Houses at Tuesday Taggers

The theme at Tuesday Taggers this week is houses and we are sponsored by the Craft barn. The paper is from my Mind's eye, the stamp was borrowed from a friend, and I forgot to write down the make. The flower was made from shapabilities flower creations 3, coloured with moonglow sprays. Thanks for looking. Do pop over to the TT site for lots of inspiration.
I just wanted to say thank you for all your words of support at this time. It is appreciated.

An angel called Julie

 

This is my dear friend Julie. She passed away this afternoon at the age of 46 after losing her battle with cancer. She leaves a husband and a 13 year old daughter. We have been friends since we went to antenatal class together and our daughters are best friends too. You couldn't wish for a kinder more selfless friend. She will be missed by so many. Rest in peace my friend.

Music for a man

Here is my entry for the Stamp Man's 4th challenge, where the theme is musical. I am also entering it into the last ever Rosie D's challenge where the theme is 'for a man'.
I started off with a sheet of white card, colouring it with Broken china and Dusty Concord distress inks applied with a shaving brush. I stamped music (Stampourium), notes (Aspects of design) and swirl (Paper artsy) in Weathered wood over the background then sprayed it with hydrangea blue and lucky shamrock green starburst stains. I stamped the notes again in Chipped sapphire DI, before stamping the Guitar (Aspects of Design) in Versamark and embossing with detail white EP. The background card was staped with versafine and brayered with big and juicy Waterfall (blue end) and soothing sunset (Purple end). I added a couple of ribbons and mounted onto a white square card. Here is a close-up where I tried to capture the sparkle from the Starburst Stains.

I also get to display this for using Aspects of design stamps!
Thanks for looking, and I hope you get some sunshine today!

Allsorts Challenge - inspired by a garden or park

When I got back from holiday I decided to treat myself to a couple of cute stamps from Sugar Nellie. I saw this one used on a card in a recent challenge and instantly fell in love with it. It's called Searching by Kathy Hare. I'd stamped it in Versafine sepia and watercoloured the image with distress inks. When I saw the Allsorts challenge this morning I thought it would be perfect! Their sponsors this week are one stop cardcrafts. I teamed it up with some very old papers from my stash - a Bitty Scrap pad called windswept from provocraft. I just love the blues and greens on this pad. they go so well with the distress ink colours.

My easel card was finished with punched flowers, some rainbow drops (Crafty Notions) die cut flourishes (Marianne designs) and some sticky ribbon.
Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend!

Woo hoo and Karate!

You'll never guess what! the card I made for the Stampman Challenge for easel cards got me a top five place! Here is the card:

If you want to know how I made it my original post is here.

  Thank you so much Jill and teamies. I really appreciate it and feel very honoured! I will sport my blinkie with pride!


I also want to share with you that I was Student of the week at Karate this week for excellent kicks! I was incredibly surprised as I always feel I am not very good at kicking. I think it is something to do with my short stature and equally short legs! Anyway, Sensai was impressed and I'm chuffed to bits. I wasn't even cross with anyone, lol!
Off to have a hop around a few blogs now. Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your evening!

Delicious Doodles Competition

My lovely TT teamie Teri, over at Delicious Doodles is having a competition to win ten of her wonderful digi images. All you have to do is to create something using one of her lovely images and post a link to it on Teri's shop blog before the noon on 31st August. Now I'm sure you all know how much I love Teri's designs, so I had to have a go too!

Completely out of season, I know, but I used the beautiful Christmas rose and coloured it with promarkers. I teamed it up with some Papermania Capsule collection papers, some grey green card and some ribbon.
Now according to Teri, she is happy for people to enter up to four times, so I might manage another one yet!
Teri is also having a DT call for Delicious Doodles, and anyone selected will get all sorts of perks! You can read all about it here. Do pop over to Delicious Doodles and take a look at the fabulous designs!

Inspired by a poem

This weeks theme at Tuesday Taggers has been chosen by our lovely Michelle, and is to find inspiration in a poem. I sat down over a week ago thinking I would get a little ahead of myself with the beginning of term coming up. I got a bit carried away though! Please excuse the wonky photo.

It is based on the poem Silent Noon by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, which you can find here. 

I started off thinking about the bit that goes 'Deep in the sun-searched growths a Dragonfly hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky...' so the right hand panel was my first. The border is a hero arts stamp and the dragonfly is a crafty Individuals stamp, used on fantasy film from Crafty Notions. 

The central panel features the poem, which I printed out and over stamped in wild honey DI with the same Hero arts cling stamp I used on the first.

