White Christmas in June

Evening All

I hope you have all had a good day today with plenty to smile about, just like the one we've had here. The sun was shining for most of the day and I was able to get out into the garden for a spot of gentle weeding - lovely!

After all that enforced rest, my crafting muscles seem to be out of condition, either that or Mr Mojo has gone walkabout. Whatever, I sat at my desk and couldn't work up any enthusiasm for finishing the scrap page that has been there forever. So it's been pushed to the side and I challenged myself to use up a few snippets that were lying around instead.

The embossed layer is the front of a card I messed up last week - check out this post here for the whole sorrowful tale. Anyway, it's been trimmed down and matted on to a scrap of black cardstock. The poinsettia was inked up with markers and stamped twice onto white card. The first impression was trimmed down and matted on to what was left of the same black card. The second was cut out and decoupaged on to the first and a tiny dot of yellow glitter glue was added as a final touch to the centre of the flower.

Inside has been stamped with a greeting in red and the poinsettia has been stamped in the lower right corner. And it seemed a shame not to stamp the back too, so I did :)

Materials used:

• 4" square white card base
• Cuttlebug All-In-One embossing folder, Twinkle
• snippets of smooth black and white cardstock
• stamps - from a set that came free with a magazine last year 
• markers - Memento dual markers - Lady Bug, Cantaloupe, Dandelion, Bamboo Leaves; Ranger Tim Holtz distress marker - Peeled Paint
• Stickles, Yellow

My plan was to make this for Hazel's weekly challenge, CHNC 126, but needless to say, I missed the deadline. Hopefully, I'll do better next week.

However, I'm not too late to pop over to Pixie's Crafty Snippet Playground - Week 74, for the third and therefore final time this week.

Hopefully, that's Mr Mojo sorted out and tomorrow I'll get some more crafting done although it does depend on the weather. Apparently there's a high over the UK which bodes well for more sunshine and less showers - yippee! Another opportunity to top up my store of Vitamin E :)

I hope you all have a very enjoyable and sunshiny weekend.

Happy Crafting,

Thanks - William Morris style

Evening Everyone,

I hope you have all had a brilliant day.  It's not been too bad here - my feet/legs are improving with enforced rest but I'm bored to bits. I haven't been able to go into the craft room so my desk looks exactly the same today as it did yesterday and I haven't made a thing. But, in true Blue Peter fashion, here's a card I made earlier.

Years ago, on a visit to Manchester Art Gallery, I bought a pack of postcards featuring old masters, that came wrapped in this packaging decorated with this William Morris design. I've kept it all this time for no better reason than I think it's beautiful - the muted greens, creams and the splash of orange against a black background are just the perfect combination to my mind, and I love the stylised design. If I could, I would have one wall in the lounge papered with it.

The card is made up almost entirely of snippets - the only exception is the ready made card base. Even the ribbons are titchy little lengths leftover from previous projects.

And, of course, the tiniest leftover strip was split in two to decorate the inside and the back.

Materials:

• square white card base; 
• black cardstock; the packaging; 
• 1" wide cream stitched grosgrain ribbon; 
• narrow green velvet ribbon; gold card for greeting mat; 
• VersaMark and gold heat-It-Up embossing powder; 
• greeting stamp; 
• gold Liquid Pearls

All those snippets make it a certainty that I'm heading over to Di's playground - Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week  74.

That done, I'd better adopt the prone position again (sigh). I do have the biography of Edith Holden, author of a Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, to read - that should keep me amused for a while.

Take care everyone,

Happy crafting,

WOYWW - the 4th Anniversary

Afternoon WOYWWers, Followers and All,

Apologies for being so late to the party, almost didn't make it, but this was one celebration it would have pained me to miss!

Yes, time to celebrate this amazing phenomenon that is What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday. When it was instigated four years ago by the equally amazing Julia Dunnit over on the Stamping Ground, I don't think anyone, even Julia herself, could have foreseen or imagined the huge success the weekly snoop fest would become :) I, for one, am immensely grateful to her for the time and effort she puts into organizing WOYWW, not least because of the many friends I have made through being involved. As Julia says, Deskers are nice people.

