Crocuses in bloom

Hello all, it's Free and Easy week three at Allsorts and my lovely teamie Fleur is in charge this week.

Our sponsor is Ruth from A Passion for Stamps so it gives me the perfect opportunity to use her lovely new crocus image.

Crocuses along with snowdrops always herald the promise of Spring, although there's not a sight of them coming through here in the Fens yet, the snow probably sent them back underground, but hopefully soon they will soon be showing their pretty faces.

For the top card I printed on to Fabriano watercolour card and coloured in with my new Derwent watercolours. I masked a sun and lightly dusted Adirondack butterscotch using a Inkylicious ink duster...........I'm a newbie to these but think I am going to get a real liking for them and have more makes to share shortly............then sponged some rays of sun coming down onto the crocuses. The shapes were all created using the new Go Create die set that seemed to fall into my basket at Stamperama last week, I just love the shape and have been on the lookout for an arch for ages, so was one really happy bunny when I spied them on the rack.

For my second card using the same image I printed onto Copic cardstock and coloured with Copics. The background DP is Magnolia, some lace, a seam binding bow a button and bakers twine.................does anyone know why it's called that ?

Before I go I need to let you know who Mr Randon Org., picked our of the hat to win my little giveaway earlier this week and I am pleased to say it's Caroline.........................I'm not sure if we know each other Caroline and no idea where you are in the world, but it's always lovely to meet someone new, so please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk with your full postal addy.

Thanks for popping by and enjoy your weekend.

New Penny Black and more

Good Afternoon everyone, hope you all had a good and crafty weekend. The weather was a bit windy here, still pretty warm and a bit of rain but not enough to keep hubby happy and the pending hay harvest is looking pretty dismal.

As usual a few shares of samples I have been making for Sir Stampalot using a selection of new stamps from Penny Black, Le Blanch and a selection of old favourite Art Impression ones.

My top card was masked then brayered with Adirkondack dye inks, a whole array of Art Impression stamps, then sponged to add definition to the hills and stream......which hubby said looked like a road ! Does it ?

New from Penny Black 4141K and oldie 2410K, TH distress inks rusty hinge and stormy sky and the flowers decoupaged with MME DP.

Another newbie slapstick from Penny Black 40-056, Magnolia fence masked to extend it and all coloured with Aquamarkers.

And finally, a set of two floral border from La Blanche. I masked the base card, stamped with Hero chalk ink cerulean and sponged the edges. The panel is stamped with versamark, embossed with detail clear and brayered with the same ink - an exception to the rule as I used a matt cardstock. The greeting is by Darkroom Door. UPDATE - I've lost the plot, I uploaded the wrong card, this one is Hero Arts elegant weeds !!.

Crafters Arm ?

Oh my goodness, what a sorry state of affairs, I can't type properly.....not that I ever could that well, but more to the point I have no idea how I am going to be able to craft for any period of time.........I've got a dislocated shoulder ! Or could it be Crafters Arm ?

How on earth I did it I have no idea, but as I have been in so much pain for a couple of weeks and my left arm was getting less mobile I decided I had better go get it checked out............and because I left it hoping it would go away on it's own, it's now so inflamed they can't do much with it until it settles so this is what my left arm looks like..............


But the fingers are free so perhaps not all is lost, although typing this is taking me forever so my post is going to be mega short..........and my sling mega messy before too long.............. For this card I masked and brayered and stamped with Penny Black 3937H Birds on Wire and Hero Arts CL477 Delicate Leaf and if for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

Incy Wincy - Go dotty

Try in on Tuesday - It's a man's world tag
Craft Your Passion - Lets tie it on

My second share is one I made the other day using a new stamp Hero Arts CG266 Dancing with Flowers, isn't it a pretty stamp ? This was stamped onto a brayered background using Big and Juicy Soothing Sunset. The DP is Magnolia and I used a piece of a doily to decorate the corner plus a flower with folded organza ribbon. This is for the following challenges:

Pollycraft - New things (the stamp)

Cupcake - Something New (as above)

Shades of white

Hello everyone, we have a new challenge for you at Stamptacular Sunday so please do pop over and check it out.

