Poppies and Pearls

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Helene who would like us to 'Add three Pearls' to our work. We have a lovely prize from Tattered Lace. 

Lesley will be on Hochanda TV again on Tuesday at 10am and 2pm showcasing some beautiful new stamps designed by her and I have used the beautiful Poppy Ledger image for todays share. I stamped the image onto an Oxide background, stamped the Poppies a second time, coloured and cut out and decoupage extending a couple outside the oval frame. A CB sentiment and three pearls

Thanks as always for popping in.

 

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Make it Girly at Allsorts

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Lynn who would like us to 'Make to Girly', this weeks lucky winner  will be able to choose a whole collection of images from Julia's JMC Designs store.

It's still short and sweet again I'm afraid as it's another couple of weeks until I get glasses so I can see the screen with any degree of clarity, so all rather hit and miss still. My top card used the lovely Zamira from Lavinia along with Poppies, all stamped with Versafine Clair.

I managed to get a card made for the current Butterfly Challenge which I've not joined in with for a while, the current requirements for the letter 'T' are tunnel card, tea rose, teal, thistle, twine, two of something and of course a Butterfly. You can't really go wrong with inky backgrounds so lack of vision wasn't a great issue, three colours are Distress Oxides, a Crafty Individuals image, then I stamped the Butterfly twice more to decoupage, a twine bow on his throax, three pearls and dies to create the tunnel effect.

And this card features Marcelle from this weeks sponsor, something of a challenge for me as I'm not a colourist at the best of times, let alone without glasses.

Have a great weekend.

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To hear the Angels

Good morning Peeps, hope your week is going well.

I only just remembered my mid month shares for Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challenges which is ludicrous given that I did both the challenge posts yesterday, also my work from my post here over at the Chocolate Baroque blog.

I'm struggling somewhat with typing and screen work because as I mentioned the other day my close vision is poor and glasses can't be sorted until four weeks after the last op, so posts and comments are short and sweet I'm afraid.

My top card uses a Bee Crafty sentiment and stencil along with Heartfelt Creations flowers.

I used a number of Penny Black stamps on this one to build up he scene over an oxide background.

And my Chocolate Baroque shares using the beautiful Blueprint stamps designed by Lesley............

 

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An early Magnolia

Morning Peeps, I've completed my two week screen rest after my second eye op, at the moment all seems to be going well, my distance vision is much improved and I can see to drive again !! Close vision is poor but should be helped with glasses once my eyes settle. The consultant seemed fairly confident that what he's done should relive some of the strain on my optic nerves and give me a couple of years reasonable vision, but warned the right eye is deteriorating quite quickly and is the one I'm likely to lose sight in first, but overall not all bad news and hopefully not in the short term.

Now onto our new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Ellie who would like us to use "Dies and/or Punches' on our creations. We have a new sponsor this week WOWVOV, do pop over to their web site and have a browse there are so many different products to compliment our crafting.

My card is a Chocolate Baroque Hochanda TV creation using Brushos on the base layer, then a Penny Black die - it's quite small but is very easy to line up and extend as I have done here. The Magnolia was stamped with Versafine black, coloured and cut out and placed over the lattice. The little Butterfly is also CB well it's actually quite a large one initially but was stamped onto shrink plastic and magically transformed.

Happy weekend all.

 

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Anysia's wedding invitations

Morning Peeps, another scheduled post whilst I'm on screen rest after my second eye op, but as it's Saturday I need to tell you all about our new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Kath who has chosen the theme of 'Add a Heart', very fitting as we head towards Valentines Day. We have a lovely stamp set from Stamps by Chloe for this weeks lucky winner.

I have previously alluded to making wedding invitations for our eldest Granddaughters wedding in May and now I can share them as they have been sent out. I made 100 in total starting with  the pockets made with a die, they measure 160cm square when made up and each contains five enclosures, Invitation, RSVP, SAE Envelope for reply, Accommodation in the locality and Honeymoon Dream.

Their home is all set up so they are asking for donations towards their honeymoon dream from anyone wishing to give a gift. The honeymoon is all booked thanks to Granny (yours truly) and is a Greek Island Cruise, Anysia said she wanted a surprise but Santorini was on her wish list and as she is rather partial to cruising it was an easy one. I'm just hoping there are some wedding guest contributions to go towards it!!

