Woody Woodpecker

Morning everyone, the first Sunday of March means it's time for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are Anything Stamped at both and a Birds and Animals (real) at the first and a CAS option at the second. Prizes this month come from AALL and Create with three prizes on offer and Craft Stash with two prizes.

I won't apologise that it's yet more AALL and Create stamps but I'll confess I really do love working with them. They are I believe the best quality and designed stamps I have ever worked with in my many years of stamping and I feel so privileged that I can promote this super company. 

Starting with my card above using A&C's gorgeous Woody Woodpecker who reflects the family of them living in one of our hedgerows and who frequently feed in the orchard. Snippets used for Woody, the silhouette flower and the number strip are hopefully sufficient to allow me to go play 'TAG' in the Snippets Playground this week.

He's from Follow your own Path, my starting point was a masked circle and one of the images from Clocks and Flowers stamped with the mask in place, then randomly dabbed some ink around. Removing the mask I added the Woodpecker along with a silhouette flower which I stamped a second time and paper pieced as the wasn't dark enough for my linking, it's from the same set and finally a piece of washi tape to ground the bird and a few words and numbers form Power of Word.

The gorgeous dog from Mans Best friend is making another appearance, this time stamped and embossed with detail clear EP, a wash of oxide around and also within the aperture. Sadly I had to use this card last week as our eldest son and wife lost their 14 year old Lab. The image seemed very appropriate as at one time they had three Labs, Mum Ellie and two of her puppies, one of those Forest died last year and now Cadbury so their home is feeling very empty.

So for this one I used the large bloom from Scripted Botanicals, stamped onto a base layer with a masked and stencilled circle, then coloured with Distress Pencils, a word from Power of Word and an envie to match.

And by sheer chance I've actually got the right day to showcase the card I sent to Gail in Norway as part of the March Card Chain Challenge. And yes, it's A&C stamps again, this time an A5 set called simply Pheasant along with a flower from Friendship Florals, an A4 set packed with flowers and Birdies as well as some really useful words. The word Spring comes from an equally useful set called Seasons. The background was created with Round Digits repeat stamped, inked with Oxides and given a really good spritz of water so the colours ran before stamping

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

 

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Easter in the Spring garden

Morning all, adding to my scheduled post to apologise that I've been a tardy blogger this week, I've an infection in the bone as a result of last weeks cervial procedure which they tell me is rare! Anyhows, a cocktail of meds phasing me out along with ongoing pain and lack of sleep explains my limited crafty activity. At times like this my forward planning is a God send.

It's a two weeks challenge at Allsorts to cover Easter and is hosted by Ellie whose theme is 'A/G with the option In the Spring Garden'. Prizes this month come from Oakwood, AALL and Create, Stamp Addicts, Ruth Hamilton Design, Aldridge Crafts, there's a photo of all of them on the challenge blog.

So of course I've used AALL and Create Spring flowers, above the Crocus from the A5 stamp by the same name. Craft card again with a light dusting of purple Oxide and the background stamp is one of those on the A4 set called Blooming Poppies stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with detail white EP. That was my very first A&C set gifted by a crafty friend who had the idea I liked Poppies.......where on earth did she get that idea? 

I stamped the Crocus twice onto offcuts inked with Oxide Wilted Violet, cut out and arranged over some twine onto the base card. The word Crocus stamped with the same Oxide and the little Dachshund from A&C Mans Best Friend.

Thought I should also share this Spring creation I made for Highlight Crafts using a whole host of different Two Red Robins dies. As many know, I've been creating for them for some time promoting their brands and as of this week will be taking on a new complexion, I will share more next week after the formal announcement.

The card base was made with two A4 sheets of construction weight acetate so it stands up as a tent fold card, then the flowers, birds and animals fixed around to create a wreath design.

I know Ellie's them is 'Spring Garden' but living in our rural location here in the Fens, all the creatures in my wreath are garden residents and you could add Deer, Foxes and several more to the mix of daily sightings. Some would call our locate remote with the nearest neighbour a few fields away, but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else as I've never known anything different.

A tri fold card showcasing more A&C Spring stamps from Elegant Spring Florals, Violet and Crocus, a brayered background, some of the words and script stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with detail gold EP, others simply stamped in black to give contrast. To finish a little Birdie and Mouse from Friendship Florals and Cute Mouse.

Just about every familiar Spring bloom appears in Clipped Botanicals, a beautiful collage style stamped onto an inky background, some colour added to some of the elements, then three of the hexagons stamped a second time and placed over the base stamping.

I hope you all have a lovely Easter, let's hope the weather gets the idea and it warms up a bit here in the UK.

