Diary dates for C&C and Big demo Day

Good morning to you all, hope everyone's week is going well and welcome to my new followers.

I've been an extremely bad blogger this week and realised this morning it's several days since I posted anything. The last couple of weeks has been one of those periods when life gets in the way and on the crafty front I've had my head down preparing samples for several upcoming Create and Craft Stamp Addicts programs which I can't share just yet, although I can tell you the first of the new programs will be at 2pm on 23rd October, followed by Paper Clinic on 12th November and 29th November. 

And on top of that I'm trying to prepare myself for the 5th Ultimate Rubber Stamping Demo Day at Sir Stampalot on 27th of October, if you've never been to this event before you really should try to come along. This year we have no less than eight different demonstrators all under one roof offering a huge variety of different crafting techniques. I will be doing what I enjoy most, creating scenes using Penny Black and Art Impression stamps and my latest favourite colouring medium Pan Pastels. 

As always there will be refreshments available throughout the day and special offers in store, so I really hope to see some of you, it's always nice to catch up with old friends and meet new new ones as well.

I had better give a quick explanation of my card which is one I made the other day for a friends birthday. I masked the edges of a piece of coated card stock, masked a moon and brayered black Adirondack ink, then stamped Penny Black 3381K Aspire. The crane is from Animal Spirit stamps which I stamped in black and embossed with detailed clear, Sue's wonderful art work is so detailed in needs nothing more.

As always many thanks for popping in, have a good Wednesday.

My poppy offering

Good morning Peeps, I've been a bit tardy to say the least with my posting this week and am not really sure where the days have gone.

But the weather has been glorious, such a wonderful change and I'm  keeping everything crossed it stays for a few more days. I've been pretty busy this week with Christmas samples for Stamp Addicts and will be sharing some of those next week, also I am such a lucky girl as I am also working with the beautiful new floral stamps from Tonic Studio designed by my good friend Ruth Hamilton which premiered on Create and Craft las week, again I'll be sharing some of those with the very shortly. 

We have been back to the vet with Buffy again today so they can check her out and the good news is that at the moment she remaines stable and the tumour does not seem to have grown any more since her last scan, although her temperature remains high. So the plan whilst she retains her interest in food and life in general........she still regularly rolls into her favourite position on her back, arms in the air inviting the others to play…….is that we continue to play it day by day.

I've been thrilled to bits this week to see so many of you joining in my poppy challenge, I came up with it just for a bit of fun and because so many of us love poppies which are in abundance in the fields and dykes this year, the fact that peeps have joined in and with such fabulous pieces of work has really made me happy. Thank you guys. Don't forget that there is still quite a few more days if you want to join in for a chance to win the £20  Sir Stampalot voucher, details in the post at the top of my blog.

So I thought seeing so many of you have gone to the effort of making lovely pieces of artwork, that it was only right that I made something myself and here it is.

Have a lovely Thursday everybody hope the sun continues to shine where you are.

The lifts not going to the top floor

Hello Peeps, hope you are all having a good week.

This really is a mega quick post, nothing going to plan at this end, just a body that won't play the game.......again. I came back from holiday so refreshed, more mobile than in ages and with a lot less pain, so I am well miffed that it's all back to square one.................could the answer be a permanent holiday in the sun ?

So huge apols that I've not visited any of you very much, but at the mo I can't navigate my fingers and arms to  use the keyboard properly, let alone see it clearly for more then a few moments at a time. I'm only grateful that I managed to get some magazine work off to the States at the weekend, otherwise I would be well and truly up the creek.

All of that means not a lot to share other than a couple of pieces I made a while back using my favourite masking and inking, samples for Stampalot I think, can you tell the lift's really not going to the top floor at the moment ?

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday everyone, thanks for taking a look and sorry if I sound like I'm moaning, it's just the frustration of the limitations this silly disease creates.

Into the secret garden

Happy Sunday Peeps, time for new challenges at Craft a Scene where we have the theme 'In the Garden', Stampalot we have the theme 'What's your Crafty Passion' and at Penny Black and More  we are looking for Summer Blooms'.

It's a bit of a mega bundle post so you might need a cuppa to get through this little lot, but I will try and be brief.

