Summer Poppies

Morning everyone, a very quick post with a share for the Snippets Playground and a reminder that our June Tag-Along (and ATC's) challenge is still running, there's a few days left to join in for the chance of being a DT Choice or winning the lovely die set on offer.

Above my snippets share, I had a dig through my Two Red Robins drawers and decided to see how some worked on plain cardstock rather than printed out Reflections (which have all the artwork coloured). As a self confessed Poppyholic, that's the route I followed along with some wheat cut simply on black. Had to be a bit of stamping, my work feels naked without any, so the word Summer and more Poppies added with A&C stamps onto the inky background. The base dies are also TRR cut twice and joined at the top so the tag can stand up.

And here's my snippets, see you all in the paddling pool as they say it's warming up again, I'm told there will be lollies to be had as well.

I saw a pretty red and white photo inspiration at Beautiful Blossoms challenge so figured my tag just might fit in. Also Anything Summer is the theme at Four Seasons challenge, it's Summer and there's an abundance of Poppies everywhere.

Thanks for popping in.

Deep in the Ocean and wildlife in the garden

Morning all, time for a new challenge at Allsorts and Christine has selected the theme of Seaside along with the usual A/G. We have two prizes of Sentimentally Yours stamps from Grafton Crafts.

As I've been asked a few times, so an update on new migraines meds recommended by my neurologist as my body built up antibodies to the injections I've had the last few years (which were a miracle and cut them down from 20 to 4/5 a month). NICE gave guidance approval for local Health Trusts to make it available last July but our Trust consistently refuse to fund. It's been a battle and in the end I wrote to The Department of Health who replied saying "The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.

So they have taken up my case, I appreciate an outcome will not be immediate so in the interim I made the tough decision to receive the new ones on a private basis......£10 per daily pill. Excessive yes, but I was getting to the stage where I couldn't function with daily migraines which have been ongoing for months now, never in my crafting years have I been rushing to make a card for that weeks challenge, I'm usually weeks ahead.

Back to craft and I'm at the seaside but gone deep into the sea for my share using Lavinia's gorgeous Althea Mermaid, an inky background using Elements and various worker stamps to build built up the scene. Althea was coloured with Ecoline Pens then gold added to her hair and back using a glue pen and Gilding Tilsen to add some sparkle. I also added some Tilsen to the edges of the piece. 

Double D challenge has the theme of Let's go to the Beach so I am linking up the above. At The Paper Shelter they would like to see Fantasy so a Mermaid fits in nicely.

A second one created in MCS using a number of sea releated elements and judging by the outfits of the two little boys I added walking along the quay it's way back in the 1940/50's. I have a bag of shells purchased years ago in Majorca so added a few to the bottom corner over some netting.

Last weekend I shared some of the Roses from the garden, this week some trees and wildlife which we are blessed to see in abundance from our own back door, I often sit watching and think how lucky we are. 

Back in 1981 when we moved into the old farmhouse we plated 50 young trees as part of a Cambridgeshire tree preservation incentive. We lost a few along the way but those remaining are reaching maturity and this particular Horse Chestnut which is one of four is my favourite, such a perfect shape and habit (along with roaming Labs).

One of several Cherry trees which produce lots of these below.........but getting to the higher ones before the Pigeons is challenging as they are about 20' high now.

One of three beautiful Oaks, this one stands on the edge of the section of the paddocks we've left to go wild to encourage wildlife.

When the lawns are cut we also run round the headland so we can walk the field and take photos (if we're quick) of things like this below....a gorgeous Barn Owl, this time of year when they have young they hunt by day as well.

Below....which is likely a young female Red Deer, we also get Roe which I aways thinks are very majestic plus Muntjac, much smaller than the other two.

Dozen of kits (baby bunnies)....not long out of the burrow so about three weeks old and at this age totally independent of Mum and Dad who by now will be close to welcoming their next litter (gestation is about 28 days and they have several litters in the breeding season - hence that old fashioned saying!).

