Aarons cards and busy busy busy!!!

Hello Lovelies - how are you tonight? I'm just back in from a night out with the guiding team - its been a busy few days and I haven't had chance to blog anything until now!!! I had a day out on a school trip on Thursday - we went to a farm near Kendal and had a wonderful day - we all learned something!!!! Then last night we went the play in the park - it was Oliver twist this year - a fabulous production but I found it hard to believe in the setting - the park doesn't really lend itself to the story - but that aside it was excellent! Today I've been to the hairdressers and out for tea tonight! Phew! Busy busy!

So tonight I want to show you the two cards I have made for the boy who is sharing Lucy's birthday party - thats on Sunday although her birthday is not until August!

He's mad keen on camper vans so the stamp from this months craft stamper came in handy!

I love this one myself - those chickens are cool!

This is a penny black stamp simply coloured with spectrum noir pencils.

I'd like to enter this into pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge july- friendship.

pennyblackatallsorts jjuly-challenge-anything-goes-with a sentiment

I hope you have had a good day and thanks for any comments you choose to leave!

Big hugs

Rachel x

a card for Morag

Good morning all! I hope you are both well and happy! Glad you liked my owl photo yesterday - he was a sweetie wasn't he! Onto today - and I've used my fave Penny Black stamp to make a card for a friend in scotland - its her birthday soon, she has a really bad back and has been laid up in bed for a couple of weeks and her husband is really poorly with cancer. Poor Morag - I just wanted to cheer her up a little - I hope this card does the trick! She and her husband often used to talk about Venice and how it was their fave place so thats why I thought of her when I was making this card.

The penny black image has been partly paper pieced and partly coloured with spectrum noir pens. The papers are from my stash and the flowers are from sweet lilac. The letters are grungeboard alphabet letters that I've painted with mowed lawn distress paint.

here's a closer look at the image.

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

PBSCpennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Fave Penny Black Stamp

PB at allsortspennyblackatallsorts: AG

Divasdivasbydesignchallenge: AG

simon says stamp:simonsaysstampblog Vacation or travel

sweetlilacflowers-anything goes

Thanks for dropping by - not sure what we're doing today other than popping to the library - have to wait and see what delights the day holds! Big hugs to you and hope to see you again soon!

Rachel x

What's new pussycat?

Morning all! How are you? I hope you had a happy Easter! I had a lovely time but .....gulp.....I got on the scales .....diet starts today - its got to go!!!! I'll have to see if I can find one of those ticker tapes so that I can record my progress and help me keep on track! If you're seeing it now you'll know that I found one!!! One stone needs to go - and hopefully a bit more!!!! Watch this space!!!

Today I've got the birthday card I've made for the girls to give to my sister for her birthday - I know she pops in here sometimes but I'm hoping she won't see this!!! The image is from Penny Black - it was from a Christmas set but I think it works fine for a birthday!

I've inked up with distress inks then used an embossalicious folder and rubbed over with black staz-on to highlight the pattern.

The image was coloured with promarkers and cut using a spellbinders die. The flowers were pieced together and the wires spiralled. The Happy Birthday was cut in orange using a brittania die then the same orange was used to mat and layer.

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

Penny Black Saturday Challengepennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Cats and Dogs

Penny Black and morepennyblackatallsorts: Blossoms and blooms

I love promarkersilovepromarkers: Cats and dogs

Totally Gorjusstotallygorjuss: diecuts or punches

Simon says stampsimonsaysstampblog: Animal antics

I think we're going to the zoo today - complete with our picnics! Here's hoping we have another glorious day! 

Have a great Monday - thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Christmas Card Club - shine a light.

Good morning lovelies - this is my first of two posts today - over at the Christmas Card Club the theme is Christmas lights. I found I had 3 stamps with candles/lamps on them and couldn't choose between them - so I decided to use all three in three separate cards all made using the same technique.

In each card I stamped the image and then masked it off - then masked off most of the card except for a strip - then coloured up the strip using distress inks and a TH layering stencil - I tried to create the effect of the light coming from the candles or the lantern. I think it works quite well and was pleased with these! Unfortunately the final card got inky fingers on it - so I had to add the greeting in a layer to hide it - lol!!!! The first stamp is from penny black and the other two are LOTV.

I'd like to enter these cards into the following challenges:

C.R.A.F.Ttrimmiescraftchallenge: Christmas

CHNCcraftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.: extra - AG

craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge172-make-it-square

Thanks so much for dropping by today - I've got another post at 3pm if you're brave enough for another visit! Big Hugs to you and hope you have a great Sunday!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Valentines for my daughters

Good morning all! How are you? I shall be limbering up for the jumble sale as this post goes live - we've got lots of stuff so hopefully it will go well! I'll let you know tomorrow!

