Allsorts 800th challenge

Morning everyone, this week sees our 800'th challenge at Allsorts so we are keeping the theme simple with Anything Goes. To celebrate the milestone we have a few extra prizes from AALL and Create.

I've gone bright and zesty with the above card using AALL and Create Floral Flyer (1171), Wiggle and Dance (1174) and die Heart Marks the Spot (46). I cut the base die twice in black, scored one about a third of the way down and glued the two together to create what I think is called a tent fold (sure Liz can tell me). The Butterflies are stamped and coloured, glitter added to the thorax and coordinating rub ons (8) used to create a quick background

This uses one of the new Lavinia sticker stencils and stamps, this stencil is in set 8 but if you buy the bundle of four stencils you also get the stopper stamp. After inking the bottle with Versafine I stamped Leaf Spray in the background, Group Poppies in Orange and lower down Wild Poppies with grey ink and then painted over with white acrylic, an idea I saw a few places on Pinterest. I continued stamping outside the bottle and added Every Dream sentiment.

Kidney op update, it's becoming a work of fiction! Cancelled again, this time because my BP wouldn't play ball, White Coat normal for me in a medical environment but usually settles, not this time. Sent off to GP (shocked to get two face to face appointments in three days), he's reluctant to change meds as they control it (usually). So appointment Monday to see where we go from here as it's become urgent they say.

September Rudolph Days

Good morning, today see the start of the September Rudolph Day's challenge where I am thrilled to be a Guest Designer, thank you Helen for inviting me. As all the regulars will know the challenge runs from the 25th of each month until the end on the month, but if it's a new challenge to you then why not join in the fun.

I've gone with Lavinia stamps and a Christmas Fairy, this one is called Starr and perching on the ground is the small Jaylar from Fairy Foragers, the foliage is Forest Leaf and Winter Berries. Varsafine Clair ink, Posca pens, lots of red stickles and a matching envie.

Simple blooms

Morning to you all, this week at Allsorts Liz would like to see Sympathy or Get Well cards and of course the Anything Goes option. Prizes come from Craft Stash and Highlight Crafts. We have an important note on this weeks post which we ask all entrants to read.

I've used a MCS background and simply stamped the blooms using mini distress inkpads direct to stamp along with a spritz of water and sentiment which is Penny Black.

Below another simple one again using MCS (Highlight Crafts), image printed twice, oblong dies to cut aperture's on one, foam pads to the back and lined up over the second image and  a few Swarovski gems.

Short post, had shoulder and head nerve blocks Wednesday and back in for the re-scheduled Kidney op Wednesday, such a glamorous life I lead.

Four legged therapist and snippets

Morning Peeps, it's mid month inspiration time at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Animal Magic and Hand Coloured Image along with the usual Anything Goes options.

Above I've used the lovely Dog image from AALL and Create Postal Pooch (863), stamped, coloured, then a stencil and crackle paste to create brickwork. The sentiment is computer generated as annoyingly I seem to have lost that sentiment which is on another A&C Dog set.

As we al know I'm not a colourist, so the theme at SS is way outside my comfort zone, I've never enjoyed colouring and it never turns out too well, so I avoid like the plague. But a challenge is a challenge and this is what I came up with, it's the same Lavinia Mermaid I shared in Saturday's post called Althea, this time she is talking to the small Sebastian Seahorse from Sea Creatures and scene built up with Seaweed and Marine Kelp.

There is a new challenge over at the Playground and on Sunday I indulged myself in making a card just for fun to pop in with, in fact I made two almost identical. I even took a photo of all the snippets etc., hopefully I'll get a star or well done sticker or maybe something even tastier up in the treehouse? I am also going to share at the current Path of Positivity.

Using an oblong die I created two frames and stuck together to get more depth, then visited some real oldie stamps from Penny Black and Hobby Art, stamped around the frame with the PB one and used the HA Shakespeare Sonnet 18 on the insert and some A&C rub ons to carry the colours. Added some Gilding Tilsen around the edge of the frame and an A&C flower along with sentiment and Butterfly.

My fascination of the Moon was appeased Monday night, the Harvest Moon was awesome, here rising over the top paddock and close up which I was pleased with. I was hopeful of more photos last night as the partial eclipse started but the sky clouded over and was pitch black.

Something Fishy

Morning to you all, Gail has selected this weeks Allsorts theme of Something Fishy along with the usual Anything Goes option. Our prizes are beautiful Lavinia stamps with a fishy feel.