An extremely tall Pine produces an abundance of cones throughout the Summer and Autumn and where Rosa spends hours waiting for them to fall, she hears the crack as they leave the bough and rushes to catch. She's been obsessed with them since she was a puppy.

A Fox caught at night on the wildlife camera....bit fuzzy I'm afraid, likely a male with that beautiful brush.

Finally a bit of bird activity in the Orchard, the Greater Spotted Woodpecker (male) is a daily visitor, the female who has less colour (naturally with birds!) comes occasionally but we figure she's on the nest still.

The Green Woodpecker is also a regular visitor although always seems more timid than the Greater Spotted and keeps his distance if they are both out and about at the same time.

A pair of Red Legged French Partridges visit most evenings to feed, this and the above photos were used by the local newspaper who encourage reader submissions.

Thanks for looking, hope I've not bored you, but I so love Nature, all thanks to my dear Dad.

Nature and a black Lab

June is speeding by and already it's mid month inspiration time at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where we have prizes from Buddly Crafts and themes of Nature and Furry Friends.

At the top the Anniversary card I made for eldest Daughters Anniversary, they have a black Lab called Evie so she had to feature on the card. I've used a mixture of Lavinia and AALL and Create with Versa Clair inks to create the scene, I stamped the Lab with versamark and heat embossed in black EP to give in depth. 

There's lots of heat embossing on the one below but lacks the floral elements so entering the above garden scene into the Flower Challenge which also has some heat embossing.

This one has a focal panel built up with small chippies, inked and stamped with a variety of small stamps, covered with two coats of UTEE, a base card with some stamping and stencilling using texture paste coloured with one of the inks used on the panel.

I've been taking photos of garden wildlife and planned sharing today but time's got the better of me as in hospital for treatment again, so will hopefully add to Saturday's post.

Zesty and so many Roses

Morning Peeps, myself and the 'girls' have some more inspiration for you over at Tag-Along (and ATC's) challenge where Lynn selected the theme of 'Drink's and there is the option of Anything Goes as usual.

I've used the lemonade stamp again but this time on a tag, cut out the corner with a really old TH die, placed a piece of MCS DP underneath and stencilled some citrus pieces onto the inked background. I then did the stamping, a bit of colouring, stamped several of the elements again to decoupage. As there are several snippets I'm heading over the the Playground, here's a photo of those snippets. Also linking up at Card Free Zone and Heart's Quest shaped cards and tags.

I may be going a step too far with my tag as a garden challenge entry, but I made lemonade, it's now nicely chilled so going into the garden to drink, which made me think of  Ellies Garden Party.

Below my ATC, very simple using a Gecko Galz image that was part of a bundle I was lucky enough to win a few weeks ago. I added some lace and the word 'tea' using die cut letters inked to match the outfit.

If you've not already joined us this month, then what are you waiting for as we have a lovely tag die set from AALL and Create to win. Also linking up to ATC's around the World.

It's an excellent year for Roses, apparently down to the exceptionally dry Spring, here are a few from the garden, long forgotten the names of most apart from the first which is Albertine, it has a gorgeous scent and came from a cutting from my Dad's garden, so has a special meaning.

It was only uploading the photos that I realise how many different varieties we have and I missed a few when I was out taking the photos.

Flowers and a Poppy Garden

Morning all, time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our theme for this fortnight has been selected by Gail, it's What Makes you Happy - stamps, dies, flowers, cute critters and as usual theres the AG option. We have two prizes of a Penny Black stamp and die set which you can find at Buddly Crafts. 

Creating with flowers always makes me happy, if I'm honest it's my true comfort zone so here I have used Penny Black At Grace 40-680 slapstick stamp, years old but used over and again. The background is a computer generated Lady of Shalott (1833 version), one of my favourite Poems. Using a stamping platform colour was built up direct to stamp with Ecoline pens and repeat stamped, it's a favourite technique and it's taken me a long time to find a replacement for distress markers since they were discontinued, Ecoline are I think even better as they are juicier.

