Addicted to CAS # 23

Hello all - can you believe it's been two weeks since our last challenge?  We had some amazing cards - thank you everyone.  Now it's time for a new challenge which is hosted by the very talented Sylvia.  This is the code word she's chosen for you:

Our sponsor for this challenge is:

The prize will be a $25 gift voucher!

Here's my card for the challenge:

 

I've used my Dee's Distinctively Pine Sprigs die to cut out some sprigs from white card.  I then sponged them using Kaleidacolour Autumn Leaves.  The acorns are from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp and die set.  I stamped them in the Kaleidacolour Autumn Leaves and die cut them before arranging on the card using Pinflair Glue Gel.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set and punched using a Stampin Up label punch.  This was tied on using Baker's Twine and added some Liquid Pearls.  Final touch was using some Crystal Lacquer to the acorns.

Thanks for dropping by.  Don't forget to pop over to the Addicted to CAS site to have a look at all the yummy inspiration the DT have made for you.

Looking forward to popping over to your blogs to see what delights you come up with.

What's in the box???

Happy Monday everyone - it's pretty overcast and drizzly here but warm; hopefully the sun may make an appearance this afternoon.............or not! lol

Guess what - yep, I've made another fabric box but this one's a bit different:

 

Can you guess what it's for?  I suppose you could use it for multiple things but this fits perfectly!!! hehe:

 

Hope you're all having a good day.

Another day - another post!

Hi Folks - well what an awful day; it's been pouring with rain - so much so quite a few roads were flooded........and it's cold!  So yet another excuse to come up to my craft room!!! lol

Following on from the fabric boxes I have just finished a bread basket which I found to be a real pain.........not sure whether it's me and I'm having a senior moment but I was having all sorts of problems trying to sew down the "track lines" enclosing the card and wadding as I didn't have enough room between the needle and the machine body.  I turned it upside down, inside out and every which way; but ended up having to hand sew a couple of lines.  There must be an easier way!

Anyway here it is - I made it in the same fabric as one of the serviette boxes so hopefully they might get sold together (as long as no-one looks too closely at my hand sewing!)

 

Thanks for dropping by.

The perfect end to a not so perfect day!

Morning everyone - just thought I'd post this photo that I took last night.  We definitely made the right decision to cancel the fund raiser as it just poured with rain all afternoon.  Let's hope we can re-organise it soon.  Anyway after a brief lull in the rain I looked out and saw this.........

It was actually a double rainbow although I think that's caused somehow by a reflection - but it was very pretty all the same.

Fabric boxes

Hi Everyone

This is the first time I've got up in the morning praying for rain! Why you may ask.  Well,  we made the difficult decision yesterday to cancel our fund raising Fun Day which was happening today.  The weather forecast was not good at all and it's an awful lot of effort by a lot of people to get it organised - putting up marquees, marking out races etc etc; not to mention all the cakes, raffles and refreshments.  It would be a disaster if we set it all up for no-one to turn up.  So, hence my quick prayer that it rained...............it was quite nice when I got up; bright and still........oh oh I thought but then it started getting very breezy and then it started raining at about 12.15 - phew!  Hopefully we will be able to reorganise it soon.

Anyway back to my post.  Just thought I'd show you a couple of fabric boxes I'm making at the moment.  I've been asked to do a Macmillan Coffee Morning in a couple of weeks and thought these would go down well.

The first one is a treasure box which opens up to show three drawers and the second is a serviette box.  It's the first time I've made one of these and was really pleased how it turned out.  I'm in the middle of making a different type of serviette box and then going to do a bread basket.

Treasure Box

 

Thanks for dropping by - hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Addicted to CAS - Challenge # 22

Hi Everyone

Welcome to the latest challenge at Addicted to CAS.  Your hostess for this challenge is the very talented Sandie of London Days.  She has chosen the following code word for you to play with:

Our Sponsor for this challenge is:

http://www.the-papernest.com/cat/shop/

They are very generously offering a Prize of a $25 gift voucher!

For my card I've gone with Clearly Besotted stamp and die sets.

