Another week, another challenge

Hello everyone,
A bit of a slow start this morning, but welcome to a new week.  Let's hope this week carries on to be as productive as the last.
Did you all have a nice weekend? I hope so.
Mine was lovely, very relaxing.

Hubby was back from his business trip on Friday evening.  It's nice to have him home, and he even brought me a present, a lovely bottle of perfume.
We had a quick ride out on Saturday to do a spot of shopping.  My boys in blue (Chelsea Football Club!) won their match, we're now 4 points clear of Man Utd (who we play next weekend) and we're still top of the league - well done boys!
Sunday, we had a lazy morning, lunch out which is always nice as it means I don't have to cook, ooh, and I bought my pumpkins for Halloween.

Traditionally on the Isle of Man it's called Hop Tu Naa and they carve out turnips instead of pumpkins. Have you ever tired carving a turnip?!   This year however, there's a shortage of them, due to the bad weather we've had.  Now, I'm not saying this is a quiet place to live but, this made headline news. It's even on the BBC News website.  It's up there with other major headlines we've had, like potatoes washed up on the beach in the North of the island.  Exciting or what!!
Anyway, enough about the IOM.  On to things of a crafty nature. 

Last week saw the launch of the latest In the Pink challenge.
It's Challenge #6 ........

BUTTONS AND BOWS

You know me, I love my ribbons and I have been known to use the occasional button or two.

Well over the weekend I spent a little bit of time in the old craft room - can't keep out of there lately!

And I came up with this ........

Cute isn't she?!  I used to love my Magnolia stamps but they don't seem to come out of the cupboard much lately.  I don't seem to do cute anymore.
Obviously Pink always makes me think of girly cards so I had a rummage and found this little sweetie - Tilda with the Rose.
She's been coloured with Copic pens, using various shades of pink - something else I don't seem to use much of these days.  Too much other stuff I suppose.  Anyway, she's been die cut using a Marianne's Creatables die.  I cut this twice, once around Tilda and then again just on plain white card.  I also embossed the plain one, and while the die was still in place I used a little bit of Spun Sugar DI to highlight the raised areas.  The one with Tilda in the middle has had the fancy edge cut away, leaving just the circle so that I could layer up my design and add a little bit of dimension.
Tilda's rose has also been stamped again and layered and I add a tiny silk bow to the stem.

The papers I've used are from Making Memories - the 'Je t'adore' range.  I've just done a simple layout, added a scalloped border and some pretty lace.  There's a spot of Fran-tage on there too (Shabby Pink).

I spent quite a while with my button collection, and as always couldn't find just the right shade of pink.  In the end I gave up and made my own buttons.  Cut from chipboard covered with one of the background papers, using the Tim Holtz Alterations Die - Sewing Room.  They match perfectly now!

My final touch was to add the sentiment, which is from a Paper Artsy set of stamps, and of course I couldn't just leave it with the one small bow now could I.  So I added a beautiful pink silk ribbon bow, finished off with a sparkly Dazzler.

Well, that's one thing crossed off this week's list already.  Good start.  I'll be back tomorrow with this week's LIM card.

Thanks for popping by.  Have a great Monday.
See you soon

Linda

x

Happy Monday!

Morning everyone,

Hope you all had a nice weekend, and are raring to go on another crafty week.  As usual, I've loads to be getting on with, and I really want to make a start on some Christmas cards this week.
I was in town at the weekend and the shops are already starting to look that little bit festive - it's a bit early for me to be honest, we haven't had Halloween yet!
I must confess however,  I did look at a some Christmas card designs, just for inspiration.  They've given me a few ideas so hopefully I'll get some time later in the week to make a start.  I'll keep you posted.

I didn't spend as much time in the old craft room as I'd planned for this weekend, but I did manage some.  I had a play with my new Dylusions Inks that Lauren brought over for me.  It got a bit messy in there I can tell you.  But, I've got some lovely backgrounds ready to use.

Speaking of which, I used one on my In the Pink entry for their latest Blog Challenge. I thought I'd try the pink one first, it's such a fab colour.  In fact all 12 are simply stunning.  That had always been my problem, which ones do I go for first, so in the end I just got the lot! It had to be done!
I'd better get a move on as I'm just in the nick of time for this challenge, thank goodness.  Well, I couldn't miss doing this one could I,  seeing as I was one of the Perfect Pinkies in the last challenge.

