Last Minute Less is More

A quick dash to pop a card on my blog for Less is More this week, where the theme is 3-2-1.

What, no stamping?! For once it was a very quick card! I used three gems, two sparkly pearls and one cuttlebug embossing folder. I added just a touch of colour using tumbled glass Distress ink and distress marker, to tone in with the mat beneath it.
Thanks for looking and leaving comments. I'll hopefully be back to visit you this evening.

More of Ruth's stamps

Why is it I have so much inspiration now when I'm about to go back to school? I managed another play using Ruth Hamilton's Pick of the Bunch stamps from Tonic studios. These stamps are from the chrysanthemum set and the Rudbeckia set. I used resist technique to make the background and watercoloured the flower with the summer set of distress inks. The swirly die is from Marianne designs. It isn't the best watercolouring. I thought I would try the back of some pearlised card, but it obviously wasn't the right sort of pearlised card!
Thanks for looking!

Back to the Snippet Playground

 Well, I've made it back to the snippet playground again. I've suddenly realised that I have only this week left of my holidays and then I will be struggling to find the time to craft again, so I have made quite a few this weekend. Here are a couple of snippet makes.

Yes, the green snippets have been out! The top one is a digi from Digistamp Boutique, coloured in with promarkers. The second is a Little Clare stamp coloured in with Coloursoft crayons.
Finally I am sharing a card I made a few weeks ago...
'Can you make a card for Ray?' they said. 'What is he into?' I asked. 'Beer' they said. 'What else?' I asked. 'Just Beer' they replied. This was what I came up with.

Everything on it was from my pile of snippets. The only thing I did especially was to stamp the name and cut it out. The digi stamp was a freebie from Digistamp Boutique, many moons ago, and it was coloured in about 2 years ago.
So I'm entering these into Pixies Crafty Snippet Challenge, although the beer had better go into the safe hands of Miss Di, I think!
Thanks for looking!

Ruth's beautiful stamps

At our recent get together I had a stamp of Ruth Hamilton's Pick of the bunch stamps by Tonic Studios, and had to get some of my own! Here is my first card with them.

These stamps are from the Chrysanthemum set, with the main image coloured with promarkers and the base card stamped in Dried marigold distress ink. The emboss and cut folder is from Marianne designs, and I added a bit of diamond stickles and a few gems.

Now I know it has reached it's destination I can share it with you.

Thanks for looking!

A Birthday Card

My FIL asked me to make a special birthday card for the Warden of their housing complex. She visits France quite regularly and enjoys a glass or two, so this is what I came up with.

The stamp at the top has no make on it, but I think it was from Stampers Supermarket, which I can't seem to find online any more. The two smaller panels were stamped with Hobby Art Scene it stamps from the Tuscany set, as was the base card. All were coloured with distress markers and distress ink. The sentiment was computer generated and I added roses from my stash.
Thanks for looking!

Playing with highlighter pens

I've finally got round to having a play with highlighter pens as featured by Paula Whittaker in Craft Stamper last month and also on her own blog here. I used an orange highlighter, walnut stain distress ink and Inkylicious stamps on the first.

The second was done with a yellow highlighter, walnut stain distress ink and stamps from Hero Arts and Chocolate Baroque. I sprayed the second with a water mist to get the speckled effect. I will definitely be doing some more of these. Now what did I do with the blue and pink highlighters?!
Thanks, Paula, for sharing such a fab idea with us.
Thanks for looking!

A mid-month Stampalot reminder

Hi folks!
Lynne and I are the featured DT members this month at Stampalot Challenge. If you want to read more about us then pop over to the Stampalot Challenge blog. We have both made some more cards for the Take flight theme. Here is mine:

As usual I used a range of Distress and Adirondack inks and my ink dusters to create the background. The butterflies were coloured in with promarkers before triple embossing and decoupaging onto the background.  Stamps by Inkylicious on this one.
I also made a tag

For this one I used Hero Arts stamps and some fabulous two tone glitter that looks green one way and bronze the other.

 This was made in much the same way as the card, but I didn't triple emboss the butterflies this time.

Lynne and I have spent many happy hours finding craft shops to visit. We started off locally and then would look for places a bit further afield  -  That's how we met Brenda at Sir Stampalot.

 Thanks for looking and I hope you have the chance to join in with this months theme. Remember you can enter up to 6 challenges including ours and you can enter more than once as long as they are different projects eg a card and a gift box.

