Curiosity is the key.........and now all is revealed

Time for our new monthly challenges at Stamping Sensation and We Love Chocolate Baroque........yes a whole new direction for us and I have to say it's been a pretty manic week or so putting everything in place, not helped by Blogger repeatedly trying to change to the new format. You can read more on the challenge blog. Our themes are 'The Great Outdoors' and 'Wings with an Anything Goes option' and of course great prizes to be won.

A heads up that Lesley of Chocolate Baroque will be launching a One Day Special on Hochanda TV at 6pm Wednesday with some must have stamps.

It had to be a Butterfly and lots of inkiness for my Chocolate Baroque challenge creation. Oxides were added from a piece of acetate to get a more controlled application, worker stamps from Make your Mark which is becoming one of my most used CB sets, the beautiful Butterfly from Tangled Garden and inspirational quote from Artistic Affirmations stamped onto vellum and cut into three. To finish some index clips.

My Stamping Sensations scene uses Penny Black stamps, Distress Inks to build up the background, a masked sun and an Emerson computer generated sentiment printed in white onto back card.

I do hope you will join us this month and look forward to visiting all your entries.

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S'troom o'clock

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challenges where our themes are 'Make it Masculine' and 'Say it with Flowers'. 

My SS creation at the top is an early preview of one of my samples for this coming Tuesday's Chocolate Baroque Hochanda shows when Lesley will be launching some stunning new stamps, this one is called The Stroom Clock.......well of course it is! Whilst this one lends itself to masculine cards there are two more sets with a distinct feminine feel to them but still carrying a clock theme. The shows are at 10am and 3pm so do tune in or set record.

The background is watery Oxides blown around and some stencilling using CB stencils, the main clock and mushroom image stamped with Versafine Clair and the the mushrooms stamped again, cut out and triple embossed with details clear EP and some gilding was around the edges. I added some metal clock hands and a sentiment from the same stamp set.

Oxides again for the masked strip on this one, the masking tape removed and the beautiful Penny Black Orchid stamped using Distress Markers direct to stamp.

Have a good Sunday everyone.

 

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Spread your Wings

 

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challenge. This month our themes 'Make it Colourful' and 'Favourite Stamps'. There are of course prizes to be won at both, however there may be delays with people receiving them due to the ongoing global situation.

I've received my communication that say's I can stop shielding "with care" at the beginning of August, although I am not confident I actually want to go far if at all. Throughout lockdown I've been amazed by the amount of contact from the NHS as a whole, as well as calls from the GP several from endocrinologist, urologist, neurologist.......lots of 'ologist' basically!! In a way I find it a bit invasive yet I guess it shows they are on the ball.......or as one of my son's put it, without clinics and procedures they are looking for something to do.

My SS card at the top uses a new (to me) stamp from this months sponsors Crafty Individuals called 'Fly and be Free' which I stamped onto an Acrylic ink and sencilled background then stamped just the Butterfly twice more and decoupaged. The sentiment is also taken from he same stamp and finally I flicked some white ink randomly.

My Penny Black share uses the beautiful blooms release earlier this year called Petal Poetry, stamped using Distress Markers and spritzed water direct to stamp, then masked the edges of the piece and added some soft inking and finally a sentiment from Blooming Sentiments.

And a quick and simple second Penny Black share using Bejewelled, which I stamped using Distress Markers direct to stamp. The background was created by inking a stencil with Oxides, spritzing with water, wiping the edges to remove the damp and ink so I didn't get a line all round, placed onto card and pressed gently with a piece of kitchen towel. As well as the prizes from Penny Black we also have one from Blade Rubber Stamps.

I do hope you will join us this month and look forward to visiting all your entries.

 

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Stay Wild

Good morning Peeps, a quick post with my mid month shares for Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challenges and also my entry into the current Butterfly Challenge.

For my PB creation I used a page from an charity shop poetry book, dabbed it into some water DI's to age it a bit and then repeat stamped Penny Black Magnolia Rhapsody using Distress Markers direct to stamp and placed into a die cut frame.

