TGI Friday peeps - and FRIDAY FUN TIME!!!

And FUN is DEFINITELY on my agenda today! The purple Princess is currently away from her desk as today sees the start of the first British Craftathon - as myself and five other mad crafters who have all "met" via Craftbubble are setting off for Accrington where we have two nights accommodation booked and a workshop at the premises of Dawn Bibby. We've been looking forward to this for a while now and it's finally here. Me? I'm on the train at 10:52!! Needless to say I have had to schedule this post to appear in my absence and, all being well, blogger will perform this simple task whilst I'm away - fingers crossed, as I have also scheduled posts for tomorrow and Sunday too.

And now for my Friday Funny - yes, it's bumper stickers again but I'm scheduling this on Thursday so have to use materials to hand - ENJOY!!!! and have a great weekend - I know I plan too, and don't forget to check back Sunday evening or Monday morning for some piccies - you just KNOW there are going to be some!

Hi there and welcome to a slightly soggy Thursday!

Hi folks and welcome to Thursday, how's it looking for you? Only one more sleep till Craftathon, getting quite excited as it will be the first time I've been on a "crafting retreat" and the first time meeting some of the others too - I've previously met Jacqueline, Karen and Wynneth but it will be a first for Cherry and Debs but I AM looking forward to the whole weekend. I'm on the train mid morning and Jacqueline will be changing at Cheltenham and hopping on to my train there. We get off at Worcester where Cherry will be meeting us and we'll head on with her, picking up Wynneth on the way. Debs and Karen are making their own way there and we're all aiming to arrive around 3:30 - for a little light crafting before dinner!!! We THINK we've organised ourselves so that everyone takes a  technique so we should all be able to try something we perhaps haven't tried before AND we have the added bonus of a workshop at Dawn Bibby's shop! - run by Rachel Greig from Darkroom Door which is another bonus and one we're all looking forward to . . . . . and then there's the shopping! Oh Joy - as you all know ..... I DO LIKE TO SHOP and once had a T-Shirt that proclaimed "When I get tired of shopping ... I sit down and try on shoes"!! I just hope I've left enough room in my craft tote, for it all!!

Have a few cards to make today but I was making one yesterday when my pal Lauren rang with some great news which, sadly, I cannot share with you - but she's as pleased as she could be and I am mightily pleased for her too - WTG Lauren.

So, here's a piccie of the one I was making, Lauren quite threw me with her news and I quite ruined the accompanying envelope. I tried to rectify the error as I had been using a clear stamp but must have twitched on final placement as it looked like the Eddie Shah school of printing! Anyone remember the atrocious double printing in the now defunct TODAY newspaper?

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card, used landscape, with matching envelope
• Anita's sentiment and Inkadinkado morphing flower stamped on card using Ranger archival jet black ink
• Purple coloured pencil, blended with sansodor
• Quickie glue pen and Crystal glamour dust

Anyway, here's hoping that your Thursday sees you achieve everything you set out to, all the best to all of my readers. I may get the chance to post tomorrow before I go but, otherwise, I shall be AWOL till Sunday so please check back with me then . . .

2nd post of the day - please scroll down to read earlier post

I've ALMOST managed to kick the habit of two posts per day but this is one of the exceptions . . .  I decided that, sometimes, challenge cards get swallowed up in other posts especially where there are other photos.

This is a challenge for One Layer Wednesday over on the simplicity blog, which you can see here, and was to feature Christmas in GREEN and RED on either white or cream. The only other proviso is that it has to be a one layer card and with minimal embellishments.

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card, used in landscape
• Papermania image stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy
• See D's sentiment stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Poppy
• Three faux crystal gemstones

Welcome to WOYWDW and One Layer Wednesday!!!

Morning and welcome to a sunny but cold morning, here in Bristol we've had a frost overnight but it appears to be warming up sharpish (I'm pleased to say) now the sun's out!

