Did you Guess?

For those of you who had a little play along with our Birthday photos at Sir Stampalot, this was me aged about 5.

And my card of course was this one...

Hero arts French writing and leafy swirl for the background, lots of distress inks, a triple embossed Stampin' up! butterfly and a gorgeous waltzing mouse frame. I'll be back later with some of the things I've been playing with this week. Thanks for looking!

Less is more - Off Centre

Hi there! The theme at Less is More this week is 'Off Centre', which means Mandi and Chrissie are
 ' looking for cards with little or no symmetry but perfect balance, which doesn't necessarily mean gems in all four corners, or any corners for that matter.'
I tried several different designs and finally decided on this one.

Both stamps are Elusive Images (Chocolate Baroque) and the butterfly has been coloured with promarkers.

Yesterday we spent a few hours walking in some less busy areas of Clumber park and saw quite a range of real butterflies. Photos courtesy of Megan (on my camera, because she forgot to take hers!)

 A small white and a peacock...

This Comma is looking rather  battered and tired, but I'm guessing it has been hibernating until very recently. You wouldn't normally see them until June.

It was a beautiful warm and sunny day, unlike today. I reached for my fleece this morning!

Thanks for all the lovely comments last week and can I say how great it is to be a part of the LIMette community! Thanks for looking!

April Showers

Did you have a real downpour yesterday? We did in the evening, and this little girl (Mo Manning) would've definitely had enough water to float her boat!

I coloured her with promarkers and used papers from Funky Fairies (no longer available). I also used an EK success half flower punch, a Woodware tiny flower punch and two border punches by EK success and Martha Stewart. The sentiment is an Elusive Images stamp.

Yesterday we had a lovely trip out to Jacksdale Garden centre to take Steve's parents out for lunch. It was sunny and hot, but the fresh air and sunshine lifted all our spirits. The Garden centre and the tea room were very wheelchair friendly and the plants and gifts were all beautiful. Steve's Mum requested a return visit very soon! It was only once we returned home that it started to cloud over.
Anyway, I am entering the card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - April Showers
CES - Spring colours
I ♥ promarkers - Anything goes
Sentimental Sundays - Get Punchy
I did make a card for last week's Allsorts, but with the builders coming to sort out the floor it got packed away and I didn't find it again until it was too late! Here it is anyway.

I've had this Sugar Nellie stamp for quite a while but not used it much. I got some new watercolour paper so decided to have a go colouring with distress inks, and I have to say I'm pleased with the results.The papers are from Pink Petticoat. Thanks for looking. I intend to do a little more crafting over the rest of the holiday!!!

Less is more acetate

Wasn't sure I'd manage it this week, but the floor is fixed, the furniture is returned and my computer is reassembled, so here I am. The theme at less is more this week is to use acetate.

I used a lighthouse from Chocolate Baroque/ Elusive images and a sentiment from Crafty individuals. I used alcohol inks in denim, stream and aubergine on the acetate and popped it onto a piece of pearlescent card. Unfortunately I had no xyron refil left, so I used tape pen to attach the acetate which has made it a bit streaky. I might try another later if I get the chance...maybe with brads.

Thanks for looking!

Disruption for a couple of days

Good afternoon! I thought I'd better do a post to let you know that my visits to blog land might be disrupted for a couple of days. The reason is that we have a rotten joist under the front room floor. This room houses my PC and all my craft stuff, so bit by bit I'm having to move it into various places around the house. We did have a piano too, but that was heading towards our cellar so quickly we decided it could go. The keyboard we have will come downstairs in it's place once it is all finished. We have a fab builder who is fairly confidant that he can sort it in a day (two tops) and so normal service should be resumed by the weekend.
Before I disappear I'll just show you a couple of cards.

 First up is Meg's birthday card, made using a sweet pea fairy, some Artylicious essence of nature papers and some of the rolled roses I've been making recently. The next are two Easter cards stamped with a wild rose studio stamp called 'sheep for ewe'. I don't do much cute, but I know this will go down a storm with Steve's mum and several friends, so it leaped into my basket on our last visit to Sir Stampalot. The daisy swirl in the background is an aspects of design stamp (Kay Carley) available from the Stampman.

 I'm entering these into the following challenges:
Craft your days away - Easter
My time to craft  - Easter Wishes

 Finally here is another creation from the blog girl day at sir stampalot. This was a project we made with Chris. It is going to sit on my desk and look after the post its I seem to accumulate. The dragon is another Wild rose studio stamp and those gorgeous papers are from Stella Rose.

Thanks for looking and wish me luck with the floor! I'll be back!!!!

A great weekend

Yesterday we had a lovely walk with my dad, through woodland and alongside fields not far from my childhood home. It was warm and sunny and the bluebells were coming out almost as we watched. The blackthorn was beautiful too...

Although, I think this photo of Meg's captures it's splendour far more than mine does!

Today my beautiful daughter celebrated her 14th birthday, so I made her birthday cake - a giant strawberry cupcake!

 

I will share a photo of her card when I have taken a decent photo of it.Thanks for looking!

Another dress

I enjoyed making my Stampalot Challenge dress card so much that I decided to make another in different colours, so here is the jade green version. The flowers were made from coloured vellum as well as the dress. I'd definitely buy this one to wear myself as it is my colours!
We are half way through April, so you only have a couple of weeks left to enter our challenge where the theme is ladies and fashion.

