Blue and green should ever been seen..........

................well at least that's what my Granny always told me, but I think I have to differ as I love the colour combo of blue and green......which is the theme Emma has come up with for this weeks Allsorts challenge, I love it Emma.

The card up top uses one of the lovely Crafts and Me fairy images which I stamped onto gloss cardstock, masked and added some background colour with the Speedball brayer. I coloured the image with Copics and mounted into some DP from stash, some lace, feather and a butterfly to embellish.

My second share is a nice bit of messy inking. To create the block background I dabbed TH broken chine and olive onto an acrylic block, spritzed with water and stamped onto a piece of Fabriano watercolour card. I then overstamped with Hero Arts H2365 and G3316 using the same inks and finally Penny Black 4042K using Hero chalk cerulean. The hinges are TH dies which I embossed here and there with detail gold along with the torn edges of a piece of Core-dinations cardstock.

Enjoy your weekend peeps.

Things with Wings

Happy Saturday peeps, here we are with yet another Bank Holiday to contend with, life can be tough.............mind you, after the week we have all had with Blogger, we need a break.

My teamie Fleur is hosting this weeks challenge 'Things with Wings' at Allsorts, but first I want to thank everyone who took part in our Birthday celebrations last week. It was great fun and the winners are all listed on the challenge blog, so do go check to see if you were one of the lucky ones..........

Can I also say a quick thank you to they guys from Sir Stampalot for featuring four of my pieces of work using Hero Arts products in the June edition of Craft Stamper.

My DT card for this week uses one of the gorgeous stamps from Crafts and Me, she's a real little minx and I just love her in these colours. She was coloured with Copics and mounted onto a frame created with MS round the page vintage lace which I distressed with TH black soot. I added some flowers, gems and a feather to embellish plus the obligatory glitter here and there.

Whatever you have planned, enjoy the weekend.

More TV samples and brayering

Hi all, apologies for the lack of activity this week, I still seem to be struggling and inordinately slow at everything, so apart from DT commitments that's about it on the blogland front.

Although I am crating fine now and making cards for England, work on the keyboard remains a real effort as my dexterity seems all awry still............luckily messing about with ink and paint does not show the 'oh dear I didn't mean to do that' bits.......and there is a good bit of that going on. At least doing a post gives the opportunity of time to properly review what's written and amend all the typos, but a quick chase round blogland leaves me utterly embarrassed when I see my comments on display. So peeps, I hope you will understand why I am not about in blogland too much still.

But at least I have some shares today.......top card and another down the bottom of this post.......are sneak peeks at some of my samples for Stamp Addicts new programme which is live on Create and Craft on 21st March at 11am. The scenic, transport and Gypsy caravan stamps have been a joy to work with, all are available to buy on their website....check the what's new section. I will share some more with you over the next few days.

We have a new challenge at Allsorts.........and I confess that when I saw the theme Amanda had chosen........'Luck of the Irish' I went totally blank and all I could come up with were leprechauns and four leaf clovers, none of which I have in stamps. Then I though green, so that's the route I have gone down with my card above.

My image is one of the new Sara Burrier stamps from Crafts and Me called Mourning, isn't she Divine ? The name suggests she is intended for sympathy cards, but I think her uses are far wider. She is coloured with Copics and the border around the image is stamped with Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish. The DP is Magnolia and flowers and a swirl to embellish. The easel card was made with a new die from Go Create, they come in sets of three and are ideal for making base cards and matching mats as they are all larger than most of the nesties, but not quite as huge as the grand nesties.

Shabby Tearooms - Luck of the Iish
Crazy Challenges - Lovely ladies
Southern Girls - Use flowers

Charisma Cards - Easel card

Wags 'n Whiskers - More than one fold

Delicious Doodles - Use green

The card above is my DT piece for this weeks Stamptacular Sunday challenge........I got it a bit wrong last week, I really did think that was my last week but forgot I had already uploaded a couple more ready for the remainder of March........I tell you the lifts still not going to the top floor some days.

