Shaped card at Clarity

Good Morning lovelies! How are you? I'm back from Center Parcs and hoping that things will be back to normal now for a little while. I'll show you a few pics later. First off though here's the anniversary card I made for my mum and dad last week.

I cut the card shape myself using a die - I also cut the mat that I then stamped onto. I stamped the toucan image from Clarity coloured it then masked it.

Next I used a clarity mask of leaves and a variety of distress inks to create the background.

Finally I added a further clarity stamp of the leaves - this came from a finch set. I added the letters to the card last of all - I thought they were fitting for an anniversary!

I would like to enter this into the claritystampchallenge 31 : shaped cards. 

So here's a few pics from center parcs:

The new climbing walls are awesome - the girls really enjoyed them - and jacqui and myself were very envious - knew we should have booked to do them!

A family shot - fun!

We didn't let the girls get the only fun on the treetop trek though - it was great fun for us too!!!

And we saw three different types of owl - and we all had the experience of a barn owl flying to our arm. amazing!!!!

It was a lovely holiday - my sister has started the journey for home now - it was so good to spend some time with her. We are all going to miss her!

Big hugs

Rachel x

Autumn Days at Indigo Blu

Hello there! Well its the 21st of the month so its time to unveil the new challenge from Indigo Blu - this month the theme is Autumn Days - so we want to see anything autumnal themed or coloured. You need to include an Indigo blu stamp or stamps on your make to be in with a chance of winning. The full details can be found here. here's my make for the challenge - I hope it inspires you to join us.

Its a hanky box cover and I have used the following indigo blu products in its making:

postbox-red paint

ruby-slippers-metallic paint

hot-cocoa paint

burning bonfire paint

goldfinger metallic paint

chocolate-box megaflake

flitterglu

giant-poppy stamp set

poppycock stamp set

on the edge stamps

limor-circles stamp set

I started by painting the box with the hot cocoa paint. Then I stamped some of the limor circles using paints. Next I used the chocolate box flake, flitterglue and the limor webber on the edge stamps.

Then I made the poppies after first painting some card with the reds, gold and orange colour and then stamping and fussy cutting.

Finally I added some diecuts using a memory box die on a sheet painted with goldfinger paint.

A simple piece but I did enjoy making it. I Hope you have enjoyed seeing it!

Big Hugs

Rachel x

Janes Card

hello Lovelies - its been another busy day - I was back to my rainbows tonight which was fun - and also back to drama group - we are planning a pantomime - Cinderella - in which I hope to have a very small role. Watch this space!!!!

Today I have my card for the current Lavinia challenge - its also a birthday card for my sister in law Jane.

The challenge is all about using hot colours so I decided to make a bit of a scene and used torn paper to mask the top area whilst using distress ink to colour the top - I used mustard seed to colour first then used ripe persimmon to add the rays theough a stencil. I then used the torn paper to create the hills with ripe persimmon DI.

Then i got to stamping and finally played with the glitter glue - such fun!

I would like to enter this into laviniastamps challenge-9 - hot bright colours

Here's the last lot of pics from my jollibobs in Cornwall. These were all taken at Glendurgan garden - a fabulous National Trust property!

I was amazed to find this and another stick insect - the girls faces were a picture when they spotted them too!

I just adore this picture - it was from the part of the garden they call new Zealand!

And the maze - it kept us going for ages - brilliant maze!

Thats all for today - its my mum and dads 55th wedding anniversary tomorrow so I'm hoping we'll all 4 be going out for lunch - it would be so very nice!

Big hugs to you - off to see what you've been up to now!!!

Rachel x

Coffee Pot

Hello Lovelies - how are you? I apologise again for being such a bad blogger - I'm trying to keep up with too many things at the moment - hopefully by this time next week things should start to settle down a bit  - with my sister being over here I am trying my best to make the most of it all. We go off to Center Parcs at the weekend - really looking forward to some quality time with her and the girls.

Today I would like to share with you the make I did for the ladies to follow at coffeepot on Monday - it was based on one from the workshop I did with Jo - we all had fun and the results were all very different - but unfortunately I didn't take any pics whilst there - I took these once i had got back home:

I used a clarity stencil with a moon mask applied to card then used sailboat blue adirondack ink and a little raspberry applied with clarity brushes. I used torn paper to create the landscape. Once complete I removed the stencil and used wee folk stamps from clarity plus a clarity word stamp.

