Butterfly Meadows

Morning Peeps, it's the first Sunday of the New Year and the start of our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Anything Stamped' at both with the options to add 'Wings' or 'A Die', all details on the respective challenge blogs. Some super prizes on offer, at WLS there is a fabulous AALL and Create A4 stamp set courtesy of Stampers Grove and at SS a £25 goody bag from Oakwood Archer.

Above I have used one of the three images on Through the Meadow along with words from the same set, it's an A 4 set from AALL and Create. After stamping I picked out some of the elements to add colour and stamped the Butterfly twice more to decoupage. I have to admit I am loving using AALL and Create stamps, it's easy to get set in a rut using images from just one company so it's nice to have freedom to spread your wings and the style of their stamps appeals as I do love using elements of images and combining with others.

As an Oakwood DT I have a second piece for Stamping Sensations, one of my samples for  the Hochanda/Craft Store shows on 8th January. Using a Kraft card base I stamped elements from Oakwood Bunch of Roses stamps and coordinating dies, sentiment from Grunge Words and the gold embossed accents are from Grunge Textures. For those not familiar with Oakwood, as well as their trade website, they also have a retail store here and sell a wide range of their own and overseas brands such as Kaisercraft, Stampendous, Paper Rose, Polkadoodles plus a wide range of needle craft products.

This one uses a matching stamp and die called Friendship, also by AALL and create, stamped, coloured and cut out and added to the matter based card and some stencilling around the edges.  The sentiment is from the same set, cut into two.

It's also share day at the Card Chain Challenge, this month I posted to Pia in Norway and this is what I sent to her following the 'Green, Wish, Die, Animal and White' line of the grid set for the month......

And I received this from Gail, if you have never heard about CCC do check it out, it's not a challenge in the normal format and why I rather enjoy joining in.

I so hope you will join in our challenges this month and look forward to visiting all your entries.

 

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Moments

Morning Peeps, it's our first Allsorts challenge of 2022 and I am your host with the theme of 'Black and White plus one'. This weeks prize is an A4 stamp set from Rare Earth 

Above a box of Fairy cards using a plethora of Fairy Hugs stamps, all are available from Julia here or in the States here. I won't list them all as there are about twenty in total so will just name the Fairies who are called Lantana, Tara and Olivia. I have followed a Black White with Pink as my plus one, although I used crystal white glitter which looks perfectly white irl, but has distinct green hues in the photos which I re-did several times to no avail. 

The backgrounds are all done with Oxide sprays Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry and stamping with Versafine Clair Nocturne. The box was made using an old TL die set, one I probably use more than any other as I love the shape.

For my second plus one above I have gone yellow as I love the striking contract with black and white, plus it gives subtle hints of Spring on the way in a few weeks. The stamp is from AALL and Create, the blooms stamped a second time and decoupaged, some mesh from a greenhouse raid.......one day he may even realise I do this regularly and all sorts of things end up in my craft room!! I also added a few worker stamps into the background, a sentiment from another set stamped onto vellum, the single word 'Moments', some twine and a little metal tag.

Happy weekend everyone, stay safe and well and my thanks for your visits.

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Christmas Wishes

As we draw close to Christmas I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your friendship and support during 2021. It's been another difficult year for the whole World but I like to think our crafting community helps provide a bond of normality amid all the uncertainty.

Here in the Fens we had a very hard hoar frost overnight and everywhere looks beautiful so rather than share a card with you I went out early and took some photos, many of the shrubs and flowers are nearing the end of their current growing cycle, but Spring will offer renewed growth thanks to the wonders of Nature.

Finally I thought I would share a photo of the Christmas wreath I made a few weeks ago for the front door, using a collection of plants and shrubs gleaned from the garden, some  of which I had dried in the Autumn in readiness. It did turn out rather larger than I planned but I am pretty happy with the result.

Sending Christmas Blessings and the hope that 2022 brings a brighter future for everyone right across the World.

 

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Icy cool together

Morning Peeps, this weeks Allsorts challenge with run for two weeks to take us over the Christmas holiday period, Lorraine is our host with the theme of 'Anything Winter'. Ruth Hamilton Design is offering one winner three images from her store and there is also a rather pretty Tonic wreath builder die set.

Today is also mid month inspiration day at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations as well as some shares for this weeks Craft Store TV shows for Oakwood Archer so it's a bit of a photo heavy post. I would normally day grab a coffee, but as it's almost Christmas maybe something a bit stronger 🍾

My top card is for eldest Grandson and partner, he's loved Penguin's since he was little so when I saw this new release from AALL and Create it was a must have. All the Penguins were stamped and cut out, a little colouring to bring them to life then arranged onto a background with liberal helpings of snow glitter.

Moving onto my Stamping Sensations share which uses several Fairy Hugs stamps, for those of you new to the company they are available from Julia here in the UK and in the States here. An Oxide background, Olivia sitting on a toadstool keeping an eye on her Fairy House......maybe she is expecting visitors? And I love the Fairy sentiment, after all, don't we all have Fairies at the end of the garden, I know I do!

