I appreciate you blog candy!

This candy is now closed

Today has been a good day. I have my new glasses, my eyes are fine (the test results are good), I got some new goodies through the post and I had a great day at work... oh yes, and England won too! Does it get any better? well, yes it does, because I want to show you all how much I appreciate you all. I am offering these two stamps as blog candy to my lovely followers. I know how much you all love Tim, so you might have them already. I'll be honest with you. They have both been used once, but the end products were so unworthy of association with Mr Holtz I decided they needed a new home. So if you are a follower and would like to be in with a chance of winning them pop your name into Mr Linky below.

Thank you for all your support and lovely comments over the past eighteen months. I really do appreciate it!

P.S. I'll draw a winner on 11th July

Make a scene at Tuesday Taggers!

Here is my Card for this week's Tuesday Taggers where my lovely Teamie Michelle has chosen the theme 'make a scene!' I used my Hobby Art harbour set again (It's a bit addictive!), coloured it with promarkers and popped it onto a card. the mini anchor stamp is from the set too.
The theme at Allsorts this week is 'Create a scene', so I'm entering it in their challenge too.
I'm afraid I'm not being a particularly good blogger at the moment. the end of term is approaching at a rate of knots and I have heaps to do before it happens.  My boss is retiring and I have a bit of a 'project' for her card. I'll post it as soon as it is finished. I'm also moving classroom and after four years it is a bit like moving house! Anyway, thanks for putting up with me, thanks for looking and don't forget to pop your name in to Mr Linky for my followers candy (see post at top).

A couple of challenges

Hi there! I've been a busy bee today, but I'm only showing you this card at the moment, as the others might be spotted by the people who are going to receive them! This is a birthday card for a friend, but I also made it with the new Penny Black at Allsorts challenge in mind, where the theme is 'A burst of summer colour'. I'm also entering it into the By the cute and Girly Challenge, where the theme is 'Warm Summer Days'.
Apart from a piece of orange paper used to mat the main image, every bit of this started life as a white piece of card. The stamps are all Penny Black as follows:
brushstroke flower - 2661K
corner - 3859H
paisley swirls - slapstick 40-011
This last one might be becoming my favourite stamp of the moment - it is so versatile. I used spiced marmalade, dried marigold, shabby shutters and mustard seed distress inks, and the leaves and flower are made using flower creations3 and assorted leaves shapeabilities. I hope the combination of colours meets the requirements for both challenges. Thanks for looking!
P.S. There is another week to go on my blog candy for followers and I've got 98 of you lovelies. Please pop your name into Mr Linky above if you would like a chance to win the two Tim Holtz stamps above x

Tag You're it Challenge - cupcakes!

Here is my Cupcake tag for this week's Tag you're it! Challenge. I used a Stamping bug cake stamp coloured with promarkers,  the flowers cuttlebug embossing folder, some backing paper, ribbon and a button from my stash and a touch of glitter. Oh yes, and rather a lot of Victorian velvet distress ink! It's a bit pink for me, but I did enjoy making it! I'm going to post all four from this month off to Janet now for the swap. Thanks for looking!

Embossing at Allsorts

here is my entry for this week's Allsorts challenge where the theme is Embossing. I embossed the base card with the Cuttlebug paisley embossing folder and a border to fill the gap at the bottom. I then stamped the leaf (Hero arts) Four times in versafine Olympia green, cut out and used sticky pads to lift it up a little. The flower (Crafty Notions) was stamped and coloured with Derwent aquatone pencils before spraying with Creative colour spray (Crafty Notions).

here is a close up of the flower. It is a very simple and quick card, but it has been a hectic week, so I haven't had time for much! Roll on the summer hols and thanks for looking!

Lazy Hazy Summer Days for Sir Stampalot

Good morning and welcome to the Sir stampalot challenge for July where the theme is Lazy Hazy Summer Days. I love to wander by the sea, so made a tri shutter card with a seaside theme. The top and bottom small panels were stamped with Crafty individuals seaside elements in distress inks. The central panel was made using a set of clear hobby art Harbour stamps. These are so versatile you can create little scenes so easily. The left and right panels were made using 'Friends'  stamps. I coloured all three with promarkers.
But what is the prize I hear you ask? Feast your eyes on these!

What a wonderful prize, eh?  I wish I could enter myself! So, get your thinking caps on, your summery stamps out and pop over to the Stampalot challenge blog for more inspiration! Thanks for looking and I look forward to seeing your entries!