Right, on to the desk.

Not much to see - just a partly done scrap page. And it may be some time before it's completed too as I'm having to put my feet up, quite literally ... so frustrating! The photo in the layout is of a much younger me with my dad, taken in 1967 - a lifetime ago. I have so few photos of my dad, he died tragically young, that I think it's time I scrapped those I do have. To the left is a pile of paper scraps, ribbon and lace which may or may not be used in the layout. At the back can be seen my TV controls - I listen to the TV while I play craft - that same photo cropped - I thought of using it on the layout but then rejected it - and a dish with bits and bobs of embellishment, also rejected.

That's the desk this week. All that's left for me to do is to thank Julia once again for making this endlessly fascinating weekly visit to folks desks possible, thank Nikki for providing the fabulous anniversary badges - it was difficult choosing from the selection, they are all lovely, but nice to have the choice - and, finally, to thank all of you who take the time to visit and leave a comment week after week. You are all loved and appreciated by this happy scrapping/crafting blogger :)

Right, I'm ready, I've propped my feet up on a footstool and plan on visiting as many of you as time, and my feet, allow.

Take care and happy crafting,

Two Fabric Hearts ... getting into sewing again.

Afternoon Everyone,

Not such a good one here - somewhat damp and dreadful - but that's okay ... I have a scrap page to complete and my new sewing machine to play with too :)

Not easy to photograph and this is the best I could do but I hope you can see the lace detail on the cream/white heart.

They're not perfect, and I beg you not to enlarge and scrutinise them too closely, but I'm chuffed to bits with them. I've figured it out that it's about 20 years since I did any serious sewing with a machine. For a variety of reasons ... a series of life changing events, my old and much loved machine finally giving up the ghost (probably due to neglect) and then the acquisition of the 'machine from hell' were all contributory factors. A new machine that performs like a dream and here I am sewing again ... albeit on very small practice projects.

I didn't have a template so I opened up the MS Publisher software and imported the heart from the 'autoshapes' function. Sized it up to fit an A4 sheet and printed it off ... it is not a perfect heart shape as I discovered but it got me started. Some scraps of fabric - bought for cardmaking purposes - matching thread, a length of lace and some gold ribbon and we have two hearts. Oh, and I opened up an unused pillow and pinched some of the stuffing!

The resident hunter/gatherer has just arrived home ready for lunch so I'm off to join him but I will be back ... there's that scrap page to complete :)

Hope you are enjoying rather better weather and having a good Monday,

Happy crafting,

Forever Friends Card - for the Tuesday Morning Sketches Challenge

Afternoon All

As I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches #199, I think it's only right that I submit this card to the challenge.

Some of you will recognise it as the partly done card that was languishing on my desk Wednesday morning - the one I was agonising over and wondering if it would suit my 13 year old granddaughter. Well, lacking any better ideas, I've finished it and sent it anyway. Here's the sketch the layout is based on.

Instead of making it a portrait card, I've gone for landscape but otherwise I've followed the sketch pretty much as is. Some time ago I won a prize on one of the Docrafts challenges for this scrap layout of my visit to the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston - coincidentally another sketch challenge - which included this Forever Friends topper, paper and greeting in a Kraft Notes Collection kit.

Ready made decoupage is not something I do a lot of, but it is quick and easy and the papers included in the kit are lovely. The cute teddy, once put together, was adhered to a white oval die cut topper. As usual, I traced around the die onto kraft card to create the mat for the topper and added faux stitching around the edge with a brown ProMarker. More faux stitching was added to the plaid paper. The banners are made from some pretty leftovers from a scrapping session - the colours just happened to go well with the plaid.

The dotty pink heart in the greeting has Anita's gloss added to it and so has the teddy's nose and eyes - not that that shows up in any of the photographs.

