It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Morning to you all, Lynn is our host over at Allsorts challenge and her theme is 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' with prizes from AALL and Create.

I've give A&C's Sack of Joy (1224)) another outing, rather like the traditional feel of the image penned by Abs for last months new releases. Kept him fairly simple and placed into a frame and added some soft starry stencilling to the frame.

I've mentioned many times that this sentiment from Penny Black remains a firm favourite, to me it reflects precisely what this months Path of Positivity theme is all about 'Faith and Hope. A simple card with the quote focally and the frame stamped with a few Lavinia stamps in the background and built up with decoupage using Two Red Robin artwork.

Hummingbird

Afternoon Peeps, definitely the slowest post in the making ever, despite my imac being repaired it's going at snails pace, if anyone is contemplating upgrading to the new Sequoia don't bother, it was absolutely fine before!! Yesterday it took almost two hours to open and commenting is also a problem for whatever reason, I write them but half seem to disappear and for once I don't think it's Bloggers fault.

I've got my Highlight W11 desktop so think I'm gonna have to spend an hour or two moving everything over, although I've already been told it won't be straightforward and might not accept everything because of incompatibility of the two operating systems.

Above my Card Chain Challenge share for this month which went to my blogging challenge pal Carol, and below the card I received from Hilary a beautiful white on white creation. I veered (terrified of) away from that option and went with the sketch using stamps from Lavinia's Sunbloom Collection.

A very quick make using (meagre) snippets for the Playground, it's one of my inspirational samples for AALL and Create using one of Abs new floral stamps called Petal Pop (1249) and Frayed Frames die (26). The flowers and Butterfly stamped a second time on snippets and decoupaged. I would also like to enter this at the new Path of Positivity challenge where the focus on on Faith and Hope, the sentiment if rom my own Believe stamp set, like to supplier in name.

I used pearlescent paint for the flowers and Butterfly which looks rather glary in my photos and being up against time didn't get to take another. 

And here is Hilary's lovely card.

Winter all the way

Hard to believe it's our last challenges of the year at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where we appear to have a duplication of themes, it's Winter at both, not sure how that happened! And another duplication it seems, prizes from AALL and Create at both.

My SS share above uses some of the recent AALL and Create releases, Parallel Rectangle (57) and Sack of Joy (1224) plus a few worker stamps on the smaller elements within the die. They've also just released some beautiful new floral stamps designed by Abs, I made a good few samples with them and will share soon. Santa is slightly larger than the panel so he was stamped twice, coloured and cut out and some elements decoupaged to add dimension. 

I saw this shape card over at Christines blog, mine isn't quite the same as I changed the dimensions with the result that it doesn't fold flat which the original design did, but it's going to Grandson Zachary who loves Penguins so will be hand delivered. I stamped and cut out A&C Penguin family (603) and Frosty (604), stencilling using crackle texture paste and Snow Crystals stencil (221) over a spritzed background. The little beads were strung onto thread and fixed on the frame to give a vague icicle effect - don't have an icicle die!

Finally a snowy scene using a mixture of stamps, Lavina Pheasant, Bandit from Fox set 1, Small Pine Trees, same Berries as the card at the top and a cottage from Inkylicious. I used Pan Pastel for the colour and of course lots of glitter.......for years I've used Judikins snow white glitter on Winter cards, it's quite chunky and added over glossy accents retains the white colour without the iridescent colour hues most glitters have. But it's no longer produced so if anyone can recommend a similar alternative do let me know.

Winter Flowers and Fauna

Morning everyone, a new Allsorts challenge where I'm your host with the theme (pretty predictably) of  'Winter Flowers and Fauna'. Prize come from AALL and Create.

Been a nightmare week, two poorly doggies, eye surgery and iMac working at snails pace after the Sequoia upgrade. Spent Monday on the phone with Apple, four 'experts' later it was lifeless, their theory the hard drive had gone. It's only three years old, so decided to take it to the Apple Genius bar in Cambridge leaving them in no doubt it was working before their 'experts' got involved. It's now up and running again and no charge. 

More Vet visits, screen rest after more laser treatment to try and prolong my vision and three days without a computer means little got done, I do everything on a desktop as can't see phone and tablet for more than a few words, so you'll understand the lack of blog visits.

Back to craft and a fairly simple card above, masked a central square and what is probably my favourite Christmas sentiment stamp, Penny Black Hope is Born, wood mounted 4227K (2008/9). After inking around the aperture I stamped Lavinia small and large Holly, Berries, Leaf Creeper, Woodland Fern and Moss Flowers which I decoupaged and added stickles. The flower and berries on the envie look pink, yet I used the same pens so guess down to the different surfaces.

For this one I used A&C Pheasant (454), Pinecone (389) and Seasons (455) which you can still find from some stockists, but prices vary so look around. I also used a mixture of Lavinia worker stamps to create a partial wreath around an inked circle, a mixture of Versafine and Elements inks and a matching envie.

