a post appearing tomorrow with some more samples using the beautiful Animal Spirit stamps.

How do you choose a favorite ?

A bit of a heavy post here as there is so much I need to share.

A new month means new challenges at Stampalot and Penny Black at Allsorts and some new about something going on over at Allsorts challenge, so read on.

The June theme at Stampalot is 'Photo Inspiration' - a lovely field of poppies and daisies and at Penny Black at Allsorts 'Your my Favourite'...........I have only myself to blame here, I ask you......... how is it possible to pick a favourite Penny Black stamps ? I can't as there are so many, so in the end decided I would opt for a finished card that I particularly like.

The top card is my DT piece for Stampalot challenge. I masked a piece of Frabico watercolour card, stamped Sheen Douglas daisies in white, then inked the whole piece with TH sage, masked the daisies, stamped Hero Arts S5316 Silhouette Grass in the background using TH tea dye, then overstamped with Hero CL449 and coloured the poppies with Copics.

For my Penny Black piece, a lovely slapstick stamp Penny Black 20-025 Thinking of You, coloured with Copics and decoupaged. The DP is October Afternoon and the flower created using a Cuttlebug quilling die set.

The piece above is not a card at all as it ended up rather too large, so in the end I just mounted it onto a piece of heavy card which probably works better as it is a Stampalot sample. The little girl on the left with her easel are both stamps from the new Molly Blloms range here along with others from previous releases. I drew the hills in by hand and the fence and tree are Magnolia everything is coloured with Aquamarkers.

And last nut not least I need to let everyone know that we have a DT call going on over at Allsorts. It will run for two weeks from today and if you pop over the the challenge blog you will fin all the details there. Please grab the logo above and help spread the word.

Pandoras box

Good morning everyone......scheduled ahead so it should be when this pops up........ it's time for this weeks challenge at Allsorts where Helene would like us to make a gift box.

I really enjoyed making the box which I created using a scoring tool and ruler, covered with some DP from stash, ribbon, lace and decorated the top with flowers.

By coincidence, my Pandora bracelet fits inside a treat although that was not the original plan. Not many charms on it as yet, but only had it at Christmas so time to fill it a bit more and there certainly are some pretty ones I have my eye on.

My second share is my last but one DT peice for Stamptacular Sunday where the them is "Are you Talking to Me". I embossed a panel with a Cuttlebug folder after stamping with Penny Black 2695J and then lightly inked with distress inks to emphasise the embossing. The poppy is Hero Arts coloured with Copics.

Penny Black at Allsorts Blog Hop

Morning everyone, it's time for the Penny Black at Allsorts Blog Hop and also a new challenge at Allsorts.

At the Hop we havE lots of fabulous prizes on offEr and really hope you will all join in the fun. When you reach my blog you should have arrived from Mervi's blog and after you pick up my letter cluE......hidden amongst this post.....you need to head over to visit Shirley. If you get lost along thE way at any point you can always go back to the challEnge blog and start afresh.

Here is what I have on offer for the winnEr of my part of the hop, all you need to do to be in with a chancE of winning this cutE stamp set is leave mE a comment on this post.

For my Allsorts DT piece I have used another favourite Penny Black 40-125 Thinking of You coloured with Copics and decoupaged with three layers. The DP is October Afternoon and the flower and leaves are cut using a Cuttlebug quilling die set.

And my second card is just a bit of indulgence really, messing around with inks and the brayer and the first inking up for one of the stamps delivered recently from Dick over at PB Stamps...........a really oldie that I was so thrilled to find.......the code tells you just how old......Penny Black 386H called Knapsack Corner which I coloured lightly with Copics. The sentiment is PB 3904F Life which I stamped onto a spotlight and brayered to carry the background shading and ran a squiggly line freehand round the edges. And of course good old Art Impression ducks........well half of them anyhow.

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)

Snow snow keep away

What is this weather like ? It's been teaming down all day today, yet they say hard frosts come tonight then some more of the white stuff. Not that we saw much of it last time compared with lots of you, but I just wish it would hold off until everyones Christmas preparations are done, then a nice white Christmas would be magical.