So a bit of simple brayering here with Adirondack dye inks, the good old Speedball brayer and Stampscape stamps. The sentiment is from a Sheena Douglass set which I thought went well with the little scene which was created using a circle mask.........sort of in reverse........I cut a large circle in a sheet of A4 on the Cricut then brayered and stamped through the aperture using several different stamps.

Oh la la - It's a mans thing

Moving Along with the Times - Card for a Male

Creative Card Crew - No flowers

Crazy for challenges - A tree on your card

And another of the cards I created for Stamp Addicts new show which I told you about above. I thought this was perfect for:

Res Q Challenge - A touch of pink

Thank you Mrs Patterson

Kirsten is our host at Allsorts this week and would like us to make some thing suitable for a teenager.

Always a difficult age group to create for I think, so checked with Anysia who's pushing nineteen and her answer was "well, OK for a youngish teenager", so I figure that's about as much confirmation as I am likely to get. I guess the sentiment says's it all.....how right Harry Enfield always was when he depicted that age group.............."thank you Mrs Patterson".........tell me I'm not that old and the only one who remembers that character ?

So on to my card, the image is one of the more recent Crafts and Me Hannah Lynn stamps called Frosted Rose which I coloured with Copics. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts sets called Whatever and the DP is Nitwits with borders punched with Martha Stewart Embossed Scallop. This card is also for the following:

ABC challenge - P is for pink

Alphabet Challenge - R is for ribbons

Pixie Dust - Seeing polka dots

Next for our new challenge at Stamptacular Sunday - "You lucky Duck" - not nothing to do with duck's actually, we would like to see good luck, congratulations or best wishes on projects.

My card was made as a good luck card for a colleague leaving work to have a baby. The lovely flower image is Penny Black 4042K Daisy Fields, inked with TH fired brick and spritzed with water before stamping onto a background stamped with Hobby Art GR1341F Shakespeare Sonnet.....I also stamped the leading edge of the base card with this. The punched border is made from Kaiser DP which I also used to make the green roses, the larger flower is Magnolia.

This will be my last post for Stamptacular Sunday as I have decided to reduce my DT's until I feel fully able to cope with typing and blogland again. I have enjoyed working with Priscilla and the team, they have such wonderful themes so perhaps I can join in their challenges now and then.

And last but by no means least, a couple of 'Scrap' card for my mate Jules who is on a mission to get us to use up our odds and sods. And my two here are just that, offcuts of DP, cardstock and ribbon and the stamps was a freebie, so I recon these fit the bill perfectly. The above card is for:

Stamping for the Weekend - Spring

Fab 'n Funky - Spring into action

Finally, don't forget that we have Spring themes running at both Stampalot and Penny Black at Allsorts challenges and some awesome prizes on offer.

Glazed roses

Agancy staff at work again to let you know it's the lovely Emma's turn to host the new challenge at Allsorts and she has would like us to make our own flowers, right up my street this one.

Due to my enforced non blogging I have failed to thank a few peeps for passing awards on to me so before I forget yet again, can I thank Kay, Pat and Tracy and apologise it's taken so long. I do hope I have not missed anyone, if I have don't be afraid to remind me.

The main image is one of the gorgeous new Sara Burrier stamps from Crafts and Me, which I stamped with versafine back, embossed with detail clear and coloured with a mixture of Aquamarkers and Copics. I stamped the wings a second time, coloured, glittered and decoupaged.

The DP is a really old piece in my stash and no idea of the make, but it matched the colour I used on the fairy perfectly. I made three roses from the reverse side of the DP and dipped them into UTEE to achieve a lovely glazed finish and the border is Martha Stewart double loop punch. This is also for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Lace and Pearls
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open with wings
Southern Girls - Brads/gems/dewdrops
Daring Cardmakers- Pound shop favourites (the tiny green flowers - I bought them and wondered for months what they would match - until I made this card)

Next fo this weeks new theme at Stamptacular Sunday - "You've been Framed". I have created another frame card very similar to the one I posted a couple of weeks ago but used a different shaped Nestie, but still using linen cardstock as the texture is good for this technique and after cutting the aperture stamped all over with Magenta 14315-0 using verasamark and embossed with detail clear.

