JB August challenge 2: summer lovin'

It's a while since I did any challenges on JB, but this afternoon I came across some seaside pictures and acetates that I thought would be OK for this challenge set by Lisa: This challenge is to celebrate our beautiful English Summers !!!! You know me girls.....the ever loving, positive girl that I am - I want anything that makes you think of our English Summers....let your imagination wander.

So, the ideal summer for me involves a visit to the seaside, so I made these three cards - they all have acetate overlays secured to the pictures with brads (unfortunately, there's a bit of reflection on the acetate in the photos):







The last one says: 'does the song of the sea end at the shore or in the hearts of those who listen to it'

I've just realised how dull these look - they are a lot brighter irl!

Commissioned card

I was asked to make a silver wedding card. I used a background script paper by K & Co La Boutique and printed using Lucida Calligraphy font. Just a few little additions and some ribbon around it and a 'Happy Anniversary' insert. A very simple card, which I hope will be acceptable:

Think Pink 6

The project on BF for Think Pink 6 this week is to make a multi-fold card, perhaps a maze book.

I've made a maze book using K & Co Hannah DS papers, tags, etc.

I'm not totally happy with it - I think I've made it too bulky with the pockets and bits and perhaps should have made the gap between the covers bigger. If I get time before sending the stuff off I might try to do another better one.

I've left nearly everything blank so that the recipient can add comments and photos.

I've been featured!

I've been featured on

afaithperspective layout of the week

I'm ao amazed (and just a little chuffed!).

Another pack done!!

Yesterday I received a lovely stamp that I'd won on ebay. It's 'winter trees' by Inkadinkado. I stamped with versamark and embossed with white fine detail. The background paper is a script one that I had left over from last year - think it's English Paper Company. Insert says 'Season's Greetings':

BF Matchbox Christmas swap

On BF forum Leigh kindly arranged a swap - the idea was to fill a large matchbox with Christmas bits.

Nowadays our post doesn't usually come until 1 pm or beyond, so I was surprised this morning when the doorbell went and there was a postman with a few packages, one of which was my matchbox from Nicky (madhousekeeper).

I took out all the fab contents so I could take a picture (a poor flash one because it's raining and dull here atm) - I don't think I'll be able to get them all back into the box - there's so much!

Thank you so much to Nicky and to Leigh for organising the swap.

As you can see, there are all sorts of embellies, plus ribbons, fibres, brads, a snowflakes stamp ...

Christmas Cards

About four weeks ago I prepared some cards with backgrounds using my newly acquired A6 English Paper Company papers. Because I sell cards to give profit to TEAR Fund, I need to make simple ones that will sell at a low cost. I will be making these up, as usual, in packs of 5.

I've now managed to finish off these cards, using various bits, including rub ons and die cuts.

They aren't finished yet, as I need to put inserts in and then bag them up and label them (a job that I don't enjoy, but it has to be done).

I have made 10 each of most of these cards, so I now have a stock of over 100. Some of them have similar variations.

I realised after doing the scans that there seem to be dirty marks on the cards, but this is on the scanner glass, not the cards.

Where gold foiling has been used it doesn't show up well - looks more black than gold.





























I need to make some more of this kind of card before I can make the more elaborate ones that I sell individually.

Think Pink 5

This week's challenge for Think Pink is to make two any occasion cards, using mainly pink and black.

This was no problem, because I had a great choice of stuff, having bought the Pink Think black and pink kit. The papers I used were a mixture of some old DCWV and some BG from Scarlet's Letters:

BF CJ: A day in the life of ...

I'm not having a good day today - back is feeling particularly troublesome.

But I've managed to do my contribution to Di W's (crazydaisy's) CJ for the group on BF forum.

This is an unusual CJ - brilliant idea, I think.

Di said: 'I would like to find out a bit more about your everyday lives so would love you to do a double page LO in the form of a diary page. Please decorate the opposite pockets/envelopes and pop in a piece of ephemera from that day!

My diary page is for yesterday. Since John had his fall I haven't been out. I was meant to be going out for lunch with a friend, but I couldn't leave John for lunch - using the zimmer he can't cope with carrying anything - so we met for morning coffee instead.

The rest of my day is more or less routine.

So I chose to major on the coffee aspect of the day, with the 'Let's get together for coffee', a card about Coolings inside the envelope and a few blooms on the outside of the flap:

Salt: And God saw that it was good

It was my turn this time to choose the topic. This is what I said on the Salt challenge blog:

"We started the Salt faith challenge blog on 2 August last year, so this is our first birthday!!

A big thank you to all our blog visitors throughout the year and those who have taken part in our challenges, including the last one on Patience.

I feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful group of ladies who are united in their love for our Lord and their creativity used to express their faith.

