Dance like no one's watching

Morning all, much to my frustration back to short posts and comments again after Thursday's surgery, but we have a new challenge starting today at We Love Stamping where Avril has selected the theme of Summer Blooms and we have prizes of Penny Black stamps and stencil from Buddly Crafts.

Fortunately made weeks ago using Penny Black Spontaneous Joy, Berry Beauty and Dance, Sing Love (discontinued) repeat stamping the images around a square panel using the stamping platform, inked direct to stamp with Ecoline pens and spritzed with water to build the colour. I then randomly cut out the centre roughly cutting around the images and placed over the sentiment around which stencilling was added. Linking under A/G at Penny Black Saturday and Sunday Stamps.

Also have my card for Card Chain challenge which went to Jo and I received a gorgeous Dog card from Gail which was very timely and brought a smile to my face the day after surgery. I followed the colour options and ink blending. 

Summertime

Good morning, a short post, usually have them written well in advance, seem to have slipped up on this one, explanation further down, sure you are as weary as me with excuses! 

We have new challenges at Allsorts with Sarah theme of Colours of Summer and prize from Visible Image and at Tag-Along (and ATC's) with Pinky's Fashion theme and prize from AALL and Create.

Above using Visible Image Love Life Now, a rainbow effect background inked background then Butterfly stamped first in grey and again in black, the kaleidoscope of Butterflies also stamped in black and the sentiment (looks wonky but straight face on). Linking to Carz4Gals Rainbows theme.

My tag uses AALL and Create's Sirens of Spring, Kraft tags, offcuts of DP, added stencilling, image coloured with Zig Clean Colour pens and flowers from same stamp set on the smaller tag and tied with seam binding rubbed into some watered down Oxides to carry the colour.

A very simple ATC using images from MCS scaled down in size, machine stitching around the edge and a couple of sticker words.

Another for Allsorts using Visible Image Butterfly Ink stencil coloured with pastel shades of DI, then the same stamp set as above and Butterfly covered with crackle glaze. The sentiment is made up of two stamps from VI Colourful Life.

Nearly forgot I also made a bookmark a few weeks ago, both stamps wood mounted, Penny Black (discontinued) Christmas Gorgeous and sentiment another oldie from Art Impressions, stamped and coloured with Zig pens and stencilling in the background. Linking this to Penny Black Saturday challenge A/G.

A tad incapacitated yet again, Cervical Spine procedure went pear shaped last week so aborted due to a bleed, told another cervical microdiscectomy same as May on different discs was only option. To my surprise called in again Thursday and all went top plan, now just the frustration of recovery and limited craft/computer time for a week or two.

Really hope you can find time to join us at both challenges,

Floral snippets

Morning all, thought I had better do a quick post with my Snippets Playground share as I've got a cancellation tomorrow to go in to have the further Cervical spine treatment done. Not as invasive as the surgery in May so all going to plan only MIA for a day or two.

The above was a bit of an experiment! The little squares were left over from die cutting tiny frames for a project ages ago, these were the little pieces from the middle. So I used a removable glue runner to stick them onto a piece of card and then stamped Penny Black Lovely inking with Ecoline pens direct to stamp. Then separated the pieces and assembled onto black card (looking now, non to accurately) with small gaps between. More matting and layering, a ribbon and sentiment sticker.

Try it on Tuesday has Summer Blooms, it's Flowers at Sisterhood of Crafters and also visiting Ellies Garden party again.

A chat in the garden

 

Morning all, mid month time at We Love Stamping and Lynn's theme of Summertime along with gorgeous prizes of Lavinia stamps and Gansai Tambi paints. We also have a new challenge at Allsorts where Val is taking us for a visit to the coast, her them is At the Seaside, our prize is a bundle of beach/sea inspired stamps from Stamp Addicts.

Huge apols for rather short/missing comments the last few days, what started as an innocuous accident turned into two days of absurd NHS activity. Bashed my right thumb in the shower, thumbnail lifted and just attached at top. Nail cut back and dressed at surgery who dispatched me to A&E. Without going into details, three hospitals in a day and eventually 10pm last night a very nice young doctor removed it. Hadn't given credit to just how pivotal thumbs are, or what an impediment when bandaged!

Above it's a warm Summer day and Lavinia's Bron and Quinn are having an in depth Fairy chat in the garden. Quinn is sitting in the Swing Bed surrounded by Vine Branch, Leaf Spray, Field Grass and Bluebell, the background 'rays' created with a piece of cut card and shaped to use as a stencil, sponged (working from bottom to top so you can see where you've inked) with Oxides. Linking to Colour Dare 713 as my colours seem to match the requirement, Friendship at Cardz 4 Galz. and Ellies Garden Party 17.

Another new (to me) Andy Skinner stamp, this time called Our Favourite Place. I kept it fairly simple stamping the image of the little girls and colouring with Zig pens then used Oxides to add background colour and simply framed using dies. There's a beach inspired mood board at Just us Girls.

This one started with a watery inky sky using Oxides, then stamped Penny Black Shaded View and colouring added with Pan Pastels and white gel pen.