I then folded repeatedly......mountain folds work best here and brayered randomly in all directions with Big and Juicy Spice..........this is the one exception where brayering works well on matt cardstock until the resist stamping shows through.

The sentiment is good old Penny Black 2695J Dance. I made a rose from a piece of plain paper which I stamped with Hero F5042 Leaf Flourish, which I then dipped into UTEE, exactly the same as the card above and added some punched leaves shaded with the same B&J.

I love these glazed roses and if any of the girls due at my next class at Sir Stampalot see this, you will be playing with the melt pot and making these.......regardless of how my body is acting up, I am determind not to miss out and will be there keeping a watchful eye over proceedings. This is also for the following challenges:

CCEE - Distress your papers

Paper Play - Lets get sentimental

Some odd Girl - Hnadmane embellies (the rose)

Stamping B's - Use a flower

Brayers roll again

Morning all, really quick shares today, got another appointment with the osteopath this morning to do a bit more on the shoulder and need to make an appearance at work, but as you seemed to like looking at my brayer attempts yesterday though I would share a couple more.

And I have decided that as several of you hinted at the idea and also some lovely mails asking so nicely to share how I do it, I am going to do a tutorial................just as soon as there is a decent day of sunshine so I can get some reasonable pictures. So watch this space.

My card above again uses Adirondack dye inks and a whole variety of stamps. I wanted to try and create the appearance of rays of sunshine on the field so after masking and brayering, I did a bit of sponging.....I will try and show this in my tutorial as well.

This second card again incoporates brayering and sponging plus some masking and that lovely Penny Black 2905H sentiment. You will note the trees are all the same ones and I 'need' more....I have seen a lovely tree scape stamp so many times, I think it's Stamping Up, so if anyone knows what it is and where or how I can get it...................please let me know. This card is for the following challenges:

Incy Wincy - Winter Wonderland

Shabby Tearoom - as above

Pollycraft - Black and White plus one

My fianl share is using another favourite.............grief do I have a lot of favourites, this one Crafts and Me Orchid of the Night stamped and embossed with detail clear and coloured with Copics onto a masked and brayered background. The DP is from American Crafts, the border Martha Stewart Doily Lace Trim, the branch is a Sizzix die and of course lashings of glitter and decoupaged fairy wings. This is for the following challenges:

The Crafty Pad - Girly

Crafty Cardmakers - Flowers

Oldie but a Goodie - Fantasy images (had this since July, so just !)

New Year, New Home, New C&C programme

Hows everyone today then ?

The weather is turning decidedly cold here again and we are still getting frosts every night, so winter looks set in for a bit longer yet.........I just don't do cold and can't wait for Spring.......if for no other reason so it's a bit lighter and brighter and I can get some decent photos of my work.

I have a few shares today and need to remind you that there are still a few more days to join in the Stampalot Blog Hop, lots of fabby prizes on offer and some fabulous DT work on your way round. Also don't forget the new Stamp Addicts show on Create and Craft at 2pm tomorrow........another of my sample cards further down.

My first share is a New Home card I made for one of our sons and his partner who have just moved......literally two days before Christmas, nothing like a rush and tear....blame the solicitors who always push things to the last possible date. Although the colours might not be what I would choose personally, they are colours I know they like which is the most important part.