Another of the greetings from the kit has been added to the inside of the card.

Materials:

• the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches 
• smooth white and kraft cardstock - PaperMill Direct
• Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft Notes kit which includes the decoupage topper, patterned paper and greeting topper
• X-cut oval shaped die
• snippets of American Crafts Dear Lizzy patterned paper (for the banners)
• Tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink pad - used to ink most of the edges
• ProMarker, Burnt Sienna - for faux stitching
• ribbon - pink/white polka dot organza, rose pink metallic cord from MeiFlower, metal 'made for you' charm from stash 
• Anita's gloss finish

I'm also submitting this card to Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 74 - where the only challenge from Di is that we use up our snippets, and that we behave ourselves in the playground :)

It's been a day of mixed weather here, this morning it was overcast and quite chilly - I know this because we went down to the big car boot sale and market at the racecourse and I had my hands in my pockets all the time just trying to keep them warm - but then the clouds disappeared this afternoon and the sun came out to play and it has been lovely ever since. Considering it usually rains for a bank holiday, this one is turning out to be a record breaker!

And what did we buy at the market - plants of course! A very pretty red million bells petunia for one of the two ornamental birdcages we have - in the other is a striking yellow and white striped one bought last weekend - and a tray of sweet alyssum to spot around the garden.

My plan for now is to make a start on a scrap page I've been intending to work on for quite a while now ... and I'm hoping to complete it too. Well, as I say, that's the plan ... as my daughter is fond of saying, we'll see :)

Hope your weekend is going as well as ours and that the weather has held up for you too.

Happy crafting,

Rudolph Day Card for May

Evening Everyone,

I hope you have all been enjoying the same glorious sunshine as we have been here ... it's been an absolutely fabulous all day :)

We took a trip over to Dunelm Mill over in Kilmarnock, in search of fabric to make some cushion covers - an easy project to begin with on my new sewing machine. Returning, we hit traffic queues - everybody seem to heading to Dobbies, the massive garden centre near our house ... the sun comes out and it's time to garden :)

I did take a bit of time out from sewing to make this month's Rudolph Day card.

And just for a change it's an easel card. The base is a 4.5" square card with another 4.5" square of card for the topper. The stamping includes the same Christmas pudding as yesterday's card but instead of stamping and then colouring, it has been coloured with Memento Markers before stamping. For the the stamping that frames the topper, I found a 'candle' stamp that had lots of greenery around it, inked it up, avoiding the 'candle', and stamped around the edge. The greeting is from the same stamp set. It's finished off with Xmas Red Stickles on the 'berries'.

For the patterned paper, I stealed myself and used another sheet of my precious Christmas Emporium from Graphic 45 ... I'll be desolate when it's all gone :( It's layered on to some shiny green mirri card ... I have to confess that I'm not at all keen on mirri card but, as I know a lot of folk love it, I feel I have to include it in some of my cards, just occasionally. The stopper is simply another layer of mirri and patterned paper embellished with paper poinsettias and a domed brad.

Materials:

• white 4.5" square card for base 
• scraps of smooth white card for easel and topper 
• green mirri card for matting and layering 
• stamps from Christmas set from Let's Get Crafting, Issue 26 
• Memento Markers - Bamboo Leaves, Lady Bug, Cantaloupe and Rich Cocoa 
• Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium patterned paper 
• embellishments - Stickles, Xmas Red; Wild Orchid Crafts small Poinsettias; brad - Docrafts, Papermania, A Silent Night

Sarn, over at Stamping For Pleasure, hosts a Rudolph Day challenge every month so this is one for her. If you haven't joined in yet but would like to give it a whirl - you have until the last day of the month to make a start on your Christmas cards. If you start now and join in with one card each month, you will have, at the very least, 7 cards before the big day :)

My plan for the rest of the evening is to get back to playing with testing out the sewing machine. There's a Lewis on too so it will be 'whodunnit while you sew' tonight :))

Another episode of Springwatch at Casa Worthington - I've just seen one of our starling fledgings take a dip in our birdbath, he must be feeling the heat too. He  clearly loved the experience but then found that he couldn't fly far at all with wet feathers and just made it to the deck railing in time. I'm going to miss them all when they've gone.

