Summer Fox and Butterflies

Morning all, this weeks Allsorts challenge is hosted by Lynn and her chosen theme is 'Anything Goes with the option of create your own background'. Lots of prizes on offer which you can see on the challenge blog from Oakwood, AALL and Create, Stamp Addicts, Ruth Hamilton Design, Aldridge Crafts.

As I'm still under the weather I'm so grateful I work ahead as both my shares today were prepared before I went into hospital and in the intervening three weeks I've made the grand total of one card (see below). There's been limited blog activity so if I've not got to you apols, I'll be there shortly, c'est la vie 

This theme is perfect for me as I invariable create my own backgrounds with inks, paints and stencils, I do buy DP's but only to look at because they are pretty - what a lame excuse for spending money! The Fox above from In the Wild is a set I return to time and again since starting with AALL and Create stamps, it's an A4 set and also has a lovely bunny (which I used last week here) plus other useful images. A stencilled background, some stamping using A&C Patches, the word Summer from Seasons and the word Fox made up from Grunge Alphabet.

Above a tag which was one of my samples using new releases from Oakwood Mechanical Garden collection recently showcased on Create and Craft, the collection includes stencils and stamps. An MDF tag, acrylic paints and crackle glaze and the Butterflies stamped onto both card and vellum, cut out and added along with the Ideology elements for their thorax's which I painted with with gesso.

Now a card for the current Butterfly Challenge, something I've not entered for ages, but I was keen to try out the hidden panel option, this is that one and only card and I'll confess pretty simple as all the die cuts were already prepared and cut out.

It also works as a DT make for Highlight Crafts using TRR Butterflies and Flowers onto an A5 card base with the hidden panels. My take on the colours may be a tad tenuous as the flower colours are as printed on the Reflections, but I added ink to the pale coloured Butterflies to try and bring in the colours of  Havoc (dark red) Heather, Highland (soft mint) and Hawkes Blue (soft blue)

Happy weekend one and all.

 

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.

Pearlescent Poppies

Morning Peeps, as we move into February and hints of Spring as the bulbs emerge, it's time for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are of course Anything Stamped at both with options of 'Add a stencil' and 'A sketch'.

Thanks again to two of our wonderful Patron's who this month are Oakwood who will be sending the winner a bundle of stamps and/or dies and Highlight Crafts with two prizes of a set of Vintage Inc stamps and a Robin die set.

My top card uses stamps from Highlight Crafts Vintage Inc range which sold out withing hours of launch on Create and Craft. The Poppies were stamped onto an Oxide background, stencilling added along with some stamped script from Botanical Bliss around the edged. The blooms stamped again onto inked card which was given a good burst of pearl mica so a lovely sheen. Washi tape, a birdie and an A&C sentiment.

So the story here is she was out on her bike, saw her fella', so decided to stop for an impromptu dance with him under the street lamp...........humour me please, you all know I live in a fantasy world! I have used Oakwood Quintessentially British  Scene Creator and Woodland Stencil starting with a masked and inked circle, then the stencil for the rays and all images stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne. The sentiment is one of the grungy ones from A&C's Power of the Word which I thought worked very well.

This is a very loose take on the sketch but as I've done a YouTube video for it wanted to share. Stamped are all from Oakwood and Stampendous and available to watch on Oakwood channel here and my own here. No secret I love a floral or leafy wreath so this is very much comfort zone crafting.

Hope to see lots of you joining us this month.

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.

A splash of colour

Note added: Blogger seems to be on one today, this post showed on my reading list at the scheduled time of 8am but the link went to an error message. Seem to have it part sorted but not able to upload the missing photos which I had added last night.

Morning Peeps, time for our mind month inspiration posts at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Favourite Colours' and 'Add some Sparkle'. Prizes this moth come from AALL and Create and Highlight Crafts. 

At the top a bit of inky indulgence, not any one specific colour but I do like bold and bright so the blend here works for me. First I stamped AALL and Create Blooming Poppies, well part of it as it's a huuuuuuge A4 stamp, added masking fluid to the entire image an then used several colours of Distress Oxide ink and sprays to create a bold background. A little bit of script stamped and embossed with detail white EP along with a sentiment from my Moments stamp set, some shire flicks of marker pen, then rubbed away the masking fluid and left the image uncoloured.