Our recipe this time is ........ PINK PLUS ONE.
We have to use loads of Pink in our designs, plus one other colour.
I went for the PINK and BLACK combination - always very girlie I think.

Pink plus one - Black

The chandelier stamp is from Stamp Addicts and is a gorgeous large solid image.  I stamped it using Onyx Black Versafine and then quickly sprinkled it with a sparkly black embossing powder to make a real statement.  You can just about see the sparkle in the picture.
The white card was then cut to size and inked with Spun Sugar Distress Ink quite close to the stamped image.  The edges were then inked again using Picked Raspberry DI to give a little shading.
The pink background was created with Dylusions Bubblegum Pink spray ink sprayed onto a piece of white card that had already been spritzed with water.  Perfect Pearls was then spritzed over the top and a piece of
cling film scrunched over the whole thing, and left overnight to dry.
When you remove the cling film, all the mica from the Perfect Pearls has settled in the creases giving a lovely pearl effect to the card - really pretty.

All the stamping was done in Black Versafine, the flourish is from Baroque Motifs, a Stampin Up! set, and the word 'Dream' is from a Kaisercraft Clear stamp set.
Just to give it an even more feminine look I added some gorgeous paper roses and a piece of gathered black tulle.
There may be a few different shades of pink, but I think I've kept to the Pink Plus One rule, what do you think?

I suppose I'd better get back to the old craft room.  I'm determined to get loads done this week.

Thanks for popping by today.  And Thank You all for your lovely comments last week, you really make me smile. xx

See you soon

Linda

x

A little bit of Pink, Puddings and Peggy ........

Morning everyone,
Did you all have a nice weekend?  It's been lovely here on the island but I think that's all about to change - according to the weathermen.
I'm going to start the week off with a little bit of pink .......
Here's my take on the latest challenge over at In the Pink.  It's Challenge #4 ......

               ...........EMBOSSING (DRY OR HEAT)

It's definitely a bit more PINK than the last one.

I decided my embossing would be the 'dry' style.  I used plain white cardstock and one of the Cuttlebug embossing folders - Birds and Swirls.  White card always looks so elegant when it's embossed I think, and there's so many stunning designs on the market these days that it's a perfect technique for any occasion.

The edges of the embossed panel have had a little bit of Spun Sugar Distress ink added and also a little bit of fine glitter was used to highlight the birds.
The background papers are from a Tim Holtz Paper Stash, and have been distressed around the edges and then inked with a little Pumice Stone DI to give that aged look.  A little piece of vintage cotton lace with some narrow pink satin ribbon threaded through it has been attached across the card.
The stamp is by Leanne Ellis as is from Sugar Nellie.  Not sure if it's still available, but you can check here on the website.  It's called 'Tell Me Something'  The sentiment is from a small Hero Arts set and is one of my favourites, it has appeared on my blog a few times.
I've coloured my stamped image with Copic pens, the background was done with Spun Sugar and Stormy Sky DI.  The dress part has been stamped 4 more times, cut out and layered to add a little dimension, and a touch of fine glitter adds a little sparkle.

A pretty pink satin bow, large paper rose and a couple of hat pins finish the whole thing off off.  I think she looks very pretty in pink!


I've loads to do, as usual, this week.  Still not done my Timmie tag - eeek! (time is running out).
I also bought a sewing machine at the weekend.  Haven't even had time to get it out of the box yet, so I'm hoping to do that at some point today.  I haven't done any sewing for about 30 years, I would think it's going to take me a while to figure it all out - watch this space.

It was also the Isle of Man Food and Drink festival at the weekend.  We bobbed over there on the Saturday and had a great day.  Ate too much as usual - well, it would have been rude not to try everything now wouldn't it!
We saw Ainsley Harriott doing his cooking demonstrations.  One of his dishes was a simple fish recipe, Jamaican curried Manx Callig with coconut and lime - nom! nom!  Going to give that one a try.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to the Festival was to get my Christmas Pudding.  There's a company on the island that makes them, Berries at Aaron House,  and we got one last year and it was de-licious!!
They also have a company called Cocoared which makes fab chocolates (we bought some of those too!)

This year they have been given a 3-star Gold award, by the Guild of Fine Foods for their Vintage Christmas Puddings - well deserved it is too.  They're also going to be supplying them to the top London store Fortnum & Mason (very posh!)

This is something else I picked up too  ...........