The Roses and Lilies which smell Divine still giving a good show....

Swinging in the garden and an endangered chick

Morning everyone, it's mid month time at Tag-Along (and ATC's) where we are following my theme of Favourite Colours. 

As I said at the start of the challenge I love working with so many colours, but pinks and purples seem to feature regularly closely followed by Autumnal colours so it's the former for this one. A stand up double tag (cut two, scored and joined at top) using AALL and Create Tagtastic, a brayered background then stamped with Lavinia Tree of Hope, Pris sitting on her Swing and scene built up with several worker stamps and stickles. Linking to Cut it Up, Own Background and Unicorn Challenge, No DP.

An ATC utilising small TRR flowers, I don't recall the name of these but they were mini versions of some previous larger releases. An inky offcut stamped with A&C background stamps, bow tied across, envie to match and sticker word.

I also have another ATC and Tag, made early yesterday morning, my craft room is next to the conservatory and despite the misting fan, by lunchtime it's just toooooo hot to craft. It's a double tag for The Little Things whose theme is Elephants or Flamingo's, the stamp is PB Let's Go Wild, their 2013 release and looks to be discontinued.  Entering in the A/G option at Penny Black Saturday and Try it on Tuesday, Animals.

ATC's around the World's theme is Monochromatic, the background a Gelli Plate offcut machined around weeks ago so was quick to stamp Lavinia Flower Fairy, she a really old stamp and getting fragile, the rubber used back then seems to be thinner as I have a few which have got brittle. Also added a Butterfly, flowers and stickles plus a tiny envie.

I regularly listen to birds in the garden and like to track what visitors we have via the Merlin Bird app. The other day both Daughter and I picked up a Spotted Flycather in different parts of the gardens, as they are rare in this part of the Country and on the RSPB red endangered list we concluded it was just passing by. 

However, Saturday sitting in the courtyard we heard a soft chirping initially thinking it was coming from one of several nests in the surrounding shrubs, theres a Blackbird, Wren, Sparrow and Goldfinch all carrying our frantic feeding duties to their young. To our surprise this little chap was sitting forlornly on the ground chirping, Merlin told me it was a Spotted Flycatcher. It was fully feathered so probably very recently fledged.

Half an hour later it was still there, no parent is sight and as it had made no attempt to fly Hubby decided to try and move it to a safer place, it sat in hand for a minute or two then took an unsteady flight to a nearly bush. There it sat and chirped for another hour, eventually both parents appeared overhead and perched on a telegraph wire along with two juveniles who looked rather larger than this one. Parents then started frantic flights from wire to the roof so we decided best move to another part of the garden. We checked back an hour later and they had disappeared so hopefully all is now well. As I always say, Nature is amazing.

Lady in Red

Morning everyone, a rather hurried post as clearly the heats addled my mind!

I thought this card for the Card Cain Challenge was in my post at the weekend and hadn't even realised it wasn't until checking a couple of scheduled posts and found it in one for 18th, so sorry Gail and Jo. My card went to Joanne in the UK and I received one from Arlene in the USA.

I used AALL and Create base dies and image called Art of Bouquet simply stamped in back and coloured to follow the colour options of Black and White plus One. Linking to Unicorn Challenge, no DP's.

I also have one for Christmas Kickstart challenge who have the theme Grace us with your Presents, had to think long and hard about this one as the A&C stamp is about the only one I have to fit the present element, then remembered this in my unused folder, think it fits the bill using A&C Sack of Joy. Stamped, coloured, lots of sparkle and some stencilled stars. Just happens to fit Fab'n'Funky's new Christmas in July theme and Creative Knockouts Christmas in July. Also Stencils/Patterns at Crazy is our Fame.

Try and keep cool, not easy in the current ongoing heat.

Graceful Swans

Morning all, we have new challenges starting today at We Love Stamping where this month our theme is very appropriately Summertime selected by Lynn. Two gorgeous prizes of Lavinia stamps and a set of Gansai Tambi paints.

So a perfect opportunity for yet another using Lavinia's new Loomweavers collection. The jar is a Lavinia sticker stencil, using the outer element inked the focal shape, then stamped the mannequin, foliage and cotton reel. The Racoon was stamped twice, onto the cotton reel and a snippet which was cut out and paper pieced and needles and thread stamped into his hand. A paper pieced shirt and basque selected from the many I cut out from scraps of DP as are the little flowers. Several snippets (clothes, Racoon, Flowers) so linking up to the new Snippets Playground challenge.

I saw a card similar to the above on Pinterest so created my own version with stamps I had to create a scene using Lavinia Sacred Bridge, Swans, Cherry Blossom, Bullrush, Oak Leaf and Lily Pad. Used watered down Oxides to create a background, stamped the images starting with the bridge and built up the scene around it and used a piece of acetate to stamp the Swan's reflections and coloured with white Pan Pastels and a pastel pencil.

There was too much cloud to see the Strawberry Moon last Monday/Tuesday but later in the week some awesome sunsets, below long shadows through the orchard as the sun goes down and less than half an hour later the sunset across the fields in the opposite direction across the Fen.