NEC and Saturday candy

We are continuing with out Christmas spirit at Allsorts and this week and my teami Wendy has selected the theme of White Christmas, we have two sponsors this week FlonzCraft and Crimson Cloud. And warning in advance, this is a lengthy one so a coffee might be in order.

I know lots of you were planning going to the Hobbycrafts show at  the NEC this week and I am sure you will have had a great time. I went on Thursday and it was absolutely heaving, probably the busiest I have ever seen it even at a weekend, but there seemed to be far more stands than last year and such a variety as well with lots of new things creeping in such as lovely fabric stands and a noticeable increase in the popularity of beading.

There are always new crafty goodies to temp us but a couple particularly appealed to me, the first was the lovely Kim Costello whose name is so familiar to lots of us, she has very recently launched her own range of Paperbabe stamps....cool name Kim. This set crept home with me as I loved the reindeer and Kim explained to me the set is aimed at both the cute market and those like myself who veer to a more inky approach, it's a really clever set as the reindeer builds up with three different stamps and there are name stamps from Rudolph right through to Dasher and Vixen.

Another stand of interest to me was Craft Dragon, it's something I've seen demoed on C&C many times but the lovely guys there gave to a test run on it and even with my rotten dexterity and current weak hands, I was able to use the machine effortlessly, so it's definitely on my wish list. They told me there is a new machine just round the corner which as well as stamping and hot foiling will cut all the leading brands of die cuts so sounds like it will be a really cool piece of kit.

And I was able to meet up with quite a few sponsors from my various challenges and it was lovely to be able to thank them in person for their support. What I did learn for sure was that a day was most definitely not enough and next year it will be an overnight stay I think.

Now after all that waffle for a little bit about my Allsorts DT piece for the week and I am the first to admit that all white card terrify me, but I've given it my best shot using two Memory Box dies, a Spellbinder frame and embossing folder, the only colour I have added is a little white and silver Pan Pastel for the sky.

Last weeks candy winner is (re-drawn 15th Nov as original winner did not make contact and new winner Sarah mailed), please mail me with your full name and postal addy so I can send your goodies.

And this week I have a 'practical' prize, but an essential we all use every day, a hot glue gun for a lucky winner.

• Add the Saturday Candy logo from my sidebar to your sidebar (not this picture)
• 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

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Garden inspired and fancy edge cricut cards

Morning Peeps, time for our new challenge at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges and this month it's all about gardens, we would like to see 'Anything from your Garden', right up my street this one.

I have used one of the FlonzCraft corner stamps, cutting out just the flower heads and butterfly which was coloured with watercolour pencils and decoupaged. The heart is cut from some reclaimed corrugated and embossed with Frantage round the edges, some lace, seam binding and button and the DP is Bo Bunny.

I really hope you will join in our challenge this month, there is a $20 spending voucher for FlonzCraft stamps to be won.

I thought I would also share a few fancy edge cards with you. I let the girls all have a play with the new Cricut Mini at my workshop last week and suggested they all create a fancy edge card for one of their projects. The ability to weld different shapes on the virtual screen mat makes this sort of project so simple and also allows you to really personalise your work in just minutes. They were well impressed with the machine and Lisa tells me she has already been out and bought one. I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Hobby Cutz - Recycle
Joanna Sheen - Pretty in Pink (hope there's enough pink ?)

Thanks for popping in and see you all on my rounds.

Out of the box and Saturday candy

At Allsorts this week Helene would like us to think 'Outside the Box' and give something a different use in life. And this week we are sponsored by DigiDarla.

For a week or two I had been thinking what I could so with a lovely corrugated box that was a gift at Christmas containing oil and vinegar..............I have a bit of a fetish for boxes, corrugated, carrier bags......get the idea I am a self confessed hoarder. Then a germ of an idea presented itself and this is what I made, I don't really know what you would call it, perhaps a sort of shadow box.

Anyhow, whatever it's called this is what I did. I cut a sheet of Centura Pearl to the size of the box and stamped (on the matt reverse side) the little row of children which is a Clarity stamp and repeated it three times, then added a couple of trees before creating some hills and sky with Pan Pastels. 

I then fixed the panel to what were the dividers between the bottles and fixed into place. Finally I added some Memory Box leaves and flowers made with Tonic Pick of the Bunch Carnation punch and stamp set and I even utilised the green raffia that was tied round the original packing, tying it round the whole box to hold the ends in place.

I can't wait to see what you all come up with this week, but I am thinking there will be a lot of recycling going on.

Nearly forgot to announce the winner of last weeks candy who is Rosie, well done please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk with your postal addy.

This week I have a pretty set of Hero Arts stamps. As usual a winner will be selected at random from all comments left this week, if you visit more than once then more chances to win. All you need to do to be in with a chance is:

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

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Happy 4th Birthday Allsorts

Well it's arrived, our fourth Birthday at Allsorts and it's frightening how quickly that time has passed by.........my Gran always used to say the years go quicker once you pass twenty one and being a good few past that now I have to say she is probably right.

