Cabin by the lake

Morning Peeps, it's a lovely sunny Autumn day here and hope it's the same your way.

A very quick post and not much writing as just had my annual retinal screening which means all blurry for a few hours so just a short explanation for these two cards. Alex and Zoe dropped the boys off before they flew off to Frankfurt for the marathon at the weekend and she left a little note in my craft room saying she loved the scene below and how she would love to have a log cabin there. So that led to the top card as a well done on their race achievements.

Stamps are a mixture of Stampscapes and Sutter and mountains created with a torn paper mask and Pan Pastels.

Just Christmas

Before I tell you about this weeks Allsorts theme I would like to share some news, I'm still pinching myself and in shock and thought it was a send up but apparently not and I am one of the lucky nominees in this years Craft Awards. I feel very humbled to be on a list with so many of the well known names in the crafting industry who are amazingly inspirational and although I know in my wildest dreams I will never make the final cut it is still so surreal to have even been nominated and I am most appreciative.

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday so that mans a new challenge at Allsorts and this week it's my turn to host the challenge. Our sponsor is Cuddly Buddly and to tie in with the release of their new Christmas stamps I have selected the theme of 'Just Christmas'.

My first card is just a bit of the usual inkiness using masking tape to create a central focal area which I inked with Adirondack inks black, eggplant and denim and stamped Penny Black Winter Ledge, a few more birds from the new Natures Friends PB unmounted set and I added some berries using silver glitter and finally a Penny Black sentiment.

For my second card I have stepped outside of my comfort zone again and done some more colouring ........not too much mind you.......using my new Chemeleon pens which I have to admit I am rather enjoying. The image is from our sponsor and called Snow Family. I cut round the top of the snowmen and layered onto a piece of acetate which I then placed over a snowy background created with a mask and Pan Pastels and a stamped Santa and sleigh. I used my old favourite holly embossing folder which I lightly dusted with Pan Pastels and matted onto a tent style card.................not convinced that's the right name but they are easy to make with a score board.

Happy weekend to you all.

Penny Black candy

Here are the links to the Penny Black candy, you can enter both, but you do need to add your name to the actual posts and check the rules as those left on this one will not count...............

Click here to go to the post 

and enter my candy

Click here to go to the 

challenge blog to enter the

Penny Black candy

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A windy day

Note added Saturday morning to scheduled post:  Is anyone else having the same problem as me, I've had no reading list for two days ? Tried all sorts but it just doesn't want to show me the blogs I follow or the new posts from them - I'm totally in the wilderness !

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday so that means a new challenge at Allsorts where Helene wants to see some 'Embossing'. Our lovely sponsors are Crafty Devils and FlonzCraft.

Two types of embossing on my card, FlonzCraft Girl with Dog stamp which is heat embossed with detail clear powder and the background embossed with an A4 folder which has to be one of my most used, some Graphic 45 DP's, pearls and that's about it really.

Have a good weekend all.

That cake........................

This was the trial run of the assembled cake, after taking this photo I added a little more pink shading to the Arum Lilies on the topper which you can see in closer detail further down on the photos taken by Alex on party day

Morning to you all, how's your weather ? It's been pouring here all night and no sign of giving up yet and the heating is a must today.

At long last I have some photos of the anniversary cake I made for our daughter and son in law for their surprise party a couple of weeks ago.

There had to be pink lilies and ivy to match her flowers and wedding dress which was also pink, the colour she wanted right from a little girl.

Trailing lilies to match those on the cake topper

It's years since I did any sugarcraft as I gave it up when MS took over my fingers and it became too much of a worry with orders to complete and fingers that didn't always want to work. But having trawled around for a decent ready made cake and finding nothing that really appealed or otherwise cost a fortune I decided to get my fingers working again. I won't be making a habit of it mind you as it did take me ages to perfect all the flowers but I was fairly happy with the end result.

