Way out of the comfort zone

Before I tell you about my card and our new Allsorts challenge, I must say a huge thank you to everyone for you kind comments and thoughts with my little problems this last week. Also to my lovely challenge team mates for picking up my commenting for me this week, you are all stars ********* 

Holly is home from hospital.....I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Animal health Trust at Newmarket, but they really are a wonderful organisation with some of the best vets from around the world and way out there with their research, specialist knowledge and care. And we are so lucky to have it within an hours drive so can easily be referred there.

The bottom line with Holly is that she is incontinent and at the moment not a great deal more they can do until her female anatomy develops enough for them to operate to try and rectify several issues. Bless her she constantly asks to go outside.....like every ten minutes......but of course it's often too late and very distressing for her as labs are by nature such clean dogs. So we are ploughing through kitchen roll and puppy pads like there's no tomorrow and the washing machine is working overtime with dog beds. In some ways it's worse than a baby because you can at least put a nappy on them and put them in their pram ! Here's a picture of her in the little 'recovery' coat they sent her home in yesterday, not something you get with your average vet's practice.

My speech is slow, I had another drain put in Thursday but at least the pain seems to be easing today, so some light on the horizon hopefully and perhaps something more than soup for a change. 

Now for some craft and it's Jo's turn to host the theme at Allsorts this week and she is challenging us to 'Get Cute' which certainly is a challenge and way outside my comfort zone, but I have been very good and didn't even get my distress inks or Pan Pastels out of the draw.

I've used what to me is cute, or at least as cute as my stamp drawers get, a Penny Black image and some Magnolia DP, lace and lots of die cuts. I used just a little watercolour to lift the image and decoupaged the tiny elements.

Hope you have a good weekend and as always thank you for popping in and I know I've said this several times this week, but I really am trying to get round to you all, even if it's only a few words.

Ribbons and lace

Good morning Peeps, hope everyone had a good weekend and those of you brave enough to attack Christmas shopping had a fruitful trip and didn't get too jostled around by the crowds.

I got a little news to share and you could call it another of my moments of madness, I know it does seem to happen quite often with me, but when Sarah from The Pretty Little Ribbons Shop asked me if I would join her design team it took me a nano second to say "oh yes please". I've always loved her products and buy far more ribbons than I ever need, but that's half the fun isn't it ? 

So today I'm sharing my first DT piece for this months Pretty Little Ribbons challenge where we have the totally seasonal theme of 'Christmas', along with my DT piece for this months FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping challenge where my lovely teamie Claire have chosen the theme of 'A Pocket Full of Poses', right up my street.

Despite working away at Christmas cards for what seemes like an eternity................ would you believe I started making them for Create and Craft for Stamp Addicts programmes in May.................... I still need one the two more, especially those special ones so the card at the top for Pretty Little Ribbons gave me the perfect opportunity to get another one made.

The main image is Penny Black but it's a quite small stamp so I stamped it once to the right and then lined it up and stamped half of it a second time to extend the scene if that makes sense. Simple colouring with Pans Pastels, a Stamp Addicts star and Lavinia stag and a couple more tiny trees. I'm not sure of the make of DP as it's a left over from last year, but I think it's BoBunny. The rich blue seam binding is of course from Pretty Little Ribbons as are the two pearl pins which I coloured with Copics. The pinecones and leaves are a TH alterations die.

My second card above is my Vintage offering using the gorgeous etched rose stamp from Flonz Craft which I coloured with distress markers and spitzed with water before stamping onto a piece of Fabriano watercolour card. The DP's are BoBunny, a piece of embossed coredinations for the base and Marianne die cut roses. The butterfly die is Magnolia and as I said last week as close as I get to a Tilda.

I really hope you'll be joining in with our challenges, there are some fabulous prizes to be won at both.

Yet more poppies

Good morning everyone, I've been a bit missing from blog land for a few days as I'm struggling with the dreaded flu and as it is normally the case my compromised immune system means it takes me forever to shake it off. So apologies I've been rubbish at visiting lately, hopefully I will feel up to it in a day or so.

But I do have a couple of shares for you, more of the samples I created for the Create and Craft show with Stamp Addicts this coming Thursday at 4pm and 7pm. Don't forget to watch out for the show as I know there will be lots of inspiration from Sarah and Vicky.

