In the meadow and more blossoms

April seems to be whizzing by as we find ourselves at the mid month point of our April challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where themes are Spring and Inspired by Nature. Prizes on offer are Lavinia stamps, a Gina K gift voucher and stamp set.

Above is a new make, but most popping up lately are from my files which are now running low. It's a little Nature scene using the new Meadowbrook Tales collection from Lavinia and two of the new Versafine Clair ink colours which are so bright and vibrant. I've picked out 'Tree and Earth" at Time Out at Little Red Wagon the theme is Inspired by a Song - Bright Eyes (tissue at the ready) and Z for Zoology at Alphabet Challenge.

An old make, base shape using A&C Roadway Vistas stamped with Berry Bliss and Spotted Wings, the sentiment cut into two is from my Believe stamp set.

Christmas Kickstart's theme is Brimming with Style, they would like to see things in hats, so another found hidden in my files from back in the Winter using one of my favourite Fairies Lavinia's Eve sporting a stripy hat to match her sparkly wings. All stamps Lavinia. Hat's are also the theme at ABC Christmas and the teal and yellow popped out at me from the photo at Inspiration Station

Lots of green appearing in the gardens this weeks, first leaves are beginning to open on the largest Horse Chestnut which is a real beauty, one of a good number of forest trees we planted when we moved to this house about forty years ago. The Quince tree is in full blossom, as is one of several Choisya's, a beautiful triple Tulip in our little Poppy's garden and finally the first Lilac to bloom.

Swallowtail Butterfly

Good morning, it's my turn to choose the theme this time round at Allsorts and it's a seasonal one of Autumn along with the usual Anything Goes option. Our prizes comes from Stamp Addicts and Simon Says.

A fairly simple card using Stamp Addicts Swallow Tail Butterfly, stamped twice onto vellum, stamped Lavinia leaves and some soft stencilling.

And a second one made a few weeks ago using several Lavinia stamps with a Halloween feel. 

Rudolph Day's

A bit of a last minute post as realised time is running short to link up to this months Rudolph Days challenge. As today is my Birthday I'm not planning doing anything much so sharing a make from a few weeks ago when I had a Christmas card splurge and made a batch of this design.

Stamps in the wreath are all Lavinia mini stamps, the sentiment from my Christmas Season stamp set and dots of stickles around the wreath. Also linking up to Christmas Kickstart challenge.

I've been very spoilt with lots of Birthday messages and handmade cards, my thanks to each of you for being so kind. I've a few gifts to open and will be doing that later when the family are home and specifically Grandson Zachary as it's his Birthday as well. June is a month when we have a quite a few of them including hubby whose was yesterday and Annabel one of our Granddaughters is on Sunday.

Young mind, wild heart, free sould

Morning everyone, I've stepped right outside my comfort zone with this one but when I saw this beautiful image on Lynn's blog I just had to make a card with it.

It's a freebie for this month Gecko Galz challenge and really is gorgeous with so much colour, detail and depth. I printed her three time so I could cut out part of the elaborate headdress to decoupage. The frame is a ready made one to which I added some stars using a stencil and Lavinia's brand new Flying Fig ink, then arranged the image so the decoupaged elements sat just over the edges of the frame.

The papers are from MCS - know I'm a rarity but I don't buy or own any paper packs, but these I thought were quite complimentary to the colours of the image. A snippet of lace from my box which never seems to diminish and a sentiment cut into three from my Moments set.

Now for the Path of Positivity where this month it's about making something you wouldn't normally make, it is still a card but using a technique and products I wouldn't usually work with. I was gifted the recent release of Lavinia Mica Minerals and among them a beautifully vibrant red which just said Poppies to me. It's a landscape DL card topped with a black panel onto which I stamped Leaf Spray and Wild Poppies using Versamark then brushed green mica powder onto the grasses, covering the Poppies loosely with a tissue whilst doing it, then reversing the process to add the red. Some white Posca dots, cord and a stamped envie.

We're edging forward to 1st April when all will be revealed!

For a lady (plus a little bit of news)

Morning to you all, Lynn has selected our Allsorts theme this time round and it's Feminine with the usual A/G. Our prizes come from Stamp Addicts.

Before I tell you about my makes, a little heads up that something new will be appearing on 1st April (no, not an April Fool!), a new challenge that's a little bit different which we think might appeal to lots of you. More information coming very soon.

Above a bit of inky grungy fun using some Stamp Addicts Addictions, sort of inchies only bigger, these are 7cm square and very sturdy, I coloured with Oxide and Dylusions sprays and no warping at all. The pattern is Spring Flowers, it's not large enough to cover all four panels in one go but the pattern matches up nicely repeat stamped. I coloured just a few of the flowers, added som gold Tilsen to the centres of some flowers then have two coats of Amazing Glaze UTEE and a sentiment from my Believe set.

