Circle of Life

Good morning Peeps, it's the 18th of the month so that means it's mid way inspiration time at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations challenges where are themes are 'Anything Stamped' as usual with the option to add 'Wings' at the first or 'A die' ay the second. And for the winners fabulous crafty goodies in for form of an A4 AALL and Create stamp set courtesy of Stampers Grove and a £25 craft bundle from Oakwood Archer.

My card at the top combines stamped from several AALL and Create sets, the beauty of this brand, particularly those designed by Tracy Evans is that they are all designed to work together and can be built up into larger pieces. The key to it all is carrying the colours and here I have stuck with just two Derwent Inktense pencils, orange and green alongside the black stamping.

Another with Wings, this time in for form of Fairies from Fairy Hugs and the Fairy Couple are from the new release showcases on The Craft Store last week.

For this one which was a recent samples for The Craft Store TV uses Oakwood Daisies and Critters stamp set and coordinating dies, an Oxide background using acetate to add the ink to the base piece, a trellis frame using a really old Penny Black die and the Butterflies cut from card inked with the same colour Oxides. The words are also Oakwood.

If you have not already joining in this month I hope you will find time to share a creation with us, the challenges run until Wednesday 2nd February and with those prizes, every reason to do so.

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Fragile Fragments

Morning Peeps, Mervi is our Allsorts host this week and would like us to 'Add a Heart' to our creations. This weeks lucky winner will receive a £15 store voucher kindly donated by Pearlywinks.

Before I move onto my cards, we are looking for a new DT at Allsorts so if you are interested please drop me a mail from the link on the challenge blog sidebar.

For my first card I have used a set called Fragile Fragments, stamped, coloured in parts and the small hearts and number elements stamped a second time in red and decoupaged. I do like the style of these All and Create DL stamps, they are easy to work with and can be left simple or played with to build up more interest as I have done here.

Thought I would share a couple more samples using the new Fairy Hugs stamps which proved very popular at the Craft Store when released this week,  if I have tempted you to take a look they are all available from Julia here.

My second Allsorts card uses a collection of stamp sets from the same source at my first share, sentiment from Blooming Poppies, Arum Lilies from Clocks and Flowers, the tiny hanging heart from Follow your Path, a hear stencil, inked with DI's, a bit of added background interest using worker stamps and the Lilies fixed into position.

Have a good weekend everyone.

 

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Moments

Morning Peeps, it's our first Allsorts challenge of 2022 and I am your host with the theme of 'Black and White plus one'. This weeks prize is an A4 stamp set from Rare Earth 

Above a box of Fairy cards using a plethora of Fairy Hugs stamps, all are available from Julia here or in the States here. I won't list them all as there are about twenty in total so will just name the Fairies who are called Lantana, Tara and Olivia. I have followed a Black White with Pink as my plus one, although I used crystal white glitter which looks perfectly white irl, but has distinct green hues in the photos which I re-did several times to no avail. 

The backgrounds are all done with Oxide sprays Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry and stamping with Versafine Clair Nocturne. The box was made using an old TL die set, one I probably use more than any other as I love the shape.

For my second plus one above I have gone yellow as I love the striking contract with black and white, plus it gives subtle hints of Spring on the way in a few weeks. The stamp is from AALL and Create, the blooms stamped a second time and decoupaged, some mesh from a greenhouse raid.......one day he may even realise I do this regularly and all sorts of things end up in my craft room!! I also added a few worker stamps into the background, a sentiment from another set stamped onto vellum, the single word 'Moments', some twine and a little metal tag.

Happy weekend everyone, stay safe and well and my thanks for your visits.

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Vibrant Poppies

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations. Our themes for this month are 'Hand coloured or paper pieced image' and 'I love.....' We have a new sponsor at Stamping Sensations, Helping Hands Crafts and of course Chocolate Baroque at the other.

The tri folded arch was created using my much used TH cabinet card die and the mats for the stamping an arch shapes die which works well with it. Lots of Oxides and stencilling and the Poppies from CB Fresh Florals stamped an coloured........yes I did say coloured in, all seven panels, using Distress Markers and Sparkle Pens. The words are from a number of different CB stamp sets.