Just look at it, the box is fab on it's own!  It's all wax sealed, and it says when you open it there's a map inside which apparently shows you the whereabouts of  'Peggy's' hideaway.
Well, I had to open it, and sure enough, there's a map.

It also tells you a little bit about 'Peggy' which is the world's oldest yacht and was owned by Captain George Quayle, a politician, banker and alleged smuggler!
She was launched from Castletown in 1791 and saw many years of smuggling and trade.  Just after the death of his mother, the mysterious Captain Quayle locked the 'Peggy' away in his boathouse and no-one dared to enter, so she was undiscovered for almost 120 years.
The map actually gives you co-ordinates of  'Peggy's' secret location -  the boathouse that is now the home of the Nautical Museum in Castletown.

If any of you are interested you can find out more about Peggy here.  I must admit it's made me a little curious.
That's one thing about this rock in the middle of the Irish sea, it's full of history and interesting folk tales of the past.  There's always something to see.

Have a great week.  I'm hoping to be back again soon - with my Timmie tag with any luck!

Thanks for reading my latest ramblings, I do go on a bit I know,

Take care

Linda

x

Anything But Square

Happy weekend everyone,
Now here's a rare thing - a weekend Blog post from me.  It seems so long since I started a Saturday morning off chatting to all my Blog pals.  I'm already on my second cup of coffee so here we go ......

The birthday cards arrived on time - yeah!  Always a bonus when that happens!  I spent most of yesterday making two more that have to go next week.  By tea time I was covered in glue and paint.  Not quite sure how that happened, I only used a tiny bit of acrylic paint, but there you go. A little sure does go a long way!   I'll let you see them when they're finished.

On to something that is finished though, my entry for the latest challenge over at In the Pink
This time the challenge is ......
                        Anything but Square
and of course to use lots of PINK.  

The pink bit was easy, what shape to go for took a while longer.  In the end I went for one of my oversized tags - they're not square.
I did cheat a little with this, I must confess.  I have a 'Save it for Later' box that's full of stuff that's been started and then put to one side for one reason or another.  There's die cuts in there, background card that I've made and then not used, toppers that have been stamped and coloured and then I've changed my mind about, you know the sort of thing I mean.  Anyway, I had a look through and found a little Tilda image that I'd stamped and coloured using Copic pens, and it was in shades of pink.  Yes! There was my starting point, well it saved me a little bit of time.
This is how she's ended up .....

sweet!

It's a while since my Magnolia stamps have been out.  I haven't really done super-cutesie recently.
The tag measures just under 8" (including the fancy border) by 4" so not small.  You'll need a BIG box to put this baby on!
The papers are from the 'Chanteuse Collection' by Kaisercraft, and they are gorgeous.  Lots of shades of pink mixed with browns and greens, really pretty. I added in a couple of punched borders, and did my faux stitching around the edges.
The Weathered Clock was cut from white card and then Worn Lipstick Distress ink was added around the edges, and also used to colour the hands.   You can just about see there's a touch of Fran-tage embossing enamel on there too, in the Shabby Pink, with a touch of Aged Silver. (I did warn you, it's my new obsession!)

It's just peeping out from behind the paper flowers, and there's also a little bit at the top too.
I added some pink vintage seam binding, a little bit of lace, and a piece of tulle net.  Some paper flowers, the cream ones tinted with pink ink, a few punched leaves and a vintage key finish it all off.
Looking at it, it doesn't look that pink.  I hope it's pink enough for the challenge.
Now I just need that special gift to put this on - who's got a birthday coming up?

Well I suppose I should  get out of my PJ's and get on with enjoying the weekend.  Not sure what we're doing yet, I'm sure we'll find something.

Enjoy your weekend.  I hope it's a good one.

Bye for now

Linda

x

2 Challenges with 1 card

Happy Monday everyone,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  Mine was a little bit on the busy side (no surprise there then!) but I did manage to get quite a bit done.  Even squeezed in a craft workshop on Saturday which was nice.

Thank you for all your lovely comments last week, I did try and catch up with everyone at some point.  That's the trouble with going away I miss all your fabulous posts, but I'm trying my best to get up to date with you all, eveyone's been so busy, there's so much gorgeous stuff to see!

Well it's the start of a new month, and I've found a new Blog Challenge, over on the Ladybug Crafts Blog.  It only started this month, and you know me, I do like a challenge. 

