New Baby Card

Happy Bankholiday Monday to you all. If you are blogging and crafting I can only assume the weather where you are is not that good.

Anyway - I got a text last Thursday morning from a second cousin (well I think that's what you call your cousin's child????) to tell us that his partner had just given birth to a new baby boy. We knew he was on his way and that he would be called George but I hadn't thought about a card for him. I had seen a great sketch at CCEE stampers that gave me the impression of quilting so I used it to make this card.

I used papers from my box of bits and printed the fab horse which was a freebie from Becky's Place and coloured it in with Promarkers. I used a nesties die to cut it out and edged it with tumbled glass and faded jeans before hitting the whole thing with the sewing machine. Boy was I pleased with the result. The sentiment I made in Word and printed onto some of the patterned paper. Even if I say it myself - it's not bad eh?

Hint - check back on Thursday for more sewing and be prepared for the next MAWTT challenge.

Hope you bankholiday weekend has been going well. I had hoped for at least and end of summer feel to the weather , instead it's been more like mid autumn. Can it improve to an Indian Summer we ask????? Hope so.

Take care. Luv B xxxx

Challenges to have fun with -
CCEE Stampers - Sketch
Kah Wink E Dink - Birthday
Part Time Tuesdays - Birthday card for a child
CRAFT challenge - Milestone birthdays  (Being born has to be the first milestone doesn't it?)
Pixie Dust Studio - Stitching
Meljen's Designs - Happy Birthday
Paper Makeup Stamps - Birthday Card
Crafty Emma's - Anything goes

Digital meets handmade

Hi Everyone

Yet another post from me today, you can tell I haven't had to work this week can't you?

Some of you may have this paper, but I have loved it for ages and not wanted to use it. I just love the design, mixing different media, it really attracts me. I also came across a post by Betsy Veldman at Moxie fab World where Betsy talks about a new trend of botanical collage.

The materials she shows and two cards she made inspired me to experiment and I came up with these.

I really like them, I know I still have a long way to go, but I enjoy playing in photoshop and mixing images together, which is what I have done with the papers and butterflies (and these are all freebies I have downloaded from the net by the way). I have then pieced papers together and overlapped them , printed over the top, coloured in with promarkers and added my own embellishments.

  I have kept to the botanical theme for these two, but I think I will experiment more with other styles and stamps.

Hope you likeeee.  B xxxx

Woo Hoo blog awards are running wild

Well another blog award this week, how lucky am I ??????

Thankyou Kathy for choosing me for this lovely blog award, what fun.

To qualify for this award I need to nominate 7 more people to give it to and tell you 7 facts about me. So, here goes  -

1. I love cats and have two of them. Since Ken and I got been married we have had 3 pairs of brothers, all male. Oh boy are they independent.
2. I have two fabulous kids, both left the nest and my son is married and we have 3 gorgeous grandaughters. (You will have seen pics if you have been following for a while).
3. I have 'retired' from teaching, having been a headteacher for 18 years I'd had enough stress and feeling tired so now I work part time as a school improvement partner. But with the new government that role could disappear by Easter. Oh well retirement could be on it's way.....
4. Ken and I got married on a Wednesday. An odd fact but I don't know anyone else married on that day. And it was a full white wedding.
5. Summer is my favourite season, I just love being warm.
6. I come from the St.Ives area in Cambridgeshire and have recently 'found' old school friends. Anyone else know that area?
7. Finding blogging and my art again has been great this year. I spend every hour I can playing and experimenting with paper, stamps, inks, colour and just anything I can get my hands on. My little office cum craft room is overflowing, goodness knows what will happen next. Oh well never mind.

Right 7 great bloggers to pass this on to -
Lisa, Heidi, Hazel, Shell - all my MAWTT team buddies who are great to be with and sooooo supportive.
Chris, Annette and Juls - who constantly keep me going with their encouragement.
Thanks girls.

Have a great end to the week especially if the weather improves.

Take care. Luv B xxx

CCC Week 11 Blended Batik

It's Friday and the weekend starts here. Mind you I haven't had to work this week so it's been great having time to catch up after our holiday. I can't believe we had thatday when it was up in the 50's and now it's rained nearly every day since getting home, but at least my garden didn't suffer too much while I was away.

I wonder if you spotted a sneak peek at this yesterday, as I was adding the photo ready for today I pressed the wrong button and instead of saving it I published it, but managed to get it back again, so off we go again............

