Redmoss Ramblings

CD Sunday Challenge - Imagine

2012-03-05T17:52:00.000Z

My card is made using the My Craft Studio An Important Date CD. I am a novice using MCS and my imagination went way beyond my capabilities! This card took me all Sunday afternoon to make - who said new technology made things easier! I have however, learned a lot and next time will hopefully make my own background paper as well. For this card I have used some from the old Graphicus Guild paper pack. The dormouse and march hare have been decoupaged outside the frame.

I am pleased with the final card, but it is only a vague resemblance to what I imagined! It is for my great niece Isla, who lives in Rye, New York State. Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I am encouraged by them all.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 8 Switzerland

2012-03-02T07:00:00.000Z

Our canine hero is in somewhat melancholy mood when he writes to his half-brother Malcolm this week.

He says,
Hi Malcolm,
Holiday's over, kids back at school in Switzerland and I'm in the dog house for getting drunk.
Mrs X is filling her safe deposit box with jewellery and Xui busy at work.
Keeping my head down. Appointment at Poodle Parlour this afternoon - Oh the shame!
RP

Here are the pages I made for him in his travel book.

I used this photo below of Bern at sunset as inspiration for my postcard, it is from the official Switzerland site.

For my postcard I used a brayer, Kaleidacolour Desert Sand ink, Burgundy ink and a stamp from Crafty Individuals.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 8 Cuba

2012-02-24T07:00:00.000Z

Mrs Xong, wife of Roland Poland's benefactor, has decided that they all need some sunshine for half term holidays. Cuba it is!

As always, Roland Poland throws himself fully into the holiday spirit. He writes to his half-brother Malcolm,

Hi Malcolm,
Out on he town last night. 10 Cuba Libres and dancing with Miss Chihuahua. Now I'm sober and realise she is just a "MOWLER" - oh the shame (again!) AND I've got a bad headache.
RP

Here is the page I made for him in his Travel Book

The postcard was made using a brayer and stamps from Stampscapes, Stamps Happen and an image in the public domain. The travel book page was made using stamps from Clarity and Stampin' Up.

Thank you for visiting us and for the kind comments you leave. We do enjoy visiting you and seeing how your travels are going.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Dogs

2012-02-23T15:25:00.001Z

Well, this is a first for me. I don't know exactly what I did but here is my first digital scrapbook page made in Craft Artist using American Crafts Paper Town digi kit.
The subjects are our two German Shepherd bitches, Heidi and Lottie. At the time they were coming up to 5 months old, they are now 7 months old and much, much bigger. I wanted to convey the total chaos that they have caused in our household!
I want to thank my friend Jen for all the encouragement and help she has given me in the digital scrapbooking department. I know I need lots more!
Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

DragonsDream TIO #110 - Bird Song

2012-02-23T10:17:00.002Z

Here is my interpretation of a wonderful book. It took me ages to read as it was difficult to see the words through all the tears and sobbing.
I have used stamps from Flourishes (poppy), Queen Kat (wire) and Graphicus (sentiment). My brayer had an outing too for the sky using Kaleidacolor Desert Heat and the landscape was coloured with Distress inks Brushed Corduroy and Frayed Burlap.
Thank you for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate everyone.

Alpha Tags - C is for Camera

2012-02-21T19:05:00.001Z

The stamps for this tag are all from Creative Expressions and have been stamped on cream card in grey ink. The film strip is a Tim Holtz die and Charlie Chaplin is a download from the public domain, cut out and clear embossed and added with dimensionals. The edges of the tag have been highlighted in Black Soot Distress Ink.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are greatly appreciated.

CD Sunday Challenge - Legs and Wings

2012-02-19T15:35:00.000Z

Unicorns are a favourite of my daughter Eleanor, so this card is for her. She has been carrying out nursing practice in a hospital in Nepal as part of her degree and will be back in the UK in early March. It goes without saying that we are very proud of her.
I have used the Enchanted Dreams CD by Joanna Sheen and mounted the image onto matt copper mirri and then onto the backing paper. The sentiment is by Stampin' Up. The butterflies are fabric.
Thanks for stopping by and thank you in advance for your lovely comments - I find them very encouraging.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 7 Wales

2012-02-17T07:00:00.000Z

Roland Poland, our little Jack Russell terrier, is this week accompanying his benefactor, Mr. Xui Xong of the Chinese Trade Delegation on a visit to a welsh slate mine. They are considering importing the slate into China for use on prestige buildings as welsh slate is the best in the world. Roland writes to his half-brother Malcolm. He is rather peeved.

Hi Malcolm,

Tricked again!

First no gravy on the gravy train and now no rabbit in the Welsh Rarebit. Just posh cheese on toast.

Will try to get up to see you if I can.

Here is the page I made for Roland Poland's travel book.

Thank you very much for the lovely kind comments we have received. We love visiting you and reading all your stories.

My card and the book have been stamped with images from Elusive Images.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 6 Belgium

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000Z

Today finds our ever optimistic hero, Roland Poland, very excited. The Xong family have been invited to make a courtesy visit to the European Parliament in Brussels and will be travelling by train from their base in Paris.

He writes to his half-brother Malcolm

Hi Malcolm,

Getting excited cos we are going to Brussels.

Xui said something about all the MEP's jumping on the Gravy Train.

I hope we catch that one, so I'll take a big spoon just in case. Well, you know how much I like gravy.

Got to go

Here is the page I made in Roland Poland's travel book. It is based on famous Belgians.

The postcard has been made with a brayer and stamps from Creative Expressions and Clarity.

Thank you for joining Roland Poland on his journey and do feel free to leave a comment - he finds them most encouraging.

CD Sunday Challenge - A la Mode

2012-02-09T19:20:00.000Z

I have used Hinny Bop's The Cocktail Hour CD for my decoupaged image and backing paper. I have mounted them onto gold card and added the feathers for a bit of bling. I hope this meets the challenge requirements this week as it seems almost everyone has done shoes! My model is wearing shoes so that box is ticked ....

She looks very glam even if I do say so myself. Thanks for looking and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate every one.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 5 France

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000Z

Roland Poland is accompanying Mrs Xui (wife of his benefactor) on a shopping spree in Paris.

Things are not working out quite as he imagined. He writes to his brother Malcolm in Carlisle.

He says
Hi Malcolm,
Shopping, shopping, shopping. When will that woman have had enough!
She's had a coat made for me with my initials embroidered in the lining, diamanté collar and paw boots to complete the ensemble. Oh the shame!
If the lads ever find out Malcolm, I'm finished.
RP
P.S. I'm window shopping outside my favourite Butchers.

Here is the page I made for Roland Poland's Travel Book.

The postcard is a pencil sketch from Silhouette Sensations by Gwyneth Windsor, coloured with pencils. The travel book uses papers from TLC and stamps from Prima and Stampin' Up.

CD Sunday Challenge - Tag You're It

2012-01-31T19:46:00.000Z

My card this week is from the wonderful Feathered Friends CD from Peerless Designs. We have a pair of spotted woodpeckers that visit our garden each year and it is lovely to welcome them back. I have made this card for them!

Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 4 - China

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000Z

Having succumbed to a bite on the backside by a piranha, whilst swimming in the Amazon last week, our young hero has been taken under the wing of fellow canoe passenger, Xong Xui. Mr Xui is on a Chinese trade mission to Brazil and was enjoying a weekend's break up country when he became totally captivated by Roland's outgoing personality and enthusiasm for life. Unable to contemplate being parted from Roland, he smuggled him into China in his diplomatic bag. So his latest adventure begins ...

Roland Poland's postcard to Malcolm, his half brother in Carlisle, is of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It is coloured with Distress Inks and Copic markers.