I have a couple of shares today, the first one using another favourite Penny Black 4040K Sparklers which I simple stamped with versafine back and embossed with detail clear. A bit of ripping and tearing, a panel run through the Cuttlebug and some cord, gems and flowers to embellish. This card fits the following challenges:

C.R.A.F.T. - Black and White with a hint

Fab 'n Funky - Quick and easy

My second share uses yet another from PB, this time Penny Black 40-027 Warm Wishes, again stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, then coloured with Copics and decoupaged. The DP is Nitwits, plus some glitter card and the frame cut with a Nestie die. This card is for the following challenges:

By the Cute and Girly - Children
Stamp with Fun - Christmas
Woodware - Winter
Scrapbook Sisters - Non traditional Christmas

Fantasy all around

It's a very special day here in Fantasy world as when I logged on this morning I realised my followers had passed the 1,000 mark, so welcome to my new followers and a great big thank you to each and every one of you, old and new.

Now a quick heads up that we are having a Blog Hop at Stampalot Challenge on 1st January, a perfect start to the New Year and a bit of activity to dust off all those overindulgence cobwebs. As you would expect, we have some great prizes lined up and hope you will all join in the fun. Please grab the logo above to help us spread the word. And there is still plenty of time to enter this months challenge 'Travel the World'.

My first share at the top of this post is another one using Sweet Pea Fairy of the Night which I stamped onto a doily circle cut with a Magnolia die, then did some paper piecing for her dress and crystal ball and coloured her hair and skin with Copics. The DP is from stash and I cut the easel card on the Cricut welding the circles on the DS. I have no idea the make of the sentiments, they are some unmounted ones I came across the other day, still unused but minus the packaging. I added gems, flowers, stickles and glitter to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

OSAAT - Anything goes

Totally Papercrafts - Paper piecing

Paper Sundaes - Anything but square or rectangle

Bunny Zoe - Sparkle and Shine

And some quick and easy cards were the order of the day with these ones which are a couple from a collection I made using Penny Black 3880K Fantasy which I simply stamped with versafine back and embossed with detail clear. The back panels are embossed through the Cuttlebug, a Nestie label threaded with ribbon, mirri card mats and stickles to match. These cards are for the following challenges:

Incy Wincy - Non traditional Christmas
Cupcake - as above
Pollycraft - White Christmas

Crafty Pad - Embossing (I used both dry and heat)

Tip Top Tuesday - Christmas inspired

Remembrance

Hi folks, still pretty windy here and sounds the same right across the Country, so perfect crafting weather.

I should really be decorating, but my cold sort of slowed me down, but hopefully the weekend will prove more productive on that front. Certainly need to get the dining room sorted because M&S want to deliver the new furniture. I have already put them off twice but they are getting a bit agitated now, understandable I guess as most people what new things yesterday.

Have you entered this months Penny Black at Allsorts challenge yet ? Lots of stamps to win again and such a nice easy theme "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".....how easy is that ?

A couple of shares today. The one above is a my take on the lovely card Shenna Douglas made with her new stamps which were some of those I succumbed to at the NEC. I adore poppies so this was a must have set and apart from adding some ribbon and probably slightly different colours, this is more or less a direct take on Sheena's fabulous inspiration. The stamps are in two different sets, the tree and landscape all one stamp, then the poppies another set which which have been overstamped. All are coloured with Aquamarkers and some Copics to add depth to the poppies. This card is for the following challenge:

Daring Cardmakers - A time to Remember

Crafty Catz - Paper tearing

My second card uses the same Hobby Art sentiment used on one of the cards in my last post, a frame cut with Nesties using Kaiser DP, a border punched with Fiskars threading water, some lace and a flower and leaves made using one of the Cuttlebug quilling sets. This card is for the following challenges:

CRAFT - Colour palette

Moving Along with the Times - Summer colours/lace/flowers

To Follow the Star

Happy Wednesday peeps.

Whose going to the NEC then ? I am and really excited, only ever been once before so when hubby said would I like him to take me a jumped at the opportunity as it's not much fun driving all that way on your own, meaning I don't usually bother. And I am equally excited that I will be meeting quite a few new faces........assuming we can find one another amidst the crowds.

