More Poppies

It's mid way time already at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where this months themes are Hearts selected by Faith and Favourite Stamps which Lynn selected. I also have a share for the new challenges at Snippets Playground and Christmas Kickstart.

It's Lavinia Poppies again for me, a masked diagonal panel stamped with Garden Poppy, Group Poppies and in the background Orchard Grass. After shading the edges I stamped Deeper than the Ocean in the centre and matted onto red and black card base. Think this will fit the the themes at Classic Designs Blooms and/or Butterflies, Beautiful Blossoms, Red and/or Pink at (Pin)spirational and add some Red at  Dream Valley.

Above my card for Jo's Christmas Kickstart challenge which is about songs and hymns, my thoughts here are  Mistletoe (and Wine). The wreath is made with Lavinia mini stamps and the sentiment is a real oldie from Penny Black. Neglected Stuff, it's the sentiment which has only been used once or twice and I've had it for years. Would like to enter this at Holly and Ivy challenge.

Next my mid month share for WLS Kraft card, a heart created with a mask and white inkpad, light is so bad here lately that difficult to get a decent photo so doesn't look very white. The sentiment is Penny Black Black 30-297 Sprinkles and Smiles and Flower 40-669 Radiant all heat embossed with detail white EP, the flower head stamped again, coloured and cut out and raised on pinflair. Triple B would like Blooms so linking the above and my chosen three at Retro Rubber are Kraft, Your Choice and Heat Embossing, Radiant is long since discontinued, purchased about 2010/12 before the supplier closed.

And my Snippets share, I had fun with dies, an oddment of fabric scrim found in one of the garden sheds and some yellow fibre. A watery inky base panel, crackle texture paste and stencil wall and of course there had to be some stamping which comes from Hero Arts stamp Old French Writing. It's a real oldie which used to come out regularly at classes I ran at a shop selling them, sadly long since closed in 2014 so it dates well before then. Cut the flower heads a second time to decoupage, coloured with stencil brushes and arranged onto the other elements, a bow and tag with sticker stencils. Girlz Creative/Girlz Rebel it's ribbon or twine and a stencilled wall for Stencil Fun and finally dies for Fab and Funky.

My snippets, well some of them before they joined the others already in the bin, you might see this photo again as I made a couple at the same time from the oddments.

Allsorts 13th Birthday

Morning everyone, it's an exciting week at Allsorts as it's our 13th Birthday so our theme is simply 'Anything for a Birthday'. So many prizes to be won, a huge paper, scrapbook and card bundle, some images from Ruth Hamilton Design and thirteen prizes of stamps from a whole range of companies. 

I've been part of this fabulous challenge since day one but I think this is the first time I've really felt like I was scraping the barrel a bit, being non too well my normally bursting file of ready made work has run low. This one was made some time ago using a Penny Black Poppy, grasses and sentiment and a really old Hero Arts wheat stamp.

Edited: however........Thursday I had a burst of energy and got the above made so adding another to this already scheduled post. It felt good to get inky and have a play with my AALL and Create goodies.

I do hope you will join in the fun week we have planned and look forward to seeing all your Birthday inspired creations.

 

Those leaving a comment on any post on this blog do so in the knowledge that their name and blog link are visible to all who visit this blog.

Lilacs and ladies

It's time for our  new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'One for the Girls' and 'Black and White plus one'. As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both. 

The inspiration for my first SS creation came from something I found on Pinterest. I created three panels using just the top section of an oval die to give the arched shape. Each panel has been stamped with a selection of stamps from Penny Black (Italy) New York (Art Impressions) and a stencil for Paris, I must be slipping as I don't seem to have a Parisian stamp. The middle lady is from a really old Hero Arts set and the other two equally old and wood mounted which give no indication of the make.

I coloured the outer two with pencils and paper pieced the middle one as she is a silhouette image, added some soft stenciling around the top of each section, computer generated the labels and ties all three sections together with seam binding.

Two Penny Black shares both using stamps from the new Sweet Spring collection which is available in the UK from Crafts U Love.  Penny Blacks brushstroke stamps have always been my favourite range so I was really torn when it came to selecting which ones to buy as there are some real beauties in the new releases, but decisions had to be made and here are two of those I went for.

The one above is called Blossom Branch. I started by masking the edges of a piece of Bristol Vellum card and used stencils with Wilted Violet and Black Soot DI's to build up the background, along with a really old polka dot PB stamp. Then stamped the focal image inking direct to stamp with the same colour Distress Markers and spritzed with water before stamping. Next I removed the masking tape and added the sentiment which is also from one of the new sets available and a few gems.