My Spring and Summer creation was another TV Craft Store make, the little booklet made with dies, Oxide sprays and a whole host of CB stamps that I won't even attempt to list but incorporates my 'I loves........ of colour, inks, Flowers and Nature.

And a few photos from around the garden this week......

Zoe fund this on one of the Ash Trees in the top paddock, I wouldn't like to guess how may Bees there actually were in this swarm, but it was quite a spectacular sight. We are not certain where they come from, although we have a suspicion they may live in the trunk of a broken branch of the same tree. We kept well away and within half an hour they dispersed except a few left buzzing around the branch.

A fledgling Sparrow under the dining room window, he looks pretty fed up with the afternoons session of flying lessons with his siblings.

A lovely display of self set poppies, hubby scattered some wild flower seeds last Summer in the nearby paddock and they seem to have migrated to one of the veg patches so of course he had to leave them to flower nettles and all. I can't wait for the one at the front to flower, will share some phots when it does.

And the first of the Digitalis, as usual they have self set all around and some in the most inconvenient places, but we tend to leave as many as possible as their blooms are a delight. This one is approaching 6 foot high and located itself in the gravel between the old and new conservatories.

I look forward to seeing you all when I pop round to visit your entries.

 

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Hot pink in Tuscany and a winner

Morning Peeps I'm sorry my blog visits have been patchy this week, lets just say it's not been the most straightforward of weeks and my time has been diverted elsewhere thanks to the malicious activities of one sad crafter spreading a net of inexactitude. If I needed reminding why I don't do FB, this was it. But myself and my team mates at my three challenges really appreciate the kind words of support we have received from so many of you. 

So time for a new challenge at Allsorts and this week Mervi would like to see cards for any 'Celebration' but not Birthdays. Our prize come from Chocolate Baroque and I have a few more CB shares further down from my post on the CB blog yesterday.

Lesley will be back on The Craft Store on Friday 4th June at 9am and 1pm with different stamps for both shows featuring old and new along with loads of inspiration using them.

When I made this one for a TV programme for Chocolate Baroque I was trying out some new Distress Glazes, this one Kitsch Flamingo added over the CB Tuscany scene stamped simply with Versafine black. 

Have to say I do rather like the effect they give but I think Ranger will see a good income from them as they don't go far at all. I have used the pot of Speckled Egg on just four creations and it's almost empty, but given the idea is to cover the whole image not too surprising I guess.

Around the borders I stamped one of the new CB Vertical Sentiments, matted onto coordinating card and an organza bow to finish.

Details of stamps used can be found on my post at the CB blog here.

Before I go, I need to announce the winner of the prize from last Saturday's post celebrating Allsorts 12th Birthday, the lucky recipient is Sarah (Mallows Crafty Bits), well done, please mail me with your full name and postal addy so I can send your goodies. 

Have a lovely weekend all, in the UK we have a long Bank Holiday weekend so fingers crossed the weather is on the up and the sun shines.

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Dare to be Brave

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations. Our themes for this month are 'Bright Sunny Colours' and 'Beautiful Blooms'. Prizes at both will be the winners choices of stamps from Chocolate Baroque

There seems to be rather a a lot of colour going on in this post, but crafting with bold and vivid palettes does make me happy! For the top card I brayered Dylusions paint onto textured card to achieve a more rustic finish. Next I stamped Canary Bird Rose focally, and heat embossed with detail clear EP as I find ink takes forever to dry on this paint. Then stamped a second time and coloured with the same Dylusions and paper pieced. Some numbers from Just Useful and Ace Card and sentiment from Life is so much Better.

After stencilling a background I repeat stamped using masking as I worked my way up using one of the blooms from Fresh Florals to create a spray of flowers, then coloured with sparkle pens. The harlequins in the background are from Decorative Edges stamped with Versavfine Clair and sentiment again from Life is so much Better.

