wishing you all the best for 2014

Hello lovelies - so its the last day of the year - hope its been a good one for you? If not or if it has  - I hope 2014 brings you health, wealth and happiness..... but most of all health and happiness - definitely the most important of the three!

Today I have my first card to show you that I made playing with the gelli plate - I have made more before this one - but this is the first I can show you - I had fun with the lettering - it didn't take me long to realise I needed to put the masks on in reverse for the printing process - doh!!!!!

The owl is from a stamp by Artemio - I have stamped it on many different papers and pieced it up. The same papers were cut with a spellbinders die and used to make the flower up.

I'd like to enter this in the sunday-stamper - wish challenge and the sweetstampinchallengeblog birds challenge. I'd also like to enter this into the New Challenge at totallygorjuss and also craftyourpassionchallengesCYPC - my gelli plate is new!!!!!

Thanks so much for looking - I do hope you've enjoyed your visit - and I hope you have a very happy new year!

Hugs

Rachel xx

My favourite makes of 2013

hello there! Hot on the heels of my fave Christmas makes comes my favourite makes of 2013 .... again the lovely debby has put this together and has got me scratching my head wondering what to put in - well my favourite favourite has already been in the Christmas one - so I might just leave that out --- but what else can I show you ...... here's the ones I thought I might like best ....

1. lotv-birthday-competition


2. april-showers


3. i-love-lilac


4. siobhan-and-martins


5. inky-fun-and-heatable-acetate


but there are a couple more I love too .....





so there you have it! my faves from 2013 - Looking forward to more inky fun next year! i hope you'll join me on my journey xx Hugs rachel xx

My favourite Christmas makes of 2013

Good morning all! Well everybody seems to be doing it so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and show my favourite Christmas makes of 2013 ..... the lovely Debby (here) has organised it all - well done Debby - I did enjoy doing this but it was much harder than I thought it was going to be!

Here we go:

1. shauns-card



I just love this owl and Shaun was well chuffedwith his card so what more can I say?

2. mum and dads card

Mum loved this one so much she claimed it for her and dad!

3. Adam and Eleanor's card


Although it pained me to cut up this scene \i do so love it!

4.box-for-bez-


This is my make of the year for me - \i love it - and so does Bez - we put flight tickets inside it for our holiday in the summer - so its contents were good too!


5.Jacqui'scard


There seems to be a bit of a blue theme going on there! Lol - never realised I was such a blue Christmas girl before doing this - well you find something out every day don't you!!!! There were several others I wanted to include but five is the limit so there you have it!


Thanks for looking - and don't forget to check out my second blogaversary candy here!

Also today the Ribbon Girl is having a fun competition to guess the number of buttons - check it out here!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Pan pastel GDT: the final piece - Happy New year!

Hello there! Did you get my last post - it was for my second blogaversary candy - you won't want to miss out there - so if you did miss it scroll back to an older post!!!

Today is my  final GDT offering I have for the panpasteluk premium Brands Challenge. I have loved being over there and working with such a talented team - I just want to thank you all for your support and kind words and wish you all a very happy 2014!!!! The theme this week is Happy New year and as the DT we were challenged to use metallic pan pastels again along with at least one other colour - I made a Happy new year card using Sheena Douglass Stamps and a Sheena Douglass embossing folder:

To make this card I started with some black card and ran it through the maple leaf embossing folder then highlighted the raised areas using the metallic pan pastels - the gold and the copper - they are so soft - and worked - for me - just like the gilding waxes that you have probably seen used in similar ways. The stamps are also from Sheena Douglass - from the little bit Oriental range. I stamped them and coloured with pan pastels - metallics blended with normal colours. Thats about everything I think!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss:totallygorjuss New

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday - not sure what we're doing but I will start the day with a run - I need to take myself to task over this poor diet I've been having over the festive period!!! Lol!!!!

Big Hugs and thanks for visiting!

Rachel xx

my favourite indigoblu stamp of this year

Good morning lovelies ..... how are you? Back to my regular slot this morning. We had a lovely day at the science museum yesterday - the girls really enjoyed the experiment floor. They had lots of fun trying to make things work - and figure out why other things happened!

Today I'd like to share with you my first make from my MDF man mixed box that I got for Christmas - I've decorated it using the large snowflake stamp from Indigo Blu which is my favourite stamp of theirs from this year.

The box is MDF and I first painted it with geeso good from Indigo blu then used eco tarnished silver paint to paint the whole box. Once dry I rubbed the surfaces of the box with an antistatic bag then stamped the snowflake image in versamark before finally adding WOW powders - white opaque - and heat setting - I also added versa pen around the top and heat set the blobs of white powder that stuck.

I just adore this stamp from Indigo Blu - such a pretty snowflake and I suspect you'll see quite a lot of it in 2014! I only just got this stamp - but it was a must have for me!

