Happy Christmas Everyone

 Well it's been a very strange year for everyone. We have had some sad losses of family members and friends.  We had not planned on having a family Christmas as we have been isolating since end of February so we are not as disappointed as a lot of people. Family are all doing their  own Christmas celebrations in their own bubbles.   Having had all the time in the world I have , unfortunately, not been in the mood for crafting hence my poor neglected blog.  However I would like to wish anyone who is still visiting a Very Happy Christmas and lets hope for a better 2021.  

I did manage to make my Christmas cards , not my best efforts this year I'm afraid but here are a few of them

Winter Sparkle

 The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Winter Sparkle. I cannot get my card to show any sparke on here but it is very sparkly in real life !  Unusual for me, there is no stamping except for the sentiment. Large frame die that I had forgotten I had and my favourite die deer.  Hope you will visit the challenge blog and admire the design teams lovely creations.

Winter Wonderland

 Time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and this time it is Winter Wonderland. The design team have some fabulous samples over on the challenge blog so I hope you will pay thm a visit. My card is a quick Christmas card using a couple of Inkylicious stamps and the stag is from Lavinia stamps. It is very glittery but that doesn't show up on here unfortunately.

Red and Green

 Well I know I wrote for this post but where it disappeared to I don't know!  The new challenge at 

Try It On Tuesday is traditional Christmas colours .  The design team have some great inspiration for you over on the challenge site so I hope you will pay them a visit.  For my card I used an ivy embossing folder for the background, coloured with Mowed lawn distress ink. The white layer is the same folder not coloured and for the topper I have used a very old stamped image that was in my folder of stamped Christmas stuff, coloured with promarkers.  Look forward to seeing your entries.

Embossing

 Oh dear, I forgot to do my Try It On Tuesday Challenge post.  This time we are asking for embossing, dry embossing, heat embossing, pastes, the choice is yours.  The design team have some great inspiration over on the challenge blog so I hope you will pay them a visit.

For my card I chose to use heat embossing on both the background and the topper. The background stamp is a cover a card stamp by Impression Obsession and the topper is one of my favourite Crafty Individual stamps

Autumn Glory

 Time for some mid month inspiration on Stamping Sensations .  For my card I have used some stamps that came free with a magazine, an embossing folder for the background and some die cut leaves.I am sorry to say this is my last design team card for Stamping Sensations as I am stepping down from some of my teams after many years.  I will still be around in blogland if I can finally get to grips with awful new blogger system !

Halloween

 The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Halloween.  The design team have some very spooky samples on the challenge blog so I hope you will pay them a visit.  I had already made one sample when I realised another of the team had used the same idea so this was a last minute quick journal page.  I keep my stamps stored by make so it took me ages to find these stamps out, I have used stamps by Lavinia, Hero Arts and stampendous.  I recently discovered how to print in white with a black background ( yes I know everyone else probably knew years ago! ) so now I don't need to buy any more word stickers, just print my own !

Sunsets

 A short time ago Lynne posted on Facebook a beautiful photo of a sunset, we all said it would make a beautiful card but I didn't think Iwould be able to do it justice, However Lynne then challenged a few of us to make our version of of it and post it on our blogs. So here is the original photo

  and here is my version, we were told we could interperate it as we liked but as I don't have much imagination I have just gone for trying to copy it with various distress inks and a few stamps

 couldn't resist adding the birds

Here are the links to the others who have accepted the challenge.Sorry they didn't work, think they are all working now. I don't like new blogger !

Sally

Lynne

Sandra

Viv

101st BirthdAY CARD

Not my usual type of card but a neighbour asked me to make a card for her relation who is 101 next week!  She wanted the age, name and flowers so this is what I came up with, had to add a few butterflies too as you have to have butterflies where there are flowers.  I finally got to use the stamping up 3D embossing folder that I just had to have and then struggled to use, don't know why as it embossed perfectly this time.

Autumn Glory

 The new challenge at Stamping Sensations is Autumn Glory.This month we are sponsored by Stamp Addicts  and there is a fab prize to be had. Do remember your entry must have stamping as the focal point.

For my card I stamped and white embossed the leaves and then added distress inks to colour, stamped the little berries in distress ink too.  The sunflowers are a stamp from Penny Black.

Vintage Christmas

 Time for a new challenge at Sparkles Christmas and this time I have chosen the theme of Vintage Christmas.  I have used an old Stampendous stamp, some die cuts and chunky embossing powder,bit of lace and a couple of design paper layers.  Its time to be getting started on your Christmas cards so hope you will join us in this challenge

Autumn Colours

 The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Autumn Colours.  For my card I have used my favourite tree stamp and a very old leaf stamp, both Crafty Individuals and the lovely wording stamp from Inkylicious.  I have not seen much autumn colour yet this year, the tree opposite us is just starting to turn but all the others I can see are still very green. Withe the weather we are having I feel we have skipped Autumn and gone straight into winter!  There is lots of inspiration from the design team over on the challenge blog so hope you will visit them

Use your scraps

There is a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday and we are asking you to use your scraps, we all seem to have loads of scraps so now is your chance to use some of them up.  For my journal page I have used two scrap pieces of scrapbook paper torn in to stripa and layered onto my page.  The adorable little girl is an image I collected years ago and It always reminds me of my older sister when she was a child ( she could never see the likeness!)  The hearts, butterfly and bit of torn tissue are from my box of bits and pieces. The wording is from a vellum overlay piece of which I found a few in another box, no idea where they came from or why I had them.  I have a big box full of "empheria" from when I liked doing collage cards, think I really should put most of it in the recycling box but it went back in the cupboard.