The theme is photo inspiration and I confess I tend to struggle a bit with these themes as I am never sure if I should follow the colours or the picture. Anyhow, I decided to go with the colours which to me pop out as being cream with a hint of blue round the edge.

My main image is Penny Black 4031J Purple Folds which I simply stamped and embossed and coloured with Aquamarkers. I stamped Hero Arts K5058 Friendship Writing over the background with Tim Holtz pumice stone, then decoupages the flower head. I stamped and embossed the flower hear again, coloured in the same way then inked all over with Versamark frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist marshmallow and shaped the flower whilst still wet.

The DP is Magnolia distressed round the edges with TH stormy sky which I also used to add a little colour to the edges of the lace, flower and Martha Stewart punched leaves. This card is also for the following challenges:

Lots to do - New (pearl swirly embellies)

Paper Sundaes - As above

Charizma Cardz - Pearls and lace

Incy Wincy - Distressing

Cupcake - White is White

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Wedgie for passing me on this lovely award, what a fabulous start to the New Year. Do pop over and visit her, as well as making great cards, she's an ace cook.

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

Let it Snow

Mojo missing...............if found please return a.s.a.p.

Oh my goodness, it's hard going no inspiration and Mr Mojo nowhere to be found. Last night I must have spent an hour looking at a collection of lovely new stamps from Teresa at Crafts and Me and nothing gelled. As they were all fairies something is definitely not right.

But before I launch into my cards, I want to say a big thank you to Bee Crafty for selecting me as their winner last week, this is a fairly new challenge so do check it out, they have a super sketch this week and fab prizes. And also the girls at Creative Cottage who selected the card I made for my Grandson as one of their Top 3.

So here are my meagre offerings from a Mojoless craft room. The fairy on the card above is Sweet Pea Hiding, equally as lovely as all the others and I just feel I have not done her justice. She is coloured with Copics and her wings decoupaged and glittered. The DP is Magnolia, Martha Stewart punched snowflakes, ribbon and a flower. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Dreaming of a White Christmas - snowflakes

Creative Cottage - Untraditional Christmas

Charisma Cardz - One for the girls

Ladybug - Sketch

My next card, also one of last evenings efforts, uses Hero Arts F5075 Sparkle Poinsettia, inked with Tim Holtz dusky concord and bundled sage and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is My Minds Eye and the flower is mounted onto a 'doily' cut using the Magnolia die - this is a half circle and takes a bit of getting used to lining up, but once mastered worth the effort as it is so pretty. I tend to cut several at a time once I get the technique going. Some adorable lace which was part of a prize and a single flower and pearls to embellish. This is for the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles - Anything goes

Bee Crafty - Sketch

My final card is a Stampalot sample which I shall be delivering tomorrow.........I have prepared instruction sheets for making a tri fold card which will be available at their Third Ultimate Rubber Stamping Day on 4th December 10am through 4pm with free eats and drinks all day. I will also pop the instructions on my blog shortly.

I masked a piece of cardstock to create a moon by sponging distress inks, then stamped Art Impression U1562 Rooftops which I coloured with TH ink and added a liberal amount of glitter to the rooftops. Through the moon I stamped Magenta 02045-6 Santa......this is a silhouette wood mounted stamp and if you go looking for it you will see the actual image is straight, but I 're-assembled' it to curve the sleigh. The DP is October Afternoon and he snowflakes a Martha Stewart punch. This card is for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Let it Snow

Simon Says - Let it Snow

ABC - I is for Ice and Snow

Moving Along with the Times - More than one fold

Me, like fairies ?

I woke up at 5am sneezing, by 8am it was a full blown cold and by lunchtime I look like Rudolph.

Must be something to do with the rumour of decorating, so I decided not to go into the office today and take it a bit easy with some craft. And has that been slow going, just one card completed, one finished from yesterday and a sample from stock, so here they are.