He writes:

Hi Malcolm,

The food is great and better than The Golden Chopstick in Lancaster. And get this! - they cook it in the STREETS! - Great for a grab and RUN.

Just like the old days

Cheers

Here is the page I made in Roland Poland's travel book

I have used chalk pastels, for the first time, to colour in the Great Wall. The characters represent Happiness and Harmony - attributes Roland Poland might find useful to keep together!

DragonsDream TIO #108 - The Beach

2012-01-25T20:29:00.000Z

I am having a walk down memory lane here! My maternal granddad was a magician and member of the Magic Circle and during the summer months was a Punch and Judy man, having shows in Tenby, Margate and Southend. I was the youngest grandchild and his career was coming to an end by the time I was old enough to appreciate his skill.
My tag uses the very first stamps I ever bought - from Rubadubadoo. I have stamped them onto cardboard that has been gessoed white. The sand and the sea are embossed with sand effect and sea mist embossing powders from Joanna Sheen and give the tag a lovely tactile quality. The pennants are from a Tim Holtz On the Edge die and coloured with Copic markers. The children are stamped and cut out and added with dimensionals.
Thanks for calling and do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - Zodiac

2012-01-24T17:55:00.000Z

My simple card this week uses one of the lovely starry sky backing papers from Joanna Sheen's Enchanted CD. The main image is a download in the public domain from the internet. I coloured it with Derwent Inktense pencils and then clear embossed it before layering it onto some matt silver card. Apologies for the dark, shadowy picture but daylight is hard to come by up here in the frozen north.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, all are much appreciated.

Alphabet Tag - B for Beetroot

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000Z

This tag is stamped using a much loved vegetable set from A Stamp In The Hand. I have used coloured markers to ink up the stamp using the 'Thumping' method. I have first stamped the cream tag with a texture roller stamp from Stampin Up in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. I have then inked up the beetroot stamp using Ruby and Pine Marvy Markers - scribbling on the colours and allowing overlap. This gives you a quite realistic colour portrayal, i.e. red in the green leaves. The lovely little seed packet is a freebie from Go Make Something a wonderful source of all things miniature and printable.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Alphabet Tags - A for Allium

2012-01-23T21:38:00.000Z

I noticed that this year there are quite a few alphabet tag swaps on the go. I thought I would make a set for myself and use it as an opportunity to use as many techniques as I could so that they could be used as a kind of reference for days when my mojo has disappeared completely or when I was having a senior moment and had totally forgotten everything!

This tag is cut from glossy black card using the Tim Holtz die and has been stamped using a Stampendous stamp 'Allium' using Perfect Medium and then dusting with Interference Mica Powders. It is one of my favourite techniques and I love the iridescent colours. You have to be careful to dust everything with an embossing buddy (anti static pad) before you start otherwise the powder goes everywhere! I finished it off with a key chain and a name tag in black shrink plastic.

Thank you for visiting and do leave a comment - all of which are greatly appreciated.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #188 - The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-22T10:55:00.001Z

I love making oriental style cards, so had to have a go this week! My embossed squares are from a Judikins Clay Squisher texture plate and have been embossed in gold onto paper coloured with ink pads (direct to paper). The dragon from Stampin USA is similarly embossed in gold onto black.

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I find them very encouraging.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week 3 Brazil

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000Z

Our cheerful and plucky young hound finds himself in Brazil this week (after having fallen asleep in a container of machine parts bound for Sao Paulo). He has managed to attach himself to a tour party travelling inland along the Amazon river. He writes to his brother Malcolm:

Hi Malcolm,
Travelled up river all day by canoe. So hot, went for a swim and got bitten on the backside by a FISH!
It's worse than the time we got in that fight with the bulldog in Carnforth.
See ya bro'
RP

Here is the page I have made for the postcard in Roland Poland's Travel Book.

The postcard is hand drawn and brayered with inks and coloured in with Copic markers, The book is coloured with oil pastels and Copic markers. Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - Enchanted

2012-01-15T17:58:00.000Z

This card is for my daughter Eleanor who is off to do six weeks of nursing practice in Nepal on Friday. Her favourite animal is a unicorn. The unicorn is from Rob Addams' Celtic CD and has been decoupaged and mounted onto an A6 matt of mica watercolours. The stamps are embossed in silver and are by Crafty Individuals and the edge of the card has been very randomly embossed in silver.

Thank you for calling by and do feel free to leave a comment, I am encouraged by them all.

Postcard Travels with Roland Poland - Week2 Spain

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000Z

This week finds our intrepid little dog in Spain. He hitched a lift in a wagon just outside Innsbruck, Austria and was dropped off in northern Spain. This is what he has to say to his half-brother Malcolm in Carlisle:

He writes:
Hi Malcolm,
This is my mate Ferdinand. We chased a lot of people through Pamplona and everyone was cheering - not like when you and me were in the Lake District!
Having a great time.
RP

Postcard created with acrylic paints and a lot of effort trying to draw a bull! Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to comment - I appreciate them all.

This is the page I have made for the postcard in Roland Poland's Travel Book.

CD Sunday Challenge - Sea Life

2012-01-11T11:18:00.000Z

I have used Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats CD for the mosaic fishy backing paper and stamped the shells onto pale dusky pink pearl paper with maroon ink. The nautilus shell is from Clarity and the scallop shell from Elusive Images. The sentiment is from Crafty Individuals. Apologies for the poor quality picture, but daylight is at a premium up here and almost entirely missing today!

Thank you for visiting and do leave a comment as I find them very encouraging.

On Our Travels with Darcy's Post Card Challenge - Austria

2012-01-07T21:32:00.000Z

This is week 1 and Austria with On our Travels with Darcy's Post Card Challenge over at Art-and-Sole blog.

The scene is from I Brake For Stamps and is coloured with Marvy Markers. The postcard is written by Roland Poland, a Jack Russell terrier and sometime resident of the Manchester Dog's Home to his half-brother Malcolm . Roland has been re-homed with a family who have recently moved to live in Vienna., he is very unhappy and intends to return to England to be with Malcolm. His adventures start here.

Thanks for visiting, and do feel free to leave a comment - they are much appreciated.

This is the page I have made for the postcard in Roland Poland's Travel Book

CD Sunday Challenge - Olympics

2012-01-05T18:54:00.000Z

I found this a very difficult challenge until I found this silhouette of a greek man holding the eternal flame. This is courtesy of Gwyneth Windsor's Silhouette Sensations CD. The background has been stamped with russet and coffee coloured Archival Inks and the stamp is from The Stamp Man. The olympic rings were from Wikipedia.

I have thoroughly enjoyed making this card as it is the only thing I have made since before Christmas due to my dear husband John wrecking his back and taking to his bed on Boxing Day. Thank you ladies!
Thank you too for calling by and do feel free to leave a comment, as I find them very encouraging.

Merry Christmas One and All

2011-12-23T19:47:00.001Z

I should like to wish all my Blog world friends a very happy and peaceful Christmas and to thank you very much for your friendship.

My card is stamped with Pine Cones and Poinsettias from Stampin' Up, each part of the small stamp has been coloured with a marker - very time consuming but very enjoyable to do. The script embossing folder is from Cuttlebug.

CD Sunday Challenge - 50's Fun

2011-12-23T12:09:00.001Z

The main image for my card is a vintage digi from TLC which has been coloured with promarkers. I have also glittered the bandeau on her dress and the blue mat layer underneath. The radio is free clipart. The small roses are made from a 1/2" six petalled flower punch and have 3 layers. The backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's Fashion Boutique CD. It was my husband John's suggestion to include the radio - I bow to his superior knowledge of all things 50's - I was only a toddler then!