All inserts and envelopes were stamped with a mixture of Penny Black and Inkylicious stamps in two shades of green Versafine Clair. I had the envelopes made with lavender tissue lining to match the inserts (although they look rather dark in my photo they are a good match) which are lavender pearlescent card. I initially though I would have to heat emboss the stamping as it was pearl card, but the ink actually dried really well without having to do so.

I still have the Order of Service and Menu's to make but am rather happy that the bulk of the work is done and more importantly Anysia and Sam, plus Mum and Dad are happy with them. The reception is being held in the next village in a rather lovely converted barn overlooking lakes and farmland,  very fitting to go with the rustic theme of the wedding, they open it for only 20 weddings a year in order to retain the exclusivity of the venue.

Also as promised a photo from son Eliot's Untramarathon race last weekend when he took part in the Arc of Attrition. I'm relieved to say he completed the 100 run around the rugged coastal paths of Cornwall in 33hours and 27 minutes without any visual issues this time (no stops are allowed other than drink/feed stations and athletes have 40 hours in which to complete the race). Although he's done a good few 100 miles races before he said this was the hardest and I'm not surprised given the inclement coastal weather down there this time of year.

Thanks as always for your visit and kind words, As mentioned above I'm still on screen rest after my op but hope to get 'out and about' into blogland very soon.

 

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Laugh Live Dream and some more athletic success

Morning Peeps, another scheduled post as when this pops up I should have had my second eye op so on screen rest again for a couple of weeks. Our new challenges starts today at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Feminine' and 'Animals, Birds and Butterflies.' As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both. 

My Stamping Sensations share at the top uses stamps from Bee Crafty our sponsor, the border stamps are from Large Doodle Butterfly and the Lily is from the BEAUtanicals range. An oxide background, stencilling and the Lily stamped a second time and decoupaged. I stamped part of one of the sponsors wordage stamps onto a piece of embroidery aida.

I love the Butterfly and matching die set Penny Black released last year and I have used it here along with their lattice die, an Oxide background and the Butterflies are cut from card coloured with the same inks.

Alex our travelling athlete son has been in Portugal for a couple of races, he did really well in the one last week coming in second and the first GB runner home (he's No 607 in the photo further down and one of him on the podium) and also got another PB (Personal Best).

No idea where my kids get their energy from, three of them are regular distance runners, it not unusual for Alex to be out at 5am to run 22 miles when he's home, he calls it a "short training run". Today he will be on his way to Seville for another marathon, he came third in that one last year so is looking to improve his placement.

This weekend another son Eliot is running the Arc of Attrition, a 100 mile endurance race around the rugged coastal paths of Cornwall, when he ran it a couple of years ago he ended up in hospital with Ultramarathon Induce Bilateral Corneal Edema (loss of vision) at 82 miles, Alex and Zoe were his support team and luckily found him, but as they are on the Continent for Alex's races can't be there so we're worried to say the least, but he's adamant he's doing it and assures us he will be fine this time. I might have some photos of that next week.

Looking forward to seeing all your creations for the themes this month.

 

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Vintage at Allsorts and latest Hochanda TV makes

Morning Peeps, a scheduled post because as this goes live I should be having my second eye op and as it's Saturday I need to tell you about our new challenge at Allsorts where Wendy is our host and would like to see a 'Touch of Vintage'. This weeks lucky winner will receive a prize from Craft Stash.

I am also posting (scheduling) over at the Chocolate Baroque Blog today, you will find my shares further down. All four stamp sets were designed by Lesley using her own vintage blueprints plus beautiful florals, to say I loved working with these is an understatement and I got totally carried away ending up with rather a lot of samples, some are below and I will be sharing more later in the month.

This is a sample from last months Chocolate Baroque Hochanda shows, the background was created on the Gelli Plate, then the steampunk Owl stamped in Versafine black and I decided to leave it uncoloured  and just added a couple of pearls for the eyes. Then some texture paste added through a stencil, a sentiment from the same stamp released and matted onto corrugated.

And a tag made from Artisan Designs stamps, also created for Hochanda TV., background stamping over Oxides, the flowers stamps, cut out and decoupaged and some white highlights added, oh yes and a Chocolate Baroque Bee.

I've again been told I need to have a two week screen break to try and preserve the nerves from more stress and strain so will see you all in due course.

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