The Great Outdoors

Time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month it is"The Great Outdoors" We are sponsored this month by Rare Earth and there are these lovely stamps to be won.To be in with a chance of winning your entry MUST be STAMPED  The design team have some fabulous samples on the challenge site so I hope you will visit them.  .

For my card I made a background with Dylusion sprays which was far too bright so sprayed it with water and blotted it with a paper towel , I like the effect it gave,
The Tree stamps and the couple with dog are Crafty Individual stamps and the flowers and grasses at the bottom are an Inkylicious sstamp.

Festive Things With Wings

I was sure I had done a scheduled post for this card On Sparkles Christmas challenge but it's nowhere to be found, after the palaver I have had over the last few days with blogger maybe I should not be surprised!  The challenge for September is Festive Things With Wings so I chose to use this pretty Inkadinkado stamps which I have had for ever.  The design team have some lovely inspiration for you ovr on the challenge blog so I hope you will pay them a visit.

Neat and tidy

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is "Neat and Tidy"  The design team have lots of ibspiration for you over on the challenge blog so hope you will visit them.  For my card I have used a DL card base. stamped the background with distress inks on an acrylic block and then stamped the poppy stamp over it.  I was undecided as to whether to coloui the poppies but decided I like them as they are.  

 

Many thanks to Marina who solved my problem fo me !  Stillhaven't tried posting to any other blogs yet as I've already messed up one of my DT entries !  

Why did they have to alter everything, it worked fine before...............

These are just some cards I made using some very old Kay Carley stamps which I have always loved, not for anything in particular but will go in my charity card box.

Can anyone help?

All my photos?pictures are appearing in html format, how do I stop that ? I have been messing about all afternoon and getting very frustrated !

Experimenting

A card I made for one of my neighbours

I give in

Well I've just been trying to use new blogger and I have to give in! When I upload a photo it just comes on as loads of text and symbol and then nothing works on the page, if I stay on old blogger I cannot upload to any challenges or the DT blogs I'm on. I've gone back to old blogger and will just give up blogging when we are forced onto the new one. Feeling fed up.

Make it masculine

Its time for a mid month inspiration on Stamping Sensations challenge where this months challenge is Make It Masculine, the design team have some great samples on the challenge site so hope you will
pay them a visit. There are some lovely stamps to be won so get entering with your STAMPED projects, any kind of project is welcome as long as it is stamped and the stamping is the focal point, not just a small butterfly or small sentiment.

For my card I have used a set of Inkadinkado stamps that I have had for a while and just got round to inking up.  . I was a bit concerned the colours were not masculine enough but have been assured by OH and daughter that men's cards do not have to be always in dark colours. by the way the sea is not as green on my card as it looks on here! it is more a bluey green but gave up trying to get a better colour picture!

Splash and splatter

 The weeks seem to be flying past and its time for a new challenge over at Try It On Tuesday, this time the challenge is Splash and Splatter!  some fab samples on the challenge site so hope you will pay the design team a visit.  For my card I made an distress ink background with three shades of blue and the wrinkle free distress technique. Splattered with a darker blue and stamped various sea themed stamps in a dark blue archival ink.  The seahorse is stamped on a similar background but kept it a bit lighter so it showed up better.

Rollergraph stamps

well I just took all the red rubber off a large box of rollagraph stamps, took all of  fifteen minutes to do the lot, will use the stamps as backgrounds or on journal pages. Another empty foolscap file box, the handles, rollers and ink cartridges in the bin, quite therapeutic getting rid of unused stash.😄😄😄😄😄😄

Butterflies

 A while ago when I was in a very low state of mind and felt unable to do any crafting I was browsing on facebook and saw some beautiful cards made by a lady called Barbara Lancaster, she had made several cards with this Paperartsy stamp and had coloured them all in single colours, something I had never thought of doing. The same night I stamped out six of the butterfly image and coloured them with my new polychromo pencils which were also unused !  My colouring is not a patch on Barbara's but I'm practising with them !  I did ask her  permission to copy her idea and blog them and she kindly said yes.  Making these got me started again and since then I have been busy making cards for friends and neighbours who haven't been able to get to the shops for cards, to date I have made over sixty plus my usual design team cards so have been quite productive again!
oured 

Words/numbers

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Words/Numbers.  I have both on my card using numbers in the background ( stamped a lot of them upside down  Whoops! )  Background with Bundled sage and  Wild honey distress inks, the stencil and all the stamps are from the Indigo Blue Box magazine.
The design team have some great inspiration for you over on the challenge blog so hope you will visit them

Make it masculine

Can't believe it's August already !  Time for the new challenge at Stamping Sensations and this month we want to see Masculine projects.Any kind of project is welcome as long as it is has STAMPING as the focal point, small sentiments or a tiny butterfly do not count! we do accept digi stamps if they are hand coloured, no precoloured ones allowed.  There are some lovely stamps to be won this month so please join in.

