Foxes in the Wheat

Morning again Peeps, three times in four days, what can I say!

Today I am sharing my mid month inspiration for River of Creativity, those who saw my post Saturday will know we are having a bit of a push to get the new challenge out there. It's a challenge for all types and styles of craft and we love seeing what you create, jewellery, mixed media, layouts, needle crafts, in fact absolutely anything hand created and yes cards as well but we are hoping to push you outside your comfort zone a little and try something different.

Above a frame with a canvas insert, painted with acrylics, crackle glaze and gilding wax. The wheat is a Sweet Poppy stencil, versamark applied through the stencil and heat set with detail gold EP and some leaves added with a Lavinia stencil. The Poppies are from CB Poppy Meadow, the Foxes Lavinia stamps as are the little flowers along the bottom.

Please do pop over to the challenge blog, we would love it if you joined in.

 

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Crackling Rose

Morning Peeps, it's mid month inspiration time at Stamping Sensations and We Love Chocolate Baroque challenges where are themes are 'Animals, Birds and Bugs' and 'Anything Autumn'. My teamies have lots of inspiration to share so please do check out the posts. Further down the second share from my post here on the CB DT blog.

We have a DT call going at Stamping Sensations as we would like to expand our team, there is a page detailing how to apply here, so please take a look as you may be one of the people who are just right for the team.

The top card is my WLCB share and please ignore the white line, it was something on the camera lens which I only notice later after the card had been mailed. The image is Chocolate Baroque Crackling Rose stamped onto an Oxide background, added stamping using  worker stamps from Just Useful and Make your Mark and one of my sentiment from Life is so much Better cut into sections so I could use a metal magnifier to highlight one word. To finish some Washi Tape down the sides.

My first SS share uses the lovely Robins in Holly released at The Craft Store TV last week and is one of my samples for the show. Stamped onto white card, coloured, some stencilled Holly leaves and placed onto a die cut frame and laid over, most unusually for me some Christmas DP. An organza bow to finish. 

This one is eldest Grandsons Birthday card back in June using Lavinia stamps onto a Gelli Plate circle.

My final share today from yesterday's post here.

Thanks for looking today, I always appreciate your visits and encouragement.

 

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Autumn in the woods

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts where I am your host and my chosen theme is 'Anything Goes with the option of Autumn'. We have two prizes this week, the lovely Lavinia Spotty Toadstools and a Tim Holtz pennant die.

Can I also give a plug for a pretty new challenge called River of Creativity, aimed at all type of craft,  not just card making. We are trying hard to get the challenge established which was started by Zoe and we would love to see you there. Our theme this month is Wildlife and the challenge is aimed at all types of craft, so how about scrapbook layouts using wildlife photos or maybe a decorated gift bag incorporating animals, stitched or knitted items with animal prints, so many possibilities. My Allsorts piece this week fits into the theme rather well although it wasn't planned that way.

I bought several stamps from the most recent Lavinia release and have been playing with them in-between creating TV samples, Bumble Lodge is most definitely a firm favourite already and here I have coupled it up with one the the Hares, Toadstools and lots of worker stamps.  I also stamped a matching envie. My daughter came in as I was adding the finishing touches and said she thought Lavinia made Fairy stamps, when I answered they did she asked where were whey then......in the Fairy house of course!

Going off piste from crafting I was trying to explain to a friend the other day my current nail design so a photo seemed easiest, the idea wasn't Halloween but I guess they do have a hint of that. I am fortunate to have long strong nails and have them done every couple of weeks (apart from a year plus interval during COVID) yesterday was my nail day so this is the new design. 

And a sneak peek of what I have on my post tomorrow over at the Chocolate Baroque blog here using Chrysanthemum Blueprint although not really a sneak peek as it was on The Craft Store earlier this month.

Happy weekend all and I hope you will find time to join in both of the challenges.

 

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Autumn glory

It's the first Sunday of the month so time for our new challenges at  We Love Chocolate Baroque  and  Stamping Sensations. Our themes for this month are 'Anything Autumn' and 'Animals, Birds and Bugs' and our prizes come from  Chocolate Baroque and Stamp Addicts. The prize at WLCB will be a £15 store voucher and a surprise goody bag and at SS a £25 store voucher.

A touch of deja vous going on here as it's another Autumnal concertina card, although this one is five panels long, yesterday's was only three. The Studio Light die creates the three panel in a single cut along with the graduated mats, but it is so easy to extend as I have done here.

This was for our eldest son's Birthday recently. He has a high powered job and loves gardening and walking his dogs in the Countryside to de-stress on his rare days off, so I knew this would appeal to him. All stamps are Chocolate Baroque and the backgrounds Oxides and some soft stencilling using Lavinia stencils.

Talking about Lavinia stencils, have you bought any of the latest designs? I will confess to not actually reading the description when I ordered them so was pleasantly surprised when I opened my package to find they are larger at 8"x8", perfect for the Gelli Plate and equally good for pretty backgrounds on larger cards.