 

I've used a 5" base card and cut some card slightly smaller than the front.  I used my Stampin Up scoreboard to score two lines about a quarter the way up from the bottom so I could "ground" my elements.  I stamped the sofa twice using Stampin Up Not Quite Navy and die cut them both.  I then cut one of the sofa's so I had the separate seat cushions, shaped them and popped them up on the other sofa using Pinflair Glue Gel.  The base of the standard lamp was inked using SU Close to Cocoa and clear embossed.  I stamped two lampshades using Not Quite Navy and die cut them both.  The bottom one was laid over the base of the lamp and the other was shaped and popped up using Pinflair again.  The two sentiments were inked with Close to Cocoa - I shaped the longer sentiment on my acrylic block to give it more interest.

Thanks for popping by.  I love reading all your comments and can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge.  Don't forget to go over to Addicted to CAS to see the great cards the Design Team have come up with.

Have a great weekend.  Happy crafting.

Recipe:  Clearly Besotted "Time to Relax" and "Shine Bright" stamp and die sets, Anna-Marie double sided pearl cardstock, Stampin Up inks and Scoreboard, PinFlair Glue Gel

Edited to add:  Just a quickie for those of you trying to comment on my blog post yesterday and found you couldn't!!!  I had enabled Google+ comments not realising it stopped anyone else commenting!!!  So, be warned and don't check the box to allow G+ commenting.  I've now unchecked the box and everything looks okay.  Thanks to all my blogging buddies out there who sent me an email letting me know.

LIM 136 Colour, Clearly Besotted #4 & Club Samples (photo heavy!)

Hi Folks

Gosh where does the time go?  Things have been pretty hectic over the last few weeks with lots of visitors staying, people coming to dinner etc.  So here is my offering today.  A card for the Less is More Week 136 Colour Challenge and this also matches the Clearly Besotted Challenge #4 Creating your own Background.  I've also added in some photos of my sample cards for the two projects we did with the girls at our club night on Wednesday.  Grab yourself a cuppa and come and see.

The Less is More challenge this week is a colour theme using two colours rust and green.  The Clearly Besotted challenge wants you to make your own background for your card. 

I've used my Clearly Besotted Autumn Flowers stamp and die set for this card which is NBUS (never before used schtuff........).  I've used my Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves ink pad which has lovely rusts and greens in it.  I've used an A5 pearlised card and cut down a sheet of matching card stock slightly smaller to pop on the front.  When I inked my stamps I stamped onto copy paper before stamping directly onto the card to get a lighter impression.  Some leaves are in the rusty tones and some in the green.  I then stamped the largest leaf and two acorns using first generation inking and die cut these.  They were then popped onto the card using d/s foam and then Crystal Lacquered.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

We did two projects at club on Wednesday.  The first was a lovely parchment card which can be used for all occasions be it birthday or Christmas, depending on the colours you use.  After completion the outlines have been traced in a Quickie glue pen (or in my case a Martha Stewart glue pen as all my Quickie glue pens refuse to work!!!  I've got about 6 and none of them work despite trying everything I can think of..........so any suggestions would be welcome!!!) and then glittered.

The second project was a three step card and my cards show a left and a right hand step card and also a four step card.  Must admit these aren't the easiest of cards to make and adding the backing paper inside is pretty fiddly, but they do look nice.

 

On these cards I've used a variety of materials from Kanban Steampunk die cuts, Stampin Up Language of Friendship and Papillon Potpourri stamps and punches and a Sizzix stamp and die set 657780 (not sure of the name as it's not stated on the packaging but it's the Reindeer and Christmas Tree set).

Right, that's enough from me for today but don't forget to pop by tomorrow to see what the latest challenge at Addicted to CAS is.

Hope you all have a great weekend.........weather forecast in Somerset doesn't look great and we have a huge Fun Day fund raiser on Sunday so think we will be dripping as we're cooking the BBQ!!!

Happy crafting.

Addicted to CAS - #21

Hello everyone - it's that time again...........here is the latest challenge from Addicted to CAS.  Here are the details.  Your host is the very talented Harriet and here is the code word she's chosen: 

This challenge is Sponsored by -

 

 

who are offering a prize of a

$25 gift voucher!

Both of my cards use digi images but I'm afraid I don't know where they originated.  I've printed these images out and used a simple frame for each.

