Just Hangin' Around

Flags and bunting out!!! It happened!! I got to spend a few hours today in my little craftie space! Not that I did much - LOL
Did a DT card so I am still a couple of months ahead with these (just so I don't get into a panic- or even worse get too busy and away too much to fulfil the commitment) and generally then just mooched about!
Am thinking of taking some stuff with me this trip away cos I am away for the whole month - even if I just colour some things up it will give me something to relax to?
So here is a little make

and 'cos I used some snippets for the branch and the flowers I'm going to the Playground! See all this spare time ( 1 whole day) has gone to my head...

Back to the card.
I used plain white cardstock and sponged a little blue ink on the top.
The embossed bottom was done using an embossing folder which I think was free with a mag, then just dabbed a little green ink on the grasses.

I cut the branch from a scrap of brown card then punched out the tiny flowers from pink scraps.

The image is of course LOTV, layered up onto foam pads and positioned over the branch.
Sentiment also LOTV.

Weather here has been awful today - I am hoping it improves for the month of the National Championships which start on Saturday (hence my being elsewhere for the month of August!)

Challenges -
Glitter n Sparkle - Use the letter 'B' (Baby, Bunny, Branch, Blue)
Crafty Sentiments - Baby
Fab n Funky - No Patterned papers
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes with a sentiment
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything goes but Make it feminine

Thanks for visiting - off to do the ironing!Have a great time until I get chance to call in on you all (whatever you're doing!!) xx

Wildflowers

Yet another week passed and the only crafting I have done was to finish off a commissioned card and stamp up some images before setting off on the travels again. Spent a few days in Scotland again this last week - this time with the Under 25 (called Junior!!) Internationals. They made it 3 wins out of 3 for England in the Home Internationals Series so far - Senor men and women all winning earlier this season, now the under 25 women so the under 25 men have a tough act to follow in September!

Have a card to share done with some of my fave stamps.
Love the watercolor effect achieved with Rubbernecker stamps - so little effort on my part except to add the ink to the stamp!
I did a whole batch of cards with this stamp for my own stash box.
A few done in more muted pinks and lilacs as Sympathy and Get Well cards.
I have such little spare time at the mo and am seriously suffering crafting withdrawals and blogland absences!

 I also nearly missed claiming a prize I had won as I couldn't visit blogland every day either!

Back to the card. Basic bright white cardstock.
The stamps inked in Distress Inks - Barn Door, Seedless Preserve  and Peeled Paint.
Sentiment from the same stamp set.

Challenges -
Sweet Stampin - No Designer paper
Alphabet Challenge - K for Kind thoughts
4 Crafty Chicks - CAS
Fantasy Stampers - Pretty Petals
Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes with a sentiment
Quirky Crafts- White

Off away again tomorrow but home at the weekend for 3 whole days, maybe some crafting time????

Thanks for taking the time to keep visiting me - I am missing visiting you all as often as I used to but it's good to know you're all still there! x

I am missing days.....

Where has this week gone???? Can't believe it's so long since I last posted.

Unusually for me, I was asked to make a card similar to one made some time ago - normally I don't do two of anything but as I liked the stamp (!!) and because of the special circumstances I said 'yes'! It is for the same recipient and the last card (although kept tucked away in a drawer) is rather the worse for wear so this duplicate will be put into a box frame and hung on a wall as a piece of artwork.

I love this stamp! It reminds me so much of happy days spent collecting shells on the beach with my Mum. Hence the sentiment.
I coloured it with Distress Inks then stitched it onto a scallop frame.
The papers were just found in my paper collection download box and the colour reminded me of sand.

Added some striped ribbon and a Martha Stewart shell type border and a printed vintage style postcard before using some scrunched up fabric, a pearl buckle and a variety of seashells.
The little tags were found in a drawer and I put a tiny silver metal flip flop charm to finish.

Challenges -
Eclectic Ellapu - (Purple team) Favourite Holidays
Glitter n Sparkle - Summer Sunshine
Pile it on - By the water
Suzy Bees - A/Goes - Twist - On the Beach
Craft for the Craic - Summertime
Fussy and Fancy - Beach Fun
Crafty Catz - Summertime
Dragonfly Dreams - Midsummer delights

Have stamped up a few images today and have a free day tomorrow so am hoping to do something constructive craft wise!
Am away at the end of the week at the Junior Womens Internationals - hoping that the weather is a bit more beach like than it is now - cos it's pouring down!!!
Thanks for keeping with me whilst I am blogging so infrequently - I appreciate it very much.xx

Christmas In July - and all the news!

Warning - LONG POST!!
The months are just ticking by and Stamping Sensations challenge this time is called 'Feature a Creature'. Little Claire are our sponsors too so as always a fab prize offered!

I confess that this was a stern challenge for me as would you believe I hardly own ANY animal stamps at all! Scratched my head a little then remembered this Hedgie Trio which would you believe was part of a challenge win!
They're actually quite a cute little triplet I think - so I stamped with Versamark Ink onto a piece of scrap card, coloured them with Promarkers and then fussy cut.

It seemed a little bit strange for me getting out sparkly card stock at this time of year - I am not the 'make Christmas cards all year round' kind of person and it's usually December before I even start thinking about it!
I just cut out a couple of 'slopes' then stamped the image again onto the slope using Stazon- which I've found is the only ink I don't smudge when stamping direct onto glitter  card - so I got the marks left in the snow by the sledge. With the snippets of glitter card used my 'Country Landscape' die to cut out some houses and trees - really fiddly sticking them individually but it provided the effect I wanted!

The blue 'sky' paper is from my stash.
I used up the rest of the scraps of sparkly card for the snowflakes.
Sentiment also stamped with Stazon

Challenges -
Paper Creator - Christmas in July
Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar - Christmas In July
CSAYL - Snow/Glitter
Kitty Bee - Christmas In July
Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
Simply Create 2 - Get ahead for Christmas
Winter Wonderland - All that Glitters
and am also popping across to Pixies Snippets Playground this week.

So what have I been up to  recently - following on from the England Senior Ladies in Leamington, I then went to Hamilton Scotland for the Senior Men's Internationals. Another great win for Team England who took the title from the Scots in their own back yard - someone commented to me that 'even Dick Turpin wore a mask'!!!!!
After that a couple of games -and then home. Yesterday was our Macmillan Fundraiser Bowls Competition at Heaton Park in Manchester - I can report that my team actually won the competition (pic below)  but the real winner was MACMILLAN as in just one day we raised an ENORMOUS £1030!!!! One of our members can get 'match funding' from Barclays Bank so our current fundraising efforts now amount to just short of £3,500!

 

I am home for a few days now - time to catch up with everything (including the washing and ironing and housework (sadly) ) but am determined to find some 'me' time and make messy in the crafty space! 

Thanks for stopping by  and have a great day whatever you're doing! x