The beautiful Mermaid is called Althea who is reaching out to a Fish and the scene built up using Seaweed, Sea Creatures and the pebbles rom Forest Moss repeat stamped. 

Below some fishes in a bottle using a stencil created on the Scan and Cut and Lavinia stamps Fish, Shoal of Fish, Sea Bubbles, Deeper than the Ocean sentiment and Botanical Blossoms. I find the sentiment inspirational so sharing over at the current Path of Positivity challenge.

Was due back in hospital Wednesday, all prepared to go, call first thing, imaging machine in theatre broken, so will reschedule, should be this coming week but still waiting for confirmation!!

Colours of Autumn

Morning Peeps, we're celebrating the Colours of Autumn at Allsorts this week and the usual Anything Goes option. Prizes for the next two weeks are Lavinia stamps.

I've was lucky to have an early play with the new release, I'll admit I don't usually do Halloween but these Witches in the new Dream Witch Collection are so stylish along with the other worker stamps that I really had fun working with them. Above incorporates Tree of Spirits, Hattie, Bubbling Cauldron, Flittermice, Magical Mist and Hocus Pocus plus Tree Root. I would like to enter this into the current Autumn Hues challenge at Lavinia.

For this one I started with circle dies and drew round the top with a glue pen to create a halo effect then applied Gilding Tilsen with a soft brush, then a clean brush and soft tissue to remove the excess and a rubber will remove stubborn bits which may have glue on them. Next a bit of very light inking to create a circle, followed by stamping using Oak Leaves, Woodland Fern and Oak Creeper dangling from the bottom, stamped the Gate and Fence into the circle two Fairy Faragers, Fairy Towns signpost and finally Forest so Green sentiment......I know there's not too much green on display but there was until Autumn started to set in!! I'm popping across to the Path of Positivity with this one.

Autumn hues

I just had a timely prompt from Hilary that today is reveal day for Card Chain Challenge, so it's a quick post to share, afternoon and energy fading, I guess things will improve!

My card went to Lyneen in Washington, although she told me this morning it's not arrived - posted on 8th August, bizarrely, the one for this month sent to Greta in Oregon has arrived already.

A stencil created on the Scan and Cut, Twila, Shadow Bloom and Bumblehums from the Sunbloom Collection following the months colour palette.

This one is for the new Lavinia challenge and uses Pheasant, Wild Hares, Oak Branch and Leaf Spry, the theme this month is Autumn Hues. The Path of Positivity is back after their Summer recess and I am popping there with this card.

Harvest Papavers and a Rooster

Morning everyone, I'm scheduling this for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Hand Coloured Image and A/G with the option on Animal Magic. Prizes come from Highlight Crafts and AALL and Create.

Above a nod to harvest as a child when it always seemed to spill over into September, unlike nowadays, farmers didn't have grain dryers and heat generators. Often it would be afternoon before combines got going as there was the inevitable delay of fixing new belts, it seemed a daily occurrence and a trip to Cambridge to source a new one. Poppies growing in the wheat (a stretch of imagination for September), Pheasants taking flight and numerous Rabbits darting in every direction. 

The wheat is an old Hero Arts stamp embossed with gold and copper EP, Poppies AALL and Create Papaver (395), Oxide sprays onto a lolly stick frame, Pheasants from A&C set by the same name (454) and a sentiment, it's years old so not certain of make. Lots of snippets on this, Poppies sentiment and Pheasants so think it should fit in OK at the Snippets Playground. Here's my snippets....

My SS share is this splendid A&C Cockerel from Bright Dawn (925), I guess not officially an animal but we are taking a loose approach to the option. A masked and stamped panel to ground the Cockerels and a stencilled sunray background, so I figure it's early morning and the big fellow is blasting out his morning greeting. 

One of our sitting hens once produced five male chicks from nine eggs, we didn't have the heart do what many would (dinner) so they all grew to produce a very riotous morning greeting, thank goodness we live in the middle of nowhere! But they were stubborn creatures and usually declined to go into the hen houses at night, so one by one the Fox took them out, save one who used to roost on Ben's back in his stable......until one day he fell off and Ben rolled!!

Added as lots have kindly enquired: Still slow going and today I'm off having another CT scan (yes NHS on a Sunday) ahead of going in again on 11th, but will try and catch up with some of you soon. Not a lot of crafting, although some new Witch stamps did kick start me last week and will share shortly.