I came across this one on Eileen's Crafty Zone whilst I was catching up with her posts last week.  Eileen is one of the DT members for the Challenge so I thought I'd pop over and see what it was all about.  To begin with it's a monthly challenge starting on the 1st of each month.
Ladybug Crafts also have an online store which looks fab - already got my eye on a couple of things (as if I haven't spent enough recently!!!) 

But, if you enter the Blog Challenge you could win a £15 voucher to spend on the site - sound good?  Why not join me and give it a go, looks like fun. 

It's their first challenge and the theme is 'Anything Goes' which means we can do anything we like.  You can enter up to 3 times and it can be a card, scrapbook layout, altered art, anything as long as you've crafted it yourself.
Here's mine .....

I did this with another Blog Challenge in mind too (2 birds with 1 stone so to speak), that's why it's pink!
The idea for this came from a design I did on a workshop a couple of years ago, run by the lovely Sarah McCrossan. Whenever I'm struggling to come up with an idea I always look back on Sarah's designs and she always manages to inspire me.  As I was running out of time for one challenge a little push in the right direction was needed.
I used the Tim Holtz 'Papillon' stamp set and three shades of pink Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and the summer shade Picked Raspberry.
I inked through a stencil first with the Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick then over stamped the text background with the darker shade.  I added the butterflies and a bit more text, on top of that using the Picked Raspberry.
The text background was stamped again, this time onto acetate using white Stazon, then cut down to size to fit over the top of the of the pink version.  I used eyelets in the corners to attach it.
The butterflies were also done again onto acetate, in white.  These were then cut out and attached onto the acetate layer over where the pink ones had been stamped. 

The sentiment is from a lovely Chocolate Baroque stamp set called 'Butterfly Dreams'.  I added a little bit of pink bakers twine and a tiny gemstone  just to finish everything off.

I'm also entering this into Challenge #2 over at In the Pink.  The girls have given us the theme of Things with Wings, I think this fits the category, don't you.

Thanks for popping by today.  I'll be back later in the week to fill you in on what we got up to on the recent Indigo Blu Secret Retreat.  But first I have loads of DT work to do, so must dash.

Bye for now

Linda

x

Fifty Shades of ....... PINK!

Well not quite fifty, but I've used a few ........

Hi everyone,
It's time for my IN THE PINK  entry.  This is a brand new fortnightly blog challenge and is hosted by two very talented ladies Christine and Sylvia (AKA  Posh Priscilla and Pretty Patricia - the 2 PP's).  Check out the Blog here, you'll find some great inspiration from the ladies themselves, and there's already loads of fabulous entries too. Lots of Pink lovers out there.

It's the first challenge and it's basically anything goes .... but it has to be PINK!

Well, mine is certainly that .....  it may be a little OTT even for me!  I think I've just about thrown everything on there, and most of it is in fact, pink.

As you can see the dress form has come out (again!), and I've dressed her up this time in some white tulle, Tim Holtz fabric flowers from his Lavish Trim pack and the new range of Prima papers - Rondelle.  This paper pad is absolutely gorgeous, there's a bit of everything in there - florals, dots, flourishes, script and it's all shades of pinks, peaches, creams, teamed up with the black. Just stunning!
Anyway, back to the card.
The background is spritzed with Distress inks - Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick with a touch of Perfect Pearls.  I've used a leafy mask and inked through with Black Soot DI.  I've also used the same mask on the paper, only this time I used a spatula and put white Gesso through to add a little bit of texture.  
The whole thing is finsihed off  with ribbon, vintage seam binding, a few gems and a large paper flower - all pink of course.  The sentiments are from Tim Holtz and are stamped on pieces of the same background card.
I'm afraid if you're not a Pink lover then this card isn't for you!

While we're on the subject of Pink here's a couple of projects I did for Kay to display on the Indigo Blu stand at Donnington Park this weekend.

 

These are a little bit PINK too.  If you want more details, and a closer look pop over to the Indigo Blu Blog, I've done a full post with details of what I've used etc.,  and you'll also find out what's in the box - any ideas?

Well, that's me done for today.   It's back to a Christmas theme again tomorrow, I've made my first Christmas card (my own that is).  It's for the Penny Black Saturday challenge, I can't Blog it today as it's not quite finished yet. Tomorrow - I promise.

Enjoy the rest of Thursday.

Thanks for popping by.

Linda

x