Day 83 - Some Stitching

Four Turtle Doves.

These are very selfish (I indulged in a little stitching) presents for my tree.

Inspired by Rosie's themed challenge on 'Craft Mad & Loving It' 'Presents' and the free gift on Cross Stitcher Magazine.

The free gift included the pre-cut dove shapes, threads and aida. I've added the beads and ribbon and put them together to suit me and my tree to be. I wonder where you are and how long it will take to find you this year?

I enjoyed making these today - I am content.

XXX

Stir Up Sunday

I hope you have all had a good stir up sunday and that all Christmas puds and cakes are made and lovingly stored so that they can be fed generously over the next couple of weeks.

Here's ours having the family stir and wish session. Remember don't tell anyone those wishes...

Lauren has set the sketch and twist this week over on 'Craft Mad & Loving IT'. Great sketch and the poem 'Twas the night...' is her twist. Below is the card.

I'm lovin' the snowflake alterations die border by Tim Holtz

I've included two lines from the poem

'When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.'

Thanks for looking in on this cold and dark English winter's night.
XXX

Thursday 18th Nov 2010

One of my favourite candle holders from Canterbury for day 78.

Light the lights as winter's darkness takes hold in the Northern Hemisphere.

Speaking of lights I am very excited to have got 1st place over at Digi Doodles Shop's Best challenge 'Don't Forget our Men' with my little Hanglar gentleman - spookily it is the young man's birthday today for whom it was made. Happy Birthday Reuben.

Hope you lights are burning brightly.
XXX

Roses still blooming yesterday - Day 76

Yesterday was so different to today and in the garden there are still a few roses blooming.
Decided to have a play with this shot in PSE with filters and grain effect and diffuse glow.
Interesting learning curve but often nature is just perfect.

XXX

The Sunday Creative: Lonely

Where once there were three there is now only one - lonely hedgepig.

How sad.

Where the others went we do not know.

Justine has set LONELY as The Sunday Creative prompt this week and this little carving which we see on one of our regular walks seemed to fit the bill. For ages there were three of them and suddenly the other two disappeared. This one is the smallest and it worries LO every time we go for this particular walk.

We hope you are not lonely especially being part of The Sunday Creative.
XXX

Sketch by Emma

The lovely Emma has designed a sketch over at Allsorts Challenge Blog this week.

I decided to have a play to create another Christmas card. Again I've used anither gorgeous stamped image I received in a stamp swap - such a festive Tilda. She is coloured with PMs and Glamour Dust adds the necessary sparkle. She is sat on Nestie circles.

I've teamed her with some Aqua Mirricard (doesn't show too well), some blue vellum which I punched with an embossed snowflake punch by X-Cut (I quite like this effect), some DCWV card and left over paper from other cards. The ribbon is Dovecraft and reindeers Craftworks. Card candy is from my stash and the sentiment is PM. I also punched some teeny tiny stars for the two corners.

Thanks Emma for the sketch - it was a challenge but an enjoyable one.

Love all the creations made by the DT - go and check them out here.

Thanks for popping by have a good week ahead what ever you are up to and don't forget it is Stir Up Sunday next week!
XXX

Dumpling Day 73

Root Veg Casserole and Horseradish Dumplings on Day 73 - enough said!

I ♥ ProMarkers #40 - Icy Colours

What a lovely challenge the team have this week over at I ♥ ProMarkers - Icy Colours. Go and check out the inspiration provided by the DT.

I've used another image swap image for this one, I think she is an Anya one. She is super chic and I have coloured her with PMs and a touch of Glamour Dust for some added sparkle. The lovely paper was in the candy from the lovely Brenda. The ribbon with the snowflakes is by Dovecraft and was a super 99p! Everything else was from my stash. I added beads to the stocking charm just to add a little more interest.

Thanks for popping by I do appreciate it.
XXX

DDSB#33 Don't forget our men

This special H&S young man is for a special friend's young man who will be eight next week.

These cards are always a challenge - hopefully it will do.

Distrss Ink 'Faded Jeans' is a great colour and the Funky papers from Dovecraft are super too.
The H&S young man is coloured with PMs.

I am entering the Digi Doodle Shop's Best challenge for the first time. Pop over and have a look at the DT creations and the goodies on offer.
XXX

11/11 Remember

Day 72
Armistice

I've had a go at using Layer mask and gradient map to keep the red of the poppy but convert everything else to B&W. I think this technique has lots of potential for adding drama and emotion to shots.

The poem is 'Liberty' by Edward Thomas. He is one of the lesser known WWI poets but one of my favourites. He was killed in 1917 in the battle of Arras. We remember.
XXX

Day 41 for Lauren

I am way behind processing my daily shots but am attempting it.

Here is Day 41

Feeding the chickens at Granny's.

This is especially for Lauren, a chickiwick fan and nurturer.
XXX

Twas the night before Christmas at Allsorts

The lovely Allsorts team have a theme based on the poem 'Twas the night before Christmas' this week. It is such a lovely poem with images of a very sentimental Christmas - I like it.

Thanks to the person who kindly swapped this image - I thought it was ideal, although in the poem no mouse stirs but I decided that the rather lovely Santa mouse fitted with the image of Santa. They are coloured with PMs and some Glamour Dust.

The DCWV paper was great for this rather simple card. I've added the first verse of the poem and a 'hanging stocking' mentioned in the first stanza of course (from my stash) and a sentiment from D&D. I think this also very loosely ties in with Rosie's themed challenge on 'Craft Mad & Loving It' of Gingerbread - I did say VERY LOOSELY!

I made a second card using the poem too - again quite a simple card. Thanks to Brenda for the lovely Reindeer Stamp (It's one of my Favs). Santa charm and flower are from my stash. Sentiment is agian D&D.

'A Merry Christmas to All'
XXX

Just because it's Sunday...

A little baking too.
XXX

Snowflakes

Snowflakes inspired Tilda with Bell for todays Christmas card.

Hope you have all had a good weekend it really feels like the countdown to Christmas has started in earnest now.

This card fits in with the lovely 'Snowflakes' challenges on I Love PMs Challenge Blog and the Crafty Calendar Challenge Blog. Go and check out the DT creations and the lovely entries - all snowy and wintry.

I enjoyed all the PM colouring and MS punching on this one.

Have a happy week all.
XXX

The Sunday Creative : Aspiration

Justine set a really interesting prompt this morning for The Sunday Creative:

Aspiration

Simple really - to be a Faerie and fly, of course!

Oh, and to live in the moment like a toddler too.

What aspirations do you have?
Go and check out all the interpretations here.

XXX

Postal and punched

What can I say two posts in one day!

The lovely Debs is the Guest DT on 'Craft Mad & Loving It' and has a lovely sketch and twist of Postal Service! The lovely 'Lovely Hanglar Only' Challenge is Punch It. So I've combined them. This card was not easy but I'm hoping that having done it the creative urge will return.

I enjoyed using my new Glitter pen.

XXX

The Sunday Creative - Obsolete

Justine is hosting The Sunday Creative at the mo. Do pop over as her site is awesome.

The creative prompt this week is:
OBSOLETE

Day 63

Some of our lovely books on hystory.
I chose this as the people they are written about are certainly obsolete but also there appears at times in the modern world to be a lack of knowledge and interest in the past rendering the lessons it could teach us obsolete.

I've gone B&W and added glass and grain effect filters to add a sense of the obsolete, hopefully!

It is really interesting to see the other interpretations on this one.
C
XXX