Hosting a Challenge

Yep, I am hosting a challenge on Docrafts; I love to do them and have hosted a couple before but my aim is to join in more and not leave it to others!

Naturally it's a Tilda Challenge and I had a Tilda who was screaming out for a kitchen so I teamed Oops-a - daisy Tilda with a digi stamp called Inglenook by Kate Prothero-Davies. The images were coloured up with Promarkers. I used a rectangular card blank in orange from Carole's Crafts topped with a slightly smaller red gingham cardstock mat. The sentiment is vellum matted onto a scrap of red cardstock with some red gems at each corner. Red butchers twine from the Ribbon Girl, three red  roses and three red buttons recycled from my button tin finished the look. The buttons are not the same size or colour but I think it adds to the look.

Promarkers used: Magenta, Ruby, Almond, Blush, Dusky Pink, Warm Grey 4, Slate, Blender, Cinnamon, Caramel, Cool Grey 1, Sky, Powder & Indigo Blues, Tulip yellow, Burnt Orange, Cocoa, Tan, Crimson & Pastel Beige

I would like to enter this card into the Just Magnolia & hAnglar & sTanglar My Favourite Things challenge as well as the Docrafts challenge as it incorporates two of my favourite things, Magnolia Tilda and Digi stamps.

It was a lovely sunshiny day yesterday taking Mum to Fir Tree but it was not one of her better days, memory-wise. Although I had phoned her to remind her of the day she was still in her dressing gown when I got to hers, about three hours after I'd rung. Basically she had forgotten my call. I'm afraid that I am too like my dad and my frustration shows on my face however much I try not to show it. I'm sure she sees it and it makes her feel bad but it's not frustration with her but with this horrible condition. It frightens the bejaysus out of me and I am sure it is worse for Mum but she cannot tell her child because parents don't do that, do they?

But we had a good lunch and bought some nice treats for the weekend- yes, something for the weekend means something delicious for the tummy, at our ages! I also had a package waiting for me when I got home - some crafty bits, mainly for other people, but reduced items in a sale, so all the sweeter!

Cheerio for today and have a great one,

I bought this signature for my blog from Lynne Salmon 'cos I love her work. I have her site on my sidebar if you want to pop over!

Two Docrafts Challenges.

The first of my cards today is for Clare Curds weekly challenge and this week she had a sketch challenge.

The nine panels came from a pack of square floral die cuts from Mad About Cards and I used Coredinations cardstock in green, yellow and purple. The yellow was torn and run through the free floral embossing folder from Issue 25 of the Creativity magazine. The purple circle was also embossed with a small Sizzix folder and then the raised image was sanded. The flower embellishments were from Adynas Collection from Crafty Bitz and the sentiment is on vellum.

The second is a challenge from Ginny (Asidorodos); it's the ABC challenge, H for Hyacinth.

Hyacinth could be used as the flower itself or as the colour. So, I searched my digis and could not find a hyacinth. The nearest I came was this sweet digi from Sliekje. So I coloured the tulip in hyacinth! The sentiment from Dorcas is matted on a 4" circular panel of hyacinth paper punched with Debbie Moores Punch Anywhere Honour punch.

The 14.8cm square card blank has been covered in brown parcel wrapping paper (in an attempt to get a Kraft card look). None of my stash of papers or card gave me the effect I was after and this did the trick. I was wrapping a parcel to send to my daughter and a light bulb came on in my head.......

Ginny asked for embellishments so I made my own from the punch leftovers and some gems - in my mind they are floating seeds about to land and make more flowers - I get tons of these barmy ideas all the time, lol

Promarkers used: Pastel Beige, Bluebell, Violet, Cool Greys 2 & 4, Putty, Cardinal Red, Sky Blue, Lime and Forest Greens, Grass and Pine.

I have to go and get my breakfast and then go and do a 'big' shop. This will be my first big shop since we went just before Christmas. I am down to just one roll of toilet paper and there is a panic in my bosom. I have been known to have 48 rolls in reserve in case of shortages! Mr H thinks I am a TP fanatic but who does he think keeps a ready supply so that he is never inconvenienced - no pun intended.

