August Heat Review and Cross Stitching

Well I am here with another audio book review, of another crime fiction. August Heat is by Andrea Camilleri and the main character is a Police Inspector, based in Italy. I have never read any of this authors books before, nor listened to any and I found it very interesting. The audio book was very well read in my opinion. The story-line is that a body is found in a hidden apartment in the middle of the August heat. The way the main character is portrayed is very human, and the fact that it the story includes mundane details of everyday life also makes it very interesting. I did find the main female character rather annoying and obvious, but other than that I found this book very entertaining to listen to.

Now to my Cross Stitches! Here is the update on the fish tank, which is now at 50 hours:

My little kitty is at 5 1/4 hours:

And also my Birth Sampler that I have started has the first quarter completed - the little doggy:

Hugz Tinz

C is for Corpse ... and Christmas

Hello everybody,

The weather has not been as bad as predicted this weekend. I am going to go into the garden in a little while and do some more weeding and planing up of seedlings. I also prepared the carrot and leek bed down at the allotment yesterday, and bought a storage bench for the allotment! I am going up in the world :)

I finished C is for Corpse audio book by Sue Grafton on Friday and thought I would give a quick review - hence the blog title. I do like crime novels and have read a few of Sue's books. This one was as good as her other work and was very interesting. She is very good at keeping you guessing until the very end, but I found that with this particular book I had figured out who it was about two chapters before the main character does. However, this did not detract from the book and I really enjoyed reading it. In this particular book Kinsey Millhone ends up working for a dead man, and has to try and piece things together without his input.  I will try and give a quick review of each of the audio books I listen to.

And now for my Christmas creation:

I used a plain red A5 card stock folded in half for the card blank. The stamp set used was the Honey and Hugs Festive Frolics set. I used a small snowflake with VersaMark grey ink to make a backing paper with vellum. I stamped several rows of snowflakes onto the vellum to cover the area required:

I then used the Christmas pudding stamp with black ink on green paper for the next layer:

A scalloped circle was die-cut from deep red card stock and affixed to the centre of these layers. The sheep was stamped onto white cardstock using black ink and coloured in with Promarkers (predominantly the 'Brights' collection), and then cut into a circle and affixed to the red circle:

Finally the Christmas pudding was once again used, but this time onto a spare piece of vellum, and coloured in with the 'Brights' Promarkers. This was attached to the bottom right of the image to create the final card seen above.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
#216 Hats - ilovepromarkers
Anything Goes - craftycatz; completely Christmas; 613 Avenue Create; OCS (no digi)
#14 Food - stampingboutique  #174 Festive food/drink - CraftyHazelnut
no sentiment - Winter Wonderland
No designer paper - sweetstampin'
Several layers - jinglebelles (Bundled up); simplycreatetoo (stack em up)

Hugz Tinz

Stitching update

Well firstly I have finally managed to get my potato bed planted up!! But I do have several tubers left, as well as quite a few onion sets!! Thankfully I am going to look at a second allotment plot tomorrow evening - so fingers crossed I will get some more planting space!

So here are the stitching updates:

First is my fish tank @ 48.5 hours (or possibly 49.5, but my diary is upstairs). Not sure why it is insisting on putting it this way round!!!

And here is my kitty @ 4.5 hours.

Hugz Tinz

May flowers ATC

Well it has been a very busy weekend! After working Friday and Saturday morning I spent the afternoons down on the allotment - preparing the potato bed and planting the onions and first set of potatoes. Then we went to visit his parents and grandparents in Norfolk and had a couple of busy days visiting and being out and about. However I have had time to make the next trio of ATCs.

The theme for this selection is may flowers.

The first ATC was made from hot pink card with a square of orange floral paper placed in the centre top. Then three pink foam floral designs were added onto the square of orange paper. Glitter glue was used to frame the square and highlight the flowers and then a 'With Love' sentiment was added to the bottom.

This is to be entered into the following challenges:
Delicious Doodles - #84 Pink
Delightful Sketches - Bloom
Glitter n Sparkle - #81 Easter/Spring
Sketchy colours - orange and pink
Aud sentiments - For a friend
Polkadoodles - springtime
Simplecreatetoo - #59 no stamps
abc challenge - J-Just as you like

The second ATC was also on hot pink cardstock. A floral papermania embossing folder was used on the top half of the card and then this section was sanded down to create a distressed effect. A pale pink polkadot ribbon was added across the join section. A bird double sided peel-off was stuck onto polka dot patterned paper and pink glitter sprinkled onto the image. This was then cut into a rough oval and placed on the centre right of the card. A pink foam flower pot was added to the bottom left.

