Stitching from a Stranger

Hi there,

It is time for a new challenge over at Creative Moments, and this time we have a challenge twist of Stitching - Real or Faux (or you can just play Anything Goes - we love to see all your creations). This challenge is being sponsored by http://www.bugaboostamps.com who are offering 7 digi-stamps - http://craftysentimentsdesigns.co.uk who are offering 3 digi-stamps -http://www.polkadoodles.co.uk/downloads-printables-store/, who are offering a £9/$15 voucher for their store - and https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RickStdennis, who I got my image from - A Stitch in Time.

Here is my creation - with some stitching and a digi stamp that includes stitching too!

The patterned paper was printed a while ago off one of my CD-Roms - I cannot remember which one - as I thought it resembled waves in the water - for the boat to sit on. I thought the little guy on the swing, stitching the clock, looked like a sailor, marking the time. The border circle was cut using a Sizzix die from a snowflake set!

I would also like to enter this card for the following challenges:

Simon Says, Wednesday - For a guy

Creative Corner - Just for men

Sweet Stampin' - Father's Day/Special man

OLLCB - One for the boys

scrapbook stamp society - #93 Father's Day

I love Promarkers - Inspired by a song (Sailing by Rod Stewart)

polkadoodle - one for the boys

crafty calender - Father's Day/For a male

CCM #81 Around the world

I have another audio book review for you today:

Letter from a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford

When a letter arrives for their mother, twins Richard and Justine feel fine to open it. What they discover is a shock to them both and causes mistrust of their mother and an adventure to find their estranged Grandmother. When they find her there are even more shocking revelations to follow before the twins can begin to settle down to life again. I cannot say too much without giving the main part of the plot away, but much of the second half of the book is looking back in time through the written word of the grandmother, which is done very well. This is a moving story, with some drama, but it is in no way an action story, but more of a romance type book. Well written and well read it was a pleasure to listen too, but it is easy to drift of in some places when on a long commute.

I would also like to share a commission with you - it is a patchwork square stitched freehand for a friend at work:

 I would also like to introduce you to Florance (Flo for short) who is the same type of bird as Billie and Beau who you have met previously. She is the wild colouration of a Red-rump parakeet and the male would have a bright red patch on the rump, just under where the wings cross on the lower back. Florance was rescued from a friend who thought his wife was looking after the bird, when she believed that it was his job, and so the bird had been neglected, never came out of the cage and only had food and water added, but nothing removed. There was a lovely layer of mould on the cage bottom. Now she is very much the extrovert and loves being in the company of the others - although she does constantly wind the breeding pair - Billie and Piper - up. She is the companion of Beau (although she would certainly prefer a male companion instead lol).

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Sweet Notelets

It would seem that summer is finally here - and the weeds are growing exceedingly well. I had three lovely sweetcorn plants that had germinated, and then I found a snail in my propagator this evening - after it has eaten completely through two and part-way through the third!! I knew I had more seedlings in there grrr! I also have a lovely pink back from working the allotment yesterday - even though I kept moving around to expose different sides of myself to the sun, it would seem that as soon as you bend over to work a bed, the same area exposes itself lol.

Anyway, onto what this blog is about - today I have made a notelet holder, as the theme I was using was Anything but a card:

I used a free stencil with a glitz craft green glitter paste to edge above the post-it-notes (I am still not brillaint at using these so yes there is a little bit of glitter elsewhere too). I then used Clearly Besotted stamps and red embossing powder to make a sweet themed creation!

I would like to enter this for the following challenges:

OLS28 Stencil

Inkspirational #110 TEXT

Hanna and friends #249 Anything but a card

Artistic Inspirations #158 Anything Goes

CCEE1622 Rocky Road Ice Cream

Here is an update for my height chart - 76hours in:

And I will leave you with a couple of pictures - Cappacino and Sateen (whom you have not met yet), and a little video:

Thankyou for looking at my blog - check back on wednesday for a new challenge over at Creative Moments, as well as an audiobook review.

Hugz Tinz.

Birthday Bounce

Hi there,

What a lovely day - although I have managed to burn my shoulders! Where is the suncream when you need it lol. I was going to post this blog yesterday, but ended up running a little late and so ran out of time. I was going out to a karaoke - only one problem - when we got to the pub thekaraoke was cancelled. Unfortunately a standard pub with just a live band that is not set up very well just doesn't keep you awake when you are working the 12 days on shift lol. In bed by midnight, but still feeling it today - early night me thinks.

