Autumal ATCs and growth

Hi there,

It has been a lovely late September weekend here in Rutland. Typical when I am unable to pop to the allotment. I hope the weather holds for next weekend. I did manage to get down there on Friday and I have a couple of pictures to share, but first for the ATC duo:

Both of these ATC's use an autumnal themed patterned card for the base, Marianne Createables dies, a leaf button and rhinestones. The leaf buttons were inked with pretty colour ink pens, which were also used on the die-cut birds.

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

MMM - Nature

Crafting by designs - ATC

cute card thursday 392 Things with wings

Deep Ocean #113 Autumn

The Card Concept #40 Forest Friends - Clean and Layered

Simply Create Too #95 Autumn Splendour

Inkspirational #92 Picture Inkspiration

abc-challenge R for Recipe - Buttons, Dies and Rhinestones

Here are some photos from the allotment. First up is my poor, heavily laden Apple tree:

Then there is my pear tree - doing much better than the apple for staying upright:

Then we have my lettuces and courgettes which are doing very well:

And finally my extra large courgette hiding under the leaves and waiting to see how big it can get!

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Retirement Green

Hello again,

Apparently it is supposed to brighten up for the rest of the week - fingers crossed!

Tonight I have made a retirement card for a family friend whose party we are going to at the weekend. As Shabby Chic seems to be a big trend at the moment I thought I would have a go at combining this with the masculine feel. This also sits well with my facebook challenge of Leather, as this is a big part of a masculine shabby chic look.

Here is the card:

I used a sizzix stamp with Laurel Leaf versa colour ink on black card for the base. I stamped the excess ink into the gaps to give a rustic feel to the card. The letters and background paper were taken from a CDRom I got free with Quick Cards a few years ago. The background was coloured using Frosted Leaf, Polar Blue, Winter Berry, Icicle and March Hare Promakers. The image was found on my computer, but I thought it was shabby chic itself and surely is what every man dreams of?? I coloured this with Morning Mist, Frosted Leaf, Fresh Meadow, March Hare and Icicle Promarkers. To finish the letters were fussy cut and arranged into the sentiment, and two leather buttons accessorize the image.

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

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 68

Passion for Promarkers 315 Boys will be Boys

LOC #96 No Designer Paper

suzy bee #98 Vintage/Shabby Chic

aud sentiments 140 ATG

hanna and friends #231 Favourite Stamp

polkadoodle Shabby Chic

Audio Book Review

Shamrock Green by Jessica Stirling

Set in Ireland during the First World War and the Irish revolution, this story focuses on the lives of one family. Separated initially by their differing views of the rebellion, which causes the Scottish wife to be unfaithful to her husband, and then by the war, as the Irish husband joins the local regiment. Through ups and downs the family finally comes back together, but not to the unit they once were.

This is a captivating book to listen to. Very well read, and written, it constantly has you gripped and wanting to know where they go next and if they will get what they need to make them happy. I would recommend this book!

Celebrate 65!

Well hello again,

This post is for the birthday card I threw together quickly last night. As there were a few challenges asking for numbers as the theme, and the card was for a fairly important birthday, I decided to add the age as a main point on the card, and also went for a CAS look.

Materials used - A5 white card blank; Papermania glitter ribbon; Green glitter glue pen; Adam Pescott free stamp set; Promarkers - Grey Squirrel; Tawny Owl; Primrose; Island Lagoon and Tequila Sunrise.

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

simply less is moore - 241 OLC Wishing

Quirky Crafts #19 Quirky Animal Magic

Country View #32 Numbers

OLS #20 What's your number?

Another short and sweet post.
Thank you once again for looking at my blog,

Hugz Tinz

Putting up the Tree

Hiya everybody,

This will be a quick post today, for a quick and easy card. Well it was Christmas card time again tonight and this is what I came up with after looking through my stash for items I have had for over a year and not used.

The image is a Forever Friends, Christmas time topper panel. The base card was precut to shape and I just added the topper and Helz Cuppleditch Winter Wonderland adhesive gems. As I said very quick. As I also had to make a male birthday card tonight I needed something quick to ensure I got a Christmas card made.