A couple of easel cards as I have a bit of a glut of them right now thanks to the one and only puppy from hell, Daisy. I had all my nice new cardstock from the NEC laid out on the sofa in my craft room.......200 cards and envelopes in total.........in comes Daisy fresh from the stables with hubby and literally launched herself onto the sofa, muddy pawmarks everywhere. Dog's don't do sofas in our house, lets fact it, if they did we would be the ones sitting on the floor.

So the only option I could see to salvage some of the ruined cards was cut off the muddy fronts and assemble some easel cards. In fairness to Daisy, the ruined ones were in the minority, but think she learn a hard lesson there. And for you peeps, a few more easels to come still......but I do love the shape so not too fussed if I am honest.

The top card is sheer indulgence with another of the new Sweet Pea Stamps from Crafts and Me (link on sidebar) called One and Only Heart. Isn't she the sweetest ? She is stamped with versafine and embossed with detail clear, then masked so I could add a sun.........I know I am a bore but all fairies need a moon or sun in my fantasy world. I decoupaged her glove, flower and heart, coloured with Copics and glittered her wings and the heart. The DP is a really old piece from my stash, the two white hearts are made with glittered card using an Martha Stewart punch, the border another MS punch and feathers and a based pin used to embellish along with some roses and beads. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Glitter

My Time to Craft - Rhapsody of Roses
Flourish Timeless Tuesday - Glitter

My second card, another of the reassembled easel cards stamped with Hero Arts CG179 aptly named Rose Background and coloured with Twinkling H20's. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR1353, such a lovely sentiment, stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear. The bottom section is Magnolia DP, Tim Holtz Bigz swirl dies and two roses made from plain purple paper and dipped into hot UTEE to give a lovely glazed finish. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Gold, silver and purple

Anything Goes - Embossing

My final share today using this lovely little Sarah Kay girl, whose name I'm afraid I don't remember........my biggest problem with unmounted stamps as there is no wood block with the details to remind me. She is coloured with Copics and mounted onto a pretty embossed circle using the Magnolia die. The DP is My Minds Eye, a MS punched border and some punched flowers.This card is for the following challenges:

Fab 'n Funky - Going round in circles

ABC - Holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving etc)
For Fun - Dry embossing
Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas colours

Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's time for new challenges at Allsorts and we have a distinctly Christmasy feel this week where my teamie Fleur has chosen the theme "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

But before I move onto my cards, a quick note to say I had a wonderful day at the NEC on Thursday and it was really lovely to meet some blog friends for the very first time and have a really good chow to all - Sarah, Vix, Shirley and Vicky which was was probably the most bizarre 'hello' ever.

Vicky and I had already decided to ring one another after doing some shopping and I was standing waiting to pay at a stand when a lady said something to me about the rack of Tilda's and my immediate answer "I just don't do Tilda's". She then tapped me on the shoulder and said "B ?".........the Tilda comment apparently gave it all away, but we had a really lovely chat then. Girls and in some cases hubby's as well, it was fabulous to meet you all.

So back to my card which is the perfect opportunity for me to use the great stamp from JudiKins 4649H which has the first verse of Clement Moore's super poem. I've had it for years and go back to it time and again.

I stamped the sentiment onto cream cardstock cut on Cricut Storybook, then heat embossed with detail clear and distressed slightly with Tim Holtz scattered straw. The mice and hedgie are Penny Black 40-007 carol trio decoupaged and coloured with Aquamarkers. The little stockings are Art Impression D1577, the DP Magnolia, some lace and poinsettias punched from vellum and pearls used for the stamens. This card is also for the following challenge:

The Stampman - Christmas

Critter Sketch Challenge - Christmas

Charisma Cards - With Love at Christmas

My next card is another little Autumn number, lovely rich colours which sadly never really materialised this this part of the Country this year........we sort of went from green to yellow and missed most of those lovely golden and reds colours......something to do with the wet season and chemicals it created in the soil I am told.

