I did it and an entry for Allsorts

                    

Yesterday was Black Belt grading for our Karate club. There were students attending from Hull, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and further north too. It lasted 3 hours and divided roughly into 3 sections: Combinations, Kata  and Kumite. I am very happy to say that not only did I survive, but I was awarded my Shodan Ho black belt at the end of it.

There were 5 of us going for our first black belt from our local class (four pictured above). We all made the grade and passed. I was very grateful to be cheered on by my hubby, daughter and partner and my niece. It wasn't very warm in there if you were sitting down or not moving about!

Meg had my camera and was able to take a few action shots. As you can see, I wasn't getting cold or sitting down 😆

Here I am bowing to our Sensei, receiving my belt and certificate. Edit: I am 4ft 11" and he is 6ft 8"

My lovely niece had bought me a present which she gave me...

Today is a very laid-back day. I have paid a brief visit to one of my training buddies dojos to take her a little gift to say thanks for her support. Other than that I am chilling, watching the squirrels in the garden and contemplating what is left to do for Christmas besides baking.
I can certainly find the time to enter a card at Allsorts this week where the theme is Anything goes. I am sharing the Christmas card I made for Meg. It is one of my usual Inkylicious scenes featuring some of my favourite stamps. I used my ink dusters and a mixture of Distress inks and Memento inks. The tree and deer were stamped in versafine Clair.

Thanks for looking and I hope your Christmas preparations are going very well. If I don't manage to pop in again before the big day,  have a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Flowers

The Challenge at Allsorts this week is Christmas Flowers, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to get out my Christmas Foliage and Christmas Garland Hobby Art sets. I stamped in memento Desert Sand and coloured with my Zig clean colour real brush markers. The sentiment is a very old one from Stamporium. I matted and layered it onto a 7"x7" card.
Do pop over to the Allsorts challenge blog and look at the wonderful Christmas inspiration over there.

A bit of Silver

The challenge at Allsorts this week is to add something gold or silver. I embossed this lovely Woodware stamp in silver and coloured the background with zig pens. I matted and layered using silver mirri paper and stuck it on the front of a silver grey card. I managed to leave a versamark fingerprint on the base card, so I stamped round it with my inkylicious twinchie stamp in versamark then dusted with silver mica powder. It covered it up nicely 😁 In the past I would probably have cut away the base card or even binned it and started again. These days I try and find ways to cover up mistakes. Well placed sequins, splatter stamps, doodle stamps, liquid pearls and embellishments are all very useful, lol. Do you have a prefered method for covering fingerprints or smudges?
Thanks for looking xxx

Trees and Leaves at Allsorts

 

The theme at Allsorts this week is Trees and Leaves, so of course I had to enter, lol. I am here with two one layer cards using Uniko stamps, Stamped in memento and dusted with distress inks. I used masking tape to cover the area where I later stamped the sentiments. Both were finished with a 'few' drops of liquid pearls. This lovely simple stamp set is so versatile, and I have used it lots since I bought it, and for all 4 seasons, not just Autumn. 

The sentiment on this second one is from a Woodware set.
I've just discovered that the latest challenge at Uniko Studio is Anything goes with a twist of Autumn, so I am entering my card there too.
 
Do pop over to Allsorts and Uniko and check out some of the amazing inspiration on show.
Thanks for looking!

Anything goes at Allsorts

The theme this week at Allsorts is 'Anything Goes' so not too much thinking required, lol. I thought I would share a card a neighbour asked me to make. When she said she liked horses, I remembered I had some by Lavina, so a 'scene' card was the result. The stamps are all Lavinia or Inkylicious, except the sentiment (Little Claire) and the scrabble tiles. I coloured the card with ink dusters and a variety of inks. A fine black pen was used to add grass under the horses and a distant fence.
As this is another card featuring animals, I'm also taking to Penny Black and More for my second entry there.
Thanks for looking!