I would like to enter this at the current Path of Positivity challenge where they would like to see 'something you wouldn't normally make'. Whilst I've used inchies and similar before, it's been a very long while as I usually stick with conventional stamping and cards. But last week I was prompted by Sarah at Stamp Addicts to give it a go again, so above is the result.

For this one I used Floral Background stamped onto vellum and heat embossed with detail white. I cut back the vellum to expose part of the vellum and laid over an brayered background. The same with Poppy Wreath, cut out a few of the flowers and placed onto ribbon and added a sentiment from my Moments stamp set.

Crunched Leafdrops

Time for some mid month inspiration at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where it's all about Autumn. We have prizes from AALL and Create and Stamp Addicts.

I instantly fell in love with Abs Crunched Leafdrop (1109) and matching dies Leafinately Detailed (25) when released last year. I stamped the leaves onto a piece of cardstock inked in Autumnal colours, cut out with the dies and arranged onto a acetate panel. Inside an Autumnal scene from MCS and of course my favourite squirrel.

For SS I've used Stamp Addicts Hot Air Balloons and Scenic Sailing, stamped the mountain range and added some Pan Pastels for colour, a big sun a few worker stamps, then the balloons which I stamped, cut out, coloured and raised using Pinflair.

Still plenty of time to join in, the challenges run until 30th October and as always you can join in three times.

Way to Grow

Morning everyone and first I must thank you for all your Birthday wishes and cards this week, if I've not done so I will get round to thanking you all but a tad déjà vu, nasty meds, kidney pain, migraines etc. But at least the sun has been shining which is wonderful.

At Allsorts Gail is hosting her first challenge since joining the team and has the fun theme of 'Way to Grow'. Prizes come from Highlight Crafts,  AALL and Create and Stampendous.

Lots of different AALL and Create stamps The Great Outdoors (370), Flower Journey (904) and Elemental Notes (905), stencilled background using Digits Checked (110). I masked border stamped with Elemental Note, coloured ad cut out the wellies and sentiments form same set as the wellies with a pen nib to reflect the border. Popping to Path of Positivity with this one......and the Snippets Playground as the wellies, flowers, birdie and sentiments strips are all offcuts.

A card for the new Rudolph Days challenge, the bauble stencil which so many of us have is from Sweet Poppy, DI's to add the colour, Lavinia Rabbit and Hare and sentiment from my Christmas Magic stamp set (£16.99 here mounted, £14.99 unmounted, or from Create and Craft TV). 

Up up and away

Morning everyone, a new challenge at Allsorts where Mervi would like to see Balloons. Prizes come from AALL and Create.

A short post, it was scheduled ready but realised last minute I'd not done the write up. Not been the best of weeks and to top it all infection and constant migraines now playing havoc with my dodgy eyes, so not feeling on my game. 

Both shares were samples for Stamp Addicts TV shows a few months ago but never shared, using what were then new release stamps, Pan Pastels for colour and dies.

Thanks to all who visit and leaving kind comments which I so appreciate.

Springtime in Paris

Morning everyone, we have new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Spring and Anything Goes plus a Spring Mood Board so basically Spring all the way. Lovely prizes as always, stamps and stencils from AALL and Create and a £25 store voucher from Crafty Individuals. 

Above a tri-fold card with an acetate and Oxide splodged background with lots of AALL and Create stamps, Crocus (624), Violet (574), Elegant Spring Florals (623) plus Seasons (455) and Mouse (811). All of the images including the tiny Birdie and Mice were cut out on the Scan and Cut after stamping onto inked cardstock. 

Here's the mood board for Stamping Sensations....

I've gone with Paris, Blossoms, Pinks and a Bird. The backing is from MCS printed onto rice paper and the blossoms Penny Black At Grace repeat stamped using the platform and again cut out on the Scan and Cut, as I've said before, invaluable whilst I've one hand/arm not working properly, but hopefully to be sorted this week (see below).

A simple Spring tag following the colours and Daisy in the mood board using AALL and Create Tag it Yourself die set (27) and Flower Trio (924) onto a brayered and crackle paste background.

Below just one more for the new Path of Positivity challenge, sentiment from my Believe stamp set which I always find inspiring, guess I would say that wouldn't I, but good value with ten different inspirational quotes for £16.99 from Stamp Addicts here or Create and Craft. All other stamps are AALL and Create A5 set Just Grow (270) on offer at £7.60 (usually £18.99) and numbers from Grunge Alphabet (397) also A5 and £18.99. Flowers are paper pieced using inky offcuts onto an inky background created with oxides and acetate.

