Sam the Squibble has babies!

Those who are regulars know we have a few squirrels in the garden, fondly known (yes all of them) as Sam the Squibble, the name given by youngest Granddaughter when she was small and it stuck.

The pair who live closest to the house have just introduced their little family of three to the great outdoors and it's been lovely watching them frolic together and learn how to feed from their feeders. I've been trying to get decent photos for a week, in the end I've had to go with these otherwise they will soon be a big as their parents.

The parents can sit on the feeding platform and reach under the lid, the babies have to almost get inside to reach it but doing a pretty good job of clearing it regularly. It's difficult to know exactly how big they are and they are not up for being caught, but I would think they would fill an outstretched hand.

This is the biggest of the three babies, maybe a boy, but he's been fascinated by hubbys weather station all week and eventually had to go check out if it's another sourse of food.

Meanwhile his sisters played on a seat.

Below if you look very closely you can see Mum or Dad watching from the above branch as one of the little ones feed.

And it wouldn't be Spring if I didn't share a few photos from the gardens and I could say spot the Lab as there seem to be a few lurking.

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Allsorts 13th Birthday

Morning everyone, it's an exciting week at Allsorts as it's our 13th Birthday so our theme is simply 'Anything for a Birthday'. So many prizes to be won, a huge paper, scrapbook and card bundle, some images from Ruth Hamilton Design and thirteen prizes of stamps from a whole range of companies. 

I've been part of this fabulous challenge since day one but I think this is the first time I've really felt like I was scraping the barrel a bit, being non too well I've done little crafting for a few weeks so my normally bursting file of ready made work is running low. This one was made some time ago using a Penny Black Poppy, grasses and sentiment and a really old Hero Arts wheat stamp.

Edited: however........Thursday after yet another trip for treatment, I had a burst of energy, rare of late so adding another to this already scheduled post. It felt good to get inky and have a play with my AALL and Create goodies.

I do hope you will join in the fun week we have planned and look forward to seeing all your Birthday inspired creations.

 

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Gem of a plant

Morning Peeps, a quick post with a reminder of our current challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where are themes are A/G with a Floral and Fauna option and For a Lady or Girl. 

Above using AALL and Create Gem of a Plant stamped twice, coloured, cut out placed over a Sizzix Bigz window die. All were stamped onto offcuts as were the sentiments so I am going over to the Playground, they allowed me in last time round despite all my truancy so fingers crossed.

Some background stamping, my favourite squirrel and one of my own sentiment from Believe in Your Dreams. Lots have asked about buying the set, it is in progress and will be re-released shortly along with my first set of Christmas stamps.

And below using Penny Black Lilac and a hexagonal card cut with my old favourite Tattered Lace sets. The Butterfly is also Penny Black.

Have a good Wednesday and thanks for your kind visits.

 

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Sparkle at Allsorts

Morning everyone, before my shares for today my apologies for being a really back blogger the last few weeks. I've been under the weather and knock on effect is eyes worse than normal so done little crafting, I'm on a new daily treatment which is full on for the first few weeks and it's shattering me, which I'm told is quite normal, but after these loading dose injections things should start to look better.

So at Allsorts it's time for another challenge but before I tell you about that we have something to whet your appetite in readiness for our 13th Birthday next Saturday. We have a fun challenge planned and so many prizes, you won't want to miss out and we hope you will share the news with your fellow bloggers.

Pauline has selected the theme of 'Add some Sparkle', very fitting with a £15 store voucher to be won from WOWVOW plus some craft stencils.

For my share it's some Lavinia magic using Bumble Lodge onto an oxide background, Fox set 1 and worker stamps to build up the scene and of course a couple of Fairies hovering above.  A matching envie as well.

As I always do for Birthday week, I have created a collection of tags to go in with the prize packs. I've used several AALL and Create sets stamping onto brayered backgrounds and although it doesn't show very well on the photos they do all have some glitter to tie in with this weeks theme.

Have a good weekend everyone.