So my shares today are going to be quick as I have two days work to pack in today to clear my desk a bit so I can go tomorrow.

This first card is a relatively quick and simple make. I used post it noted to mask the coloured sections, on a piece of gloss cardstock, inked with Tim Holtz distress inks rusty hinge and dried marigold, then stamped the trees from a Creative Expressions set using versafine black and embossing with detail clear. Simply matters onto coordinating cardstock and a border punched with Fiskars threading water. This card is for the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Penny for the Guy (male card)
Paper Sundaes - For the Boys

Scrapbook Sisters - Autumn Colours

My second card has a background created by distressing with Tim Holtz broken china and dusky concord then stamping Hero Arts F5042 leaf flourish.......a real old favourite that I uses over an again........with bleach to lift the colour and expose the pattern of the stamp. Next a panel run through the Cuttlebug and inked with TH black soot and the main image is Penny Black4112K To Follow the Star stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, then shaded with the same TH inks. The sentiment is Penny Black 4116H embossed with detail white, then eyelets, lace and cord added to finish. This is for the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenges - Untraditional Christmas

For Fun - Use metal somewhere (eyelets)
Oldie but a Goodie - Distressed (main image is an old one but was re-issued this year under different code)

The above card is again a really quick and easy one, I placed a piece of paper with a circle aperture cut out onto gloss cardstock and brayered over with Big and Juicy Hydrangea lifting colour from the middle and left of the inkpad so I missed the pink section. I removed the mask, inked the brayer again, but removed a good amount of the ink from the brayer so I got a light covering of ink across the corners. I stamped the main image Crafts and Me Orchid of the Night twice with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, coloured in with the same B&J inkpad, glittered the wings and flowers and decoupaged.

The corners are a stamp from a clear Inkadinkado set (no codes I'm afraid) and the decoupaged flower is made up of several of the small flowers from the fairy stamp. This card is for the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - A is for Angels and Fairies
Kreative Stamp Friends - Favourite stamps
Anything Goes - B is for Beautiful
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (wings of course)

Spoonful of Sugar - Relish to embellish

Fairies from the bottom of my garden

So how's everyone today ?

It's a little bit chilly to my mind today and the central heatings definitely kicking into gear here now. My hopes of a bit of sunshine to take photos yesterday were false ones and today's just as gloomy so I decided I'd better get on with it and take some before the best of the daylight disappears.

I had delivery from Julie at Love2Papercraft at the weekend with some more of their fabulous Envoboxes like the one I shared last week. I really can't recommend these enough, they come in various sizes and are absolutely brilliant for cards with a bit of dimension as they are gusseted, yet light enough that cards still sit within the large letter category.

I also had another order from Theresa at Crafts and Me with the latest arrivals of her beautiful fairy stamps created from the artwork of Molly Harrison. If you are a fairy fan like me and have not seen these yet, you don't know what you are missing.

Enough babble, I'd better show you what I made with my new goodies. First up a card using Orchid of the Night, isn't she devine ? I stamped the image onto gloss cardstock, then masked her and brayered the whole piece with Big and Juicy Happy Birthday. I then coloured the image with the same ink pad and added glitter to her wings. The DP is My Minds Eye and I made three roses from plain brown paper. The mats are one of the new Nestie label sets (17), I love the shape of these and they are a little larger that some of the original sets. Quite a quick and easy card, but I think quite effective. This card is for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

Papertake Weekly - 3 of a Kind

ABC - F for Flowers

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open Wings

Scrapbook Sisters - Flower Power

My second card used exactly the same technique as above, but this fairy is called Wonderland. Again a pretty quick and simple card, the DO is from Stash, Doodlebug I think, but not certain. The punch is Martha Stewart cornice, the flower and leaves were made using the Cuttlebug quilled daisy set and the swirls are cut with one of the new Tim Holtz dies. This card is for the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Fairy Tales

Pollycraft - Fairytale

And on final share of a little tag book I made back in August but not blogged before using acetate, Magnolia DP's, Sizzix swirls and ribbons. This is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - More than 2 legs

Anything Goes - Ribbons