Also a couple of my shares for the Oakwood Archer two day special on Hochanda/The Craft Store on Sunday 19th and Monday 20th, there's also a further 'Saver' show on 21st. It's fair to say I've been kept pretty busy the last week or so as packages land on the doorstep with increasing regularity and always contain a wonderful collection of goodies.

Another for Allsorts using Ruth's Snowdrops which I coated with masking fluid after printing to enable me to add the wash of green watercolour around it. The snowdrops left uncoloured apart from the leaves and some crystal glitter added to the flowers. Some subtle background stamping and stencilling, washi tape and a little birdie a la Tracy Evans.

Last but by no means least my WLS share which is semi CAS I think, using an old wood mounted Penny Black Poppy stamp masked out to add ink and then the blooms left uncoloured.

Have a lovely weekend and wonderful Christmas, my thanks for your support during 2021 which has been a difficult year Worldwide and most importantly stay safe.

 

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Wings and Tails and the promised Fairies

Morning Peeps, another challenge starting today at  Allsorts  where Ellie has the theme of 'Wings and/or Tails and we have two prizes of Woodware stamps, a fun Owl and a sweet Fairy. 

I did promise more Fairies in my last post and today they have flown in 🧚‍♀️ On the card above I have managed to include both wings and tails using a collection of Lavinia stamps onto an Oxide background, some stencilled hills and liberal helpings of glitter to give a frosty feel. Also an envelope to match.

A collection of tags, this time using Fairy Hugs stamps, on the left Solara and Viola on the right along with various worker stamps, some if which featured at Hochanda/The Craft store yesterday in Julia's shows. All stamps are available in the UK from Julia here and in the States direct from the company here. And below I have used Zelena, Fairy Branches, Cherry Blossoms and again some worker stamps.

Happy weekend all and as always my thanks for you visits and kind words of encouragement.

 

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Blooms a Bunny and trip to Venizia

Morning Peeps, it's the first Sunday of the month which means the start of our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Anything Goes with a CAS option' and 'Choose the theme and stamp it'. Stix2 have kindly donated prizes to both.  And as it's 5th I also have my share for this months River of Creativity challenge where our theme is 'Celebrate'.

My card at the top which is my WLS share using an AALL and Create stamp which like lots of theirs are biggies, this set is an A4 one with just two beautiful images. An Oxide background, the image stamped, the colour bleached out from the bottles, the three flowers stamped a second time onto some card coloured with Oxide spray Kitsch Flamingo and paper pieced. The number is from another set stamped onto an offcut  to carry the colour and a sentiment from yet another set and some stencilled spots and dots.

I don't really know if this qualifies for CAS but it is by my usual inky standards. It's another from AALL and Create, I just loved this Bunny and had to have it, there is also a Fox in the set similarly surrounded by flowers. I stamped the image, coloured in with pencils and added a few splats with watered down DI around it.

I also have a little pillow box which is one of my samples for Friday's Stampendous shows for Oakwood Archer on Hochanda/The Craft Store. Stamped with Stampendous stamps in Versafine Clair,  coloured with sparkle pens, some ribbon and a tag using one of the birdies and sentiment in the set.

Moving on to our Celebrations theme at River of Creativity, I decided to buck the current seasonal trend and head off to Venice to the annual Carnival which takes place in February, it really is a wonderful spectacular. The challenge is taking a break but keep your eyes open for our return.

A Carnival mask from Hobbycraft, painted with metallic paint then really just lots of playing with beads and gems, ribbon and feathers.

Below is another of my samples for the Craft Store shows which I am thinking just might fit into the CAS category. The image from Stampendous Daisy Bee set stamped onto acetate coloured with Alcohol Inks including some metallics which are also in the shows.

I do hope you will find time in the busy December schedule to join us this month and look forward to visiting all your entries.

 

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A Merry Christmas wreath

Morning Peeps another week on and another Allsorts challenge where Lynn would like us to include a die on our work. The prize very fittingly is a die from Tattered Lace and also a second prize of three images from Ruth Hamilton Design. 

My share at the top uses Fairy Hugs stamps, I must thank Julia Watts for the invitation to design for the American company and these are my first shares, some Christmas tags which will be tucked into challenge prizes this weekend and also a Christmas wreath. Fairy Hugs stamps are available from Julia in the UK here and in the States direct from the company here.

Although Fairy Hugs makes lots of Fairy and Fantasy stamps my first two are seasonal makes, the Fairies will be along in due course 🧚‍♀️ The wreath was stamped with a mixture of Versafine Clair inks, a matching envie and a Tattered Lace die cut sentiment.

I have used Ruth Sunflowers again, this time placing them focally in an arrangement of die cut square frames, a little stencilling and some more of the blooms coloured, cut out and added to the corner of the frame. 

And below the tags I referred to earlier, they were stamped on die cut tags sprayed with Oxides and some stencilled stars.

I do hope you will join us this week. Many thanks for your visits today and keep warm, it's perishing here in the Fens.

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