Hi to my newest followers, Kobie from craftbubble and Sarah, who's a trading card buddy of mine, hope you'll find something to bring you back again from time to time. It's always lovely to see a new follower, like it's always nice to see comments waiting for me - like getting mail, not that I get much mail these days aside from bills!!! I do swap with a number of trading card buddies but it seems like people have almost stopped sending letters in favour of e-mails, at least those are more likely to arrive in a timely fashion too! Probably all to do with the prohibitive cost of mailing these days too!

Since hubby and I are spending the weekend separately, I've made him a little card to let him know I shall miss him . . .

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card and matching envelope
• With love sentiment and English Rubber Stamp Co bi-plane image stamped in Ranger archival jet black

It's also What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday today so here's a picture of what's going on in my crafty space - of course a lot of stuff's packed away ready to head to Craftathon 2011 (on Friday) so I'm on light crafting duties only!!!

  

Managed a little crafting since my last post, talking of trading card buddies, I needed to build up some stocks of ATC's in readiness for my next batch of outgoing swaps . . . I'd been watching the KanBan show on QVC and not overly inspired by the products and thought I would set about crafting whilst still watching with half an eye so I didn't want to try anything too technical indeed this seemed perfect. I simply covered an ATC blank with double sided sheet adhesive and then positioned the self adhesive chipboard (free with the last issue of Card Making and Paper Craft), having first threaded some fibres through the hole. I then randomly attached the faux glass cabochons before covering the whole of the remaining double sided adhesive in the fab Sparkle 'n Sprinkle glitter - now this fab glitter appears to have green/pink/purple/black elements contained within and looks super yummy in real life.

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Double sided sheet adhesive
• Turquoise fibres
• Faux glass cabochons
• Chipboard "tag" with seaside pals on
• "Hanauma Bay" glitter from Sparkle 'n Sprinkle

It's also One Layer Wednesday over at the simplicity blog (see it here) and today's challenge is to create a one layer Christmas card on either white or cream and using red and green!!! Hmmmmmm - fab example though. I shall be putting my thinking cap on this very morning .................... do feel free to check back later and see what I've come up with.

Told you all about my meeting yesterday with my pal and how we chatted about anything and everything . . . one topic of discussion was her new washing machine because her old one kept blowing the fuses. I FOOLISHLY said that ours was working just fine - JINXED IT!!! Came home and put a wash on . . . hubby sang out a bit later "Do you know there's water all over the floor here?" Noooooooooooo, we pulled the beastie out and it appears to be a hole in a hose so hubby's ordered the replacement on-line and we just have to wait for the blessed thing to arrive now. In the meantime, I can't do any more washing till (probably) after I get back from CRAFTATHON 2011 - only two more sleeps!!! YIPPEE

Happy Wednesday - hope you're having a good one.

Hi peeps - good day?

Set the alarm for 08:00 this morning - blimey - it felt like the middle of the night, can't remember the last time we set an alarm!! How lucky are we?

Still, I was meeting my pal, Andrea, for coffee and a catch up this morning and didn't want to be late. We catch up every few weeks but it seems longer between meets because Andrea's mum and MIL have both been poorly since Christmas - if you're reading this Andrea, tell them I'm thinking of them. We usually meet about 10:00, for coffee and a chat (and sometimes . . . . cake!) before doing our shopping - it used to be quite a leisurely morning but Sainsbury's have now introduced a parking limit so we have to factor in shopping time too, which has curtailed the chat time a bit! This morning was no exception and, if I'm honest, the maple pecan Danish was delicious but decadent!!! We chat about all sorts from friends from our school days to holidays to the best way to clean stainless steel (?!) - of course we all KNOW that the best way to clean stainless steal is to have someone else do it but . . . . . It was so nice to just sit and chill for an hour and I nipped in to QS afterwards and snagged a piece of cheap knitwear - Love one season fashions for about a tenner and I love that mostly they soooo do not crease either as another domestic chore I hate is ironing!

