Inky, Pinky Monday

Using: CLR001 Butterflies clear set, CLR015A Bobbly Flowers clear set, PPRSD015 Blobbly Flowers die set, EE0131 Flourish stamp and Cheery Lynn lattice die.

Note added - what are your dashboards up to this morning ? Mine will only show the very latest posting of those I follow and although there is a 'view more' button it won't actually show any more. Tried on another computer in the office and the same so unless I sit and watch it all the time no idea who has posted what. What's Blogger up to now I wonder ?

Morning Peeps, I hope you all had a good weekend.

Time to share my Monday morning Prickly Pear and Nicecrane Designs DT pieces. It's all rather inky as I am struggling mojo wise with all the medical issues and treatments and getting inky is what I have found I am most comfortable with lately so apologies if it's all rather samey recently.

The background is Dylusions Bubblegum Pink and Pomegranate Seed................don't you just love the names they give them.............and the requisite spritz of Pearl Glimmer Mist. Over this I inked Picked Raspberry DI through a mask to get the wavy pattern and added some Gilding Wax around the edges, then overlaid the lattice which I painted with chalk paint and randomly tore at the edges and finally some pink Sparkle Medium through another mask, a really useful Timmy one with tiny holes.

Finally after all that messiness I cut the flowers, over stamped them and also he butterfly, all cut from a piece of card sprayed with the same mediums.

I would like to enter this into the current Butterfly Challenge................I don't do challenges as a rule due to the need to minimise screen glare to my dodgy eyes but I do make an exception here as I love butterflies. The current theme is monochromatic.

My Nicecrane creation is also rather pink, I have used the really sweet Children and Birds by N Brisley design sheet which is a newly released one, there are five different deigns in the collection so plenty of scope for a variety of cards. I have teamed it up with Graphic 45 Botanical Tea DP's, no matter which Nicecrane design I use there is usually a G45 DP that matches, they seem made for each other with their Vintage feel. I did a bit of stitching around the edges using the new sewing machine hubby bought for my Birthday, it's not until Friday but I was allowed to have it a bit early to start playing with. Some bunting cut of the Cricut and die cut flowers and leaves.

Hope you all have a good week.

Sneak peeks and Spring releases

Using the new Elegant Ladies CS and Graphic 45 DP's

Morning all you lovely Peeps, time for my Monday Prickly Pear DT share and also some previews of the new Nicecrane images. You sent me some lovely messages about my Prickly Pear Easter basket tutorial last week, I am so pleased you liked it and thank you for all your kind words.

For my Prickly Pear card above I have used one of the elegant crosses from the Easter 2 clear set which has four different crosses and sentiment and although I have gone with an Easter card there are so many other occasions these could be used for. I have used an embossing folder for the background, embossed the cross with detail white powder and made a Lily with Tonic's Lily punch and stamp set shading the edges with Pan Pastels and added some vines using a Cheery Lynn die.

Using Elegant Ladies II and Graphic 45 DP's

I find the Graphic 45 design papers lend themselves perfectly to the Nicecrane designs which sounds like a perfect excuse to 'need' them all and I I am itching to get my grubby mitts on the new ones released at CHA in January.

You might also like to know that Nicecrane are now creating custom made blog headers for $5, if you would like one created for your blog you can mail Ignacio here and he will work with you to create the individual look you are after

Happy Monday all, hope your week is a good one.

Nicecrane	Nicecrane	S/binders	Capture the Magic
Craft Fairy	Britannia dies	Prickly Pear	Tonic Lily

InLinkz.com

Blog hop day two

It's well known that I don't do cute and sweet very often but I love this baby image from the new Spring release and the sentiment also from the new release is just perfect with it

Another scheduled post for the second day of our Prickly Pear blog hop where we have two awesome $75 prizes to be won and today you should have arrived here from Tracie's blog and move on to Jessica's blog.

And if you didn't visit yesterday's post here it's not to late to pop along so you are in with a second chance of winning one of the prizes.

All the blog hop and prize details can be found here and the Spring release stamps and dies which were showcased at CHA can be found on the store website here. Winners will be announced on the Prickly Pear blog on 2nd February.

Good luck hopping everyone.

Early Valentine

Morning all you lovely Peeps, hope everyone had a good weekend.

We have still got dodgy phone lines but at least the Internet is working so I am taking the opportunity to post a couple of cards I made for Ignacio from Nicecrane Designs using some of his new Valentine designs. They really are so pretty and have drawn out the less inky side of me to create something girly for a change.

I also want to say a big thank you to Rachel as I won her candy which is a fabulous voucher for Imagination Crafts, how lucky am I as I love their products. And as I said to her I am hoping that's an omen for later in the week, up till now I have tried to keep it all in a box but over the weekend reality dawned and I am feeling a little pessimistic about what lies ahead of me this week, but I guess what will be will be and not a lot I can do to change that.

So onto my cards, you will find thumbnail links below to the Nicecrane Designes used in these two cards, along with the Spellbinders and Graphic 45 DP's which always lend themselves so well to Ignacios's design's. I made the rose on the top card is made from the same ribbon as the bow and the flowers on the second card were cut on the Cricut.

