Wonderful things

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and Lorraine is hosting with the theme of 'Add a Sentiment'. We have two prizes this week, a Tattered Lace die and another from Tonic.

Recently I indulged (rather heavily) in some new AALL and Create stamps, I have resisted for far too long and having been impressed with the quality of the set I received as a gift last Christmas decided to go for it. This is my first dabble using one of three images from a set called Basic Fruits although there is nothing basic about the lovely detailed collage images.

Stamped onto an Oxide background, coloured with pencils, one of the apples stamped twice more, cut out and glossy accents added. Letters and numbers stamped from Bold Alphas, the other set received in the gift last year, some stencilling and one of my own sentiments from the set re-named Believe in your Dreams. And for the benefit of the photo, an Apple fresh from the Orchard.

Happy weekend all.

 

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A Vintage twist and an awesome cobweb!

Morning Peeps, time for this weeks Allsorts challenge where Mervi would like to see 'Anything Goes with a Vintage option'. Ruth Hamilton Design is offering three images from her store and there is also a lovely Indigo Blu stamp up for grabs.

Two cards above using the same Poinsettia stamp, an inky background using Tea Dye Oxide spray, stamped the image onto card coloured with Oxides and Mica Spray, cut out and paper pieced, some lace to one and a seam binding bow to the other.  This was a card for The Craft Store TV.

Not totally sure this one fits the Vintage theme so I will dedicate this one to the Anything Goes option. Oxides for the background, some stamping using the same colour inks and worker stamps, a sentiment from my own stamp set and Irises from our sponsor Ruth. I printed the Iris's onto a sheet of card which I coloured with the same colour Oxides, cut them out and placed into a couple of die cut circles. As many know I don't enter challenges, dodgy eyes and linking issues, but it was suggested the above card would fit the 5th Birthday challenge of The Flower Challenge which asks for flowers and shapes, so Irises and circles seem to be apropriate.

Had to share these fabulous cobwebs which were laced along the posts around the decking leading from one of the French Windows at the back of the house. It was a misty morning which lent itself to showcasing the spiders intricate workings.

 

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Foxes in the Wheat

Morning again Peeps, three times in four days, what can I say!

Today I am sharing my mid month inspiration for River of Creativity, those who saw my post Saturday will know we are having a bit of a push to get the new challenge out there. It's a challenge for all types and styles of craft and we love seeing what you create, jewellery, mixed media, layouts, needle crafts, in fact absolutely anything hand created and yes cards as well but we are hoping to push you outside your comfort zone a little and try something different.

Above a frame with a canvas insert, painted with acrylics, crackle glaze and gilding wax. The wheat is a Sweet Poppy stencil, versamark applied through the stencil and heat set with detail gold EP and some leaves added with a Lavinia stencil. The Poppies are from CB Poppy Meadow, the Foxes Lavinia stamps as are the little flowers along the bottom.

Please do pop over to the challenge blog, we would love it if you joined in.

 

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Crackling Rose

Morning Peeps, it's mid month inspiration time at Stamping Sensations and We Love Chocolate Baroque challenges where are themes are 'Animals, Birds and Bugs' and 'Anything Autumn'. My teamies have lots of inspiration to share so please do check out the posts. Further down the second share from my post here on the CB DT blog.

We have a DT call going at Stamping Sensations as we would like to expand our team, there is a page detailing how to apply here, so please take a look as you may be one of the people who are just right for the team.

The top card is my WLCB share and please ignore the white line, it was something on the camera lens which I only notice later after the card had been mailed. The image is Chocolate Baroque Crackling Rose stamped onto an Oxide background, added stamping using  worker stamps from Just Useful and Make your Mark and one of my sentiment from Life is so much Better cut into sections so I could use a metal magnifier to highlight one word. To finish some Washi Tape down the sides.

My first SS share uses the lovely Robins in Holly released at The Craft Store TV last week and is one of my samples for the show. Stamped onto white card, coloured, some stencilled Holly leaves and placed onto a die cut frame and laid over, most unusually for me some Christmas DP. An organza bow to finish. 