My card at the top is my Craft a Scene DT piece and one of the samples I made for Sir Stampalot using the Heartfelt matching die and stamp sets and as Heartfelt are our sponsors I thought this fitted nicely. The wall and archway are all one stamp and the little scene through the arch another. The framework round the arch is one of the dies and the trailing vines are two more dies in the same set. I stamped the door element onto the reverse side of the piece of cardstock to give a more realistic feel to the opened doorway. The topiary tree is also in the same stamp set along with two further ones, so really good value for money. I would like to enter this into:

Joanna Sheen challenge - Summer Daze

I ended up making two DT pieces for Stampalot DT as I just couldn't decide, but both have lots of my crafty passions, distress inks, moons and suns and flowers fairies, but then I realised a bit of fantasy was missing, hence the second card with the fairy and butterflies.

The above card incorporates the TH Alterations fence and bird on branch die, over a sponged background stamped with an assortment of floral and foliage stamps. I would like to enter this card into:

Stamping for the Weekend - Show us your style - inking, silhouette stamps, masking moons and suns

C.R.A.F.T - Feathers and birds

Hotshot Crafts - Distress Inks

I have used this gorgeous Stampendous Fairy Queen stamp as the focal image, some background brayering and sponging, decoupaged cherry blossom and Art Impression deer's and flowers to create a little scene. The inks I used on this one are the yummy new set of Timmy's Summer colours, the 'picked raspberry' is a fabulous colour which I used to colour in the Fairy Queen. I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:

Polkadoodles - Fairies and Fantasy

And finally my Penny Black and More piece. When I made this one I was thinking Victoriana and a Cottage Garden feel, I'm not really sure what the flowers are on this stamp actually are, but it's a firm favourite with me. I used distress markers to ink the stamp and spritzed with water before stamping and lightly inking the edges. The piece of cheesecloth was soaked in tea to give it the aged feel to blend with the DP's. 

Thanks so much for taking a peek and I hope you will join in our challenges this month and look forward to seeing what you all create.

Butterflies and birds

Morning Peeps, dare I say it looks just a tad like summer out there this morning, well at least it's not raining and there is a distinct hint of sun behind the clouds.

Not too much to share that's new, so a few samples I made before our vacation as I am busily beavering away with samples for next Monday's Stamp Addicts Create and Craft TV shows...................Monday 2nd July at 2pm and 7pm and I can tell you we are in early Christmas mode and will share some later this week.

Meanwhile some brayering and inky indulgence with some wings thrown in for good measure, samples for Sir Stampalot, basically different colour takes on similar themes I've done before. I'm still totally smitten with the TH birdcage and Papillion stamp set.................does it show just a little ? And now I have the bird on branch as well, you will get a look at what I've done with that on Sunday when Penny Black, Stampalot and Craft a Scene go live with our July challenges.

Lots of distressing on the top one, Frantage embossing powder and distress inks and on the fairy one, a masked moon and sponged sun rays and hills and the lovely Go Create arch die. List of ingredients below.

Have a lovely day everyone and as always thanks so much for popping by, I am always really appreciative of your visits.

Flowers and Footie

Good Morning Peeps, hope you all had a good weekend. At least the rain stopped her for a couple of days but it's back to normal again now and been pouring since the middle of the night.

I had an eventful outing with my new mobility scooter yesterday, we decided it would be sensible to find out exactly how long the battery lasted, I had already used it for a couple of hours last weekend, so set off to Peterborough to do a bit of shopping, upgrade my phone and call into a certain craft shop to drop off some samples and have a coffee..............yes Sir Stampalot of course.

We spent an hour or so in Queensgate Shopping Centre, then headed off across town to the other M&S clothes store. Spent another hour there, hubby went off to another floor to get a couple of new cases and said he would meet me at the checkout. Silly idea, there are five checkouts on the two floors and despite trawling the whole store he was nowhere to be found, at which point the low batter signal came on, so I hastily paid for my goodies and went downstairs to see if he was waiting by the main doors..............sorry it's a long story, hope you are still with me. 

He was nowhere in sight, so next I went to check if he was on the seats outside but came to a halt on the pavement..................you got it, the battery expired. So a quick learning curve on the new phone and I got hold of him and I can only assume he turned into the invisible man as he maintains he was still waiting at a checkout.......in ladies lingerie no less !!!! So the upshot of the story is he had to push me back through M&S, two large cases in tow and leave me at the rear of the store whilst he went back to the other end of town to get the car. At least I know the batter lasts about five hours.

