Penny Black rain or shine

Hi everyone, it Allsorts challenge day again and this week is Emma's turn to host the theme where she would like us to use fancy folds to our cards.

I have gone with a tri fold card (tutorial here) using this really pretty Kaiser DP and Penny Black 40 024 Rain or Shine which I stamped several times, coloured with Copics and decoupaged. Flowers and stick pin from stash, swirls cut with Tim Holtz die and corners punched with Martha Stewart eyelet lace. This is also for the following challenges:

Stampin B's - Old and new (DP old, flowers and beads new)

Pixie Dust Studio - Tie it with a ribbon

Sparkles - Two new things (flowers and beads)

Sweet Stamping - Something different (the tri fold)

New Year, New Home, New C&C programme

Hows everyone today then ?

The weather is turning decidedly cold here again and we are still getting frosts every night, so winter looks set in for a bit longer yet.........I just don't do cold and can't wait for Spring.......if for no other reason so it's a bit lighter and brighter and I can get some decent photos of my work.

I have a few shares today and need to remind you that there are still a few more days to join in the Stampalot Blog Hop, lots of fabby prizes on offer and some fabulous DT work on your way round. Also don't forget the new Stamp Addicts show on Create and Craft at 2pm tomorrow........another of my sample cards further down.

My first share is a New Home card I made for one of our sons and his partner who have just moved......literally two days before Christmas, nothing like a rush and tear....blame the solicitors who always push things to the last possible date. Although the colours might not be what I would choose personally, they are colours I know they like which is the most important part.

The sentiment is computer generated and set into a frame cut with Nesties and stamped with Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish using TH stormy sky. The DP is Crate Paper which was beautifully glittered in one corner, so I cut it to make the most of the pattern and get it into the bottom left corner of the card. The two flowers were made using a Cuttlebug quilling set and after I assembled the flowers, dipped them in clear UTEE making them glass like. If you look closely you will see the cream ribbon is crinkled up......this was intentional.......I gave it a few blasts with the heat gun to create the effect. This card is for the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesdays - A new beginning

Simon Says - New beginnings

Creative Card Crew - As above

Creative Cottage - Something New

My second card card used one of my favourite stamps from Crafts and Me - Eternity . I created an oval by masking and sponging with TH stormy sky, sage and marigold, then stamped the image with verafine and embossed with detail clear. I coloured the image with the same inks and Copics for the hair and skin. The DP is American Crafts, swirls cut from grunge paper using a TH die and the flowers coloured with Copics to match. The sentiment is an unmounted one....you all know that means I don't have the foggiest who made it. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Paper tearing

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (they also have a Blog Hop this week)

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes

By the Cute and Girlie - Bling it on

My final share is another of the cards I made for Friday's new Stamp Addicts C&C show using the Da Vinci sheet from JudiKins. I stamped with versafine majestic blue and embossed with detail clear, punched a border with Martha Steward cornice punch from Magnolia DP and cut a couple of the keys out and tied with cord. This card is for the following challenge:

Bee Crafty - What's New (the stamps)

Moving Along with the Times - Ring our the old ring in the new ( new stamps)

Masculine Monochromatic

Stamp Addicts have a new show on Create and Craft this Friday 7th January at 2pm featuring new and innovative stamps from JudiKins, so hope you can tune in or record the programme.

The above card is one I made using one of the stamp sheets I had to play with showing Archimedes and his tools. A fairly plain and simple card, but I thought the monotone somehow fitted the images and allows the wonderful clarity of the images to show through. All are stamped with Versafine black, the corners to each piece rounded and matted onto black cardstock. This card is for the following challenges

My Time to Craft - Up in the air (wings and feathers)
Paper Playtime - Faces (Archimedes)
Ladybug - Anything Goes

Thanks you so much Ladybug DT for selecting me as one of your Top 3 last week.

Shades of white

Hello everyone, we have a new challenge for you at Stamptacular Sunday so please do pop over and check it out.