 

 

For the violin I've used my square nesties and turned the central one into a diamond shape.  I die cut four strips of music using my MB Virtuoso Music die and sponged lightly with Distress Ink Old Paper.  These were then added around the frame.  The sentiment was computer generated and die cut using Petite Labels One and again sponged inside the label die.  

 

 

 

For the umbrella image I used my square nesties and Labels Twenty-Seven and die cut the frame which I then put through my machine in a Cuttlebug music embossing folder.  I added some acetate to the inside of the frame onto which I'd stamped one of the stamps in the Raindrop Set (Designs by Ryn) using StazOn Timber Brown.  The border stamped on the base card is one of the background builder sets from Clearly Besotted.

Well, that's enough from me........it's time for you to pop on over to A2CAS to check out the inspiration the rest of the Design Team have come up with.  We can't wait to see your entries and visit your blogs.

Have a great weekend.

Last photo...........promise!!!

Happy Friday everyone.  Well, I can't believe that this time last week I was sitting in a traffic jam trying to get to Daventry for the Oyster Stamp Retreat.  This week's flown by.  I've finished off our last project that we did with the divine Miss Martine of Ab Fab Designs.  It was nearly our last project on Sunday and one and a half hours was no way enough time for 10 of us to finish this gorgeous card.

I posted a photo of Martine's card the other day, but here is my version.

  

Recipe:  Heartfelt Creations Sunkissed Fleur stamps and dies, Creative Expressions Heart Lattice embossing folder, Wink of Stella brush pens, Liquid Pearls, Spellbinders Enchanted Labels 28 and Twisted Metal Tags & Accents, Bling on a Roll (from Oyster Stamps)QuietFire Designs Sentiment & Frame stamp, We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board, vellum, embossing powder, bone folder.

I'll own up now..........I added the flower inside by the sentiment as I got a small ink mark; then I was too quick to close the envelope and some Liquid Pearls got on the inside flap.........hence the three flowers inside!!!  See, happy accidents; serendipity at work yet again - hehe!

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and special birthday wishes go out to my eldest nephew Dominic; have a brilliant time.

WOYWW 220 and more of the crafty retreat photos

Hi Everyone........well the weekend is fading away (but not the feeling of enjoyment and pleasure in meeting so many lovely people).  Apart from finishing off my Advent Christmas Tree I've been busy doing stuff in the garden today and I'm now just trying to sort everything out and put it away (neatly......!).  I took so much stuff with me - I suppose going in the car made that easy but it was a case of "well, I might just need that".............  anyway onto the subject in hand.  It's the lovely Julia Dunnit's What's on your Workdesk Wednesday and so I thought I'd post a picture (or two) of my desk today.

 

My desk loaded with goodies I need to put away - a total mixture of stash I purchased over the weekend and the goodie bag that Tracey & Graham gave us all.  Anna Marie's Christmas Tree stamp set, Wink of Stella brush pens, Distress Stains, Studio Multi-medium matte, Pack of Ice Resin, Fran.tage, Heartfelt Creations new Christmas stamps that match their absolutely GORGEOUS 12x12 pad (oh and the die to match.....!  hehe), some Spellbinders dies which were in the goodie bag, La-La Land stamp, another Heartfelt Creations Luscious Cherry Swirls (goodie bag), Dazzling Diamond self-adhesive Bling Bling.

 This is the card we made with Paul Church using Jayne Nestorenko's bauble stamp set.  In front is a paper folded Christmas tree that Anna Marie showed us how to make out of vellum........ I'd been playing with the new Inkadinkadoo stamp system and suddenly thought it might make a good tree so cut around the design and folded.........might do some more of these; they looked gorgeous in the vellum.

 This is the lovely Christmas card we made with Anna Marie using her new Christmas stamps and on the right of the card is the rolled and cut paper Christmas Tree and the loopy item you can see behind the stamped pine cones is made of jute.  On the top left under the embellishment we actually have real live moss - Anna Marie loves to use it and I can see why.  It is so soft and seemingly it never dies or loses it's colour.  She sells packs of it and I can see me buying some more.