Have a good week everyone and catch up with you all again soon I hope.

Homer the Raven

Monday morning and time to share this weeks Prickly Pear DT piece and give you a heads up to check here on Friday as there are going to be some awesome goodies up for grabs.

I have used this cute little image called Homer the Raven, stamped him and coloured with Pan Pastels which I also used to create a background, then stamped the spiders web ATC stamp and cut an oval aperture. Some Bo Bunny DP for the base, a flower made with Tonic punch and stamp Rose set and the leaves are Cheery Lynne. I would like to enter:

Crafting when we can - make your own flowers
One stitch at a time - Boo

Hope you all have a good Monday.

All in the sentiment and Saturday candy

Today it's my turn to host the challenge at Allsorts and I have chosen the theme 'It's all in the sentiment", there are some wonderful inspirational quotes and sentiments available which I love using on my work and hope you will join in this week and show us your favourites.

Our sponsor this week is Nicecrane Designs who I wrote about earlier in the week and I am having great fun working with their latest products. There are links to all the products I have used in the thumbnails at the bottom of the post so you can check out for yourself these and all the other lovely designs.

The top card uses what I think is my all time favourite Penny Black quote which I have simply stamped onto some Teresa Collins DP, a nestie frame and two decoupaged butterflies from Nicecrane Butterfly Twinches sheet.

This second piece is the result of a bit of a play with the Cricut Mini yesterday, the frame and base card being one cut on the machine laid over an image from the Harrison Fisher ladies sheet and another Penny Black image. Some Cheery Lynne leaves and rose made from the Tonic Rose punch and stamp set.

And my Saturday candy is back and this week I have a little collection of nautical inspired crafting goodies to be won, as it's a few weeks since I ran this as I had my Cricut candy running I will quickly run through how it works...............

• Add the Saturday Candy logo to your sidebar
• Be a follower of my blog
• A random winner will be selected from all comments left on my blog between now and Friday, so two comments during the week two chances of winning and so on.
• The winner will be announced next Saturday

I also have another little share using ore of Igancio's images as he asked me a few days ago if I could cerate a collection of bookmarks with his images.

I made these using images from the Victorian Young Ladies, Harrison Fisher and Ladies Hats sheets, such beautiful quality and clarity and for someone like me who can't colour in for toffee absolutely perfect. You can find them here or follow the thumbnail links below.

That's it for today Peeps and hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Victorian Christmas

Morning all, it's a bright and sunny morning here in the Fens again, not over hot but nice and comfy for working.

Now I know this is not the normal me here, but sometimes I like to go a bit girly and this image from Ignacio's of Nicecrane Designs new Victorian Young Ladies sheet really appeals to me and I could instantly visualise a Christmas card using this image.

It's also a first for me to make Christmas cards so early other than those for TV and sample boards, so I think now I have started I really should keep the momentum going and I just might avoid the late November panic.

So to make my card I printed and cut her out and laid her over the Domed Window frame from Ruth's Pick of the Bunch collection which I then layered over a piece of Graphic 45 with a Christmas carol. The poinsettias are also from the same Tonic collection punch and stamp sets and the holly leaves and swirls are Cheery Lynn.

I also have another one using Ignacio's Butterfly Twinchies. I have to admit I wasn't too happy with this one, but he saw it on my Pinterest board and asked me to blog it so here it is. The main butterfly has been printed and decoupaged with three layers, they do lend themselves to this so well, then a smaller one for the base of the easel card. I used the Timmy butterfly border for the top edge and shaded with Pan Pastels, did a little stamping behind the main image and finally printed a couple more butterflies on a small print template, so altogether there are four different ones on this card all from the same image sheet.

Thanks for taking a look and as always I really appreciate your kind comments.

A bit of glitter and Saturday candy

Morning Peeps, hope everyone is OK and enjoying this lovely spell of sunshine, fingers crosses it lasts the weekend. I spend a few hours out in it yesterday helping check and secure the fences before the horses are turned out for their first Summer graze and it was lovely to feel the warmth.

It's time for a new challenge at Allsorts and Tracy Mouse wants us to 'Add Some Glitter' and everyone who knows her will realise she has a bit of a penchant for a bit of sparkle.................as do most of us if we are honest, so nice choice Tracy.

I have used Modern Flower 4 from one of this weeks sponsors DigiStamp Boutique, paper piecing it to match the side pane with Nitwits DP, a little subtle inking with Spun Sugar, a bow and Marianne  rose, Cheery Lynn lattice and some liberal glittering of the rose, black liquid pearls and image. I also took a close up of the flower to show what I really did glitter up as it's not too evident on the main picture.

I am thinking this theme will be right on song for lots of you and look forward to seeing all your lovely entries.

And now for the winner of last weeks candy who is Ali from her comment on Monday's post, please mail me with your full postal addy so I can your goodies in the post to you.