 Then I decided I couldn't use the whole poem and not illustrate the first verse, so I did cow parsley skirting the hawthorn hedge using Elusive Images Wild meadow stamps.

I backed it all on thick card covered in paper from my Artylicious Essence of Nature cd, and made some grunge paper hinges to hold it together. Not perfectly positioned I'm afraid, but never mind. Here is a quick view of the back.

Isn't that paper just gorgeous? So there you go. My first ever triptych (I think that's what they are called!) Phew! That was a long one! Thanks for looking, and don't forget to pop over to Tuesday Taggers to see my lovely teamies inspiring work. Do hope you can join us this week!

A bit of this and that

Thought I'd share with you a few cards I've made recently from images I coloured with promarkers whilst on holiday. I'll start though, with my anniversary card that I made for Steve in July.

The image is a penny black slapstick called loving and hugging. Perfect as he loves ducks. I watercoloured it using distress inks and used large scalloped nesties to cut it out. The backing paper is from an artylicious cd and the sentiment was computer generated.

This card and the next are both penny black stamps coloured with promarkers, kindly stamped for me by my lovely blog friend, Jules. Aren't they cute?

The papers for my first one were in my stash and for the second one were on my computer entitled May Freebies - sorry, I'm not sure where from! Edit: The lovely Pinky tells me the pink ones are from Tinker and co.The flowers on the first were punched and made myself, but the second has prima flowers and punched leaves.
The post  below this one will be from the walk we did yesterday. If you don't like bees and wasps you perhaps won't want to look!

A walk in Sherwood Forest

Yesterday Meg,Vicky (my lovely neice) and I went for a walk around Sherwood Forest. We started off at a village called Budby, crossing some lovely heathland with lots of heather to get to the ancient woodland.

Here is a picture of Vicky taking photos. As you can see there are some very ancient trees in the forest. Some are hollow and dead, but are amazing habitats for so many species, including these creatures...

Yep, this is a hornet's nest. I am quite surprised at how well I coped, seeing as I am a bit scared of bees and wasps after a mishap at Bee club aged 13 whilst at school (Imagine the health and safety around a school keeping bees now?!) The hornets tolerated us for a while, but began to be a bit more than curious, so we left! I was quite fascinated to see the social behaviour of these insects. The one at the top of the last picture was the Doorman/ Bouncer and seemed to vet every other hornet arriving back at the nest. Not the clearest of shots, but I wasn't going any closer!!!
We also saw a couple of different fungi specimen...

I liked the short, dumpy nature of this one!and the one below is it's tall thin friend! Thanks for looking - hope you weren't put off by the hornets!

Messing about in boats at Tuesday Taggers

Here is my DT card for Tuesday Taggers this week. It was my turn to choose the theme, so still in holiday mode I went for boats,  waterways or sea.
The main image is a Blue Moon (formally Friends) stamp available from Stampers supermarket. The mini anchors are from my Hobby Art harbour set and the large boat charm has been in my stash for about ten years! 
The DT have excelled themselves as usual. Hope you can join us this week. Pop over to  Tuesday Taggers to take a look at my teamies inspirational creations!

The Stampman Challenge - Easel card

I've been playing with a few newish things that I bought in July and have only just got round to using.

Firstly there is a rather lovely Dreamweaver stencil. I felt a bit naughty buying it, as I rarely use metal stencils these days, but the design was so gorgeous! The spellbinders leaves were also bought at about the same time. Finally, after visiting my friend Lynne and seeing her Artylicious Essence of Nature CD I just had to have that too!
I began by securing the stencil onto some black card and pressing my versamark pad all over it. I then brushed some blonde moments pearl pigments (Art from the heart) onto it and sprayed with water to fix the pigments. I layered it on to paper from the CD and cut out and embossed the three leaves. I applied pigments in the same way. Finally I made it into an easel card, adding a stamped greeting (Papermania?). It really gleams when it catches the light.
I'm entering this into the Stampman Challenge where the theme is Easel cards. There are some fabulous DT cards offering wonderful inspiration. Thanks for looking!

P.S. If you like Digis and haven't heard my mate Teri has freebies up for grabs every day this week. Click on the link on my side bar to have a look.

A couple of challenges

Hi There! I have been busy tidying my workspace and getting things sorted out, and I came across this tri -shutter card with the backing papers all matted and layered, but nothing on it. I made it some time ago and then went off it, because it was pink probably (I'm not a big fan of pink!) Anyway, I had the lovely penny black Hedgehog image that I coloured in with my promarkers whilst on holiday, and saw the colour of the flower matched perfectly! The large flower is a magnolia stamp, again coloured with promarkers and the sentiments are Elusive images. I finished it off with lots of punched flowers with a gem at the centre of each one, and stickles.