The Butterfly challenge had reached the letter Z so there are some unusual colours, Zenchua (light purple), Zinwaldite (flesh tones) Zinc (blush silver), Zebra stripes, Z fold and of course a Butterfly. I used shimmer and matt acrylic paints to create the zebra stripe base pane, smearing dabs of the three colours of paint down the base later using an old credit card, there was a residue of paint sitting on the card so I used that to created a circle effect on the top panel. The Butterfly is Chocolate Baroque stamped twice onto vellum and heat embossed with white EP and the sentiments is also CB.

My Stamping Sensations piece has a spotty stencilled base panel and I stamped a few of the tiny horses from the Visible Image set into the larger circles. The focal circle was created on the Gelli Plate with Oxides and Brushos and the large horse and sentiment are from the same VI set.

 

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Dance, Sing, Love and meet Bramble

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challenge. This month our themes are 'Make it Colourful' and 'Favourite Stamps'. There are of course prizes to be won at both, however there are likely to be delays with people receiving them due to the current situation.

So it was inevitable Penny Black Dance, Sing, Love would make an appearance and I have used it as the focal element surrounded by a more recent favourite release called Magnolia Rhapsody.

My Stamping Sensations share is just a lot of inky indulgence, stencilling, a Chocolate Baroque Butterfly stamped onto acetate.......it's actually dimensional but doesn't show on the photo............and a Visible Image sentiment, plus a couple of "metal bits" which I found sitting on a shelf in hubby's workshop........a touch of inspiration from Tracy Evans whose work I adore.

I thought I would show you the latest addition to our canine family, Azaria has wanted a Miniature Dachshund since she was a little girl and it wasn't too long after she had secured her first English teaching job that she registered with a breeder. Bramble arrived with us two weeks ago so in now ten weeks old, these photos were taken the other day, as you can see Lily was totally accommodating and they speak for themselves........

Stay safe everyone and I hope you will be joining in with our themes this month.

 

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Running late with DT posts

Morning Peeps, a quick post as I should have posted my mind month shares for Penny Black and More and Stamping Sensations yesterday. I had scheduled the posts for the challenge blogs but was sure in my head the 18th was Tuesday so I could do it early this morning, it's this permanent Groundhog Day scenario and I just don't know what day of the week it is.

Likewise I had a post over on the Chocolate Baroque DT blog so had better share those cards as well.

My thanks for your visit and words of encouragement, they are always appreciated.

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Out in the paddocks

It's time for for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Say it with Flowers' and 'Boys and Men'. As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both.

Again my shares are ones made some time ago and before my Mojo went into it's own self isolation, I don't think I have ever gone so long without creating a card, it must be seven weeks now and I am beginning to wonder if I ever will again. Even when I lost my parents so close together and struggled, I still found a way back to my craft desk, but this time it really is a no go area so I am more than a little grateful that I had DT work scheduled for a few months ahead.

When I made this one I think it was way back in January, I enjoyed creating the scene using a whole host of Penny Black stamps, some including Foxy go back to the very early days of PB. Not a great deal to add really, Distress inks and Versafine Clair for the stamping and DI's used to create the ground and sky.

As our prize from Chocolate Baroque includes one of the lovely 'Blueprint' Stamp sets I had to use one for my DT share, of all the recent releases and there have been some beauties, I think this release is my favourite. I spritzed Dylusions in pink and grey and dabbed a goos amount of the colour away to keep the finish soft. Used some of the worker stamps, stamped, coloured and cut out the Cala Lilies and placed in a twin circle. Three chipboard circles stamped with more of the worker stamps and some stencilling.

And a few more photo's, yesterday we are in the gardens in my Allsorts post, today we are out in the paddocks with Nature, beautiful Whitethorn flowers (aka May), Cowslips, Horse Chestnut and even Kexi (Cow Parsley). Many would say just hedges and weeds, but to me it's a source of beauty, peace and tranquility, has been as far back as I can remember when I wandered the farm with my Dad. During the last few weeks when I've been unable to settle at anything, this is invariably where I slope off to with my girls and camera.

    

Two of my companions, Poppy and Holly, you can see the full compliment a couple of posts down. 

           

I hope unlike me your crafting Mojo is in good form and you will join in with our challenges this month.

                                                    

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Over the Rainbow

I'll be totally honest and tell you I was in two minds about posting today or even carrying on crafting, try as much as I have to be philosophical, everything that is going on in the World defies all that in which we believe. Hundreds of thousands of poor souls dying alone, their devastated families left to deal with nightmares they may never overcome and not one of us is exempt from the reality of there but the Grace of God. Yet still there are those selfish enough to ignore all we are instructed to do, carry on as normal and in so doing put others at risk.