I would like to enter this box into the following challenges:

Indigo Bluyour-favourite-indigoblu - your favourite stamp of 2013
WOW powderswowembossingpowder: family - we will keep this box as a family box

Thanks for looking today and I look forward to seeing you again soon - thanks for your comments on my last post - and look out tomorrow for my second blogaversary candy!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Thankyou

Hello there! How are you? Well I finally got chance to have a play with some of my Christmas goodies - but I can't show you yet what I've been doing ..... what I can show you, however, is a thankyou card I made - using one of my fave penny black stamps from this year - I finally got hold of it the other week and its taken me until now to get it used.....

 The image has been coloured with promarkers - I've cut using a spellbinders die and mounted onto some crafty individuals papers - love them to bits...

Hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow - we're off to the science museum in Manchester - should be fun!!!! Big Hugs! Rachel xx

its the most wonderful time of the year!

Hello all - I do hope you've all had a wonderful day and have received lots of crafty goodies - I got a mixed box from the MDF man and a gelli plate so I'm well happy and really excited about getting back into my craft attic! But this post is about today! Here's a few highlights:

There were early morning parcels from santa ......

an enormous cracker .....

a visit from my lovely mum and crazy dad .....

a glass of bubbly for the chef ......and a good time was had by all! Hope you have had a wonderful day and enjoyed yourselves!!! Happy Christmas xx

Lucy's Christmas hanger

Hello again! Little Lucy had to have a go too - she made a hanger for Christmas and enjoyed doing some diecutting and heat embossing - Well done Lucy.

Lucy would like to enter this hanger into the ribbongirls childrens-christmas-craft-challenge. Merry Christmas everybody! Hugs Rachel xx

Penny's Robot

Hello there - Penny's been making a robot today. We went to see frozen then went to my mums - and Penny made this robot - she wants to enter it into the Challenge over at the ribbongirls. Here's her robot:

She had lots of fun making this!!! Merry Christmas one and all!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Make a gift using fabric for Pan pastel GDT

Good afternoon - this is my final post for today - and now I'm going to have a few days off - so I won't be troubling you until after the big day!!!! I will of course be checking to see what you guys have been up to!

So this is my fourth post as GDT for the premium brands - panpasteluk challenge - as part of the DT we were challenged to use fabric in the making of a last minute gift and also to use pan pastel. I took some felt and coloured it with pan pastels - red and yellow - they blended so well even on the white felt. I then set the pastel  using crafters companion spray and sparkle. Afterwards I diecut the felt using spellbinders dies and created a layered flower. I sewed these layers together with a button for the flower centre. I then added a brooch attachment from that craft place on the rear of the flower to make a quick Christmas present for my girls - I've put them into day 6 of the 12 days of christmas box.

So there you have it - I wonder what you can come up with? Check the details of the challenge here and also get inspiration from some of the amazing DT over at the Premium Brands Challenge.

So thats all from me for a few days - just to say a really Happy Christmas to all of you and I hope that santa brings you lots of crafty goodies to play with - and that Christmas day itself is all you dreamed it would be.

Big Hugs and a big thankyou for all of your terrific comments through the year - it really does mean a lot to me!

Rachel xxx

Post for Crafty Ribbons: Crafty Sentiments sponsors advent

Hello there - have you seen the craftyribbons Advent giveaway? There have been some amazing prizes up for grabs each day in December. Today is the turn of Crafty Sentiments to sponsor the challenge and I've made a card to that end. This one includes the image Jasmin-Winter-Skates which you can get by following the linky.

 I have coloured the image with promarkers and cut using romantic rectangles die from spellbinders then distressed with the die still in place. The papers and sentiment are from LOTV and the charm and ribbon are from my stash.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Penny's challengepennyschallenges: fave colour - blue
CHNC:craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge last minute makes
CHNC extracraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2: AG


Hope you're having a good day - I'll be back at 3 this afternoon with my final post for today and the last before Christmas!

Hugs Rachel x

GDT for that Craft Place: Challenge - Anything goes

Goodly morning to you all! I've got a busy old day in blogland today - and I'm away too so this is a short - and hopefully sweet scheduled post! Today I'm sharing this post with you for That Craft Place challenge blog where I was lucky enough to get a joint GDT spot for three months. The challenge starting today is Anything goes/Christmas - I've made a steampunk inspired piece made with goodies available at  at thatcraftplace.
Here it is:



The hat came as a flat pack - its a Mad-Hatters-Top-Hat and I painted it using distress paints and stamped it with the steampunk christmas stamps from Sam Poole at Creative Expressions. I then assembled the hat and added cogs I had cut from rangers foil tape cut using spellbinders dies - I stamped the steampunk Christmas bird onto the ranger foil tape and then fussy cut it. I added the black ribbon to the piece then attached the bird and lightbulb charm and key - all from that craft place. I've also stamped a feather from the wise friend stamp set - I'll try and add a picture soon - I can't find the photo files I took at the moment. The feather is attached to the RHS of the hat.


I'd like to enter this into the following challenges.