Anyway, I managed to miss the rain whilst I was out and was sat here muttering about how lucky I was not to have to go out again as it's raining cats and dogs when I realised that I had taken my post on the scenic tour to Sainsbury's and then brought it home again - DOH!! So now I DO have to go out - that'll teach me!

Dinners in the oven, a nice slow roasted chicken casserole - half of which will be frozen for another time - and I'll do dumplings in a bit. Hubby's written this in the diary as I so seldom cook these days. He actively enjoys cooking and I actively ... let him!

So now it's 2:30 and I've done no crafting at all today. I had made up my mind to make a card for the Bah Humbug blogs challenge which, this challenge, is to feature doilies but . . . do you think I can find my doilies? That'll be a no then. They simply cannot have gone far and will undoubtedly come to light in THE most sensible place but will they come to light in the duration of this challenge???

I think I've taken up enough of your time but do please feel free to leave me a comment as I do so love to read them . . . .

Wotcher peeps, Monday again!!

How was your weekend?

Happy VALENTINES DAY - did you all get LOADS of cards? Hubby liked the card I made for him. Me? I got an e-mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - you see - the age of romance isn't dead at all!!!

Ours was a bit weird because we had our weekend mid week and went to London so Saturday and Sunday felt a bit odd and much of it was spent doing laundry!! YIPPPPPPEEEEE - still, all caught up now and everythings clean so I can begin to plan what to pack for my girlies crafting weekend starting Friday!!

I also managed a little light crafting with a scrap layout for Scrap Addicts February challenge and also the Sunday themed challenge which, this week, was "Sweet Dreams" . . . sorry the sketch is a bit fuzzy but I saved the image and inserted it in to my blog - it came out REALLY tiny so I enlarged it and the edges got a bit fuzzy. Thanks to Wendymoon for setting the sketch challenge this month and you can check out the other layouts here

I hadn't really taken any photographs since Christmas so my January layout was well overdue, so I thought I should crack on with that whilst I had some photos. I have therefore turned our London trip in to a double page spread. The January challenge was a recipe and required that we use: 5 round things, 4 photographs, 3 colors, 2 word title and 1 tag  - so here's my very late January layout too ....... No idea what happened but the basic layer paper is exactly the same Brenda Pinnick paper and yet looks COMPLETELY different!!! The orange is the same too and you will no doubt spot I used the same Martha Stewart punch to try to make it look co-ordinated too.

And here is my "Sweet Dreams" card for Rosie's themed challenge . . .

Materials Used:

• C5 stardream card and matching envelope
• Blue textured card panel, rounded at the corners
• High Hopes image stamped in permanent black ink and mailed to me by Lauren - thanks so much Lauren
• Pro Markers to colour image and background, including lots of blender pen!
• Double sided sheet adhesive and Gold Glamour Dust
• Crafty Individuals sentiment stamped in Ranger archival jet black
• Quickie glue pen and Gold Glamour Dust

Happy Monday people and I hope you are making the most of it! I know I am! - I'm planning my crafting weekend - mustn't forget to charge my camera battery!

And more photos of our trip to London

Hello and welcome to my latest follower, Heatherrussellmax who joined over the weekend, I hope you will be sure and check back in again some time too.

Who doesn't think of summer when they see a row of brightly coloured beach huts? I've been contemplating this particular set of stamps from Crafty Individuals for ages and have even put it in my basket numerous times . . . but, on our recent foray to London my pal (Lauren) and myself found ourselves (quite by accident you know!) in the marvellous Blade Rubber near the British Museum and I FINALLY succumbed and they came home with me! Needless to say, I could hardly wait to cut round them and ink them up so made this little ATC - just to see how they look!!! I like them, and hope you do too - there are several more stamps in the set which didn't find their way on to the this ATC, maybe next time!!!

