Dry Harbour

Well here at last.....this year seems to be already going exactly like the last one did...way too fast! I a sure I have said it before but Happy New Year to all of you.

No resolutions here this time...I never stick to them so I feel better not making them. How about you? Well maybe I have made one in that case...not to put unnecessary pressure on myself!

I have been crafting in my blog absence, but nothing I can share just yet, However I never got around to sharing the card I made hubby for his birthday last December so here it is.......

The stamp was a new acquisition from Stamp Addicts at Stamparama last November. I stamped in distress inks and pulled the colour out with water and added few stronger highlights where required.
the cork layer for mounting was in my stash...had it years! but I knew it would come in one day. It is self adhesive too...a big bonus.The rest is self explanatory.

I hope you are having a good weekend...nothing exciting happening here!

Thank you for popping in and see you again soon I hope.
Crafty hugs
Carole xx

'Christmas in the heart'

Well here we are...Christmas Eve 2019

I hope you have all got prepared what you wanted...turkey ready for the oven. presents wrapped etc and above all ready to spend time with those you love and make memories.

Here is hubbys card.....

It's actually a shaker card...the heap of snow in the bottom right is tiny white beads (Creative Expressions :)  again!)
I used a sheet of backing paper with pale snowflakes and behind the die-cut scene I placed a layer of snowfall acetate. I admit (and that's not often) to loving this card. really pleased how it turned out. I think hubby likes it too! There was also of course the obligatory dusting of glamour dust!

Well all that is left is for me to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Thank you all for supporting my blog this year...you will never know what your friendship means to me.

Take care!

Crafty Christmas hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered:-  Winter Wonderland End of Year anything Christmas goes

stag and robin

I'm here again...my penultimate post...this time with the cards for my two sons.

Firstly the stag.....I love stags so I am always drawn to them and this stamp by Woodware was no exception.......

It's an 8 inch card base covered with mocha card (Creative Expressions) and then a layer of cream embossed in an A4 snowflake folder (Creative Expressions).

 I stamped the image in brown and coloured the background with distress inks (Fossilized Amber and Tumbled Glass) and then I shaded in the head of the stag with a toning alcohol marker.

 It was cut with Phill Martins double de-bossed inverted corner rectangles (that's a mouthful) and mounted on more mocha card cut with the next size up.....Sorry all that is probably pretty obvious to you all.

Finally some gold cord, a computer generated sentiment and some gold glamour dust in all the snowflakes.

It went down well!  :)

Secondly the one winging (or already wung) it's way across the pond. I hope it has got there along with the childrens cards....

This is a Hobbyart stamp which I coloured with alcohol markers...edged with distress ink (stormy sky) and layered on red for a pop of festive colour. I enjoyed colouring this and kept the whole thing flat for easy posting. Not at all relevant to the Christmas they will be having in sweltering heat and smoke from fires when the wind is in the wrong direction. I feel for all those fire fighters in Australia doing their best with all these fires that have raged since August.

We are pretty much ready for the big day here...she says smugly!.....what will I think of at the last minute! This year it is a quiet one for us...just the two of us and a visit to my mum Christmas Eve. Too much to drag her out on Christmas day at 99yrs old!

Thank you if you have stopped by to read this..and even better if you have let me know you have been...especially when it is such a busy time of year.

I will be back on Tuesday..yes Christmas Eve folks...not long now..with the card I have made for hubby...my final post before Christmas (phew I hear you say).

Till then...don't panic! It's only Christmas!.....and the nights are getting lighter now!!!

XXXX Carole 

Challenges entered :-  (oh this bit takes me forever)

Dream Valley Challenge #215...Christmas  (my stag-- third entry)

Addicted to Stamps #180 Cold and frosty  (robin -- 3rd entry)

Stamping Sensations -Dec Anything goes    (stag -3rd entry)

Allsorts Challenge #551/2  Anything goes  (stag entry-1) 

Snippets Playground #368  use snippets  -- my stag base and tag were left over from an a4 sheetso hope that counts   (stag)

Santa and a Snowman

Hello!.....back again, I know AWOL for so long and then I bombard/surprise you with all my creativity..lol! Guess I'm a bit like a bus...no references there please!!

This time I am whizzing in with the cards that I have sent to Australia for the grandchildren.....

So first up is Santa for Chloe....

