Rudolf Day for June with snippets

I am dashing in for June Rudolf Day a little later than I had anticipated! I missed Sarn's posts due to blogger dashboard issues and I don't seem to have a clue what day it is at the moment, lol!
I have gone for two trees again - the small Christmas Tree Flourish from Inkylicious, with a musical background.
Here is the first...

I used the edge of the tree to make the border and Adirondack inks in Aqua and Pool. the sentiment is also from Inkylicious. I did add irridescent glitter, but you can't really see it in the photo.
For my second card I used the same stamps with wild honey distress ink and versafine tuxedo black.
The Dies are all from spellbinders and the red spots are red stickles.
I used snippets for both, so I'll be skipping off to Miss Di's Snippet playground with them too.
Meg and I spent yesterday looking round at Birmingham University. It was definitely worth going to look at possibilities for courses next year, although a little disappointing in how elitist some of them are. I won't have a rant, but I did feel a bit cross at one point and then very proud of how resilient Megan is. 
Thanks for looking!

Playing with Goodies from Doncaster

Three weeks ago, Lynne and I went to Doncaster Dome for the stamp Magic show. As usual we had a wonderful time and really enjoyed looking round all the exhibitors. I bought a fair bit of stash, but due to work commitments I am only just getting around to playing with it now!

The stamps on this card are all from Inkylicious. The woodgrain stamp is new, as is the blooming marvellous set of flower stamps which are great for layering up. I added a blob of crystal glaze in the middle of each flower. This was just a bit of a play really. I am looking forward to trying some different ideas with these stamps.
My next card, a very simple one layer card with added butterfly, also uses Inkylicious stamps.

I used memento inks in grape Jelly, Teal Zeal and Bahama Blue. The butterfly is a twinchie stamp and the sentiment is from this new set.
Thanks for looking. I am off to get my planning done so I can have some time to make my cards for Rudolf day tomorrow! Please pop over to Lynne's blog and take a look at her amazing recycled ink duster holder too!

A wedding card

A colleague asked me to make a wedding card for her niece. The wedding theme is herbs, which I thought was lovely, particularly as I grow lots! I really wanted to buy the Jane Shasky cd called herb garden that Joanna Sheen brought out a while ago, but it is no longer available! Time to stop kicking myself and start thinking!
Plan B was to find some herb like stamps amongst my collection and stamp something. this is what I came up with.

The sentiment and lavender stamps are from Inkylicious and the thyme and mint leaves are from Chocolate Baroque. I dusted the sentiment panel in faded lilac distress ink and embossed the sentiment with some lilac embossing powder that I have had for ages but rarely used! I added a ribbon and some liquid pearls. I think it is quite unusual for a wedding card, but I was pleased with the result, as was the lady who commissioned it.
Well, my dashboard seems to be fixed and is showing all the blogs I follow once more, thank goodness! Just when I have no more spare time and a busy weekend ahead visiting a university and preparing lots for work.
I hope I will manage a few minutes catching up soon
Thanks for looking!

Reading list issues

Seems there's a lot of people having the same problems as me with their reading list and the 'view more' button only showing one blog and not loading others..
 https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/something-is-broken/TM9QlkTp6zc
Allegedly Google know about it - but fixing it isn't top of their list! Feel free to leave comments on the post above. If enough people do they might listen...
Okay, you can stop laughing and pointing at that pig flying across the sky!!!
I rely on my list to see who has updated, so I'm probably missing loads - please forgive me, but take a rant at Blogger! Just when I have a bit of time to look round it too. GRRRRRRRRRRR!

Cute snippets

I had a couple of little girl birthday cards to make, so I dived into my snippet box and found the images, already coloured on holiday last year! The little girl is from Sugar Nellie and the Dragon is from Wild rose studio. Both are watercoloured with distress markers and a water brush. The sentiments are from Little Claire.

The papers are all ones that have been in my snippet drawer for ever. The ones on the first card were from cuddly buddly I think. These strips needed using as they were looking a bit battered, which gave me the idea to go for a distressed look with some tea dye DI! Does the bottom one look odd with that strip of base card down the middle? I was going to use the ribbon down it, but forgot and had stuck it together good and proper before I realised! I have no idea of the make of those papers! Both of these are very much outside my comfort zone, so I may have to lie down to get over the shock of doing cute!I used up some peel-offs too, as 5 year olds quite like them!
I should be back in blog land a bit more now as I have finally finished my reports and the phonics check. Hope the girls in the snippets playground haven't forgotten who I am, I have been away so long! Sorry Miss Di! I will try and do better ;)
Thanks for looking!

Playing with my Birthday Stamps

Hi There! I'm dashing into blogland very quickly with a card I made a few weeks ago to say thanks to Lynne, who bought me this gorgeous set of stamps by Art Journey for my birthday. I ink dusted the background with memento teal zeal, bahama blue and seedless preserves DI. I stamped the teasel and pussy willow in archival black, and the tiny script (Inkylicious) in starlight black brilliance ink.

I added a bit of detail with a gelly roll white pen to finish it off.
I am an infrequent visitor at the moment, but I am almost half way through my reports now, so I am hoping to be back more regularly by the end of next week. Thanks for looking and for all your encouraging comments xxx

A walk at the weekend

Last Saturday Meg and I decided we needed some fresh air, so went for a walk at Teversal trails. Meg had been inside all week revising for her AS levels, and the rain had stopped me getting out in the garden too, so we grabbed our cameras and jumped in the car.  We did the same at roughly this time last year, but with such a mild winter I was hopeful we might see an orchid or two. We saw some Ragged Robin, a member of the campion family. Yes, they are really that tatty-looking, it hasn't been eaten!

Then we came across this beautiful briar rose...

Next we found this tranquil place.....

and guess what...Yes! we found orchids! Hundreds of them in that grass on the left! Okay! I will show you close ups.
Here are a few common spotted orchids

You can clearly see the spots that give it it's name on the last one!
Here are a few more...

 I think this one is a southern marsh orchid

 This is another common spotted

I don't know this one, because it wasn't spotty, but the flowers had common spotted markings! Orchids are a bit difficult to identify as they vary so much!
We also saw a few furry creatures too...
This one

 

and this one!  

 Hope you enjoyed the photos.

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the weekend as my dear friend Lynne is visiting and we will be going to Doncaster Dome for stamp magic! Are you  going?

Thanks for looking!

Animal antics at Stamping Sensations

It is the first Sunday of the month and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. This month our theme is Animal Antics and we are being sponsored by Crafty Individuals.
For my card I used my Elephants stamp (CI - 390) on silk art card. I masked the elephants and dusted the background in lemon yellow and cherry pink impress ink, and persimmon Distress ink. I then removed the mask and coloured the elephants with distress markers in pumice stone and weathered wood. The panel beneath was sprayed with dylusions and glimmer mist before stamping with CI- 170 background stamp in Adirondack eggplant.

So, onto this months prize. We have a voucher for £35 worth of Crafty Individuals goodies of your choice! How wonderful is that? Especially when they have a whole load of lovely new stamps out! You can read all about them on Jean's Blog.
Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the projects that my talented teamies have created. I look forward to seeing the wonderful creations that I know will be entered in this challenge. Just remember  that we are a stamping challenge. If you wish your entry to be considered for the prize it must include hand stamped elements, not just digis!
Thanks for looking!