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - they are much appreciated.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #183 - Angels

2011-12-15T19:42:00.000Z

The inspiration for my card came from this free downloadable poem I came across on my blog travels today. The backing paper is by Bearly Mine and the angel stamp, embossed in white, is from Clarity. The acetate and vellum snowflakes are a left over concoction from a couple of years ago! The edges of the poem and backing paper have been distressed to give a more casual look.

Thanks for visiting my blog and do feel free to leave a comment - I find them all very encouraging. Thanks to all of you who left comments about Judy - I felt a bit daft reporting her passing as she was only a budgie - but she was one of our family and we loved her.

R.I.P. Judy

2011-12-12T17:07:00.001Z

It is with deep regret I have to announce the demise of Judy, who fell off her perch last night. No more going 'around the world' or putting 'bell on head' or ringing her bell 'when she was safe' at nightly covering up. Judy flew into our life on 2nd January 2007 when she landed on the roof of the house at dusk, having escaped as a fledgling from an aviary. She took up residence in the kitchen and the little blue princess ruled us with a rod of iron. Immortalised in a fat book page and birthday cards she will live on - much missed.

CD Sunday Challenge - Things with Whiskers Part II

2011-12-12T16:54:00.003Z

The "Thing with Whiskers" this week is the very smart Aberdeen terrier who graces this glamorous scene. I have used Card Creations Art Deco CD and decoupaged it within an inch of its life! Never have I done so many layers! The backing paper is also from this CD.
N.B. The background bridge scene on its own makes a wonderful Christmas card when glittered.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #182 - Trees and Baubles

2011-12-11T16:51:00.001Z

I have used stamps from Creative Expressions to create my scene. The fir branches and trees have been embossed in green embossing powder and the baubles in red tinsel embossing powder. The baubles have been coloured with Sakura Moonglow pens and then embossed with Stardust embossing powder. The snowy bank has been liberally glittered. Backing paper is from Crafts-Too and the sentiment is metallic ribbon.

Thank you for dropping by and visiting. Please feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate every one.

DragonsDream TIO #107 - Time Changer

2011-12-09T12:46:00.001Z

My inspiration for this tag was the thought that perhaps there are parallel universes, different things happening to the same person at the same time. The main image of a man inside a clock is from Crafty Individuals, the eye is Stampscapes and the square from PaperArtsy. The words eternity and secret from Elusive Images. I have also used backgrounds from Stampin Up and PaperArtsy.

Thank you for visiting my blog and do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate every one.

CD Sunday Challenge - Things with Whiskers

2011-12-05T16:33:00.001Z

My lovely singing bear is from Dover CD "Whimsical Animals Illustrations" and has been coloured with Copics. The backing papers are from my Graphicus paper pack and the music from an old copy of a musical no one has heard of! The sentiment is by Creative Expressions.

Thank you for stopping and visiting, please leave a comment as I appreciate them all.

Snow!

2011-12-05T12:19:00.001Z

The first snow of the year arrived yesterday and more is expected today. This is the first snow our pups Heidi (leaping) and Lottie have seen in their lives. They are 5 months old and growing fast. They are playing on the grass in front of our barn and do not seem to notice how cold it is at all.

Year Planner

2011-11-30T11:28:00.001Z

This is the year planner I made for granddaughter Amy who started her A level course this year. I thought she might find it useful as she is not great at organising her time to best effect!

I downloaded the page templates from Creativity Prompt and got cracking. I decided to make the pages smaller than those on the templates so adjusted the sizing at the printing stage. My finished page size is 13cm x 9cm so that the planner is small enough (and still easily read) to fit into a small bag and not be too bulky. The covers are made of chipboard and have been painted with Eco Green Pure Silver acrylic and then over painted with PVA glue and black acrylic paint to give the distressed effect. The die cuts on the front are by Tim Holtz and the chrome corner protectors from Artistic Stamper.

Instead of using the month tabs supplied in the kit I used Tim Holtz File Tab On the Edge Die. I bound the book with a Zutter Bind It All using a 3/4" wire. The pages were printed, double sided, on only 90gsm paper and this worked very well and reduced the bulkiness considerably. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment - I appreciate your encouragement.

Cheshire Cat

2011-11-29T19:02:00.001Z

This is my first major venture into MCS and the latest edition An Important Date. This card is for our 17 year old grand daughter Amy. She will love the barmy looking cat and as she is into various shades of black at the moment, I do not think she will find my choice of colours too uncool. As you can see, I have made an easel card (a very rare event for me) and used black crochet lace for the card rest. The cat is decoupaged and has been very liberally glittered on the dark stripes with Stampin Up Dazzling Diamonds. To achieve this masterpiece of digital engineering I had to change the colour and size of the frame, add text, layer the backing paper and re-size the cat - which for me is a major step forward in the digi-sphere! My thanks to Jen for all her coaching and encouragement.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

DragonsDream TIO #106 - The Da Vinci Code

2011-11-29T12:12:00.001Z

When we went to Manchester in August, to visit our youngest daughter, Eleanor, we were lucky enough to see an exhibition of H.M.the Queen's Da Vinci drawings and sketches at Manchester Art Gallery. Apart from being blown away by the energy and power of his work, I was fascinated by his use of drawing medium - red chalk. I just assumed his drawings would be in grey, black or brown but many of them - including a large sketch of seed heads like the Queen Anne's Lace, were drawn in a very bold red. Over the centuries the colours have mellowed to russet and honey but this only adds to their charm.
I have used stamps by Penny Black, A Stamp in the Hand, Judikins and Stampin' Up for my tag. The inks used are Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Distress Inks Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick, Wild Honey and Dried Marigold.
Thanks for visiting my blog and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - On Safari

2011-11-27T15:02:00.001Z

Being a big fan of all things from Meerkovo and eagerly awaiting a parcel to be delivered by PostCat, I have chosen the Meerkat for my safari animal.

I have used the image from Sharon Duncan's Animal Magic CD, decoupaged the scene and given it a couple of sprays with the wonderful Spray and Shine from Crafters Companion. The bug backing paper is from the design set, the sentiment is computer generated.

Thank you for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment - all are appreciated greatly.

CD Sunday Challenge - Trees

2011-11-20T16:21:00.001Z

Thank you all at CD Sunday for concentrating my mind to making a few Christmas cards - at long last! My image is from Joanna Sheen's Times Gone By CD2. As the image takes up a large portion of an A5 card, I decided to do without backing paper and instead stamped and embossed trees instead. The tree is from Elusive Images and has been stamped in Nearly Navy ink and embossed with Stardust embossing powder, which gives the trees a lovely sparkle.

Thank you for visiting - do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate every one.

Dawn

2011-11-20T11:08:00.001Z

This is the breathtaking view I had yesterday morning when I was standing about on the terrace, dressed in nightie, dressing gown and wellies (for ankle protection) waiting for the hounds of hell to complete their toilette. The vista lasted for about 10 minutes as the sun rose over the forest, opposite our house. I just had to run in and get my camera. To add icing to the cake, a quartet of swans flew directly overhead, making their way to the sea. It was so quiet that I could hear their wings swooshing through the air on the downbeat and their honking conversation that they kept up with one another the whole time. I know the photo of the swans is rubbish but I was thrilled that I managed to capture them at all as they flew at a terrific pace. A truly magical morning.

DragonsDream TIO #105 - Chinatown

2011-11-18T12:41:00.001Z

My lovely tiger jumping out of the bushes is by Stampscapes and he has been embossed in copper and coloured with Distress Inks. The background bamboo stamp is by Stampin USA and the foliage is from Papermania. The oriental vellum is also from Papermania. The little bronze pendant is from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate every one.