A visit to see Lynne

Meg and I had a little trip to Scotland to see Lynne this week. Despite the forecast we had a good couple of days and managed a walk or two as well as a trip to Sweetheart Abbey and the National Costume Museum.
Thought I would share a few photos.

 The grass really was that green!

We loved the fifties dresses. So beautiful! Reminded me of my Mum. Come back tomorrow to find out what else I've been up to. Thanks for looking!

A couple of snippet makes

 Here are a couple of snippet makes I made about 3 weeks ago, but haven't got round to blogging yet. The first was a maternity leave card for my boss. Those of you who are regular visitors will know this is the fourth maternity card I have made recently. I don't know which chair it is Di, so I am playing safe and not sitting down at all! The digi image is from Mo's Digital Pencil coloured with promarkers.

My second card was for a TA who was leaving. Please forgive the simplicity of it and the dodgy stamping on the left, but it was made after a meal out and a few glasses at about midnight! The music stamp is an Inkylicious stamp and the guitar was from Dimension Fourth a while ago. The snippet in this one is the copper mirriboard. I'm entering them both into Di's crafty snippets challenge, where I haven't been for so long I bet she thought I'd been expelled!
Thanks for looking x

What a great day!

We had a great day today, when these lovely ladies came to visit (Thanks for the photo, Lisa!). From the left there is Jules, Lisa, Brenda, me, Meg and Lynn. We spent much of the day chatting, eating and drinking. There was a moment or two where we stamped and die cut too, but the thing we did the most was laugh! I am still smiling now! It was wonderful to chat to Ruth from 'A Passion for Stamps' using skype too. Brenda brought some of Ruth's stamps, manufactured by Tonic, and I stamped some before she left. I have to say how impressed I am by how beautifully they stamp. They are now top of my shopping list! I will make a card with them soon.
Finally, after everyone had gone home I got to see Mo Farrah and Usain Bolt make history, and Tom Daley get a well deserved Bronze Medal. All these Olympics have seriously affected my crafting, and thanks Brenda, for pointing out the attributes of lycra to me!!!

A few wings

As the theme at stampalot this month is 'take flight' I thought I would share a few photos from our holiday on the same theme with you.

A speckled Wood butterfly,

A male Common Darter Dragonfly,

A Reed Warbler,

A comma Butterfly,

 A common blue Damselfly

and an emerald damselfly. Thanks for looking!

Take Flight with Sir Stampalot

It's the first Sunday in the month and time for a new Challenge at Stampalot. This Month our theme is

    Take Flight

In other words we want you to show us any creations that feature things that fly, be it butterflies, birds or dragonflies, or even planes and helicopters!
Here is my creation.

This was my Niece's 30th Birthday card. The stamps are from Indigo Blu, stamped in Memento Black and coloured with promarkers. The die cut leaves around the edge are a Joy Crafts die. The tiny Dragonfly brads were from Lakeland in the days when they sold craft stuff for a while, several moons ago!
The prize for this month looks like this:

- Lots of lovely goodies with a flying theme! I'm really looking forward to visiting everyone's entries this month, so go and get some more inspiration from my amazing teamies on the DT, over on the challenge blog. I do hope you will join in this month.

I didn't get round to visiting as many people as I intended last night as I got all distracted by the Olympics! Wow! Another major haul of medals - Well done, team GB! I'd also like to congratulate everyone who was in the athletics stadium on their superb rendition of the national anthem when Jessica Ennis was awarded her medal. You sang brilliantly!

Thanks for looking!

I'm Back!

We have had a couple of weeks away in Suffolk and the batteries are definitely recharged. There was plenty of fresh air to be had, wildlife to enjoy and, for one week, sunshine to soak up.
I love the Suffolk coast far more than I expected to. The big skies seem to make up for the lack of hills and mountains! ( You were right, Brenda!)

These photos were taken at Orford Ness where we took a boat trip as well as a walk along the river.

 The second week was changeable, but only one day of soaking, constant rain, so we were very lucky. I thought I would share a few nautical photos before I go and reacquaint myself with my craft table. After that I will be round to visit you. I'll post some more nature pics later in the week.
 Many thanks for the lovely comments you left on my last post, and I will be sharing my Stampalot DT piece with you in the morning.