The sentiment is computer generated and set into a frame cut with Nesties and stamped with Hero Arts F5042 Leaf Flourish using TH stormy sky. The DP is Crate Paper which was beautifully glittered in one corner, so I cut it to make the most of the pattern and get it into the bottom left corner of the card. The two flowers were made using a Cuttlebug quilling set and after I assembled the flowers, dipped them in clear UTEE making them glass like. If you look closely you will see the cream ribbon is crinkled up......this was intentional.......I gave it a few blasts with the heat gun to create the effect. This card is for the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesdays - A new beginning

Simon Says - New beginnings

Creative Card Crew - As above

Creative Cottage - Something New

My second card card used one of my favourite stamps from Crafts and Me - Eternity . I created an oval by masking and sponging with TH stormy sky, sage and marigold, then stamped the image with verafine and embossed with detail clear. I coloured the image with the same inks and Copics for the hair and skin. The DP is American Crafts, swirls cut from grunge paper using a TH die and the flowers coloured with Copics to match. The sentiment is an unmounted one....you all know that means I don't have the foggiest who made it. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Paper tearing

Flutterby Wednesdays - Open (they also have a Blog Hop this week)

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes

By the Cute and Girlie - Bling it on

My final share is another of the cards I made for Friday's new Stamp Addicts C&C show using the Da Vinci sheet from JudiKins. I stamped with versafine majestic blue and embossed with detail clear, punched a border with Martha Steward cornice punch from Magnolia DP and cut a couple of the keys out and tied with cord. This card is for the following challenge:

Bee Crafty - What's New (the stamps)

Moving Along with the Times - Ring our the old ring in the new ( new stamps)

Last Minute Christmas

Our challenge at Allsorts this week is hosted by Debs who is mindful that there will be lost of us who still need to rustle up a few Christmas cards so she had given us the theme 'Last Minute Christmas' with an eye on quick and simple cards.

So my card is just that. The DP is Nitwits which I used for the background and to stamp trees from Hero Arts CL459 which I cut out and added with foam pads, a border punched with Martha Stewart embossed scallop, a stamped greeting, cord and lace. This card is also for the following challenges:

Penny's Challenge - Merry Christmas

Moving along with the Times - Lots of spots

Stampin' Royalty - Winter holidays

My second share is a bit of a quick and easy one.......I always grab the brayer when time is short and is created a background so quickly and being I am obsessed with masked moons, here's yet another. After adding the mask, I stamped Judikings 2240G (stars) using versamark frost to provide a resist, then brayered taking the ink from just the blue end of Big and Juicy waterfall.

The main image is Lilac Lemon Designs from Crafts and Me, stamped and embossed three time onto linen cardstock with versafine black and embossed with detail clear then coloured with Copics, adding liberal amounts of glitter and some blue foiling to her dress collar and hat feathers. A border using MS eyelet lace, pearls and ribbon to embellish. Oops, nearly forgot, the sentiment is Penny Black 2905H. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Moody blues

Gingersnap - White glitter

Alphabet - G for Glitter

Fairy Fun - Use a star

Stamping B's - Use a star

Lots to Do - Glitz

Let it Snow

Mojo missing...............if found please return a.s.a.p.

Oh my goodness, it's hard going no inspiration and Mr Mojo nowhere to be found. Last night I must have spent an hour looking at a collection of lovely new stamps from Teresa at Crafts and Me and nothing gelled. As they were all fairies something is definitely not right.

But before I launch into my cards, I want to say a big thank you to Bee Crafty for selecting me as their winner last week, this is a fairly new challenge so do check it out, they have a super sketch this week and fab prizes. And also the girls at Creative Cottage who selected the card I made for my Grandson as one of their Top 3.

So here are my meagre offerings from a Mojoless craft room. The fairy on the card above is Sweet Pea Hiding, equally as lovely as all the others and I just feel I have not done her justice. She is coloured with Copics and her wings decoupaged and glittered. The DP is Magnolia, Martha Stewart punched snowflakes, ribbon and a flower. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Dreaming of a White Christmas - snowflakes

Creative Cottage - Untraditional Christmas

Charisma Cardz - One for the girls

Ladybug - Sketch

My next card, also one of last evenings efforts, uses Hero Arts F5075 Sparkle Poinsettia, inked with Tim Holtz dusky concord and bundled sage and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is My Minds Eye and the flower is mounted onto a 'doily' cut using the Magnolia die - this is a half circle and takes a bit of getting used to lining up, but once mastered worth the effort as it is so pretty. I tend to cut several at a time once I get the technique going. Some adorable lace which was part of a prize and a single flower and pearls to embellish. This is for the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles - Anything goes

Bee Crafty - Sketch

My final card is a Stampalot sample which I shall be delivering tomorrow.........I have prepared instruction sheets for making a tri fold card which will be available at their Third Ultimate Rubber Stamping Day on 4th December 10am through 4pm with free eats and drinks all day. I will also pop the instructions on my blog shortly.