So a few quick shares and I thought I would enter a few challenges for a change. The card at the top is a nice bit of inky indulgence, a mixture of stamps........all listed below, ink dusting for the background and some seam binding. This card is my entry for the following challenges:

Pretty Little Ribbons - Blossoms and Butterflies

Craft a Scene - Spring Flowers
Paper Sundaes - Things with Wings
By the Cute and Girlie - Spring is in the Air

I think the expression on the image of my second card just about sums up our season, somewhat frustrating, but at least we won the Carling Cup so have some silverware on the cabinet and will be in Europe next season. It's one of my recent DT cards for Stamp Addicts using their fun sportsmen stamps. I thought it would be perfect for this challenge:

Pan Pastels - Sports

And finally, one of the sample I dropped into Stampalot yesterday using some lovely new dies and matching stamps which I have been very lucky to be working with the last week, thanks Janice. The stamps are sized to fit the arch doors perfectly, then there is the larger Chateau Gate stamps which also coordinates with the dies, I will share some using that shortly. The vine also come in the set of dies and I made the tiny roses with a punch. I would like to enter this card for the following challenge:

Order of the Opus Gluie - Beyond the Garden Gate

Have a lovely day everyone and thanks so much for visiting me.

My challenge........

Using the new Teresa Collins DP's, Penny Black stamp inked with 

Tim Holtz distress markers, Spellbinder edgabilities 

and Fleur de Lis and Hobby House pearls

Good Morning Peeps, how's your weekend going ?

Mine has been pretty quiet so far, seems to be the story of my life nowadays and it's really cramping my style not being able to walk far, but I have started the ball rolling to get some sort of lightweight scooter and might even share a picture shortly.

Meanwhile I have been busy working away at some cards as I was set a challenge by Janice at Sir Stamplaot to get into action with the new Tim Holtz Distress Markers along with some of the other new goodies now in stock.

The Penny Black stamp is inked with Tim Holtz distress markers, Teresa Collins DP, 

Penny Black sentiment and Hobby House pearls which I think are 

fabulous value at £1.45 a sheet.

Since I started using the thumbnail system below it's really opened my eyes to just how many different things we use in making each card, no wonder we all run out of space.

I think I am most excited about the distress markers, they come in all the same colours as the inkpads so you can blend everything perfectly. One of my favourite stamping techniques inking the stamp and spritzing with water before stamping and for me this is when the new markers really come into their own as you can colour the smallest elements without bleeding, if you look at the card above you will see I even managed to get some blue into the middle of the leaves and it stayed put.

Penny Black image again coloured with Tim Holtz distress markers, 

some soft sponging using the same colour distress inks and some punched butterflies

Have a good Sunday everyone.

Buttons and Threads

Hello folks, time for another challenge at Allsorts and this week the lovely Fleur is hosting our theme which is "Buttons and Threads".

My first DT piece is one of the samples I recently did for Sir Stampalot using one of the Spring release La Blanch stamps. I stamped the image onto cream cardstock, coloured with Copics and inked and embossed with detail clear three times to get a glass like finish. The DP is from stash, mats cuts with Nesties, a punched border, three buttons and ribbon. You will find pictures and names of all items used in the thumbnails below.

Another sample card, this time using another new stamp from Penny Black which I stamped and embossed with detail clear, then inked with distress inks and added glossy accents to the flower head. The DP on one of the new designs from Teresa Collins which I am really loving, there are so many beautiful designs and some fabulous colour combos. I also added a border using one of the new TH sets, did a bit of stitching a button and some thread.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Trying out a new system

Hello peeps, from a wet, windy and cold Cambridgeshire Fens, can't see there's much chance of an Easter like last year when it was barbie time.

This just a really quick experimental post with a different way of detailing the products I have used. It's because so often people mail me and say they like something or the other but can't find it anywhere or not sure what they are looking for. So I am going to try showing little thumbnails of the main products used in each piece I share, with a link to the codes and product details so you can either order from there or alternately know exactly what you are looking for if heading of to the local craft shop.

This one using one of the new La Blanch stamps has been nicely distressed, the very slightest hint of watercolour on the image, hessian leaves which I find cuts beautifully with Spellbinders through the Grand Calibur.

Let me know what you think and if it's more useful to find what you are looking for.

The scene behind my house

Hello all, hope your week is going well. I confess to being a bit tardy this week and not getting a lot done, it's been one of those weeks where the pain has kicked in a bit more than usual and I've not been able to get a proper crafty head on, not least because I've not been able to sit comfy for very long. 