This time I (Hazel) have chosen the theme of

'And God saw that it was good'

This is a reflection on Genesis 1, which gives an account of God's marvellous work of Creation and His reflection on it was that He 'saw that it was good'.

As we celebrate our first birthday, it seems fitting to reflect upon the beauty of God's Creation.

I marvel at the wonders of God's beautiful world - so much for us to enjoy, whether it's a sunset, the petals of a flower, the intricate design of a seashell ... I could go on to name so many examples, including, of course, the wonderful gift of life itself to us as humans.

This is such a wide topic - you may wish to reflect on one particular aspect of God's Creation or the general scope of it.

We would love you to join in and create something for this topic. Please leave us a comment and a link so that we and others can visit your blog."

My LO is a simple one that lets some of the words from Genesis 1 to speak for themselves. The background paper is Craft Creations Sunset Photo A. The other papers used are from a variety in my stash, including some torn pieces from a favourite Paper Lane Paper 'British Beach'

Please take a look at Salt and the marvellous creations that others have made

Think Pink kits

I've treated myself to these gorgeous Think Pink kits - the good news is that £2 from the sale of every kit goes to Breast Cancer Care UK!!

Each kit contains a mix of 60+ embellishments from big brads, fabric brads, spotty brads, buttons, clips, crystals, and more plus ribbon, felt, gorgeous blooms and an organza bag with chipboard ribbon logo, pink cardboard ribbon logo and embossed ribbon logo.



Why not click on the Think Pink button on the right and find out all the exciting things that are happening for this worthy cause.

This week's Think Pink Project is to make cards using black and pink - I'll be doing these when I can find some motivation and energy for crafting.

Bumbleberries CJ

I've not done any crafting for a few days, mainly due to John having a fall and partly because I just couldn't settle to do any.

I'm a day or two late with doing the next Bumbleberries CJ - sorry, girls - this time I worked on Nicky's (madhousekeeper's) fab little CJ: My Name:







Apart from the primas and gems, everything I used is K & Co, most of which is Hannah.

Once I settled to it, I enjoyed doing this. The idea that I originally had went to the back of my mind and I produced this instead.

HS:MS SPS

On Wednesday we had a rare day out - we got a train down to Sheerness. I thought I'd show a photo of John and one he took of me (bless him, he couldn't see what he was doing, so just pointed the camera in the right direction). It was a beautiful day - the weather was gorgeous, although it was a breezy spot where we took the photos, hence my hair sticking up!





That day out is now set to be rarer than we imagined at the time, because John fell over the next day and has damaged his hip area - fortunately, no fracture. We spent hours at A & E. He can only manage to walk a few steps with the aid of a zimmer - poor old man! Perhaps I'll sneak a picture of him later and add here!

I had hoped to do a HS:MS catch up for the prompts that I've missed - did take a few possibles, but I just haven't had tme or inclination to do anything about them.

Think Pink 4

This week's challenge for Pink Think on BF forum is to make 6 Christmas tags.

For ages and ages I've wanted the Santa Collage stamp by Rubber Stampede, but it is hard to get hold of and they are not making any more, so when I saw a new one on ebay recently I couldn't resist and I won the bid.

So I've used this stamp for my tags, and on the reverse side stamped 'A gift for you' using an Anna Griffin stamp.



Please click on the Think Pink button on my sidebar for more information.

CBCC056 Everything chinese and BF Think Pink 3

Jackie (okey-dokey) on CBC said: 'With the Olympic games just a few weeks away our inspiration for the next few challenges will be the Beijing Olympics. Don't be scared - they won't be difficult and there some links for you to get inspiration and free downloads! So even if you don't have anything Chinese you won't be stuck.

Your first challenge is to make something (preferably oriental); card, layout, jewellery or anything else using the more traditional Chinese colours of Red, Black, Gold, or Green. You don't have to use them all.'

So this card is for that challenge:



and will also be sent with this one for the Think Pink challenge 3 on BF forum (the trim around the New Home square and the Good Luck is gold foiling, not black as appears in the scan:



The theme this week was to make two Good Luck/Goodbye cards.

HS:MS catch up

I've still been having a peep into the HS:MS site quite regularly, but haven't been takng part lately - it seems if I miss a day or two it goes on to be a week or two.

So I've decided to have a bit of a catch up with the recent prompts:

Ring: this is a toe ring:



Row: some knitted rows:



Red: part of a heart shaped box that doesn't have much monetary value, but loads of sentimental value:



Peep: this is a peep at a Christmas matchbox swap that is about to happen on BF forum:



Towel:



Today's SPS: there's that toe ring again - but I deliberately blurred the photo because I don't like the way my feet look atm: