Stitched up by the cat

Morning all! Well how are you today? Hope you are well. I'm starting to catch up after a few days away although today is going to be a mad baking day. The girls are booked in to the village nursery today who run a holiday club so when I drop them off I've got to take the cat to the vets to get her stitches out - hopefully. She'll be so happy - we heard from the vet yesterday that the tumour they took off her face was benign so thats all good.  Hopefully then she'll be able to get back to the outside world - here's hoping.

Once I get her home its off to the shops then I've got to spend the day baking cakes - I've got a fundraiser on Saturday morning for Asthma UK. My friend Megan and I are running a coffee morning to raise funds - I'm taking some cards along to sell and also I'm hoping to get a few more sponsors for my great North run for Asthma UK. Most of the money though will go directly to the charity - it keeps the pressure on me to raise more I know but this is Megans morning really - I'm just helping out!

Anyway - onto todays offering - I fell in love with this lindsaymason stamp set when I first saw it and have been waiting for the chance to use it. The day that Missy has her stitches out seems appropriate to me - so here's my tag:

My tag is a size 8 manilla and I've stamped with versa mark using a fluorish stamp then covered in blue wow embossing powder and heat set. Then I wanted a little play with my frantage - so I just dabbed the corners with my versamark then added the frantage - and again heat set - I think it will look much better the next time I use it - just a bit of a dabble here. Anyway - then I set about the tag with DI. I used wild honey, spiced marmalade and fired brick. The image was stamped in momento black and then coloured with promarkers and fussy cut and added to the tag. The sentiment was similarly stamped and then coloured with wild honey and spiced marmalade DI. Finally I added the ribbon.

I'd like to enter this tag for the Sunday stamper pinkleart where there is a fabby prize on offer this week and the theme is embossing powders - some like it hot!!!.

Back tomorrow with two posts! Both Christmassy! Hope to see you then and thanks for visiting today!

Big Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx

Flower Power with those meeces!

Hello there! I'm back! Thanks for all of your comments whilst I've been away - I tried to keep up with everything using my phone but there are one or two blogs that my phone doesn't seen to work with - so if I didn't visit - I'm sorry!!!

I've had a lovely few days - its so nice to have a meal cooked for you - my m.i.l is fabulous - she looked after me and the girls proper well! We had one of the cousins over the whole time - J.J. is 11 and my little girls both adore him - I think thats evident from this picture.

Bless them! Aren't they funny! And he's so good with them - I think he enjoys the adoration!

Anyway - onto card making - whilst away I did a power of colouring - what I also did was decopaged this house mouse image for this card. The card blank is a large cupcake crafting card (thanks mum) and the paper is, of course, graphic 45.

The ribbon is from the pretty little ribbon shop in its closing sale and the gem is from Chloes.

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

Housemouse and friendshousemouse-challenge: Flower Power
Crafty Catzcraftycatzweeklychallenge: Fancy Folds
AGOACpinkgemchallengeblog: Sunshine
Creative Momentscarabbiemomentsofcraft: Lots of layers
Simon sayssimonsaysstampschallenge: AG
TPSthepapershelter: Shape it up
Divas:divasbydesignchallenge Tie a ribbon

Need to go and catch up with todays commenting now! Thanks for dropping by and for any comments you leave! It really does make my day!

Hugs

Rachel xxx

Creative Inspirations: Anything goes with the option of buttons

Good morning all - yet another scheduled post - today its for creative inspirations - fingers crossed this one works!

So the challenge is  Anything Goes + An Option of Buttons!

This week we have 2 PRIZES up for grabs for 2 people seeing it is the last challenge of the month!
The first of the two is from CEDAR CHEST DESIGNS who are offering a $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

CEDAR CHEST DESIGNS
Digital Supplies for the Craft World

Cedar Chest Designs offers quality products, bulk discounts, instant downloads
and teacher benefits on digital stamps, digital scrap-booking images and a

variety of other digital craft supplies from over a dozen unique artists. 

