Flaming Sky

 My friends other half runs a Hot Air Balloon company and in one of our previous houses we were surrounded by fields - it was perfectly normal for him to be flying over the field next door very low - and on two occasions landing in it! Cue one very irritated farmer!
(Have just read that back and it sounds like we move every five minutes - the house I am talking about we were in for almost 30 years!)

I  bought this Card-io set called 'Up Up and Away' last year and this was the first time of inking so I am hopping over to NBUS before this months challenge closes.

I saw something similar to this some time back on Pinterest and with a birthday looming for my friends hubby it was the perfect opportunity to use the set.

I wanted a sunset sky but think I might have overdone it cos it actually looks like the forest below is on fire..............🙈🔥🔥

Regulars to my blog will know how much I like ink blending!
Used Crackling Campfire (how apt!), Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Black Soot for my background.

The trees are one of my most used stamp sets - they're from Inkylicious and I love them.

Simply stamped in black Versafine Clair in the foreground and then used Versafine Crimson Red for my second and third generation stamping.
Am sharing over at
MMM- Create your own Background
Dragonfly Dreams - Happy Birthday
Mix It Up - Make your own background
SOS - Colour me Beautiful

Friends

One of the amazing things about Blogland for me has been the number of lovely people who have come into my world and stayed there.
Even though there are many I have never met I feel very lucky to have all these people in my life, they are generous, supportive, encouraging and I count them all among my friends.

My share today is for Loll.  

I mailed her a different birthday card which I hope she has received by now, but this is one I made especially for her for our CAS 'on-line birthday share'.
Once again though I am disappointed with the pic as it simply doesn't show the dimension or colours in a true reflection!

This is a Lisa Horton 3d embossing folder called Bold Blooms inked with shades of pink and lilac.

The sentiment is white heat embossed on vellum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLL. x

We have had some very hot days recently but it is more normal temperatures now - and with the normal temps has of course come the rain - which although irritates me, it made the garden and my pots happy!
I hope the sun is shining in your part of blogland. x

Sharing my card over at
Inkspirational - prompt word is Precious (which is what my blogging buddies are to me)
Alphabet - F for Friendship
Just Add Ink - Flowers
CYHTP - A/goes

Big!

 I recently acquired an Indigo Blu big butterfly stamp. Have actually used it - and more than once!

The Brushos were out on the desk top as I have used them for another project which will be shared in a couple of weeks time.
I stamped and heat embossed the butterfly before fussy cutting.

I thought that if I cut off the body (psycho tendencies 😈😈- LOL) on one side this meant that I could use the other side complete with body to make another card.....😊

Once the embossed wing was dry I looked for a suitable matching purple ink shade and simply stamped the whole butterfly onto the card base.
A few Brusho spatters and a die cut sentiment dipped in the wet brusho residue on the craft mat - it made for quite a quick card and one for my own stash box!

Work has continued here outside. We have extended the existing patio (those flags were HEAVY!) and rebuilt the dismantled raised bed in the shadiest part of the garden right outside the kitchen window- it's now filled with lush shade loving plants which cheer me up when I am washing up!

Still a bit to do planting up a new border and the all important water sculpture installation - which are jobs to be tackled over the next few weeks - dear husband is prone to reminding me that
'we're not as young as we used to be so everything takes a bit longer'! (Like I needed to hear that.......😒)
Sharing my bodyless butterfly at
TIOT - Butterfly
Dragonfly Dreams - Butterfly

Thanks for stopping by - hope all is well in your part of blogland! x

Birthday

Having ventured outside in the howling gale earlier I quickly made my mind up that the best place to be was sat in the warm in the craft space!
So here is today's share.

Stencilled background to start then stamped the ferns in shades of brown and a few meadow grasses in green.

The flowers were stamped, watercoloured and fussy cut.
I added a few drops of Perfect Pearls in the centre

I would never hurt a bee but I am not fond of them near me - (I hate wasps even more!), so to me the best place for me to look at a bee is here on a card!

It took a bit of fussy cutting but I managed it in the end.

He has glossy accents on his wings and I quite like him (as long as he stays on the card!)

Am linking up at
A2S+M - Any Occasion
Unicorn  - Flowers

Thanks for calling in - stay safe wherever you are in the World. x

Cas Mix Up Mid Month Reminder

Half way through this month's challenge at CAS Mix Up - Hilary is hosting and she chose 'Splatters' as her challenge!

As  I always struggle with male cards I have done one for my stash using this months challenge theme.