I masked a piece of cardstock to create a moon by sponging distress inks, then stamped Art Impression U1562 Rooftops which I coloured with TH ink and added a liberal amount of glitter to the rooftops. Through the moon I stamped Magenta 02045-6 Santa......this is a silhouette wood mounted stamp and if you go looking for it you will see the actual image is straight, but I 're-assembled' it to curve the sleigh. The DP is October Afternoon and he snowflakes a Martha Stewart punch. This card is for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Let it Snow

Simon Says - Let it Snow

ABC - I is for Ice and Snow

Moving Along with the Times - More than one fold

Remembrance

Hi folks, still pretty windy here and sounds the same right across the Country, so perfect crafting weather.

I should really be decorating, but my cold sort of slowed me down, but hopefully the weekend will prove more productive on that front. Certainly need to get the dining room sorted because M&S want to deliver the new furniture. I have already put them off twice but they are getting a bit agitated now, understandable I guess as most people what new things yesterday.

Have you entered this months Penny Black at Allsorts challenge yet ? Lots of stamps to win again and such a nice easy theme "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".....how easy is that ?

A couple of shares today. The one above is a my take on the lovely card Shenna Douglas made with her new stamps which were some of those I succumbed to at the NEC. I adore poppies so this was a must have set and apart from adding some ribbon and probably slightly different colours, this is more or less a direct take on Sheena's fabulous inspiration. The stamps are in two different sets, the tree and landscape all one stamp, then the poppies another set which which have been overstamped. All are coloured with Aquamarkers and some Copics to add depth to the poppies. This card is for the following challenge:

Daring Cardmakers - A time to Remember

Crafty Catz - Paper tearing

My second card uses the same Hobby Art sentiment used on one of the cards in my last post, a frame cut with Nesties using Kaiser DP, a border punched with Fiskars threading water, some lace and a flower and leaves made using one of the Cuttlebug quilling sets. This card is for the following challenges:

CRAFT - Colour palette

Moving Along with the Times - Summer colours/lace/flowers

Me, like fairies ?

I woke up at 5am sneezing, by 8am it was a full blown cold and by lunchtime I look like Rudolph.

Must be something to do with the rumour of decorating, so I decided not to go into the office today and take it a bit easy with some craft. And has that been slow going, just one card completed, one finished from yesterday and a sample from stock, so here they are.

A couple of easel cards as I have a bit of a glut of them right now thanks to the one and only puppy from hell, Daisy. I had all my nice new cardstock from the NEC laid out on the sofa in my craft room.......200 cards and envelopes in total.........in comes Daisy fresh from the stables with hubby and literally launched herself onto the sofa, muddy pawmarks everywhere. Dog's don't do sofas in our house, lets fact it, if they did we would be the ones sitting on the floor.

So the only option I could see to salvage some of the ruined cards was cut off the muddy fronts and assemble some easel cards. In fairness to Daisy, the ruined ones were in the minority, but think she learn a hard lesson there. And for you peeps, a few more easels to come still......but I do love the shape so not too fussed if I am honest.