However, here is the card that I made yesterday. I got the idea from an old issue of Papercraft Essentials and thought it was a great way to use one of the present embossed die-cuts I received from a friend a while ago.

I matted Mirri card and a Papermania patterned paper together to create layers. I attached the die-cut to a strip of acetate, bent this slightly and attached behind the smaller matted layer, before layering over the bottom layer. I added peel-offs to finish.

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges:

Die cuttin Divas - #268 Anything Goes

CCM - #165 Monochrome

The Card Concept - #56 Sweet Tea (Clean and Layered)

 

Art Impressions - #185 Layer it on me (5+ layers)

Alphabet Challenge - G for Girlie

 ABC-challenge - I for Important

I would also like to share my Christmas Advent Calender so far with you all. I have done four more of the pocket designs.

Lots of different motifs here, with lots of metallic gold thread too!

And I would like to introduce Doris to you today. We got Doris to be a friend for Arthur, hoping that she would calm him down and he would leave the cats alone. Unfortunately this did not work and he will still run at the cats if he sees them, so the bunnies cannot be out in the house. Doris does not really like to be handled much, but she doesn't bite and will sit nicely for a while whilst you clip her claws when needed. However, she shouldn't really need her claws clipping as often as she does because she likes to dig!! The lawn now has several holes courtesy of Doris (aka DoDo or Dosey lol). You can see she does look kinda like a wild rabbit, although Pets at Home did sell her to us as a Lop!

Finally, I wanted to share my latest additions with you - now I just have to find that extra hour in the day so that I can plant them out lol.

 Acer to go into a large terracotta pot.

 Bergonias - £1 from Homebase

Succulents to go in a herb planter

Thank you for reading my blog,

Hugz Tinz

Messy Havoc

Hi there,

We are on the second of June already!! And it currently feels more like winter than summer brrr. As it is the beginning of the month I have two new themes in my facebook groups. The Monthly Themes for Crafting group has the buzz word - MESSY - while the technique in focus in the Crafting Techniques group is - LAYERING.

So combining these two groups I have made this masculine card:

I have layered different die-cuts and then added a large gem and ribbon to the top to create a 'messy' topper. I then added a journalling panel and a mini card and envelope, to allow the card to be personalised. A quick and effective card!

I would also like to enter this card for the following challenges:

Crafting by designs - Anything Goes

Art Impressions - #185 Layer it on me (5+ layers)

CCM - #165 Monochrome

Diecuttin Divas - #268 Anything Goes with die-cuts

SOS - #254 The 4 elements (I chose the colours of water)

Also - here is last weeks update on the Dino height chart - I should have another on Tuesday for you. This was at 75 hours:

And now for another introduction for you. This is another one of my mice, called Ditto. She was so named as she was rescued with a batch of other mice who had not been named as the owner could not tell them apart. As she was the spitting image of her mum, but slightly smaller, I opted to call her Ditto - or Ditz for short lol. She is still the smallest of the girls and is very nosy and interested in finding out exactly what is going on!

Cappaccino wanted to play too - I did inform her that she has already been introduced but she just likes the camera!

Finally here is the review for the audio book I have just finished:

Sharpe’s Havoc by Bernard Cornwell

This story is set in the middle of a war in Portugal, between the Portuguese, with the British on their side, and the French invading through Spain, under the command of Napoleon. Sharpe is a commander of some British Riflemen who have gotten separated from their legions and taken under the wing of a Captain whose duty is to map Portugal. When the French army takes the city Sharpe is commanded to find a young English girl who has disappeared, and keep an eye on Colonel Christopher. As Sharpe follows orders he finds things are not quite as they seem, and he battles to face odds much higher than would usually be seen in battle, on the wrong side of the river.

This is a very well written story and is told from a couple of angles, so that the reader knows what is happening and has the time to wonder how Sharpe is going to react. It is full of action and also some humour, and I would recommend this book to others as I found it very easy to listen to on my journey. However, I cannot say whether the events are factual or not, as I am not knowledgeable about this particular war, if it was ever actually fought.

Thankyou for looking once again,
It would be lovely to see some of you join in with my JFF facebook groups,

Hugz Tinz