Stamp Addicts are on The Craft Store TV again this week so my shares are a couple of my samples for the shows. This one uses Robins in Holly, stamped onto vellum and heat embossed with detail clear EP, a little colouring on the reverse and laid over a stencilled background.

This ones uses Penguin Chicks stamped onto silver glitter card which I coloured with alcohol inks. I used the offcuts to decorate the front of the card.

Least month I came across the Card Chain Challenge, now I don't enter challenges as many know, but I did rather like the concept of an exchange of cards rather than a challenge in the usual format so signed up. I was linked to send a card to Dawn in New Zealand and this is what I sent to her using Lavinia stamps and stencils with a matching inset and envie....

And my friend Marianne in the beautiful Greek Island of Crete was paired to send to me and this is the Nature inspired friendship card I received from her, isn't it lovely. 

Have a good Sunday and I do hope you will join us this month.

 

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Crafty I loves......

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and Lynn's chosen theme is 'I love......' and there's the chance to win a £15 store voucher from Helping Hands Craft. 

Like most of us our crafting loves change with the mood, seasons and new crafty goodies as they land on our desks, but I retain a love of inkyness, Autumnal colours and anything Nature relates, so Butterflies and Flowers are right up there. My tri-fold creation encompasses all of those using a plethora of Chocolate Baroque stamps and a favourite die which I think is from Studio Light.

Yesterday saw two Chocolate Baroque shows on The Craft Store and the DT tend to share a card or two on their SM platforms, but as I don't do FB, IG or any of them I am sharing a couple today on my blog........which I am reliably informed is not social media. But the larger format suits my visual impairment and I'm not about to make any rash deviations and receive so many lovely comments and visits here.

Some lovely new stamps were released on the shows, including some great number worker stamps, a beautiful image of a rather Hepburn'ish lady and beautiful leaves so perfect for Autumnal creations.

And still on Chocolate Baroque, here are a couple from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque Blog this week.

The top card using four Twinches stamped with the Dragonfly from Sacred and then triple embossed with UTEE. The second using Poinsettia Script stamped onto Vellum coloured with Alcohol Inks including some of the lush new mica and pearlescent ones and the Poinsettia stamped twice more and decoupaged.

Happy weekend all and my thanks for your continued support which is always so appreciated.

 

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Essence of Nature

Morning Peeps at  Allsorts  this week Ellie has chosen the theme of 'Nature with an A / G option. Chocolate Baroque and Ruth Hamilton Design are our sponsors. 

Can I also remind you that the current theme of Fashion Sense is open for entries at River of Creativity, it's a pretty new challenge which welcomes all nature of crafts and aims to push us a little to test our skills and try out those techniques we have been wanting to have a go at for ages. Each month entries are selected for recognition in the 'Stand Out' features.

Both my shares have a distinct Spring feel to them, although that wasn't my particular intention so I can only guess my thoughts must be veering in that direction, such has been the lack of any real Summer here in the UK. A Craft Store TV make using CB Orchard Design a Tree, one of the trees stamped several times to gain a sense of distance, built up the background with DI's and Pan Pastels and stamped the Primulas from  Glorious Spring  along the foreground.

My second one uses Ruth's Clematis Montana  coloured, cut out and placed around a die cut frame into which I stamped one of my inspiration quotes from Life is so much better . I added some 'splats' around the frame and some Swarovski crystals in the corners. 

Have a good weekend everyone and thanks as always for your kind visits and words of inspiration.

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Agapanthus cluster makes a return

Morning Peeps another new challenge at Allsorts and I have chosen 'Any REAL Animal or Creature'......that means no fantasy creatures such as Unicorns and Dragons!  Stamp Addicts are our sponsor with a £15 store voucher.

It's also mid month inspiration time at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations and my shares from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog so a bit of a bumper post.

Starting with my card at the top, a recent make for Stamp Addicts for a Craft Store TV show using Funky Fish and Seaweed and unusually for me a fun card in the shape of a shaker.

It used to be a standard joke at my classes and demos back in 'normal times' that Agapanthus Cluster popped up at most of them. It's a lovely old wood mounted stamp from way back, probably the late 90's, when it was discontinued in favour of a cling version I bought a second wood one, call me old fashioned but love the feel of a lump of wood.

I stamped it simply onto an inked stencilled panel and added a sentiment from my Life is so Much Better.

When I received the stamps for the August Chocolate Baroque TV shows the Celestial and Sacred sets I immediately saw Tarot Cards so I created a set of four using several of the stamps from the two sets. All stamped onto black card, heat embossed with detail gold EP and gold pen flicked over as well.

Below another of my samples for this months Chocolate Baroque TV shows using Chrysanthemum Blueprint onto a Gelli Plate background and a simple Birthday greeting from Say it Vertically.

One final share for Allsorts using  Stamp Addicts Feline Family stamped simply in black onto DP along with die cut sentiment strips around the edges and some hearts.

 

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A challenge for Kath

It's a rather special challenge at Allsorts this week as we are remembering Kath and our theme had been chosen by her, it was Favourite Stamps. She was always so organised, selected themes months in advance and likewise prepared work to similar timescales. I recall one year about Easter she told me she had finished most of her DT work until December, that was our Kath.

