Christmas card and Snow

A Christmas card with one of the love Sarah Kay images, which I coloured with Prisma pencils. The papers are Bo Bunny. Flowers are from stash.




We have snow in abundance in Basingstoke, as some of you may have seen on the TV news. This is what my garden looks like this morning.




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And ......... now to some cards

I am so late in getting stuff done, but here is a selection some that I have done today.

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Thank you ........

This is a note to thank everybody for their support in connection with my last post. I really appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness in leaving me messages. I seem to have got a little of my mojo back, so will post a few cards. But I don't think there will be any challenges before Christmas.

Thanks you again.

Depression - What is it?

Well - I thought I knew - I just had to pull myself together. I have been suffering from clinical depression for some time now - I knew it was getting worse, but just thought that was par for the course - I would get worse before getting better. So I would not give in. I thought I was strong and reliable - this is not for me, so I kept on and on, working harder and doing more and more. I also caught every bug going as well, which of course made things even worse. My life seemed to be full of loss; sleep, appetite, energy and enthusiasm, concentration out the door, confidence, self-esteem, drive, enjoyment, patience, feelings, optimism, and almost anything else you can imagine - everything just went. At it's worst, it is a glimpse of hell, which I would never wish on anybody. Somebody said to me if you put 18 amps through a 13 amp fuse, there is only one possible result - the fuse breaks. I broke.

In the end my husband dragged me to the doctor because I could no longer function, and could barely get out of bed for the bathroom, or get to work. As a result of all this, and following a long tearful conversation with a consultant, I have spent five weeks in a lovely hospital, which was covered by my health insurance, and the care I received was second to none.

I am now at home, some days are really rotten, some are good, and I know that the rotten days will eventually be outweighed by the good days, but I am on the road to what is going to be long haul to recovery.

I make no apologies for publishing this - one never knows what is around the corner. I hope I will be stronger and have learnt that I cannot be everything to everybody.

So I plan to get back to my crafting, get some Christmas cards under my belt, and learn to relax, and take life a little slower for a while.

Best wishes,

3 in 1

I love this Sarah Kay stamp - he could be a gardener - but it makes me think of a little boy coming home from the fields after a hard day's work. He looks so purposeful in the way he is walking as if he is going home to his supper.

So this is a three-way challenge entry for me:

• I have used the sketch from Friday Sketchers, Week 72, who are sponsored by Dream2Stamp, for which I am entering this card.


• I am also entering it for Challenge 49 at the One Stop Craft Challenge where the theme is Autumn, and for me this is the dusty bronzes of the leaves turning colour, and the skies which are no longer that bright brilliant blue, but more subtle tones of bluey grey.


• The third entry is Crafty Creations Challenge 35, for which the theme is Autumn as well.

The image is 'Gardens need many helpers' which I have coloured with Prisma pencils. The papers are Basic Grey and the plain bluey/grey is from a DCWV pack which I have had forever. Embellishments are Basic Grey buttons.

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Introducing Wags 'n Whispers Rubber Stamps

Nikki Fairbairn and Lacey Stephens have joined forces from across the Atlantic Ocean to create their own Stamp Company called Wags ‘n Whiskers Rubber Stamps!!

Looks like they are going to be some fun stamps to work with.

Would you like to win a complete set of their first release?! Click below.




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Wedding card for friend .....

A friend of mine at work is getting married, and this is the card I made for her. No stamping except for the words on the heart. The base card is a white silver shimmer card, and all the white parts on the front of the card are the same card; the various parts have been embossed on the cuttlebug, or cut with nestabilities. The smokey blue patterned paper is MME French Flea Market. All the embellishments are from stash. The inside is also silver shimmer paper to match, and I put hearts all over the paper using the computer, and then adding a sentiment as well.

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2 in 1

This is a 2 in 1 entry. Firstly for The Sugar Bowl - Challenge 19, and we are asked to follow a sketch by Marlene, using the colours pink and brown; and secondly Stamp Something for the Weekend, using our favourite colours or papers. Well the papers I have used have certainly been some of my favourites for quite a while now.

