Well just about at the end of another weekend.  What a beautiful day it has been today, not before time mind you!  We managed to get some of the garden tidied up although it doesn't look as if much has been completed despite the hours Hary and I have put in.  Let's hope we get a few sunny days now and we can continue where we left off.

It is my friends birthday later on in the week and for once I am not rushing at the last minute to get a card made.  I was suppose to be in my den this evening creating my circle journal pages for the swap this coming Saturday but this was easier option!  

My friend likes gardening, birds and nature so I am sure she will like the combination of these stamps.

Have a good week. 

Liz x

I went to theThe Papertrie in Aberdeen and asked my friend Siobhan to chum me, we also had a little stop off at Letham Crafts on the way back down  the road, I was testing out the new Limited Edition "Spring" Tim Holtz inks this morning as well as some canvas photopaper I had bought from Aldi's.  My intention was only to dab the colours to see what they looked like before putting them away but after a few dabs I decided to carry on and made a background with the "solid" dabs as opposed to blending them in.  The colours are fab they are ""Peacock Feathers", "Shaded Lilac" and Squeezed Lemonade".  I then decided to carry on and make a card with the background.  I decided just to use the distress inks for all the stamping and inked up the flowers on the Penny Black "Brush Tulips"  with the Squeezed Lemonade, edged with the Shaded Lilac. I used the "Peacock Feathers" for the stems and wording. 

The weekend is just about over, it is still blowing a gale, pouring with rain and cold.  Yesterday was so lovely, typical British weather!! We were shown how to use the Promarkers yesterday by Debbi Glennie who was demonstrating and doing a workshop at The Papertrie (wiccababe.blogspot.com) so I might sit and have a practice tonight whilst I am watching the telly and having a little glass of wine!!  Have a great week.  Liz x

A card for Gerry

"Last minute Liz" should be my new name!!  It was Gerry's birthday yesterday - when did I make the card?  Those of you who are in the circle journal group will probably have guessed right, yes, yesterday morning!!!  It is becoming too much of a bad habit leaving my creations to the last minute and I must stop it.  Anyway, as Gerry was in the merchant navy I wanted to use water/boats in my theme and as I had bought this Yacht stamp from Stampin Up and hadn't yet used it, it was a wonderful opportunity to try it out.    Betty (mother) & Gerry are like parents to us and are a very special couple and I wanted to show them just how much they mean to us.  Gerry was absolutely delighted with it and seemingly kept picking it up to look at it! 

Well that is just about the end of another weekend and I had better get back to the pile of ironing I am supposed to be tackling whilst watching Dancing on Ice. Should anyone from the Circle Journal Group read this, no I haven't even started my next two pages yet, still a fortnight to go before we exchange!  The question is, will it be a last minute creation again?  We will just have to wait and see!!

Have a great week.   Liz x

Stamp Man 3rd yr Annual Awards- Best Favourite Crafting Project for 2011

The Stamp Man are running their Annual Awards again this year and are giving you the opportunity to present your favourite Crafting Project for 2011. I went to a wonderful workshop at Stampaholics in Perth last year where we were shown how to alter a square mirror.  I decided to try my own take on that project using a square wooden frame from the Poundshop and the stamps in my craft room.   Lo & Behold most of the stamps I have used are sets I have purchased over several years "for rainy day projects" and I have combined the various stamps from these sets within this picture. I then restamped the birds/insects seperately and glued on top of the stamped image on the picture to lift and give a 3d effect.  I have finished these off with glossy accents to add dimension and protect the finer areas I have cut out.

http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.com/2011/12/stamp-man-3rd-annual-awards.html

Although you cannot see the full effect of the dimensions it is really very effective when looking at the real project.

Penny Black

It has been several months since I have been in my den doing any serious crafting.  I don't know where the time goes.  A group of crafting friends have started a circle journal swap so that really inspired me to get back in my den and get the creative juices going again.  My journal is now away to the first swap and it will be great to eventually see the finished result. 

It was also Rebecca's 30th birthday last week and here is the card I made to send to her.  Unfortunately we were unable to go down and see her but hopefully we will get down in the new year to see her and the boys.

I haven't made many christmas cards this year but wanted to get a couple of special ones made and after that I made a couple of different designs.  When making any cards at the moment I am trying to keep to a couple of personal goal I have made and that is to try and use stamps I have bought and haven't used and use up all the scraps of paper and card I have sitting in my boxes.  I still have some special ones to make so that is my aim this week after I have tidied my den back up!! Please excuse the quality but I have scanned these ones in as I cannot get good daylight for photos at the moment.

 This is an 8" x 8" card.  I had some large envelopes in my stash so joined two pieces of card together using a fold down the left hand side.  I used my tombow markers to colour all these.  It has been a while since I have used them as I have been using pencils and blending with sansador.  It was good to go back to the watercolouring for a change.

 I have had these two stamps for a couple of years or more now and this is the first time I have used them.  The reindeer was fun to colour in.

 Back to my Penny Black stamps.  It will take me years to use all the christmas stamps I have purchased.  Maybe I should keep my stash of xmas stamps out all year and try and use a different one each week!  A good way of having my cards made in plenty of time!! Maybe not!!

                                                            Last card one of the week.

Flock

My friend Siobhan Fyffe is on the Woodware Design Team http://www.woodware.co.uk/blog/and this week's theme is "flock".  I have previously worked with flock and thought I would post the ideas I came up with as I was dabbling with it.  Please excuse the marks on the samples, I scanned the sample in and my scanner is now covered in particles of embossing powder/glitter. 

For this one I stampled the flower and then went over areas with Zig Zag glue, let it dry slightly then added the flock.

The swirl and flowers were punched/die cut out on double sided adhesive sheets and then the flock rubbed into the adhesive.

These were samples I was playing about with. My good samples, I made into cards which I gave out.  I cut pieces out of double sided adhesive sheets, rubbed the flock over the area I had cut out and then stamped and embossed on top of the rubbed in flock.  Layered onto a card they were lovely

Follow Your Dreams

A work colleague of mine is leaving on Friday - not to go on to another conventional job but to follow her dreams.  She is a very creative person and has already written and recorded some of her songs, she has written her first draft of a children's book and and also makes the most beautiful jewellery.  I have spent this afternoon adapting the idea from the Mirror Workshop I had the pleasure of taking which was held by Siobhan Fyffe.  (You can see lots of beautiful designs by Siobhan who is also part of the design team for Woodware). http://recoveringstampaholic.blogspot.com   I love the wording on the stamps I have used which are quite appropriate for the new journey Jess is about to embark on.  I also made a very quick card to go with the mirror, unfortunately I ran out of time to do anything more fancy so have taken a leaf out of the Simplylessismoore challenges and kept the card minimilistic

Mirror

I have four brothers and sisters with birthdays, my grandson, a friend, a brother-in-law's birthday and also my husbands birthday all this month . Need to go and tidy up my den as  I have pulled out lots of different stamp sets for my mirror and don't have any free space to work in - sound familiar!!