All that blooms at Tueday Taggers

Here is my card for this week's Tuesday Taggers where the challenge is All That Blooms. I used a penny black stamp and lots of punched flowers, so it would fit with the Sir stampalot challenge too - shame I can't enter!

The papers are Kaisercraft and I added a bit of gold tulip paint and some stickles too. Thanks for visiting and for your lovely comments.

Didn't we have a lovely day the day we went to Sir Stampalot!

Has that title made you sing?! Our Day at Sir Stampalot was fantastic! Chris and Brenda had created some amazing projects for us to have a go at. We assembled, we stuck, we brayered, we sponged, we distressed. In fact we had a fabulous time! We also ate some wonderful food and chatted and laughed lots! Here is the lovely album we created during Chris's wonderful workshop.

Inside it looks like this...

and it fastened with a really cool little magnet. I'm definitely going to make more of these. They could be for tags, ATCs, recipes, photos, and are great for using up scraps of beautiful papers.

The distressing project we did with Brenda was also wonderful, but I'm afraid mine isn't finished yet. I've got to admit I went for a wander around the shop at that point as I wanted to see if they had the things on my shopping list plus a few extras! Anyway, my next picture is of the brayering we did. I brought it home to do the stamping on it and finished it last night.

I also came home with three big and juicy pads including this soothing sunset one! I didn't spend all of my Birthday money... just most of it, and I'm sure you will be seeing the result of some of my purchases soon. Finally I'll share a picture of  some of the girls. Looking forward to doing it again!

A quick eye update: having not spent more than half an hour per day at the computer since Tuesday my eyes are feeling much better, but I'm still going to be good and carry on following orders until my next appointment at the end of the month. Thanks for all your lovely comments and support - I really do appreciate it!

By the Cute and Girly - something old, something new...

Here is my entry for this months By the Cute and Girly challenge, where the theme is something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I have used an old music stamp I've had for about ten years, I made my shutter card on my score - pal that I had for my Birthday in May and I used tumbled glass distress ink which is blue. Didn't manage the borrowed bit though!
I must apologise in advance that I'm not going to be visiting blogs quite so often as I'm having a few problems with my eyes at the moment and need to spend less time in front of a computer screen. I'm sure it will all get sorted out before too long, but bear with me. Tomorrow Lynne, Meg and I are off to Sir stampalot armed with a couple of cakes for a day of getting messy with our blogging mates. I am really looking forward to it and I've saved up quite a bit of my birthday money to take with me too. Shopping, cake and friends - what more can we ask for?

Punches for Sir Stampalot !

Good morning and welcome to the June Challenge for Sir Stampalot! The theme this month is 'Punch it' , so you will need to get those punches out! My card this month uses a Martha Stewart punch around the page set, doily lace and an EK success border as well as two mini flowers and a leaf punch. The main image is from Penny Black, the Script is Hero Arts and the flourish is from Crafty Individuals. I coloured the poppy with watercolours and distress inks. The paper is from the Papermania Capsule collection. I used Antique linen, Tea dye and Wild Honey distress inks. Now then, the prize...

Isn't it wonderful? All those fabulous punches, and a few I've not seen before that are on my shopping list for my next visit to Sir Stampalot! 

Can we remind everyone that we do have a few rules on the sidebar and especially that you can combine your Stampalot entry with a maximum of five other challenges. Nobody likes rules, but we hate to get to your blogs and find a super piece of work that can't be included because it has been combined with a long list of other challenges. And most of all we so dislike having to be the the baddies who tell peeps that they are not eligible for the prize on offer. Try to remember  to pop in a link back to the Sir Stampalot challenge too, please. 

Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at the wonderful cards the DT have made, and then get out those punches and join in! Thanks for looking!

Texture at Tuesday Taggers

Here is my Card for Tuesday Taggers this week where the theme is Texture, chosen by my lovely teamie, Zoe and sponsored by Tanda Stamps. I was a bit lost for inspiration at first, but I'm quite pleased with the result. It started off as a cardboard frame for a twinchie which I covered in a thin layer of embossing paste and stamped into. I can't say it was very good, so when it was dry I rubbed some turquoise paint and chalk ink over it (slight improvement). Then I used 3d copper paint to draw some leaves around it, but they looked a bit messy, so I tipped copper micro beads on top. The flowers (Crafty Notions) were stamped on to tracing paper that had been coloured on both sides with broken china distress inks. I used a range of craft notions creative colour sprays over scrunched paper to make the paper on the left, bordering it with more 3d paint and micro beads to disguise the uneven cutting! The swirl (Paper Artsy) is also stamped in Broken china onto the base card.  It nearly went in the bin at least 3 times, but I'm glad I didn't. I've had to get the vacuum cleaner out though, as my tidy tray and the micro beads had rather a lot of static and they kept leaping out of the tray and onto the carpet! Thanks for looking!