The Hedgehog fits perfectly with the 'By the cute and Girly' theme for this month which is Animal Antics. 

Now for a close up or two on the glitter and glitz, which is this months theme for Penny Black at Allsorts.

Hope it's glitzy enough! It would also fit perfectly into the Sir Stampalot Challenge this month where the theme is Bring on the Bling!

Edit: Instructions for making this tri-shutter are here.

Primary colours and a different fold

Good Morning! I've been working my way through the untidy piles on my desk since I got back from holiday and last night managed a bit of creative time in a reasonably large space!
This is my card for this week's Allsorts  and Rosie D's challenge. The theme at Allsorts is to use a minimum of two primary colours and the theme at Rosie D's is to use more than one fold. I made a square card and folded the front back on itself. The background was made using Barn Door  and Chipped Sapphire distress inks applied with a shaving brush. I stamped the friendship definition (Hero Arts) with weathered wood distress ink and the Silhouette grass (Hero Arts) embossed with white detail embossing powder.

I ummed and ahhed over whether to add a ribbon, a sentiment or anything else, and decided less was probably more with this one... still not sure though! Hope you like it and thanks for looking!

Sunshine at Tuesday Taggers

Okay, who stole the weekend?! I can't believe it's Tuesday already! Anyway, here is my card for this week's Tuesday Taggers challenge where the lovely Michelle chose the theme 'Sunshine'. You could've ordered us some of the real stuff as well, Michelle!

I used masking and sponging on the background with Adirondack butterscotch and Wild Honey distress inks. I stamped the wheat (Hero arts) and Grass (Elusive Images) with Adirondack Lettuce and Espresso and finished it off with a swirly organza ribbon.
Hope you can make your own sunshine and join in with us this week. Pop over to Tuesday Taggers and check out the fab projects my lovely teamies have made. Thanks for looking!

Been on my jollies

I know I've had a few weeks of not commenting as much as I would normally do, but the very busy end of term was very quickly followed by a two week holiday in North Wales. The weather was a bit mixed, but it was very relaxing and the camera got lots of exercise!
These two photos were taken at South Stack on Holy Island, Anglesea.

We didn't go down the 400+ steps to the lighthouse, but enjoyed a walk round the RSPB reserve and cliff paths, getting the cobwebs blown out!

Now I don't often like photos of myself, but Meg has taken a few very flattering ones recently, like my new profile picture. She took this one without me knowing, and I think she captured the moment, so I decided to share it with you. I was watching dragonflies and damselflies resting on the lily pads.
Well, I'm off to get reacquainted with my craft table and over the next few days I hope I will have chance to drop in to see some of your lovely blogs. Please excuse me if I don't comment on all of them. You all seem to have been very busy whilst I've been away! Thanks for all the wonderful comments you have left me on my DT posts whist I've been away. They are very much appreciated x

Lots of lovely black at Tuesday Taggers

It's Tuesday so it's time for my Tuesday Taggers DT work. This week our lovely Teamie Lyn has chosen 'lots of lovely black' as the theme, so I've altered another M&S mint tin. I starteed by colouring it all over in Black promarker. It covered brilliantly and you could only tell what it had been by the texture of the lid. I then covered the lid in Brilliance starlight black and triple embossed it.

I stamped the Hero Arts leaf flourish in Brilliance Platinum planet and heat set. After that I stamped and embossed three flowers in detail silver from the Inkadinkado Mindscapes set, finishing each with a central black pearl.

I hope you get the chance to join us this week. Pop over to Tuesday Taggers and check out the fabulous inspirational work by my lovely teamies.

Bring out the bling for Sir Stampalot!

Good Morning! It's the 1st August and time for the next Sir Stampalot Challenge where the theme is 'Bring out your Bling'. I've been playing with my Score-pal again, and made a diamond top card. I used Big and juicy waterfall ink brayered over a swirl (Art Impressions -T2773) stamped in versamark for the background. The Dragonfly is an Inkadinkado clear stamp from the 'Mindscapes' set. I added kaleidoscope embossing powder, stickles and gems. Everything used on this card is available from Sir Stampalot. Here's a close up with some more detail.

So, I guess you want to know what the prize is? Okay then. Feast your eyes on this little lot!

Papers, card, pens, stamps, punches and lots more- a massive pile of stash! So now you need to get thinking about bling. Take a look at my lovely teamies projects on the Stampalot challenge blog for some real inspiration. Thanks for visiting and I hope you join us this month!