So in time-honoured tradition we are having a blog hop plus are lots of prizes to be won this week from our sponsors who are: PPR Crafts, Crimson Cloud, Digi Darla, Pin and Tack, A Passion for Stamps, Stix2 and Pretty Little Ribbons.

They could only be one theme this week really which is Happy Birthday and for my card I used Spellbinder dies, Pick of the Bunch Peruvian Lily Stamp and Punch set, Memory Box leaves and the embossing folder which came with my e.Bosser........... yes I succumbed to one in the end and am finding it a great piece of kit.

On your blog hop journey you should have arrived here from Tracy's blog and go next to Tracy Mouses's blog, but should you get lost along the way you can always go back to the challenge blog and start again. I will be selecting a winner from all the people who call in on me this week and leave a comment and here's the prize for that person.

The letter you need to collect from me is hopefully pretty evident in this post so have fun hopping and wishing you all a lovely weekend.

So much to tell you I nearly for got to announce the winner of last weeks candy and that lucky person is Emily, please mail me so I can post your price off to you.

Have fun with our Birthday celebrations and hope you have a lovely weekend.

Lilies and lace

Good Morning to you all, hope everyone had a good weekend. The weather was a bit iffy here, but at least the wind has dropped and it's not raining at the moment.

Just a couple of shares of card using more Tonic Pick of the Bunch punch and stamp sets which I am still loving.........in case you hadn't guessed. The one at the top has an Artistic Outpost sentiment and flowers from the Peruvian Lily set shaded round the edge with Pan Pastels and the DP is Kaiser I think..........it was a paper pad and I've not got the outside cover any more. The little butterfly is from the Pick of the Bunch Fuchsia stamp set, stamped and glittered and the leaves Memory Box.

I would like to enter this into:

Flutterby Wedesdays - Open theme

This one uses stamps from several of the stamp sets.............thumbnail links below.......for the background, TH fence and dress form which I decorated with lace and ribbons and the roses are made from vellum using the Punch and Stamp Rose set and again shaded with Pan Pastels. I cut the top of the card with an oval die by taping it in position the laying it with only the part I wanted cut onto the cutting place with the rest sticking out............hope that makes some sort of sense.

I would like to enter this one into:

Pan Pastels - In the pink (hope these's enough pink)

Have a great week all of you and thanks for popping in and your kind comments.

A bit more pick of the bunch

Using the Corncockle Punch and Stamp set, Memory Box leaves, Chocolate Baroque Indian and background stamps, Artistic Outpost sentiment, Dylusions and TH birdcage

Good Morning Peeps, hope you are all having a good week.

We still have lovely sunshine here, two days on the trot with my craft room French windows open is unheard of lately, but if the weather man's got it right it will be back to woolies come Friday so better make the most of it I guess.

I really could make card with Ruth Tonic Pick of the Bunch products all day, so as I have quite a few in my gallery though it only right I shared a few more with you before I get my head down and make a start of samples ready for the next Stamp Addicts show on C&C.......some really fabby stamps coming up, can't say more at the moment but I will let you have some sneak peeks very soon.

Using the Rose Punch and stamp Set, Chocolate Baroque Indain stamp set, Memory Box leaves, Pan Patels and a spritz of Glimmer Mist

I know from your messages lots of you have recently bought the Punch and Stamp sets and I just know you are going to have great fun using them, they really have revolutionised the ability to create pretty flowers to embellish our cards........thank you Ruth.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Handmade Flowers
Die Cutting Divas - Flowers

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Colour
Dream Valley - Things with Wings

Have a good Wednesday and thanks as always for dropping in.

Dream, imagine, believe, wish.............

Good morning Peeps, I hope everybody is OK and those of you with the dreaded flu which seems to be everywhere at the moment are keeping warm and are soon on the mend. Welcome also to my new followers, it's lovely to have you on board.

I've just one share which is one of my samples for Stamp Addicts Create and Craft show later this month using some of the new stamps which you will find on their website under new products here.

For this card I used the Ironworks Background on the base card stamping and embossing with detail clear and then distressing with TH tea dye and Victorian velvet. For the main panel I sponged the same two colours and then randomly stamped the Ironworks, etched heart and dream words.......... I just love the word set as it is so versatile and I embossed the words with detail copper. The mannequin ( which I stamped with the Ironworks background) and flower are TH dies and the swirls are Memory Box. 

That's it from me for today, off to do some 'proper' work now but hope to get a crafty session in later

Flowers to brighten the day

Morning Peeps, so what's this weather all about ? We saw a glimpse of sun Saturday and ever since nothing but rain.

The meadows have grown like triffids, but it's just too wet to get the hay cut, last year it was the opposite, no rain so it was sparse. Bit it still ends up with the same result, the price of hay going through the roof. At this rate it will cost more to feed the horses than the family.

Since our holiday crafting has been on real go slow and my mojo is nowhere to be found, the few bits of crafting that I have managed to complete are DT pieces so not for sharing yet, so these are a few samples I have made for Ruth, A Passion for Stamps which I had not blogged before. You will find all of Ruth's lovely images here. 

