Essence of Nature

Morning Peeps at  Allsorts  this week Ellie has chosen the theme of 'Nature with an A / G option. Chocolate Baroque and Ruth Hamilton Design are our sponsors. 

Can I also remind you that the current theme of Fashion Sense is open for entries at River of Creativity, it's a pretty new challenge which welcomes all nature of crafts and aims to push us a little to test our skills and try out those techniques we have been wanting to have a go at for ages. Each month entries are selected for recognition in the 'Stand Out' features.

Both my shares have a distinct Spring feel to them, although that wasn't my particular intention so I can only guess my thoughts must be veering in that direction, such has been the lack of any real Summer here in the UK. A Craft Store TV make using CB Orchard Design a Tree, one of the trees stamped several times to gain a sense of distance, built up the background with DI's and Pan Pastels and stamped the Primulas from  Glorious Spring  along the foreground.

My second one uses Ruth's Clematis Montana  coloured, cut out and placed around a die cut frame into which I stamped one of my inspiration quotes from Life is so much better . I added some 'splats' around the frame and some Swarovski crystals in the corners. 

Have a good weekend everyone and thanks as always for your kind visits and words of inspiration.

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She smiled and said what a wonderful day!

Morning all, yesterday was actually the day I should have posted this for my mid month inspirations piece at River of Creativity so a spell in the naughty corner is in order. Our theme this month is such an easy one of 'Fashion Sense' and I know lots of you have stamps and other goodies that would fit the theme so why not come and join in?

I had this canvas frame from a failed project ages ago so decided to cover it with acrylics and crackle glaze which seemed to cover all the unwanted coloured and general grunge really well. Before fitting the canvas into place I stamped the ladies face which I think is from Stampers Anonymous using Versafine Clair Glamorous onto some black and white rice paper and then fixed that onto the canvas. The sentiment which I cut into pieces is one of my own from Life is so much Better and finally some paper flowers.

Have a good week and maybe I will be along to see your entry into our challenge, I do hope so.

 

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Agapanthus cluster makes a return

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and I have chosen 'Any REAL Animal or Creature'......that means no fantasy creatures such as Unicorns and Dragons!  Stamp Addicts are our sponsor with a £15 store voucher.

It's also mid month inspiration time at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations and my shares from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog so a bit of a bumper post.

Starting with my card at the top, a recent make for Stamp Addicts for a Craft Store TV show using Funky Fish and Seaweed and unusually for me a fun card in the shape of a shaker.

It used to be a standard joke at my classes and demos back in 'normal times' that Agapanthus Cluster popped up at most of them. It's a lovely old wood mounted stamp from way back, probably the late 90's, when it was discontinued in favour of a cling version I bought a second wood one, call me old fashioned but love the feel of a lump of wood.

I stamped it simply onto an inked stencilled panel and added a sentiment from my Life is so Much Better.

When I received the stamps for the August Chocolate Baroque TV shows the Celestial and Sacred sets I immediately saw Tarot Cards so I created a set of four using several of the stamps from the two sets. All stamped onto black card, heat embossed with detail gold EP and gold pen flicked over as well.

Below another of my samples for this months Chocolate Baroque TV shows using Chrysanthemum Blueprint onto a Gelli Plate background and a simple Birthday greeting from Say it Vertically.

One final share for Allsorts using  Stamp Addicts Feline Family stamped simply in black onto DP along with die cut sentiment strips around the edges and some hearts.

 

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A challenge for Kath

It's a rather special challenge at Allsorts this week as we are remembering Kath and our theme had been chosen by her, it was Favourite Stamps. She was always so organised, selected themes months in advance and likewise prepared work to similar timescales. I recall one year about Easter she told me she had finished most of her DT work until December, that was our Kath.

My fondest memory of Kath will always be the mails I frequently woke to starting with "Morning Mum".....to explain, in the early days of our friendship we talked about our families, I mentioned I had 'two batches' of children, the first three then ten years later we started over (I will admit not planned that way). Kath said she liked that idea and would love to fit into one of my 'batches' so in future would call me Mum, I told her I often call my girls Sweetie so it stuck. She was a late bird, I'm an early bird so she she would mail me late at night starting with "Morning Mum" and they would be waiting in the morning, I am so missing those mails. 

So this post and challenge is just for you Sweetie. 

I hope she approves of the twist we have added to her theme to take in her favourite style of crafting which most of us know was Paper Piecing and Flowers so the theme is......

Favourite Stamps with Paper Piecing and Flowers option

As well as the planned prize is from Craft Stash there are a few more prizes, some donated by people who knew Kath through crafting and one from me, Chocolate Baroque Canary Bird Rose which Kath told me several times was her current favourite floral stamp. That one will be for entries using the paper piecing and flower option.