Over the past three weeks I've not crafted and struggled to even comment on your blogs, not because I don't want to, more that I have this sense of guilt that it's just not right to indulge in something enjoyable and from which I take pleasure. For many, many years I've been active in the community one way or another, as a Councillor, School Governor and through work, with all the first priority has been to help others overcome their problems and find solutions for them to help support their quality of life. But at present non of this is possible, here am I reliant of food and medication deliveries which seems wrong and a feeling of total impotence that all of what is happening is out of our control, against that scenario every day 'normal' activities just seem so futile.

So why did I do this post after being in two minds, well my friend Donna in Florida said to me yesterday that visiting friends in blogland may well help them during these difficult times and I should carry on for that reason if no other. And she is of course totally right,  indeed I have read that craft is helping so many through these turbulent times, so thank you Donna for the reality check (much needed kick in the bum) as sometimes it doesn't require a phone call or letter from someone in need of help.

So new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' and 'Anything Goes'. As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both. 

As with yesterday's post my shares were created weeks ago, the background of the top card was made by dabbing oxides onto a piece of acetate roughly following the sequence of a rainbow, spritzed with water and place a piece of card and rubbing the back gently to release the colour. I then stamped the beautiful Blueprint Freesia which was one of the stamps launched by CB Lesley a couple of months ago, stamped the flowers a second time to decoupage and sponged a sun and some spots. The sentiment is also from one of the blueprint sets.

This Penny Black stamp called Together was a release last year but hasn't seen too much ink as yet so I thought I would put that right, inking it with Distress Markers and stamping onto a Gelli Plate background, a lovely inspirational sentiment from the set called Just Beleive and some pearls.

And some Poppies, these are the lovely Spontaneous Joy, again inked with Distress Markers, some subtle background stencilling and a shrink plastic Butterfly.

And another reminder that my friends John and Rosie of Limetree Crafts who many of you know from shows around the Country now have an on line shop so you can still but their paper products whilst the Country is on lockdown.

 

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Love and thoughts to the world of crafters

Good morning, for my mid month post I am merely copying what I have written on the challenge blogs at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More, it's self explanatory....................

"I hope everyone is keeping safe and well during these unprecedented troubled times, it's all quite surreal and the daily news bulletins from all around the World suggest we are going to have to weather some stormy times before it improves. 

Amidst all that's going on posting a mid month reminder seems futile, but I know craft has helped many through difficult times in the past and perhaps now more than ever we will be grateful of our hobby to help us through and keep us sane. We as a team send our love and thoughts to everyone".

 

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Spring blooms in abundance

It's time for our new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Spring Florals' and would you believe 'Spring Flowers'.......before you wonder why on earth we came up with the same theme at both challenges, it was actually our Stamping Sensations sponsor who chose that one, but it's a beautiful theme and one we all enjoyed creating for. 

Again it's a short post, I'm counting the days as I can have my eyes tested this coming week, Friday to be exact, it's seemed like forever waiting for the go ahead from my consultant to get them sorted.

So above a pretty Spring feel with all the yellows for my Stamping Sensation card using the beautiful Penny Black At Grace along with Clarity sentiment and a stencilled background which is from our sponsor Thirsty Brush.

The new Secret Garden collection was released by Penny Black last week and John posted me a selection super quick across the pond so I was able to make a card for today's challenge. I think this one looks very much like Peonies, it's called Petal Poetry PB 40-738, I have also used the new Blooming Sentiments 30-703. 

Another Country and another marathon for one of my super hero athletes, there were one or two well known Kenyan's in this one and they can always be relied upon to set the pace and grab the podium positions, but Alex got another PB knocking a whopping seven + minutes off his previous time to 2hr 32.43. He's off to Lisbon now for the next event, then will be back at the end of March for some UK race meetings and the family wedding so counting the days till he's home.

And no Spring would be complete if I didn't use my lovely Wordsworth PB poem at least once and here I've used it along with PB Daffodils.

Please do pop over to the challenge blogs and see the inspiration from my lovely teamies.

 

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