A pop of red

Hi there,

My car is now back, after a couple of days with a little 1L petrol that didn't have a CD player!! The car itself was not actually too bad, but the lack of CD player meant no audio-book for my journey to work. I had to listen to the radio, and the music at the moment really does leave something to be desired!!

So I have made another two cards from that one piece of patterned paper, some red card, toppers and dies. These were for my monthly themes for crafting group over on facebook.

One and Only

 This one used a 3x3 scalloped base card. I die-cut a hear from patterned paper (although I probably didn't have to lol), and then used the same X-cut nesting dies to cut a heart frame from red card, which I layered over the patterned paper using 3D foam pads. I added a red flower button to the centre. I cut a tag shape from white card and hand-wrote the sentiment before adding to the top of the frame.

Flowers for You

This card is made from an A5 card blank, which has been folded into an easel card - instructions can be found here: www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/01/how-to-make-easel-cards/ I cut a panel from the patterned paper and also a slightly larger panel from the red card, and added to the centre of the easel. I wrapped a gosamer ribbon, with black flower details, around the easel and tied in a knot to one side of the panel. I added a felt butterfly to the other side for balance. I stamped the sentiment, which is a Woodware stamp, in red ink and die-cut using a nesting butterfly I got free with Crafts Beautiful magazine. This was placed in the centre of the bottom panel using foam pads to hold the easel top open. A red flower was added to finish.

This particular card I would like to enter into the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday - Flora and Fauna

 Glitter 'n' Sparkle #196 Easel card

Crafty Ribbons #159 Things with Wings

Inkspirational #112 Anything Goes with red

LLC #49 Sprinkles of Summer
Short O Mania #156 Summer

Here are some photos from down on the allotment yesterday:

 I think this may be an oxygenating pond weed, but not too sure - looks a bit strange lol.

 Slightly further out

 Bee Bar - not sure who is serving though lol

 Oooh more bees have come to join in!

Common Blue Damselfly I think this time.

And finally my little birdies enjoying the sunshine:

Thank you for looking - and watch out for the next post with the final three cards made from that one piece of patterned paper!

Hugz Tinz

With Tracks and Iron

Well, today has been an interesting day. It rained this morning when I was free to go down to the allotment and then brightened up just as I had to go out! Just typical. Hopefully it will be nice again tomorrow so I can pop down and do some bits, especially weeding, after work (assuming I do not get my car back, in which case I won't have time to go down the allotment, as I have to drive another 20mins past my house to collect my car and fill in paperwork etc.

Anyway, I have set myself a challenge to create several cards from one sheet of patterned paper, some gems, peel-offs, maybe die-cuts and base cards. Unfortunately my base cards are 6x6 so I have opten to use an 8x8 sheet of paper, as a 6x6 sheet of paper would not do all six cards. I have also found two much smaller card blanks (3x3) for the next cards.

Here is te first card I have created:

I cut the front of the card diagonallyand die-cut a flower shape out of the patterned paper. I coloured the image, which is from The Stamping Boutique, using promarkers Cool Grey 1-5 and Pine, before die-cutting into a circle and matting onto the patterned paper. This was layered over the edge of the cut front. The sentiment was added with peel-off letters and gems, finally a bow which was coloured with the Pine promarker.

This card is suitable for my Colour Pop Theme on my Facebook Monthly Themes for Crafting group.

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

Die Cuttin' Divas #273 Sketch

 

Hanna and Friends #252 Holidays

 Crafty Calender - Punches/Dies

Country View #41 Circles

I also have another introduction for you - this time meet Mocha. She was one of the original females that we rehomed when their owner culd not look after them any more. She is a cheeky little minx and loves to nibble on my nails. Like her sisters she is very sociable and like nibbling on seeding grasses.

And here is my advent calender so far:

and a close up of the new four designs:

Finally another audio book review:

With Blood and Iron by Douglas Reeman

Douglas Reeman served during the Second World War, and this book is based upon that war and was first published in 1964. This story is written from the perspective of the enemy and would originally have helped to establish the fact that the enemy, in most cases, were just the same as the British fighting soldiers – following orders and risking serious consequences if they did not follow orders. The main character in this story is a U-boat captain, Steiger, who is very determined to follow orders and do his best for his country, regardless of the risks faced by himself or his men. However as the book proceeds you start to see him beginning to question what actually is right, and worrying that the decisions he makes may not be correct. There are also the power struggles internally on the base, as well as the pressure of being confined in a small space with the same people, often in life or death situations. I found this a very good story, full of tension and drama, and I would definitely recommend it for commutes, although maybe not for journeys where you really need to concentrate on where you are going!

Thankyou for looking at my blog,

Hugz Tinz

Little Ladybird and a Kitty

Hello everybody,

It is time for another new challenge over at Creative Moments. We are a fortnightly always anything goes blog, but for those of you who like a bit of direction (or even just a bit of a challenge) there is often a twist. The twist for Challenge 97 is Ribbons and/or Bows. We have some lovely sponsors, as usual - but I am going to make you pop over to the blog to see what you can win! I will let you know that one of the sponsors is Di's Digi's and I have used Pippa's Ladybird, which is currently a steal at only $1!