Well I have missed taking part in the Compendium Of Curiosities challenge, but experimenting with the blended batik has made up for it. What a great technique. If you haven't tried it I do recommend you get hold of TH book and have a go at all the different things and pop on over to Studio 3 to see what wonderful creations other people are posting. So much inspiration out there. This week Simon Days Stamp and Show has a week dedicated to all things TH, so I was even more inspired to create this.

So here it is, I love the colours I have used and I have kept the layout very simple as I don't want to detract from the batik piece. The butterfly is from a necklace I picked up last year in primark. The clock is a TH salvage sticker with Idea-Ology game spinner and the ticket is the alterations die. Contact me if you want to know how I altered one of them so I could mount it on another colour. The batik, when viewed horizontally reminds me of an old wallpaper frieze. The stamp is a large foam one from QVC. (Please excuse the picture, I am experimenting in Photoshop and can't find a way to get different coloured backgrounds or soft edges  -  can it be done I ask???)

Have a great day.

Luv B xxxxx

Challenges to have fun witn -
Studio 3 - Blended Batik
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Tim Holtz Inspired
Create your days away challenge - With Wings
The Shabby Tea Room - A little bit of metal (the butterfly)
Crafty Cardmakers - Video inspiration, Lady GaGa (I hope my butterfly fits here with the mesh effect)
Inspiration Avenue - The power of words (I thought this card would be good for someone who has been poorly and will have a slow recovery, then it needs to be one step at a time)
The Craft Den Anything Goes  - Time
Flutterby Wednesday - Anything goes so long as there is a butterfly, fairy or angel on it.
ABC Challenge - B is for Blue
Paper Cutx - metal

MAWTT challenge 61 - Autumn

Happy Thursday everyone

Right I am now back in the driving seat after having had a wonderful holiday with the family, with one day in the 50's. We were sweltering and I had a dip in the pool at least 6 times that day.

It seems to have taken me ages to both catch up with everyone and get creating again. But I have 2 cards today and both fit the MAWTT challenge where the talented Heidi has set the theme. Hopefully we are not at the end of summer yet but of course we are all beginning to think about autumn and all it brings. So Heidi is challenging us to use the theme/colours of autumn for our projects this week and to include a recipe - she would like to see 3 flowers, 2 papers and 1 ribbon. I have used these and in my first card I have also added 3 leaves.

I have used papers I downloaded free from the internet. I do recommend you go and take a look at The Shabby Princess where there are a huge number of digi sets that are absolutely free, they are gorgeous and whether you are into handmade or digital crafting they are well worth saving.

I used the 'Shabby Fall' set and overlaid the words onto the harlequin paper for the background and also used a paper with masked leaves on it. I added a ribbon from my collection, three skeleton leaves and Herbanella stick-on flowers. The edges have been glittered with gold stickles.

I needed 'Thankyou' cards this week so both can be used to give to friends. One for looking after my cats while we were away and the other to an old school friend whose party we went to on Saturday night.

This is my digital card where I have used the papers, elements and digital stamp to create the whole card. I then added another layer as decoupage to the birds and added stickles and sakura glitter pens to give it some more dimension. The silhouette perched birds was a freebie from Blackleaf. The papers and elements were from The Shabby Princess and the sentiment from Raindrop Echo.

Hope you like these. They are different to what I was doing before I went on holiday, but I have got to get myself back into the swing again.

Have a great end to the week and a fab weekend.

Luv B xxx

Challenges to play in.

Inspiration Avenue - The power of words.    Mine are all to do with autumn and what the season brings.

Mark's Finest Papers - Harvest.  Although not literally a harvest card this does use the colours and

                                                  words associated with harvest.

The Tree House Thursday Challenge  - Fall colours.  Fits perfectly.

Special Event 12th September

There is going to be a very special event at OSAAT on the 12th September when we will be hosting a charity challenge for the awareness of autism and especially one little boy called Cameron. There will be lots of prizes for this one and even some blog candy might be available. So keep watching here and the OSAAT challenge blog for more details.

Luv B xxx

Another blog award

I can't believe I have received this award again. Thankyou Lisa, it doesn't matter how many times I receive it - each time it is special from that person, which means alot to me.

As I have already kept to the rules for receiving it and sent it onto 10 others I will keep this one all for myself. I think I will go and make a coffee and have a little treat with it. How good is that??

Have a great day Lisa and thankyou for being such a good blogging friend.