Kath also like vibrant colours which was reflected in her work and huge stash of DP's,  like many of us she was always vowing to buy no more, but we all know how that one goes don't we! I have two cards dedicated to her, my style is very different to hers, but both are paper pieced and have flowers along with colour, so I hope she is looking down at them with approval and probably a little quip about all the ink and grunge and my messy fingers.

Both of my cards use CB Canary Bird Rose, well they had to didn't they, both paper pieced from sprayed and inked card in my own grungy style and sentiments from my Life is so much Better.

We are hoping for a really good turn out this week and would so appreciate it if you would help us make this a special week to remember our friend Kath.

 

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Who lives in Bumble Lodge?

Morning Peeps, a real bumper post as it the start of our new challenges at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Anything Goes with Celebrations option' and 'Stamp of the Moment', prizes come from Chocolate Baroque and Crafting.co.uk.  

In addition it's time for a new challenge at River of Creativity where our theme is 'Fashion Sense' and I also have my shares from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog today.

As it's so very hard to choose a favourite stamp we deceived 'Stamp of the Moment' made far more sense as there are always new favourites popping up. For me there is a constant theme of Poppies and Lavinia Fantasy stamps plus of course Stampendous P107, good old Agapanthus Cluster which will be making an appearance mid month.

Those of you into your Lavinia will know they released some fabulous new stamps a couple of weeks ago and along with two new Fairies included some gorgeous little houses so of course despite sitting on my hands the morning of release, by 7am several seemed to have fallen into my basket. Above is Bumble Lodge along with lots of worker stamps and Bandit and Rufus (aka Raynard) the Fox.

This one uses the new CB Polygon Poppies onto an acrylic (Dylusions) paint background, lots of worker stamps from the set and inspirational quote from my Life is so much Better stamped onto vellum along with a matching envelope......my teamie Hilary at WLCB nearly always stamps an envelope to compliment her cards which makes cards that extra bit special so I've pinched the idea Hilary, hope you don't mind 😀

My River of Creativity share has a bit of a play on words and numbers for the stores although the street name in Milan is authentic. The shop fronts were created with TL dies from way back in my early days as a DT for them, likewise with the shoe with the killer heel. On the other side a CB Mannequin stamp and smaller ones from the same set stamped in the background.

My WLCB first share using the lovely Christmas Rose Script and I wanted to create something soft so stamped the image onto vellum and heat embossed with details white EP, coloured the reverse of the Roses with Distress Markers and placed into a die cut frame.

My second WLCB share is a bit of a (for me) CAS Anniversary card using stamps from Chocolate Baroque Butterfly Flourish stamping the flourish twice corner to corner, a few flowers and sentiment from Words to Dazzle.

And last but by no means least my shares from my post here.

Following on from yesterdays photos, here is another of Great Granddaughter Margo Ivy born this week, so far she seems to be a remarkably placid and contented baby.

If you are still with me and not fallen asleep by now then thanks so much for taking the time to look and hope to see you at the challenges this month.

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Welcome Margo Ivy

Morning Peeps, we have a new addition to the family, at long last Baby Margo Ivy was delivered this week. She is a little darling......well I am biased, the above photo taken in hospital when she was two days old.

Have to say remain unimpressed with the NHS Natal care, wasn't brilliant in hospital and not much improvement in the community. No home visits since COVID, not sure if that's the same across the Country but here all new Mums get are two phone calls in the ten days after delivery. If things need checking, as they do with Anysia and baby, they have to go to clinic which could be anywhere it seems, in her case it's an hour long round trip every day which seems somewhat unreasonable after a long difficult birth.

At Allsorts Wendy is our host with the theme of 'Anything Goes with an option of Love of your Life'. We have two prizes this week, some images from Ruth Hamilton Design and a £15  store voucher from WOWVOW.

A note about next weeks Allsorts challenge, it will be a special challenge in memory of Kath, a theme that is very much in her style and several prizes as well so please make a note to check it out on 11th September.

I have gone with the Anything Goes option at Allsorts and a card using some new Lavinia stamps. It was Anysia's Birthday card, she shares the same Birthday as Sister Azaria and Margo was born on the same day, goodness knows what the odds are of that happening. I perceive the two Fairies, one in a hanging basket as Mother and Daughter and it seemed very appropriate for Anysia. Lots of older worker stamps, Oxides and of course liberal helpings of glitter. 

My first cuddle, a special moment. It's been agreed I am most definitely not old enough to be Great Granny so have been assigned the name GG which works for me. I'm not sure though if this is a subtle acronym for me to start saving for her first pony, if so probably my own fault as I suggested she needs to be in the saddle at three same as the rest of the females in the family!

A second card using Ruth's Primula coloured and placed into a die cut frame.

 

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