Hello

Good morning all.

A funny old day yesterday, woke to bright sunshine but by dusk it was blowing a gale and raining...looks like more wind and rain today and tomorrow too! Hope it brightens for the Easter Weekend.

A card made for a swap to share today with the theme of "Watch the Birdie".

Backing card, stencil and sparkle medium all from Imagination Crafts. Sentiment die from memory Box and gems from my stash.

This was one of those cards where if something could go wrong it did!! I started by stencilling on plain white card, looked at it and thought silly moo! (or words to that effect!). Re-did no problem, got the topper all made up stuck it onto the base card with foam tape...I'd made an upside down tent fold card!! Managed to correct this without any damage then decided it needed something in the middle of the card so found a nice sentiment which fitted, stamped with stazon ink then remembered the foam tape which meant I got a lousy impression...thought about covering up with a die cut but it wasn't going to look right! I then had a light bulb moment and remembered the stazon remover...things couldn't really get any worse could they...et voila the card was saved!! I quickly did an insert, took a photo and removed it from harms way while it was still in one piece!

Challenges entered:

613 Avenue Create - anything goes

Scribble and Scrap - anything goes

Crazy 4 Challenges - let's think spring

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - anything goes/add a sentiment

Simply Create Too - anything goes

Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes

Dream it Up - Marching into spring

Joy to the World

Good morning all.

Well I appear to have boobed big time yesterday...the Christmas Card Club theme was "Feature a Creature/Critter" not Christmas tree as I did!! So here are some cute critters to make amends. Sorry Maureen...will try harder next time lol!

Lots of NBUS on this card....film strip from Pretty Pink Posh, sentiment from Penny Black and penguins from Mama Elephant....a whole load of schtuff which I can put away now! Images coloured with promarkers. Background dies are from Spellbinders. Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

Challenges entered:

Darnell's NBUS - challenge #4

Addicted to CAS - cute

Alphabet Challenge - C is for cute and cuddly

Christmas Stampin' all Year Round - dies to die 4

Allsorts - feature a creature

Christmas Card Club "Feature a Christmas Tree/Trees"

Good morning all.

We had quite a bright day yesterday after the rain stopped, a tad windy for a while though.

Another fortnight gone and it's time once again for our little Christmas Card Club to reveal our latest creations. Maureen set the theme this time and asked us to "Feature a Christmas Tree/Trees".

I've made a very modern card!

Stamps and Tree die all from Clearly Besotted and stamped with Memento inks. Stitched hillside die from Lawn Fawn. The blue tree has been stamped onto waste card and die cut to give a little dimension. Blue pearl star from my stash.

You'll find the link to the other girls on my sidebar if you'd like to see what everyone else has made...you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - combine 3 previous challenges

(Week 142 Trees, Week 157 Colour - Rainbow, Week 196 Non Traditional Christmas)

CHNC - stick it

CHNC Extra - anything Christmas goes

Holly Jolly Christmas - stitching real/faux

Jingle Belles - fa-la-la-la-la

12 Tags of 2015 - March

Good morning all and a warm welcome to my recent new followers, I hope you enjoy your visits here.

The forecast today is wet followed by windy...a good day to craft me thinks!

Finally got my tag made for March, this is version two. I don't have many distress paints so I had added some inks to the picket fence one to go with the two colours I had,  then yesterday I got happy mail with the my March new releases so decided to start again using the three new colours I now have.

I need some practise at this smooshing  ink/paint business...I never like my results! Tissue tape from my stash; three new colours distress paint; Scribbly Birds stamp; sunray stencil; texture paste; gold EP; various ideology pieces; charm and ribbon from my stash.

Challenges entered:

12 Tags of 2015 - March

Artful Times - all things Tim

A Vintage Journey - anything Tim

The Mirror Crack'd - wings

Mixed Media Monthly - birds of a feather

Mixed Media World - anything goes

What makes you Different

Good afternoon all.

Domestic Goddess hat has been dispensed with for today and I'm having five minutes before I need to start cooking! Another glorious spring day here, just hope it lasts all weekend.

A second post from me today...running out of month to enter some challenges!

This is a small canvas, painted first with gesso then, using a brayer I layered opaque and translucent Fresco Finish paints in various shades of blue, adding a layer of gesso between each colour. I used Grunge Paste for the first time with a stencil from Memory Box and painted over it once dry with the darkest shade of paint. The NBUS stamps are from Unity Stamps...stamped onto tissue paper and added to the canvas with gel medium. I used a versamark pen and various EP's to add colour to the flowers and leaves, then painted the rest with Fresco Finish paints.

This is my first attempt at this type of image on a canvas and I'm quite pleased how it turned out...but there is room for improvement! Not sure whether to add anything else or leave it be...

Challenges entered:

Inkspirational Challenge - she art

Unity Stamps - Friends with Flair

Darnell's NBUS challenge- #4

Stamp Artic - use stamps

STAMPlorations - stamps & stencils

Golden Oldie

Good morning all.