The theme is photo inspiration and I confess I tend to struggle a bit with these themes as I am never sure if I should follow the colours or the picture. Anyhow, I decided to go with the colours which to me pop out as being cream with a hint of blue round the edge.

My main image is Penny Black 4031J Purple Folds which I simply stamped and embossed and coloured with Aquamarkers. I stamped Hero Arts K5058 Friendship Writing over the background with Tim Holtz pumice stone, then decoupages the flower head. I stamped and embossed the flower hear again, coloured in the same way then inked all over with Versamark frost and spritzed with Glimmer Mist marshmallow and shaped the flower whilst still wet.

The DP is Magnolia distressed round the edges with TH stormy sky which I also used to add a little colour to the edges of the lace, flower and Martha Stewart punched leaves. This card is also for the following challenges:

Lots to do - New (pearl swirly embellies)

Paper Sundaes - As above

Charizma Cardz - Pearls and lace

Incy Wincy - Distressing

Cupcake - White is White

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Wedgie for passing me on this lovely award, what a fabulous start to the New Year. Do pop over and visit her, as well as making great cards, she's an ace cook.

More snow ?

Our new challenge at Stampacular Sunday this week is 'Snow Much Fun'..create a card of project that has snow on it.

I have uses this lovely image from Simply Stamps 102K Winter Scene, which I stamped with vesamark back, embossed with detail clear and simply watercoloured with Aquamarkers, adding Judikins snow glitter to the the fences and here and there on the ground. The DP is October Afternoon, a Tim Holtz tattered die swirl, Martha Stewart embossed scallop border, ribbon and gems and a pretty quick card. This card is for the following challenges:

Ladybug - Song title (Walking in a winter wonderland)

Crafts and Me - Anything goes

Moving Along with the Times - as above

Scrapbook Sisters - It's a man's world

Happy Christmas

I wish you all

A Very Happy Christmas

And my thanks for all the wonderful cards I have received. I have tried to remember to thanks everyone on my rounds, but like all of us, time has got the better of me and I am sure I might have forgotten some, so my apologies if I have.

Just for my Dad

Not my normal sort of post and no card. Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult day for me as it's the anniversary of losing my dear Dad, the last year seem to have just disappeared and I still miss him just as much.

Dad farmed all his life and was an avid gardener. The picture above was taken about three years before he died when he was out shooting with his Labrador Emma..........I know many do not agree with shooting and hunting sports, but when you live by the land it's an integral part of everyday life. Dad always provided for us with fresh garden produce and game and when I was younger I was encourage to ride and hunted to the hounds with Dad often following on foot or on his bicycle.

As an only child it fell upon me to deal with things when Dad died and I chose to have him buried just yards from where the above picture was taken.......in one of only three consecrated woodland burial grounds in the UK, which just happens to be in the village Dad lived and where I was born and brought up........and on land Dad once farmed before he retired when it was handed back to the University.......much of the arable farmland in Cambridgeshire is University owned.

It just felt right and where I think Dad would have chosen had he been able to make the decision himself. Visiting him there is an uplifting experience and there are none of the sombre shadows I always associate with conventional graveyards. Graves are set within wooded glades, I chose Clover Glade for Dad and graves are marked simply with a flat oak engraved plaque and planting is restricted to specified wild flowers and trees.........there is a small Oak by his head and I planted Digitalis, Violets and Cowslips which all flowered in their first year and looked absolutely beautiful last Summer and I know Dad would have approved.......as a child he used to walk me across the fields to pick cowslips so they have a very special meaning.

Dad used to grow the most amazing vegetables and flowers and entered them into shows all round the County.........above are some of his prize winning Japanese onions, some could weight as much as four pounds each. I remember many occasions as a child proudly holding the cups and rosettes he had won.

So you can see that all things associated with the land and Nature were bred into me from an early age and have since emerged in my daily crafting activities. Thank you Dad for giving me something so special which is priceless.