Cheerio, Hazel x.

Anything with Wings

After yesterday's ramble into nostalgia I just had to make a card. I think I am spending far too much time in blogland and not enough time crafting! My nosy gene is really satisfied by blogging - ain't I bad, lol?

15cm square white card blank layered with three shades of teal coredinations cardstock and a 'ribbon' of torn yellow coredinations cardstock. The two smaller panels of card were put through my Sizzix Texture Boutique using the Card Concepts Butterflies embossing folder. 

The embossed butterflies were then given a light sanding with my very tiny emery board to reveal the core colour. The panels were added using foam pads. The digi stamp was a freebie but I did not make a note of the creator, if you can tell me I can give credit appropriately. I used Promarkers to colour the digi and foam pads to affix it to the panels. Two white mesh butterflies from Craftime and card candy finished the look.

Promarkers used: Ruby, Magenta, Lime & Leaf Greens, Pastel Blue, Cool Grey 1, Pastel Beige, Caramel, Cinnamon & Blender.

I would like to enter the card in the 'Anything with Wings' challenge at Sentimental Sundays

I would also like to show you a crafty companion who now helps me to clean up after a crafting session........here's Ellie...

He is a cute little table top vacuum cleaner who loves to suck up all my spilt glitter and those annoying backing bits from foam pads which seem to get everywhere!

The winners of the Sir Stampalot Blog Hop have been picked out and although I was not lucky enough to win, it was fun to do and it took me to some lovely blogs.

Cheerio, Hazel x

One thought leads to another!

Unfortunately I spent too much time in blog land yesterday to make a card. I kept trying to download the digital stamps for 'Help for Katie' and for what ever reason it just would not happen and so I had to wait till this morning. Then I hopped over to Lily of the Valley stamps to buy one of their new release stamps - I am watching the pennies, well, trying to. There was something up on their site too and my computer was locked in till I cancelled everything. I have just managed to purchase the little fairy, PomPom.

 My sister Morag gave us 'holiday nicknames' when we two went on holiday to Ganavan in our wee caravan with her son & his friend. My nickname was 'PomPom' and hers was 'Lulu' and we kept the boys amused with stories of how PomPom and Lulu tried to lure sailors/fishermen over by dressing in floaty negligees and wellies. You had to be there!

Especially when, in real life, PomPom tumbled down the slope from the laundry room with the laundry, (it was dark and I tripped,) and was picked up and brushed down by a group of fishermen who then collected her dainties (I could have called them smalls but they're not and they're not dainty either) with ribald comments. I was so glad it was dark but they also offered me beer, tea , sandwiches and fags and were very nice to the strange woman who somersaulted into their midst and groaned just getting to her feet and when her undies were recovered. (The camp site had a special bunk house for blokes out on a fishing spree to the Firth of Lorne) It didn't help next day when one of them shouted out 'Did you get all your knickers then, hen?'; the boys were prostrate with laughter and PomPom has the reputation of going without her drawers!

This picture is of the little beach at Ganavan when the old campsite was gone and the cabins which had gone up in its place were being torn down to make way for holiday homes in 2008. I took this picture in the rain and then slipped on the wet grass. The seagulls must have thought the woman laughing was bonkers! If you can make out the concrete structure well, we used to pitch the caravan quite close to it and very near to the sea with the van pointing downslope so we could just move the curtains in the morning and see if the sea was behaving! We considered ourselves blessed to be in such a lovely spot with views to Mull across the Firth.

 Having digressed considerably I would like to tell you that Jacques is having a blog candy giveaway in celebration of the LOTV new releases and you can access her blog here.

I may have a card soon but then again....... cheerio, Hazel x

Help for Katie

I have been a follower of Jak Heath's blog since before I got my own blog; not very long but I was fascinated by her work, particularly with La Pashe. She has a friend, Katie, who is also a crafter and who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer. Jak is raising money to help her friend and her friend's family through this horrible time by allowing them to build memories.