Luv B xxx

Blog Award received with pride

Hi to all my friends,

What a surprise to get two messages today and  find I have been given this award twice. How lovely to have blogging friends who think of you and what you do and take the time to let you know.

My thanks to Hazel and Kathy who have both thought of me today and made me feel special, you don't know how you have helped lift me today, thankyou so much.

Well there are conditions in receiving this award and things I need to do.

1. Thank the person that gave it to you - duly done above and on their blogs.

2. Post it with pride on your blog - again done above.

3. List 3 things you love about yourself - why is that always a difficult thing to do? Ok here goes - I love being a part of people's lives and giving where I can. I love my art and craft, having the time has rekindled a passion for experimenting, creating and designing. (Thanks Hazel for noticing it). I love that I am a very forgiving person and always look for the best in people and situations.

4. Post a picture you love.

I thought I would choose this one as it is Ken and I with two great friends, Margaret and Bill, taken last year.

5. Tag 5 other people for the award - I guess as I have received this award twice I should tag 10 others.

These are people whose blogs I visit regularly because they inspire me and because they encourage me in what I do. (And hey girls, I know I need to get over to you but I have been away on holiday and I am still catching up, but promise I will get you asap). I have purposefully chosen new people to those I gave an award to earlier in the year.
In no particular order -

Rebekah,  Nataliya,  Margreet,  Lorraine,  Sarah,  Zoe,  Clare,  Debby,  Shell,  Josephine 

I am in the process of making again and will be posting two cards on Thursday for the DT on MAWTT challenge blog. In the meantime I will visit more of my friends and say hello.

Have a good week, enjoy all you do and take care.


Luv B xxxx

25th Anniversary - MAWTT challenge 60

Hi everyone - wow do these Thursdays come around quickly.

But of course Thursday is a new challenge day over at MAWTT and this week the lovely Hazel has set the  theme - All That Glitters. No sketch to follow this week but with such a fab focus for creating glittery and shiny cards - who needs one?

The sponsor this week is my friend Stitchy from Stitchy Bear Stamps and I have used a digi that I won on a One Stitch at a Time challenge blog, before I became a DT member for them. It is called Miss Wings and I just love this cute bear with it's little wings, even my husband commented on what a great image it is (and he's never done that before!!!!), so it was great fun to colour her up and use it on this card. Do go take a peep at what she has in her store.

I made the card for some friends who have recently celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary and sadly we couldn't go to their celebration as we were on holiday, but we hope Donna and Jimmy had a wonderful party and wish them every happiness in their next 25 and more years together.

As you can see I have gone quite shiny and glittery with this card but I am so pleased with the effects. I started by choosing my DPs which set the colours for me and in many ways it is quite monotone. I have used a MS punch, Nestabilities labels 2, embellishments from my stash. The ticket is one from Lindsay's stamp stuff and I actually changed the words using Photoshop Elements so that it fitted for my card. I decorated the inside but kept it very simple to contrast with the outside. All the DPs and the ticket are edged with stickles and the wings, feet and ears on the image have been glittered. I also used stickles on the bubbles of the champagne.

Hope you like this one.

Luv B xxxx

Precious punches - OSAAT challenge 26

Happy Sunday

That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning
I wanna be high, so high
I wanna be free to know
The things I do are right
I wanna be free                          
Just me, babe!

That's why I'm easy
I'm easy like Sunday morning             Lionel Ritchie

So how's your Sunday going, easy I hope and free to do the things you wanna do.

Well Sunday is OSAAT day and there's another great challenge for you to enter called Pack a Punch (not literally of course), but to use punches on your projects.  Today the challenge is sponsored by Ididitcreations who are going to give the lucky winner 3 digis of their choice.

The designers are using digis from the creators at Stitchy Bear Stamps so pop on over and take a look at their fabulous creations.

I have used a digi called 'Precious' by Beary Dust Stamps and it is a gorgeous image which I have loved to work with. Precious is standing in front of a fence so I wanted to give it a garden them and use my punches for the flowers, leaves and trellis.

I coloured her using promarkers and I punched the leaves on her hat and stamped and coloured the flower. The large rose flower I made using a MS edge punch and layered it round a circle of card. The little flowers are also a MS punch and a small one from my collection. The trellis is the MS punch that was a TSV at QVC a few weeks ago, I thought it fitted the bill perfectly as I don't have anything else that looks like one. I have used various stickles on edges and distress stickles on the centre of the pink flower. The backing paper is making memories boho chic pad.

Have a great day and a good week ahead.

Luv B xxx