The second is from our Monthly Sponsor J&C CREATIONS who are giving the other winner another £10 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

I used an image from Cedar Chest Designs - here's my card:

I've coloured my image with promarkers and distressed around the outside with chipped sapphire DI. The die is a spellbinders die. The backing paper is fabulous - but its actually meant for under the sea - I thought the bubbles worked well as stars!!! I've made it for yet another birthday party the girls are attending - I'm sure it wasn't like this when I was growing up! Lol!!!!

I'd like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Totally Papercraftstotallypapercrafts: Buttons
Pattiespattiescreationschallenge: Red, white and blue
2 sisters2sisterschallengeblog: Outdoor fun
Didigidesigndisdigidesignschallenge: Things with wings
Glitternsparkleglitternsparklechallengeblog: Birthdays
Cupcakecupcakecraftchallenges: Boys
PMSpapermakeupstamps: AG
LEJlejdesignschallengeblog: Celebrate



Hope you are all well and thanks for popping by!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Crafty Sentiments DT: Stitching real or faux

Good morning all - I should be in Nottingham when this post comes live so I'm hoping blogger behaves itself! Fingers crossed. Hope you're well and happy too!!!

At crafty sentiments its new challenge day - today the new challenge is stitching - real or faux. This is what I did.

The image I've used is called Delightful flowers and you can get it here. The papers are from crafty individuals and I've cut them out using a spellbinders die and made a patchwork with white faux stitching all around. The image was coloured with promarkers and I've also used the die to cut this out and added black faux stitching. The sentiment is also in faux stitching.

I'd like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Passion for promarkerspromarkerchallenge: Add ribbon, lace or twine
Kaboodle Doodleskaboodledoodles: Anything goes
Songbird:songbirdchallenges All creatures great and small
Addicted to stamps:addicted-to-stamps-challenge Bingo - ribbon, flowers and sentiment

Back tomorrow evening!

Thanks for visiting and big crafty hugs!

Rachel xx

GDT with the Cutie pies: Recipe

Afternoon all - when this comes live I'll be enroute for Nottingham with my little troublets - we're having a few days away as its half term! Hopefully we'll have fun!

This is my second post for today - I was lucky enough to be asked to be GDT for the cutiepiechallenge so this is the first of 4 challenges I'll be joining in on as GDT. Thanks very much guys!!!
This fortnight we have a recipe for you - 1 image, 2 papers and 3 embellies. Here's what I did:

The image I've used is Jasmin Feathers and she's by Crafty Sentiments and you can get her here. I've coloured her with promarkers. The image has been cut with my fave spellbinders oval die and then stuck onto the card which has two papers on it. I've added a feather and two woc chrysanthemums as my embellies.

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

Pan pastel:panpasteluk  Bling it
Stampin for the weekendstampinfortheweekend: Monochrome
Polka doodlespolkadoodle: to die for
whimsywhimsyinspires: Anything goes

I hope you have a lovely day and see you with a scheduled post again tomorrow xx Big Hugs Rachel xx

SALS 40: new sketch

Good morning lovelies - this is my first of two posts today - my next one is scheduled for later on - I've been invited to GDT for the Cutie pies - but more of that later.

Today I'm off down to Nottingham with my two girls for a few days at their nanas house - I should be able to keep in touch via my phone but if for some reason I'm not visiting then forgive me - it'll mean my phone isn't behaving!!!

Anyway this post is to let you know all about the new challenge over at seemsalittlesketchySALS where the sponsor is whoopsidaisy. here's the sketch and what I did.

The image has been coloured with promarkers - the papers are from a win over on the lovely Kaths blog - they're craftwork cards papers I think. The diecut is memory box and the flowers are woc.