This really was a quick CAS card and to comply with our challenge rules, in addition to the stamping I added some clear heat embossing on the sentiment.

To start with I used the same stamp from Visible Image as on my Challenge launch card here.

I used Distress Oxides inks and after stamping each colour got out the paintbrush, inked it up and splattered!

Am thinking this will be a versatile card suitable for many ages!

The DT have some great makes this month so please pop over and visit them - and we hope that you will join us and splatter some ink! x

November Twofer

 This month's challenge at Twofer is 'Stars'. Last challenge of the year too!
I made a Christmas card and a Birthday card using the same Star die and some odd bits of glitter card.

The background for the Christmas card was done using Chipped Sapphire and Stormy Sky DI with a little dab of Squeezed Lemonade round the 'moon' for the sky and Shaded Lilac for the 'snow'.
Liberal amounts of white Posca pen spattering too!
I used a silver pen to 'hang' the stars from the die cut branch. I treated myself to this sentiment last week and it seemed just right!

The Birthday card is a tried and tested 'man' card!
Have done a few of these in different colours.
After stamping few grungy elements in grey, I added a couple of ink blots using a Midnight Blue ink.
The dark coloured stars were also cut out of the same dark blue card as the matted layer.
The sentiment I think was a freebie some time ago.

These two cards were also a way of using up the odd bits of glitter card that I always seem to be left with at this time of year.

Thanks to Darnell (Dolly 😘) for all her hard work this year with this challenge - and thanks too to the DT for their inspiration -  enjoy your month off! x

Linking my Christmas card over at
CHNC - A/Goes (Glitter)
Inkspirational - Frame It
and a quick visit to Pixies Playground 'cos my glittery bits were all leftovers!

BIG Birthday!

One of my very good blogging buddies NANCY is celebrating a BIG birthday today!  🎂  There is only one candle on this cake - but Nancy is a teeny weeny bit older than one! (Only a little bit😉😉)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCY!

To mark this occasion Loll is hosting a linky party for Nancy's birthday over on her own blog HERE

I am lucky to have got to 'know' Nancy (and marvel at her talents!) when I joined the CAS DT team. She may be hundreds of miles away but she has become a blogland friend and I am grateful for her support and encouragement. Here's Nancy's birthday card from me -

I took some white cardstock did some shadow stamping - the stamp is a recent purchase - Soulful Silhouettes by Penny Black.

Stamped first in Memento Tuxedo Black than again in Versamark and white heat embossed.
I used one of my fave colours - VersaMagic Wheat - for the blending. 

A few ink splatters and a sentiment which I hope conveys to Nancy that I am grateful for her.

I cut out with a stitched die and matted it onto black card.
I tried the panel on white card base and didn't like it -  the white jumped out before the panel! So I simply inked the white card base with the same colour and was happier!

I made another card similar using a fern stamp (whilst I had the ink out) which I will share at some point as I found making this was quite relaxing

Thanks for looking and for any comments you may leave. x 
Also sharing over at
Krafty Chicks - All occasions
Get Creative - Black +1
Watercooler Wednesday - All Occasions

Boy Racer!

February 14th is a special day as it is DH's birthday!
When he was (much) younger he owned a silver Ford Capri which (according to him) was the best car in the entire universe🚀, it went fast ⛐⛐ and was his first love💕
(He obviously thought it might turn him into a demi god or something...... 💋💋😁)
Last year Visible Image brought out a stamp set entitled 'In The Right Direction' which featured a Ford Capri and I was tempted to buy it but didn't. Anyway whilst away this week my friend (who is just embarking on becoming like the rest of us and completely hooked on crafting) took me to a craft shop near where she lives.
Fate definitely played a hand as there on the sale rail were Visible Image stamp sets reduced to £8.40 and a double whammy of 3 for 2 offer - and there was one single 'In the Right Direction' set left!
(Of course 2 other sets found there way into the basket - you can't leave a bargain can you????) 

Thing was, I bought the stamp Wednesday, we travelled home yesterday and his birthday is today - so I made a very quick card last night.
HE LOVED IT despite me making it in about 30 minutes flat!

We had a lovely few days away (craft shop not withstanding!)  and the Tutankhamun Exhibition

at the Saatchi Gallery in London was awesome.

I took tons of pics - (far too many to share on this post) - it was such a special day and one which I will remember. 

I know people say you can see all these treasures in Cairo but we are highly unlikely to ever travel there and to be able to see the exquisite artefacts up close was just wonderful.
The amazing workmanship and attention to detail was incredible and the sheer beauty of some of the pieces took your breath away - it is impossible to imagine what it would have been like to be first into that gold and jewel strewn tomb!