 Jak is not asking simply for money; she has corralled other artists and they have donated digi stamps etc (knowing crafters I'm prepared to bet they took little or no persuasion!)  to be sold in aid of 'Help for Katie'. Please go to Jaks blogspot here and see for yourself; you can go from there to Katie's blog and read the testament of this brave being. I dare you to feel other than connection with this fellow crafter! Kudos to Jak for this undertaking but I daresay that she would take no credit for trying to help.

Cheerio, Hazel x

'Punched' Challenge at Tellen's Place Designs

I came across Tellen's Place while I was looking for digi stamps and decided to enter the challenge which involves using a punch in the card.

Used  a 14.8cm square card blank and Lasting Impressions cardstock, Black Tie, Powdered Sugar and Top Hat. The Top Hat card was punched with my MS round the page punch set. The image and the sentiment are digi stamps from Beccy Muir and they were coloured up with Promarkers.

 I also embossed the white stripe on the horses pole with Stampendous Embossing powder and used Copper German Glass Glitter from Meyers Imports on the pole and the saddle to add a bit of shiny. I used the Gold glitter from the same range to outline the sentiment panel.

The bow and the flowers are from the Papermania Lemon Sorbet collection and the gems in the centres of the flowers are from Anita's Gem wheel. The swirl I made myself from the beads from a broken Christmas decoration. I like shiny and it seems to be set off by the monochrome backing card.

Promarkers used: Warm Grey 2 & 4, Slate Umber, Dusky Pink, Magenta, Black, Tulip and Burnt Umber

I am in a 'punchy' mood today as the manager of Curry's phoned in sick! I was further told that the date of arrival of the first 11 cookers has been put back to 21 Jan. I was given an undertaking that someone would contact me this evening to tell me if there is a problem with the manufacturer. It is 18.20 now so I am not expecting that this will happen and I think Mr H is going to insist on cancelling the order.

In a nicer aside, I got my first Goody Bag from Docrafts today, a few bits of which I used on the card, and with which I am really chuffed. I love yellow and the GB is packed with yellow. Scrumptious!

Mr H is needing his tea so I will say cheerio for now, Hazel x

Confrontation

Yesterday afternoon I decided to go down to Curry's in person to determine when I was to get my new cooker and to give someone a piece of my mind (not that I can afford to give too much). Turns out that the next expected delivery of 11 cookers to Curry's is now 14 Jan and I am not even guaranteed to get one of these as 22 people are waiting for them and I may have to wait till 28 Jan. Neither the manager nor my sales assistant was in so I advised them I would be back on Monday. Mr H, who did not accompany me (!), was very cross and suggested that we request a refund. I will take this under advisement and wait till Monday.

This card was crafted using 14.8cm square card stock and free papers from the 'Never Not' collection from Simply Cards and Papercraft (SC&P) The sentiment was also a free clear stamp from SC&P Issue 80 which was stamped and embossed using Stampendous White embossing powder.

 To highlight the red strawberries and Tilda's hat, I used the German Glass Glitter from Meyer Imports, which I won and I have to say it is a superior glitter. The colour is rich and it goes on densely, giving a lovely, solid 3-D effect. The ribbon and the button are from my stash and the paper was punched using an Xcut punch.

StrawberryTilda is accompanied by two digi stamps; the basket of strawbs is from B Muir but I did not note who created the three strawberries and I will give the appropriate credit if someone can advise me of it.

The following Promarkers were used to colour up the images:
Face, knees and hands - Ivory, Vanilla, Blush
Hair - Slate, Warm Grey 4, Cool Grey 1
Clothing - Antique Rose, Ruby
Strawberries, basket, flower, watering can, - Pear and Soft Green, Grass, Dusky Pink, Magenta, Cardinal Red, Tan,& Oatmeal

I would like to enter this in the Anything Goes Magnolia Challenge 7 - 13 January where there is an option to use a button.

I'm going to try to link this with the site now so cheerio, Hazel x.