I had a long chat to my physio this morning and she suggested a few things to try until I see her next, but I think we both know it's a bit of a lost cause and I have to accept my mobility is not going back to where it was before this latest relapse. I'm seriously considering a small mobility scooter, it would be much lighter than my wheelchair and might go in the boot of my little MX5 so I can get out and about a bit more without having to rely on others all the time, that's the main problem living in the sticks, you need a car to get anywhere.

Just the one share of a card I created a couple of weeks ago for Sir Stampalot using a new La Blanch tree stamp that came my way after an appeal for more trees when they visited CHA in January. As my mate Sally will tell you, a girl can never have too many trees, a bit like shoes really. I used Adirondack inks watermelon, peach bellini, butterscotch and meadow and archival sepia to stamp the tree and deer's which are Art Impression. The fence, wire and birdies are all hand drawn with a fine line marker.

The scene could be looking up behind our house, although when we see a Monkjack deer, it's usually a solitary one, they are such pretty but shy characters. And that means the birdies are pigeons happily perched cooing away on the wires above the paddocks, it's a sound I love to hear as I sit crafting. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy you see. Although the hills are artistic licence, it's as flat as a pancake here in the Fens.

Enjoy your day, it's looking like sunshine again today.

Molly Blooms in the pink

Morning peeps, hope your week is going well.

It's been an off mixture of weather here in the Fens this week, we've had rain, sun, fog and still the overnight frosts............my in house weather man reports it was minus four again in the garden last night, but at least that does usually lead to a nice day so fingers crossed.

It's no secret that I just don't do cute and always struggle when it involves anything other than flowers, fairies and trees, but I'm always ready to rise to the challenge which was what was called for when a bundle of the new Molly Blooms stamps landed on my doormat a few weeks ago. The samples were for the launch of the new Circus and Fairground stamps at the NEC Trade Show last month, which I can now share and you can buy them from Sir Stampalot.

The card at the top using the big top and ringmaster Molly were paper pieced using DP's from stash. The little tickets are also amongst the new release stamps. The card base was cut using Nesties labels 23, the rose is made from punched five petal flowers.

My second card uses the lovely carousel stamp which really is my favourite from the new releases which I coloured with Derwent watercolours, decoupaged and added a frame cut with a Go Create die. Then added a bow and stick pin to embellish.

Whatever you have planned, hope you have a good day.

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.

A walk in the Country

So how's everyone doing today ?

I'm a happy camper this morning, last night my boys in red made it through to the Wembley final and now I can't want for February 26th when Stevie lead the lads out onto the pitch. They all did a great job and played with real belief and conviction and Craig Bellamy, the best 'free' ever, got a well deserved Man of the Match award. Well done boys.

I know, how sad am I that I love footie almost as much as crafting, but I think the brayer's still got the edge. Although I sponged all the colour onto this one which I made recently for Sir Stampalot using a mixture of Art Impression stamps, Stampscapes plus a few others thrown in for good measure, a masked sun and Adirondack dye inks. The fences are part stamped and part hard drawn.

Thought I would enter another one into Create a Scene challenge as it's so my kind of thing.

Have a god Thursday and thank for visiting.

My Lion King and some goodies to win

Good Afternoon peeps, are you getting a bit of this sunshine ? It's been really lovely here today after a -8 frost last night, but that's fine if it means we get some nice daytime weather.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on the Royal Mail saga, my letter is underway and will let you all know what they have to say, although I am not expecting any quick response judging by their usual activity.

I thought I would share one of the samples I did for Stamp Addicits with their new lion image which went on sale today, I like to call him the Lion King, although I know that's not his official name he really does remind me of that character. He's quite a large fellow and I simply stamped him and coloured with Aquamarkers, added some sky and background grasses and some palm trees cut on the Cricut. I know you don't really associate palm trees with a lions habitat, but this lion is a bit of a dandy and on his holidays............you all know I live in fantasy land.

And here's a little giveaway of some Nitwits DP's and embellishments from Sir Stampalot who's sale is still on and bargains to be had here.

Just leave a comment on this post and I will draw a winner before my next post later this week.

                                               

A little brayering and a lucky win

Good Afternoon peeps, it's gone all quite in the office the last half hour so though I would do a quick post, but I bet as soon as I start to type the phones will warm up and e.mails will start pinging in, so it might be dinner time this evening before this posts.