Hope all is well in your part of blogland! x

CAS Stencil Mid Month Reminder

Half way time at the challenge at CAS Stencil and the theme this month has been chosen by the lovely Nancy who's set us  the task of  'Use A New Stencil'

I bought this stencil last year and it's never been out of the packet -😏 in fact there's a few in there that have never been exposed to daylight so I have promised myself that I will systematically start to use them!

This stamp was a mag freebie - again from last year- (or was it the year before??)
Another item in this craftie space that is still in its cellophane and hasn't been manhandled by me.
I think the expression on the gull is priceless! He looks quite stern and fed up sat on his wooden posts.

Stamped, watercoloured and fussy cut before tucking him behind the framed wave stencil. 

I thought this was another suitable 'man' card  - which I desperately need in my stash

There's bags of wonderful inspiration over on the CAS Stencil blog and I know my teamies would really appreciate a visit and a comment if you have time.
Hope too that you will make something with a stencil and show your creation in our gallery - because

 

ITS OUR FIRST BIRTHDAY!! 

So we're celebrating and have a prize on offer this month!

What you waiting for?????

Bold

Well we have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous since my last post! Searing temperatures first then we have had 2 days of lashing rain! Cannot win! Yesterday was a lovely sunny day again but thankfully much cooler than recently.

My card to share today is one that used a single big stamp. And I mean BIG!

Huge isn't it?!
Not made for anything specific in mind - another for the stash box.

Stamped in Versafine onto watercolour card then painted with my watercolour brushes.
Added the sentiment and a few black ink spatters and done.

Sharing my card over at Inspire.Create who's challenge this time is Birthday.

Am planning on a nice relaxing crafty day today, so am hoping Mr Mojo decides to put in an appearance - sometimes it is really annoying when I prepare myself to craft and then end up staring at the pile of stamps and paper with a blank mind!!

Thanks for stopping by today - have a lovely day whatever you're doing. x

Stamping Sensations September Challenge

September already!
Here's my card for our September challenge at Stamping Sensations where we have a theme of 'Something beginning with 'B'.
Lovely Bee Crafty is our sponsor  -

I have a few 'B's on my card! Beach, birds, bark, a (life) Buoy and Birthday!

I have had this stamp for a long time - bought as a pre loved one and this is the first time I have inked it. It's rubber as opposed to my fave clear ones so always panic about positioning - particularly as there is no wood backing to even help line it up in the correct place!The MISTI helps but I still panic cos I can't see it!

Stamped it onto the cardstock, stamped again onto a piece of scrap and cut out then masked it off whilst I made the background scene with distress inks and my duster brushes. I have slowly got more confidence doing cards like these and there's something quite therapeutic about making a picture!

The grasses and 'sandhills effect' are from an Inkylicious set I think (no packaging!).
The main image was coloured with DI's too.
A little bit of string to secure the sentiment tag - job done!

Linking up over at
Allsorts- Things with Wings
Crafty Friends - Animales or Birds
ATS&M - Make your Mark
heARTful - A/goes

Sunset

Simply not had any time since my last post - done a lot of travelling in the last week. Snatched a couple of hours this morning and did some inky backgrounds. A lot are for Christmas but I also needed a birthday card for a man.

Am practicing using different Distress Ink colours together and this was one of those combos.
Fired Brick, Festive Berries, Mustard Seed and Squeezed Lemonade.

I also opted to use an Ink Duster this time instead of my sponging.
The landscape die is 'never before used'!
The finished article looks vaguely familiar so it may well be that I have seen one similar somewhere!

The panel was mounted onto white linen card for a bit of texture. Made a bit of a mess of stamping the sentiment but wanted to finish SOMETHING, so not a lot I could do about it!
Keep thinking I will invest in a Misti..... maybe Father Christmas will bring one.

Off to the Playground as both the inked panel and the card used for the die were left overs. (3 weeks in a row - definitely something of a record for me at the moment!).

Other Challenges -
AAA- Masculine CAS
CYP - A/Goes
CFTH - A/Goes
Artistic Inspirations - A/Goes

Hope all is OK in your part of the world  - have a great day whatever you're doing. x

That 'Perfect' stamp again

Does anyone know if stamps wear out? I'm just wondering how long I have left for this sentiment stamp which is definitely the most used one I possess!


Another card for the stash box and one which I enjoyed colouring.