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Crafty Individuals seaside collection of unmounted stamps, inked in Ranger archival ink -jet black
• Pro Markers to colour
• Shimmer chalks in blues (sky) and beige's (sand)

Of course, whilst I was away I ALSO missed Clare's Christmas card recipe challenge and she set the rather fiendish recipe to include the following:

•  as white as a ghost
• a touch of traditional Xmas colours
• a present
• a knot or a bow

 Materials used:

• 6" square scalloped white card and matching envelope
• 5" square white card edged with the Martha Stewart "Poinsettia" PATP
• 4" square white card and just the M.S. PATP corner punch
• Red organza ribbon
• Anita's framed present, stamped in Ranger Archival jet black on to white card, cut out and coloured using Poppy Pro Marker
• Penny Black Christmas sentiment stamped in Ranger archival jet black
• Quickie glue pen and crystal glamour dust
• Eight "faux" crystal gemstones

I've also found this super blog for CAS (clean and simple) cards, called Less is more (see it here ) and this week on One Layer Card the challenge is to feature a flower or tree. Well, I felt the urge to have a go as it was such a well supported challenge last week and with some super duper entries too.

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card and matching envelope
• Penny Black stamp flower inked in Memento grape jelly and Brilliance thyme
• Penny Black sentiment inked in Ranger Archival jet black
• Quickie glue pen and crystal glamour dust

 Of course, if you read my post yesterday then you know we've just come back from a few days in London . . so here are some more photos for you.

Whilst in Covent Garden we looked over the railings from the upper floor and spotted what seemed to be the World's almost largest paella dish - I'm sure it isn't truly but it looked huge to me!!

Did I mention that it rained almost continuously? Perhaps not! FORTUNATELY, my dear hubby had checked the forecast before we left home and it said that rain was forecast so we had waterproofs - sadly, these waterproofs were bought for a sub zero trip to New York so I spent much of my day feeling very warm indeed . . . . but otherwise dry!!!

And here we have the London Eye on the left and Big Ben to the right, as seen from just off the Strand

And, of course, the wonderfully iconic St Pauls, shame it was STILL raining!! We managed to find a number 23 bus for our return to our Paddington Hotel so got to see some of the sights - we'd been using the London underground a lot and were beginning to feel a bit like moles!

How's your Sunday shaping up peeps? Hope it's looking good so far - ENJOY!

Sorry about my recent brief posts . . .

been AWOL you know and scheduled them in my absence. It was hubby's birthday yesterday and we travelled to London for a few days and took in a couple of shows as well as meeting up with fellow crafter, Lauren, and her lovely hubby - Alan.

We arrived in the great metropolis on Wednesday afternoon, found our hotel and checked in - it's fortunate we didn't take a cat with us as there was nowhere to swing one in our hotel room!!! HOWEVER, we had booked convenient to Paddington station and it was soooooooooooooo much cheaper than being closer to the centre and our three night break cost about the same as one night right in the centre so it left us free to take in more sights and shopping!!! We had tickets to see Legally Blonde on night one - it was BRILL and we had great seats too (not up in the nosebleeds like our last theatre trip either!)

Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre

Before we went to the theatre we had time to visit covent garden and to get an early dinner at the Wellington pub and restaurant on the Strand. In Covent Garden we saw this kilted cutie!

Whilst I was in C.G. I fell for some of THE most GORGEOUS  bathrobes and went back for a second look . . . only to find out that they were £175!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (EACH) so, they are still there and not in my little case...... of course, if I win the lottery! . . . I'll post a couple more photos tomorrow.

I'm sure you all know by now that Saturday's are Sketchie day over on Craft Mad & Loving It and today's has been set by Rosie, who's been so poorly (GET WELL SOON ROSIE) so here is her sketch and my card for it.

Hope you like the sketch, my card and the photos of our trip. It SHOULD be pointed out that it rained almost the entire time we were in London and explains why there are CONSIDERABLY less piccies than would otherwise have been taken. I didn't take any of Lauren and Alan and Lauren and I shopping as we were a bit like drowned rats!!!