Just the one share of a card I came up with for Stampalot. I masked the edges of a piece of gloss cardstock then stamped with black archival ink using Art Impression stamps masked the images and brayered and sponged with Adirondack due inks eggplant, black and butterscotch. After removing the masks I added the little robin and coloured his breast with Aquamarkers.

And a little bit of exciting news, I was one of the three winners of Stix 2's........the glue and essential craft accessories people.......... Christmas competition and this morning received a fabulous package of goodies from them as my prize. But afraid I can't share a picture of my work as I don't have a picture of it, I tend to take these things rather in my stride and didn't think for a mo I would be a winner and in any event my entry was more of a sample for one of their demo days than an intended competition entry.

No more news on the Royal Mail front apart from an automated response to my complain yesterday morning, I guess they work at pedestrian pace and it might be a while yet, but I will be sure to let you know the outcome.

Thanks for popping in and enjoy the rest of your Tuesday.

DP giveaway as a bit of a celebration

Good Afternoon peeps, are you all ready for Christmas?

I think things are sorted at this end, although I would really love this lingering flu and cold to take a hike, it's on my chest now, all the benefits of that missing immune system, never mind, hopefully it will be on it's way shortly.

That all means not a lot of crafting has been happening these last few days, so a share of another one I made a couple of weeks ago for Stampalot using the Andy Skinner stamp set, along with some Glimmer Mists and stickles.

And I have another rather special share, this is what's on the shoulders of our eldest son following his promotion earlier this month to Chief Superintendent. It's a tad scary really as he seems so young to have reached these dizzy heights in just a few short years since he joined as a regular bobby on the beat. And it seems he's set to go further as they are sending him off to Cambridge to do his Masters in Criminology..........are we proud, you bet we are ! We are so blessed as all the children have done so well for themselves, been through Uni and into great jobs and every one makes us mega proud in their own way.

So a little blogland celebration, I have a collection of 12x12 DP's to give away, they include October Afternoon, Kaiser, Bo Bunny and a few pretty ribbons. All you need do to be in with a chance of winning them is leave a comment on this post and I will ask Mr Random Org., to draw a winner in a couple of days time.

Have a good day and thank you for popping by.

Jelly belly and a stormy sky

Good Morning, it's a wee bit blustery here and a coat colder, we had a minus 4 frost again which goes against the grain of what the weather men forecast.

I am still waiting for my test results, but we are close to the ten days they said and my tummy turns to jelly every time there is a phone call for me. I just hope they don't keep me waiting much longer because I just can't concentrate and everything I try and create ends up in the bin at the moment, so this is a share of a sample card I did for Stampalot a couple of weeks ago using the Andy Skinner A Winters Tale set.

I stamped the tree with black archival ink and brayered another in reverse for the reflection in the water................this tree is really a bit big for that technique I think as the water looks to be a bit excessive to me. Next I sponged Adirondack eggplant and sunset orange and TH tumbled glass and finally stamped Art Impression worker stamps along the shoreline.

Have a good day everyone and thank's for dropping by.

Off to climb Everest

Well I'm not, but one of our Son's and his girlfriend are, so I thought I would make them a card to wish them good luck on their journey.

They are flying out to Delhi this week via Dubai, then moving on to Agra to see the wonderful Taj Mahal...........that's one still on my wish list and I have told them I want a text picture from that famous seat synonymous with the picture of Princess Diana. Then they fly up to Kathmandu and the trek to Everest Base Camp.

One of my friends asked why my kids don't do normal things like visiting the Lake District.........good question !

The  card above follows a very similar design to the Everest one and is one of my samples from the Demo day at Stampalot on Saturday which was a really fun day and as I suspected I met lots of new and familiar faces.......a big thank you to everyone who came and helped make it such a great day.

The stamp.....only the one repeat stamped, on the Everest card is Stampscapes and very simple brayering and sponging with Adirondack dye inks. The sentiment which is computer generated is a quote from Sir Edmund Hilary and I thought so apt as our son and his girlfriend are professional photographers..........they met at Uni doing the same course.

My second card uses Art Impression stamps, a hand drawn fence and again simple brayering. The sentiment is Penny Black 3227K Hope.

Thanks for stopping by, I really do appreciate all your visits and kind words.