The bird image is from SU Moon Lake. Because we had a big garden with lots of trees in our old house we were blessed by visits from many blue tits - it has been something I missed since moving here - as we are so open there's not many trees near - hence no visits from these lovely little birds.
So I tried to capture the colours of those that used to visit us when colouring the stamp.

The houndstooth check DP was an old left over piece as was the scrap used for the scalloped frame - I think they were both from Basic Grey. I know I used the papers a lot as they were this lovely lime green with pinks and browns.
I added a sequin and a few teeny gems after stamping the sentiment.

Am still on tour so again hoping that Mr Blogger behaves himself and publishes!
Catch up with you all soon. x

Lows and Highs

What a week!  Some desperate news over a 48 hour period last weekend, one not unexpected but the other a huge terrible shock and then on Tuesday morning whilst standing on a very cold and windy Railway Station I received a phone call with some amazing news which has now thrown me (and likely the other half) into a wonderful adventure over the next few years!

I don't want to bore you with all the details but I have been elected as Junior Vice President of Bowls England - so the succession means JVP in 2015, Senior VP in 2016, culminating in the Presidency in 2017. I am honoured, excited and maybe a little scared(!!) at the enormity of it all.

(The press release can be viewed a little way down the page here -  https://www.bowlsengland.com/news/page/1/presidential-and-selector-election-results or here  a little way down the page on the Clubs facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bolton-Flat-Green-Bowling-Club/504991522857091)

Anyway that's enough of all that - after all the excitement of the Club of the Year win and now the President thing I need some time out and I am going to spend today making messy - I have promised myself!
 About the card - a commission for a young lady's 3rd Birthday.
Image from All Dressed Up, coloured with promarkers and fussy cut. A wee bit of Frosted Lace stickles on the cake top.
Sentiment computer generated then cut with nesties, papers, lace, ribbon and pearls all from my stash.
Challenges -
In the Pink - KISS with lots of Pink
Crafting for all seasons - Birthdays
Creative Moments - Anything Goes - Celebrate
Fab n Funky - Birthday
Cuttlebug Mania - Girlie
Passion for Promarkers  - Lace
Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes with ribbon
Am away to blogland now for a catch up, thanks for coming to see me today. have a great day whatever you're doing. x

Wet Feet

Made this for a friends birthday - this Wetlands set is being used to death at the moment - but I really like it!

Used black card as the base and the coloured card is also from Stampin Up (treated myself!). Ran the top piece through the 'dots' embossing folder and the bottom piece through a houndstooth check one to give them a bit of texture, then matted onto the base card.

The string was 're-cycled' from a parcel !
Had a little bit of fun making messy with the distress inks and masking before stamping the wading birds and foliage.

The 'summertime' sentiment is an old one which was part of a set of floral stamps - can't tell you which company.
I was happy with this make and more importantly so was the recipient!
Challenges -
Allsorts - Splish, Splash, Splosh
Crafting at the Weekend - Anything Goes
Choc, Coffee & Cards - For the Birds
Creative Corner - Water 

And whilst we're on the subject of wet feet thought I would share these two pics of our bowling green on Friday night taken during a County Pairs semi final- the 2 players ran for cover as we were treated to an immense (but quick) thunderstorm! First pic shows how deep the water was in less than 20 minutes - second shows it draining away 10 minutes later!

Talk about rain! The wading birds would have been quite at home here!

Thanks for stopping by today - I've had a busy few days but have a couple of free days now so will be round visiting!
Have a lovely (dry!) day whatever you're doing. x

A Little Birdie

Am still playing catch up - not only in blogland but also with the housework and ironing! Too wet to do anything outside so decided to have a rest from all the boring chores and play about with some stamps and ink! (Doesn't take long for me to get fed up cleaning! LOL)

Made a card relatively free from any embellies - I think my crafting goes in cycles - I have recently become very addicted to CAS and trying to perfect that look which others seem to achieve so effortlessly! I've found that at the mo I am making more of these than the heavily embellished ones (which isn't help using up my paper mountain either!) - this though is one in which I DID actually use some paper from the stash!


The houndstooth check paper is I think Basic Grey (but I may be wrong!). Layered it onto textured card in as near a shade as I could match.
The same textured card run through the embossing folder and used as a background for the image.

Image of course is from Stampin' Up Simply Sketched set. Stamped in Brushed Corduroy DI, oval nestie placed over and then sponged inside the nestie, adding a few paintbrush strokes of peeled Paint DI to the 'reeds'. Birdie was coloured with Scattered Straw and Mustard Seed.
Sentiment stamp also from the same set and the ribbon and buckle were a candy win.
This card was intended to go in the 'man' stash but am now not sure it's 'manly' enough with the addition of the ribbon?