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Painted Lady

Morning everyone, time for another challenge at Allsorts where Lolo has selected the theme of 'Favourite stamps and dies'. This weeks prizes comes from Oakwood Archer.

For the above card which was for a Stampendous Create and Craft TV show I have used Fran's Painted Lady available in the UK from Oakwood. I wanted to create a soft ethereal feel so for the background used a piece of patterned rice paper sprayed with Oxides, then stamped and heat embossed the image with detail white EP and added just a little colour with Distress markers.

A second share also for a recent TV show using Stampendous Geranium Pitcher, I kept it fairly simple, stamping with Versafine Clair and coloured with Oakwoods brand new sparkle pens. At the moment they are only available from Create and Craft here but for sixteen pens great value at £34.84 (or £31.36 if you are a club member, that's £1.96 per pen, almost half the price of some other brands). The frame and circles are all part of a set from Carnation Crafts, the main frame is a really good size, the card above is an 8x8.

Thanks so much your your visits and hope everyone has a good weekend.

 

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A bit of recycling

Morning Peeps, today sees the start of our May challenge at River Of Creativity and this month our theme is 'Anything Goes with the option to recycle'. The challenge is non card making but we love to see any other form of hand crafted items, needlework, jewellery, scrapbook layouts, cake making mixed media projects, we love seeing them all.

I changed direction with my DT share, I had made a frame with lots of buttons, but I became less keen on it each time I saw it so instead recycled a Fortum and Mason chocolate box I received at Christmas......... which contained my favourite dark chocolate coffee creams.

I painted the top of the box with acrylic paint, decorated the edges with Two Red Robins Forever Green Ivy and the top with an organza bow and TRR Adoration from the Mother's Love collection.

Seems like a good idea to share a few of my recent shares over at TRR as well.

Using the super new web exclusive Friesian Cows called The Herd and Crookedy Fence.

Lots of Reflections and dies going on in this one, Well Wishing, Broken Boundaries wall which coordinated with the well perfectly, and Jenny Wren in several sizes, Maeve is the big one in the front and the others from In the Countryside. Also used the same Ivy as around the box. 

Have a good Thursday everyone.

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Flora and Fauna

Morning Peeps, before I more on my thanks for all your lovely comments and messages on the photos of Margo yesterday, after the scary few weeks earlier in the year it's wonderful to see her so bright and happy. 

So, the first Sunday of the month means the start of our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'For a Lady' and 'Anything stamped with option of Flora and Fauna'. Our winners will receive Poppy themed stamps and coordinating DP's from Crafts Stash and coordinating stamps, dies and stencil from Oakwood Archer.

My five panel card above uses a new April release from AALL and Create called Woodland, I can't add the link at the A&C store as it's not loaded yet but I believe was available from some UK retailers Friday. A brayered background with Oxides, images stamps and some colour added, stencilling and number and letters from A&C Grunge Alphabet.

A real favourite on this one called Textured Florals, Oxides, background stamping using a mixture of workers stamps and that little Squirrel again, he creeps in all over the place.

One more veering to the fauna side of the SS theme, again AALL and Create stamps, a Gelli Plate background, this one with acrlic inks, the main image is one of the stamps from an A4 set called Seeds of Hope. The Butterfly and leaf to the right stamped a second time on to scraps of inky card and paper pieced and various words stamped onto the same to carry the colour and a ring purloined from one of hubby's greenhouses.

Now at the risk of giving Sarn and Miss Di a fit of the vapours (I've got the smelling salts ready) it just occurred to me mentioning the use of snippets that I just might be able to link the above card over at the Playground. It's been an awful long time since I popped over there, I think they all got the hump when I got my own treehouse (photo below built by one of our son's). I did plan inviting the gang over then thought better of it as I know some.....no names mentioned....have a tendency to have impromptu midnight feasts and I need my beauty sleep.

The photo was a couple of months ago with the essential Lab on guard, this one being baby Rosa, but it's becoming nicely hidden now the trees are bursting into life.

I do hope you can join us this month.

 

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