This one is eldest Grandsons Birthday card back in June using Lavinia stamps onto a Gelli Plate circle.

My final share today from yesterday's post here.

Thanks for looking today, I always appreciate your visits and encouragement.

 

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Autumn in the woods

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts where I am your host and my chosen theme is 'Anything Goes with the option of Autumn'. We have two prizes this week, the lovely Lavinia Spotty Toadstools and a Tim Holtz pennant die.

Can I also give a plug for a pretty new challenge called River of Creativity, aimed at all type of craft,  not just card making. We are trying hard to get the challenge established which was started by Zoe and we would love to see you there. Our theme this month is Wildlife and the challenge is aimed at all types of craft, so how about scrapbook layouts using wildlife photos or maybe a decorated gift bag incorporating animals, stitched or knitted items with animal prints, so many possibilities. My Allsorts piece this week fits into the theme rather well although it wasn't planned that way.

I bought several stamps from the most recent Lavinia release and have been playing with them in-between creating TV samples, Bumble Lodge is most definitely a firm favourite already and here I have coupled it up with one the the Hares, Toadstools and lots of worker stamps.  I also stamped a matching envie. My daughter came in as I was adding the finishing touches and said she thought Lavinia made Fairy stamps, when I answered they did she asked where were whey then......in the Fairy house of course!

Going off piste from crafting I was trying to explain to a friend the other day my current nail design so a photo seemed easiest, the idea wasn't Halloween but I guess they do have a hint of that. I am fortunate to have long strong nails and have them done every couple of weeks (apart from a year plus interval during COVID) yesterday was my nail day so this is the new design. 

And a sneak peek of what I have on my post tomorrow over at the Chocolate Baroque blog here using Chrysanthemum Blueprint although not really a sneak peek as it was on The Craft Store earlier this month.

Happy weekend all and I hope you will find time to join in both of the challenges.

 

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Embellish It

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and Lolo has chosen theme of 'Embellish It'. We are sponsored by Crafty Ribbons and the winner can choose ribbons to the value of £10, please note winners pays postage. There is also a second prize of a Sixxix die.

I also have a couple of shares from my post on the Chocolate Baroque blog featuring my makes from recent Craft Store TV shows, details on what I did to create them on the post here.

My embellishments come on the form of pen nibs used to create the thorax of my Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Butterflies. I always get a pang of terror when I hear the next TV shows are going to be with Steampunk stamps, I sort of just don't get the concept of weird images with screws and wings.  But that's all part of the challenge of being a DT and I always do my best to achieve. With this one I stamped the background onto Oxides, added some die cut honeycomb and washi tape, cut out the Butterflies and added the embellishments.

Using above Echinacea Blueprint and below Lupin Blueprint plus a sentiment from my Life is so much Better.

Have a good weekend and my thanks as always for your kind visits and words of encouragement.

 

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Garden wildlife

Morning Peeps, I'm surprising even myself here with a third post in four days. Today sees the start of a new challenge at River of Creativity where this month our theme is Wildlife. The challenge is aimed at all types of crafting, it's been a slow build up so I do hope you will come check us out and join in.

I've gone down to Lavinia route and my card with an Oxide background and large sun shows the Hares and Rabbit having fun in the forest (or maybe my garden), I'm not sure Hares can leap quite that high but you all know I live in a fantasy world so anything is possible.

And some photos of my own in house wildlife, we are so lucky to see these beautiful creatures from the comfort of our home, we get Muntjac, Roe and Red Deer, above a Muntjac taken last year when far more leaves had fallen. Below two Red Deer, but I'm really miffed I didn't have a camera to hand when a pair of them, maybe these two, visited to feed with their Fawn last week, it was a wonderful sight.

And there are plenty of these to be had year round and I'm pleased to say there's been no sign of Myxomatosis for the last few years, it's a dreadful disease for rabbits.

Thought I would also share a few photos with you from last weekend when I had a wander round the paddock headlands, I will confess that the purpose of my walk with the girls (dogs) was purely to kick leaves, collect acorns and conkers (in true childlike fashion) and take some photos of the fungi. 