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

crafting by design - Anything Goes

Quirky Crafts #19 Quirky Animal Magic

simply create too` #94 Early Holiday Wishes

jingle belles Shopping Our (Jingly) Stash - image

abc christmas S for Silent (No Sentiment)

craftyhazelnut Festive trees/greenery

CRAFT 329 Add some bling

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Floral Tilt

Hi there,

Here is the cross stitch update I promised you, as well as another Audio Book Review. I finished this flower in just under 4 hours, but I did miss the border off as I think it will make a better card if it is set in an aperture with the cut-off edge right up against the aperture side.

This was a free kit back in 2006 I think, with Cross Stitcher magazine. Unfortunately there was not enough blue thread to complete the leaves, so the second leaf has a hint of shade on one side - the thread colours listed were not the same as the threads given :(

I would like to enter this for the following challenges:

Card Mania #72 Pastel colours

mod squad Focal flower

I would like to enter this creation as it is into the following challenges:


Here is my Fish Tank update at almost 106 hours!!

And finally, the audio book review:

Full Tilt by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes

Former wrestler Frankie is running for mayor of quiet Beaumont, but we he starts getting threatening mail his wife, Deedee, calls on her brother, the notorious Max Holt. Jamie has her life all planned out, with the main focus being on her newspaper, but with the arrival of Max, her silent partner in the newspaper, her life is turned upside down and she is able to give a first-hand account of the biggest news in town.

When I saw that this book was read by Lorelei King I knew it was going to be a fast paced and intriguing crime story. However this book also has plenty of humour also, with a variety of characters. There are several different side plots which keep you guessing at who is the bad guy, but there are also moments where Jamie is much more naive than possible which make you roll your eyes. A very good book for a long commute, but also easy to put on pause for a while without losing track of the storyline.

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Oh I nearly forgot to mention - not only do we have some little baby micees, but Arthur and Doris - the two rabbits - have started to get along and both went to bed in the same hutch tonight - of their own accord! Fingers crossed they are now friends!

A saucy moon :)

Hi there,

For anybody that reads my blog regularly you will know I run a couple of craft groups over on facebook. This month the Crafting Techniques group is taking everybody into the kitchen to make some sauce - any sauce is acceptable as long as it is made from scratch and a link to some instructions is provided, preferably, in case others in the group would like to try making it themselves. So I made a pasta sauce. As I have an allotment I was able o use some of my own home-grown produce for the sauce, however with the poor weather I did not have enough tomatoes so had to use some tinned tomatoes also. Here are the ingredients used:

 

 Basil and Chives, Runner and French beans, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, onion - very white, garlic and salt and white pepper.
First the herbs were chopped finely.


Then all the vegetables were chopped. Ten the recipe told me to fry all these vegetables, but not the herbs? I could ave chopped the herbs while the veg was frying and saved a bit of time!

After about 10 mins I added the tomatoes, seasoning and red wine vinegar. I also managed to splash some on the side of the hob - :( More cleaning up for me lol.

Add the herbs once it is cooked and stir in - it doesn't really look much different from when you first start cooking it to when it is finished, but the texture is different.

Finally add to spaghetti lol.

The recipe can be found at http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/classic-tomato-spaghetti/

My OH says it is very tasty and he is pretty hard to please lol.

I have also made this CAS card:

I die cut a circle from a white base card, and backed it with double sided paper, with a moon-like effect on the one side, and floral for the inner side of the card. The stickers were free with a magazine and I used the sentiment and leaf directly onto the aperture, but stuck the owl and tree to yellow paper first and then fussy cut around them to create the effect of the moons glow against them.

I made this card for the following challenges:

CASology 163 Moon

papertakeweekly Tings with wings

creative moments 76 Use a sentiment

aud sentiments 140 Anything Goes

artimpressions #168 Cut your cards

crafty calender Anything Goes
card mania #72 Pastel colours

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Robin Question

Hi everybody,

I have my kitty stitch to show you as promised:

I am hoping to do some more on the Fish Tank tomorrow, as well as getting the flower card design completed.