On this one again an inked and stencilled background then stamped and coloured, stamped a second time and paper pieced. Two die cut circles to highlight the blooms the script worker stamp from Ace Card, it's one I seem to use over again again, and the single word from Sow the Seeds.

Finally, a bit of mixed media with an inky background stamping onto that and the chipboard shapes with worker stamps from Just Useful, Life is so much Better , Edgy Edges, Small Graph Paper, the the focal Butterfly is from Tangled Garden, sentiment again from Life is so much Better.......theres another set in the pipeline which I just might give some sneak peeks of soon.

Yesterday I shared some photos of Rosa, our new family member who is eight weeks old, she's forever on the move and I'm yet to get a decent front on photo of her. She loves the garden and here she is, smallest in the pack but clearly thinks she's as big as the rest. 

Such has been the week with our new Little Miss moving in that I forgot to share my cards from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog this week, so here they are, full details on my post here:

I do hope you will join us this month.

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Over the Rainbow

Morning Peeps so time for a new challenge at Allsorts, this week Kath would like us to use  'Any three colours of the Rainbow'. Our winner will receive a £15 store voucher from a new sponsor Pearlywinks who have their own range of beautiful stamps. Further down a couple of my shares from my post over at the CB blog here.

Before I move onto todays creations, a heads up that a new challenge is starting on 5th May. It will be monthly and run by Zoe who I've known for many years, she is looking for Design Team members who enjoy varying styles of craft which is reflected in the fab name River of Creativity. You can find out all about it here and even grab the badge to help spread the word.

Onto to my creations and rare for me no stamping other than inspirational quotes from my CB Life is so much Better set. I succumbed to some new stencils from Sweet Poppy a few weeks ago so gave them a good airing making a batch of cards for one of my DIL's who likes CAS cards. Both were inked with Oxides through the stencils, then once dried I replaced the stencil and applied a coat of translucent paste. The colours of the top one look more pink in my photo but it's Wilted Violet, Mustard Seed and Mowed Grass for Violet, Yellow and Green from the Rainbow.

Following exactly the same process but this time using Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and Mowed Lawn, picking out Yellow, Orange and Green from the Rainbow.

And as promised my CB shares, all details over on the blog here.

As always, my appreciation for your visits and words of encouragement.

 

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Flora Musica

Morning Peeps so time for a new challenge at Allsorts, this week Wendy has set the theme of 'Anything Goes with an option to add ribbon, to tie in with our sponsor Crafty Ribbons. 

Yet again it's a Chocolate Baroque Hochanda creation, I tend to make in the region of 18/20 pieces for each show so I always have a surplus after doing my posts over at the CB blog and they come in very handy for other DT work. The focal element of this one is the beautiful Flora Musica coloured with Distress Markers and I made up the side panel with several CB worker stamps using the same colour DI's. And an organza ribbon to finish.

Happy weekend all.

 

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Wish, Dream, Hope

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday which means a new challenge at Allsorts and this week Tracy would like to see 'Butterflies, Birds and Bees'. Our lucky winner will receive a £15 voucher from a new sponsor Helping Hands Crafts, do follow the link and pop over to their website.

I also have my shares from my post this week over at the Chocolate Baroque blog which you will find here.

As is often the case, my shares are more Chocolate Baroque creations for recent Hochanda shows, the Butterflies are from various sets, two are from Just Butterflies and afraid the other appears to have been miss-filed so I need to spend time finding which set it's from. The sentiment is from my Life is so much Better stamp set, I do seem to be rather over using these but I created them with positivity in mind, so using them was rather the whole purpose! There are some more in the pipeline.

This second one uses Song Thrush which comes in two versions, I have used the silhouette one. I stamped it in versafine black and embossed with Speckled Egg embossing enamel then a die cut frame in coordinating colours.

Time has caught up with me as I realise that as well as yesterday post here over at Chocolate Baroque I forgot to share my work from a few days ago so they are below as well along with appropriate link to that post.

And these three are on a different post found here along with full details.

Have a good weekend everyone and as always my thanks for your visits and words of encouragement which are always received with appreciation.

 

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