CD Sunday Challenge - Paisley Fun

2011-11-15T10:21:00.001Z

This card uses my one and only Tim Holtz stamp, a paisley background, that I have stamped using a Soothing Sunset Big and Juicy inkpad. The image is from Gwyneth Windsor's Silhouette Sensations CD1 and to give it that eastern feel I have used the ornate Nellie's Multi-Frame die. The die cut and image was then clear embossed to give it some texture. The sentiment is from Kaiser stamps.

Thank you for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment. Apologies again for the colours in the photo but as it is so dark here, I have had to use artificial lights.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #178 - Pink Poinsettias

2011-11-10T19:29:00.000Z

Cynthia has asked us to use pink and green this week as well as poinsettia. My main image is a stamp from Creative Expressions and has been coloured with Copic markers. I have used an octagonal Nestability die to mat and layer the image onto the backing paper from Dovecraft Christmas Fancy paper pack. I have added crystal glitter to the poinsettia leaves. The sentiment is from Craft Stamper and has had the glitter treatment also.

I hope you like my card, it makes a nice change from the red poinsettia. I apologise for the poor colour quality of the picture but it has been a very dark day here in the Highlands and I have had to use artificial light.

DragonsDream TIO#104 -Letters to Juliet

2011-11-10T15:01:00.000Z

How lovely to make a romantic tag for a change! My background has been misted with pink, lilac and silver pearlescent inks. The main image is by Non Sequitor and stamped in Eggplant, as have the hearts and sentiment by Elusive Images. The script stamp, Stampin' Up has been embossed in white onto a patterned vellum paper. The ribbon is from Lidl.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are much appreciated.

CD Sunday Challenge - Sunsets

2011-11-07T14:29:00.000Z

I have used a lovely sunset backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Faye Whittaker CD to stamp my seascape stamp on in Elegant Eggplant ink (Stampin' Up}. The lighthouse scene is a rubber stamp by StampinBack.
I have mounted the stamped image onto cream card and then onto copper mirri card. The backing paper is from Dovecrafts and matches perfectly (for once!). The sentiment stamp is is from Stampin Up and stamped in Eggplant and Burgundy ink.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are much appreciated.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - 177 - A Time to Remember with Poppies

2011-11-03T16:06:00.001Z

My stamp is by Crafty Individuals and I have embossed it in white detail embossing powder onto kraft card. The poppies and foliage have been coloured with pencils. The mount is a Cuttlebug embossing folder Grace's frame that has been embossed onto the same kraft card and then sanded. The base card has been edged with Distress Ink Worn Lipstick and shadow stamped with poppies by Clarity.

Reduced to artificial lights to take the photo, as it is a dark day here in the Highlands, so apologies for the lighting on the photo. Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all of which are much appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #103 - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

2011-11-02T18:19:00.000Z

Wonderful challenge this week chosen by Wanda. Had a long hard think and decided to go more with the Victorian toyshop rather than steampunk. My stamps are by A Stamp in the Hand, Creative Expressions, Crafters Companion and Personal Impressions. The colours used are Frayed Burlap, Aged Mahogany, Scattered Straw and Wild Honey. The letters are die cuts from Tim Holtz Vintage Market.

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - Puss Cat

2011-11-01T12:20:00.000Z

At last a spot of crafting! Couldn't resist this image from Peerless Designs Cat's Whiskers CD. The sentiment "What's for Dinner" is from Elegant Word Art. The backing paper is from Debees CD's Spring Butterflies and Lace. Tried very hard this week to use a border punch and ribbon!.

I have had the most awful bug that has plagued me on and off for weeks. It has effected my eyes and sinuses and I still have difficulty in seeing clearly. I am at last beginning to feel better.

Thanks for visiting and do feel free to comment - I love hearing from you.

Two Little Girls!

2011-10-26T13:51:00.002+01:00

Here are our two new little girls! Heidi (at the front) and Lottie, our German Shepherd pups. The wellies belong to John who is very proud of his girls. We only picked them up late on Saturday night from a croft in Sutherland and have been very busy with settling them in to their new home. Although experienced dog owners, we have not had dogs here for about 4/5 years after our beloved Boxers passed on. We had forgotten just how time consuming and pleasurable it is to have dogs back in our lives.
Finn (Fell pony) is very interested in them and looks forward to when they can run along side his fence and chase him. He played with the Boxers like this for quite a few years until they got too old to run fast!
The pup's training is starting today (they are 13 weeks old), ideally we would have liked them younger, but that was not possible.

Jeffrey and Whitney (the sheep) are not thrilled that we have dogs again but will have to put up with it! John apologises for his scruffy jacket but the dogs are happy to have a bite at his sleeves when they can! Heidi is on the left and Lottie on the right of this picture.
Thanks for stopping by and apologies for not commenting much lately on your blogs but as you can see, we have our hands full at the moment!

DragonsDream TIO #101 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-10-21T07:52:00.000+01:00

This tag is a tribute to all the different breeds of dog we have owned over the years. All boxers are good! Our Jack Russell terriers were very naughty in many ways but such good fun. The German Shepherds belonged to John and were very beautiful but could get extremely ugly when asked to do so!
I have used stamps from Joanna Sheen, Stamps Away and the background was done using a roller stamp from Stampin' Up.
My apologies for not visiting your blogs recently and leaving comments but I have had a very persistent cold that has refused to go away and has laid me very low and now and again regroups to have another attack. Hopefully it is finally on the way out.

CD Sunday Challenge - Wine Buff

2011-10-11T18:58:00.000+01:00

My stamp is by Stamps Happen and this has been stamped directly onto the backing paper and coloured with promarkers. The backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's Secret Garden CD and is a nice linen texture. The wine glass topper ( a freebie from someone called Rose) has been decoupaged and mounted on foam pads. The vine leaf is from a Cuttlebug die and has been run through a spotty embossing folder.

I hope you like my card. I had great difficulty finding anything in my stash that was appropriate and has taken me two days to find this!

Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Art-cards Challenge Blog - Torso ATC

2011-10-10T16:27:00.001+01:00

This little torso atc was so much fun to make! Wanting to be cheered up on such a depressing day, I have extended the summer for a little while longer. My stamps are from Crafty Individuals and Lakeland. The flowers have been coloured with promarkers and the butterflies have had a dusting of crystal glitter.

Thanks for stopping by and do leave a comment, they are very much appreciated.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - Misty Moonlight

2011-10-08T18:19:00.000+01:00

I have enjoyed playing at misty backgrounds this weekend! Often the most obvious way is the right one. My park scene is by StampinBack and has been stamped in Cobalt Archival onto glossy card. The colouring has been achieved using Weathered Wood and Scattered Straw Distress Inks. The moonlight is moving from left to right. The mist is created with Brilliance White generously dabbed over the top with a cotton wool ball. It does it for me!!
Thank you for calling and I do hope you will leave a comment, I appreciate them greatly.
I apologise for not visiting your blogs for a while but I have had the flu.

DragonsDream TIO #99 - The Whole of the Moon

2011-10-07T22:10:00.000+01:00

Used lots of Sir Tim's blue Distress Inks on this scene. The inks were applied mainly with Cut and Dry Foam but also knuckles, elbows and fingers were brought into play at various times. I have not made anything for a while so I am very out of practice! The stamps are all by Stampscape.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them very much.

CD Sunday Challenge - Winter Wonderland

2011-09-25T15:53:00.002+01:00

I just love the wolf against a snowy landscape from Debbie Moore's Crystal Dreams CD. It has been decoupaged and mounted onto dull silver mirri which has been embossed with a Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folder. The stylised christmas trees are from Elusive Images and have been stamped in Faded Denim Distress ink, cut out and glittered. The sentiment is from Creative Expressions.