Apart from the coredinations die cut frame and swirl and a bit of sanding down, I did little more to the top card as the poppies which I coloured with Copics says it all. The poppies around the side were made using the TH tattered floral die.

It seems ages since I made an easel card so I thought it was time I did, stamped music randomly on the background then stamped the poppy and coloured with Pan Pastels. The base has the smaller poppy stamp which is part of the set stamped with versafine and dusted with the same colour Pans. Some ruffled ribbon, the same swirl and a Magnolia butterfly............... and that is as close as I'll ever get to a Tilda.

Hope you have a good Tuesday.

In Bloom

Don't the weeks fly round, it's Saturday again before I know it and a new challenge at Allsorts where Helen would like to see flowers on our work for her 'In Bloom' theme. Right up my street Helen.

My card is something I made when I was bored one Sunday and I had the urge to make lots of flowers.........as you do. So basically that's exactly what I did using various dies, coloured papers and distress ink to shade the edges, a little bit of quilling...........which I might add is definitely not something I do very often, but I thought it lent itself to the stems rather than more die cut leaves.

I added some pearls here and there and built up the picture onto some neutral coloured DP layered onto the base card.

Have a super weekend everyone.

Crocuses in bloom

Hello all, it's Free and Easy week three at Allsorts and my lovely teamie Fleur is in charge this week.

Our sponsor is Ruth from A Passion for Stamps so it gives me the perfect opportunity to use her lovely new crocus image.

Crocuses along with snowdrops always herald the promise of Spring, although there's not a sight of them coming through here in the Fens yet, the snow probably sent them back underground, but hopefully soon they will soon be showing their pretty faces.

For the top card I printed on to Fabriano watercolour card and coloured in with my new Derwent watercolours. I masked a sun and lightly dusted Adirondack butterscotch using a Inkylicious ink duster...........I'm a newbie to these but think I am going to get a real liking for them and have more makes to share shortly............then sponged some rays of sun coming down onto the crocuses. The shapes were all created using the new Go Create die set that seemed to fall into my basket at Stamperama last week, I just love the shape and have been on the lookout for an arch for ages, so was one really happy bunny when I spied them on the rack.

For my second card using the same image I printed onto Copic cardstock and coloured with Copics. The background DP is Magnolia, some lace, a seam binding bow a button and bakers twine.................does anyone know why it's called that ?

Before I go I need to let you know who Mr Randon Org., picked our of the hat to win my little giveaway earlier this week and I am pleased to say it's Caroline.........................I'm not sure if we know each other Caroline and no idea where you are in the world, but it's always lovely to meet someone new, so please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk with your full postal addy.

Thanks for popping by and enjoy your weekend.

New Penny Black and more

Good Afternoon everyone, hope you all had a good and crafty weekend. The weather was a bit windy here, still pretty warm and a bit of rain but not enough to keep hubby happy and the pending hay harvest is looking pretty dismal.

As usual a few shares of samples I have been making for Sir Stampalot using a selection of new stamps from Penny Black, Le Blanch and a selection of old favourite Art Impression ones.

My top card was masked then brayered with Adirkondack dye inks, a whole array of Art Impression stamps, then sponged to add definition to the hills and stream......which hubby said looked like a road ! Does it ?

New from Penny Black 4141K and oldie 2410K, TH distress inks rusty hinge and stormy sky and the flowers decoupaged with MME DP.

Another newbie slapstick from Penny Black 40-056, Magnolia fence masked to extend it and all coloured with Aquamarkers.

And finally, a set of two floral border from La Blanche. I masked the base card, stamped with Hero chalk ink cerulean and sponged the edges. The panel is stamped with versamark, embossed with detail clear and brayered with the same ink - an exception to the rule as I used a matt cardstock. The greeting is by Darkroom Door. UPDATE - I've lost the plot, I uploaded the wrong card, this one is Hero Arts elegant weeds !!.

Spring is all around us

Good Morning peeps, it is I.......... here in person........my first proper post unaided for six weeks, wow what progress indeed.

I am pleased to say I really do seem to be headed in the right direction now, this relapse seems to have been very slow going, but everything crossed the progress will continue. I have told myself that I must still proceed with caution and not do my usual and throw myself back into things all at once, but I do intend getting round you all bit by bit a.s.a.p.

