HS:MS lever

This is 'silly o'clock' for me to be doing this! I said that I would join in HS:MS again and today we are going out for the day - meeting up with DIL and children in London - to see Big Ben and 'where the queen lives'! As an aside, we hope and pray that the showers hold off and that John and I will be able to walk around as much as is needed - buses in between - particularly as neither of us have really been out on this scale for months - plenty of painkillers!

Anyway, back to the HS:MS word for today: 'lever: A bar resting on a pivot used to help move a heavy load. Find a lever in your space today.'

Perhaps it's a bit early in the morning, but I found it hard to think of what I could use for this.

Then I remembered a very important lever:



As it is housed inside a cupboard it doesn't get much attention, as you can see from the dust, but it does its job and we're glad it does.

However, the next one is a much nicer lever - on my BIA:

HS:MS moss

Once upon a time I used to do the photo every day for HS:MS and then I got out of the habit. Yesterday I showed my snowy pictures and put a message on HS:MS.

So today I'm showing some photos for the prompt 'moss' - 'A low growing, spore producing plant with no roots that grows in damp conditions. Find some moss in your space today.'







And to think that only yesterday all of this was covered in thick snow!

CBCC038 Dressed to impress

Carolyn asked us to make a card influenced by hers.

I used a new stamp that I hadn't tried yet - stamped with Brilliance pearlescent crimson and coloured in with sone if this watered down.

I couldn't find the little gem stones I wanted to use, so I made do with these little sticky flowers that I've had for ages and have never known what to do with them:

CBCC039 Template

This is the template given by Carolyn:



I decided to use some of the rubber stamped images I got on one of the swaps on CBC. I coloured in with Sakura and Marvey and edged with Brilliance pearlescent crimson, which was also used to stamp the ribbon with 'have bags of fun'.

The photo somehow doesn't show the colours as irl, but you get the idea:

Tanda Teaser 'word play'

The Tanda teaser this week is 'word play' - set by Wendy here

This card is also inspired by the minimalistic idea of the DCM dare this week, but it doesn't strictly speaking qualify for that because of the embossed background.

The stamped image was one that I received as part of a swap on CBC (thought it about time to use some of them) - coloured in lightly with karisma warm grey and mounted on a cuttlebug embossed swirls silver pearlescent sanded down - and just a bit of Brilliance starlite silver around the card edges:

DCM dare: shrink to fit

I made this card last night for this week's DCM dare, set by Kathy - a toughie, but a good challenge! Details are here

I used one of my favourite little stamps (mainly because it so reminds me of Josey - and we still miss her lots).

I used linen card (just has a feint criss-cross embossing, which still stamps OK). I used chalk pencils and Sansador to blend for the colouring and around the edges of the card and Archival Ink sepia for the stamping and card edges:



I think I'll make more cards like this - a great challenge!

More piccies

Like the photo below, these were all taken from inside - the view I have from the window to the right of me.

View from my window

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

When they said we would get some snow, I thought it might just be the odd sleety, snowy shower, but this .... !!!???

We were going out to church and then lunch at our local Beefeater, but now we're staying safely in - there's no way I'm going to risk slipping and fracturing anything.

It's lovely to look at, though.

The sky is still really thick with it and it seems to be coming down even more now.

If you enjoy going out in it, have fun! If not, stay in and keep warm!

Here it is!!!

Postie brought my finished 'In my dreams' CJ back to me this morning. I have been privileged to be part of the group on CBC - and am so thrilled with the finished result of my book.

Front cover:



Welcome:



Rules:


My DLO:





Nigel's (Freebird's) DLO:





Lisa's DLO:











Steph's (Nerdbird's) DLO:





Carolyn's DLO:





Sign in pages:





Thank you so much to all of those involved, including Melissa for organising.

(Apologies that the photos were rushed because the battery was dying and I didn't want to wait!)

CBC ATC's received

I've just received two gorgeous 'pretty in pink' ATCs from the swap on CBC.

It is a shame that the photo doesn't do justive to the stamping on the bottom of this one from Carole:



And I love this from Lyn:



And the postie also bought me my finished CJ from the group on CBC - it is fantastic - I love it - and will show it soon!

CBC CJ

Nigel's fab CJ 'Dusk 'til dawn' needed to be in the post today, so here is what I did for my DLO.

The double sided paper used is Imaginisce 'go for baroque' French fleurish. I punched the holes for the ribbons on my bind it all:




This is the last of the CJs in this group on CBC - I've very much enjoyed being part of this and having the privilege of contributing to everyone's book.

Atm I have no other CJs to work on, but Kathy is starting a new one on Bumbleberries, so now I need to quickly decide on my subject for that.

Double dare for DCM and JB

Firstly, let me say that I'm going completely doolally - in my previous post I said that I was too late for the 'It's all in the game' DCM dare - well, I'm not, because there's not a new one till tomorrow! So I was in time.