 

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April showers

Good morning and before I move on I would like to thank you for your kind messages this week. All went well although my neck does look like someone's tried to strangle me! Before I went to theatre the consultant asked if I minded one of her juniors assisting, in the interest of education I agreed, in hindsight not sure that was a wise move! Im hoping to feel like a bit of crafting over the weekend, sitting in the garden would be nice but doesn't look as though the weather will oblige.

Now for this weeks challenge at Allsorts where Dena is expecting some Spring showers, her theme is 'A/G with the option of Rain'. Prizes this month come from Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, AALL and Create and Craft Stash.

I've gone a tad off piste with a Butterfly image but there's a hint of showers in the sentiment and raindrops beneath it. The Butterfly is one of three large stamps on an A4 AALL and Create set, Through the Meadows onto a masked and inked panel on Kraft. Stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with detail white EP, the Butterfly stamped a second time onto Vellum, cut out and coloured on the reverse with Distress pencils and fixed over some twine. The words from Power of the Word yet again, I'm sure you'r all getting fed up with me mentioning this set but it really is soooooo useful.

There are a few snippets here, the sentiment strips and a piece of vellum for the Butterfly, I should do that more often with Butterflies as have so many vellum offcuts, so I am off the the Snippets Playground with this one.

I just had to share this with you, I has some beautiful flowers on Mothering Sunday, a meal plus this very special bouquet of cupcakes from eldest Granddaughter, she made three of these for her own Mum, MIL and lucky me. Messy me managed to get icing on the wrapping when taking the photo though.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

 

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Perfect Pastels

Morning Peeps, Saturday so a new challenge at Allsorts where I am your host with the theme of 'A/G with the option of Perfect Pastels', it's a subtle take on Spring without being too obvious! Prizes this month come from Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, AALL and Create and Craft Stash.

It's also mid month time at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes of Anything stamped have the options of Spring is in the Air and Wings and Tails, lovely prizes as always so do pop over to the challenge blogs to check them out.

Above my first Allsorts share, the Daffodil from AALL and Creates Elegant Spring Florals A4 stamp set. A frame created by masking the edges to apply the ink and stencilling. Stamped the focal image, coloured and the bloom stamped a second time and decoupaged. The Word Spring from Seasons, the two little Hares from Miniatures and a ripped piece of Washi Tape to ground the Daffodils.

Those little Hares make a second appearance, this time along with the new releases which did eventually arrive....fourteen days late. I have used Flower Journey and Elemental Notes stamped onto a background created with a 6x4 piece of acetate inked and spritzed, but instead of dabbing onto the card in the usual way, I laid the whole piece onto the card and left a few minutes to allow the wet inks to seep into the card, quite like the random finish. A couple of words from Power of the Word, numbers from Grunge Alphabet and the word Spring form the set listed above.

I'm well behind on samples with these new stamps due to a combination of Evri losing them  for a fortnight and crafty time a bit restricted of late. I'm going into hospital again this coming week so been on a few NHS jollies in preparation, MRI, bloods, health review and so forth ahead of a further spine procedure, this time the upper spine/cervical area. I don't plan being out of action too long but you never can tell, so if I'm slow visiting you'll know why!!

Now my mid month shares, above a simple card using Penny Black Tulip 4384K and 51-200 coordinating die, the stamp inked in my usual way with Distress Markers and spritzed with water before stamping, some inky splatters and simply framed with a mixture of dies.

Finally, a part wreath with a Mouse ....my SS tail.....using AALL and Create Fallen Leaves and Cute Mouse, various colours of Versafine Clair, some stencilling and washi tape.

 

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A trio of.....

Good morning and welcome to my post for this weeks new challenge at Allsorts where Lorraine would like to see 'A Trio', so basically three of something on your entries. Prizes this month come from Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, AALL and Create and Craft Stash.

In an ideal World I would be showcasing some samples of this weeks AALL and Create new releases on Create and Craft. My plan was to use a couple for my Allsorts shares, but Evri had other ideas, as of this morning the stamps are still "in the dispatch hub" but that's were they've been for ages so I'm rather thinking that means lost. So instead I've used some previous releases. 

First above a double trio, one of Flowers and the other Hares in form form of AALL and Create Blousey Blooms and Long Eared Mammal which recently featured and quickly sold out at Create and Craft TV. Starting with a brayered Oxide background followed by stencilling using the negative elements (inking the stencil, spritzing with water and laying onto the background.....you need to give it a good rub with a piece of kitchen roll to achieve a decent transfer. The protractor shape image stamped with Versafine Acorn and a little more ink sponged to add definition, two Hares stamped and cut out to tuck behind the three flowers and the silhouette Hare stamped in the same ink down the bottom, Finally words and numbers from Power of the Word.