It's perfect timing really as today we have new challenges at Stampalot and Penny Black at Allsorts. And before I tell you about this months themes, I want to say a great big thank you to my design teams at both challenges for holding the fort whilst I have been MIA. You have all done a fabulous job girls, please accept my thanks for being so supportive.....a further thank you as well to all my blogland friends for all their wonderful support and visits here, although I have not been able to be active I have read your comments and each and every one is appreciated.

OK back to business and it will probably come as no surprise that the themes at both challenges are pretty similar.........I make no apologies as Spring is my favourite time of year and I never fail to be amazed by the wonders of Nature bursting into life as if by magic after the long dormant winter months.

So at Penny Black at Allsorts it is simply "Welcome Spring" and at Stampalot "Spring is in the Air".

It's a theme I could make dozens of cards for, but I whittled it down to just two for Stampalot but using the same set of stamps, the little girls is Art Impression T3093 and tree branches and fence are both Magnolia. In both cases I masked the little girl and then stamped the fence twice to extend it. Both are coloured with Aquamarkers and the DP's are offcuts which I think are Doodlebug. The top card is also for the following challenge:

Wild Orchid - Anything goes

Die Cut Dreams - Spring garden scene

Stamp Scrap Doodle - Easel card

Crazy Challenges - Here comes Spring

Now a couple for Penny Black at Allsorts. The one above is fairly plain and simple to show off the gorgeous flower and sentiment stamps. I started with a piece of silk cardstock and masked the edges and brayered Adirondack lake mist to the bottom corner, then with the masks still in place stamped the flowers, inking the stamps Penny Black 3587K Jonquil with distress inks and spritzing with water before stamping (as it's a coated cardstock you need to be careful as the wetness of the stamp can make it slip and blur). The sentiment is PB 3096K Host of Daffodils.

I then laid a post it note inside the edge masking before removing it to reveal the white edges and brayered the two corners with Adirondack sunshine yellow and overstamped with Hero Arts F5042F Leaf Flourish......this must be the most used worker stamp in my collection. Finally I squiggled a freehand line round to frame it the central stamping. This card is also for the following challenge:

By the Cute and Girly - Spring
Incy Wincy - Spring is in the air

My second PB card uses Penny Black 4039K Candid coloured with Aquamarkers and shaded round the edges with TH Mustard Seed. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR223. The DP is Jillybean. I stamped the flower heads twice more and added to one of the steps of the card, along with some borders punched with MS embossed scallop. The above cards is also for the following challenges:

CES - Flowers and flutterbys
Crazy 4 Challenges - Flowers

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)

Shades of white

Hello everyone, we have a new challenge for you at Stamptacular Sunday so please do pop over and check it out.

The theme is photo inspiration and I confess I tend to struggle a bit with these themes as I am never sure if I should follow the colours or the picture. Anyhow, I decided to go with the colours which to me pop out as being cream with a hint of blue round the edge.

My main image is Penny Black 4031J Purple Folds which I simply stamped and embossed and coloured with Aquamarkers. I stamped Hero Arts K5058 Friendship Writing over the background with Tim Holtz pumice stone, then decoupages the flower head. I stamped and embossed the flower hear again, coloured in the same way then inked all over with Versamark frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist marshmallow and shaped the flower whilst still wet.

The DP is Magnolia distressed round the edges with TH stormy sky which I also used to add a little colour to the edges of the lace, flower and Martha Stewart punched leaves. This card is also for the following challenges:

Lots to do - New (pearl swirly embellies)

Paper Sundaes - As above

Charizma Cardz - Pearls and lace

Incy Wincy - Distressing

Cupcake - White is White

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Wedgie for passing me on this lovely award, what a fabulous start to the New Year. Do pop over and visit her, as well as making great cards, she's an ace cook.

Fantasy all around

It's a very special day here in Fantasy world as when I logged on this morning I realised my followers had passed the 1,000 mark, so welcome to my new followers and a great big thank you to each and every one of you, old and new.

Now a quick heads up that we are having a Blog Hop at Stampalot Challenge on 1st January, a perfect start to the New Year and a bit of activity to dust off all those overindulgence cobwebs. As you would expect, we have some great prizes lined up and hope you will all join in the fun. Please grab the logo above to help us spread the word. And there is still plenty of time to enter this months challenge 'Travel the World'.

