Freebie Friday looms again

Good Morning peeps, hope everyone is OK.

The days seem to be flying by as tomorrow is Freebie Friday again at Sir Stampalot. Not sure what this weeks free give away will be, but it's been pretty awesome the last couple of weeks, so why not sign up to their newsletter Smudges here.

Did any of you see the new POW Spellbinder egeabilities on C&C this week ? I'm sure they said they were were the first to get them in the UK, but not quite true because they are all here and have been for the last weeks or so, all ready for dispatch including the gorgeous Spring Blossom dies..........that one with the cut out edge is already on my wish list.

I got so carried away I almost forgot to tell you about my two cards here. The top one has been brayered through a circle mask with Adirondack Sunset Orange and simply stamped with Art Impression U3095.................which I only just noticed says DEMO in the side which means it must of snuck home in my bag by accident.......sorry Janice.

My second share has been brayered with Big and Juicy Spice and the scene created with various Stampscape stamps.

More frilly knickers

Added 17.17 pm 24/5/11 - Is anyone else having problems commenting on Blogger ? I can get to look at blogs via Internet Express, I can do a new post, but as soon as I try and comment it asks me to sign in, I do so and it goes through the same process time and again and never lots me it. I can get in through Chrome, but even that will only let me make a comment on a single blog, then shuts me out. Totally crazy, please tell me I'm not alone with this one ?

Morning peeps, back from Edinburgh and time to share a few more samples I made for Stamp Addicts programme on Create and Craft TV on 26th May (my post of 18th May explains the title of this post).

I managed to squeeze in a bit of brayering with the card at the top which uses my favourite image from the Courting Couples set and thought it was only fitting that I included some black lace.

The stamp on the middle card is also from the Courting Couple set.

And this one is a stamp from the Playful Girls sets with a bit of resist stamping and Big and Juicy Happy Birthday.

All about the sentiment

Hello everyone, seems like ages since I was last here......and I'm not really here now..........thank heavens for daughters and granddaughters who make wonderful secretaries and in typing this make it possible to post my DT work, which thankfully were all made weeks ago and in my picture file waiting to be used.

That's the thing about having something like MS, you tend to constantly plan weeks ahead just in case. I know some of my fellow DT members think I am paranoid working so far in advance, but the last few weeks prove exactly why I do that, it sort of becomes a way of life.

So three weeks now and not a single new card, but I did do a bit of colouring in this week. With the help of one of my 'secretaries' who inked the stamps, I managed to stamp them, she heat embossed the images, then I did a bit of colouring.......I'm still unable to grasp by Copics properly, but managed to watercolour as you don't need to be as exacting with that.

Now for the challenges and it's my turn to host the theme at Allsorts this week and I would like you to focus on the sentiment in "All about the Sentiment".

My DT card combines a bit of allsorts......oh dear what a pun....... the frame was created with a Nestie using linen cardstock.......the texture is good for this technique and after cutting the aperture I stamped all over with Magenta 14315-0 using verasamark and embossed with detail clear.

I then folded repeatedly......mountain folds work best here and brayered randomly in all directions with Big and Juicy Hydrangea..........this is the one exception where brayering works well on matt cardstock......until the resist stamping shows through and all those folds give a really different effect where they pick up the ink.

The sentiment is good old Penny Black 2695J Dance. I made a rose from a piece of blue DP which I dipped into UTEE to achieve a glassy effect and added some punched leaves.

And this weeks challenge at Stamptacular Sunday is "Lovin' from the Oven". I confess to freaking a bit as this one as apart from a PB stamp with a birthday cake along with some hedgies, I seem to have nothing remotely associated with food.....wine yes, fairies yes and flowers by the the bucket load but nothing foody.

So I made a little acetate bag and filled it with ginger fairing's.....homemade mind you..........and decorated it with a card to match. The circle floral stamp is one of the 2011 release from Hero Arts S5141 Floral Wreath, stamped with Memento black, coloured with Copics and Stickles added to the flowers centres. The tab on the bag was cut with Nesties and the card cut with a Marianne die.

Before I go......or should I say 'we' go, thank you all so very much for your warm and sincere messages, mails and cards I have received. Although I can't visit you all individually and say thank you, I really hope you will see this and know how much I appreciate all your kind wishes.

Fairy time again

Good Morning evenyone, hope you are all having a great weekend.