This is a Sugar Nellie Leanne Ellis image called Dreamer, and I thought she suited the pink and brown well. I have coloured with Prisma pencils, and the wings are covered in Stickles to give a little bling. The papers are Basic Grey Porcelain, and I have used matching brads on the two tabs on the left. I decided to use a very pale green flower to complement the green in the background paper. As the image is portrait, I thought the octagonal shape behind it would complement the straight sides.

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ABC Challenge - A Break from the Alphabet

ABC have announced that Cathy and Dawn have stood down from the DT due to family commitments, which is sad for us all, as they produce some really inspirational work.

As a result ABC are holding a design team call.

They have asked us to

- Post about this on our blog and link it back
- Choose our 3 favourite cards and add them to the post
- Show in these cards what we determine our style to be

The three cards I have chosen in order to enter the DT call are below, and are chosen because I believe they show good colour co-ordination and my style.

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Meet my new fur babies - Dennis and Ollie

We have two new additions to our family - two just yummy chinchilla kittens. We collected them today, and these are the first photographs we have taken of them. Colour is not briliant as it was done this evening, and Dennis was so exhausted after his journey and racing around exploring the house, and devouring a bowl of food, that he just flaked out. His brother, Ollie was a bit more lively, and was still playing on the scratching post at at bedtime.

Dennis - exhausted in bed

Ollie - I know I'm beautiful and you can take my photo anytime!!

We are just wondering what we are going to wake up to in the morning! My all accounts Dennis truly represents the menace ........

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Whiff of Joy Stamps - Guest Designer Call

I have decided to put an entry into the Whiff of Joy DT designer call , which is being done through an annoucement on Katharina's blog and I would love to become part of this DT team. These stamps are fast becoming some of my favourites - the images are so clear when stamped.

The basis for this card is loosely based on a sketch used when I attended a class at The Hobby House run by the brilliant Bev earlier this year.

For this entry I have decided to use Willow with Lantern. I have coloured with Prisma pencils. The papers are Bazzill and My Minds Eye Bella Bella. Everything else was from stash.

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Sketch Saturday, call for new DT members

Sketch Saturday are on the look out for new DT members. I would love to be part of this team, so here is my entry.

The DT call will is running in 2 parts. The first part will be to make a card as illustrated in the sketch above, with any theme / colours / extra embellishments. The design team will then choose their favourites and and 12 people will go through to a second round of the challenge.

All the papers I have used are Basic Grey Wassail, and the image is Sarah Kay, Christmas Magic. The image is coloured in Prisma pencils.

Wish me luck, and thanks for stopping by.

Penny Black Saturday Chalenge - Week 66

Hooray - I am early for once, instead of entering at the last minute.

I am entering this for week 66 of the PB Saturday Challenge, which has a sketch to follow, which requires you to have at least one PB stamp on your entry. My PB stamp is the embossed snowflakes on the panel above the angels.

The darling little angels are Judikins, which I bought from Stamp Addicts several years ago, and I love it the little one with her fallen halo - she even has her toes crossed.

These are stamped in Momento Ink , and I masked the front two angels in order to stamp the other one behind them. I have coloured with Prisma pencils, but just to give a hint of colour. The wings are coated with Stickles. The snowflake panel has been embossed with a glittery embossing powder. The background paper is from the Artylicious Double CD, Seasons Greetings, from Graphicus. Charms and pearls are from The Hobby House.

Thanks for stopping by.

Simon Says Challenge, Oriental

Two in one day - haven't managed this for a while.

Simon Says Challenge wants something oriental. I have gone for something very traditional, and wanted it to look much like an oriental silk painting does, with everything outlined in gold and then painted.

The image is an Oasis one which I have had forever, and it has been embossed with Rangers Queens Gold embossing powder, and then painted with H2O's in order to give it a shimmery finish. The text stamp is B Line. The black card has a brocade finish all over it, and I have finished the whole thing with tassels, a coin, and two tiny flower beads.