See you all soon, meantime my appreciation for our visits.

Ribbon and Twin at Allsorts

Morning Peeps, at Allsorts this week Liz would like us to use Ribbons and/or Twine. We have a lovely prize of a Sizzix die set from Craft Stash. This coming Friday will see our monthly winners announcement but this month a twist as we will be giving away some extra prizes, our Christmas gift to our loyal entrants.

The background of the above card was a mop up from my spray box (recycled from an Amazon delivery), I always keep a sheet of corrugated in the bottom for this very purpose, after spraying I dab offcuts to pick up the ink and lovely textures. I stamped AALL and Create Leaves onto the piece, foraged some dry foliage from the garden and tied with twine, a button, word and birdie, very quick and easy. I am hopping over to the challenge at the Path of Positivity with this, only a short quote but one I often use on cards for youngsters.

This one uses a Penny Black set called Foliage Fantasy which I fear may well be discontinued as I found nothing in my search. They are two part stamps, the outline and a second one with the veins. I used a white brilliance ink pad for the silhouette image onto black cardstock, then versafine and embossing powders for second stamping of the veins. A strip of vellum with a sentiment from my Moments set, button and twine.

Robins and Fairies

Morning Peeps, it's mid month inspiration time at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Christmas and Make it Magical. Prizes are Sweet Die dies from Aldridge Crafts at WLS and Lavinia stamps and stencil at Stamping Sensations.

Eventually I've got more samples made using the new Lavinia Starlight Whispers collection and you might think you've see the one above before as it's very similar to one I shared Saturday (that had more stamping on the frame and different sentiment). These Robins in the collection are called Bobby and Jemima and firm favourites, to build up the scene I used several older stamps Mini Holly, Fir Tree and Seasonal Words and Mini Holly, puff up snow and lots of glitter. 

Again using the new Starlight Whispers collection, along with Arch of Angels, Fir Tree, Fairy Path and Seed Heads, for the background Elements and Pan Pastels which combine together really well, PP's are always a bit hit and miss with Oxides due to the chalkiness of the latter. Both of the above have lots of sparkle although not evident in my photos but both will fit the current Lavinia challenge of 'Time to Sparkle', why not join in with your sparkly Lavinia stamped creations, you have until 25th November for the chance of winning a £40 voucher.

Another of those Robins, along with the Lamppost from the new collection (link above), same sentiment as above, plus Holly, Woodland Fern and Fairy Path.

Finally, Eve inside a partial wreath made with Fir Cone Branch, several Lavinia mini stamps and a circle created using various sized dies which I drew round with a quickie glue pen and brushed over with gold gilding Tilsen. The sentiment is Penny Black.

Last week I mentioned RM had lost a parcel from Lavinia with new goodies, ten days on and they still have no idea of the location of their tracking photo showing a front door and hand taking delivery, what is for sure is some (underhand) person is sitting on it, wonder if they have any clue what to do with stamps, inks and glitter.

Fruit and Nut (no, not chocolate!)

Good morning, Saturday so time for a new theme  at Allsorts and Gail has chose the theme of 'Food and/or Drink'. Prize come from AALL and Create.

So Pears and Nuts are food right? I have very little in the way of food related stamps so opted for this A&C image which I stamped, applied masking fluid then flooded the surrounding area with watered down DI. Removed the masking and added some light colouring to the image and some background stamping. I have a jar of these little metal clips so added three onto die cut circles.

Was worried the top card may be a tad too removed from the theme so created this in MCS, the Bunny family are sitting under the Horse Chestnut at the top of my garden having a picnic......indulge me. We do have three beautiful Horse Chestnuts and lots of Bunnies although they seem diminished in numbers lately, some of their holes have evidence of vigorous digging so figure the Fox fraternity are hungry with no Hens within reach.

I've been rather tardy making a start with the new Lavinia Starlight Whispers collection, did make my apologies to Noni when we spoke yesterday as I had planned cracking on after my kidney op, then last week had a UTI, something I hoped was behind me after that. But this week I've got some samples finished which I will be sharing over the next week or so.

Here are Bobby and Jemima the Robins, you'll find them following the link above. This one is for the Snippets Playground and the Path of Positivity challenge, the sentiment is from my Christmas Seasons stamp set available here which I think is fitting for their current option of Friends/Family.

My snippets, well, all are pieces from an A3 sheet of card, history of this is that I dropped one of my new Element ink pads (did say I have trouble holding them!) right in the middle of the sheet intended to cut a large card base. Those who use them know how juicy they are so I spritzed with water and put aside in the hope it would come in useful one day, could call it a very large snippet.

Rather shallow of me but I started with the stamps that appeal to me the most from the new collection and have used some repeatedly to make quite a few different designs, I've yet to ink up the tree house and little houses, they will get their outing soon.