The reality of my expectations was somewhat different, having had so much rain the leaves are mostly still green and few have been shed as you can see in the photo above. Sam the Squibble (so named by youngest Granddaughter) and friends had beaten me to most of the acorns, in fact from our three Oak trees I didn't find a single one. I didn't do much better with conkers although we have three Horse Chestnuts as well. So I am thinking the Squirrels winter larders are full to overflowing and they know something about the the severity of the winer ahead which us humans don't.

But there are plenty of blackberries, I figure they are of no interest to Squirrels. Likewise the fungi.

A small patch of Lords and Ladies under one of the Ash Trees and finally below, despite all the wind during the Spring and a bad bout of June Drop, the fruit produced more than expected this year, much to the delight of the visiting Deer above.

Thanks so much for your visit and any comments you are kind enough to leave.

 

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Autumn glory

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at  We Love Chocolate Baroque  and  Stamping Sensations. Our themes for this month are 'Anything Autumn' and 'Animals, Birds and Bugs' and our prizes come from  Chocolate Baroque and Stamp Addicts. The prize at WLCB will be a £15 store voucher and a surprise goody bag and at SS a £25 store voucher.

A touch of deja vous going on here as it's another Autumnal concertina card, although this one is five panels long, yesterday's was only three. The Studio Light die creates the three panel in a single cut along with the graduated mats, but it is so easy to extend as I have done here.

This was for our eldest son's Birthday recently. He has a high powered job and loves gardening and walking his dogs in the Countryside to de-stress on his rare days off, so I knew this would appeal to him. All stamps are Chocolate Baroque and the backgrounds Oxides and some soft stencilling using Lavinia stencils.

Talking about Lavinia stencils, have you bought any of the latest designs? I will confess to not actually reading the description when I ordered them so was pleasantly surprised when I opened my package to find they are larger at 8"x8", perfect for the Gelli Plate and equally good for pretty backgrounds on larger cards.

Stamp Addicts are on The Craft Store TV again this week so my shares are a couple of my samples for the shows. This one uses Robins in Holly, stamped onto vellum and heat embossed with detail clear EP, a little colouring on the reverse and laid over a stencilled background.

This ones uses Penguin Chicks stamped onto silver glitter card which I coloured with alcohol inks. I used the offcuts to decorate the front of the card.

Least month I came across the Card Chain Challenge, now I don't enter challenges as many know, but I did rather like the concept of an exchange of cards rather than a challenge in the usual format so signed up. I was linked to send a card to Dawn in New Zealand and this is what I sent to her using Lavinia stamps and stencils with a matching inset and envie....

And my friend Marianne in the beautiful Greek Island of Crete was paired to send to me and this is the Nature inspired friendship card I received from her, isn't it lovely. 

Have a good Sunday and I do hope you will join us this month.

 

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Crafty I loves......

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and Lynn's chosen theme is 'I love......' and there's the chance to win a £15 store voucher from Helping Hands Craft. 

Like most of us our crafting loves change with the mood, seasons and new crafty goodies as they land on our desks, but I retain a love of inkyness, Autumnal colours and anything Nature relates, so Butterflies and Flowers are right up there. My tri-fold creation encompasses all of those using a plethora of Chocolate Baroque stamps and a favourite die which I think is from Studio Light.

Yesterday saw two Chocolate Baroque shows on The Craft Store and the DT tend to share a card or two on their SM platforms, but as I don't do FB, IG or any of them I am sharing a couple today on my blog........which I am reliably informed is not social media. But the larger format suits my visual impairment and I'm not about to make any rash deviations and receive so many lovely comments and visits here.

Some lovely new stamps were released on the shows, including some great number worker stamps, a beautiful image of a rather Hepburn'ish lady and beautiful leaves so perfect for Autumnal creations.

And still on Chocolate Baroque, here are a couple from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque Blog this week.

The top card using four Twinches stamped with the Dragonfly from Sacred and then triple embossed with UTEE. The second using Poinsettia Script stamped onto Vellum coloured with Alcohol Inks including some of the lush new mica and pearlescent ones and the Poinsettia stamped twice more and decoupaged.

Happy weekend all and my thanks for your continued support which is always so appreciated.

 

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