Wonderful Weddings at Tuesday Taggers

Here is my DT card for this week's Tuesday Taggers where the theme is Weddings. I made this with a colleague in mind who likes simple and elegant cards, and often buys cards from me with trees and leaves on them. I'm hoping she likes it.
I began by stamping the fern (Rubber Stampede) in versamark onto the base card and around the nestie (labels 1) .I embossed it with clear EP. The left half of the base card was covered in a patterned velum and the edge was punched with Martha Stewart Doily lace. Around the fern leaves I sponged a bit of Bundled sage distress ink. The sentiment is from a clear set by American Crafts. I added a white ribbon too (it hid the adhesive!).
This week we are being sponsored by the Craft Barn and there is a fab £15 voucher up for grabs. Do pop over to the Tuesday Taggers blog and look at some of the fab creations from my lovely teamies! Thanks for looking!

Very late Tag you're it!

Here is my entry for this week's Tag you're it! With only five minutes to go before the next one starts I've finally made my ribbon embellishment. The stamped background it using a penny black stamp that I won on the Allsorts blog hop, and the swirl and flower centre are Marianne design dies bought on my last trip to sir stampalot. Thanks for looking!

Footwear at Tuesday Taggers

Good morning, and I hope you are having flip flop weather too! I have chosen the theme at Tuesday Taggers this week and I chose footwear. Not that I'm an Imelda Markos or anything, but I do like flip flops and sandals! For Tuesday Taggers though it can be anything that goes on your feet - boots, wellies, heels- anything. For my tag I cut a couple of flip flop shaped pieces of card that I stamped with a clear Hero Arts stamp. I used some wire and seed beads to make the straps and mounted on some gold glitter paper, adding a bit of cuttlebugged pearlised blue card for the sea. I finished it off with a couple of real shells saved from a holiday.
Now if only my feet would fit in them...

Pop over to the Tuesday Taggers site to have a look at what my lovely teamies have created. I hope you can join us this week!

Tag you're it - Who inspires you?

The challenge on Tag you're it this week is to create a tag in the style of someone who inspires you. I really struggled to choose between several people for this. Eventually I decided on Michelle Zindorf. I have spent many an hour looking at her wonderful creations and tutorials, and it was her blog that encouraged me to get my brayer out (after many failed attempts) and have another go. I'm still learning, but I throw a lot less away these days!

For this tag I used a big and juicy ink pad (Spice), Leaf flourish stamp (Hero Arts), tree stamp (stampin' up), Bullrushes stamp (Stampscapes) and butterscotch Adirondack ink for the moon and a white gel pen

I have also picked up a few tips along the way from Brenda, Tracey Dutton and Barbara Gray. I can recommend watching all of them demonstrating!
Told you I was in the mood to get inky! Thanks for looking!

Vintage bookmarks at Tuesday Taggers

Whoops, I'm a day late posting my Tuesday Taggers DT work. This week the theme is Vintage bookmark, chosen by our lovely teamie, Ildiko. The 'hers' one has been on my desk for a while, but without the vintage finishing touches. The stamp is from the Wild meadow themeplate by Elusive Images. The 'his' bookmark features three stamps from Hero arts and a photo I found on the internet. I used distress inks for both.
Sorry I'm not getting time to visit you all at the moment. The eyes are much better, but I've also been writing reports and my allowance of computer time was devoted to that.... until tonight! I've finished them, yay! I'm itching to get inky, but I think I'd better get an earlier night and have a bit of craft time tomorrow. Thanks for visiting, and I really do appreciate you all!

Tag You're it Challenge - Needle and thread

It's taken me a few days to get round to it, but this is my tag for Tag you're it this week, where the theme is needle and thread. I decided it was time to get my sewing box out and inside I found a bag of bits that my dad had passed on to me a few months ago. He had been having a sort out and come across some sewing things that had been my Mum's many moons ago. Inside were various freebies from the Woman and Home magazine - press studs, buttons, hooks and eyes and a couple of packets of needles. Judging by the packaging they must be from the seventies! The buttons are probably even older, and haven't aged very well! I added some K and co paper, stamped lace, daisy trim and some real stitching. After much deliberation I took the needles out of this packet, added a little wild honey distress ink and attached it to the front. Not my usual thing and definitely out of my comfort zone, but I think it looks okay.
I will be posting this off to Janet with three more at the end of the month for a swap the Tag you're it team are hosting. Thanks for looking.