Cuttlebug's been out again!

This card uses the 2"x2" mini folders to make a border and the Score board to cover any lines above the embossed image.

Those prima flowers are lovely to give a focus...

The finished article from the one shown at the top.

The stamp is from the Graphicus Harlequin Rose plate.

And finally one coloured with chalks.

More Cuttlebug cards

I've been double embossing again - this one is using the diamond rough and friends forever (combo). It is for my Nephew and his Fiancee who got engaged at the weekend.

This one used the paisley folder and a border from the 'with love' set I think! I finished it off using prima flowers and punched leaves to hide where I didn't quite match it up, lol!

Sketch Saturday Challenge #39

Here is my entry for sketch saturday's challenge. The Stamp is from Little Claire Designs and the papers are from Canon Creative Park. I coloured it with my watercolour pencils and puched the flowers, using tulip paint for the middles.

Blue...

The latest three cards I just made have a distinct blue theme. The first was inspired by something I saw when blog hopping last night, and it is here, on Heart Prints. It involves putting the card through 2 cuttlebug embossing folders, and I love the effect. I coloured it with chalks. The greeting is from Graphicus (Paisley Elephants plate)

With my second card I covered one side of the embossing folder with Brilliance Peacock and then used prima flowers on the bottom edge

This last card uses paper from my Artylicious Butterfly Bliss cd and a graphicus stamp using turquoise gem versamagic - simple, but I love the colours.

Day out in Derbyshire

This is Peveril Castle close to the small town of Castleton in Derbyshire.

We visited it today. The castle is high on the hill overlooking the town and with magnificent views towards Mam Tor, Hollins Cross and Black Tor, not to mention the breathtaking Cavedale. Up on the tops of the hills were a few patches of snow, but down in the Churchyard there were snowdrops - lots of them!

We also visited the Castleton Visitors centre and yes, we did finish off the afternoon in a tea shop!

Brick and Teal Graphicus Challenge

Well, here is my entry for the Graphicus Brick and Teal colour challenge, and I have to say it hasn't been easy! I discarded several attempts saying that isn't brick and that isn't teal! I eventually settled with a mixture of Rust and terracotta for brick and stream adirondack for teal. Stamps are from Butterfly Whimsy plate and Paisley Elephant plate. I also used the paisley cuttlebug embossing folder and Versamark ink pad.

A day in Lincoln

Today we had a lovely day out in Lincoln. We spent the morning looking round the Cathedral. Even on a dull day it is a spectacular sight. Meg took this photo as we arrived. Every corner seems to hold a hidden gem. We were drawn to one of the doorways in the west front which had some incredibly intricate carving to every column (not sure if that is the correct architectural term)

These are just a few of the photos we took just in one doorway!

The pillar that these two carvings were on had a different image in every panel. It was fascinating.

Inside the Cathedral was equally stunning. The stained glass is truly breathtaking.

I particularly enjoyed a quite moment in the cloister, which was like stepping back in time. There was such a sense of tranquility.


We had our lunch in the cathedral's own Cafe, which was extremely tasty and very good value. After lunch we went to the Castle, where we learned about the prison and took a stroll around the castle walls, including up the observatory tower. As someone who really doesn't like heights I was quite proud of myself! With the weather as it was the views were not at their best, but quite atmospheric, with the main Cathedral tower disappearing into the mist. The tower on the right looks all blurry and out of focus. It's sending my eyes all wierd!
We had an hour at the museum and rounded the day off with tea and cakes in a tea room on Steep Hill. Very Nice!

House Mouse Monday Challenge # 25

I've decided to enter my second ever sketch challenge, this time on House Mouse and friends Monday Challenge Blog. I've said in previous posts that I've a real soft spot for these little guys and the sketch and prize are very appealing.

I've used the stamp 'Oh! Happy Days!' featuring Monica, colouring her with watercolour pencils. The papers came free with a magazine several moons ago - I can't remember which, and the brads are from my stash. The stamp prize features a mouse bathing in a cup of marshmallows... let me dream!!!

With one stamp...

The car is at the garage having a service, Meg has a friend round and I have decided to have a play with some adirondack inks. I bought Lake Mist a couple of weeks ago, and this idea has been in my head after an inspirational/accidental 'post-it' moment! I brayered the sky with lake mist using a post-it circle to mask the sun. I used the rest of the post-it to mask whilst I coloured the sun using Red Pepper. Next I used a torn edge to mask whilst sponging eggplant for the horizon. I stamped the grasses (Lavinia stamp) in Olympia Green and Onyx Black Versafine. Hope you have a tranquil day...

Thinking of Spring...

The snow has almost all gone, and as it melted it revealed snowdrops in our garden. That made me think of spring, so last night I made a couple of cards with spring in mind. I used all Graphicus stamps. The first is my attempt at something Glenda did back in June 2008, and I found on her Artylicious blog. I stamped the tree from the Aboretum plate and then stamped the flowers and embossed in white embossing powder. I used alcohol inks to colour them pink. It's ok, but not as good as I would have liked. I was rather pleased with the brayering of the background though. I'm getting better at making it more uniform. The plants in the foreground are from the Wild Meadow plate. The next card uses the Wild meadow plate again and adirondack inks in lettuce and meadow. I stamped the thistle in olive versafine and coloured it with my Aquatone pencils. I then coloured over it with a versamarker and embossed with clear embossing powder. After that I stamped the plants in the background using lettuce. More use of my nestabilities!