This is to be entered into the following challenges:
PaulaHolifields - Birds and bees
Catchthebug - BINGO - polka; hot pink and flowers
Allsorts - Birds and feathers
Craftycatz - #227 B is for...Bird
Sweetsketchwednesday - #11
Simonsayswed - animal antics
Craftyribbons - anything goes with ribbon
lovetocreate - #112 Monochromatic with ribbon
MIM - Distress it!

The third and final ATC used a white cardstock to which a brown and aqua patterned paper was attached across the centre. A fairy peel-off was stuck to white paper and cut into a rough oval before being stuck to the base card on the left. This was then coloured with glitter glue. A 'with love' sentiment was added to an offcut of the patterned paper, which had an inverted V cut into the end and this was then attached to the other side of the card. A yellow foam flower pot was added underneath this sentiment.

This is to be entered into the following challenges:
modsquad - colour challenge - brown, yellow and pale blue
C4C232 - Sketch
card mania - Fairies
Creative Moments - Anything goes/Girly
Crafty Calender - Things with wings

Thank you for looking.
Hugz Tinz

Stitching update and Celebrations!

Well the weather has turned a bit today hasn't it?? I hope it stays dry tomorrow because I want to plant my potatoes and onion sets at the allotment (after digging up the Leeks that have overwintered). The radishes are starting to show themselves and the two rows of broad beans that I direct planted are also coming up now :)

Anyway here is the card I made for my Granddad in law. I used the free Celebration Penguin digi-stamp from 2cuteink as the main image and coloured him in used Promarkers (Cool grey 1,4 and 5, Island Lagoon, Tequila Sunrise, Polar Blue and Tawney Owl). I then used an ornate die to cut the image out and attached it to the card front. Papermania adhesive pearls and gems were added to each side (as dictated in the catch the bug sketch) and a 'Celebrate' sticker added to the bottom.

This is being entered into the following challenges:
Winged things - Simon Says Monday; craftycalendar
Animals - Passion for Promarkers; Simon says Wednesday; polkadoodles
Anything Goes - Suzy Bee; craftingbydesigns
Anything but a square - Glitter and sparkle
Celebration - #104 2cute inks
Inspired by a movie - Deep ocean (movie is Happy Feet)
For a friend - aud sentiments
Sketch - catch the bug
The birds and the bees - paulaholifield

And here are the cross stitch updates:
Fish @ ~43hrs

Cat @ 2hr45

Hugz Tinz

Easter Animals

Today I have been down to the allotment and into town in the chilly wind and overcast sky. Now I have let my two little blue boys out to play (both Red-rumped Parakeets) and so the sun comes out and the sky is blue!! Grrr how typical - I could have got the boys out earlier and been down at the allotment now - not having to fight with the wind to plant my seeds!!! lol.

I made another trio of ATC's yesterday - to an Easter Animal theme (as this seems to be the common theme for the challenges at the moment :)  ). All three are acetate based with a central image.

Easter 1 has a glittery pink border and a glitter peel-off of a rabbit carrying an Easter egg on its back. The peel-off was coloured in using Promarkers. A 'chocolate eggs' sentiment was added to the bottom of the ATC and two lilac buttons to the top.

I am entering this ATC for the following challenges:
Easter - Artistic impressions; alphabet challenge E is for...; #64 Card Mania
#110 For kids - lovetocreate
So sentimental - passion for promarkers
Bounty of buttons - ilove promarkers #214
Eggstra special - Delightful sketches
Anything Goes/Spring - #66 Avenue create (rabbits and easter eggs)
Anything Goes - crafting by designs

Easter 2 is bordered with a dusky pink flower print, with a small butterfly sticker on the top left corner. A Smirk stamp of rabbits in a row, was inked with Staz-on black and stamped onto the acetate, before being painted with Anita's Aqua glass paints (red, blue and yellow - mixed to make the required colours). I felt that no further embellishments were required for this ATC.

I am entering this ATC into these challenges:
Anything goes/no digi - one crazy stamper
Animals - polka doodles; #226 Crafty catz
Anything Goes - #38 Scrapbook stamp society; Suzy Bee
Spring - catch the bug; papertake - spring has sprung (bunnies spring :) )
Easter/Spring - divas by design

Easter 3's border was coloured Lime Green using promarkers. Peel-offs of a chick and an Easter egg were also coloured in using promarkers, in lime green and yellow. Butterfly stickers were added around the peel-offs and one to the top right and bottom left corners of the ATC.