Hope you are all enjoying a fantabulous Saturday . . . do check back a little later and see if I've been missing crafting .... MUCH!!! I did come home with a modest haul but controlled my more extravagant urges on the grounds that it IS CRAFTATHON 2011  next weekend (only SIX more sleeps!) where I shall be away on a crafting retreat with five fellow bubbling friends - there WILL be photos of that!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY

Happy Birthday to my dear hubby, hope he likes his card!! Can't tell you how old he is because then I would have to kill you - ha ha!

Short post from me today as it's all about him today - we shall be spending the day playing tourist, with a nice early dinner and then on to a show.

And for this week's Friday Funny - one of my friends e-mailed me a selection of bumper stickers generated for older generation and this was one that tickled me and I hope it tickles your funny bone too! Please excuse the swear word!, and have a fab weekend

Happy Thursday - it'll soon be the weekend!

Hi there folks, how's your week coming along? Don't worry, it'll soon be the weekend!

Anyhoo, still on the ATC kick trying to replenish stocks in readiness for all the swaps I make with pen pals and I decided to use some spritzing - I made one using my non stick craft sheet and the ATC you see below was just kind of "smooshed" about in the "leftovers" so came out much (MUCH) paler than the original but just as shimmery although it probably doesn't show up in the photo so good.

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Shimmer mists in pink and purple
• Close to the the Heart numbers stamped in Brilliance Lightning Black
• Old Town Crafts script stamped in versamark ink and then dusted with gold perfect pearls
• My Paper World silhouette grass stamped in archival ink - jet black

Have a fab Thursday, I know I will - I'm meeting friends for lunch today, we're meeting for a pub lunch and there may be craft shopping afterwards!!.

What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday

Hi there peeps and welcome to What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday! I'd also like to welcome MJDoyle21 as my latest new follower. I hope you will enjoy following my blog.

Back on the ATC kick, trying to rebuild my stock. I was looking through a few other peoples white, black and pink challenge entries and one of them had used the fab tall cat from the Inkadinkado series of cat/dog stamps . . . . "wait a minute - I HAVE that set" . . . . and here you have my ATC using this super feline and his slightly larger friend!! Aren't these cats fabulous - though it does look as though I should have brushed the excess glitter off a bit more carefully before I photographed them!

 Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Versacolour gold and pink and an unknown manufacturers slightly darker pink
• Inkadinkado cats and Close to the Heart sentiment stamped in archival ink in jet black
• Quickie glue pen
• Glitter in cerise and orange crush
• Post it to create the fat cat mask!

I forgot to post a picture of the murk we woke up to yesterday too . . . honestly, what am I like?!

 Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and here's what's on my workdesk today - best I don't brush that little lot off eh?!?!?!?

Hi there fellow bloggers

Hi everyone,

Well, how industrious was I yesterday? Managed a boat load of ironing, yet more laundry (where DOES it all come from? SURELY two people cannot generate that much laundry!) AND I cleaned the windows - inside. My lovely window cleaner, Joe, came yesterday and put the sparkle back on the outside which showed up just how much the inside needed treating likewise and that was it - I was SHAMED!!! Still, he had the most splendid news - his youngest daughter is getting married in July, to a professional rugby player (we're told) and then . . . . he invited us to join the celebrations! How lovely? So we shall, along with our housesitting neighbour Debbie, be joining the celebrations - now all we have to do is find out where the reception is being held!!

Woke up this morning  ......... to FOG! Not quite what we expect in February, really freaky weather we're having recently and I don't just mean in the U.K., there's the 2000 mile wide snow storm in the U.S. and Australia's had floods, cyclones, more floods and now bush fires.

Back on the crafting topic however, I wanted to do a card for the NATURE theme this week over on Craft Mad & Loving It. I simply cannot get enough of the CAS cards right now . . .

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card and matching envelope
• Inkadinkado image and Annette Watkins sentiment stamped directly on to the base card using Archival jet black ink
• Crystal gemstones to finish

Now, which of my dear readers checked out the less is more blog yesterday and hopped around looking at some of the white, black and pink entries? Some FABULOUS entries there, aren't there? Reckon I might be having a go at those challenges again whilst the CAS bug is still with me . . . will it ever go now that I have found it???