My fondest memory of Kath will always be the mails I frequently woke to starting with "Morning Mum".....to explain, in the early days of our friendship we talked about our families, I mentioned I had 'two batches' of children, the first three then ten years later we started over (I will admit not planned that way). Kath said she liked that idea and would love to fit into one of my 'batches' so in future would call me Mum, I told her I often call my girls Sweetie so it stuck. She was a late bird, I'm an early bird so she she would mail me late at night starting with "Morning Mum" and they would be waiting in the morning, I am so missing those mails. 

So this post and challenge is just for you Sweetie. 

I hope she approves of the twist we have added to her theme to take in her favourite style of crafting which most of us know was Paper Piecing and Flowers so the theme is......

Favourite Stamps with Paper Piecing and Flowers option

As well as the planned prize is from Craft Stash there are a few more prizes, some donated by people who knew Kath through crafting and one from me, Chocolate Baroque Canary Bird Rose which Kath told me several times was her current favourite floral stamp. That one will be for entries using the paper piecing and flower option.

Kath also like vibrant colours which was reflected in her work and huge stash of DP's,  like many of us she was always vowing to buy no more, but we all know how that one goes don't we! I have two cards dedicated to her, my style is very different to hers, but both are paper pieced and have flowers along with colour, so I hope she is looking down at them with approval and probably a little quip about all the ink and grunge and my messy fingers.

Both of my cards use CB Canary Bird Rose, well they had to didn't they, both paper pieced from sprayed and inked card in my own grungy style and sentiments from my Life is so much Better.

We are hoping for a really good turn out this week and would so appreciate it if you would help us make this a special week to remember our friend Kath.

 

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Who lives in Bumble Lodge?

Morning Peeps, a real bumper post as it the start of our new challenges at We Love Chocolate Baroque and Stamping Sensations where our themes are 'Anything Goes with Celebrations option' and 'Stamp of the Moment', prizes come from Chocolate Baroque and Crafting.co.uk.  

In addition it's time for a new challenge at River of Creativity where our theme is 'Fashion Sense' and I also have my shares from my post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog today.

As it's so very hard to choose a favourite stamp we deceived 'Stamp of the Moment' made far more sense as there are always new favourites popping up. For me there is a constant theme of Poppies and Lavinia Fantasy stamps plus of course Stampendous P107, good old Agapanthus Cluster which will be making an appearance mid month.

Those of you into your Lavinia will know they released some fabulous new stamps a couple of weeks ago and along with two new Fairies included some gorgeous little houses so of course despite sitting on my hands the morning of release, by 7am several seemed to have fallen into my basket. Above is Bumble Lodge along with lots of worker stamps and Bandit and Rufus (aka Raynard) the Fox.

This one uses the new CB Polygon Poppies onto an acrylic (Dylusions) paint background, lots of worker stamps from the set and inspirational quote from my Life is so much Better stamped onto vellum along with a matching envelope......my teamie Hilary at WLCB nearly always stamps an envelope to compliment her cards which makes cards that extra bit special so I've pinched the idea Hilary, hope you don't mind 😀

My River of Creativity share has a bit of a play on words and numbers for the stores although the street name in Milan is authentic. The shop fronts were created with TL dies from way back in my early days as a DT for them, likewise with the shoe with the killer heel. On the other side a CB Mannequin stamp and smaller ones from the same set stamped in the background.

My WLCB first share using the lovely Christmas Rose Script and I wanted to create something soft so stamped the image onto vellum and heat embossed with details white EP, coloured the reverse of the Roses with Distress Markers and placed into a die cut frame.

My second WLCB share is a bit of a (for me) CAS Anniversary card using stamps from Chocolate Baroque Butterfly Flourish stamping the flourish twice corner to corner, a few flowers and sentiment from Words to Dazzle.

And last but by no means least my shares from my post here.

Following on from yesterdays photos, here is another of Great Granddaughter Margo Ivy born this week, so far she seems to be a remarkably placid and contented baby.

If you are still with me and not fallen asleep by now then thanks so much for taking the time to look and hope to see you at the challenges this month.

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Keep it CAS at Allsorts

Morning Peeps a new challenge at Allsorts, and Tracy's theme is 'CAS'. I've been rather quiet in blogland as my eyes have been awal on and off for a couple of weeks so limiting screen time. Also worries with Anysia and baby, it's ten days overdue and midwifes had concerns for the last few weeks. But due to COVID and staff shortages were unable to take her into hospital until Thursday, now it's constant procrastination, so to say we are not impressed with the NHS at the moment is an understatement. 

Our prize this week comes from Chocolate Baroque. It's also one of my days to post over at the Chocolate Baroque blog here so also have my shares from there which formed part of last months The Craft Store TV shows.

I'm just hoping the above is CAS enough, it is just one layer! Stamp is from CB Honey Bee which I know of a fav of Tracy over a Pan Pastel background.

This one using CB Wish Flower has been in my folder for ages to thought it was time for an airing. On to my shares from my post here and the first uses Honey Bee again.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

 

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