The stamped leaves are from Hero C457 Real Leaves, stamped with TH frayed burlap and covered with diamond glaze, then when dry the whole piece has been distressed with TH barn door, rusty hinge and peeled pain. Next I stamped the whole piece with Hero H2365 Old French Writing, tied some twine round and added some punched leaves inked with the same TH inks, then matted onto a piece of plain Basic Grey DP. This card is for the following challenge:

Lots to Do - Autumn

Lexi's Creations - Anything goes

My final card is a really quick and simple on using Penny Black 4104K Christmas Star which I stamped onto red vellum with versafine black end embossed with detail clear, cut out and decoupaged with a flower pot and leaves cut on the Cricut. This card is for the following challenge:

Secret Crafter - Red and Gold

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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

Wings and things

Hello everyone. How's the weather you way ? We have rain again just for a change, but at least it's not too cold and the lovely dewy morning this last week have brought the paddocks on a treat which make the horses very happy campers.

A few shares today. My first card uses one of my new stamps from Sweet Pea called midnight waiting. She has been stamped and embossed with detail clear and coloured with Copics. I stamped the wings and top of the fairy twice, glittered the wings and decoupaged. The DP is Magnolia and the borders punched with Martha Stewart floral vine. Some lace, roses and punched leaves to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Moving Along With the Times - Use at least three ingredients from the menu (I used 2 DP's glitter, leaves and heat embossing)

Flutterby Wednesday - All Winged Things

Charisma Cards - Anything Goes

The next one is this lovely slapstick stamp Penny Black 40-020 fly away, I think he's just adorable. I coloured with Copics and matted using one of the new Nesite shapes labels 17, I just love the shape of this ones. The DP is October Afternoon and the sentiment the first line of Penny Black 4075F. I cut the stars on Cricut assent essentials, added some rik rak and gens to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Sketch

Cupcake - Transport (the plane ?)

My Time to Craft - Kids at Play

My final card today is my favourite Autumnal colours. I created a background using Tim Holtz barn door, rusty hinge and frayed burlap. I overstamped with Hero Arts H2365 old French writing, then Hero S5449 fabulous flourish using versafine sepia. The mats are cut on Nesties and the leaves are X Cut punches which also emboss the leaves making them really come to life when you ink over them. The corners are punched with Martha Stewart double loop and finally I added some lace across the middle and raffia round the stamped image. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Falling Leaves

Creative Inspiration - 2 or More Stamps

Dutch Dare - Birthday Bash

Peaches and Cream

Happy Saturday everyone, hope you are all ready for a new challenge at Allsorts where Debs has set us the theme of "New Beginnings".

You certainly embraced Helene's Garden Inspiration theme last week, what a huge number of you entered and with such fabulous work which were all a real joy to look at.

Before I move on to my card, just a quick reminder that we have a brand new challenge for the month of September over at our sister challenge Penny Black at Allsorts where we are still looking for new DT memebrs. The theme is Punch Away, so please do pop over and join in the fun and as usual there are four awesome prizes to be won courtesy of our sponsor Penny Black.

I have gone with a very simple wedding card using this lovely sentiment from Art Impression J3398 as the focal point of the card. I matted it using Nesties taking the colour from the peaches and cream Magnolia DP. The flowers are also Magnolia and a simple bow and border using Martha Stewart embossed hearts punch.

A couple of weeks ago I bought the Tattered Floral die and have yet to use it, so I decided it was time to give it an airing. The main image of my card is Penny Black 3630K Sweet Pleasure stamped with Versafine inperial purple onto a background created with Tim Holtz dusky concorde and tea dye, blended with Glimmer Mist spring violet and pearl and overstamped with Hero Arts K5048b Friendship Writing. The DP is Daisy Bucket, lace, pearls, a stick pin and a sizzix swirl. The flower is made with the same DP and spritzed with the same GM's. This card is for the following challenges:

Lots to Do - Butterflies/Insects

Penny Black Saturday - Purple, Cream and Brown.

Stamping for the Weekend - Shabby/Vintage

Raise the Bar - URL Looking Good - card based on your own blog so flowers and butterflies

A green one, a purple one

Good afternoon peeps, a bit of a later post that I've been planning all day. But I did want to share with you that Theresa from Crafts and Me has spotlighted me on her blog again with the cards coming up further down this post. If you've never visited her store where have you been ? As well as all sorts of craftiness, she sells those gorgeous Sweet Pea stamps as well as several brands that are hard to find here in the UK, as well as her own label stamps of the most divine fairy images.....what better for people like me who live in a total fantasy world.