Sketch Saturday Challenge #38

I was sat there surrounded by scraps of paper, wondering what to do with them when I thought of the Sketch Saturday Challenge website. This is the first time I've followed a sketch properly, and I'm not sure it's right, but there's no harm in trying! It also gave me another chance to use my nestabilities (I think I'm addicted!) The cake stamp is by the Stamping Bug, and the papers are from creative park.

More Lavinia stamps and cuties

I stamped the plain white card with the butterfly stamp using Brilliance twilight ages ago and then couldn't think what to do with it. I suddenly thought last night that I could put a nestabilities centre on it. Here is the finished article using all Lavinia stamps.

These two cards feature a Little Claire Designs stamp called Floral Hogs. the papers are from canon Creative Park again.

I love Lavinia Stamps!

In celebration of Lavinia Stamps new website I decided to post a few of my cards using their stamps. They have very kindly included some of my cards in their reader's gallery, and on their blog. Having a glance through their stamps I have just spotted more trees that I could definitely use!!! As I am nowhere near as good with a brayer as Tracey Dutton, the third and fourth cards are sponged for background colour. The first and second use Creative Colour Sprays.

This is about as cute as I get!

I've been playing with my new nestabilities and some paper downloaded from Canon Creative Park. I've never really thought in terms of sketches, but I guess that is what I've done here. They feature two of my House Mouse stamps. I don't do alot of cute, but I have a real soft spot for these guys! The cards themselves are heading for my box and I know they will be gone in a couple of days. I wonder how long it will be before my spend/sell balance looks a little more healthy?!!

There it goes again!

OMG! Have you seen the blog Candy on The Elusive Images team blog? Two plates of mouthwateringly gorgeous stamps that I just have to have! I am putting comments on here and on their post in the hope I can win one of them, but as I have never won anything yet, I can see another big spend on the horizon! Can I wait till my birthday in May? Doubtful! Anyway, if you want to be in with a chance of winning blog candy too, click here to get to the Elusive Images blog page.

Bang goes my New Year Resolution!

I've made a few cards and an ATC to go in my box. I need to sell a few to make up for the fact that Lynne and I went to Once Upon A Stamp this morning, and I had fully intended spending about £30, but spent twice that! I bought three sets of nestabilitles, one of which I will put away for my Birthday. I also got the embossing mats and 6 ink pads, 4 distress and 2 adirondack. I saved £12 with the special offers they had on, so it could have been worse!!! Stamps featured are from Graphicus, Magenta and crafty individuals.

More Birthday Cards

This is what I eventually did with the panels of my Dads card. I made a cover with card and the inner pages with some 12x12 folded over on itself. I finished it off with a couple of eyelets and a ribbon, adding a greeting and a quote.

I was asked by a work mate to make a birthday card for her son, who is having a Saxophone for his present. I don't have a Sax stamp (I need one though!) so I resorted to a peel off. The mirri card was rubbed over with Timber brown stazon and the music stamp is by Stamp-It, an Australian company.

Today got better!

Today might not have started off too well, but it has got better. Just after lunch I got a phone call to say Julie was home! She had her operation on the 26th January and she has already come home. To quote another friend, 'What a fighter!' Mohamed Ali has got nothing on her! Meg and I popped up to see her for a little while, and she looks great! The trip back from Manchester was without problem until they got to our street. Julie wasn't going to be defeated though - she walked the last little bit with a hand from her hubby Paul. She is still going to be recouperating for a couple of months yet, with no lifting -not even the kettle, but she is surrounded by those who love her which I am sure will help alot.

Snow and Teaching

Today I have decided to have a bit of a rant. Over the past few days the press have been very negative about teachers, and I really want to set the record straight. Today is the first day I have not made it into school and that our school has been closed. I set off at 7.15 - ten minutes earlier than usual, and took an hour to get just less than a mile. Our school was announced as closed at 7.50 and I still haven't heard how many staff have made it back home safe and sound. I spent over half an hour stuck on a road in Sherwood. The ring road was down to a single lane. I eventually managed to get myself back to the road where I live, but had to leave my car at the bottom of the hill after hitting the curb several times whilst attempting to get up the road. I am feeling really fed up. Believe it or not I really wanted to go to work today. Some children in my class are really beginning to make good progress and I want to use every possible moment to make sure they succeed. When I've finished my rant I will be making some resources to use with them and planning for next week.
I feel a responsibility towards the children in my class that is not very far removed from the responsibility I feel as a parent. I teach them, yes, but I also put plasters on their knees, mop up their sick, return their hugs and tell them that I am there for them every step of the way, because in some cases I'm the only adult in their lives that will be. So, when some local radio presenter says that Teachers are lazy, am I over-reacting by feeling upset? What is that saying about walking a mile in someone elses shoes? This week I have delivered staff meeting, dealt with cuts and bruises, 'Choral' vomiting (Why do parents send their children to school when they have been throwing up all night?) headlice as big as rodents, computer gliches, snowball fights, falling out over football and still managed to teach 5 lessons each day to a class of 27 wonderful, vibrant, positive children who want to make me proud of them. I'd love to see that Radio presenter do the same.

Four Seasons

Here are the four panels of my Dad's Birthday card. They each measure 13cm square. All stamps are Graphicus except for the distant trees on the winter panel - they are a Stampin' up! image. Outside it is snowing and yet again the gritting lorry has failed to find our road - getting to work tomorrow could prove tricky!