A second share that was sitting in my folder and seemed to fit the theme rather well so thought I would share. Have to admit I love the contrasts of colour on this one using Peacock Feathers and Ripe Persimmon oxides. A masked and inked central panel with a soft stencilled pattern, then three flowers from AALL and Create Textures Florals stamped onto an inked offcut inked with Ripe Persimmon. The circle element is from the same set, again stamped onto an offcut and cut out, but this time coloured with a matching Distress Pencil. The little birdies are from Friendship Florals and another quote from the Power of the Word.

Finally a couple of recent TRR samples, above using the new In Spirit and Spring Awakening dies which I would like to enter into the current Flower Challenge which would like to see dies or stencils along with flowers.

This one again uses elements from Spring Awakening along with Small World from the Wherever the Wind Blows collection released this week and Touched by the Rain. The base card is construction acetate with an aperture cut in the centre.

Have a good weekend.

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Live each moment and dance in the rain

Morning everyone, the first Sunday of March means it's time for our new challenges at We Love Stamping and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Spring is in the Air' and 'Wings and Tails'.  Prizes this month come from AALL and Create and Penny Black.

I have two shares for both challenges and first at the top for WLS, vibrant purple Crocus's using AALL and Create Crocus, this set also has the Viola in it so perfect for Spring cards. A soft brayered Oxide background, some stencilling using my fav A&C stencil Digits Chequered, the words Spring from Seasons stamped a few times, the little birdie from Blackbird and of course words from Power of the Word, what else! 

I am popping over to the Snippets Playground with this one as the flowers, birdie and words are all stamped onto inky snippets. Adding another as Gail just suggested I pop over to the Spring has Sprung theme at Lost Coast.

Above my first SS share following the Wings part of the theme using the wonderful Eagle from AALL and Create Fully Fledged stamped, coloured and cut out to place over an inky Oxide background which I stamped with another of the images from the same set along with Shattering, it's a small A7 stamp but so useful. And an envie to match. I thought I would enter this for the new Country View Crafts challenge where the theme is a Birthday card for a Man.

My second SS share, this times using the 'tails' element and the gorgeous faithful Lab from A&C Canine Dream, available from Create and Craft but will be on AALL and Create website very soon. I masked a circle and splattered some watered down Oxides, then  stamped elements from Fully Fledged. The dog was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with details copper EP, this just might be a crafty friends Lab called Marvin? I finished with a couple of appropriate words from Power of the Word. Asa I think this would work for a masculine card it's also going over to Country View Crafts.

My final share for WLS was made ages ago but un-blogged hiding in my photo folders so I thought it would work using the Penny Black Magnolia blossoms....artistic licence with colours. Repeat stamped using watercolour pens direct to stamp and spritzed with water and a sentiment from Inkylicious and hexagonal dies to create the layers and base!

 

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Four legged (domestic) friends

Morning Peeps, our new theme at Allsorts has been chosen by Mervi and is ''Four legged friends'.....of the domestic variety. Our March prizes come from Oakwood, Highlight Crafts, AALL and Create and Craft Stash, there's a photo of all those up for grabs on the challenge blog.

The Dachshund is making another appearance this week, she's one of the images from the new AALL and Create Mans Best Fried stamp set  recently released on Create and Craft TV, stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne and heat embossed with detail clear EP. A bit of colouring and stencilled hearts, it needs little more.

A second one using another new A&C release called Canine Dreams, I decided this one is a Vizsla or at least will be for the purpose of a card for one of our sons and wife who have two of them, Prince who was joined by Luka, he was a rescue from Cyprus. A simple masked sun and Pan Pastels, the focal image stamped, two little Butterflies from the same set and some colour on the lamps.

And in my efforts to try and be more active in blogland and add a challenge entry to my posts, here is one for the current Simon Say's Wednesday challenge where they would like to see slimline cards. An Oxide background, stencilled leaves, the blooms from AALL and Create Blooming Poppies, the sentiment is from the same set embossed with detail white EP and cut into three. This is not a new set but has so many beautiful images.

Again I am running late with my swap for the the February Card Chain reveal, below is the card I sent to Carol following the Brick/Aqua/Sand colour options. The background is Rice Paper sprayed with Oxides sprays, the Rose is from AALL and Create Sent with Love, stamped and paper pieced, the words are from Power of the Word.

Have a good weekend and thank you so much for your visits and words of encouragement.

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