On the other end of the scale I have started my Christmas ATC's this evening with this trio:

Christmas Robin #1

Christmas Robin #2

Christmas Robin #3

The ATC's were cut to size from an A5 sheet of red mirri card. The sentiment stamp was one from my stash and the Robin is a Kars image. The stamps were heat embossed, using various embossing powders depending on the overall colour of the finished card. A black papermania bow finished #1, #2 used two silver bows to make an edge, and #3 was bordered with glitter ribbon and topped with a gold ribbon bow.

This collection is to be entered into the following challenges:

crafting by designs - Anything Goes

inkspirational #90 OLC

polkadoodles - things with wings

jingle belles Tic Tac Toe - Stamping, ribbon and gold (ATC #3)

Alphabet Challenge O for One Layer

craftyribbons #125 Birds/ butterflies

abc christmas R for things beginning with R

creative card crew 95 Christmas

crafty hazelnuts christmas 245 Twas the night before Christmas

Winter Wonderland Add a sentiment

SOS #217 Put a bird on it

Audio Book Review

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

When Treslove is mugged on the street near his friend’s house, by a woman, he starts to wonder about his true calling in life. Once a predestined female appears on the scene it would seem that his choice has been confirmed. But can he manage to hold onto his more optimistic lifestyle?

I am not sure what genre this book would fall into but it is very slow starting. It also seems to exaggerate te Jewish religion unnecessarily. It does have moments when it becomes interesting and you expect something is going to happen, but the book is full of anti-climax. I wouldn't choose to listen to this book again as I prefer something I can get my teeth into whilst driving.

Thank you for looking,

Hugz Tinz

Looking Good Polar Pals

Hello again,

A quick second post for this week - with a card! This time I have made a Christmas card which is called 'Polar Pals'. I was going to use a peel-off for my main image and add a stamped background - however a quick look through my peel-offs revealed that there are no polar bears, or penguins believe it or not!

I layered glitter card and mirri card in golds and silver, over a pale pink base card (I am out of white card large enough I discovered tonight!). The image is from some 'Me to you' clear stamps I got a while ago and it is the first time I have used this particular stamp from the set. Although this is supposed to be a snowbear, I thought he made a lovely polar Tatty Ted friend. I coloured the image using the Autumn limited edition promarker pens for the muted colour scheme. The image was die-cut using X-cut nesting large label dies, and then the snow accented with white glitter glue (which has not really shown up in this picture). Finally I added some rhinestones to the top corner to accent the hat and scarf, and a sentiment peel-off down the side.

This card is to be entered into the following challenges:

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' Polar Bears/Penguins

CCM #146 No patterned papers

Creative Card Crew 95 Christmas

alphabet challenge N for No design papers

jingle belles Tree Skirt Tic-Tac-Toe - Glitter, snow and gold

addicted-to-stamps #108 Die-cuts

craftyhazelnuts christmas challenge 244 Use some silver

simon says - monday Trio of colours

atlantic hearts sketch #123

I also thought I would give you an update on my Fish Tank cross stitch - it is now 30mins over 100hrs!

If you feel like trying something new we are making sauces this month in my Crafting Techniques group on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/202398906628216/

I will have another cross stitch to show you soon - a bit of a funny kitty lol.

Audio Book Review:

Looking Good Dead by Peter James

When Tom Bryce picks up a CD that has been accidentally left behind on the tube he doesn’t realise what a large impact reading the disc is going to have on his personal life, and that of his wife Kelly. On the disc is a video of a savage killing – is it real or a film trailer? When DS Roy Grace is summoned to a headless body it becomes clear that this is the same girl on the CD, but what should Tom do? And how is Roy going to track down the well-organised killers?

This is a fast paced book with several angles and perspectives, that keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. Some clues are obvious before the team spot them while others are a surprise even to the reader (or listener in this case). Well-read and well written this is a crime novel worth a listen.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog, and I hope to see some sauces coming in :)

Hugz Tinz