Okay, I'm off. Hope your weekend is going well thus far and that tomorrow will be another lovely day.

Happy crafting,

Friday's Smiles on Saturday

Morning Everyone,

I know, I'm a day late, but yesterday was super busy for me and in the end I simply ran out of time. Oh, and today is going to be equally busy as I'm off to Dunelm Mill - Elizabeth is desperately seeking fabric ... more of later :)

First, I've been well entertained this week with these little fellows.

Baby starlings lining up by the feeder waiting for mum to spoon beak feed them.

It's been fascinating watching them start to learn to fly and now search out food for themselves - albeit at the best stocked open air cafe in the neighbourhood.

Next, the EM's latest baked masterpiece.

A chocolate cake ...the man is turning into a domestic god! The multi-coloured embellishments were his own individual touch and not in the recipe. Oh, and it is made with half-spoon sugar, so half the calories in each slice, what more could a woman want :))

And finally, this vision of beauty.

My new sewing machine :)) I got so fed up with the machine from hell - mentioned with loathing elsewhere on this blog and now consigned to a dark cupboard never to be seen again! I so missed my old, and much lamented, Jones machine that I went looking for one that had all the same functions and features with a few more up-to-date ones thrown in for good measure and this Husqvarna Viking E20 fitted the remit perfectly. Now, I can't wait to test it, but it will be baby steps at first.  After trying out all the stitches, learning how to use the automatic threader - a function that is totally new to me but hopefully will save my poor eyes - and all the interesting feet that are tucked away in it's tool box - methinks a pretty cushion cover might be a good place to start. And that's the reason I'm off to Dunelm Mill. I am reliably informed by Lunch Lady Jan that they have fabric at a good price.

So there you are, the things that made me smile in a week that you might think there wasn't much to smile about.

I hope you have all had something that made you smile too and that the weekend will be a happy one for you too.

Take care and happy crafting,

CHNC Challenge - food and/or drink

As usual, I've left this one to the last minute ... it's been a busy day.

Hazel asked for food or drink so I found a Christmas pudding. It's a small stamp so it's a small card. The base is just a plain white 4" square ready made which I've embossed using the corner flourish and the word 'Joy' from Cuttlebug's Christmas themed All-In-One folder. Confession time, it took a bit of fiddling to place the folders just so ... in fact, I got it wrong first time and embossed it upside down! I'll know better next time :) However, I think it was worth it, the effect is lovely.

The pudding was coloured with ProMarkers before being cut with the smallest circle in the X-cut circles set. Because the next size of die would create a circle that was much to wide to fit such a small card. the red mat was made by tracing round the outer edge of the smallest die and then it was cut out by hand. The bling was provided by Stickles and gems.

Materials:
white 4" square base card
Cuttlebug All-In-One embossing folder, Twinkle
snippets of smooth white and red card for topper
Stamp from a Christmas set that came free with Let's Get Crafting, Issue 26
Archival ink pad, Jet Black
ProMarkers - green, brown, ice grey and red; X-cut circle die set
Stickles - Xmas Red, Yellow, Crystal; Anita's red gems

I'm submitting this card to the following:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge 125 - food and/or drink
Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra - May - where the challenge is always anything as long as it's Christmas
and, of course, at the mention of snippets it had to be
Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 73 - where it's always anything as long as some snippets have been used in the making.

Just a quick visit again - otherwise I'd be too late over at Hazel's.

Happy crafting,

Less Is More - Week 120

Afternoon Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and having a good Friday.