Everyone had a 'party bag' to take home in the form of a cup cake in a little pink box, tied with silver ribbon and a name tag all decorated with a sugar paste rose - I made about 60 of them

Thanks for taking a peek and hope you all have a good week.

Penny Black candy event

Inky indulgence using Dylusions and grunge paste for the background, Penny Black stamps, 4376K Hollyhocks, 4261F Time and 25-001 Promenade stencil

Good morning Peeps, it's not my normal day for posting............not sure what normal is mind you.......but I would like to share some exciting news with you about the candy events we are hosting over at Penny Black and More challenge. 

The main  Penny Black prize for one lucky winner but there are more prizes 

from some of our regular sponsors All Occasion Dies,  Crafty Ribbons and Stix2 and another prize from Penny Black on our challenge blog

We have some wonderful prizes to be won and entering couldn't be easier, all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

• Be a follower of our Penny Black Challenge blog.

• Add the candy logo above to your own blog with a link back to the Penny Black and More blog to help us spread the word.

• Register for free with the Penny Black Club - essential for all us Penny Black fans as we are among the first to know about new releases, news from Penny Black and so much more.

• Leave us a comment on the challenge post.

• And to be eligible for a further bonus prize 'Like' Penny Black on Facebook  here  and leave a comment. And if you would like to share as well that would be wonderful, here is the bonus prize.......

• In additional the Design Team have extra goodies to give away on their own blogs and a winning name will be selected from each on 26th October. Here are the links to their blogs so please do pop along to visit them to be in with a change of winning their prizes as well as those on this post. 

And here are the Christmas themed goodies I will be sending to one of you....................just :

• Leave me a comment on this post.
• Be a follower of my blog.
• Post the photo below on your sidebar with a link back here.

Kaiser DP's, Embossing folders, Penny Black stamp, ribbons and charms

There is one more card I wanted to share as I have been doing some colouring in this week.............I know shock horror as I just don't do colouring or should I say can't, hence my usual inky grungy scenic crafting, which I obviously thoroughly enjoy but the ability to colour an image occasionally has always lurked. 

However I have some new colouring mediums which I aquired purely by chance, let me explain. I saw a very quick glimpse of a C&C programme last weekend and the display cards caught my eye as they were mostly Penny Black images, so being nosy looked for a repeat of the show and put it on to record. All made sense when I saw the demonstrator was Cathy Andronicou who many will know from Penny Black. Well Cathy was demoing the new Chameleon pens and I was totally fascinated, so much so that by the end of the programme they were on order...............oh the joy of a tablet by your side.

Using Penny Black 40-311 Poppy Trio, 30-229 Special Wishes and 25-001 Promenade stencil

Well I have to say I am totally blown away by them and I am finding myself actually wanting to colour in, it is the first time I have ever been able to say that in the twelve years or so I have been crafting. Moreover I am actually relatively happy with the finished results so far, there are obviously improvements to be made but I do I do believe I will be able to prefect a passable coloured image very soon.

Naturally I started with Poppies and a have a couple more I will share very soon and who knows I might even managed to colour one of my very neglected hedgies or sweet little PB girls before long, won't that make a change from paper piecing I hear myself say. 

OK, enough of my gabble and if you are still with me I hope you will join in over at the challenge blog as I think it going to be a fun fortnight.

Cream and Brown

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday so that mans a new challenge at Allsorts our our Jo has chose a colour challenge for us this week of 'Cream and Brown. Our sponsors are Crafty Ribbons and A Passion for Stamps.

I really enjoyed making this one using Graphite 45 DP's, a really old wood mounted Judikins wheat stamp which I stamped twice and uses a stencil and tea dye ink to randomly sponge the background. The die cut wheat is made with an Obsession Impression die and some ribbon and lace to embellish.

And another I equally enjoyed making using Ruth's Clematis Montana image..............artistic licence when it comes to the colours ! Graphic 45 DP's again, some stenciling in the background and paper piecing the image with a touch of Wink of Stella on the leaves.

Happy weekend all.