Thank you for visiting and I apologise for the shadow across the photo - the one and only ray of sunshine today appeared just as the photo was being taken! Please feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge - White Space

2011-09-23T10:48:00.001+01:00

My 6x6 card is mainly white but with a diagonal dark brown panel to showcase the lovely Crafty Individuals bird heads that were stamped in Cocoa Memento ink. The leaf in the top left is from a Martha Stewart punch.

Thanks for visiting and leave a comment as they are much appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #97 - Mother - Embroidery

2011-09-23T10:30:00.000+01:00

My Mum was always well dressed and beautifully turned out. Nails painted, hair done and never seen without full make-up. A very hard act to follow!

The collage stamp is by Personal Impressions and has been coloured with pencils, flocked, glittered and the main rose decoupaged. The stitching is the most I have done by hand for a very long time! Thank you for stopping and looking - do feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate you all.

DragonsDream TIO#96 - Dedicated Follower of Fashion

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

Tried something new to me this week and gone for the collage effect. The lovely Gents Advertising Label from The Graphics Fairy (see sidebar) forms the basis of the tag, the two mini fashion pictures are from Joanna Sheen Fashion Boutique CD, the punk rocker is a clip art image transfer and the man with the natty whiskers is from Crafty Individuals. The diamond stamp around the edge is from Clarity. The top border of the tag has been coloured with copics, decoupaged and embossed for more dimension. The safety pin, scissors and buttons are from my stash. Distress Inks used - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Scattered Straw.
Hope you like it, and thank you for visiting. Do feel free to leave a comment, I love to hear from you..

CD Sunday Challenge - M is for .....

2011-09-11T20:48:00.000+01:00

Mouse! My fun and easy card was from the lovely PolkaDoodles CD - Back to Nature. The mouse has been cut out and embossed with Crystal embossing powder for some added bling.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #95 - Red Red Wine

2011-09-08T17:14:00.000+01:00

Use mostly red was a condition of this challenge. This is my second attempt at a tag for this weeks TIO challenge. Red tags looked flat, couldn't see the detail and just looked messy. I also had a problem in that I had no stamps that seemed to be appropriate, until I came across this charming lady from Inkadinkadoo, who seems to be saying "Cheers". She is coloured with pencils and mounted onto some red card and cut out. The small wine label is a magazine freebie and a wine glass base provided the circular stains on the tag. The sentiment reads "For when the wine is in, the wit is out". Generally true in my experience!

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to comment - I appreciate them all.

Roses and Peacocks

2011-09-04T17:56:00.001+01:00

Seem to have made quite a few roses this week! These are punched from metallic purple paper from a paperpack from Poundland. The weight and texture is perfect for moulding the petals and I am very pleased with how they turned out. My backing paper is from Peacock Summer Party CD by Artylicious. As the gorgeous peacock feather swirl is so big, my card approximately measures 8 x 8 as I wanted to make it one of the main features. The sentiment from Elusive Images is embossed in Rich Razzleberry Moonglow EP and mounted onto a nestie oval. This is going to be a 'posh' birthday card for somebody special and I suppose I shall have to make a box for it next!
I should like to enter this card for two challenges

CD Sunday - Inspired by Peacocks
CYDA Challenge #28 - Make Your Own Flowers

Thank you for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment.

RainbowLady's Challenge #168 - Let's Emboss It

2011-09-02T18:11:00.000+01:00

The starting point for this card was the StampCamp old map stamp I bought at Port Sunlight earlier this year. This is its first outing. The image was stamped in sepia and very lightly coloured and then embossed four times and given the freezer treatment for the Cracked Glass effect. The vintage motor is from an Elusive Images Edwardian themeplate and has been coloured with copics, cut out and embossed. The textured 'road' behind is courtesy of TH Texturefades folder Bricked Effect. The base card has been stamped with the map image in sepia. The luggage label stamped with a Kars sentiment and tied with garden twine.
Thank you for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - they are much appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #94 - Bed of Roses

2011-09-01T17:04:00.000+01:00

This is the first proper craft item I have made since returning from holiday and I enjoyed making it! The challenge is to work roses and metallic into the theme and so I made the roses from aluminium tape coloured with alcohol inks in shades of orange, brown and yellow. The acetate rose arch is from Joanna Sheen's Cottage Garden CD and the rose stamp from Elusive Images is embossed in black underneath. The timely warning is one I heard in a film recently and thought it ideal for this project. I must say, I think it is very true!

Glad to be back at TIO as an entrant and must say the Design Team tags this week are wonderful and so diverse.

DragonsDream TIO #92 - Child's Play

2011-08-17T06:00:00.001+01:00

It is my turn to choose the theme at DragonsDream Tag It On this week and I went for Children or Child's Play. Bit of a departure for me because as much as I love children, I couldn't eat a whole one!
My tag uses the fabulous Crafty Individuals mini plate "Catch a Falling Star". It was a totally impulse buy for me as I am not a cute crafter at all. The characters have had their clothes paper pieced and the rest coloured in with copics. The balloons are made with a paper punch and the background is from a Kars bubble wrap stamp in Orchid Pink and Pumice Stone onto a lilac tag
Can't wait to see your interpretations of this week's theme and I do hope you will join us on our continuing adventure into Tagland. Thanks for dropping by and all your comments are hugely appreciated.

DragonsDream TIO #91 - It's a Horse's Life

2011-08-10T06:00:00.002+01:00

The wonderful Zoe has called the shots at DragonsDream TIO this week and plumped for It's a Horse's Life. I took the inspiration for my tag from that wonderful scene in Lord of the Rings when the elf princess (Liv Tyler) calls up the white horses in the river to gallop down and prevent the baddies from pursuing them.
I started with a blue tag and direct to paper added patches of colour and white embossed Filligree Flourish(Stampin Up) on top. I then ironed off the white embossed surface to give a more muted pattern. The leaping horse is from the Pre-Raphaelite themeplate from Non Sequitor. This has been stamped in Memento Paris Dusk onto a piece of card that has been brayered in shades of blue and cut out and attached. The horse medallions (Elusive Images) have been embossed in blue and punched out and attached.
I do hope you will be inspired to join us at TIO. We love to see your creations, any media is fine, just remember to use at least one real stamp.

CD Sunday Challenge - Buttons

2011-08-07T15:18:00.000+01:00

Grandma's Button Box CD provided the backing paper and sentiment for this card. I have tried to not make it so' cutesy 'and I am not sure that this approach has worked. The mat layers are embossed using the Tiny Bubbles embossing folder and sponged over with DI Tumbled Glass. The edges of the pink base card have been stamped with Versafine Majestic Blue with a stamp border from Creative Expressions. The corner buttons are from my stash.

Thanks for visiting and I thank you in advance for your comments.

Bah! Humbug! #32 - White on White

2011-08-07T14:32:00.002+01:00

I went completely over the top with this one! The base card has been embossed and the raised areas very lightly enhanced with DI Pumice Stone, the white mat has been cut with a TH On the Edge die Snow Flurries and the rest of the mat embossed with a snowflake embossing folder.
The snowflakes are from a Marianne die which have been given the Pumice Stone treatment and Stickled. The Snow Flurries edge has been blinged with Glitter Glass and Stickles and Glitter Glass added to the edges of the mat. The sentiment is a printed ribbon. Whoever receives this at Christmas will inevitably enjoy showers of Glitter Glass all over their carpet!
Thank you Zoe, this card also qualifies for Just For Fun Challenge ~27 - White on White
Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment.