A second one, again a PB slapstick stamps, this one Petal Poetry 40-738. A masked central panel, inking just to one corner and the blooms stamped exactly as the above card and a PB sentiment.

We have made a start establishing The Poppy Garden, when she died four weeks ago we knew exactly where she would be buried. It's a part of the garden towards the Orchard where she mooched regularly on her daily 'inspections' of the grounds which could take ages - Terriers are after all very important Dogs. 

It's under a Quince tree and there are loads of self set Oriental Lilies, you can see the deep magenta ones coming into bloom in the foreground, the ones behind are still in bud. It's all looking a bit rough at the moment as it was uncultivated land, but will soon change as the flowers establish themselves. 

We carefully selected plants to go among the Poppies that are (supposedly) rabbit proof as we have literally dozens of them coming down from the paddocks, Digitalis, Agapanthus, African Daisies, Marigolds, Salvias and a beautiful Rose youngest Son and o/h gave us at the weekend to remember Poppy.

Before I go, a reminder that our new Tag-Along (and ATC's) challenge is in full swing, this month there is a lovely AALL and Create tag die set to be won.

Nature inspired shadow box

The first Sunday of the month means new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations and it happens to be the 1st as well which also means a new challenge at Tag-Along (and ATC's) as well, so a real bumper post. 

There is as always an Anything Goes theme along with the option, at WLS the theme chosen by me is Nature, at SS Anesha has selected Our Furry Friends and at Tag-Along (and ATC's) Lynn has selected Drinks. We have prizes from Buddly Crafts and AALL and Create.

Starting with my WLS share, I found this shadow box hidden in a filing cabinet in the office, goodness know how it ever got there. So I decided on a mixture of Stampers Anonymous stamps along with some TH ephemera. Lots of fiddly stamping and cutting out to fill each little section. I would like to enter this in the AG Card Free Zone and Dragonfly Dreams who would like More than one Butterfly.

I was somewhat stumped for the Drinks theme so decided to buy this Spellbinders set from Amazon (best price), when it arrived two small dies were missing, called Amazon, immediate refund and don't bother so sent it back. What a result! Die cut the glass, stamped the Lavinia Fairy and cut out, popped her on the edge of the glass and a computer generated sentiment. And yes, Strawberry Daiquiri is my all time favourite drink.......the best I've ever had are at Hard Rock Cafe's, no matter which Country they still seem to use real Strawberries, most bars use syrup. I make them mostly in the Summer so hopefully it will be accepted at Four Seasons Anything Goes Summer

My Lemonade ATC used a very cheap set of stamps, also Amazon, stamped onto a piece of MCS DP and some colouring. I would like to enter my ATC at the new ATC's around the World challenge with their theme Dots/Stripes (little dots of lemonade bubbles!!)

Probably one of my very first Penny Black stamps, stamped and coloured, some stencilling and a PB sentiment which was released at the same time as the image. 

Snippets and Rudolph

Morning all, a rather swift post as I'm running out of time to join in the current Rudolph Days challenge and as my share also used lots of snippets doubling up and popping to the Snippets Playground.

All products are TRR, I printed part sheets of Reflections to use up smaller pieces of Premium Pure Print, I get lots of leftovers when I print smaller images from MCS. Then die cut them and printed a piece of MCS for the backing. A die cut frame which is Sweet Dixie as is the sentiment and basically everything arranged into the frame. I even remembered a photo of my snippets.

I would also like to share this card at The Holly and Ivy Christmas challenge and Love Those Pretty Papers - using them is rare for me so felt I should!

Have a good weekend everyone, a busy one here as it's youngest Son's Birthday on May the Last (so called when he was small and it's stuck), he's a big boy now but still gets rather excited on his Birthday. Margo assumed we would be playing pass the parcel, well at three I guess it's a forgone conclusion so figure we'll have to fit it in.

Don't forget our Allsorts Birthday challenge is in full swing with some awesome prizes to be won.