As the theme for the Less is More 's challenge for Week 120 is Cats and/or Dogs I had no difficulty deciding  which to feature on my card ... well, with a cat like The Boss around, did I really have a choice :)

This cute little kitten is from a Joanna Sheen collection a friend gave me, and this is it's first outing. It was stamped in Tim Holt Vintage Photo distress ink and, allowed to dry off and then the ink was drawn out with a wet paint brush. The greeting, from Hero Arts Classic Messages, was stamped with Vintage Photo too.

The tiny heart, stamped in bright red on front and inside, is from a Docrafts message collection that doesn't appear to have a name, well, not one I can find anyway!

And that's it - really simple.

It's lunchtime here so I'm off to join the EM but I plan to be back later with a Friday Smile ... it's a while since I did one.

Take care and happy crafting,

Faith is the Bird

Evening Everyone,

I trust you have all had a good day and that you have accomplished all you have set out to do. After spending much of yesterday away from home, I've been catching up today - mostly tidying up my messy craft desk and dealing with all the scraps left over from all the birthday cards I found myself making recently. In fact, I've given myself a challenge to use them all up rather than add them to the snippet box ... I could be some time :)

The card I have to share with you this evening is one made several days ago for the UKPC swap. I know it has been received so it's now okay to let you see it.

My swap partner's favourite colour is lilac so, naturally, that's the colour I chose. The design is based on this sketch - taken from Cardmaking and Papercraft March 2011:

As you can see, I decided not to make a flat card this time but to use a ready made shaped card which already had the circle cut out. The topper was cut out of patterned paper that had a very tiny green polka dot on a white background. It was then sponged with a lavender ink before layering stamping on top using bubble-wrap, the string board - previously described in this post - feathers, bird on branch and sentiment. That sentiment has been languishing in my stamp collection for many months just waiting for the right occasion, that came with the choice of bird patterned paper ... birds became the theme.

The flower embellishments were made from snippets using a large daisy punch and several smaller ones - all shaped and layered together and a gem added to the centre of each before adhering them to the card. I have my friend Cassidy to thank for the beautiful filigree butterfly.

Because of those snippets I'm off to the playground to visit Di over at the Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 73  - where the challenge is always to use snippets in whatever project made.

Materials: 

• a white pre-cut card base; smooth lilac card
• papers - polka dot design Crafts-Too Dots and Stripes pack, bird design Crafty Individuals Background Papers Book 3 Springtime, Papermania Chelsea Green Capsule Collection, lilac paper Docrafts Woodland Folk pack 
• inks - Tim Holtz Mulled Lavender, Memento Tuxedo Black & London Fog, Adirondack Eggplant 
• Die-cuts pre-cut filigree butterfly & lilac scalloped circle, circle X-cut die for topper 
• stamping - bubble-wrap and string on board for texture, Hero Arts Feathers, Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Visual Artistry Collection (bird on branch), Sheena's A Little Bit Sketch 2 Faith (sentiment), Ladybug Crafts It's Only Words 2 (greeting) 
• punches - Woodware daisy flowers 3/4" and 1.1/2", EK Success large daisy flower, Martha Stewart edge punch, Stampin' Up label 
• plum ProMarker; Violet organza ribbon; violet gemstones

That's about it for me for now. I'm off to watch the final part of Scott & Bailey with the EM but I'll be back later for an hour or so when I hope to do a bit of blog hopping before bedtime.

Just in case I don't see you later, I'll bid you a good night :)

Happy crafting,

WOYWW 207

Good Morning WOYWWers, Followers and Fellow Bloggers,

Wednesday again! Where does the week go? WOYWW, What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, is here again and I'm not ready. I've only just whipped through with the camera and snapped the desk as it was last night and as it still is this morning.