DragonsDream TIO #90 - Nature's Bounty

2011-08-03T06:00:00.003+01:00

Nature's Bounty is Wanda's choice over at DragonsDream TIO this week. Just looking in my garden I can see apples, pears, cherries and plums on the fruit trees. How many will still be there in September is another matter! Our resident roe deer are very partial to soft fruit and as the fruit trees are of dwarfing varieties they can reach the fruit quite easily! We planted the smaller trees for our convenience but mother nature often has other ideas.
My stamps are from Artemio (pear and border) and the pomegranate and cherries are from A Stamp In the Hand. The butterflies are from Stewart Gill. Some have been clear embossed and another has been glittered.
Thanks so much for visiting and I do hope you will join us at TIO and show us your take on Nature's Bounty. Do please remember to use at least one real stamp.

CD Sunday Challenge - Bling It Up

2011-08-02T20:46:00.000+01:00

I have chosen a beautiful stylised carnation spray by Elusive Images from their Damask Squares theme plate, as my main image. I have embossed it in Golden Ocean ep which is a gold sparkly denim blue. The butterfly and dragonfly are embossed in gold and coloured with copics and liberally sprinkled with crystal glitter. After dusting with DI Dried Marigold and Stormy Sky it has been mounted onto gold mirri card. The lovely backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats and parts of the design have been glazed to give them a shine and make them 3D.
I hope this is blingy enough for you ladies, I am not fond of too much glitter and glitz. Thanks for visiting my blog and feel free to leave a comment. Sorry picture is quite dark, it has been a miserable day here.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #163 - Hand Made Flowers

2011-07-31T20:20:00.000+01:00

Here is my second card for this challenge - this time using Caroline's flower that she kindly provided for us! That will teach me to make sure I read all the challenge details before getting stuck in!
I have used a backing paper from Jak Heath and superimposed the trellis digi (also from Caroline) on top. Caroline's flower has been printed onto parchment, cut out and assembled, the centres being glittered with Stickles. The foliage stems are a Marianne die cut and I thought they rather looked like sunflowers. The sentiment is a digi from TLC.
Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - all are appreciated - even ones that tell me I have used the wrong flowers!

Nature Watch

2011-07-29T21:48:00.000+01:00

John and I run the gauntlet everytime we go in or out the backdoor as this is what is directly above our heads! The swallow family have, for the first time whilst we have lived at Redmoss, successfully managed to rear a family in this location on the house. Usually it ends in tragedy due to the rain coming from the east, but this year everything seems ok and the youngsters are only a day or two away from making their first flights. Swallows breed every year here in the eaves but the backdoor position is usually avoided. Poop gets thrown over the side by mum tidying up and we get hit by it!!

Here are grey seals enjoying the sunshine on the rocks at low tide at Portgordon Beach on the Moray Firth. Seals bask in the sun at many places near to where we live and it is easy to find a vantage point to watch and enjoy them. They are very inquisitive and swim quite close when we walk along the beach, having a good look at us, no doubt!

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #163 - Hand Made Flowers

2011-07-29T21:04:00.000+01:00

I love having an excuse to make flowers! Usually they are rather large and grungy but today I thought I would try and make some dainty ones for a change. I have made them all using paper punches and out of 160gsm white paper, with the exception of the centres for the daisies which are 80gsm.
The paper punches used are Boho Blossoms from Stampin Up for the daisies and little blue flowers and a small sun-ray punch from Floral Punches for the centres of the daisies. An ordinary single hole punch made the centres for the blue flowers. I moulded them into shape using a deet tool and moulding mat after brushing the edges with either pink or blue ink. The daisies are 3 layers and the blue flowers 1 layer only. The more you make, the quicker you get at making them!

The sentiment is from Clarity Stamps and the foliage punches are by Stampin Up (branch from bird and branch punch) and Tesco. The white base card was inked around edges with DI Spun Sugar and embossed using a flourish background stamp (Stampin Up) and a sparkly pale pink embossing powder.

Thank you for visiting my blog and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate every one.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #46 - Summertime and the Living is Easy

2011-07-29T07:00:00.001+01:00

Over at Crafty Ann's we are having a summertime themed challenge and hope you will all join in and give us your thoughts on easy summer living!

I've gone for a comfy chair, a straw hat and the perfume of the flowers in my shady part of the garden. The backing paper is from Ann's Mottled Stone collection and the stamp is called Morning Glory. It is a lovely digi stamp and comes in three designs - plain, with script background and with trellis background. I have used the trellis version for this card and printed it over the backing paper. The chair stamp is by Serendipity and the pot of purple daisies are by Stampin USA. All the images have been coloured with Copics. I have mounted the main image onto a thin border of mauve card and then onto a cream mat that has been punched with the Martha Stewart Trellis Punch. My base card is lemon to match the backing paper. The sentiment is by Elusive Images to which I have added three toning pearls.

Thanks for visiting and I do hope you will join us in the Summertime Easy Living challenge over at Crafty Ann's.

DragonsDream TIO # 89 - Pressing Matters - Embossing

2011-07-27T06:00:00.002+01:00

Helen has chosen Embossing for our TIO challenge this week. I fancied trying something I haven't done very often, dry embossing on vellum. My image is one I have had for ages and never used, a bouquet from Elusive Images. I stamped it in black versafine and coloured the petals and leaves with pencils on the reverse. I then embossed some of the detail on the reverse with a medium sized embossing tool until I was happy with it. The grungy flower is simply made with 6 layers of paper scrunched up and dampened and held together with a brad. Form the flower whilst it is damp by pinching the layers with your fingers. It has got to be simple if I do it!
I do hope you will join us at DragonsDream TIO this week and show us your take on the theme Embossing. Don't forget to use at least one real stamp in your creation.

CD Sunday - Dreams

2011-07-25T21:33:00.000+01:00

Just got the boy for this card - my grandson James! We can all live in hope, dream on son.
The boy and bicycle is a free digi from Beccys, the motorcycle is from Clarity Stamps and the sentiment is a freebie from the very talented Bethany .
My backing paper is from Joanna Sheens Victorian Companion CD3, the digi is coloured with Copics and the motorcycle has been embossed on patterned paper in black detail ep. The sentiment is computer generated.
Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment, I enjoy reading them all.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #162 - Pets

2011-07-22T20:02:00.000+01:00

This is my first attempt at making a scrapbook page and is a tribute to my lovely boxer dogs. They are all gone now and I still miss them every day. " Let's have some fun" was their byword and we certainly had plenty. The backing papers by Dovecraft reflect their colours and marbled stripes and I can almost feel their lovely soft black velvety muzzles. Keeping dogs and going on holiday do not mix. We have gotten used to our holidays now so no more dogs for a while.
The stamps are by Joanna Sheen and stamped in Versafine. The mountboard square has been triple embossed.
Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate them all.

DragonsDream TIO #88 - Look to the Skies

2011-07-20T06:00:00.001+01:00

The lovely Elizabeth is leading this week's challenge over at DragonsDream TIO and is Looking to the Skies.

As I bought some lovely Stampscape sun and moon stamps at Ally Pally in April, I decided to give a few of them an outing on this tag. The background is alcohol inks on glossy card to give the look of deep space and the sun and moon images are stamped onto an acetate overlay. The phases of the moon have been given the silver foil treatment on the reverse.

I do hope you will come and join us this week, we would love to see you. Please don't forget to include at least one real stamp in your creation.

Message in a Bottle

2011-07-18T20:20:00.000+01:00

We have had new floors laid at Redmoss over the last fortnight which has meant John and I have had to make ourselves scarce. We spent most sunny afternoons watching the seals on the rocks at low tide at Portgordon beach. On Thursday, John found a plastic bottle on the shingle and inside was a pencil written note. The letter was from 8 year old Igor from Central Primary School, Peterhead - about 60 miles east, along the Moray Firth. He had put it in the water on 26th June this year. John is writing back to him at the school to let him know he found his bottle and how far it had travelled.

