Rainbow Lady's Challenge No.92

This weeks challenge is to stamp on an unusual material. After a bit of head scratching I came up with a cork drinks coaster.

The stamp is from Joanna Sheen Wild Flowers 'Daisy' and was stamped and embossed in black. I used Sakura Souffle pens to colour. The backing paper is one of my favourites as it was a freebie from Stamptv. I love freebies! A couple of images either side (Clarity and Elusive Images) stamped in Frayed Burlap and 4 brads and voila!

Thanks for having a look, it is much appreciated.

Japanese Rock Stream

Pam of PeeJays Crafty Bits issued a challenge in February for people to use her Freebies in anyway they liked and enter their work for a chance at winning some blog candy. One of her designs was a pyramidage of pebbles. As soon as I saw this I thought of a page for my ongoing project Secret Garden.

Instead of making a pyramidage with the shapes, I used them singly to convey a rock stream running through an oriental garden. It is a bit of a departure from my usual crafting and for that reason alone it was a worthwhile challenge!

Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate all your comments.

Spring is Coming

Despite all the snow we have had today, I am sure spring is just around the corner! I have chosen bluebells for my card as I love their colour and fragrance.

The image is from Elusive Images, stamped in black and clear embossed. I have coloured it with my favourite Sakura Glaze pens and then cut out with a Classic Long Rectangle Nestability and whilst still in the die, sponged with Stampin Up Bordering Blue and Dusty Concord Distress Ink. The pretty backing papers are from Joanna Sheen's Country Diary CD. I also added a few spots of lavender Liquid Pearls to add a bit more dimension to the bluebells. The white card stock has a pearly reflective sheen and I sponged Dusty Concord around the edges to finish off.

Until next time....

Rural Ramblings

It is another brilliant sunny day at Redmoss. The snow is sparkling like diamonds and the cold air freezes your lungs! Woke up to NO water today. Apparently it was minus 18C last night and the water has frozen in the well head. Will have to wait until it thaws which should not be very long as the sun has quite a bit of heat in it. We have done well as this is only the first time this winter.

Had a very pleasant surprise too. We have had a nocturnal visitor on the terrace after the bird seed. Any ideas? (the claws are a clue). Yup, it's a badger. We had the pleasure of their company last summer but then they left suddenly. It's nice to know they have returned. Mini weetabix and any home baking are preferred food and peanuts are a good standby. Badgers seem to have a sweet tooth.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge

Having read the card recipe for the Rainbow Lady's Challenge No.91 I thought I might have a go with this. Using ribbon on a card is always a problem for me so it was good that this time it actually served a purpose.

The inside circle was stamped with an Elusive Image fairy in Versamark and coloured with Cosmic Shimmers Pigments in a selection of Interference colours. The foliage stamps are by Clarity and were stamped in black Versafine ink.

Secret Garden

My very first crafty post is not a card but a page from a book I have been making over the past few months. Secret Garden is my fantasy garden. I enjoy designing it, putting in the plants and sitting and enjoying it. Unfortunately, my reality garden is nothing like this! It is very much a Work in Progress and will not be finished any time soon as I only add to it infrequently.

The stamps I have used are mainly from Creative Expressions and the bench is a Flowersoft stamp. The cobbled paving is made using Cuttlebug Embossing Folder Tiny Bubbles and wiping it over with a couple of Distress Inks. The foliage backing paper behind the bench is from Joanna Sheens Cottage Garden CD. The ivy is decoupaged and all the elements are fixed with dimensionals to give it depth.

Welcome to My Blog!

I would like to introduce you to one of my friends. Finn is my almost 9 year old Fell gelding whom I have had the privilege of owning since he was 5 months old. I was a late comer to horseriding, being 45 years old and having never ridden a horse since I was a young child. Finn was 4 years old before he started his training to the saddle and he and I have had a very steep learning curve. We get along just fine now, he looks after me and I look after him.