Have a great Tuesday - need to pass birthday greetings on to a few people. Surrogate daughter Becky is enduring her 34th birthday (but don't tell her I told you!), Sally - my super neighbour in Florida will be celebrating her birthday too (but trust me, she WOULD kill me if I told you her age!), Kylie in Hoppers Crossing (Oz) is also celebrating today as is Maggi Dennis - one of my trading card buddies. Busy day on the card front so I'm hoping they all arrived in time. I KNOW Kylie's and Sally's arrived - it's the U.K. one's that worry me!!!

Hello and welcome to Monday!

Morning and welcome to Monday in blogland,

Last evening saw us heading to Gloucester for dinner with friends. Now it's only 35 miles but, with the high winds, it took a little longer than anticipated. It was my turn to drive and it was a bit of a battle with the wind to keep the car on the straight and narrow! Our friends were both well and they served up a yummy dinner which we enjoyed, as usual, and a very pleasant couple of hours was had by all, with us eventually arriving home around midnight.

No surprise that we slept late this morning - as we're normally in bed before then! At least having not touched a drop last night (aside from the modest amount in the dessert!) I was unaffected by a sore head . . . . hubby wasn't quite so lucky!!!

And on the topic from yesterday of the psychic manatees . . . which one was right? Well it was Buffet (who has more correct predictions on his/her side) and the Green Bay Packers won by 31 to 25!

Anyway, on to craftier things . . . . .

Over at Simply Less is more they have launched a new challenge and this week it is ....... white, black and pink. Obviously, your entry has to be a clean and simple design, which I am currently LOVING. Nipped over there to have a look at the competition and almost decided not to enter!! There are some beautiful cards, I looked at a number of blogs - all with FANTABULOUS entries but I was particularly taken with an entry from Sarita, do check out her blog here, it's a lovely CAS design drawn freehand using Prismacolour pencils. Mind you - take a look at them all - it'll take a while but it will be worth it! I can't be sure mine will look as stunning as everyone elses but . . . .

Materials used:

• Tall thin white card and matching envelope
• Inkadinkado dot flourish and Do Crafts sentiment inked in Archival Jet Black ink
• Pink "faux" gemstones

 Hope you are all enjoying your Monday's

Morning and welcome to Sunday morning

Here we are again a lovely lazy Sunday morning - well it IS Sunday and it IS morning!! Superbowl on the TV tonight . . . . all being well, with the snow in Dallas! I hear that the psychic manatees (Buffet and Hugh) have made their selections to win - strangely enough Buffet's picked the Packers and you won't guess that Hugh didn't!! Hmm - think that's called covering your bases. Don't get me wrong - I'm soooo not a follower of American football but my hubby is and has already set up to record the predicted time window - how can a 90 minute game take over three hours?

I'm not sure I can allow myself to craft today as I have looked at my box of "stock" cards and found it to be full to the point of overflowing so I think I shall be writing cards this morning to make some space! Make sense? Well it does in my head! What does everyone else do with their finished works of art? Maybe I culd just make a little ATC - they don't take up much space . . . do they?

Seeing friends for dinner later which will be very nice. What do you all have planned for today? I hope you enjoy your Sunday however you spend it - catch you tomorrow . . . . interesting to see who DOES win the Superbowl IF it goes ahead . . .

2nd post of the day - please scroll down to read earlier post

Hi there,

Here I am again, having done my sketch card several days ago so that Karen would have access to it to post this morning I feel a bit odd without having a card to make for a challenge so I've set about doing one for the simplicity blog. The challenge this week, for One Layer Wednesday, has been to make a card featuring only a border, an image and bling . . . tougher than it sounds as it is SUCH a very great temptation to add a sentiment. I did one last night before realising that the border had to be stamped (mine was punched) AND it had a sentiment so I didn't enter that one!!! Here's the mark II version . . .

