Beauty of Nature

The beautiful findings of a deranged shopper

Hello Peeps, hope you all had a good weekend. The weather was decidedly iffy here and the central heating swung into action, I just can't abide being cold.

And the trees are feeling the cold as well and the leaves and beginning to fall rapidly, but oh how beautiful the all are. When we were shopping Saturday......I'll share with you shortly what was sourced at John Lewis...........I just couldn't resist picking up these leaves. We had to smile though, as a lady sitting in a coffee shop with her husband watched me intently as I rummaged the leaves for a couple to bring home, touched her husband on the arm with a sad half smile and they both gave my hubby such a caring sympathetic look. Clearly they though I had totally lost it..........but I can't resist revelling in the beauty of Nature.......I thought that was just normal ?

Now on to John Lewis.........my anniversary present from hubby. He made no mention what he was thinking until we hit the shops, said he wanted to go into the computer section of John Lewis, then announced he though a Mac would be just the thing for me with all my art and craft work. So this little package, well not so little, the screen is 27" is being delivered on Thursday.

I confess to lots of reservations, I've used HP's both at home and in the office for years, so me thinks a sharp learning curve is in the offing. But a couple of the children have Mac's so I am hopefully they won't just give me a 'dahhhh' glare when I am at my whits end with all the change. At least I have the luxury of enough space in my craft room to have old and new running until I conquer the Mac......that'll be mid 2011 then !

Enough gabble and a share of a couple of cards. The first one is obviously inspired by the lovely leaves above, very similar to one I made a few weeks ago, but I rather like the design. The leaves are Hero Arts CL457 real leaves, inked with various colours of Brilliance inks, stamped onto linen cardstock and diamond glazed after cutting out. I used the same leaves to stamp a background, but stamped them off first to diffuse the colours a bit. I tied ribbon across the middle panel and added a button to one leaf. This card is for the following challenges:

Mojo Monday - Sketch
Paper Playtime - Ribbons, buttons or rhinestones
Sweet Stamping - Punch it Out

The second card is a clean and simple design using Stamps Happen 80427 which I stamped onto a background created with Tim Holtz frayed burlap, linen and sage and a touch of gold brilliance. I coloured the image with Aquamarkers and added diamond glaze to the glass. The borders are created with Martha Stewart cornice punch. Cord and a button to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Cupcake - Happy Hour

Paper Sundaes - Something from Stash (cord and buttons)

Travel Inspired

It's Kirsten turn to host the challenge at Allsorts this week and she has come up with the great theme of Travel/Holidays.

So the opportunity for a first inking up some of the images from Penny Black 30-023. I started by creating a background using Tim Holtz stormy sky, wild honey and Glimmer Mist iridescent gold. I stamped Pont Veccio, the famous bridge in Firenz or Florence as most know it as and the Tour Eiffel in black versafine and embossed with detail clear. I then stamped both randomly with the two TH inks.

Next I distressed the edges and embossed with detail gold and added some swirls around the edge with Hero Arts F5042 and Penny Black 3878F. I mounted the piece onto a mat edged with Martha Stewart round the page double loop, added some punched butterflies and some computer generated wording. This card is also for the following challenges:

Sweet Stamping - Punch it Out

Lots to Do - Vintage

My second card is for this weeks Polkadoodles challenge which Dee has set with the theme of Fancy/Interesting Folding. My card uses some of the images from the gorgeous new CD . This is a must have for you all and Nikky really has pulled out all the stops on this one. I love this acorn image and printed it our several times to decoupage and added leaves cut from from the same CD tied with raffia. The card was created simply on the scoreboard from a sheet of A4 cardstock and lined with a sheet of coordinating paper from the CD.

New Challenges, Fabby Prizes

It's the first of the month and that means new challenges at Stampalot and Penny Black at Allsorts.......and my wedding anniversary.......hubby will have had his usual rummage through my baskets of cards trying to remember which ones I said I especially liked.

I know I promised to think outside the box a bit more when I came up with challenge themes although its clear it did not work this month, but they were sent a while back and the girls were all enjoying making their DT cards so left things as they were. Mind you, judging by some of the lovely work in blogland the last week or two, it's a theme you all enjoy.