I won't be round to visit for a day or two, eventually I'm going into hospital for the January cancelled spinal, cervical and occipital nerve blocks and radiofrequency albation. Hopefully relief from some of the pain and mobility issues plus almost daily migraines (my body's built up antibodies to Emgality injections, they had been a miracle for a few years, dropping migraines from 20 to 5 or 6 days a month). It's a PM list so may be overnight and then a day or two recovery and rest,  but I'll catch up with you all very soon.

Fur, Feathers and a Butterfly

Morning Peeps, our new challenge at Allsorts starts today with the theme of Fur and/or Feathers as selected by Ellie. Prizes this month come from Craftstash and AALL and Create and will be drawn on Friday 22nd March.

Two shares, above my favourite Fox from AALL and Creates A4 stamp set In the Wild (529), stamped and just the flowers coloured, stencilling using Digits Checked (110), only a small stencil but so useful which I use over and again. Words from Power of the Word (754) stamped onto black card and embossed with white EP.

This was a Stamp Addicts TV sample using one of the new Terri Sherman stamps, this one Sparrows, as you can see a bit of artistic licence with the colours as my Sparrows turned into Greenfinches! Card base made with Tattered Lace dies and for the background crackle texture paste and a leaf stencil. The birds all cut on the Scan and Cut which I'm finding really useful for cutting stamped images since my left hand and arm went AWAL. The sentiment was one of several released with the birds.

Now for my Butterfly Challenge card, the letter this time is 'D for Decoupage' and I was immediately inspired by that and the colours. So I have incorporated Daffodil, Dairy Cream, Delft Blue and Dark Green from the colour options, die cuts and of course my Butterfly.

I have a huge bag of ready decoupaged Daffodils from my January Flower of the Month Highlight Crafts samples, in hindsight I've no idea why I prepared so many, I literally cut out every printed Reflection they sent so had excess to requirements.

I used MCS/Canvas Workspace/Scan and Cut to create the base layers including apertures and with the Daffodils ready cut and decoupaged so it was just a matter of adding a piece of acetate and arranging the flowers. A few TRR Lily of the Valley, again ready cut to bring in some blue, ribbon,  Butterfly which is AALL and Create ephemera and a die cut word.

The Clematis Armandii is just breaking into flower (looks a bit shadowed as took the photos at 6.30am before the sun rose) and looking and smelling glorious, it straddles a fence and garden seat and looks lovely both sides. On the left you can see a Magnolia which is now intermingled with it.

As always my appreciation for your kind visits and words of encouragement.

Hearts, Hounds and snippet birdies

Morning everyone, today sees our mid month inspirational posts at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Romance and Animals, Birds and Creatures.

Above I have used an old faithful for this time of the year, AALL and Create Fragile Fragments (538) and Elongated Hearts (156), simply stamped, some of the hearts/words stamped a second time to decoupage and some colour added.

My second share is also an A&C stamp, this time Canine Dreams (862) again pretty simple, sky created with Pan Pastel, the image stamped with Versafine Clair and some Swallows which come from Fully Fledged (751). As a family we decided the Dog is a 'Ginger' which is what one of our Son's two Vizsla are nicknamed, but equally it could be a Lab with a decent waistline, not something ours can boast!

And here's one from my last real crafting activity which was back at Christmas for Stamp Addicts Create and Craft show last week. It features one of their new Teri Sherman stamps, Blue Titis and one of my own sentiments from Moments. It's my share over at the Snippets Playground, with the exception of the base card everything is snippets and cut out on the Scan and Cut again. Even the pieces of acetate were offcuts so I created the base card from a sheet of A3 to accommodate them. Colours are a bit garish, but I never ever claimed to be a colourist!

Never stop making wishes

Another Saturday so time for a new challenge at Allsorts, this week I'm your host and I have created a bingo grid. Prizes come from Stampendous and will be drawn on 23rd February.

The top card follows right to left diagonal line of red, green and stencil. All stamps are Lavinia, a combination of old and new. The sentiment from years ago made by Stamp Addicts.

This one again using Lavinia stamps and also a combination following the right vertical line red, Fairy and Flowers.

Here's my card from the January Card Chain Challenge which went to Marianne in Crete, Lavinia Fairies and Sweet Poppy stencil. The colours came up rather bright in the photo following colour, Fairy and stencil prompts.

Been another mad week, Alex taken back into hospital for further surgery on his foot as his toes had no feeing or movement following the first surgery, he's now in full plaster to his knee and pretty immobile. On the positive side his Diabetes is stabilising. The hospital called to ask if I was available sort notice to go in Wednesday/Thursday for the cancelled procedures, that was the last I heard so still waiting one hand/armed! 

Found my iMac has a voice programme so been giving it a try for commenting etc, very tentatively as early attempts threw up a few faux pars and it seems to miss conjunctions!!