I obviously went with the twist - I do like a challenge - and added both a ribbon and a bow (ok I tied the said ribbon into a bow, but it still has both!!!):

I used a lilac card blank (from the Works), embossed a panel of pink card using a magazine freebie. The image was coloured with pencil crayons as I have not coloured this 'old fashioned' way for ages and found my pencil case in my desk! The image was then cut to match the central oval on the embossed panel. A blue ribbon was wrapped around the card and tied into a bow! A nice, easy CAS card!

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

Catch the Bug - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations 160 Anything Goes

Modsquad - Lazy Days of Summer

Deep Ocean #132 Colours of Summer

Digi Chooseday 27 CAS

Polkadoodle - Ribbon/Twine

Crafting by Designs Anything Goes

Cute as a button #24 Anything Goes

 I also have a new pet introduction for you, as promised. Meet Furrby, my 17 yo kitty. She has hyperthyroidism and hates taking her medication, and has recently gone deaf, which we think was due to a stroke from her previous medication! However she is otherwise happy and healthy!

Here is an update on my Dinosaur Height chart - now at 80hr 45:

Thankyou for looking and I hope to see you joining in the Ribbon/Bow challenge.
Hugz Tinz

Good bye, paper piecing and tyres

Hello there,

It is a late one tonight as I am also trying to pack boxes for moving house, as well as getting an assignment completed for work! However, here is my card for this months technique in focus on my facebook group - Crafting Techniques:

I used a Papermania Folk Floral card blank and doodled some lines around the edges. I then used Happy Day clear stamp set that came free with a magazine a while ago - cannot remember which magazine - to stamp a string along the top. I also stamped some flags from the same set onto two different patterned papers, cut them out and attched them to the string, overlapping the circle centre panel. I also stamped two bluebirds, a banner and letters to spell out BYE onto different patterned papers and fussy cut these, layering them onto the central panel to create the picture. Finally I added pearls to the card, for a little bit of bling.

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

Country View - Have fun with circles

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 #92

 

OLL #208 Something beginning with F (Flags)

City Crafter #318 Hang out the flags

Cute Card Thursday #432 Add a banner/flags

 

There is no introduction to Furrby today - she was being difficult and I cold not get a decent picture, so I will try again for Wednesday (When we will have a new challenge over at Creative Moments). However I do have some other little critters to share with you:

 Newly hatched snails maybe?

 Sexy shield bugs

 Dragonfly

 Different angle

 Ovipositing Damselflies

Skipper - large or essex I am unsure

And finally an audiobook review:

Blood, sweat and tyres by The Hairy Bikers

This is an autobiography by the famous duo, known for their cookery, humour and travelling around the globe. I have heard many good things about them, but have never watched, or read, anything of theirs, so I thought it was high time to give it a go. Initially I was a little dubious about getting this out of the library as an audio book, as I thought there might have been several recipes throughout the book, and having had a book like this previously in audio format, I know that you just cannot remember those instructions, no matter how much you try! However I need not have worried, as this is very much an autobiography. Humourous and interesting these two really do bounce off each other, and the fact that they have alternated the chapters allows you to see how each of them feels about the different events, accidents, health scares and family commitments, both of their own and the other one’s life. I really enjoyed this book – so much so that I went to the library to get out one of their cookbooks. I would definitely recommend this book if you like a humourous, whilst also serious, account of the lives of these two clowns.

Thank you for looking

Hugz Tinz

Shocking Snake

Hi there,

It has been lovely today - shame I spent the morning at work and the afternoon trying to get my car sorted. I have only had it 3-4 weeks and there is already a fault with it!! So I had to top my engine oil up again - that will be twice in one week. Sounds easy yes! NO none of the local petrol stations have the oil I need, none of the garages are open Saturday afternoon, so I had to get a similar oil from Wilkos. Grrr so frustrated just now!

However I have made a card using one of the cross stitch designs I have had stored away for a while. I thought it was past time to start using some of these - and this time I used a little snake.

I used a geometric papermania square card blank as the base. First I placed a ribbon across the centre of the card. I have just bought some dies from Creative Dies, and I used the largest Ornate Frame on pearlescent red card. The stitching was backed with white card before layering onto the red panel, and then the panel was attached to the card with 3D foam tape. Finally some curling ribbon and a flower gem were used to make a bright topper.

This card was based around the Atlantic Hearts Sketch:

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

OLL #207 Sun, Sand and Sea (you get snakes in the sand - and there is a sun behind the snake)

Deep Ocean - Colours of summer

Crafty Ribbons #157 Summer

Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - Punches/Dies

 I also have some more little critter pictures to share with you :) Therefore there is no new pet introduction this time, but watch out for Mondays blog post - I will introduce Furby to you. Can you guess what she is though?

 Damselfly

 And a close-up showing that it is an Azure Damselfly

 Cinnebar Moth

Newly emerged ladybird - just drying out the wing cases to develop the redness and spots!

I do like my allotments for seeing little critters. I had a Dragonfly - a Southern Hawker again - playing around my pond and he has been round there since Tuesday I think it was. I thought he had damaged himself as he was always there and didn't fly away when I knocked the plant he was on (or more corretly nettle he was on). However, after nearly squashing him today when picking my raspberries (he was behind the think stem, as was the raspberry) he climbed on my finger, vibrated his wings and then took off over the houses on tha far side of the allotment!! Little terror obviously didn't like being nearly squished.

And here are my Brussels Sprouts planted out and netted from the pigeons!

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and look at my blog.

Hugz Tinz