Mid making this card featuring a Forever Friends topper - the one I've been deliberating over for the best part of a week and still not sure if it's going to be right for my 13 year old granddaughter. At the front, from the left, you can see a pile - paper, snippets and leftovers - the die used for the topper, tape runner, ink pad (vintage photo), scissors, pencil (probably my most used tool), not to mention the card top in an unfinished state. There's a couple of slips of paper to the far right, one is the sketch I'm working from and the other is the start of the list of supplies I'm using ... have to keep a list ready for posting, I'd forget something vital otherwise :)

At the back, again from the left, there's the base for this card propped up against the adhesive container. Beside that is another container holding the elements that came in the Forever Friends kit ... actually the dish is one of the soup dishes from our now redundant caravan dinner service - we no longer have the caravan :( To the right of that are some punches that were used for another project and haven't been put away, yet!

And that is it. Apologies, but this has been brief, well, brief for me, this morning. We are going over to my daughter's for a while. Sadly, my SIL's cousin, Robert, died on Friday, at only 52, and making it doubly sad, his uncle, also Robert, who has terminal cancer, is now in hospital.

I will be back later hoping to visit as many WOYWWers as possible.

In the meantime, I wish you all a very good day.

PS: Glad to read that Vickie, aka Okienurse, has survived the tornado in Oklahoma.

Umbrella Man

Afternoon Everyone,

And a very warm welcome to Sarah, the newest follower of this blog ... lovely to have you join in and I hope you continue to enjoy reading about what I get up to craftwise or otherwise :)

Before I move on to my share for today, I'd like to take a moment to let everyone who has been affected in any way by the tornado that has hit the Oklahoma area know that I'm thinking of them. I know your President has declared it an emergency area so I can only hope that you will get all the assistance you need to help you through this terrible time.

Now to Umbrella Man ... I'm being kept busy making cards - it's been one birthday after another this month. This latest is for my oldest step-grandson.

He will be 22 in a few days - an age that calls for nothing too fussy when it comes to cards. So I've chosen to create both backing and topper with Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Stampers Anonymous Stamp Collection on Papermill Direct's kraft cardstock, layering them on to black card ... I think he likes black :)

The topper was sponged with TH Brushed Corduroy then over stamped with a texture stamp from the Tim Holtz collection, with the same ink and using the first and second impression stamping technique. Umbrella Man was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, the sentiment in Versafine Vintage Sepia and the flight of birds in ColorBox Frost white. The whole thing was finished of with a very light sponging around the edges with TH Black Soot before being matted on to the black card. It was finished off with a metal screw brad found among my stash - from Creative Expressions, I think. The background was made in the same way and then a length of washi tape - IndigoBlu's Wishi Washi tape.

The inside has a layer of kraft sponged and stamped in the same way as that on the front.

And I still haven't made a card for his sister, my granddaughter. I've hithered and swithered over this and still not decided what would make an appropriate card for her ... it looks as though it's going to be a last minute decision :(

I hope you are all having a great day. It's not bad here, it's not raining, it's warmer than it has been and the sun is trying to break through and even succeeding for short periods.

Do take care of you and yours, and happy crafting too.

Letterpress technique ... a fun card for my little brother

Afternoon Everybody

I hope you are all having a good day.

I've been playing with ink and my Cuttlebug all-in-one to try out this letterpress effect for the background to this birthday card for my baby brother - he's 62 today :)

It needs a bit more practice, the ink, Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers distress ink, is maybe not as evenly distributed as I'd have liked but otherwise I like the effect.

Loved the Docrafts stamp and had a great time colouring in the letters with various toning ProMarkers and, to borrow a friend's term - you know who you are - I tickled the bubbles with Crystal Stickles :)

The inside is lined with smooth white card - stamped up with some of the bubble - for two reasons ... one, to cover the pins of the brads - can't have my brother injuring himself - and the other, white is simply better for writing a message on.

Materials:

• smooth card, teal and white from Papermill Direct
• white Neenah Solar Smooth card for topper and inside of card
• Tim Holtz distress ink, Peacock Feather and Cuttlebug's All-In-One True Love embossing folder for letterpress effect
• Docrafts Papermania Typograph Brother stamp, Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad and ProMarkers - Turquoise, Duck Egg, Cool Aqua, Tea Green, Blender - and Crystal Stickles for topper
• Hero Arts Classic Messages Happy Birthday, Stampin' Up label punch for greeting
• Memento Dual Marker Bahama Blue to stamp bubbles inside
• 4 small toning brads for front 

It's been a gorgeous day here, so much so, the EM has dared to plant up his sweet peas. Now we just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed that we don't get a late, late frost.