Before I move on to my share for today, can I say a great big thank you to all the guys over at the Crafty Pad for selecting my Venetian Mask as one of their Top 3. I was really not sure about it as it's not my normal style of crafting and the peeloffs were so alien to me and a faff to work with, so that makes it all the more special.

On to my share which is my DT work for this weeks new challenge at Stamptacular Sunday where the theme is "Who said three was a crowd ?".......use 3DP's, 3 ribbons and 3 flowers.

A chance for me to use one of my latest Sweet Pea fairies.....whose name I seem to have lost temporarily. Anyhow, I can tell you what I did to create my card which was to stamp the image with Adirondack black, then mask her and a moon and brayer over with Big and Juicy Hydrangea. I then coloured the image with Copics, glittered her wings and framed her using a Nestie. The DP is American Crafts from a pack I had for Christmas.....they are gorgeous and most are glittered and foiled. The border and corners were punched using Martha Stewart doubler loop, then ribbons, flowers and a swirl cut with a TH die. This is also for the following challenges:

Moving Along with the Times - Sketch and flowers

Glitterbabes - Sparkle and pink gems

Lets Ink it Up - Anything Goes

Crafty Emma's - Angels or Fairies

Crafters Arm ?

Oh my goodness, what a sorry state of affairs, I can't type properly.....not that I ever could that well, but more to the point I have no idea how I am going to be able to craft for any period of time.........I've got a dislocated shoulder ! Or could it be Crafters Arm ?

How on earth I did it I have no idea, but as I have been in so much pain for a couple of weeks and my left arm was getting less mobile I decided I had better go get it checked out............and because I left it hoping it would go away on it's own, it's now so inflamed they can't do much with it until it settles so this is what my left arm looks like..............


But the fingers are free so perhaps not all is lost, although typing this is taking me forever so my post is going to be mega short..........and my sling mega messy before too long.............. For this card I masked and brayered and stamped with Penny Black 3937H Birds on Wire and Hero Arts CL477 Delicate Leaf and if for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

Incy Wincy - Go dotty

Try in on Tuesday - It's a man's world tag
Craft Your Passion - Lets tie it on

My second share is one I made the other day using a new stamp Hero Arts CG266 Dancing with Flowers, isn't it a pretty stamp ? This was stamped onto a brayered background using Big and Juicy Soothing Sunset. The DP is Magnolia and I used a piece of a doily to decorate the corner plus a flower with folded organza ribbon. This is for the following challenges:

Pollycraft - New things (the stamp)

Cupcake - Something New (as above)

Summer flowers and a bit of seasonal

Hello everyone, few shares, but keeping it brief.....the eye issues of course which seem to be dragging on forever.......but thought I would share some summer flowers to help stave of the -11 we had last night, along with a bit of Christmas as well.

I used the beautiful Penny Black 4112K To Follow the Star for the one above, stamped very simply with black versafine and embossed with detail clear onto a piece distressed with Tim Holtz inks. The diamond pattern is Hero G3316 stamped with the same TH inks, some cord tied round and the writing section of the main image stamped into a disk made with UTEE. This card is for the following challenges:

Inktegrity - Untraditional Christmas

Simon Says - Christmas with no red or green

Daring Cardmakers - Turquoise

The above creation uses some of the Sheena stamps I purchased at the NEC, I adore the poppies which are probably my favourite of the sets. The background was masked and brayered with Adirondack inks, then the poppies stamped over, coloured with Copics and painted with Pinflair glaze. I then made a sort of spotlight shadowing the lines of the brayering and added a sentiment from the same stamp set. the birds are an Art Impression stamp. This card is for the following challenge:

Midnight Madness - Sketch (thanks so much for my 'Remarkables' award)

Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open

My third card uses Hero Arts K5358 Scallop Floral stamped onto a piece gloss cardstock brayered with Big and Juicy soothing sunset, the some of the flowers stamped onto Kaiser DP, decoupaged and tiny pearls added to the centres. The swirl is a Marianne die and the edging border Martha Stewart embossed scallop. This card is for the following challenge:

Ladybug - pearls

ABC - J for jewels and gems (hope pearls count)

My final share is one I made for Stamp Addicts last TV show using a Judkins block stamp, which I stamped, then cut into sections and coloured with Aquamarkers. The flower is made from Tim Holtz tattered floral die and spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl to make it soggy so I could scrunch and shape it. I 'think' the DP is K & Co

Tuesday Taggers - Deck the Halls

Totally Papercrafts - Christmas punches (MS embossed snowflake)

Paper Pretties - Punches

Feels like snow

Hello everyone, how you doing ?