I'd like to enter this card into the allsortschallenge Happy Birthday Challenge. And a Happy 4th birthday to all at Allsorts xx
Hope you all have a good day and thanks for dropping by. Back later with my GDT for the cutie pies!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

An evening with the senior section

Morning all! I do hope you are well. Wasn't the weather amazing yesterday? More of the same today please!!!
On Friday evening I was invited by my district commisioner to run a card making workshop for some girls from the senior section (thats older than guides - for those of you not in guiding) and some friends too. There ended up being 8 of us and we made two cards each - a male card and a female card - here they are:

The brief was for cards using die cutting machines - so the first one included just dies but I took along coordinations colour core card too and some embossing folders and I showed them how to make an alternative background from this one which is paper from the engraver collection from prima. They nearly all used the embossing folders to make their own background and sanded down the paper to reveal the other colour. Their cards ended up, on the whole, nothing like mine - only one lady chose to follow my brief and her card worked well. The ladies card seemed to go down better in that more of them chose to follow it - they enjoyed this marianne die and also the bitty blossom die from spellbinders. Anyway, they all went off very happy so thats the main thing!!!

I'd like to enter my male card into the male card challenge over at crafterscompanion this month. I'd like to enter my female card into the embossing challenge at MAWTT movingalongwiththetimes.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you choose to leave. Big Hugs and here's hoping we have another fabulous day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Tims Tags 2013: May

Good Morning to one and all in blogland! I do hope you are well and happy. I'm on a course today - first aid refresher for my rainbow leader role - so I'll keep this short and I won't get around to visiting until later!!! I've finally managed to get hold of my TH remnant rubs - I ordered them around the 12th of this month when I couldn't find any for sale at the happy stampers - I was advised on Weds that they would be out of stock for a while so I reordered from a different company and got them the day after - much better service - thankyou country view crafts! Anyway - here's tims tag:

and here's what I did:

I decided to go with a bit of a mathematical theme with the numbers and the compass - I think they work well together. So I added the remnant rubs to my manilla size 8 tag - they were easy to use - no troubles there. Then I added distress stains (shabby shutters, spiced marmalade, worn lipstick, peacock feathers) to my mat and swooshed the tag through. I did the same with my ribbon. Then I dried my tag with my heat gun and when not fully dry I spritzed and flicked with water, dabbed with a papertowel then finished off the drying process. I then added DI (fired brick) with cut and dry foam mostly around the edges of the tag. After that I stamped the word voyage in archival black and wiped off where it went over the remnant rub. Then I stamped the compass in archival black and heat set. Finally I added the bird and the Live that was cut from a TH ticket.

I'd like to enter this tag into the Tim Holtz 12-tags-of-2013-may challenge.

Back tomorrow with news of last night - I ran a workshop for the senior section at guides - the brief was using diecutting machines - I'll show you tomorrow what we did!

Thanks for dropping by and big hugs!

Rachel xx

Imagination Crafts: one stencil - two ways

Good morning lovelies - I do hope you're well? I am and my Mischief is starting to become more herself although she's still very grumpy with me - I have to take her back for a post operative appointment soon which should prove interesting - and will probably put me firmly in the bad books again. Oh well - it doesn't take her too long to forget.

Today I want to show you my entry for the Imagination Crafts DT call thats currently going on - the details are here. Thanks to lindasimpson for getting the message out here. I've made two pieces - a card and a tag - both using the same stencil - but both very different I think from each other.

The card was made using a piece of clarity card - I used tumbled glass DI all over the card then put the Imagination Crafts stencil in place and used promarkers to make through the stencil in different colours. Without moving the mask I added translucent sparkle medium from Imagination crafts and left this to dry. Once dry I stamped the Lavinia fairy stamp in place and also onto some other card and paper pieced the fairy dress and wings. Finally I added the LOTV sentiment in place.

The tag was very simple - I used TH distress stains on my craft mat and swooshed my tag through and messed around with the stains direct to card and more swooshing until I got what I wanted. Then I used water and did the spritz and flick - I added the ribbon to the distress stains too. Then I added the stencil and used dreamweaver black embossing paste through the stencil, lifted it off and left the tag to dry. once dry I added the Voyage and artist stamps - both TH.

