Circles...

Karen has set the sketch over at LGS this week and it is very interesting with three layered circles. Her twist is to use two colours - I've gone for Blue and Cream - it's one of my favourites. The circles gave me more problems - I like them don't get me wrong but I don't own any round nesties YET! So I have to cut them out from various templates and they never look round enough. But I have developed a cunning plan M'Lord (sorry like Blackadder!).
I've used my MS punch to give the circles a spiky finish which I quite like actually, especially when I edged the edges with Faded Jean DI - what do you think? The image is one kindly sent to me for my birthday by Katie - thank you - I choose her because her scarf and skirt sort of mirror the curves of the circles. She is coloured with PMS. The paper is from my favourite K&CO stack. The sentiment is a Basic Grey stamp and the flourish stamp is a Dovecraft one. I finished the card with some gems and flowers cut with sizzlits.

The circle theme is obviously popular as the team over at Charisma Cards are asking for them too - so I am entering this one over there too.

Thanks for looking XXX

Challenge #16 A Sketch

A Little Bird Told Me...

that there is a great sketch over at I Love Promarkers this week. I really liked it and have used it to make this card.

I've teamed the SN GG stamp with K&CO papers and of course coloured her with PMs (Saffron being one of my new favourites along with Ginger). The frame and flowers were made with a n original die and a sizzlit on my BS (lovin' it by the way!). The gems and cardstock are by Anita's and the card candy and big gem from my stash. I've used a touch of glossy accents on the little birdie.

I think these papers are my new favourites at the moment.

Thanks for looking and do check out the awesome DT work over at the challenge blog.

Have a good BH if you are in England.

XXX

3 Today for an Anniversary!

Can you tell this is one of my Favourite stamps? Sorry had to use it again - this time for one of The Little One's friend's birthdays - she is three tomorrow. You probably guessed that too!

I'm entering it into the anniversary challenge over at Passion for Promarkers - can you believe it? The theme is 'anything goes' so what better than a birthday midsummer Tilda coloured with PMs?
I hope they like it - as they are such a bunch of talented crafters with such high colouring skills. I've teamed her with papers by K&CO and Dovecraft, a sentiment from Papermania and various bits from stash. The layout is based on Kathy's sketch over at LGS on Craftbubble. Oh and the flowers are made with my new Martha Stewart Stamp and the shapes from my new Big Shot and Nestabilities - which I love but NEED more of - of course!

Thanks for looking and Happy Anniversary Passion for Promarkers!

Pear Tree Tilda with Mushroom!

A new designer with a new challenge blog! Challenge #1.

Donna of Pear Tree Designs has some lovely images and has started her own challenge Blog with an awesome DT.

Challenge #1 is a sketch - really nice to work with.

She is offering a lovely prize - see below and drool

Go and check it all out here.

This is my card - for the first time of masked using a digi image and the printer played nicely - eventually! I stamped my new fav. Tilda first and masked her then put her in the printer and printed Donna's mushroom digistamp to make it look like the midsummer Tilda was dancing around the mushroom in celebration of the new challenge - of course! All are coloured with PMs and I added some fibre paper to give texture for the grass. Papers are K&Co, sentiment is Papermania and ribbon is from the Wild Aspargus collection. Cardstock is Papermania too.

Thanks for looking and go and check out Pear Tree Designs.

XXX

LGS Tilda

The lovely Kathyk is our celeb GDT this week over at LGS and she has set a lovely sketch which was a pleasure to work. Her twist was to use a newly discovered technique or one you haven't used lately and a colour you don't usually use.

So I have re-discovered masking - using an allota stamp I'd never inked before with the new midsummer Tilda. I also watercoloured the background and Pm'd the image. The colour I never feel that comfy with is green!
I also used my new MS punch for the flowers and PM sentiment stamp (thanks Lauren). Papers are DCWV Butterflies and blossoms and Easter stacks. I've added alittle glitz with Sparkles and seed beads.

Thanks Kathy for a lovely play and thanks YOU for looking.

What a scorcher of a day - love it.
XXX

All About Me Blog Hop is here!

Welcome to this blog hop - you should have arrived here by starting at Mel's blog. Thanks to Mel who has been the inspiration behind this project and hop. You should have then visited six other very talented people the last being the lovely Deb at paperturtle. Welcome to my interpretation and I hope you have a coffee whilst you sit and peruse before moving on.

As you have already seen I've housed myself in a little tin - Cherry's Curio - which is gessoed, painted, spritzed and stamped. I chose it as I like small spaces and rounded things. Thanks to Jennie from The Artistic Stamper for the tin.

My mini book has two sides the first I focused on my environment and the objects that make me happy every day. This is the blue side - the sea is very important to me as a source of renewal and ideas.

The pink side represents all the things that I enjoy or are fundamental parts of me.Here are a few of my favourite pages.

The mini book was painted, collaged, doodled and stamped.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have enjoyed yourself. This has been an interesting process and a way refining ideas I had about myself at this moment in hystory. Thanks Mel. As you can see I didn't choose a style or a theme other than All About Me - which has surprised me in itself - I think it would be interesting to do another project maybe focusing on the roles I adopt through the day in a particular style. Always another idea for another day.

You should now see what the lovely Heather has in store for you.

Have a great day and thanks for joining in the fun and exploration. Please leave me a comment and one of you will be picked to receive a little gratitude.