My plan for this evening is to make a card for my middle granddaughter - she will be thirteen soon. It's not an age I'm accustomed to making cards for so I'm deliberating on what would be the right style of card for her. I'm thinking Forever Friends - or would she consider that too babyish ... oh dear, decisions, decisions!!!

I think a nice cup of tea is called for :)

Take care all and happy crafting,

Sunday Snippet - Purple Medallion Card

Hello Everyone

I'm a bit late today and yesterday didn't happen at all ... in fact it's been a very non-productive weekend so far. However, I do have this little snippet card, made a couple of weeks ago, to share with you and our favourite wee pixie, Di, over at Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 73.

It's a simple little card made to use up that snippet of purple Papercraft paper. The layout couldn't have been  easier or quicker to put together. The medallion was stamped in purple ink on to white card, cut out and blinged up before adhering it to the card front. The ribbon and gems were found in my stash mountain :)

Materials: 

• white card base
• snippet of Papermania Capsule Collection, Bilberry
• Stamps - Amy tangerine Aspire stamps set for the medallion shape and Wild Rose Studio Everyday Greetings
• Ink - Whispers Archival Rio Purple
• Quickie glue pen and Berry Fizz glitter
• purple grosgrain ribbon and lilac gems from stash

The book giveaway: I would have posted yesterday to announce a winner of  the book giveaway, except there wasn't one - no takers at all. And that was the last book I have to giveaway. Thank you to everyone who has participated - my bookshelf is looking a lot less crowded now :)

The Boss had her booster yesterday and has been sulking ever since. She's getting on, 72 in human years, has sore ears and is a bit stiffer than she used to be, but otherwise doing just fine. But,oh, you should see the carry-on to administer ear drops ... another reason in her book to sulk. It looks as though we have a hard 10 days ahead of us :(

Time for a restorative cuppa, I think :)

I hope you have all had an enjoyable weekend. 

Happy crafting,  

Blooming Wonderful ... Less Is More

Hello Everyone,

Well, I did it! I made a one layer card using a coloured card blank for the LIM Week 119 challenge at last. If you read my earlier post you will know that my first attempt met with disaster. Here's my second attempt.

The idea is the same - a stamped and embossed flower panel, flowers coloured with ProMarker, but this time it's on pink sorbet coloured card and instead of just embossing with powder, I've used gilding flakes too.

 A close up of the gilding shows just how pretty it is - the iridescent gems stones are pretty too.

This particular cardstock is quite absorbent so it was possible to stamp inside using VersaMark to get a watermark effect rather than use a coloured ink pad.

Materials used:
For the base - Papermill Direct smooth card, Pink Sorbet
Stamps - Dawn Bibby Designs Flower & Leaf set
For the stamping - VersaMark, Rangers Sticky embossing powder and Frosted Leaves gilding flakes
For the colouring - ProMarker, Baby Pink
Tools - Hougie Board, and some Post-Its to create the panel
Embellishments - iridescent gems from stash

It's been a glorious day here so we finally managed to top up our vitamin E reserves by spending an hour or so out in the garden. And whilst out there we took the opportunity to remove a few of these:

Shame ... they are lovely ... but, as they are a plant growing in the wrong place, they are by definition a weed and therefore just had to go!

And then I stopped to admire this:

My one and only auricular plant - gorgeous!

And then there's this:

The wallflower border. I wish this was smelly blogavision - the perfume from these is heavenly. So much so I just had to do this:

The lounge now smells heavenly too :))

This beautiful day would appear to be a blip ... the forecast is for worse to come over the next few days. Is it to be ever thus?

Hope you all had an equally wonderful day wherever you are.

Take care and happy crafting,