CD Sunday challenge this week is to have a nautical theme so I could hardly resist using this Joanna Sheen Messy Rabbit stamp of the unfortunate bunny having to row for his life out in the ocean and including Igor's message in a bottle. The backing paper is from Pattern Resource CD Nature and the sentiment is from TLC .

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to leave a comment. I enjoy keeping in touch.

Christmas Card - Two Challenges

2011-07-16T15:49:00.000+01:00

Bah! Humbug! challenge this week asks for a different shaped card from a square or rectangle, and Rainbow Lady's challenge is A Stitch in Time.
My card is octagonal (made with the Eazi Box Board) and the festive flowers involved using a darning needle to sew the gold lurex thread through the scallop circle punched centres. I do hope this is enough sewing to qualify, as this is as good as it gets on the needlework front from me!
The sentiment is from DoCrafts, the ribbon from my stash and the highlighting was sponged in white Brilliance ink. The sentiment was embossed with red Sparkle ep and is lovely bright and shiny in reality. I am very pleased with the way this card has turned out as it was a total experiment.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog. Do leave a comment as I love to keep in touch.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #45 - Dry Embossing/Debossing or Both

2011-07-15T06:44:00.001+01:00

Embossing is the challenge at Crafty Ann's for the coming fortnight. I love all the many techniques you can use for embossing and have incorporated a few different ways on this card.
My base card has been dry embossed using a hexagon shape from the Eazi-Box Board. The corners have been dry embossed with a pattern from the Red Glitter Girls board. Again using the Eazi-Box Board, I have embossed and cut out the backing mat from Ann's Mottled Stone Collection and cut a smaller version out from the co-ordinating Polished Stone Collection and run it through the Tiny Mosaics Cuttlebug folder. I have then lightly wiped an embossing pad over the raised design and embossed with gold ep. A small gold foil circle was embossed with the Cuttlebug Birds and Swirls Embossing folder.
The flower is a pre-coloured 3D long petalled flower, again from Crafty Ann that has been cut out, shaped and glued together using Stewart Gill Byzantia crystals to form the centre of the flower.
I do hope you will join us in the challenge at Crafty Ann's and look forward to seeing your wonderful creations.

DragonsDream TIO #87 - Project Tim Holtz

2011-07-13T06:00:00.001+01:00

I am delighted that we have an easy challenge this week over at TIO after the crippler that I set last week! Dragonlady is asking for Tim Holtz inspired tags, using Ranger products and/or made in the style of Sir Tim of Holtz. My tag is almost all Sir Tim influenced, however the style embraces the artist Beryl Cook (my DH says it is heavily influenced by the comedienne Beryl Reid - but I won't bother to explain to the younger readers out there!).
As always I have to make a picture and I just love anything to do with architecture or houses. I was tempted to draw little people and chandeliers in the windows but restrained myself. The shapes are die cut with TH Artful Dwellings and Mini Openings and coloured with various Distress Inks and Distress Stickles. The landscape is coloured with Distress Inks and I have used micro beads for the foliage at the base of the middle house. They are fun to use and I love the effect and dimension they create but weird to watch rolling about as though they were magnetic. The sentiment is from Clarity. I hope you like my tag which, as always, is brightly coloured and not really very TH at all - more PlaySkool - but it is my interpretation of the theme.

I do hope you will join us this week and show us YOUR interpretation of Project Tim Holtz over at DragonsDream TIO and I look forward to visiting to see your creations.

CD Sunday Challenge - Handbags

2011-07-12T10:13:00.000+01:00

I had "one of those days" yesterday and decided to do a cheeky card. Not having much in the way of handbags etc. I had to use the Seaside Battleaxe stamp from Funstamps and a few small stamps that were a free gift from Elusive Images. The backing papers are from Kirsty Wiseman's CD Patty Pictilicious. I stamped the base card with Stampin Up's wonderful Confetti stamp set (series of tiny backgrounders) in their Certainly Celery ink. The sentiment is computer generated.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all.

Bah! Humbug! #27 - Meeces

2011-07-11T17:06:00.000+01:00

Mice sitting at the edge of their mousehole, silhouetted by the light of a frosty moon, watching Santa and his sleigh heading out to deliver gifts to all the boys and girls.

I wonder how the story ends?

The mouse family is by Clarity Stamps, Santa and sleigh by Crafty Individuals, the rest of the scene is created by sponging shades of yellow, apricot and navy inks around a mask for the moon. A bit of glitter was added with a Sakura Stardust pen. The Ho Ho Ho sentiment is by Docrafts.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment - I love your opinion.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #160 - In The Country

2011-07-07T21:23:00.000+01:00

My card reflects all that I love most in the countryside, the animals and the lovely old buildings. The farmstead stamp is by DarkRoom Door and was a lucky purchase at Ally Pally earlier this year as was the set of vintage farmyard animals by Artemio. You will note that the horse features twice! I wonder why??? The images were stamped in black Archival ink and the background was brushed with Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks. The small star stamps are by Lavinia and the sentiment is by Joanna Sheen.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment as I love to read them all.

DragonsDream TIO # 86 - The Age of Chivalry

2011-07-06T06:00:00.001+01:00

I have always been fascinated by knights in armour and the Arthurian legends so plead guilty to choosing The Age of Chivalry for this week's TIO dream! I have coloured the tag in shades of Grey, Barn Door and Dried Marigold. The background latin text is from Non Sequitor, this has been overstamped with chivalry stamps from Elusive Images. The main image of a knight and his lady is by Elusive Images and has been embossed in Grey Slate ep, the shield, from the same set, has been stamped twice in grey and barn door and dusted with dried marigold.

Please come and join us over at DragonsDream TIO this week and show us your heraldic dreams.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #44 - Get Well/Thinking of You/Just Because

2011-07-01T07:00:00.001+01:00

Crafty Ann's Challenge this fortnight is to make a Get Well or a Thinking of You or a Just Because card. I chose to make a Get Well card as I have lots of family due into hospital for operations over the next few weeks. I have always been a big fan of the FlowerPot Men so I focused my card on Little Weed!

I have used Ann's precoloured Gerbera sheet and brown embossed dots paper. The flowerpot was stamped onto card, coloured with crayons and then given a good coating of Crackle Accents and left to dry overnight. The smiley face sticker was from Tesco's.

I do hope my card brings a smile and I hope you will join us over at Crafty Ann's and take part in the fun!

DragonsDream TIO #85 - Oh I Do Like to be Beside the Sea

2011-06-29T06:00:00.001+01:00

Over at DragonsDream TIO this week Zoe has taken us all Beside the Sea! As you can see, I have gone to Blackpool complete with the sunburn and Kiss Me Kwik hat. The rather portly lady is courtesy of Funstamps, the sun, bucket, spade and sandcastle from Rubadubbadoo and the tower was a freebie in a magazine. The rest of the scenery was drawn by yours truly. I have gone for the 'saucy postcard' look and coloured the images with copics to get the bright colours needed.

I do hope you will join us this week and show us your interpretation of Beside the Sea.

DragonsDream TIO #84 - Let's Face It

2011-06-22T06:00:00.001+01:00

Good morning you lovely people! The challenge at TIO is Let's Face It and is being led this week by my friend and fellow DT member Wanda.

My tag is covered with some lovely gold and grey cherub printed tissue paper that I bought yonks ago from Lakeland. I only found it recently when tidying up! How I wish they hadn't stopped selling craft items. My main image is stamped onto acetate and then gold foiled on the reverse. The stamp is by Creative Expressions. The grungy flower is simply made by punching out about six layers of toning paper, putting a brad through to hold and then spritzing it and moulding the petals before allowing to dry. When it was dry I gave it a squirt of gold Spray and Sparkle. The leaves are punched in gold paper.