Last year when it was valentines day my hubby and I exchanged cards and gifts and my eldest daughter Lucy looked at me and said - 'well mummy have you got a card for me?' - well of course I didn't - I tried to explain that it was for grown ups but she was quite upset - so this year I have made a card each for my girls so I don't have to feel guilty!!!  Here they are - both have been made using Penny Black stamps that I've had forever!

They are also both made using the LOTV papers from the Always and forever pad and sentiments from the LOTV everyday grunge sentiments. I hope my girls will be happy with them!

I'd like to enter these into the following challenges:

Penny Black and more at Allsorts:pennyblackatallsorts- january-challenge Love
delicious doodlesdeliciousdoodleschallenge: easel card
MAWTTmovingalongwiththetimes: Card for a female



Hope you have a great Saturday - thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again soon! 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

Happy Silver Wedding Anniversary !

Hello there! Thanks so much for your comments on my card yesterday - I wasn't entirely happy with it but you have put my mind at rest - and did you see Karen's post yesterday - uncanny!!!!

Today I've got a rather unusual silver wedding anniversary card to share with you. Its very different from any other anniversary card I've done but I think it works! I've used a stamp from Penny Black - the card started out as just being a response to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this month which is called 'sparklers' but it evolved into the silver wedding anniversary card that I needed to make for one of Penny's teachers. She's such a lovely lady and I really hope she has a fantastic day!

To make the card I used versamark and wow powders - sparkling white - I created the background first by lots of stamping with versa, powder application and heat setting. Then I made the topper with just the single image - they really remind me of sparklers - what do you think? Then I mounted the topper on silver mirri board and added the silver bow and silver sentiment.

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

PBSCpennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Sparklers
CC and CCchocolatecoffeecards: Monochromatic
PB and morepennyblackatallsorts: AG
 CCC:cardcrafterscircle Anniversary
Crafty Catz:craftycatzweeklychallenge Photo inspiration
PTWpapertakeweekly: AG
LEJlejdesignschallengeblog: Monochromatic
WDcutedaisymay: Monochromatic
Crafty Ribbonscraftyribbonschallenge : black and white

Thanks for looking and I hope you have a great Saturday - Lucy is off to a party - a climbing wall experience followed by pizza hut. Sounds fab - so me and Penny are going up in the attic to have some crafty time together! Sounds perfect to me!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

autumn hedgies

Morning all! Well there's certainly an autumnal feel about the days now....is it the same where you are? The trees here are starting to shed plenty of golden leaves and its all very colourful! Fabulous for inspiration don't you think?

Well its going to be another busy morning for me - our PTA host a Macmillan Coffee morning at school between 10 and 12 so as soon as I've dropped the girls off I'll be hot footing it around to the front of school to help get tables and chairs set up for the coffee morning and get the cakes and biscuits put out for people to buy. We're having a raffle too and have got lots of fabulous prizes from the community - I'll let you know tomorrow how much we raise!

Today I'm sticking with the autumn theme and showing you a hanger I've made with a few challenges in mind.

The hedgie stamp is of course Penny Black and its been stamped onto sheena shapes and coloured with promarkers. The leaf stamp is also a sheena stamp. The bottom hearts have been coloured with distress stains and stamped with leaves. I've added the word autumn to the middle heart and a crafty emblie wooden leaf to the bottom heart.

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

Penny Black and Morepennyblackatallsorts: Autumn
Penny Black Saturday Challengepennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: ABAC
Crafty Little Fairiesliliofthevalleythursdaychallenge: Autumn colours


Thanks for your lovely comments yesterday and I hope you've enjoyed your visit today. Looking forward to seeing you again soon! Big Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx

CAS and masculine Penny Black

Morning lovelies! Hope you are well! Another nice day for us yesterday but this morning doesn't look like its going to be so good - just when I've got a run booked with my friend Sue! Oh well - we're both training for the Great North run in September so we have to go - whatever the weather!

Something completely different today - clean and simple - and Penny Black:

I've done this as a one layer card and I wish I hadn't - but its done now - its very simple and clean - but not sure if I like it! The colouring is in promarkers.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Penny Black Saturday Challengepennybfriendssaturdaychallenge: Masculine
Penny Black and morepennyblackatallsorts: CAS
Crafty Friendscraftyfriendschallengeblog: Colour combo - red,white and black
Joanna Sheen Challengejoannasheenchallenge: Masculine
I love promarkersilovepromarkers: AG

Hope you have a great Friday - have you got anything planned? Apart from my run I'll be setting up the summer fair this afternoon with some of the other mums at school. The fair is on Saturday morning - so I'll be baking too on Friday night! Fingers crossed for a dry day - and for a good turnout!

Thanks for dropping by! By Crafty Hugs

Rachel xx