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4 in 1

Where does the time go - no posts all week.

Somehow I have managed to fit this entry for four challenges. Not sure how I managed that - I think it is a record for me! I just don't know how some people get to cover six or more challenges with one card. I think forward planning comes in there somewhere ...........

These challenges are

• Challenge 45 at Winter Wonderland, where the theme is frosty the snowman,


• ABC Challenge where the theme is D for Diecuts


• Crafty Creations Challenge, no. 32 with a theme of Embossing


• Cupcake Craft Challenges, no 56, which is a colour challenge, of red, white and blue

I have used a Penny Black image of a cute snowman, and it is coloured with Prisma pencils, with a very generous helping of Stickles for some bling. The image it is cut with a Nestabilities die, as is the red mount - not sure you can see that it is embossed (but I assure you that it is), as is the text label at the bottom. To make sure I really did have some stamp embossing there as well, the strip of blue card are the side has been silver embossed with holly swirls. I am not sure where the papers are from - just in my Christmas stash box, and I have added Stickles to this as well. You cannot have Christmas cards without bling. The irridescent snowflakes were left over from last year, and I have added snowflake charms to these, which came from the Hobby House.

Thanks for stopping by.

My Dad

This is a card for a very special person in my life - my Dad. He is 90 on September 6, and we are having a party with family and friends that Dad wants to be there. He has lived all his life in the village where he still lives, and is a fund of knowledge, with memories going back forever. Sadly Mum is no longer with us, but several years after Mum passed away, David remarried to a friend of Mum's, and Daisy has been a rock in his life in recent years, particularly as he has not enjoyed the best of health recently.



I found this verse via a link on Jak's blog, Crafters Kitchen, called Verses 4 Cards, and if you found that if you are ever stuck for some thing special to put into a card this then would be a good place to go.

The images on the card represent the things he has loved and enjoyed during his lifetime, such as his dog, woodworking and gardening (I did not know what a shop bought vegetable or apple was until I left home!), and his regular games of whist with a drop of brown milk - his name for whisky. Throughout his life he has been sustained by his faith, which is often a rare place to be these days.

Thanks for stopping by.

2 in 1 - Rain, Rain Go Away

Hi everybody

I thought this was quite appropriate as I was making this - it was bucketing down with rain outside. What happened to summer?

This is being entered for two challenges

- the Whiff of Joy Monday Challenge, where I am following the sketch by the very talented Bev Rochester, whose work I absolutely love and find inspirational, and if any of you get the opportunity to one of Bev's workshops, then do so, they are great fun and you will learn a lot.

- Crafty Cardmarkers, the challenge being to use Complementary colours, based on the colour wheel; my complementary colours (based on my Bazzill Wheel) are Dark Orange and Dark Blue.

I have used a Whiff of Joy stamp, Willow in the Rain, coloured with Prisma pencils. The base card is different friom my usual, and I am not sure I like the way the pencils work with this card. Background papers are Bazzill orange and Basic Grey Marradesh (the first ones I have used from the pack - I bought these for stroking!! - the colours are so me). The greeting is Stampin' Up, and all the embellishments are from The Hobby House.

Thanks for stopping by.

3 in 1

It is a while since I posted, and my apologies - I have been catching up on a variety of things, and just have not had time to stamp.

My offering this evening is a Christmas card, and is for three challenges:

- Mojo Monday, Challenge 102, and I followed their sketch

- Stamptacular Sunday Challenge, and their challenge is Scallop Mania and the scallops are used around the greeting and snowflake

- Pile it On - the requirement is for something round, and this is the embossed and glittered snowflake

I have again used a Sarah Kay stamp, and coloured with Prisma pencils, which I am now loving. The greeting is a Stampin' Up, and the snowflake is Hero Arts, which I have had forever. The background paper is, I think, Basic Grey, but it is no longer a pad, just loose sheets, so cannot be sure.

Thanks for stopping by.