For the card at the top I printed the image into printable acetate, then laid that onto one side of a piece of double sided adhesive sheet. But before doing that I prepared the reverse side of the adhesive sheet by laying on a piece of tissue which I first scrunched up, inked with distress inks and added some glitter. The roses were then coloured with Copics thought the tissue...........if you place it against a light or window you can see the image clearly and don't be afraid of tearing the tissue, it's very resilient.

The blue card has a background created with a mask, I inked the mask with versamark, laid a piece of card stock over then ran it through the Grand Calibur, removed the mask and brushed perfect pearls to reveal the pattern. The image is paper pieced with BoBunny DP, a bow made from seam binding and a little chipboard bird which I inked with distress inks.

My final share is another paper pieced card using snippets of DP, over a background inked with distress inks and stamped with a script stamp and some random inking using a piece of sequin waste.

Hope you have a good Wednesday and if you are in the UK, don't let the rain get you down, perhaps we will have Summer in December ?

Sunny and Bright

Good Afternoon all you crafty Peeps.

The weather here today is absolutely glorious again, the overnight minus four frost and fog gave way to beautiful sunshine and I have had the french windows of my office open since lunchtime. The dogs are laid about everywhere as thought they had a hard morning..............I must have missed something because as far as I know the most energetic thing they've done is eat breakfast.

I thought I would share a couple of the cards I made for Ruth using her new Fritillary image which you will find at A Passion for Stamps here. The card at the top was made using the scrunched tissue technique, rather than go into it again you will find what I did here. I used some scraps of DP for the background and alternated them with some embossed squares. The roses were cut with a Memory Box die from plain copy paper, then lightly coloured with distress inks, the swirls are the same make of die and the leaves Spellbinders.

The second card is paper pieced with Bo Bunny DP. The harlequin background was created by inking a stencil with versamark, placing on a piece of white cardstock, running through the Big Shot Express then brushing Mica Powder after removing the stencil. I did exactly the same with the shaped mat, but kept the Nestie frame in place until I has added the mica. The little picket fence is a new Memory Box die, I am amazed with how very fine and detailed it is yet how perfectly it cuts.

Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for visiting.

Spring Dance

This month seems to have flown by and already it's the fourth and last week of our Free and Easy February at Allsorts and my teamie Emma's turn to host the challenge.

Things remain slow going here and am having still to rely on my wheelchair so not been far at all, if you've ever tried packing one into the boot of an MX5 you will understand why. Hubby' really good and happy to take me out in his car weekends when he's not at work, but somehow the will to shop has evaded me lately. And no way am I going anywhere Sunday, my boys in red are playing Cardiff at Wembley in the Carling Cup final so it would take wild horses to shift me from the TV that day. 

Now for my DT card this week, one I did a few weeks ago when I was playing with new release Hero stamps and one of the samples I did for Sir Stampalot using Hero Arts K5540 Spring Dance. I love working with silhouette stamps and this ones lends it's self to the simplicity of a brayered background using Adirondack raspberry and lettuce, then matting and layering using Scribble Scrabble DP and Nesties labels 23. The roses are a Marianne die, the swirl Memory Box and the little birdie inked and covered in Glossy Accents, was in a bag of chipboard ones given to me by a crafty friend at Christmas.

Whatever you have planned, have a good weekend and my thanks for your visit.

Spring Bluebells

Good Morning from the dull, misty, cold and basically pretty miserable Fens, but I am keeping positive and hoping for a glimmer of sunshine if for no other reason so I can take some photos of my latest makes. And I keep reminding myself Spring is not so far away, judging by the garden the bulbs certainly think so.

So just a quick couple of shares before I head off for my routine bloods, I'm still pretty immobile and the pain is as fierce as ever at times, in fact I reckon I could move backwards quicker then forwards, so needless to say I can't even contemplate driving and hubby is taking me.

But all is positive on the crafty front.......a girl has to do something to pass the time and I do find like so many of you that it helps absorb the mind and the pain seem less evident. Both my cards are made with Ruth's wonderful artwork which you can grab for yourself at A Passion for Stamps. Ruth has drawn some lovely new Spring crocuses which I will be sharing with you shortly and also some very sweet love birds which I need to put to use this week.

My card up top uses the beautiful bluebells, printed onto Fabriano watercolour card, heat embossed with detail clear.....you know my method of throwing the powder on as it comes through the printer and coloured with Aquamarkers. The DP is Nitwits, the roses cut with a Marianne die and the swirl is a Memory Box die, aren't they just so delicate.

My second card is Ruth's columbine printed onto acetate, then placed on one side of a piece of double sided sticky sheet. The reverse is a piece of white tissue paper scrunched up and inked with TH broken china, old paper and stormy sky, then stuck to the reverse side of the sticky sheet. The flower is then coloured with Copics from the reverse through the tissue, this technique never fails to fascinate me. The sentiment is a really old PB wood mounted stamp. I picked a couple of laurel leaves to place in front of my card when I did the photo, but they do look like they have measles in the picture don't they ?

Have a good Tuesday everyone, thanks for popping in and I hope you see a bit of sunshine today.