Materials used:

• White card blank and matching envelope
• Penny Black tree stamp and snowflake border stamped in archival jet black ink
• Crystal stickles to highlight and add "bling"!

Still blowing a blooming gale and, if it weren't so blessed wet with it, the washing would dry almost instantly out on the line - as it is the tumble dryer's in use ....... again!! Have a great Saturday

Hurrah - it's the weekend!!!

Hi there,

and welcome to Saturday - hope you all have action packed Saturday's planned!

It's sketchie day over on craftbubble's Craft Mad & Loving It - this week it's the turn of Karen to present the sketch. So here's my card and her sketch ..........

Materials used:

• 6" square scalloped white card and envelope
• Black card - one square very slightly smaller than the scalloped card and one circle
• Two pieces of patterned paper - a a freebie from Card Making and Papercraft, plus one panel which was also part of the paper pack
• Die cut flowers in two sizes (two of each), the dies were part of the candy from the Craft Barn
• Pearl brad for the centre of the flower
• 6 black "faux" gemstones
• Faux white lace and cream grosgrain ribbon, coloured with a Pro Marker - blossom

And here is Karen's sketch - her twist is "FLOWERS"

And then last, but not least, I started working on a card for the simplicity blog where the challenge was: a border, an image and some bling. I made the card and photographed it and then re-read the challenge and realised that the border has to be stamped too AND we weren't to use a sentiment! BUM - still, ANOTHER Christmas card for my collection - hope you like it anyway . . .

Materials used:

• White card and envelope
• Green card edged with Martha Stewart double scallop punch
• Penny Black image and sentiment stamped in archival ink - jet black and coloured with Atyou Spica glitter pens
• Highlighted with Platinum stickles

Happy Saturday everyone - hope it's a good one - looking forward to reading your comments too.

And it's Happy Birthday to Georgie (CraftingGinaG) today too - hope it's a good one!

2nd post of the day - please scroll down to read earlier post

Hi there,

Been making ATC's and cards again today, I need to built back up to a stock of ATC's and have no ACTUAL cards needed right now so thought I would concentrate on this. I bought a set of Penny Black clear floral stamps whilst in Florida and have, so far, only used one of them so decided it was time to break them out. Of course, I was also DESPERATE to ink up the fab Penny Black (wood mounted, naughty me - given my lack of storage) Christmas Usher which arrived today, from the wonderful Craft Obsessions. I love the fact that they always put a little card in with their delivery with some fibres attached - a nice touch and today's was wondrously lilac-y!!! Those'll get used on a project VERY soon, I suspect! So, without further ado let me show you what exactly I have been up to today . . . first out of the gate is my entry for the Buttons and Bows challenge over on Bah Humbug - isn't she just a gorgeous image?

Entered in the Buttons and Bows challenge on Bah Humbug

Materials used:

• White card blank and envelope
• Penny Black image and sentiment, inked up in archival jet black on to white card and coloured using pro markers
• Card and paper from DCWV winter stack plus dark green linen effect card
• Red organza ribbon, tied in a bow round a "lozenge" of the DCWV crystal glitter card
• Glitter button with silver thread tied through
• Platinum stickles - to highlight. My thanks to pal, Wynneth, for introducing me to this fantabulous shade of stickles - without her I might forever have stuck to Crystal or Diamond - wondrous though those are too!!!

And then, on to an ATC which does, indeed use some of the wonderful clear stamps by Penny Black - I am hard pushed to name my favourite stamp manufacturer but boy, Penny Black are right up there in the top few - what about you, dear readers, who are your favourite stamp manufacturers?

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Coloured using distress inks: Spun Sugar, Victorian Velvet and Dusty Concord
• Stamping Up sentiment and Penny Black image stamped using archival ink in Jet black and water coloured with Dusty Concord
• Highlights added with Platinum stickles

As always, great to see you stopping by and leaving me a comment especially as I didn't get any post of my own today!!!