For my card I have used a large splatter stamp from Inkilicious for the background and the sea scene and anchor are an old Kanban set of stamps.

While I was playing with the splatter stamp I went ahead and made some more cards with it

This is a stamp from a company called Power Poppy which I just had to have, my sister managed to get it for me and then I never got round to using it which is not unusual for me !

 This is also a stamp from Inkylicious which doesn't get as much use as it should

and finally this one is a Woodware stamp, another one I had to have and have only used once before.

I do love the splatter stamp as it makes for very quick background so can make several cards in next to no time.

From our home to yours

Can't get my head round making Christmas cards right now but it's time for a new challenge at Sparkles Christmas and this time Debs has asked for "From Our home to yours"   hope you will join us in our challenge this month , look forward to seeing your entries.

Summertime

The new challenge at Try It On Tuesday is Summertime . Summer to me is being outside in the garden or going to the beach. I haven't been able to go to the beach for quite some time now and would love to be able to walk on the sand or have a paddle in the sea ! Just made a simple seaside
card and wish I could be sitting in one of those deck chairs .  The design team have some fab creations on the challenge blog so hope you will pay them a visit

All Creatures Great And Small

It's time for a little mid month inspiration at Stamping Sensations challenge.  The challenge this month is all All Creatures Great and Small so we want to see lots of real animals , no fantasy unicorns or teddy bears !  We are sponsored this month by Crafty Individuals and I have used one of their stamp sets for my card, distress ink back ground and coloured with Polychromo pencils.  The design team have some lovely samples on the challenge blog so hope you will visit them.  We would love you to join in our challenge but please remember we are a stamping challenge and entries MUST be stamped, digi stamps are allowed but must be hand coloured.

Humming Birds

I have had this stamp ,Uninked, since last year and finally got around to using it, the colours are much brighter in real life but this is the best I can get it to look on here . I am always a bit daunted at
 colouring birds as I see so many cards with beautifully coloured birds on them.I did look up some photos as humming birds and I was quite surprised at how many different colours of them there are.
I have been quite busy making cards for neighbours as most of us on our road are older people and we are still staying home. Our daughter came today and took us both for a drive up to Scar Reservoir ,first time we have been out anywhere for four months !, lovely drive up the dale but we were quite surprised at how busy Pateley Bridge was and all the camping and caravan sites were really busy too.
We got sandwiches and drinks at Howstean Gorge and ate them in the car up at Scar, then stopped and got ice cream at the Pancake House in Pateley, don't feel ready to venture into shops or cafes yet  but it was lovely to have an afternoon out..

Using Book Paper

 

Oh how fast the weeks are rolling by and it's now time for a new challenge at Try It On Tuesday. This time the challenge is to use book pages.  I have used book pages from an old dictionary and found the word Daisy to tie in my stamp.  Hope you will visit the challenge blog and see the fab samples by the design team. 

Baby Pink

A neighbour asked me to make a new baby card for her Grand daughter's new baby. I don't have much in the way of baby stuff or pink papers come to that but used the last one of an image a friend kindly sent me, its so cute ! and found bits of pink papers in amongst some freebie papers from a magazine. During my searching around I also found a jar full of paper flowers and organza bows which I must have had for donkey's years and had forgotten about them. I searched all over for some new baby stamps but couldn't find any so had to do the wording on the computer . Anyhow even though it's not my usual type of card I have ended up quite pleased with it, just hope my neighbour likes it. 

All Creatures Great And Small

Don't know what happened to my write up on this post, I have just realised it isn't there !  This is my DT card for Stamping Sensations July challenge. The challenge this month is All Creatures Great and Small and we want to see your STAMPED entries showing any animal as long as it is a real one and not an imaginary one .  We are sponsored this month by Crafty Individuals and there is a great prize to be won.  The stamp I have used here is by Crafty Individuals as are the background stamps. The Kingfisher is coloured with Koh-I-Noor water colours which are my favourite colouring medium rght now. 

Just playing

This post is driving me up the wall! can't get my cards appear where I want them!  I have just been playing with some stamps I haven't used before, two of them are Aall and Create but not sure of the third one. might be Studio light but I have lost the packaging.  I keep seeing post with skinny or slim cards on and when I looked for the measurements realised they are the DL size which were popular many years ago. These stamps really suit this size of card so had a go at them.  The backgrounds are done with Koh i Noor water colour paints and lots of water blotting with paper towels.Not for anything in particular just playing.