Is it cold or what, don't know about the rain they forecast, feels more like snow here so someone must have left the Fen gate open again....for those of you not familiar with the Fens, it's very flat and when the wind blows we know all about it. In the spring and summer we get the 'Fen Blows'.......the soil being so light here, it literally lifts off the ground in a good wind and blows like a dust storm and many a newly sown crop has been lost that way. When we get winter winds it's cold, it is verrrrrrrry cold. I could drivel on for England couldn't I ?

Dining room done, hall work in progress, slowly goes it but it's nice to have one room almost done and dusted. There were a few hairy moments on the ladder, but hubby stayed close and left me too it as he knew I was determined to do it. The body's not so sure of the wisdom today though and nothings working very well and I may just let someone else do the next room. But I think sometimes I have to do these things just to prove to myself I am not a total write off just yet. And I am really pleased with the room, I love the colours and now itching to get the new dining furniture in......I will share piccies when we get there.

My first card card is a but of indulgene again with Sweet Pea Fairy of the Night, stamped and masked to create a moon, then coloured with Copics. The glittered spotty DP is My Minds Eye and I embossed the bottom piece of bazzil with a new butterfly folder I bought at the NEC. I added crystal glityter the the fairies wings, some flowers and a pin which was silver so I coloured it with Copics to match. This card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Sparkle

In a Sweet Pea Dream - Flowers

My second cards one of my really quick and simple ones using a lovely Clarity Christmas stamp which I stamped with versafine black, embossed with detail clear onto a piece which I misted with Glimmer Mist timeless lilac then masked to I could ink the centre of the large letter using brilliance inks. Next I sprayed with Crafters Companion iridescent spray and sparkle and when dry stamped with one of the sections of Judikins Christmas cube. The DP is Cosmo Cricket. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Peace, love, joy

Fab 'n Funky - Forget me not (the cube stamp)

Anything Goes - Let it snow

Ladybug - Christmas sparkle

Stampendous P107 !!

Happy Monday peeps, hope you all had a good weekend.

Not a lot to report from this end and before anyone asks, no the decorating is not finished, still very much work in progress. I just don't know how these jobs can take so long, was the time when I'd have had the job whipped in a day. So a swift crafty share or two so I can get on top of my office work.........does help when the boss is hubby........and hopefully slope off early to have another stab at the decorating.

My first card is a little bit of indulgence with all time favourite stamp Stampanedous P107........I know all you ladies who come to my classes and demos will have a little grin here..............stamped with Big and Juicy spice and embossed with detail clear and Hero Arts S5316 silhouette grass stamped in the background. Distressed round the edges, a punched flower liberally spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl and one of the new Kaiser DP's. The sentiment is Hero CG189. This card is for the following challenges:

Stamptacular Sunday - Sketch

Stamp with Fun - Square

Paper Playtime - PS I love you - Stampendous P107 of course

One Stitch at a Time - Favourite colours

My second share is yet another easel card.......at least the shape is different...... I started by spritzing the background with Glimmer Mist electric blue and honey dew mist then stamped Penny Black 3880K Fantasy with versafine black, embossed with detail clear and added sparkle with stickles. I am not certain, but I think the pretty glittery DP is K&Co and the sentiment is Penny Black 4116G.

Wild Orchid - Blue Christmas

Pollycraft - Glittery Christmas

Crafty Pad - Christmas Sparkle

Crafty Calendar - Winter with snowflake option (they are on the border)

Paper Sundaes - Topping bar ( punches, ribbon embossing and the colour blue - full house and a huge Sundae !)

To Follow the Star

Happy Wednesday peeps.

Whose going to the NEC then ? I am and really excited, only ever been once before so when hubby said would I like him to take me a jumped at the opportunity as it's not much fun driving all that way on your own, meaning I don't usually bother. And I am equally excited that I will be meeting quite a few new faces........assuming we can find one another amidst the crowds.

So my shares today are going to be quick as I have two days work to pack in today to clear my desk a bit so I can go tomorrow.