I would like to enter my items into the following challenges:
Card:
Lavinia May challengelaviniastamps: Pastels
Charismacharismacardz: Here comes summer
Divasdivasbydesignchallenge: Friendship
I love promarkersilovepromarkers: AG
Papertake weeklypapertakeweekly: Paper piecing

Tag:
Crafty Ribbonscraftyribbons: AG with ribbon
Fab n Funky:fabnfunkychallenges Ribbon and/or lace
Totally gorjusstotallygorjuss: Water - used in the spritz and flick


Thankyou for dropping by and for all of you kind words about my work and my poorly puss. Hope you have a great day! Big hugs! Rachel xx

I love Lilac!

Good morning to you! I do hope you are well. Well I need to update you on my poor little Mischief - she had her operation yesterday and is fine but rather woosy and very unimpressed with her lampshade she has to wear - I thought I must record this for my blog so here she is - poor love:

She's hiding out under my bed - she usually loves to sleep on top of it but I think she doesn't quite trust me just yet. Bless her - she's now housebound for 10 days whilst her wound heals and she has the lampshade for that long too. I just hope she can keep it on.


Back to the crafting. Todays offering I'm rather pleased with - it combines a heart from Indigo blu with crackles that worked from the Kroma crackle and some paint fusion - I used sheenas Lilac stamps on a canvas and the pebeo acrylic paints to paint them all in - The lace on the bottom makes the piece feel more vintage which is what I was after.

I started with my canvas then added on some bookprint and fastened it to the canvas with slap it on and painted over it with this too. The leaves and flowers were then stamped and painted with the acrylic paints. I added more backgrounds in using distress inks (my faves - particularly milled lavendar and dusty concorde) and acrylic paint. Finally I added the heart that I initially painted with black geeso then purple acrylic paint. Then added the kroma crackle liberally. Once dry I added lots of slap it on to prevent the crackle from falling off and more acrylic paint. the stamped sentiment is also from indigo blu and the background stamps are too. The butterflies are a combination of indigo blu and one that came free from craft stamper - bth have been stamped on paper from Crafty individuals mounted on mouldable film from studio 490.

I'd like to enter my canvas into the following challenges:

kraftyhandschallenge: Floral frenzy
Sunday stamperpinkleart: Vintage /old
The ribbon girlribbongirls: Lilac and lavendar
SSSS:simonsaysstampandshow Favourite ink: Distress
Cupcakecupcakecraftchallenges: Lavendar and lace
Countryview crafts May challengecountryviewchallenges: How does your garden grow
AGCBanythingchallenge: Handmade backgrounds

Thanks for looking today and for all the comments you leave - it really is wonderful to be part of this blogging community with so many lovely people!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Bingo at Creative Inspirations

Good morning Lovelies - I hope you are well. I'm fine but my cat has to go for an operation this morning - she has a sebaceous cyst on her face but the vet said there were some unusual cells in the fluid that she removed from the cyst so she thinks its better to operate - Poor Mischief - fingers crossed it all goes well and that she's fine and it is just a cyst.

At Creative Inspirations this week's challenge is Bingo!
You can select any line on the grid that you would like, horizontal or vertical.
However please state which one it is that you have chosen!

This week's prize is from us and is the chance to be our GUEST DESIGNER FOR JUNE!

I chose the line Pearls, flowers and blue and this is what I did:

The image is composed of two stamps from Crafty Sentiments - one is the staircase and the other is the girl and her books. You can get them here and here. I've coloured them with promarkers and added WOC flowers and spellbinders diecuts plus a dienamics diecut for the bunting. the sentiment is LOTV and the pearls came from a pack by creative expressions I think. The paper is from crafty individuals.

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

Passion for Promarkerspromarkerchallenge: AG

Bearly Minebearlymine-challenges: AG

LEJ:lejdesignschallengeblog Diecuts and/or punches

Allsortsallsortschallenge: True Blue

Is anybody else having trouble with blogger? Links aren't working on my reading list and my blog feed is also not coming through - bit of a nightmare - so if I didn't get around to comment yesterday I'm sorry but I didn't know you'd posted! It was fine earlier in the morning but after that things went badly! Please let me know if you're having the same trouble and also whether you've found a way to fix it.

Hopefully I'll speak to you later!

Big hugs and thanks for visiting!