Bold purples for this one which was a sample for yesterdays Oakwood Create and Craft shows. An MDF tag, Cadence acrylic pains and crackle glaze and some of the new stamps in the show along with the stamps and dies from the Rose Garden collection. There's a new video on my own and the Oakwood YouTube channels making this one.

My SS piece uses Highlight Crafts Vintage Inc Tulips and Cadence gold Gilt, I simply stamped the image onto black cardstock with Versamark, added details gold EP, then spritzed the Gilt around the edges. The sentiment is from my Beleive stamp set.

 

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.

Winter blues

Morning everyone! At Allsorts, this weeks host is Lorraine with the theme of 'Anything Goes with the option of Winter Blues'. Prizes for this week and the next two will be announced on 27th January and a host of goodies from Oakwood, Stamp Addicts, Sizzix and AALL and Create.

A heads up that Oakwood and AALL and Create both have new releases this week on Create and Craft TV, for former Tuesday and A&C a Pick of the Day at 6pm Thursday. Below a few of my Oakwood shares, A&C ones later in the week, I just fell in love with them.......you'll understand why when I share. 

Update on Daisy as so many have kindly asked, she's doing OK, toxicology came back and confirmed as expected the tumour was malignant and spread into tissue but they feel confident they removed all affected areas at this point. The Vet will monitor her going forward to see if any further surgery is required. She wasn't keen on eating earlier in the week but a roast chicken M&S no less, did the trick!

I have two Allsorts cards to share plus one for the Snippets Playground, the first above using a collection of Lavinia stamps to create a blue tone on tone card using Versafine Clair Twilight for the stamping and Oxide Faded Jeans for all the shading. And of course the obligatory glitter here and there.

A second card using the same Stampendous Peony Pair stamp I used last week available from Oakwood, this time stamped into some inky cardstock which I have a feeling was a Gelli Plate mop up, I keep a draw of ready inked backings and at times don't remember exactly how they came about. The image was stamped with Versamark and embossed with a Stampendous sparkle EP, the flowers bleached out, left to dry and colour added. A die cut sentiment to finish.

A few of my Oakwood shares for Tuesday and the first is going over to the Playground to help celebrate Miss Di's (and partner in crime Sarn) eleventh anniversary of running the Playground, it takes time and commitment to stick with it so huuuuuge congratulations.

And a photo of my inky bit and pieces used, the torn piece in the background is what became the scroll.

I do hope you will find time to join us at Allsorts this week.

 

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
.

Something New at Allsorts

Morning Peeps, a New Year and Mervi has chosen a theme to match at Allsorts, it's 'Something New'.  

This months prizes come from Oakwood, Stamp Addicts, Sizzix and AALL and Create and  there is a change to how we will be announcing prizes and in future. We will now be announcing them on the last Friday of each month covering the preceding months challenges. This makes the admin side of things much easier for us, especially given the changes we are experiencing with postal services here in the UK. There is a list on the challenge blog sidebar so you can check dates of prize winners posts.

I'll confess it's not a new stamp but I have done a new YouTube tutorial making this one so I am part way there, you can find it on the Oakwood channel here and my own here.

I have used this beautiful Stampendous Peony Pair which really lends itself to paper piecing. In the background I have used Stampendous Signature Script tall DL stamp, inked with three shades of Oxides, spritzed with water and stamped. I then stamped the focal image, bleached out the leaves and then added a little colour, stamped again using Oxides onto snippets of card, cut out and paper pieced the blooms. Words from one of the Oakwood sentiment sets, little Hare from Woodland Animals and washi tape to finish. 

This is also going over to the Snippets Playground, lots of snippets on display in the YouTube for this one.

Next the winner of the die set on my end of year post below, I gave each comment a number and Random Dog (aka Holly the Lab) selected no 25 who is Helen, no photo of them all doing the draw this time as had to be done on the quiet as Daisy is poorly after an op this week for a mammary tumour. 

She had one two years ago, that was 'low grade' and she got over it OK, but this one was much larger and came up very quickly, I was worried if they would operate as she is twelve and a half, but our vet is brilliant, saw us right away and operated the same day. Now waiting for path results and praying. Helen, please let me have your details so I can send the die to you.

As you will realise from above it's been a hectic week with vet visits and again I am late sharing my card to Tina in Slovenia as part of the December Card Chain Challenge and also the one I received from Hilary below.

Have a good weekend and my thanks as always for your visits and kind words.