We woke to rain yesterday and it stayed cold, damp and miserable all day! A good day to stay home and wait for the shopping to come to you...which it did! I then spent some time sorting out the food cupboard, labelling jars which hubby had filled with baking products and left lying on the kitchen table then putting everything back in some semblance of order...no doubt he will un-order it faster than the speed of light then complain he can't find anything! I did have a clear out of OOD goods whilst I was at it. Meanwhile I had a ham hough boiling merrily away to make a lovely pan of stock...leek and potato soup on the menu today.

Friday again so along with domestic goddess duties it must be golden oldie time over at Erika's.

Made from a Card Carousel template in 2008 for my Mum on what would have her Golden Wedding Anniversary if Dad had been alive. I couldn't let the day go un-noticed.

The embossed card was from Create and Craft and oh did I get into a sticky mess using wet glue to stick it all together!! Flowers would be from Joanna Sheen and the inevitable peel offs make an appearance too!

Rudolph Day

Good morning all.

Another gorgeously sunny day yesterday although there was quite a chill in the air still. Hubby and I took Freya a long walk in the afternoon...my unused muscles are objecting today!!

A quick Christmas card to share today...using the second die cut I managed from the iffy die which I sent back!

Background die from Poppy Stamps. Sentiment from Stamps Away, dies from Spellbinders. Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.

Challenges entered:

Rudolph Day - March

CMCC#64 - Colour Me...Playful

Simon Says Wednesday - anything goes

Fab n Funky - Christmas

Get Creative Challenges - use a die cut

Soft and Silent

Good morning all.

Another lovely day here yesterday. After getting some chores done I managed a little crafting while tea was cooking then spent another couple of hours last night in the craft room.

I couldn't leave Sarah out at LIM this week so had to CASE her card too.

I used the colours and embossing and made a Christmas card. Sentiment die is from Stamps Away, snowflake dies and matching stamps are from Paper Smooches, sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

Background is stamped with the PS stamps and silver ink. Dies and sentiment are stamped with versamark and heat embossed with silver detail EP.

Here is Sarah's card:

Challenges entered:

Less is More - CASE a DT card

Simon Says Monday - one stamp many ways

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - silent night

Jingle Belles - mission EMBOSS-ible

ABC Christmas Challenge - f is for frosty

With Sympathy

Good morning all.

I was most dis-chuffed last Friday to discover a Custom's Charge of £11.66 in the post for a parcel worth a little over £18. I had to pay to get the parcel which was delivered yesterday...the Amazon seller had put the worth of the parcel as being $73.77. I took a photo and contacted them immediately, they swiftly responded and apologized and refunded the monies back via Amazon. Result - one happy customer who won't hesitate to shop again!

I had a crafty afternoon yesterday and made a few cards.

I made a sympathy card for the box as I hate making them when needed! Hopefully I won't need this one for a while. Stamps are from Clearly Besotted and I've stamped with Memento ink.

Over at LIM we're asked to CASE a DT card this week, I decided to CASE Chrissie's card today and chose to use the same colours plus flowers.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - CASE a DT card

Just us Girls - black and white plus ?

Time Out - black and white plus a splash

Scrap & Craft - flowers

Addicted to Stamps - anything goes

We wish you a Merry Christmas

Good morning all.

I think we've just seen the first weekend of spring...still very cold but glorious sunshine. We had a lovely night out on Saturday with family...good food and company and lots of laughter.

Yesterday afternoon would have been better spent in the craft room than watching an appalling game of football but I did get time to make one card. Today's share is a Christmas card...I'm lagging behind with my counter so need to get a shift on.

The ladies at LIM have a CASE the DT challenge this week, I've chosen to CASE Anne's cute one layer card.

Using my favourite PB penguins stamped off the page and coloured with promarkers then glamour dust added to the hats. Sentiment is a NBUS stamp from Memory Box, it does have a bird on it which I masked off when inking it. Bakers twine from my stash.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - CASE a DT card

CHNC - Christmas singing

Fashionable Stamping - go to stamp (the PB penguins is my go to Christmas stamp)

Winter Wonderland - warm winter wishes

Darnell's NBUS challenge #4

Family...

Good morning all.

 I hope you're all enjoying the same spring weather we have here, it was another gorgeous day yesterday.

A quick one from the QVC kit (which must be 8/9 years old!) to share today...after a meal out with my brother and sisters last night I though it was appropriate.

This card has an acetate front held on with the brads over the coloured shapes. The acetate obviously moved before I took the photo and is looking very skew-whiff!

Challenges entered:

Brown Sugar - anything goes

Crafty Catz - no design paper

Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes

Crafting from the Heart - anything goes

Inspiration Destination - anything goes

Noted

Good morning all.

We ended up with another glorious spring day yesterday despite the cloudy forecast. The eclipse was quite surreal as my computer sits in full sunshine at that time of day so I was sat with the sun on my back and the moons shadow shading the screen. It was actually too sunny to see the moon itself and I didn't have anything protective for my eyes so I basked in it instead lol.