My first share at the top of this post is another one using Sweet Pea Fairy of the Night which I stamped onto a doily circle cut with a Magnolia die, then did some paper piecing for her dress and crystal ball and coloured her hair and skin with Copics. The DP is from stash and I cut the easel card on the Cricut welding the circles on the DS. I have no idea the make of the sentiments, they are some unmounted ones I came across the other day, still unused but minus the packaging. I added gems, flowers, stickles and glitter to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

OSAAT - Anything goes

Totally Papercrafts - Paper piecing

Paper Sundaes - Anything but square or rectangle

Bunny Zoe - Sparkle and Shine

And some quick and easy cards were the order of the day with these ones which are a couple from a collection I made using Penny Black 3880K Fantasy which I simply stamped with versafine back and embossed with detail clear. The back panels are embossed through the Cuttlebug, a Nestie label threaded with ribbon, mirri card mats and stickles to match. These cards are for the following challenges:

Incy Wincy - Non traditional Christmas
Cupcake - as above
Pollycraft - White Christmas

Crafty Pad - Embossing (I used both dry and heat)

Tip Top Tuesday - Christmas inspired

Let it Snow

Mojo missing...............if found please return a.s.a.p.

Oh my goodness, it's hard going no inspiration and Mr Mojo nowhere to be found. Last night I must have spent an hour looking at a collection of lovely new stamps from Teresa at Crafts and Me and nothing gelled. As they were all fairies something is definitely not right.

But before I launch into my cards, I want to say a big thank you to Bee Crafty for selecting me as their winner last week, this is a fairly new challenge so do check it out, they have a super sketch this week and fab prizes. And also the girls at Creative Cottage who selected the card I made for my Grandson as one of their Top 3.

So here are my meagre offerings from a Mojoless craft room. The fairy on the card above is Sweet Pea Hiding, equally as lovely as all the others and I just feel I have not done her justice. She is coloured with Copics and her wings decoupaged and glittered. The DP is Magnolia, Martha Stewart punched snowflakes, ribbon and a flower. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Dreaming of a White Christmas - snowflakes

Creative Cottage - Untraditional Christmas

Charisma Cardz - One for the girls

Ladybug - Sketch

My next card, also one of last evenings efforts, uses Hero Arts F5075 Sparkle Poinsettia, inked with Tim Holtz dusky concord and bundled sage and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is My Minds Eye and the flower is mounted onto a 'doily' cut using the Magnolia die - this is a half circle and takes a bit of getting used to lining up, but once mastered worth the effort as it is so pretty. I tend to cut several at a time once I get the technique going. Some adorable lace which was part of a prize and a single flower and pearls to embellish. This is for the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles - Anything goes

Bee Crafty - Sketch

My final card is a Stampalot sample which I shall be delivering tomorrow.........I have prepared instruction sheets for making a tri fold card which will be available at their Third Ultimate Rubber Stamping Day on 4th December 10am through 4pm with free eats and drinks all day. I will also pop the instructions on my blog shortly.

I masked a piece of cardstock to create a moon by sponging distress inks, then stamped Art Impression U1562 Rooftops which I coloured with TH ink and added a liberal amount of glitter to the rooftops. Through the moon I stamped Magenta 02045-6 Santa......this is a silhouette wood mounted stamp and if you go looking for it you will see the actual image is straight, but I 're-assembled' it to curve the sleigh. The DP is October Afternoon and he snowflakes a Martha Stewart punch. This card is for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Let it Snow

Simon Says - Let it Snow

ABC - I is for Ice and Snow

Moving Along with the Times - More than one fold

Me, like fairies ?

I woke up at 5am sneezing, by 8am it was a full blown cold and by lunchtime I look like Rudolph.

Must be something to do with the rumour of decorating, so I decided not to go into the office today and take it a bit easy with some craft. And has that been slow going, just one card completed, one finished from yesterday and a sample from stock, so here they are.

A couple of easel cards as I have a bit of a glut of them right now thanks to the one and only puppy from hell, Daisy. I had all my nice new cardstock from the NEC laid out on the sofa in my craft room.......200 cards and envelopes in total.........in comes Daisy fresh from the stables with hubby and literally launched herself onto the sofa, muddy pawmarks everywhere. Dog's don't do sofas in our house, lets fact it, if they did we would be the ones sitting on the floor.