Finally I used a pen to outline everything - then added glitter glue and added a border with a sharpie pen.

Here's some more pics from Cornwall - can't believe I'm still posting these! All beach themed - different beaches though!

It was lovely!!!!!

Hoping to get around to visit ASAP. Please forgive me! Big Hugs rachel x

Great North Run!

Hello all! No card tonight - just a few pictures from the great North run - and a huge thankyou for your support! My day on Sunday started around 5am - I left the house at 5.30am and drove to Morecambe to catch a coach to Newcastle. The coach arrived at Newcastle at 9.30 am and then I managed to meet Rich Haley who I was running with at the baggage buses.  Rich was a colleague of Shauns and we cooked this fundraiser up whilst shaun was still with us - it made it a very poignant event.Anyway, we headed down to our start wave - and took the first two pics -

       

As you can probably tell it was a very warm day - this caused problems for me - I don't run so well when its warm! We set off at 10.40 although it took a full 25 minutes before we crossed the start line! The atmosphere was amazing - a really wonderful event and so totally worth doing. The red arrows made their first appearance at the start of the race but cropped up again much further down the road at South Shields.



This one shows us just after the 10 mile marker - we had just been through the boost zone where there is very loud music and lots and lots of jelly babies!!!! Hence the mania I think!!!!

The going was very tough - those last three miles had me thinking about Shaun and all that he went through in his fight to stay with us - he was such a brave man.



And so onto the finish - what a day!  It took 2 hours 44 mins - it was very painful - but it was oh so worth it! So far we have raised nearly £1600 to give to the unit that looked after Shaun. Thanks so much to those of you who have been able to sponsor me - I really do appreciate it and I know the unit will!

Apologies for being such a bad blogger - I just haven't had much time but I really hope that things will settle down soon!

Big hugs and thanks again for your support - you rock!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Jakes card

Hello there! How are you today? I hope you are well and happy. We're good - I had a bit of a low day yesterday - I think its the thought of tomorrows run getting to me - hopefully I'll be better today! We're off to my friend Tina's house for coffee this morning - looking forward to it. Then there's a jumble sale in the institute and we need to go off to the dancing shop to get the girls a new freestyle outfit each. Then the girls will be having a sleepover tonight at my mums - I have to be on the road very early in the morning in time for the run. Good luck mum!!!!

Today i have got a card to share with you I made for my brother in law, Jake. Its his birthday next week - I used a newly acquired stamp from visible image on one of the backgrounds I made using brushos with the clingfilm technique from Craft Stamper magazine in July or august!

I also used a new to me crackle layering stencil from Tim Holtz and the last two colours of distress inks, blueprint sketch and coffee grounds.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

nbus-challenge-5

I have a few more cornish pictures to share with you now these are from our day at St Michaels Mount - it was very windy - quite cold actually - so windy that we couldn't get across to the mount!

We made our own version on the beach instead.

And then went kite flying!

Simple fun on a lovely day!

Big hugs to you and thanks for visiting!

Rachel x

A day at a show - and an ATC swap

Hello Lovelies! How are you? I hope you are well and happy! I'm good after having had a lovely day, yesterday with the school at Westmorland Agricultural Show. I got to take my girlies around in my group which was lovely - we saw lots of animals and also did some fun things! They even got chance to play the harp - lovely!

Today I would like to share some ATCs I made and received over at Jo's ATC swap. These are mine:

I did enjoy getting out the TH die and using it again - the background was made using a stamp from Chocolate baroque. These are the beauties I received in return. Thanks to my fellow swappers!!!

Here's some more snaps from Cornwall - these are from a couple of trips to Flambards - the theme park is great fun and it brought back many memories of holidays there with Shaun.

This horse was called penny - so Penny enjoyed riding her!

This is my friend Julia who came along with us - She's such good fun!

Lucy in her favourite panda.

Lucy and Julia braving the log flume.

and finally me and penny on another ride - such fun!!!

We had a great time at Flambards as we always do - they have fireworks on a wednesday night in august and its brilliant! Loved it to bits! no piccies of that though!

Enjoy your Friday - I'm swimming then going off for a sports massage - and trying to get started on clearing Penny's room ready for decoration - big plans - I wonder how much will be achieved!

Hugs

Rachel xx