So Girly

Morning everyone, the last of my scheduled posts as we head home from hols this weekend so I will be round to see you al shortly. At Allsorts this week Lynn is going 'So Girly', we have two super AALL and Create stamps for our winner.

Above an image called Muse from Stamp Addicts which was a recent Create and Craft release. A quick and simple card inking the stamp with three shades of Versafine Clair, matting and layering and an envie stamped with one of the border stamps from the same show.

The above another Create and Craft sample, this time for Oakwood using a stamp and coordinating die set from their Girls World range, a background of Oxides and stencilling and words from a new sentiment set in their Mixed Media Textures range.

Have a good weekend everyone, will see you all just as soon as I get unpacked and organised.

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Summer Flowers

Morning everyone, another scheduled post as we are still away on our travels, this weekend we are in Istanbul. It time for another Allsorts challenge as well as our mid month inspirational posts at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where Lynn is kindly doing the posts for me, the themes are A/G with an option of Roses and Masculine. 

At Allsorts our host is Dena with the theme of 'Summer Flowers'. This weeks prizes are a Lisa Horton floral stamp set and three images from Ruth Hamilton Design.

I eventually tracked down this set from Lisa Horton, it's an embossing folder, die and seven layering stencils which sold out almost immediately on Create and Craft so had to wait for the stores to get stock. The system is really clever and all that was necessary after creating the bouquet of flowers was a strip of DP, some raffia and a die cut sentiment.

My second card uses Ruth's Double Flowered Camelia. I was having great problems with my new printer and presumably the HP ink as the lines of the image kept bleeding, I only use watercolours or sparkle pens and never had an issue before (not being a colourist I've never bothered with alcohol markers). Then one of my teamies suggested vellum, so I printed onto that and it stayed wet long enough to add detail clear EP to get a decent line. I then coloured with Distress Markers and reasonably happy how things turned out. I finished the card with one of my own Believe in your Dreams stamps (re-release has been held back until after the Christmas ones next month).

Above my We Love Stamping share, it used the same Rose as my card at the beginning of the challenge but used in a totally different way. I inked the stamp with distress markers and stamped onto the card (using a stamp platform) left the card and stamp in place and spritzed the image with water and left the ink to beed. I then re-inked the stamp with Versafine Clair and stamped to create an outline, some flicks of watery ink, sequins and another of my own sentiments.

Two shares for Stamping Sensations, the first using AALL and Create Woodpeckers from Follow Your Own Path, stencilling and washi tape and a matching envie.

The one below was a recent make for Create and Craft TV using a TRR scene in the background and stamps with coordinating dies from Oakwood Garden Memories. The poetry a computer download.

Thanks for your visits and I will see you all in a week or so when we are home.

 

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Up, up and away and a sneak peek

Morning everyone and many thanks for your kind words on the photos I shared of the wedding, only a week ago and seems like ages, time flies.

At Allsorts I am your host, although I am currently en-route to Italy, bad planning on my part, but it's a re-scheduled, re-scheduled holiday and long since paid for. We remain hesitant about travel but I finished a second course of treatment this week and have the consultants blessing to travel "with caution", so masks at the ready decided to bite the bullet and are headed to the Greek Isles, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. 

My the theme of 'Anything Stamped' as a focal element of work gives a pretty free rein for a chance to win a £15 store voucher from Stamp Addicts and a further prize of a craft stencil.

My card is a sample for a Stamp Addicts Create and Craft TV programme using Hot Air Balloons and On the Water. I started by creating the sky using inks followed by bleach to create the clouds, then stamped the mountains, stamped, coloured and cut out the hot air balloons and arranged them onto the scene.

A second and or me almost CAS card using Lavinia Zamira, butterflies, stencilling and one of my own sentiment and one of my own sentiments.

Finally a couple of simple Christmas cards using Two Red Robin dies and a sneak peek of a couple of my new Christmas sentiment stamps, two sets are being released on C&C on 15th July and will share more details after our holiday closer to the time. Dies used are: Hoofed, Pip, Christmas Decor and Kingsley and Merriweather, Reflections and Scenes in the background. Several are on offer at the moment so a good time to buy.

As mentioned above I am away at the moment so blogging will be very reliant on internet at sea so may or may not be round visiting.

 

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Venetian beauty and a few photos from the Wedding

Morning Peeps, it's the first Sunday of the month which means the start of our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Anything Stamped with option of Roses' and 'Make it Masculine'. At both challenges there are three prizes to be won, at the first from Colemans who are sadly closing, I have demoed so many times over the years and will miss their craft warehouse, the other is from Craft Stash.

Above I used a couple of rather neglected Penny Black stamps, the Rose and Venetian Summer along with one of my own sentiments. After stamping the Rose I cut around the top elements and then placed an oval die behind the cut section so it rested over the aperture. Minimal colouring, a second oval aperture and finito.

Here we have AALL and Create Little Wren, stamped very simply onto a background splattered with some Oxide, the letter W stamped in the same ink, some washi tape and word from another A&C set.

As some of you know, Thursday was the wedding of Anysia our eldest Granddaughter which was re-scheduled from 2020. This time a totally different style of wedding to what was planned the first time round, it was the first I had attended in a Civil location but it was lovely. The venue was a beautifully restored circa 17th Century Tudor Mansion set in amazing grounds and 18 elegant rooms where we and close family stayed over part of the long weekend.

The weather was beautiful so the ceremony took place outside in the Bandstand with guests seated on white chairs.

The Brides family and siblings, Brother Zachary is getting married in August and sister Azaria next July so plenty more opportunities for new outfits and hats!

Some of my lovely offspring and other halves, there should be one with all of them when we see the formal photos. But I'm still the shortest of the bunch.

In the intervening two years baby Margo came along and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

And it's 'cheers' from me with a peach belleni!

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Sun, Sea and Sand

Morning everyone, another scheduled post as our family are all decamped to the venue for Anysia's re-scheduled, re-scheduled wedding so I've been MIA yet again. So hoping the weather stays kind. 

Time for another challenge at Allsorts and this week Lorraine's theme is 'Anything Goes with the option of sun, sea and sand'. Quite a few stamps went into the one above, mostly Stampscapes along with Distress Inks to create the sea and sand. 

And below a recent samples for Create and Craft TV using a new sun ray stencil from Oakwood, their Daisy dies, some stamped grass and sentiments.

As always my thanks for your visits and words of encouragement.

 

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Anything but Birthdays

Morning everyone, time for another challenge at Allsorts (actually a day late as Blogger decided not to post this yesterday and I was out all day so unable to sort the issue) after a busy Birthday week Mervi would like to see 'Anything but Birthday's' as her theme. We have two prizes, a Tattered Lace die and a very pretty 8x8 paper pad.

I made this card for friends who are keen ornithologist's and off to Asia for several weeks to study and photograph Pheasants. Oxides for the background AALL and Create sets Textured Florals and Pheasant and washi tape which provided the word journey. Pheasants are natives of Asia being brought to Europe by the Romans and in turn to the UK by the Normans in the 11th Century.......my history lesson for the day!

Somehow I seem to have something for the Snippets Playground again, well to be honest I heard about the celebrations this weekend so couldn't miss out.

White offcuts, always have so many when I cut a batch of card bases and the yellow flowers are transfers which were on the Create and Craft Oakwood show the other day, this was one of my DT samples.

As this post it so late  half the weekend gone I will just say have a good Sunday.

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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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