Tag You're it Challenge - Heaven Sent

Here is my entry for this week's Tag you're it challenge where the theme is 'Heaven Sent'. I was a bit stumped at first, but after running a tag through the cuttlebug and spaying it with some creative colour sprays (Crafty Notions) I came across my crafty individuals Christmas images book and saw this lovely picture of angels coordinated perfectly. I stamped a Paper Artsy swirl in Blue versafine over part of the tag. Then  I made a flower from fusible film, adding a brad and a couple of ribbons. Thanks for looking!

A bit like buses!

I don't know! Two posts in one day then none until five days later - a bit like buses in a rural village! I will try and be a better blogger over the next few days, as it's half term - yeah! Anyway, here is my first offering, a card for this weeks Allsorts challenge where the theme is Black and white and one other colour.

My 'other colour' is bundled sage distress ink. I started off sponging bundled sage over a Crafter's workshop stencil on half the card. I over stamped that with a Paper Artsy squiggly ink swirl stamp. The border is a Martha Stewart punch . The main image is an Elusive Images stamp from the Poppy Collage theme plate. 
Thanks for looking. I'm off back outside to finish helping Steve clear up hedge trimmings, which seem to be blowing half way across Nottingham! Can't complain though, as the sun is out and it is so much better than yesterday!

Allsorts Challenge - Tags and labels

Here is my entry for this week's Allsorts challenge where Mummylade has asked us to include a tag or label on our creations. Now I regularly make tags, so thought I'd better include it on something and came up with this card. The flourish stamp is a Debbie Moore one I've had for a while and not used, the text and the daisy are from Crafty Individuals. I used my ribbon tag shapeablities for the tag at the bottom. I have seen lots of people using this colour combo and rather liked it. The colours on all of it are bundled sage and Victorian velvet distress inks. Thanks for looking!
Before I go I'll just share a little gem with you. I was talking about horse drawn vehicles in class and one little darling asked how the horse did that - did it hold the pencil in it's mouth!!!

It's a man's world at Tuesday Taggers

 Our theme this week at Tuesday Taggers is 'It's a Man's World' chosen by our lovely teamie, Bee. We are being sponsored by The Craft Barn. I thought it would be the ideal time to start on my Father's day Cards. This one is for my Dad, who loves Bird Watching. The owls are a digistamp from our very talented teamie, Teri, available from her Digi Shop Delicious Doodles. I coloured it with promarkers (Ivory, tan, sandstone, Satin, Spice, cool grey 1, pastel blue and Cocoa). The background is card stamped with two lovely feather stamps from the A4 Birds Elusive Images plate. As the theme on Dare U 2 Digi Stamp is 'One for the Boys' I'm going to enter it there too. Thanks for looking!
Oh yes, before I go I'll just let you know that Meg arrived home safe and sound yesterday. No sunburn, the sore throat has gone and she is just left with a bunged up nose, so the sunshine and fresh air was good medicine! She had a fantastic time, but was very glad to have a 'proper' shower and climb into her own bed last night!

Tag you're it - A whiter shade of pale

Are you singing now? I certainly was! The challenge on Tag you're it! is to produce a tag using mostly white.

I embossed a fern leaf (Rubber Stampede) in clear EP then added a bit of bundled sage distress inks over the top. I added a couple of ribbons, a few punched leaves and a rose I made from pearlescent white paper. This photo doesn't really do it justice, so I took a close up to show the detail. Not sure I got the colours quite right though!

I thought it would make a great wedding tag. Thanks for looking.
I'm feeling much more relaxed about Meg now, as she has managed to ring using a friend's phone. Her throat is no longer sore and she is having a great time. Free time seems to be filled with water fights to cool them all down! I've made a few cards, another carrot cake and done some gardening too, in fact I'm feeling quite righteous!

No card, but a poem

I was off work yesterday looking after Meg, trying to get her better in time for today when she went off to PGL today, until Monday. She was still not 100% but hopefully she is well enough to enjoy it. If not, then I'll get a phone call and I'll be driving out there to fetch her. She will be climbing, doing zip wire, high ropes and archery. I like the sound of the last one but the others sound a bit high for me!
We had a fabulous morning at school with a visit from the poet Paul Cookson. I laughed so hard I was crying! It was so funny the way he reacted so quickly to everyone and everything going on. I found this little example of one of his poems on you tube. Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday Allsorts and Easel card for Rosie D's

Here is my card for this weeks Allsorts challenge where the theme is Happy Birthday. I decided to go for a sepia effect/ shades of brown easel card. The poppy image (penny black) is stamped with vintage sepia versafine and coloured with tea dye and antique linen distress inks before spraying with gold creative colour sprays (Crafty notions). The stamp on the beige card is also penny black and stamped in versafine vintage sepia. For the stopper panel I used the Happy Birthday sentiment (Elusive Images) and the ornamental Grasses (Craftwork Cards).

As an easel card I am also entering it into this week's Rosie D's challenge where the theme is Easel cards. Thanks for looking!