And this week I have a pretty set of floral stamps for you, as usual a winner will be selected at random from all comments left this week, if you visit more than one then all comments will go into the draw. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

1) You are a follower 

2) Pop the Saturday Candy logo from my sidebar on your own blog

Have a lovely weekend everyone, the weather man assures us it's going to be barbie weather so lets hope he's got it right.

Beleive

Good morning Peeps from an extremely cold Cambridgeshire Fen but the welcome to my new followers and visitors is a very warm one.

It's still -9 outside with freezing fog but the most beautiful hoar frost making everywhere look magical and dreamy which is rather fitting as my card above uses the new Dream stamp from Stamp Addicts, one of the stamp sets which will be featured in the new programmes on Create and Craft TV next Tuesday 22nd January.

And typically because it's been the coldest two days so far this winter our combi boiler decided to stop working on Tuesday night, but Calor Gas were absolutely brilliant and were out here 9am yesterday morning......... apparently the disabled get priority call outs !  All was working okay yesterday then last evening exactly the same happened again and it seems it's to do with the gas pipes coming across the garden to the house from the underground tank (as we live in the sticks we have no mains services) reacting to extreme changes in temperature which cuts off the gas supply.

The card above is fairly simple with a Go Create frame cut from some scraps of DP, a lattice using a Cheery Lynn die over a background stamped with music script. I used just one of the words from the stamp set and added some roses made from Pretty Little Ribbons sheer organza ribbon, a seam binding bow from the same source and spellbinder leaves.

My second card is a bit outside my comfort zone, but it's good to stretch yourself sometimes and uses the Home for Gnomes stamp. I stamped, coloured and cut out the two gnomes, stamped the toadstool house onto the front of the card and cut round the top so that I could create a background scene on the inner part of the card. Then just mounted the two gnomes onto the front.

I kept my third card very simple and stamped the Golfer image in black archival ink and coloured just the jersey of  the golfer to match the ribbon.

Keep warm everybody and if you're like me your craft room is the perfect haven from the cold weather.

November themes

The first Sunday of the month again and time for new challenges at Craft a Scene with the theme 'Troubled Skies', at Penny Black and More it's all about dies 'Any Die Will Do' and  in case you haven't heard the news that change is afoot, we have a relaunched challenge called Stamping Sensations, same DT, same great themes and some fabulous new sponsors and this month the theme is 'Traditonal Christmas'.

It's a bit of a photo heavy post so I will try and keep the blurb to a minimum. The card above is the first of two DT pieces for Penny Black and More using Penny Black 4035K Letters and Flowers which I inked with distress markers and spritzed with water before stamping on to an oval cut from a new Marianne die which I inked whilst it was still in the die. Bo Bunny DP's, some lace and pearls to finish.

Initially I was a little bit uncertain about the troubled skies theme at Craft a Scene challenge but I knew I wanted to see some lightning, so I started by stamping some Stampscape images then added colour with Pan Pastels and drew in the lightning with a white marker pen.

My second Penny Black and More piece uses FlonzCraft Umbrella Girl which I paper pieced with Penny Black Madison DP's which are also used behind the Marianne dies. The sentiment is also Penny Black. 

Note added: I'll forget my own head one of these days, I need to tell you that both Flonz Craft and Indigo Blue are offering discounts to those who enter Penny Black and More and Stamping Sensations, full details on the respective challenge blogs.

My next piece is using a stamp from one of our new Stamping Sensations sponsors Indigo Blue called Lollipop Three. I heat embossed the image with detailed gold, then created a background using Pan Pastels and added a mixture of frantage colours to the bottom. I know this one is not particularly traditional Christmas, but I base my idea on a visit close to Christmas to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, when at dusk everything looked purple, so you couldn't get much closer to the true meaning of Christmas I figure.

My final piece use a mixture of dies including the new Marianne holly one which I just 'had to have'. Sentiment is another from Penny Black.

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and that you will join in with our challenges this month.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr Blogger

Good morning Peeps and thank you to everyone for your visits whilst I have been without my computer. I'm not sure which way is up still as my craft room is still in disarray although I can see some forward movement and at least I got my computer back into action again yesterday, so needless to say I now have a weeks worth of catching up to do.

And on top of that it seems blogger has decided I have to use the new interface and has removed the option to revert to the old one. Suffice to say I absolutely hate the new interface, there is so much white space coupled with everything being spread around a much wider area that my already dodgy eyes are playing havoc with me and at the moment it won't take much for me to pack up blogging altogether.

So all I can share with you today are a couple of cards made a week or two ago as the uproar my craft room means I haven't made anything for well over a week now.

The top card is a Stamplaot sample and to create the background I use distress inks, one colour at a time onto an acrylic block and spritzed with water to create a random patchwork effect, stamped Woodware JGS273 in vintage sepia and embossed with detail clear and added Frantage aged spice around the edges.

The second card uses one of Ruth's A Passion for Stamps images which has been paper pieced, an embossed panel and a Cheery Lynn lattice panel at the bottom over the matching DP.

Have a good day everyone.