This one is called simply 'Lilacs' and there is a bit of artistic licence going on as I've not seen a lilac this colour, but having made it without really navigating my head I decided to use it as I rather liked the contrast of colours. It was created in exactly the same way as the above card although I didn't mask the edges. Finally I added a few black sequins.

And a late make as a second SS piece using Lavinia stamps to create a scene, the background is Distress inks and the sentiment Stamp Addicts.

I hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend.

Trees, leaves and flowers

Good morning to you all, it's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and this week Kath has chosen the theme of 'O Christmas Tree'. Our sponsor is Crafty Ribbons.

It seems to be a recurring apology just lately and again I am saying sorry for not getting to your blogs for a few days, still lots of pain and typing remains difficult and to add insult to injury the vertigo has made a reappearance. I am wearing my pain machine much of the time and as it needs to be plugged into the power supply I am pretty restricted what I can do.

Further down you will also find a few more of the samples I made for today's Stamp Addict shows on Hochanda TV, Sarah and Vicky will be on at 8am and 2pm. Also and rather belatedly, my mid month Penny Black creation, sorry I'm all behind teamies.

I don't have an abundance of Christmas Tree stamps, but I do have more than my fair share of tree stamps so I decided on a slightly different approach to the theme starting with the lyrics from the lovely German carol 'Oh Christmas Tree' which I printed onto a sheet of plain white card.

I then used an oval mask and coloured the aperture with Pan Pastels before stamping the scene using Hero Arts stamps and finally matting and layering with coordinating card. Please do pop over to the challenge blog to see all the inspiration on offer from my team mates.

A fairly quick and simple on for my Penny Black make, I used Distress Markers to ink the stamp, spritzed with water before stamping and added a PB sentiment and framed using TL dies.

Now for the Stamp Addict shares and you might remember I promised you there was a lovely Rose stamp being launched today, here it is..................

The background is Burushos, the Rose bleached out and then coloured in with Brushos. The sentiment is a new one as well and I know it is about red Roses, but I am using artistic licence here.

And one of two with the beautiful leaf stamps, the background of the one above is Brusho's as are the leaves cut from card coloured with the same, background stamping and sentiment also Stamp Addicts............loving Autumnal colours and inkiness this one is my real favourite from my latest batch of samples for Stamp Addicts.

The background fur this one is Distress Crayons, then stamped over with black archival.

And a Red Rose, Broshos again for both the background and colouring after bleaching out the flower and then decoupaging the main bloom. The sentiment looks a bit crooked but seemed alright in real life, now I wonder, the screen will tell me.



I shared the large Moose the other day, this is the identical smaller version.

Have a good weekend all.

A Snippet and Rudolph Days

Morning Peeps, just popping in with this months Rudolph Days challenge share and also one for this weeks Snippets Playground.

My Rudolph share at the top is one of a batch of 50 cards made for a local accountant, all done and dusted some weeks back when crafting was less painful. I have to confess that although I do the odd wedding and Christmas order I don't do't go looking for them as I find it so repetitive and bore very quickly. The main image is an old Hero Arts stamp and the sentiment Penny Black.

My Playground share, a pretty simple make with minimal stamping as that remains problematic one armed, an oddment of pink DP, a die cut TL Butterfly, flowers, seam binding and a snippet for the tag which is a Penny Black stamp.

Many thanks for popping in today.

Newsprint and white butterflies

Good morning to you all and a big thank you for your lovely comments about my Penny Black card in my previous post.

It's time for our new challenge at Allsorts and Annie would like us to use some Newsprint on our creations this week. Our sponsor is Scrappers Delight. 

I also have a card for the current Butterfly Challenge which really was a challenge this time round, as well as Butterflies they would like to see White on White and/or Wire. 

For my Allsorts creation which as with most recently blogged creations was made weeks ago when mobility was better, I decided to stamp the newsprint using a rather old Hero Arts stamp, it's a huge wood mounted one, using coffee archival ink and thne distressing the panel to give an aged feel. Next I used a Penny Black flower inking the stamp with DI's and spritzing with water before stamping. Two Penny Black Butterflies coloured with the same DI's and a really old sentiment which I purchased in America years ago.

I do hope you will join us this week and also pop over to the challenge blog to see all the inspiration from my teamies.

Now for my Butterfly share, white on white always scares me somewhat and I always dread taking the photos as it's so hard to show the detail. So as stamping remains difficult I decided on inkiness again as you can't really go wrong and started with a piece of 600gsm Fabriano which I liberally coated with gesso, then added a piece of crushed tissue to give some texture before using stencils and two types of white textures paste, plain matt and pearl.