I do hope you will join us over at DragonsDream TIO this week and I look forward to seeing what you have created.

Craft Room Challenge #2 - Altered Paper Dolls

2011-06-21T18:32:00.000+01:00

This is a first for me! I have never made a doll of any sort before and it certainly got me thinking! I used a free template from Mirkwood Designs and altered the size as the original measures 11". Graphics Fairy supplied the boots, hairstyle and bodice. Her hair is courtesy of my sheep Jeffrey and the ivy stamping is from a stamp by Flowersoft.

Thanks for the challenge - I enjoyed doing something totally different. Do feel free to leave a comment, I should like to know what you think!

CD Sunday Challenge - Tassels

2011-06-19T20:45:00.000+01:00

I've gone all formal with this one! I had half a sheet of the lovely blue and gold metallic chinese paper from Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats and was determined to use it somehow. I cut out the tag shapes with my new TH Artful Dwellings die, stamped half a Clarity diamond trio onto the sides of each point and embossed with gold ep. With one of the smaller Clarity corners, I stamped into the point and embossed again with gold ep. I attached my tassel through the smaller tag. The gold mat is made with Grace's Frame Cuttlebug embossing folder and I used a royal blue base card to fix it to. The gold flourish at the top is a Nestability Floral flourish and it is only about the second time I have ever used that set.

I hope you like my card, it is rather formal but sometimes this type of card comes in very handy. Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment - I love hearing from you.

Crafty Ann's Challenge #43 - Christmas in June

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year again! Crafty Ann has challenged us to make a Christmas card in June! I do hope you will join us and make a start on the many cards we all need at Christmas.
For my card I have used Ann's seasonal Garland which I have coloured with pro-markers and then highlighted the baubles, bows and holly with Glossy Accents. The fir bough was coloured with pencils to give it a lighter look. The background was stamped with a tiny dot stamp in pale grey to give the impression of snow. The image was mounted onto a dull gold foil card and then onto Crafty Ann's Mottled Stone paper in turquoise.
I do hope you will join us and look forward to seeing all your creations.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #157 - I am Sailing

2011-06-16T19:28:00.000+01:00

I love this stamp of the girl looking out to sea, it is by I Brake For Stamps. Fortunately for me it has a sailing boat in the distance, otherwise I would have been struggling for a suitable image for this challenge! The shell corners are by Crafty Individuals. The images were stamped in Stampin Up Not Quite Navy and coloured with pencils for a softer look. I added two rows of jute string around the picture to give it a nautical look and mounted it onto some seagull paper from Joanna Sheen.

Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment as I enjoy reading them all.

DragonsDream TIO #83 - Numbers Game

2011-06-15T06:00:00.001+01:00

For this tag I have actually dusted off my Cricut and cut something out! The design comes from "Graphically Speaking" cartridge and was cut out twice so that I could layer up some portions of the design for added dimension. The script was stamped in black Archival ink over a red tag and coloured around the edges. The die cut was stamped with various stamps, music, alphabet, hearts, crackle background etc. and then a portion was glittered, Crackle Accented, embossed or decorated with Dotties in black and white.

I do hope you will join us at DragonsDream TIO this week and show us your creations for the Numbers Game.

A Crafty Kind of Truffle - June Tag Challenge - Wedding

2011-06-13T17:29:00.000+01:00

Nice to be able to make something light and summery on such a miserable day up here in the Highlands. This tag also demonstrated to me that I really must get a few wedding stamps as, apart from this freebie from Papercraft Inspirations magazine, I had none!
I cut my pink tag with the TH Bigz L die and ran it through Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder and added a daisy border along the bottom. I then sanded the raised pattern and swiped a white Versacolour pad over the embossing to tone down the pinkiness. Lace, and pearls were added together with a flower die cut from velllum. Irridescent pearls were added to the centre. The bride and groom were embossed in white onto vellum and cut out with an oval Nestie then attached to the tag using pearls to cover up the glue marks.
Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment as I enjoy reading them all.

CD Sunday Challenge - If the Shoe Fits

2011-06-12T17:16:00.000+01:00

Beccys Place provided the digi for this card. It is called Old Boots and you can find it here. The boots are coloured with crayons as I wanted a softer look than you would get with Promarkers or Copics. The sentiment is by TLC and the backing paper is from Joanna Sheen's American Frontier CD.

Thanks for dropping by and feel free to leave a comment as I appreciate them all.

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #156 - Ticket to Ride

2011-06-09T19:43:00.000+01:00

Thoroughly enjoyed making this card as it contains everything I love - vintage and architecture! The lovely tram stamp is by Personal Impressions, the buildings and ticket stamps are by Crafty Individuals. All coloured with Copics with the exception of the ticket and foreground which has been sponged with DI Tea Dye. The backing paper is a vintage map of Paris and was provided by The Graphics Fairy.

Thanks for visiting and do feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate every one.

DragonsDreamTIO # 82 - Winged Things

2011-06-08T06:00:00.002+01:00

This week's challenge over at DragonsDream Tag It On is Winged Things. Being a bit of a cynic, I am afraid I was immediately visualizing flying pigs!
The porker on my tag is stamped in black Archival and is from a set of vintage farm animals by Artemio. The wings are by Clear Art Stamps. The sentiment is from Creative Expressions, as are the background aeroplanes which are stamped in DI Pumice Stone. The rest of the background is colour dusted with SU Certainly Celery and Sage Shadow. The lovely brass winged heart was an impulse purchase from my local craft shop yesterday.
I do hope you will join us at TIO as we love to see what you make of our weekly themes. It is so good to see such diversity in all your creations and there is always something new to learn.

CD Sunday Challenge - Digi Day

2011-06-07T09:01:00.000+01:00

The digi is called Joy by Sugar Nellie and has been coloured with pencils. The background papers are by the ever reliable Ms Kirsty Wiseman from her CD Patti Pictilicious. The bow was tied by me FIRST time and I have added a small stack of buttons tied with a linen thread, to carry the colour scheme through. I bought this digi as soon as I first saw it as it reminded me of my own daughter Eleanor when she was little and before she would only wear football shirts and shorts/leggings.

My pal Jen also decided to choose this digi, so it has been a bit of a challenge this week in more ways than one to meet her very high standards and to come up with something different!

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate them all very much.

Down On The Farm!

2011-06-05T20:31:00.000+01:00

It was haircut time at Redmoss for Whitney and Jeffrey last night. It is surprising the things you do for a Saturday night out in the countryside! They were transported to a neighbour's farm and expertly sheared by Farmer Michael. In the second photo you can see Whitney (who is rather plump) having the treatment whilst Jeffrey looks nervously on. The whole procedure, including toenails cut, took about 30 minutes then they were whisked off home again and in their own fields by 10pm. They will be very grateful for losing their coats as it has been very warm for them just lately. Next job will be to put a pour-on on them to keep the flies off them when their coats start growing through in about 3 weeks time.

Sentimental Sundays Challenge - Inspired by Song

2011-06-05T18:02:00.000+01:00

Billy Joel's 1973 hit song Piano Man was the inspiration behind this card. The piano player stamp is by StampsHappen and has been stamped onto watercolour paper and then coloured with a waterbrush and reinkers. The piano keys have been stamped and embossed and added as an embellishment. The sentiment was a free gift with a magazine.

Thanks for stopping by and do feel free to leave a comment, I find them all very encouraging.

What a Lovely Surprise!

2011-06-03T15:40:00.000+01:00

Just thought you might like to see the new additions at Redmoss! One of our lady pheasants gave us the great honour of being introduced to her new brood of 10 (I think) chicks. She brought them out last evening onto the terrace where we feed all the birds. In this photo they are just making their way back, after tea, into the woods nearby. This is what it is all about! Marvellous!