The top card is sheer indulgence with another of the new Sweet Pea Stamps from Crafts and Me (link on sidebar) called One and Only Heart. Isn't she the sweetest ? She is stamped with versafine and embossed with detail clear, then masked so I could add a sun.........I know I am a bore but all fairies need a moon or sun in my fantasy world. I decoupaged her glove, flower and heart, coloured with Copics and glittered her wings and the heart. The DP is a really old piece from my stash, the two white hearts are made with glittered card using an Martha Stewart punch, the border another MS punch and feathers and a based pin used to embellish along with some roses and beads. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Glitter

My Time to Craft - Rhapsody of Roses
Flourish Timeless Tuesday - Glitter

My second card, another of the reassembled easel cards stamped with Hero Arts CG179 aptly named Rose Background and coloured with Twinkling H20's. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR1353, such a lovely sentiment, stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear. The bottom section is Magnolia DP, Tim Holtz Bigz swirl dies and two roses made from plain purple paper and dipped into hot UTEE to give a lovely glazed finish. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Gold, silver and purple

Anything Goes - Embossing

My final share today using this lovely little Sarah Kay girl, whose name I'm afraid I don't remember........my biggest problem with unmounted stamps as there is no wood block with the details to remind me. She is coloured with Copics and mounted onto a pretty embossed circle using the Magnolia die. The DP is My Minds Eye, a MS punched border and some punched flowers.This card is for the following challenges:

Fab 'n Funky - Going round in circles

ABC - Holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving etc)
For Fun - Dry embossing
Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas colours

Queen Hatshepsut

It Monday folks and it's raining and blowing a gale outside.

So how was your weekend ? Who watched the reality programmes.....I'm meaning Strictly and the X Factor of course. So what's it all about then, there was me thinking it was all about the dancing and singing abilities and here we have a 'blue' female who quite frankly is an embarrassment to watch and a so called Brazilian 'vocalist' whose singing abilities defy comment. My hubby reckons it's a mockery and we should all show our disdain by switch off our TV's..........so who does vote for them I wonder........or is it all fixed ?

OK moan over, onto some craft. Not a lot going on there though as things need doing around the house. We have just had new wood floors laid from the utility room, right through the hall and into the dining room, so of course now the decorations all look shabby and as the skirting's are all off, hubby wants to replace them, so some decorating is in order first. Had a quick visit to Laura Ashley yesterday......no surprise with my style of craft that I love their designs and have used them for years.

So advance notice, my blogging activity might be a bit slow this week.........I'm not actually sure if I can even wallpaper anymore with my rotten balance and fumbling fingers, but going to give it my best shot so it does not all fall on hubbys shoulders.

Just a few shares, mostly previously finished work. The card at the top of this post used yet another beautiful Egyptian Sweet Pea fairy from Crafts and Me who looks rather like Queen Hatshepsut on one of the papyrus's we brought back from Egypt on one of our trips there. The background paper is created using the JudiKins cube with hieroglyphics on it which I stamped with Tim Holtz broken china onto some blue DP. The image itself is stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear and coloured in with Twinkling H2o's using the traditional Egyptian colours that adorn the tombs. A border punched with Martha Stewart zig zag and some gold emblellies. This card is for the following challenges:

Sweet Pea - Dry or wet embossing (fairy heat embossed)

My second card is using the lovely Penny Black slapstick stamp, which is stamped and embossed with detail clear, the masked so I could stamp in the Magnolia fence and coloured all with Copics. I also stamped some grass with the tiny Art Impression stamp, some bees to complete the little scene and also decoupaged the little boy. The DP is Nitwits, a couple of Tim Hotz adage tickets and tied them with raffia. This card is for the following challenges:

Stamp With Fun - Sketch

Lets Ink it Up - Create a scene

Cards for Men - Animals (froggy and 'something' peeping out of other bucket !)

Alice in Wonderland - Tickets

For my third card I used Penny Black 3877K An Afternoon stamped with versafine onto a background distressed with Tim Holtz mustard seed. I stamped the image a second time into vellum, then tore it in half and laid over the main image and fixed with brads. The border strip across the middle is stamped randomly with the same stamp and again inked with the TH ink, then ribbon, a button and lace added.This card is for the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers - Topaz

Cupcake - Sketch

Gingerloft - Button/s

My final card is a really quick and simple one using October Afternoon DP and one of the little houses from Hero Arts CL464 which is simply coloured with Copics and glittered to add snow to the roof. The mats were cut on Cricut Storybook. This card is for the following challenge:

Something Completely Different - Houses

Paper Sundaes - Let it Snow