A bit of upcycling/altering today...I won this  note block in a raffle recently and decided it was ripe for a bit of altering.

This is how it used to be...navy blue tacky plastic cover but a nice size and very sturdy. This is what it looks like now:

This is plan A...I started with plan B and painted the plastic with black gesso then used the brayer with various Fresco Finish paints but I didn't like it....so...

After removing the notepad I recovered the whole outer with adhesive canvas and painted it with gesso.  I then set to with a brayer and some Fresco Finish paints from Paper Artsy in first an opaque Mermaid then a translucent South Pacific. Peacock feathers DI was then sponged through a circles stencil from Memory Box before I stamped a chicken wire and word stamps from Artistic Stamper.

The bird on a branch is a stencil from Imagination Crafts and I've used two colours of Sparkle Medium. Noted is from Prima, metal doily and love plate were a recent purchase from China, butterfly charm from Splodgeaway and corners from Mucky Paws...these were all gessoed then sponged with peacock feathers DI. Feather and flower were from my stash.

I love how this turned out!

Challenges entered:

Mixed Media Monthly - birds of a feather

Our Creative Corner - junk in your trunk

Paper Artsy - deconstruction

Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-Invent - anything goes

Mixed Media World - anything goes

Golden Oldie Friday

Good morning all.

We had a beautiful spring day here yesterday, just a shame the clear skies and sunshine haven't lasted until today for the solar eclipse. Judging by the forecast I don't think we'll see very much if anything of it. Updated, as this was scheduled last night, to say we have beautiful sunshine to view the eclipse.

Managed some crafting time yesterday, the results of which you'll see tomorrow...another project which has taken days to finish. 

Domestic Goddess day again, although my back decided to go last night so it might be a very quick once over.

I'm joining Erika at Snappy Crafts again today to show a golden oldie...I've gone back to 2009 to show the card I made for Mum on Mother's Day that year.

I think this is the only word card I've ever made...using the Flower Fairy CD from Crafter's Companion, ribbons and various embellishments. I don't know how I found the time or the patience to make something like this when I was working full time, I don't have either the time or the patience now I've retired!!

Enjoy your weekend whatever you've got planned.

Happy Birthday Brother

Good morning all.

Well the wanderer returned yesterday...he'd burned himself out and has come home for a rest!! He'd made it down to Dover but hadn't taken any time out to relax and since he was mostly wild camping he was up and about early every day moving on. Guess who'll be doing the washing today!!

I finally managed to finish a card yesterday which I'd started at the weekend!

This was a commissioned card for my brother's ex wife to give her brother. Image is from Bugaboo, coloured with promarkers. Papers are freebies from Jak Heath. Border punch from Martha Stewart. Brother die from Spellbinders. Happy birthday sentiment and banner die from Clearly Besotted. I've used a Swiss Dots EF on the sentiment (which was computer generated) to make it look like a golf ball. Finished with some charms from Splodgeaway and binders twine.

Inside has been decorated with a similar layout.

Challenges entered:

Crafting by Designs - masculine projects

Little Red Wagon - all tied up

Fan-Tastic Tuesday - anything goes, make it square

Passion for Promarkers - check it out

Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes

That Craft Place - add a charm

Crafting for all Seasons #98 "Pastel Hues"

Good morning all.

After waiting two weeks for an engineer to come out to fix the fridge freezer, why is it they turn up have a look, tell you what you already know, take down the serial number you've already provided and say they'll be back in a few days when they get the parts!!! Grrrrr!

It's time for a new challenge at CFAS and this time the theme is "Pastel Hues". We're looking forward to seeing all your makes. We're being sponsored by Art by Miran who gave the DT images to work with.

I've opted not to use a sponsor image this time. My simple one layer card uses a cute stamp and sentiment from Penny Black coloured with promarkers then masked before I sponged DI through a Memory Box stencil. Base card has been embossed with a stitched rectangle die from Spellbinders.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the inspiration from the other girls, you won't be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - one layer with an animal

Simon Says Monday - animals

STAMPlorations - stamps and stencils

AAA cards - bare naked CAS

Happy Stampers - sponging

Thanks

Good morning all.

Sunday was a quiet day...it was a case of 2 outta 3 ain't bad! I got cards and flowers from both Gary and Lora and finally managed to extract a Happy Mother's Day from Mark when he phoned to regale me with tales of his upset stomach! Unfortunately shortly after putting the flowers into a vase the whole family came down with hay fever symptoms and I had to remove the lilies and broom and put them outside!

Yesterday was my monthly visit to the hairdressers then hubby and I went out for lunch and did some shopping. Waiting for an engineer this morning to fix the ice-maker on the fridge.

The old mojo is still acting up so a quick one from the QVC kit today.

Made as per the instructions so I can't take any credit for the design, I just got everything straight which is sometimes an achievement in itself!

Challenges entered:

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - anything goes with spots or stripes

Sister Act - anything goes

Inspiration Destination - anything goes

Crafting from the Heart - anything goes

Craft Your Passion - anything goes

Mema's Crafts - anything goes