Challenges -
Crafty Catz - Embossing
Crafting For all Seasons - Wings
Divas by Design - Anything Goes
Suzie Bees- For a Man
Simply Create Too - For a Man
Deep Ocean - Wings
Sentimental Sundays - Things with Wings

Thanks for calling by - I am still trying to visit you all after my absence - coffee now and another stroll through blogland coming up! x

Bicycle

Had a productive day yesterday - intended to go out for a long walk but the weather defeated me - put coat on -hail, sleet, rain took coat off. Then a patch of blue sky - put coat on only for the rain to start again. Took coat off and gave up 'cos whilst the rain doesn't really bother me the path round the beautiful reservoir near where we live gets really muddy so went into the craft room instead!

Found these papers and thought they would make a good 'man' card!
They're what my Mum would have described as 'sludgy green' with shades of brown - no idea who's they were although think the script background was from a Papermania pack called Regency?
The other piece was a 12 x 12 scrapbooking sheet which happily for me had varying merging designs and shades with quite a large shaded area with nothing on it at all - perfect for stamping the image onto!

The Penny Farthing man is an old stamp which was from a set of Edwardian Gentlemen and I used Adirondack Espresso ink.
I sponged the edges of all the paper pieces with Brushed Corduroy DI and matted them onto dark brown card.
Added the sentiment and finished it off with a dark brown button and some string.
Quite an uncluttered design but enough I think for a man!

Challenges -
MAWTT - Birthday Boys
Digi Sketch - 1 for the Men
OLLCB - Man card
Creative Inspirations - Stamping
Allsorts - Vintage
Totally Papercrafts - 1 for the Boys
Gem of a Challenge - 1 for the Boys
Enjoy your day whatever you have planned! x

Quickie CAS

Hello to my new followers!
Thanks for visiting and clicking on the "follow me" button - I love visitors!

I have been doing some DT cards the last few days but in between I made a couple of CAS ones for my stash -

This one had to be the quickest ever - but I quite like it!

I had a small scrap of embossed linen card left over from another quickie make, so used it up as a base.

The butterfly stamp MAY have been a freebie with a mag but am not sure...  randomly stamped 3 times using using Dew Drop Brilliance Rocket Red, Versafine Majestic Blue and Versamagic Aloe Vera.

Popped a little sparkly in the centre of each body .
The sentiment was definitely a freebie last year sometime!

I wrapped round the shoestring ribbon primarily to cover the join (!!) and then just tied a small bow. Used foam pads to mount onto a base card.

Challenges -
Inky Impressions - Wings
Lady Annes Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes
Nutcrafters - Butterflies and Bows
Get Inky - Ribbons
Fashionable stamping - CAS


I am waiting for some dining chairs to be delivered today so am confined to base! - a perfect day for finishing off two commissioned cards (which I probably should have done before making the quickie ones really!!!)
But before that I will be having a coffee and a trawl through blogland to see you all!
Have a great day! x

Those shabby flowers again.....

I have absolutely no idea where the last week has gone - I have been making stuff but as it's for a DT I can't post it! (Am trying to get as far ahead as is humanly possible so that I am not rushing about at the last minute - or even worse forgetting what I need to do altogether!)
I did make up a couple of quick cards for the stash box both using off cuts from one of my fave paper stacks - here's the first share -

a simple design (and one I have used before with Ella Rose papers) but think it is effective and of course quick - which is great if you want a birthday card in a hurry!!

3 different bits of paper from Tilda Flower Garden all stitched together.

The rose is once again made using nesties, sprinkled with water and scrunched up. This time though before securing all the layers together with a brad, I took a scrap of lace and made it into a circle, using it as the first 'petal layer'.

Once the brad was in place I put a large blob of Stickles in the centre to cover the top of the brad, then randomly dabbed the glitter onto the flower petals.
The leaves were cut from a punch and I simply stamped the sentiment onto another scrap and tucked it behind the flower.

Challenges -
Sparkles Forum - Die Cuts and flowers
Ruby's Rainbow - Roses
Craft Room Challenge - make your own Embellies
Cards by Lady Anne - Anything Goes

Am sorry the pic is a bit naff and it doesn't show the colour at all well - but the light here is truly truly bad - so you'll just have to believe me when I tell you it looks quite pretty 'in real life'!! x