 Here is a better picture of the mixed media canvas I did with the lovely Neet of Hickydorums - we gessoed the canvas, coloured it with Pan Pastels and then played!!!  If you pop over to her blog then you can see exactly what we did at the retreat including the Ice Resin pendants.  The bling underneath the canvas is this amazing HUGE sheet of bling which you can even die-cut as it's made out of some sort of resin.  You should see what Martine does with it.........especially her shoes!

 The little girl image at the back is one of the colouring projects we worked on and it's waiting to be made up into a card.  In front are some of the vellum flowers we made to go on Martine's gorgeous card (see yesterday's post for details).

 Sorry about the quality of this photo, the light was coming in from the window and bouncing off the sellophane wrappers.

Hopefully, by this time next week, my desk might be a tad tidier!!!!  Don't hold your breath though!!!!!  lol

Thanks for dropping by.

Oyster Stamps Craft Retreat

Hello everyone - well, what a weekend, what fun!!!  Must admit it didn't start off too well.  I had decided to go up to Daventry on Friday so I'd be rested and ready for the start at 9am on Saturday.  Left home at 2.30pm for what should have been a 2 1/2 hour journey.............arrived at the hotel at 7.15pm!!!!  Nightmare - traffic jams, accidents etc etc.  Still at least I got there safely and met up with Martine, Tracey, Graham, Tom, Paul, Neet and Jacqui - it was a glorious day and we were sitting out on the terrace having a drink (or two!!!).  This is the view we had:

Whilst we were sitting chatting this lady came up who everyone seemed to know and was introduced to me as Jane.  Lovely lady, very pretty with a great sense of humour.  She went a little while later and I said to Tracey I'm sure I know her...........well, of course I did - it was Jane Nestorenko!!!  She has lost such a lot of weight and looks years younger than the last time I saw her on TV.  She lives quite near and had popped in to see Paul Church as he was using some of her Christmas stamps in one of the workshops.  We all piled back into the hotel to get some dinner and then had a fairly early night.

The next morning we all met up for breakfast at about 8am and then had the intro to what was going to happen during the next two days.  There were 40 of us at the retreat and had four workshops going at a time - so I was on table 1, then moved on to table 2, etc etc so we all completed four workshops on both days.  Jacqui Dennis took us for a colouring tutorial, the amazing Neet took us for some mixed media  and we had a great time using Ice Resin, Martine took us for the advent Christmas tree (see the photo below) and Paul did a Christmas card using Jane Nestorenko's Christmas bauble stamps. 

 

Behind each window is a folded sentiment (you can see some unfolded on the left of the tree) and I used the Twelve Days of Christmas sentiments and then stamped others making 24 in total.

On the second day Anna Marie arrived, hot-foot from her show on C&C the evening before, along with her hubby Tim who set up a mini shop of Anna Marie Designs goodies.  We did a great workshop with Anna Marie using some of her new Christmas stamps and various embellishments she sells.  She also showed us how to make a rolled and cut Christmas tree - so effective.

We finished off our mixed media projects with Neet next - it was so much fun and even the ladies who hate getting mucky really enjoyed themselves!

The third workshop was with Martine again and I show a photo of the card we were making - beautiful vellum flowers, coloured using Wink of Stella pens, with an envelope enclosed in the centre of the card plastered with bling!!!  Definitely a Martine card.  Unfortunately as time was limited we didn't have a chance to finish it but have brought it home to complete.

 

 

 This is Lorraine holding Martine's card

The last workshop was with Paul who was showing us the geared system that Inkadinkadoo have come up with.  If you're really into pattern building then it's ideal but must admit it wasn't my "thing".


Oh, did I mention that there was a fairly large Oyster Stamp shop on site?????   hehe............ well, you couldn't expect anything less eh?  Must admit I came back with more baggage than I went with! lol  We were also given an amazing goodie bag from Tracey & Graham which contained stamp sets, Memory Box dies, Spellbinders dies, Distress Inks, Distress Stains, packs of card, and several other bits and bobs.......it was so generous of them.

I have got loads of photos but there are also lots on Oyster's Facebook page but will try to post some more during the week.

Right, just going to see what's for dinner..........talking about which, after a great journey home on Sunday evening (2 1/2 hours as it should have been......) I came into the house to the wonderful smell of roast lamb............my wonderful hubby had cooked dinner for me.....mwah!