This ATC is being entered into:
Easter/Sweet Treats - Simon Says Wed
Easter - cute card thursday #316; delicious doodles #83
Egg - C4C231; a creative romance
Colour challenge - Lime green and yellow (Sketchy Colours)
Anything Goes - 2cuteink
No digis/stamps - #59 simply create too
Things with wings - crafty calender

Thank you for looking
Tinz

Stitching WIP 09/04/14

First let me tell you that my first broad bean shoot have appeared as have the first onion and shallot shoots, and my first three tomato shoots and cucumbers whoop!

Anyway, here are my two work in progress reports - the first is my fish at 42hrs now, and getting more blue each time.

This is the second one - a funky cat from heritage crafts. I have only just started this and it is on evenweave, with a variety of different stitches (including squashed stitches) and I have been waiting to get started on it for a while.

Hugz Tinz

Peel-off fun

Hiya folks,

The weather has not been so nice this weekend - but I have still managed to do some of the allotment. The parsnips are now in, the pond is partially in and is awaiting a raised bed to go around it and the shallot bed has been cleared ready to have the seeds sown tomorrow - assuming the weather allows it.
The first of the broad beans are now coming up in the cell trays - the mizuna is doing well as are the peas - the first of the sweetcorn is up - and the first of the second planting of brassicas are coming up! Next to be planted into seed trays will be the peppers and second sowing of aubergines (if I have space) as well as some of the flower seeds, such as marigolds and nasturtiums.

I have made two cards today, using peel-offs and mirror card to create the whole design. It was good fun actually, although for the anniversary card I was finding it difficult to get some suitable stickers out of my stash. I do think the final design works quite well though.

Simply 1st Anniversary:

The border and sentiment peel-offs were coloured with black permanent marker before being stuck onto white card, along with the main sticker. The card was trimmed quite close to the peel-offs and then mounted separately onto gold mirror card. They were then stuck onto a white card blank for a simple but stylish card.

This card will be entered into the following challenges:
MIM challenge - one for the boys (this is for a male anniversary)
Allsorts challenge - No flowers
Anything goes at Simon Says Monday; Suzy Bee; crafting by designs

Poppy Birthday:

This time the peel-offs were stuck onto red mirror card and then mounted onto gold mirror card, with the 40 being bordered with a silver square. These were then attached to a pink card blank with a gold bordered red strip peel-off between the two sets of stickers. A poppy border was added to the right-hand edge of the card to finish.

This card will be entered into the following challenges:
Love to create - Photo inspiration- Poppy
Simon Says Wednesday - Happy Birthday
Delightful Challenges - Hip to be Square (the square 40)
Craftycatz - Springtime
A creative romance - spring flowers
Anything goes at Divas by Designs; catch the bug; avenue613 - spring

Hugz Tinz

Joyful Peas

Well I did not intend to make a Christmas card tonight, however I had an idea and could only think of one stamp to use for the overlay - snow. Ok I could have done a snow themed birthday card, but then I had no humourous greetings to go with it.

So here is the card:

The background of the aperture was stamped with the Whispers snow stamp (4 times to create a full background). This was repeated onto acetate and heat embossed with holographic heat-it up powder - which unfortunately did not cover the black ink as well as I hoped, so I now have black snow! The peas are a Penny Black stamp and were stamped onto plain paper and coloured in using the 'Brights' collection of promarkers. They were then cut out with a snowy hill surround and stuck onto the aperture background. The acetate was stuck over the aperture and then the flap was stuck down onto the pea background. A mini tag was die-cut from Kraft card, and the humourous sentiment from the Penny Black stamp added to it. This was stuck to the top of the card with a pearl accent.

I wish to enter this card into the following challenges:
One Crazy Stamper; Crafty Cats; Simon Says Monday
Alphabet Challenge - D is for Diecuts
Craft-Room - humour
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - going round in circle (peas, aperture and snow :) )
Winter Wonderland - Get Krafty
Crafty Little Fairies - add a tag
CRAFT - 252 Weather
PassionforPromarkers - give us a laugh
make my monday - one for the boys
V's Sweet Ideas - #22 Technique Challenge

Hugz Tinz