This is a tonic verso die and a sledge die that I found in my stash. A bit of paper piecing here for Santa, a snowy embossing folder and sentiments also from stash. lashings of glitter (glamour dust), a bit of coloring on the parcels with alcohol markers and the grand daughter tag is from LOTV.

Next is a snowman for Thomas.....I am hoping that he will know what a snowman is but of course he will never have seen one!...

This is a Crafters Companion stamp and die that allows you to cut one edge (either left or right) or both together for a full topper. I chose one edge as you can see and lines the inside with snowflake paper...that you can't see because I forgot to photograph it!!!

The sentiment is a very old one from my stash and sad to say when I stamped it it began to disintegrate! ...so i am now on the lookout for a replacement as I love the words. If anyone knows where I might get that saying i would love it if you could let me know please.

So those are today's offerings. Thank you for popping by in what is a busy schedule for most people....so very much appreciated as you know.

I am adding these offerings to a few challenges...the challenge for me is uploading them etc..lol!

I'll hopefully see you again before the big day..take care and stay warm and well.

TTFN
Carole xx

Challenges entered :-

Dream Valley Challenge #215..... Christmas.....Santa entry 2

Happy Little stampers -December - Anything goes with dies.......Santa entry 2

Addicted to stamps #180 -cold and frosty....snowman entry 2

Sweet Stampin - Christmas......snowman entry 2

Stamping Sensations -December - Anything goes...snowman entry 2

'Gnome' for Christmas

Well I can't believe it is so long since I last posted!...where has December gone? Life has just got in the way again...Christmas plans and card making plus all the usual boring and not so nice bits of life...but here I am at last......
                                              with my gnomes......

A very pale inked background and the stamps...two linked together by Chocolate Baroque colored with Copics and a few snowflakes dotted around with a white pen (hard to see in the photo).

Entering this in a few challenges  below since I have been away from play for so long!

Butterfly Challenge #133 X for guess who...gnomes

Dream Valley Challenge #215 - Christmas

Addicted to stamps #180 - Cold and frosty

Sweet Stampin - Christmas

Stamping Sensations - December - Anything goes

So are you all ready for the big day? All those cards made, pressies wrapped etc? I hope so ad I hope you are all keeping away from the nasty bugs that circulate at this time. It may be the season for giving ..but not those beasties.

Here is another Gnome card from card club...I know double post eh! This one is hiding...can you make him out on the back of the reindeer! His green hat looks a bit like a Christmas tree!

That's it for now folks but I will be back with more cards to share very soon.
Enjoy the rest of the week and get all that last minute shopping done.

Love Carole xx

'Chase your Dreams'

Hello friends!.....just a quick post tonight before I head off to watch Strictly!...getting difficult to judge who may go home now!

First I must say welcome to my latest follower June . I hope you will keep popping by June and like what you see.

Yesterday was Becky's birthday ( my eldest sons' partner). She is a keen horsewoman and has had a recent career change so I chose these images from Inkylicious for her card.




The background is also an Inkylicious stamp inked with distress oxides and spritzed, then stamped. I did a lot of these before I got it right!!...most saw the inside of the bin!

December 25th?....how many days?

Hello everyone!

How did we rush into November? .....hurtling full pelt towards.......

Are you ready? I've still a bit to go and the less I have to do the more I find to do! Does that ring a bell with anyone?  We don't have much shopping to do but it so gets harder every year thinking what to buy people. Ask the family what they might like and it's either money, or in the case of older parents...don't bother! How I wish the kids were little again (only sometimes) or that the Grandchildren were nearer...the thrill at seeing childrens' faces as they open their presents...that's Christmas!...and the pleasure of giving.

My card consists of backing paper from a recent pad I bought from Hobbycraft (I think). I know I have enough paper but the designs are small on this one. (my excuse anyway). The dies used are all Tim Holtz by Sizzix...the wreath and bow die is from one set and the numbers and circles from another.

I hope everyone is well and safe from either fires or in the UK floods. These terrible things always seem to happen around Christmas time which intensifies the impact that they have on the poor people affected by such.

Wishing you all a good week, and many thanks for your time popping by my blog and I do hope you leave me a comment to let me know you have been. Thank you if you do.... I read them all ....and it reminds me what lovely friends bloggers are.

TTFN
Crafty hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered:-

Pixies Snippets playground # 365   .............all die cuts cut from those left over little bits.

ABC Christmas Challenge (NOV).........Wreath