Then once dry it was just a matter of arranging the focal element made up of a piece of hessian, die cut honeycomb pattern, Tattered Lace Lilies and Ivy, a stamped sentiment, two Butterflies and of course some wire which I twisted into a circle and placed behind the Lilies.......although it doesn't show up too well on my photo it is there !

Have a lovely weekend all.

A clear out of my ribbons, a Butterfly and Rudolph

Morning Peeps, hope all is well in your part of the world.

Looks like I'm on a real roll this week, three posts i a week is unheard of recently and it's only Wednesday. I thought I would share some more Tattered Lace work as well as entering two challenges I have been promising to join in for weeks, but time has just got the better of me so time to put that right.

The card at the top is for this months Butterfly Challenge, it's one of a set I made some months back for Stampers Sampler so was not able to post until publication. The gorgeous Butterfly is Penny Black and the background 'stamped' with an acrylic block and distress inks peacock feathers and mowed lawn, I used the same inks for the Butterfly and matted and layered onto coordinating cardstock and a Penny Black sentiment.

Next is another Shutter card, I am so loving this clever die and as I have always like cards with a bit of dimension this set really appeals to me. The Tattered Lace blog is still fairly new and we are seeing new followers every day so it's worth signing up as there are often freebies and news as well as new inspiration most days.

The card above was inspired by a clear out of my ribbons drawers, truth is I was trying to find space to store new ones so trying to use up the reels with only a yard or two left. And this particular one was a perfect match for a sheet of DP I came across..........that was when I was having another clear out of my DP cabinet. This ones seems to have been in the 'green drawer' forever so I decided to use it up.

I made two roses with the ribbon to place at either side of the shutter card and used both sides of the DP as contrast on the panels. The swirly panels have been cut with the TL Tulip flourish die.

This is one of my samples for last weekends Four Day Deal on Create and Craft, the DP's are from the new Golden Age CD and the Violin which is so incredibly detailed yet cuts through Centura Pearl like a dream is on a mat embossed with TL Lace Medallion folder. I love the size of the embossing folders, the largest one in the sets is a generous 8"x8".....old fashioned measurements I'm afraid.

And at long last I have a card for Mo's Rudolph Challenge, since she took over the reins of this monthly challenge at the beginning of the year I have been promising her I will join in, but shame on me not done so yet. So when I visited her blog early this morning and saw she had just posted the March challenge I had immediate pangs of guilt and set to making a card.......amazing what you can achieve before work if you put your mind to it ! It's a rather quick make, stamping the Hero Arts stamp in black and heat embossing with detail clear powder, some matting and layering and bows down the side. Promise to do better next time Mo.

Thanks so much for popping in, hope you all have a good Wednesday.

Happy 5th Birthday Allsorts

Using air dry clay, DP's, cardstock and ribbons from Baker Ross

It's our 5th Birthday at Allsorts and we are celebrating !!

And we have loads of prizes from Marianne Designs, Crafty Ribbons, Yours and Mine Papercrafts, A Passion for Stamps, FlonzCraft,  Baker Ross, Scrappers Delight as well as a prize for the winner of the secret words and a prize from each of the DT form a lucky winners from those leaving comments on their personal blogs.

I find it quite amazing that it's five whole years, I have been there from the start and can't quite believe how quickly that time has gone. The fact that we are still going as strong as ever is testament to the wonderful crafters who join every week, not to mention our fabulous sponsors and talented Design Team.

Using Distress Markers and Hero Arts stamp

So as you might guess we are having a Blog Hop and have loads of fabulous prizes to be won both on the challenge blog and each DT's own blogs. Lots of you know the ropes but there are always new crafters joining us so just to confirm you need to start from the challenge blog here then visit each DT's blogs, collect a letter and leave a comment and hopefully you should have arrived here from Helene's blog and hop next to Wendy's blog. Once you have collected all the letters sort them into two words and mail you answers to me. Hopefully by now you know the letter you need to collect from my blog ?

Good luck to you all and here is the prize for the winner randomly selected from comments on my blog.

A much happier bunny today

Morning Peeps, well I am pleased to tell you my computer saga is finally sorted thanks to a very helpful lady at John Lewis's head office. We contacted them out of sheer desperation after several days going from pillar to post within their Customer Services department and within just a few hours yesterday it was all sorted and my new computer is sitting on my desk and at the original price, so now it's all ready for me to start the transition of transferring all my files from the external drive where I moved everything for safe keeping when the old computer went on the blink.