The top card is my DT card for Stampalot Challenge where the theme is "Autumn Breezes, Buttons and a Bow". I created a background with Tim Holtz rusty hinge, frayed burlap, olive and Glimmer Mist iridescent gold. I then stamped the leaves with bleach using Inkadinkado 97513. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR1353 with a frame made with Nesties using Basic Grey DP and the bird Magenta 41014I. Some lace, punched leaves coloured with the same TH inks and embossed with detail clear, buttons, cord and a flower made with my Tattered Floral Die. This card is also for the following challenge:

Stamping for the Weekend - Autumn Inspired

Everybody Art Challenge - Friends

Another card for Stampalot Challenge, a background created by stamping leaves from Hero Arts CL457 with TH frayed burlap, then covered with Diamond Glaze. When dry I inked the whole piece with TH barn door, wild honey and sage, then overstamped with Hero Arts H2365 old French writing. The fairy is from an unmounted set by Personal Impressions embossed with iridescent powder and her wings glittered. The leaves are punched, the border Martha Stewart woodland branch and buttons, ribbons and raffia to finish. This card is also for the following challenges:

Flutterby Wednesdays - Glitter and Shimmer

Moving Along with the Times - Fairy or Fantasy

Glitterbabes - Embossing wet or dry

This one is my DT piece for this months Penny Black at Allsorts challenge where the them is "Colours of Autumn".......told you I was repetitive. It's quite a quick and simple card to make, but I quite like the effect. I used various Autumnal coloured inks to brayer the backgrounds with masks to represent the changing phases of the moon. The tree is Penny Black 3880F Fantasy, stamped with versafine black and embossed with details clear with stickles added here and there amongst the branches.

I did say there was a lot of it about didn't I, so I am entering the above cards for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Autumn

For Fun - Fall

My Time to Craft - Looks like Autumn

Finally a bit of Christmas. I was sent this new Magnolia die to try out. It's a half circle which you need to match up to cut the other half. I though it was a bit of a faff at first, but once you get used to matching up the dos it's easy and makes a really pretty doily like circle.

I created the easel card on the DS and Cricut Plantin Schoolbook. The DP is K & Co and the image is Penny Black F5075 Sparkle Poinsettia inked with Tim Holtz fired brick and sage and spritzed with water before stamping. I made the poinsettias with punched vellum, added pearl stamens, punched and glittered leaves using Martha Stewart pine branch and gems to embellish. I also decorated an envibox........I found these on the internet the other day, they come flat packed and are brilliant for cards with a bit of dimension that don't really fit into a regular envelope. This card is for the following challenges:

Creative Cottage - Bling it On
Creative Inspirations - Christmas in September
Charisma Cardz - Christmas
ABC - An Easel Card

Stamp Something - Celebrate Something

More candy coming and winner

Hello peeps, thank you all for joining in with my candy this month.

Unfortunately there can only be one winner, but I do have something else planned which will be coming up very shortly so watch this space, I think it is something that is going to appeal to lots of you.

I am pelase to announce that the winner selected by Mr Ramdon Org is:

Anita

Congratulations Ania, please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk with you wull postal addy so I can get your winnings off to you.

Elegant fairy

Hello peeps, hope your all well. Just a quick post with a couple of cards.

The first a touch of indulgence........you know me, any excuse to use a fairy and this one is such a beautiful one from Crafts and Me called Eternity. I brayered a backround using a mask for the moon with Tim Holtz Victorian velvet and vintage photo. I coloured the image with the same inks and glittered her wings. Stamped a few leaves round the top with an Art Impressions stamp, some flowers and punched butterfly. The DP is Basic Grey and My Minds Eye. This is for the following challenges:

Cupcake - Pink and Brown

Paper Sundaes - Things with Wings

Creative Card Crew - Bloomin' Marvelous

Oldie but a Goodie - Pink and Girly

My second card is my anniversary card for my hubby later this week. He always says he needs to check my blog to know what I'm up to, but he's so busy at work this weeks that's unlikely so think I'm safe to share. Not your conventional anniversary card, but he's not a hearts and flowers sort of guy and will love the colours of this one as yellow is his favourite colour and all things Nature. I masked a section to create the background and inked with TH rusty hings, mustard seed and barn door with a spritz of Glimmer Mist iridescent gold. The tree from Creative Expressions, the border Martha Stewart cornice edging and the sentiment computer generated. It is for the following challenges:

Stamp Something - Fall colours

Cards for Men - Autumn

Stamptacular Sunday - Seasons Change/Fall

Tuesday Taggers - Here Comes Autumn

Plain and Simple

Version four

Version three

Today at Allsorts my great teamie Emma has set us the theme of "Plain and Simple". And I admit these two are my third and fourth attempts at 'plain and simple' and I'm still not convinced I've got the hang of it.....one and two were binned.......I know sinful for a crafter.

The black and white effort is some simple stamping and embossing onto with lined cardstock using a bird from Inkadinkao 9836 and part of a sentiment from Hero Arts 30-056. A rose made from some stash DP using my tattered floral die, a but of punching with Martha Stewart loop and a couple of pearls coloured back with Copics. This card is for the following challenge:

Fab 'n Funky - Quote me Happy

For the next one I used a piece of card that had been spritzed with Glimmer Mist honey dew mist and stamped with Hero Arts D5449 fabulous flourish using Tim Holtz dusky Concorde. The sentiment is also from hero, but an unmounted set for which I no longer have the code I'm afraid. I mounted the piece onto bazzil cardstock and punched the border with Martha Stewart zig zag and a butterfly also using a MS punch.

Over to Polkadoodles where this week the my great blog pal Claire wants us to make something with a Hidden Element. So I have come up with this little box which I made on the scoreboard and covered with paper from the Paper Boutique CD and inside bobbing butterflies and flowers. The flower on the top is made from the same paper using three punches and spritzing with Glimmer Mist pearl.

My final card is another of the lovely image from Sweet Pea poppy love. The background has been brayered with Big and Juicy Happy Birthday, masking a moon.....this image just seems to lend herself to a moonlit background. I coloured her with the same inks. The DP is from stash, Martha Steward eyelet lace border, some ribbon slides and a punched flower spritzed with Glimmer Mist dazzling diamonds. This card is for the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - Bling
Friday Sketchers - Sketch
Sweet Pea Challenge - Charmed I'm Sure (it's in the centre of the flower)

Wings and things

Hello everyone. How's the weather you way ? We have rain again just for a change, but at least it's not too cold and the lovely dewy morning this last week have brought the paddocks on a treat which make the horses very happy campers.

A few shares today. My first card uses one of my new stamps from Sweet Pea called midnight waiting. She has been stamped and embossed with detail clear and coloured with Copics. I stamped the wings and top of the fairy twice, glittered the wings and decoupaged. The DP is Magnolia and the borders punched with Martha Stewart floral vine. Some lace, roses and punched leaves to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Moving Along With the Times - Use at least three ingredients from the menu (I used 2 DP's glitter, leaves and heat embossing)

Flutterby Wednesday - All Winged Things

Charisma Cards - Anything Goes

The next one is this lovely slapstick stamp Penny Black 40-020 fly away, I think he's just adorable. I coloured with Copics and matted using one of the new Nesite shapes labels 17, I just love the shape of this ones. The DP is October Afternoon and the sentiment the first line of Penny Black 4075F. I cut the stars on Cricut assent essentials, added some rik rak and gens to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Sketch

Cupcake - Transport (the plane ?)

My Time to Craft - Kids at Play

My final card today is my favourite Autumnal colours. I created a background using Tim Holtz barn door, rusty hinge and frayed burlap. I overstamped with Hero Arts H2365 old French writing, then Hero S5449 fabulous flourish using versafine sepia. The mats are cut on Nesties and the leaves are X Cut punches which also emboss the leaves making them really come to life when you ink over them. The corners are punched with Martha Stewart double loop and finally I added some lace across the middle and raffia round the stamped image. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Falling Leaves

Creative Inspiration - 2 or More Stamps

Dutch Dare - Birthday Bash