Something Feminine at Allsorts

The challenge at Allsorts this fortnight is to make something feminine and as I have just finished this card for a neighbour's sister, I thought it would be ideal to share. The flowers are the cherry blossom stamp set from Honey Doo, coloured with zig clean color brush markers. I added glitter glue and liquid pearls to the centres. The scrabble letters are a very old stamp set from Stamporium (possibly 20 years old and no longer available). The distress oxide background was stamped with a swirly leaf stamp from Inkylicious in tea dye distress ink.
Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments x

Rudof Days for July with a button and a bow

 I'm here with a couple of cards for this month's Rudolf days. I have had a very busy first two days of retirement, with hairdressers, meeting up with friends, a visit to see Dad ( He had his cataract removed last week) and karate grading for 3 of my students. Today has been very lesiurely by comparison 😁. After clearing a little space on my craft table I used a few of the goodies I purchased at Doncaster. The Die is called Ice crystal circle by Amy Designs and was an absolute bargain. The stamps used in the centre are from Hobby Art, stamped with Memento ink.

I added a bow and a button on the second card so I can enter it into this week's challenge at Allsorts as well as the Rudolf Days challenge over at Scrappy Mo's.
Short and sweet today as I am off out into the garden to spend some time with Steve as today is our Pearl Anniversary. Thanks for looking and I will be back in blog land very soon.

Clean and Simple at Allsorts

The new challenge at Allsorts this week is Clean and Simple, a perfect opportunity to share this card. I dusted the background with citrus twist, mermaid lagoon and wilted violet distress inks, placing a moon mask over the top after the first dusting. I stamped Inkylicious tiny script in memento lulu lavender, then stamped the Woodware fennel and sentiment in versafine clair ink.
Thanks for looking. I'm hanging on for dear life as we stampede towards the end of term... just 10 more 'get-ups' to go!

Ladybirds and Daisies

Over at Allsorts this week there is a theme of Blossoms, butterflies, bugs. I have had a bit of a trawl through some of my very old stash this week, and from some of it came up with this. The stamp is Penny Black Lazy Daisies, stamped onto watercolour card and coloured with zig clean color markers. I have always loved this image. It reminds me of those warm spring days where suddenly there is a ladybird everywhere you look in the garden! The paper was from a very old Provo Craft Bitty Scrap pad - all blues, greens and purples, and I loved every one. What you can't see is the shine on the ladybirds and the shimmer on the centre of the daisies, from a gelly roll glaze and a gelly roll stardust pen. I also added the white marks on the ladybirds' faces with a white gel pen.
I am also entering this into the Penny Black and More challenge, where the theme is Spring.
I hope you are having a good week and thanks for your lovely comments.

Milestones

The challenge at Allsorts this week is Milestones, and they are asking for anything with a number on it. A little while ago I made this card for a friend's son. He loves listening to live music and so I made a background with a Bee Crafty Stencil and distress inks, before stamping the Visible Image drummer with Versafine ink. The Happy 21st Birthday is a stamp set from Little Clare (no longer available, unfortunately) that has interchangable numbers and greetings and is very useful. It is a very simple card but was well received and considered very 'on trend' by Meg and her friends! I am going to try a few more cards like this but using distress oxides and versafine Clair inks for a more grungy look.
Hope your week has gone well and thanks for looking! Your comments are very much appreciated. 

Uniko stamps

At Stamp Magic I treated myself to some stamps from Uniko, who I'd only become aware of at Doncaster in June. There were some beautiful samples and some sets had matching dies too. I particularly liked the Just because set, which I used to make both of these cards, along with one of their stencils. This first one has added gems so I am entering it in this weeks Allsorts challenge, where the theme is Pearls and/or Gems.

My second card was made with the same stamps and oxide inks, dotted with glitter glue.
These are quite different for me in style but took all of five minutes to make and I rather like the results. I can also say that Uniko stamps are very good quality for the price and stamp well. I may find myself buying more!
Thanks for looking!