A fabulous weekend

Hi There! Well, I have had a fabulous weekend. On Saturday we went to Sir Stampalot for another Blog Girls get together with Chris and Brenda. Here are a couple of my makes...

 This first one was one we did with Brenda using a penny black stamp. The flower was made using Tim's tattered flower dies and the melt pot.

This second card was done with Chris. The twisted easel used lots of mini stamps. I have quite a lot of mini flowers and I will definitely be making more of these! The flower was made using one of those quilling cuttlebug kits. I will show you a few more of my makes in the next few days. We took Lynne with us and met Lisa Jane there for the first time, along with Linda, Hayley and some other lovely ladies. Brenda had made us a lovely gift bag which you can see on her blog, and Chris had made us a beautiful bookmark, which I pressed into use as soon as I got home (Lisa posted a photo of hers here). We really enjoyed it and as usual came back with much lighter purses! I felt I'd earned some serious retail therapy after the past few weeks! The food was wonderful too, especially Chris's Cheesecake which was to die for...
Today I've been busy making  cards needed for the final few days of this term. Two birthdays and two christening cards.

 These two feature Kay Carley's Funky Flowers (Aspect's of design) stamps. The second uses paper from the Artylicious Essence of nature cd.

 I hope these fit the bill for christening cards. I've not made any for quite a while and suddenly got asked to make three.

Five more working days to go before we have a fortnight's holiday from school- whoohoo!

Less is more - One layer Sentiment

Here is my card for this week's Less is More.

I used labels 17 and labels 4 nesties to make a mask, sponged with memento cantaloupe  then stamped with some tiny stamps from See-Dee's whimsical garden collection and tropical collection. The sentiment is from an Inkylicious collection called Sentiments 1. I couldn't decide whether to put it straight or at an angle. I went for the angle in the end, because it was easier! What do you think? Thanks for popping by x

Blooming blossoms at Allsorts

 Here is my card for this week's Allsorts. I've made my first twisted easel card. Not sure if it shopuld twist the other way though! The main image is Penny black, the rest are Hero arts and the punch around the page set are Martha Stewart.

I also had a go at the crackle finish using paint and PVA, then coloured the image with distress inks.
I'm also entering this in the Just For Fun Challenge where there is an open theme.(Thanks Zoe!)
Thanks for looking!

Moody Birds again!

After all the comments from my Less is More friends I decided to have another go, and I have to say, Mandi and Chrissie, you were right!

Now, being me I couldn't manage it first time without a smudge or two which I hid with sponged mountains at the bottom! I had to augment the branch a bit too. After a good wash and cleaning/ tidying up my workspace I managed to come up with this...

The sun is better, the branch and bird placement look better. I am still itching to add something else, but resisting the temptation!

Less is more - a touch of red

Happy Mothers day everyone. Hope you are having a great day. I have had some lovely crafting time this morning and  managed to come up with a couple of cards for the Less is More challenge.
First up is a long thin card (A5 folded lengthways) stamped with a set called tranquil by ISC.

Initially I made it without the sun (or is it a moon?), but I couldn't resist adding it. I'm also not sure about the red flowers at the bottom, but it looked a bit strange without them.
I had been playing with those roses again and there were three red ones on my table, so I quickly embossed a white card, punched the edge and embossed some lines in the gap. This then is my second card.

I was going to put a sentiment on it, but in the end I didn't. What do you think? thanks for visiting x

Happy Birthday Sir Stampalot!

It's the first of the month again and a bit of a special day for us here at Stampalot Challenge because it's our Birthday.........woohoooooooooo..........we are one year old today.
And what a fabulous year it had been, the support from all of you peeps out in blogland has been phenomenal and of course it's you who have made our challenge such a success. Thank you one and all.
Now as well as our Birthday it's April Fools Day !! So this means not only a brand new challenge, but we've also got something a bit special lined up with a twist or two.

But let me tell you about the April challenge first. The theme has been selected by our very own Lady (Janice) Stampalot who has chosen:

"Ladies and Fashion"

I wonder what you will come up with for this one? I can see so many possibilities and am so looking forward to seeing all your entries. For one lucky winner, this is the prize on offer from Sir Stampalot: 

Fabulous isn't it?

My DT card for this month is a little soft and floaty lilac number...

The top and skirt are stamps from a clear set by Art Impressions. The set includes  flowers, footwear, a handbag and a rather lovely jacket too. I stamped onto patterned vellum and cut them out, adding ribbon and punched flowers. The punched square was made with a Martha Stewart round the page set, and  I added faux stitching to the edge of the base card with a quicky glue pen and glitter.

My roses were my first attempt at this sort of flower (You've already seen my second!) and I have to say they were very quick and easy. 

Now, onto the fun and games over on the Sir Stampalot challenge blog. There are a whole bunch of very cute little girls over there and you need to try and guess who is who. There is the added clue of a card that is in each DT member's particular style. There are three prizes on offer for the first three correct entries drawn. More details can be found on the challenge blog along with some exquisite cards, so do pop over and have a guess. Can't wait to see what you come up with for your cards this month too!
I'm entering this in the Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT challenge where the theme is handmade flowers