So the only option I could see to salvage some of the ruined cards was cut off the muddy fronts and assemble some easel cards. In fairness to Daisy, the ruined ones were in the minority, but think she learn a hard lesson there. And for you peeps, a few more easels to come still......but I do love the shape so not too fussed if I am honest.

The top card is sheer indulgence with another of the new Sweet Pea Stamps from Crafts and Me (link on sidebar) called One and Only Heart. Isn't she the sweetest ? She is stamped with versafine and embossed with detail clear, then masked so I could add a sun.........I know I am a bore but all fairies need a moon or sun in my fantasy world. I decoupaged her glove, flower and heart, coloured with Copics and glittered her wings and the heart. The DP is a really old piece from my stash, the two white hearts are made with glittered card using an Martha Stewart punch, the border another MS punch and feathers and a based pin used to embellish along with some roses and beads. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Glitter

My Time to Craft - Rhapsody of Roses
Flourish Timeless Tuesday - Glitter

My second card, another of the reassembled easel cards stamped with Hero Arts CG179 aptly named Rose Background and coloured with Twinkling H20's. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR1353, such a lovely sentiment, stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear. The bottom section is Magnolia DP, Tim Holtz Bigz swirl dies and two roses made from plain purple paper and dipped into hot UTEE to give a lovely glazed finish. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Gold, silver and purple

Anything Goes - Embossing

My final share today using this lovely little Sarah Kay girl, whose name I'm afraid I don't remember........my biggest problem with unmounted stamps as there is no wood block with the details to remind me. She is coloured with Copics and mounted onto a pretty embossed circle using the Magnolia die. The DP is My Minds Eye, a MS punched border and some punched flowers.This card is for the following challenges:

Fab 'n Funky - Going round in circles

ABC - Holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving etc)
For Fun - Dry embossing
Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas colours

Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's time for new challenges at Allsorts and we have a distinctly Christmasy feel this week where my teamie Fleur has chosen the theme "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

But before I move onto my cards, a quick note to say I had a wonderful day at the NEC on Thursday and it was really lovely to meet some blog friends for the very first time and have a really good chow to all - Sarah, Vix, Shirley and Vicky which was was probably the most bizarre 'hello' ever.

Vicky and I had already decided to ring one another after doing some shopping and I was standing waiting to pay at a stand when a lady said something to me about the rack of Tilda's and my immediate answer "I just don't do Tilda's". She then tapped me on the shoulder and said "B ?".........the Tilda comment apparently gave it all away, but we had a really lovely chat then. Girls and in some cases hubby's as well, it was fabulous to meet you all.

So back to my card which is the perfect opportunity for me to use the great stamp from JudiKins 4649H which has the first verse of Clement Moore's super poem. I've had it for years and go back to it time and again.

I stamped the sentiment onto cream cardstock cut on Cricut Storybook, then heat embossed with detail clear and distressed slightly with Tim Holtz scattered straw. The mice and hedgie are Penny Black 40-007 carol trio decoupaged and coloured with Aquamarkers. The little stockings are Art Impression D1577, the DP Magnolia, some lace and poinsettias punched from vellum and pearls used for the stamens. This card is also for the following challenge:

The Stampman - Christmas

Critter Sketch Challenge - Christmas

Charisma Cards - With Love at Christmas

My next card is another little Autumn number, lovely rich colours which sadly never really materialised this this part of the Country this year........we sort of went from green to yellow and missed most of those lovely golden and reds colours......something to do with the wet season and chemicals it created in the soil I am told.

The stamped leaves are from Hero C457 Real Leaves, stamped with TH frayed burlap and covered with diamond glaze, then when dry the whole piece has been distressed with TH barn door, rusty hinge and peeled pain. Next I stamped the whole piece with Hero H2365 Old French Writing, tied some twine round and added some punched leaves inked with the same TH inks, then matted onto a piece of plain Basic Grey DP. This card is for the following challenge:

Lots to Do - Autumn

Lexi's Creations - Anything goes

My final card is a really quick and simple on using Penny Black 4104K Christmas Star which I stamped onto red vellum with versafine black end embossed with detail clear, cut out and decoupaged with a flower pot and leaves cut on the Cricut. This card is for the following challenge:

Secret Crafter - Red and Gold

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