October at Stamping Sensations

It is the first Sunday of the month and time for our October challenge at Stamping Sensations. This month we have a lovely theme....

****Shades of Autumn****

My project this month features a background stamp on the base card from our sponsor, Stamp Addicts, and small stamps on the main panel from Hobby Art. I used Zig cleancolor markers to colour the watercolour panel.

Please remember, we need you to play by the rules:

Please can I remind you we are a stamping challenge so must see a stamped image which reflects the theme as the focal element of your artwork , this means:

Stamping must be the central point of attention and interest

 We are pleased to welcome back Stamp Addicts  as our sponsor this month, with a fabulous £25 store voucher for our lucky winner. There are some wonderful stamps and other crafty goodies on their website
Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the fabulous creations from my talented team mates!
Thanks for looking!

Music

The theme at Allsorts this week is Music, so I thought I would join in with a couple of guitar cards I made recently. The guitar stamp and the mandala stencil on the first is from Bee Crafty, and the second has the soundwaves dots stamp (Bee Crafty) and a variety of stencils in the background. For both I used oxide inks.

On both I applied a layer of glossy accents over the guitar. Here is a close-up.

Before I go I thought I would share a few photos from our recent trip to Wales. We visited Powis Castle and as usual the gardens were alive with butterflies and bees. I have a list of plants I would like one day, based on some of their borders 😄.

Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments.

Something New

Here is a card I made with my new spectrum Noir sparkle pens and two new stamps from Bee Crafty. I am loving that sparkle! I might have moaned about breaking up from school so late, but it has been wonderful to have some crafting time after all the festivities have ended. It is back to work tomorrow so I am cramming in an extra post today.
I think this has to be one of my favourite quotes of all time and I intend to try and follow that advice this year!
As the challenges at Allsorts this week and Penny Black and More this month are to show new things, I am entering this card into both challenges.
I hope your New Year has got off to a good start and thanks for looking and for your lovely comments x

Cold and frosty colours

The Current challenge at Allsorts is to use cold and frosty colours. I have been playing with Bare Trees 3 from Inkylicious for a couple of cards and had just created this little scene when the theme popped up.
Here is another card made with the same tree, but in warmer tones and with a Card-io sentiment.

The Inkylicious set comes with two trees, speckles and grass and will be great for any season - I'm just in winter mode at the moment!
Sorry it is so short and sweet after no posts for a fortnight. Meg and Grant have just arrived home for 3 weeks and last week was Panto week at school. I've been all out completing assessment data, but only 4 days left to go at work so the end is in sight!
Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments!

A Pink Birthday

A dear friend bought me some beautiful floral layering stamps from Studio Light and a little while ago I made her Birthday card with them. It was a great opportunity to use my Stampers friend from Be Creative to line them up and I was very pleased with the accuracy I managed. I used memento inks. The sentiment is from Hobby Art. I added some spots of glitter glue, wanting it to look like dew...might have been better with glossy accents thinking about it now 😉
As it is Think Pink week at Allsorts, it was the perfect opportunity to post it. Lynne, Audrey and I are off to Stamp Magic tomorrow and will be enjoying a crafty moment or two this evening. Hope you have a wonderful weekend too!
Thanks for looking!

Sparkle and Shine

 Good morning! Hope you are having a lovely weekend so far! When I saw the challenge at Allsorts this week I knew I had a card that fit the bill! I made this for my lovely colleague Sarah, who keeps me sane every day! I used Visible image and Inkylicious stamps, along with Distress inks in mermaid lagoon, picked raspberries and seedless preserves. I dusted the inks onto silk art card and used a stencil and a baby wipe to remove some colour in places. When it was dry I stamped the rain drops (Inkylicious) in memento black, adding a bit of sparkle with a gelly roll clear stardust pen. When it was dry I stamped the girl and the sentiment (visible Image) in Versamark and embossed with Be creative black sparkle embossing powder. It really was very sparkly, but unfortunately the camera hasn't really picked it up. It didn't help that there wasn't enough natural light either. Here is a close up where you can see a little bit of twinkle, but not half as much as there was in real life!