XXX

All About ... blog hop is coming!

The lovely Mel has organised an All About Me project which is culminating in a bloghop on Saturday starting at 7am BST. There are an array of very interesting people taking part and I invite you all to come and join in the fun and look at the variety of work that will be on offer.

Personally I can't wait to see how people have tackled this one and I'm looking forward to learning about others. Thanks Mel for this - it's going to be hoot.

Now for a sneek peek...

I look forward to seeing you for coffee on Saturday, hope you can make it.

XXX

Birthday girly treats

What more could a girl want but a big birthday cake?

Here is Tilda with one!

I've used Rosie's lovely sketch for this card and her twist - food (one of my favourite things). Go and check the lovely entries over at the Let's Get Stamping group!

I enjoyed paper piecing her dress and adding Glossy Accents to shoes and icing along with the PMs. The cupcakes are digi images (I can't remember where from! - possibly Funky Fairy) coloured with PMs and Sparkles. Paper was a freebie and ribbon is Dovecraft. Sentiment is D&D.

I'm entering her into the Allsorts 1st Birthday challenge (Happy Birthday girls - way to go and love the inspiration as always) and the Just Magnolia 'One for the Girls' Challenge (- totally different league to my creations but just love looking!).

Thanks for looking

XXX

Ready to go ... but where?

Mel has set up a project based on the Big Scrapbooking Project All About Me. There is still time to join if you want to!

I'm ready to go I think - got my tin and made my mini book to go in it. I've downloaded the handouts ... but I'm still pondering on HOW I want to make it mine! Hopefully inspiration will strike today - in the mean time I am taking pictures to see what my environment says about me.

I totally recommend The Artistic Stamper shop - such fab goodies and totally quick dispatch - thanks Jennie.

Also thought I would recommend Blade Rubber shop in Holborn as I had the chance to visit on Tuesday (a totally grown up day on a course which was 2 mins down the road- loved it). These are my purchases ...

Could have spent a fortune! Have a good day all.
Cherry XXX

Glamour

Not something I do really these days being at home with LO.

Enjoyed the challenge Lauren set over at Let's get Stamping group of trying to conjure up some...

Thanks for the image sent from one of the lovelies over at LGS.

She is coloured with PMs and I've added some Sparkles to bling her up.

The BPs and sentiment are made by stamping Anna Griffin background stamps with momento and PMs on to PM cardstock.

Short post today but I'm in the process of planning to take part in Mel's next project so there will be another post shortly...

XXX

Alter House Giveaway Winner

Got Dh to pick a number between 1 and 26 and he said 17.

Counting down the comments this led me to Humel - so Mel if you e-mail me your address

I'll get your goodies off to you.

XXX

Fairy Dust Tilda with handmade flowers

I just love this Tilda - when I saw her I just had to have her. I've coloured using PMs and added a little silver dust to her sparkles. I purchased some new PM colours and one of my favourites is Saffron.
I've experimented with clear embossing and Pming over the top to create some of the backgrounds (I used two Anna Griffin stamps)- I like this and I will be trying this again. I've also made my own flowers using the clear embossed paper and a flower stamp overthe top which I then cut out and folded. I PMed their outlines and glued three seed beads to the middle. The one paper I have used is Dovecraft.





I think the clear embossing gives the flowers a porcelain look which I am pleased with.

I have used Karen's lovely sketch over at Let's get Stamping and her twist - make your own flowers. Thanks Karen really enjoyed this. I am also going to enter this into the Charisma Cardz Challenge - Girly card with flowers. Go and check the DT out they are awesome.
Just realised the ECP challenge is Orange so I'm going to put Tilda in there too - as those guys rock too.
Thanks for looking and here's blowing some fairy dust your way!
XXX

House Party Blog Hop Happening Here

Welcome to the Altered House Party as thought up and devised by Maria (AKA Rinda). That is where you can start the hop and go back to in case you get lost! You should have arrived here via the wonderful Karen.

Once I had received my lovely goodies from Maria I spent some time pondering where my house should go. I fell in love with the one piece of paper in the kit and that led me to my William Morris book. The arts and crafts guru in England - one of my favourite designs is below.

I spent a while wallowing in the Morris and re-discovered a quote from the great man - which really helped.

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

I spent a while musing on this useful/beautiful idea and came up with the idea of 'use beauty' as the wording I wanted in my house. Being a teacher of English I had to have some words in my house.

I wanted to go with my love of colour too - and Morris' colours are fairly muted and I do really love his use of blues - and this was a characteristic of the goodies sent by Maria. I decided that a Magenta would be a good modern colour to contrast with the blue.


This was mixed with Gesso to give an uneven look which I spritzed and stamped over in distress ink to give a feel of the famous WM flourish feel. I added some doodles too. The centre of my house is the gorgeous blue and gold paper that inspired me first which I framed and distressed and edged with Maria's flowers, also distressed.



The roof is a mixture of what I consider to be both useful and beautiful - language, music, and nature.




So that is my Altered House - a place of usefulness and beauty.

As a gift for visiting the party one of you will be picked at random to receive the gift below. In order to be in with a chance just leave me a comment.


Thanks for stopping by and sharing an English glass of dry white wine. You should now go and visit the amazing Sharyn .



Remember if you get lost go and see Rinda.

Have a great hopping time.
Cherry XXX