This first card is a relatively quick and simple make. I used post it noted to mask the coloured sections, on a piece of gloss cardstock, inked with Tim Holtz distress inks rusty hinge and dried marigold, then stamped the trees from a Creative Expressions set using versafine black and embossing with detail clear. Simply matters onto coordinating cardstock and a border punched with Fiskars threading water. This card is for the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Penny for the Guy (male card)
Paper Sundaes - For the Boys

Scrapbook Sisters - Autumn Colours

My second card has a background created by distressing with Tim Holtz broken china and dusky concord then stamping Hero Arts F5042 leaf flourish.......a real old favourite that I uses over an again........with bleach to lift the colour and expose the pattern of the stamp. Next a panel run through the Cuttlebug and inked with TH black soot and the main image is Penny Black4112K To Follow the Star stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, then shaded with the same TH inks. The sentiment is Penny Black 4116H embossed with detail white, then eyelets, lace and cord added to finish. This is for the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenges - Untraditional Christmas

For Fun - Use metal somewhere (eyelets)
Oldie but a Goodie - Distressed (main image is an old one but was re-issued this year under different code)

The above card is again a really quick and easy one, I placed a piece of paper with a circle aperture cut out onto gloss cardstock and brayered over with Big and Juicy Hydrangea lifting colour from the middle and left of the inkpad so I missed the pink section. I removed the mask, inked the brayer again, but removed a good amount of the ink from the brayer so I got a light covering of ink across the corners. I stamped the main image Crafts and Me Orchid of the Night twice with versafine black and embossed with detail clear, coloured in with the same B&J inkpad, glittered the wings and flowers and decoupaged.

The corners are a stamp from a clear Inkadinkado set (no codes I'm afraid) and the decoupaged flower is made up of several of the small flowers from the fairy stamp. This card is for the following challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - A is for Angels and Fairies
Kreative Stamp Friends - Favourite stamps
Anything Goes - B is for Beautiful
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (wings of course)

Spoonful of Sugar - Relish to embellish

Puppies at last.........

Dainty Lily left, Daisy the hunk right

Happy Thursday all....................just updated to add a couple of pictures I manages to snap of the girls just now...............a rare moment with them both sitting still and together.

Another week seems to be whizzing by, but at least I am all ready for Saturday and have finished my NEC samples and they are safely delivered and off my desk.

Two shares today. The first one using yet another new Molly Harrison fairy stamps from Crafts and Me called Wonderland and a matching envibox which you can but from ??? (link on my sidebar). The My Minds Eye DP is really old but beautifully glittery and I used that as the colour source of my card. I stamped the image with Memento black and masked, then brayered with Big and Juicy spice.....the colours not too good, I think I am due a new one, but not bad going, I must have had it two years and it gets well used. I coloured the image with the same ink pad and Copics, glittered the wings and flowers, a border punched with Martha Stewart cornice edger, flowers and some punched leaves. I stamp the envibox with Inkadinkado 98702 and coloured with the same inks and Copics. This card is for the following challenges:

ABC - G for Glitter

Simon Says - Punch Em

Charizma Cardz - Match Master

My second card uses Magenta 42047M Floral Silhouette as the main images, stamped with versafine imperial purple and embossed with detail clear. I stamped this onto a block created by masking and spritzing with Glimmer Mist fully purple, lilac fields and pearl. The sentiment is a Hero one, but no code I'm afraid. This card is for the following challenges:

Fab and Funky - Clean and Simple

Creative Cottage - Dry or wet Embossing

CRAFT - Monotone

Fairies from the bottom of my garden

So how's everyone today ?

It's a little bit chilly to my mind today and the central heatings definitely kicking into gear here now. My hopes of a bit of sunshine to take photos yesterday were false ones and today's just as gloomy so I decided I'd better get on with it and take some before the best of the daylight disappears.

I had delivery from Julie at Love2Papercraft at the weekend with some more of their fabulous Envoboxes like the one I shared last week. I really can't recommend these enough, they come in various sizes and are absolutely brilliant for cards with a bit of dimension as they are gusseted, yet light enough that cards still sit within the large letter category.

I also had another order from Theresa at Crafts and Me with the latest arrivals of her beautiful fairy stamps created from the artwork of Molly Harrison. If you are a fairy fan like me and have not seen these yet, you don't know what you are missing.

Enough babble, I'd better show you what I made with my new goodies. First up a card using Orchid of the Night, isn't she devine ? I stamped the image onto gloss cardstock, then masked her and brayered the whole piece with Big and Juicy Happy Birthday. I then coloured the image with the same ink pad and added glitter to her wings. The DP is My Minds Eye and I made three roses from plain brown paper. The mats are one of the new Nestie label sets (17), I love the shape of these and they are a little larger that some of the original sets. Quite a quick and easy card, but I think quite effective. This card is for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

Papertake Weekly - 3 of a Kind

ABC - F for Flowers

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open Wings

Scrapbook Sisters - Flower Power

My second card used exactly the same technique as above, but this fairy is called Wonderland. Again a pretty quick and simple card, the DO is from Stash, Doodlebug I think, but not certain. The punch is Martha Stewart cornice, the flower and leaves were made using the Cuttlebug quilled daisy set and the swirls are cut with one of the new Tim Holtz dies. This card is for the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Fairy Tales

Pollycraft - Fairytale

And on final share of a little tag book I made back in August but not blogged before using acetate, Magnolia DP's, Sizzix swirls and ribbons. This is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - More than 2 legs

Anything Goes - Ribbons

Moonlight madness

When I saw the new challenge at Scrapbook Sisters Card this week it was a must............you know me.......any opportunity to incorporate a moon somewhere into my work. So two for the price of one, a full moon and a crescent moon.

But before I move on to how I made my cards I want to say "La ringrazio molto" to Sadia and "Thank you" to Sandra for passing awards on to me this week. You all know I've got a rotten track record passing them on so I would like to say it's for all my lovely blog friends, please accept with my love.........I'm sure this is not what the rules say........but when did I ever follow rules ?

Both are stamped with Stayzon onto masked and brayered backgrounds, the fairy one using the centre colours of Big and Juicy Happy Birthday and the Santa one using Adirondack eggplant.

The fairy Sweet Pea Midnight Waiting has been coloured with the same B&J ink pad and Aquamarkers and the wings liberally glittered......as all good fairy should be. The DP is October Afternoon, flowers from stash and the sentiment computer generated. This cards is for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Full Moon

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open

Creative Inspirations - Birthday theme

Everybody Art - Sketch

The house stamp on the Santa scene is Art Impressions V1562 which has been lightly coloured with Tim Holtz inks and the rooftops glittered with Judikins snow glitter. Santa is Magenta 02045-6 stamped with Adirondack eggplant and some punched snowflakes to decorate. This card is for the following challenges:

Anything Goes - Christmas has come early
Glitterbabes - Anything goes

And one final share using a favourite Penny Black stamp............well yes I know, I love them all........Penny Black 4078K Reach for the Starts and the matching sentiment 4057F. The image is coloured with Copics and decoupaged, the DP is Magnolia, the border Martha Steward doily lace trim and a rose made from the same DP with punched leaves. This card is for the following challenges:

CRAFT - Shaped card
Cute Card Thursday - Make your own

Slow going in craftland

Good Afternoon everyone.

This enforced resting thing continues.......grief it's so alien to me, but this battered body of mine is still yelling at me "not enough energy". If I need any more convincing it takes me half a day to make a card then I'm shattered and I've not really done anything. So still not blogging and visiting folks, just the essential DT comments and that's about it which means I really, really need to say such a very special thanks to those of your that have still bothered to visit me, despite my lethargy.

A couple of cards - a couple of days worth of effort, how sad is that I ask you.......if I was teaching class at this pace they would all need to sleep over to get everything completed at this rate.

The first one is a sample for good old Stampalot......they are coming Janice, honest they are......using another of the lovely new stamps Magenta 42067M floral silhouette stamped onto a background of Glimmer Mist lemon zest and pearl and Hero Arts S3516 silhouette grass stamped with Tim Holtz scattered straw. The strip across the top is stamped with Hero CG222 music, the DP is Crate, lots of distressed edges, ribbon, buttons and beads added to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Easel card

ABC - Distressing

Flutterby Wednesdays - Wings and buttons

Cute Card Thursday - Tweet and Flutter

Paper Sundaes - At least three embellishments

My second card used lots of Art Impression stamps, a background brayered with Big and Juicy waterfall and a masked crescent moon.......I thought it was time for a deviation from a full moon ! Some DP from stash, punched leaves, lots of glitter on the trees and snow and a rather soggy flower which got 'Daisy'd'......she's so helpful in the crafting department. So it's a bit flatter than when it started life, but with some glitter it looks OK'ish. This card is for the following challenges:

Moving along with the Times - Christmas

Christmas Cards - Christmas trees (mine are still growing)

Glitterbabes - Anything goes

For fun Challenges - Glitter it up