 

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.

Year in Review with a little giveaway

Good morning, I hope everyone has had a good Christmas and been able to relax a little in the lull until New Year.

I decided to take part in Ellie's Year in Review which also gives me the opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support of my blog. It's been a tough year health wise and your visits and encouragement have meant so much and helped me through some difficult times.

However choosing which cards to share proved even more difficult than I anticipated. So in the end I tried to include something using favourite products and/or companies I am privileged to design for/represent which include Highlight Crafts/Two Red Robins, AALL and Create, Stamp Addicts, Oakwood and Stampendous.

I have also been fortunate to have a number of stamps sets released on Create and Craft this year which was exciting and several of those inspirational quotes are included on my shares today. 

In keeping with Ellie's plans, I have a small prize to give away, a Spellbinders A Lotta Hearts die set....just in time for Valentines maybe! A winner will be randomly selected from the comments on this post.....

Here's my final selection from my 2022 posts and Create and Craft TV work for this year, I've not listed details of products used in each but please do mail me from the link on the sidebar if you would like any specific details....

There are twelve taking part and here's Ellie's full list with links to their blogs so you can check out everyone, 

Bonnie, Brenda, Debbie, Diane, Ellie, Helene, Hilary, Joanne, Melissa. Rachel, Sara, Sue 

Thank you for popping in to take a peek and I wish you all a Happy and Crafty 2023.

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.

Let it Snow

Morning Peeps, at Allsorts we are still preparing for Christmas with the theme of 'Let is Snow with an A/G option' as selected by Lolo. 

A rather hurried post, much to my horror this morning I realised all I had written for this post was the first couple of lines and not even uploaded my work. I always schedule well ahead with posts and just add extras closer to posting date if necessary, but for whatever reason this one got missed, yet the next few weeks are finished!

Both of these card are recent DT makes for Oakwood's Create and Craft shows a few weeks ago, above using Stampendous Snow People and Oakwood Snowflake stencil and of course liberal helpings of glitter. The cold snowy feel is quite fitting at the moment as it's been well below zero all week here in the Fens and stayed that way all day a couple of times and looks set to continue.

This one uses Oakwood Perry and Sammy stamp set, a very plain card for me using the large alphabet die set I treated myself to a while back, again glitter and Sammy the Snowman.

Have a good weekend and keep warm.

 

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.

Believe with your heart....

Morning Peeps, at Allsorts this week Pauline has chosen the theme of 'Add a sentiment' and we have a super prize from Oakwood of a set of sentiment stamps and coordinating paper pad.

Above I have incorporated one my new inspirational quotes (cut into strips using a piece of masking tape to stamp each line) from my Believe stamp set being launched along with another new set on Create and Craft TV on 19th. There are a few old favourites but I have re-arranged those into more usable formats and fonts.

The image is an older AALL and Create stamp set called Daisy Elegance onto a Gelli Plate mop up so fairly subtle, the image is pretty large, I guess A5 as it's one of just two on the the A4 set, added some colour with my newish Distress Pencils and also a pink birdie....artistic licence!

My second card uses the October stamp release on Create and Craft called In Safe Hands and Think Big, I just love these hands designed by Tina and made several with them, here's a few more.

Happy weekend all.

 

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
.

Garden delights

Saturday morning so that must mean time for a new challenge at Allsorts and this week Lynn had chosen the theme of 'Gardeners Delight' with the chance to win a lovely Stampendous stamp set from Oakwood Direct plus a stencil

Above we're down in the veg patch with a variety of carrots, think they call them Heritage, sure my Dad would have said what's wrong with the normal orange ones. Anyhows, an Oxide background, the carrot stamp is one of two really large ones on AALL and Create Seeds of Hope, some extra background stamping using Shattered and I just love these two little Rabbits from Miniature's as they seem to be permanent fixtures in most veg gardens.

A second using an image from Ruth Hamilton Design who is one of this weeks sponsors offering three images from her site, Sunflowers, stencilling in the background, washi tape and one of my own sentiments from my Moments set available at Create and Craft and here.

And as I'm an Oakwood DT I had better share a couple using Stampendous stamps for recent Create and Craft TV shows, this one called Treehouse Post onto a mottled Oxide background which was a mop up piece, the second one is House Mouse Painted Pansies and shock horror I had to do a bit of colouring.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

 

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.