Dreaming of the Beach

Morning Peeps, there was me thinking I had scheduled this post and discovered that wasn't the case, so as I'm only just easing back into short bursts of screen time after the op it's a rather short post.

At Allsorts it's a two week challenge over the Christmas holiday period and Lynn has kept the theme nice and simple 'Anything Goes', Sarah and Vickie at Stamp Addicts are our sponsors with a £15 store voucher. I am also entering the card below into the current Butterfly Challenge which as with tradition every December deviates away from Butterflies to Fairies and magical beings.

The card at the top is the Birthday card I made for Eliot our surfing son who celebrated his Birthday recently which was shortly before travelling to Sri Lanka to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, he said he could walk out of their hotel directly onto the beach to surf, sounded wonderful. I used so many stamps on this one along with Pan Pastels and Distress Markers.

And Oxides, Versfine Clair and of course Lavinia fairy, foliage and tree stamps for this one.

This will be my last post before the man in red arrives so I would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and hope that whatever you have planned that it's an enjoyable time for you and your families.

 

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Spread Your Wings.........and Fly Away

Morning Peeps, another scheduled post whilst I'm on eye rest (added note to say all went well and I'm resting it just as advised), it's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Ellie and she would like us to create something based on a song title. This weeks lucky winner will receive two lovely dies from Tattered Lace. Further down you will also find my creations from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog.

My song title is "Spread Your Wings"......"and fly away" written by John Deacon of Queen and featured on their News of the World album, it's one of Queens lesser known songs but one we saw performed live on stage with Freddie resplendent in lack leather trousers, braces and bare chested...........and how wonderful was his voice.

It's another Chocolate Baroque Hochada creation, using just one colour of Versafine Claire ink to create the contrast with black. I used elements of stamps from Butterfly Poppy Collage and Punky Romance stamped onto the page of a Charity Shop poetry book, then using one of the Baroque Heart Trading Hearts, stamped the pretty floral image from A Heart Full of Love, coloured in and added wings from Time Travel.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

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A walk in the snow

Morning Peeps, a scheduled post as I'm having my first cataract op. Normally it's only necessary to rest it for a couple of days, but because of the nerve damage in both eyes I've been told to take a screen break for a week or two so afraid I won't be visiting for a while 😚

Kath is our host at Allsorts this week and her theme is 'Snowmen or Snowflakes' and we have a pretty Christmas Tree stamp for your winner.

Well as I don't own a single snowman stamp it had to be some improvised snowflakes. The image is from Crafty Individuals which I stamped with Versafine Claire and coloured with pencils, stamped a couple of branches and used glitter to add the snowflakes. The sentiment is an old Penny Black one and a mixture of dies used to frame the image.

Have a good weekend all.

 

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Friends are Angels

It's time for our  new challenges at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Anything Goes' and 'Flowers all Over'. Super prizes on offer at both. 

I'm going to me missing for a week or two now as it's my first cataract op in a few days and although the procedure is straightforward, they say I need to take extra care and have a couple of weeks screen free because of the pre-existing nerve damage which is irreversible and untreatable and the culprit of my increasing blindness. So will see you all very soon.

For my top card I used Penny Black Summer Dream inked with Distress Markers and stamped using several inkings to build up the colours. I added a wash of blue DI around the image and a new PB sentiment which I was thrilled to find brand new on e.bay, it's a pretty old one from the late 90's.

With an Anything Goes theme there had to be a Fairy which of course come in most instances as Lavinia ones and here I have used Aerial (lge), Mia (sm) and Mr Badger 2, this is also my entry into the December Butterfly Challenge. As usual the December theme is Fairies, Elves, Imps etc., I've not enter for a while as due to my eye issues I've restricted myself to DT work, but I do have quite a few Fairy cards in my file so today seems the perfect opportunity to share one of them. A Gelli Plate background, stamping with Versafine black and of course some glitter to the Fairy wings.

My second stamping Sensations share uses Penny Black stamps, this time the delicate Playful which for the purpose of my card are Buttercups. There is a matching die but it's a bit of an oddity as it doesn't cut the flowers out as one, instead each petal comes out in several pieces, so after a few frustrating attempts I got savvy and used sticky backed paper...............now doesn't that sounds just a tad Blue Peter............ and then they came out as whole flowers. The foliage is also Penny Black as is the die cut sentiment and a background of Pan Pastels.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone.

 

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Snakes Head Fritillary Candle

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Wendy and she would like to see 'Christmas Gifts. Our winner will receive some Christmas Cracker kits from Stix2.

I decorated this candle for a recent Hochanda show where the lovely Chocolate Baroque Snakes Head Fritillary was one of the featured stamps. The above is actually me second attempt as the first went rather 'melty' after adding the first of the images which I had stamped onto tissue paper, coloured and cut out. 

So I sought guidance from our Tracy Mouse who is the queen of candles (I have a beautiful candle she made for me decorated with Poppies which is in my dining room) and she told me I needed to wrap greaseproof paper around the candle before heating and it worked a treat................clearly that's where I've gone wrong on previous attempts which has always put me off doing more candles. With the three flowers in place I them repeat stamped one of the definition quotes and added a strip around the bottom of the candle.

Hope you all have a good weekend,

 

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Thank You

Morning Peeps, it's Saturday and time for a new challenge at Allsorts where our host is Tracy and her theme is 'Thank You or New Year'. Our winner will receive a lovely prize from Craft Stash.

The background for this one was stamped using Distress Markers and an old Inkylicious stamp, holding it in my hand to stamp just a section of the stamp, circles added using a top of an embossing powder tub dipped into distress ink and used as a stamp. The focal image is Penny Black inked with the same colour Distress Inks and spritzed with water before stamping, a few sequins and Penny Black sentiment.

The above card is very CAS for me but it's growing on me! The flowers are a Sweet Poppy stencil, I used pearlescent white medium, also from Sweet Poppy and sprinkled gold glitter on as soon as I removed the stencil and the medium still wet. The sentiment is the same Penny Black one as above.

Have a good weekend.

 

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Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Morning Peeps, it's mid way time at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More challengse and I also have my shares from my post yesterday over at the Chocolate Baroque blog, so a bit of a hefty post.

At Stamping Sensations our theme is Traditional Christmas Colours and at PB&M it's simply Christmas. 

My Penny Black share uses a super quote and I love the story behind it. The stamp is a real PB oldie and is a genuine quote taken from a New York newspaper in 1897 when a reply was sent to a little eight year called Virginia O'Hanlon who wrote in the the paper asking of Santa was real, this was their answer. The little girl on my card who for the benefit of this post we will call Virginia is part of a PB stamp called For Goodness Sake. The embossed snowflake is also PB as are the die cut snowflakes. I'm not sure Virginia would have been dressed quite like this in 1897 so I'll put it down to artistic licence.

My Stamping Sensations share above uses the new Christmas Garden stamp from this months sponsor Chocolate Baroque, it's a huge stamp and full of detail and it's easy to use just sections of the stamp as I did with my DT card earlier this month. 

And my Chocolate Baroque shares, the one at the top of the post is also one of them. The show featured stamps made from Lesley's personal ephemera collection along with some favourite floral ones. Have to say I really enjoyed working working with this release. 

 

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