So the delays in posting........a very thoughtful gift from my hubby of Photoshop Elements which he thought would help me editing my photos.......jury's still out on that one because four hours on and I'm ready to throw it out the window. I'm sure it's a great piece of software, but for the less than technical mined more of a nightmare. So perseverance I think..............

My card, well two of them actually following the same sketch but I could not decide on a colour so did two. The image is Crafts and Me Eternity by Molly Harrison. Isn't she just adorable ? For both cards I brayered a background with Big and Juicy hydrangea and soothing sunset masking a moon....you all know I love my moons. I used the same ink pads to colour the images and glittered the wings of both with crystal ultra fine glitter.

The border on the green version.....my favourite I think.......is Martha Stewart eyelet lace and on the purple floral vine. The green DP is Magnolia and the purple DP Doodlebug. Flowers gems and pearls to embellish. These cards are for the following challenges:

Flutterby Wednesdays - Sketch

Crafts and Me - Gems and Sparkles

ABC - C for Charm (dragonfly)

Fab 'n' Funky - Material Girl (lace)

Cute Card Thursday - same as above

Simon Says - Pearls and Lace

Creative Cottage - Celebrations

Lots to Do - Fairies and Angels

A another quick card as a certain person.....she knows who she is........made me feel so guilty that I could not find a house to share for this weeks Tuesday Taggers theme "Our house is a nice house ours is", so this one is just for you girls. The row of houses....yes at Christmas........are all in the new set from Hero Arts CL464 which I stamped simply onto some patterned Kaiser DP and added a little red Copics here and there and a bit of glitter. The birds are Penny Black 3937H birds on a wire.

New Christmas Hero Arts has landed

Monday again and I seem to have missed the weekend somewhere.

All the best laid plans and all that...........very little crafting but an awful lots of pupsicle loo runs. Both girls had their first inoculations this morning and the big weigh in, Daisy is 4.75 kg and Lily 3.85 kg, pretty much as we expected as Daisy is a bit of a hefty unit...........sorry folks, that's a real Fen saying for those of us that are shall we say a little way off a size '0'............compared with delicate Lily.

So just the two cards, but at least one of them allowed me to break out the new Christmas Hero Arts delivery from Sir Stampalot that I need to get creating with for the BIG Christmas Demo Weekend at the end of the month.

The first easel card is using this absolutely gorgeous Hero Arts S5449 Fabulous Flourish. It's a bit of a biggie at 5.5" x 4.5" but just lovely and a joy to work with. Me thinks there will be a few samples going Peterborough way with this one.

I created a background with Tim Holtz broken china and tea dye, inking a non stick craft sheet, spritzing liberally with water and Glimmer Mist pearl and swishing the card about it in. When dry I stamped with Hero chalk ink soft pool using good old trusty Hero H2365 old French writing. Next I inked the flourish stamp with TH tea dye and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is October Afternoon, the border Martha Steward double loop, some punched leaves, two ribbons, a beaded pin, pearls and Magnolia flowers.

This card is for the following challenges:

Friday Sketchers - I promised Claudia I would make an effort to enter as it's been far too long since I joined in.

The Stamp Man - Easel Card

Cupcake Challenge - A recipe for their second birthday - 2 DP's, 2 ribbons and 2 flowers (there are two different ribbons on the bottom but hard to see)

My second card uses a favourite stamp from Sweet Pea called dandelions. Stamped simply with Versafine black and embossed with detail clear twice, cutting a spotlight with a Nestie and colouring just that section with Copics. The DP is Kaiser, the border punch Martha Stewart embossed scallop, sizzix swirls and Magnolia flower and pearls to embellish.

This card is for the following challenges:

Stamp for Fun - Sketch

Sweet Pea Stamp Challenge - Swirls and flourishes

Crafty Cardmakers - Spotlight

By the Cute and Girly - Animal Antics - hope the moggy on here is having enough antics with the fairy to fit the theme, if not sorry girls