 I stamped the base card with Visible image stamps in the same inks and dusted with the same inks. The matting and layering was done with snippets so I am nipping off to Miss Di's snippet playground with this too.
We have just returned from a few days away in mid Wales. The rain certainly didn't dull Nature's sparkle. Here is the view from our cottage... Sheep rather than gold at the end of that rainbow!

 We spent a day at Lake Vyrnwy and saw more rainbows...

 There is some beautiful scenery around the lake and there are several waymarked RSPB walks giving stunning views of the lake.

 Here is a close-up of the tower on the lake. It may house various instruments to do with the reservoir's water, but whoever designed it make it look like something from a fairytale!

 The waterfall looked so beautiful surrounded by the Autumn colours and the sun provided beautiful spotlights as we walked.

Thanks for looking!

Father's Day cards

I am sorry I haven't been around blog land much this week. It is report writing season and I need to get them done by next weekend, so I will be back soon. I have two cards to share with you today. One is for my dad and one is for Steve from Meg. Meg normally makes her own, but she has had three A level exams this week, so that is what she has been concentrating on.
First up is Steve's card...

For this one I used stamps from Inky Doodles . I made a little scene with my ink dusters then stamped the ducks ( On the Riverbank set), rushes, leaves (woodland walk set) and the boardwalk (Great outdoors set). Two of thses sets were purchases from Stamp Magic earlier in the month. I coloured the foreground detail with promarkers. The base card was stamped with fern leaves from Inkylicious in cracked pistachio.
My second card is a little watercoloured scene for my Dad

For this one I used Hobby Art stamps - the Harbour Scene-it set and coloured it with Aquamarkers - I haven't used mine in ages, but always tend to reach for them when I use Hobby Art stamps.
As I have used stamps I am entering my cards into the Allsorts challenge this week, and also My ducks have wings so I am entering them into the Penny Black and More Challenge where the theme is wings. I have made a third Father's day card for Steve's Dad (His 95th father's day) but I have made a very similar one for a magazine article that won't be out until August, so I will share it then!
Thanks for looking!

Flowers and Pearls at Allsorts

 

This week the theme at Allsorts is Flowers and Pearls. I found this DP in my drawer and decided to use it. It is a digi download from Pink petticoat and I love it! I stamped the flowers (Kanban) in Memento Espresso truffle and coloured with coordinating promarkers, adding a tiny bit of sparkle here and there with a sakura gelly roll stardust pen. I also dusted around the die cut and the main card with Tea Dye distress ink. The sentiment is from Woodware and was stamped in versafine black.
After mounting the die cut with 3d glue onto the card front I added some pearls onto the panel.
Thanks for looking!

A couple of challenges and a bit of a birdy post!

At Allsorts this week the theme is the colour purple. My inspiration for this card was the sight of two whirling buzzards on Saturday afternoon, and the scrap paper pile I lean on when I am ink dusting sometimes!
Here is the card...

The background was created using ink dusters, Memento inks in dandelion, rosebud, purple twilight, elderberry and Danube blue. The stamp is from Inkylicious, on the old beech tree plate.
Here is the top of the pile of scrap paper I have been using and taking some inspiration from!

My second card is for the current theme at Less is More, where they want to see wings.

This started off as a one layer card with the lower half masked off. It was when I removed the masks and attempted to stamp the sentiment that it all went wrong! I dropped the stamp in completely the wrong place and made a right mess! I ended up cutting part of the front off the card, mounting it on some blue and using a fresh base card. Good job it wasn't a one layer week! Stamps are from inkylicious, stamped in memento ink and coloured with distress markers and a water brush. The background was dusted with tumbled glass DI using a cloud stencil.
Thanks for looking!