Meanwhile, I've done something for the midweek dare: 'Our midweek Little Extra is titled ‘The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring’ and we would like you to create a card with flowers.

Simple? Aww but hold on…….there’s a little twist because we don’t want to make it too easy for you. We want your cards to have flowers on but we don’t want to see any Prima’s or shop brought blooms. The idea of this dare is for you create your flowers yourself, so let’s see what you can come up with.'

I used a template kindly posted on UKS and adapted it to produce one large and one smaller flower shape, with a circle to fit inside, which I then ran through with a CB embossing folder before inking. The holes around the edges weren't done on the robo - they were done with my crop-a-dile.

This also fits the Bank Holiday challenge on JB: 'Get stuck in': Lots of you have been mentioning having this weekend off and soooooo many of you have been boasting on here about all the new stash you've been buying lately

So this challenge should be quite simple really, although maybe not for some of you paper strokers.........you know who you are !!!!

Simply make anything, but it has to be using your most recent stash.....that means cutting into those new papers girls.

So I decided to use some of my new BG Two Scoops paper, as well as using DCWV textured for the flower. The middle layers of the flower are chipboard bits I had in stock (think they're Lisa Bearnson, but can't remember).

Had to make do with a flash photo, but too impatient to wait till morning:

DCM It's all in the game

This is past the date of the DCM dare (it was for Friday 21 March) but I couldn't resist using this picture of these teddies to do a card for 'it's all in the game'. They look like a right gambling pair! - an opportunity to add a couple of little playing cards (I seem to have a few packs of them):

CBC ATCs 'pretty in pink'

These are quite different from the previous ATCs - no stamping involved in these. Backgrounds are CB embossing folders - used various bits and bobs, including a gorgeous piece of sheer ribbon with butterflies (given to me by Annmarie on a recent visit).

The photos don't show the true colours - I think atm it's too sunny (can't win - it's usually too dull to get photos)!




Now the only outstanding crafty 'must' before the end of the month is to do my DLO on Nigel's (Freebird's) CJ - the last one in the group for CBC - and then it's no CJs for the time being - strange!

Need to make a few family birthday cards soon - might try to incorporate a challenge or two.

Tanda Mosaic ATCs

On the weekend I played with various versions of using a Fiskars Texture plate 'stones' to use as embossed mosaics. However, this morning, I had a package from the US with some CB embossing folders, including the mosaics one, so it would have been daft not to have used it for these.

The stamp is a Papermania one and I filled in the areas with a Versamark pen and then chalked - not totally happy with them, but hey ... they're going in the post:




Now I need to get the ATCs done for the swap on CBC 'pretty in pink' - watch this space!

Just like buses ...

I've gone days and days without posting any crafty efforts, and then ... two come along at once!

Over on TandaStamps the Tanda Teaser this week is Butterlfy Blue.

Quite a while ago I acquired this blue butterfly (not sure how or when or where ... think it was in a swap) - anyway, it had quite a fat body and wouldn't have been easy to stick to the card, so I carefully took the wings off the body and have used Poundland bling gems in between - I think it's worked OK:

Salt: Believe

The last fortnight has gone so quickly (and my crafting and blogging has been down a bit ... won't bore anyone with any non-crafty talk), and here we are again - it's a Salt challenge day.

This is what Esther said:

This week's main topic is 'Believe',
but I (Esther) also wanted to share with you a verse that
has particularly struck me recently which is taken from
Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

If only we truly believed in God's promises- we would worry so much less. It is such a reassurance to know that we have a great God who is in control of all things.

PLEASE TAKE THIS TOPIC OR VERSE AND MAY IT INSPIRE YOU TO CREATE.

It could be a card, layout, ATC, book, Inchie, altered art- anything; but please leave us a comment so we can come and view your work. Thanks!

Please take a look at Salt

As usual, I have to confess that I left mine till the last day ... and what a day I had yesterday ... over at mum's for the doctor to call ... I was there over nine hours in the end! So my contribution for Salt was done late at the end of an exhausting day.

Enough of all that!

I used a Scrapbook walls Den Weave double sided paper, cutting a cross in the middle and folding back the corners, and then mounted that on to a BG Scarlet's letter 'night'.

I've been reflecting on this verse since Esther let us know she'd chosen it. It's one that is very precious to me and, as you can see, reminds me much of my dear dad who died over four years ago.

I don't know whether I was brave or stupid to write my own journalling in my scribbled handwriting, but in some ways I feel it brings a contrasting simplicity to a profound topic. The quote in the left hand corner and the white flowers in the middle are rub ons.

Now I hereby declare that I'm going to get my contribution for the next Salt challenge done earlier than the deadline ... we'll see!