Now for our new Allsorts challenge where Helene has decided 'No Flowers' on our work this week. Our sponsors are The Craft Fairy and Digistamp Boutique.

So without flowers it had to be a scene and this one has a mixture JudiKins, Stamp Addicts, Hero Arts and Art Impression stamps, Pan Pastels and distress inks. When I create a scene there always seems very little to say about the making and my post content seem a bit lacking, but somehow the scenes sort of fall into place and I rarely put and advance planning into what goes where. All I can say looking at the scene now is that my lack of forward planning shows here because I have fields of Rape which are bang on season for April, with ripe ears of wheat in the fore !!

Happy weekend to you all, as soon as I get to grips with my new computer I will be round to see you all.

Poppy fields

Good morning Peeps, it's Birthday week here in fantasy land, yesterday it was hubby's today it's mine and our grandsons and on Saturday one of our granddaughters.

I've had loads of cards and goodies from my crafty friends and will be opening them all shortly, but in advance can I say a big thank you to all. 

And I thought I would share my card from hubby, now I could say he made it but of course we all know that's not the case as it's one he selected from my card basket, but one I would choose if it were down to me. A simple masked background of Pan Pastels and stamped with Inkylicious Poppies and Penny Black Aspire, two swallows and of course a butterfly. I used Hero Arts ink pads which come in a lovely selection of vibrant colours and work very nicely with Pans.

Have a lovely day everyone.

All rather blue & Saturday candy

It's Sarah's turn to host the theme at Allsorts and she has chosen the them 'True Blue' and our sponsors this week are Pretty Little Ribbons and FlonzCraft.

At the top is a canvas which was a lovely bit of inky indugence, I started by covering the frame with a couple of layers of gesso, then stippling the edges with acrylic pain applied by splodging........another technical term........with a polythene bag to give a lovely textured finish. I coloured the inner of the frame with Pan Pastels and then stamped Hero Arts and Inkylicious poppies which I coloured in with distress markers.

For my second piece I have managed to combine products from both of our sponsors, the border stamp is FlonzCraft Baroque corner stamped onto a background created with tea dye and broke chine distress inks and a spritzing of dazzling diamonds glimmer mist. I randomly stamped the centre of the piece with wire and butterfly stamps then added a couple of roses made with blue satin ribbon from Pretty Little Ribbons and swirls using a Cheery Lynn die and spellbinder leaves. The butterfly is also a spellbinder die.

The winner of last weeks card is............Kathleen, well done please mail me with your postal addy. And this week I have another set of 10 Elegant Tent Cards and envelopes on offer. As usual a winner will be selected at random from all comments left this week, if you visit more than once then all comments will go into the draw. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

1) Be a follower 
2) Pop the Saturday Candy logo from my sidebar on your own blog

Note the new signature at the bottom, isn't it pretty, a very kind blog friend Julie sent it to me, thank you so much Julie.

Happy weekend to you all.

Makeover for hubby's mint tin & Saturday candy

This week we would like to see 'Anything but a Card' at Allsorts so  lots  of  scope  there  from  tags to gift  boxes, cakes to scrapbook l/o's. This weeks sponsor is DigiDarla.

I had a few ideas but in the end decided to hijack the mint tin hubby keeps on his desk and give it a makeover............I will add at this point that he does appreciate flowers and said he can live with it in it's new format, even if it's not overly practical for a guys desk.

The stamp I have used is Dogwood from Hero Arts which I stamped onto a circle which I first inked with distress inks olive and marmalade and stamped with Hero Arts H2365 Old French Writing as well as a little stamping round the edge with a crackle stamp.

I coloured the flowers with watercolour pencils and decoupaged and finally added some matching ribbon around the edge of the lid.

I also have a second share, a little gift bag which I made using the good old scoreboard, some ribbon and an image from one of this weeks sponsors DigiDarla which is called Poppy Oval. Our other sponsor this week in Pin and Tack so a double reason to join in this week.

I hope you will join us this week and look forward to seeing all your lovely creations.

As always my thanks for all your visits and lovely comments which are always greatly appreciated.

I am pleased to announce that Elly (Wednesday comment) is the lucky winner of last weeks candy, please mail me with your full postal addy so I can post it off to you.

And this week I have some more Spring time ribbons and embellishments in pink blossom colours.

As usual a winner will be selected at random from all comments left this week, if you visit more than one then both 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 (candy only blogs will be discounted)

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

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and as always many thanks for popping by my blog.