The male room:themaleroomchallengeblog Celebration
CHNC:craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge last minute makes
CHNC extracraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2: AG
Sparkles challengesparklesforumchallenges: ABAC
cypc: craftyourpassionchallengesABAC
countryviewchallenges -whoo-hoo-its-nearly-christmas


Back very soon with my next post of the day!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Jennifer and Dan's card

Good morning lovelies - I have scheduled this post as I'm hoping to have a lie in after last nights dinner out!! Here's hoping that my little chipmunks haven't got me up with the lark as usual!!! Here's a picture from last night - it really was lovely :



Today I have a card to share with you that I have made for the daughter of my running partner Sue. Jennifer and Dan get married tomorrow - its going to be a real family affair - sister Kathryn is doing the hair and make -up, the bride and her mum made all the invitations, Sue also made the cake. I just hope that all goes well on the day - Jennifer has even made her own bouquets - using pinecones - the whole theme is one of art deco, navy blue and silver pine cones. Hence the card I made:

I did one of these very similar but without the pinecones and in a different colourscheme in september - I love it so it was an easy choice - especially when my mums new tattered lace dies were delivered - so I got cracking - with my sparkling silver WOW powders and kanban stamps. I do hope they like it!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenge - WOW powderswowembossingpowder - family!

Big Hugs and hope to see you again tomorrow - two posts for me  then!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

12 days of christmas box and FJ week 12

Hello there! Well the weather's getting more and more crazy here - last night we tried carol singing - but only managed 40 minutes before the hail was coming down so fast and hard we had to give up. Poor little Penny was crying bless her! Anyway - it gave me some time to craft last night so things all work out for the best in the end!

Today I'd like to share with you my 12 days of Christmas box - I got this and decorated it last year but have overhauled it this year so its all been done with LOTV stamps and papers.

The trees and snowflakes have been cut using die'sire dies. The hearts on the internal boxes are wooden and have been stained with weathered wood Distress stain. The two LOTV stamps have been coloured with speccies. The lettering is from Claritystamps. I have had a family photo done as a jigsaw puzzle - its got 204 pieces and I've split these between the boxes = we have the first box on Christmas day and a new box each subsequent day! I hope it goes down well - last year I bought hair clips and the like so its a bit different this year.

I'd like to enter this box into the following challenges:

LOTV ideastoinspirechallenge- ABAC
CFAS:craftingforallseasons ABAC
ALBCpaulaholifieldcrafts albc-christmas-cheer: Christmas cheer
ABAC:anythingbutacard Holiday twist
SSSMonsimonsaysstampblog: Use a stamp
CYPCcraftyourpassionchallenges: ABAC

Lastly I have my final tag from the funkie junkie's 12 tags of Christmas to share with you - this challenge is sponsored by the funkiejunkie Boutique and Linda's original tag can be found here. I took the horse and carriage as inspiration plus the sideways tag.

I used the only horse and carriage stamp I have - its from claritystamps. The snow stamp is from sheena douglass. I'd like to enter this tag into the thefunkiejunkie-12-tags-of-christmas tag 12 challenge.

Thats all for today. Thankyou for visiting my blog and leaving your pearls of wisdom and lovely comments - I really do appreciate it!

I'm off to the Hornby Ladies Christmas dinner tonight - looking forward to that as it was so beautiful last year! Here's hoping it will be as much fun tonight!

Big Hugs to you!

Rachel xx

Shaun's card

Good morning lovelies! How are you today? I hope you are all fine and well. Did you have those wild winds last night? It was shocking here! I hope its not like that tonight as I'm hoping to take the girls on the village carol singing! Its night 1 of three tonight - and I'd like to do two of the three! We raise money for the homeless shelter in Lancaster. Its usually good fun too.

Tonight I'd like to show you shaun's card that I made for him - virtually all the stuff used on the card was from That Craft Place.

I started to make this card by creating the background - the cloud stamp is be Ditzie Designs which is the own brand at That Craft Place. I stamped this with versa and added white wow powders before heat setting. I then made up the background using the ombre technique as featured in the current craft stamper magazine. I used chipped sapphire, faded jeans and tumbled glass DI. Next I did more background stamping using a script stamp and a stamp from the sam poole steampunk christmas stamp set. Then I made the owls - using the sam poole wise friend stamp set - one was stamped onto a sheaf of paper that was like treebark - it may actually have been treebark. The second owl was stamped on the back of a brown envelope. Both were decoupaged up. I also stamped the leaves from the same stamp set then put the card together. The piece of wood came as part of my DT pack - as did the tree bark. Finally I added the hats to the owls and the sentiment. The hats came from a stamp set by Imagination Crafts.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday challengesimonsaysstampblog-stamp-out-2013: Stamp something
Craft Stamper Magazinecraftstamper-take-it-make-it-challenge-six - Ombre Technique
PTWpapertakeweekly: Last Christmas Card
The Male Roomthemaleroomchallengeblog: Celebration


I've got something else to show you now - I took delivery of this beautiful cake today - I was lucky enough to win it in a competition - amazing!! So glad I didn't make one! Lol!!!

Aren't I a lucky girl!

Thats all for today - thanks for all your lovely comments - I really do appreciate them. Hope to see you again soon! Big Hugs Rachel xx