Rachel xx

Penny Black: Sew Special

Good morning all - I hope you are well rested and ready for another day. I've got a card to show you today that I made with the two monthly Penny Black challenges in mind. Its also my first ever crisscross card - not sure that I've done it right - just used pictures from blogs really! Here it is:

The card is quite small - measuring 5 inches square - but dinky can be good - especially for posting! The bobbin and scissors are both cut from spellbinders dies and the image is of course Penny Black. I've had this one a couple of years now - and probably this is her 3rd outing!!! Shocking! The papers I used came from a giveaway on Kaths blog - Buddy picked my name out of the hat - so thanks to Kath and Buddy. The lace is guipure lace from the ribbon girl. I've coloured the image in promarkers.

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

pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Anything goes
Penny Black and Morepennyblackatallsorts: Sew Special
Card Crafters Circlecardcrafterscircle: Construction cards
Sweet Stampin CBsweetstampinchallengeblog: Doodles (faux stitching doodles)

Thanks for looking - I have to take my poor old puss to the vets this morning - she seems fine but has developed a lump the size of a pea on her face - I thought it was a tick at first but its definitely under the skin. I'm hoping its nothing - She certainly seems pretty normal is all other ways!

Thanks for visiting and crafty hugs

Rachel xx

DT for whoopsi Daisy: May flowers

Good morning all! I hope you are well. Hubby arrived back home safe and sound yesterday so we are all very happy now! Oh I did miss him!

Today is the start of a new challenge over at Whoopsi Daisy (cutedaisymay) where the theme is May Flowers. Here's what I did:

The image is from sheet 446- and you can find it here. The background paper is from Crafty Individuals, the lace is from the Ribbon Girl and the flowers are WOC. The image has been coloured with promarkers, fussy cut and mounted onto the paper.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
 songbirdchallenges: Bloom and grow
tuesdaythrowdown: Smell the roses
digistamps4joy-sa - spring has sprung
sparklesforumchallenges: Monochromatic
simonsaysstampschallenge: Flower Power
craftsandmechallenges: Use a digi
Totally Papercraftstotallypapercrafts: Diva
deliciousdoodleschallenge: Lace
Squirrel and the foxthesquirrelandthefox: Here come the girls
The ribbon Girlribbongirls: Lilac and Lavendar
Joanna Sheen:joannasheenchallenge Girls girls girls.

Thats all for today! Thanks for dropping by! Big Hugs rachel xx

Jamie's card

Hello Lovelies - well I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon - the cleaning is done - the party went well this morning and some faces were painted ....including Lucy and Penny's - here they are after a few hours of hard labour  lol ....

bless them - they have been good whilst daddy's been away - and Lucy's lost her 5th tooth and the tooth fairy came last night too. We had words about the tooth fairy earlier in the week - she's been asking questions so I thought I could let the cat out of the bag - anyway - she was very good at keeping the story alive for Penny - so thats good!

Today's card went to one of the party people - the party was for Charlotte and Jamie - a brother and sister - Charlotte is in Lucy and Pennys class at school and Jamie will be starting in September. Here's the card I made for Jamie:

The image is from the last LOTV release - love it and given that Jamie is a farmers son with a jack russell dog its perfect!!!! The image was coloured with promarkers - the card is from the pastels range of centura pearl and the die is a spellbinders die light - thanks for the use of that mum!

I'd like to enter my country gent into the following challenges:

LOTV ideastoinspire : Boy oh boy
ilovepromarkers: Simply does it
CCand CCchocolatecoffeecards - use a number
Polka doodlespolkadoodle: Pastels
craftycatzweeklychallenge - 3,2,1 - 3 colours (blue brown and green), 2 dies - squares and dielights, 1 image.
2sisterschallengeblog 1,2,3 3 colours (blue brown and green), 2 dies - squares and dielights, 1 image
sendasmile4kidschallenge: pastels.

Thanks for dropping by today - and just in case you were wondering - I've sorted out why my crackle weren't so good with the kroma - I was being too stingey. I've tried a thick layer and will let you be the judge of whether its any better once its dried!!! Its looking much better after 24 hours though - so fingers crossed.

Hugs

Rachel xx