'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

Double debossing

Hi friends...NO, double debossing does not mean double bossing de husband about...lol...though he may beg to differ on that one. (He's decorating the spare room at the moment).
It actually relates to the base layering dies I have used on the card below. These are from Phil Martin and I think they are very classy...so more on my birthday wish list (hope hubby reads this).

Self explanatory but as the stag (magazine freebie) was cut from gold packaging (doing my bit for re-cycling) and everything else cut from left over scraps too I shall head to the Playground this week...where it's half term so no teachers to tell us off! It will be so good to catch up with mates that I haven't seen in a while for one reason or another.

Well I can't believe it is 2 weeks since I posted, nor that Halloween is rearing it's head this week (shudder...not a fan really) and shudder again because it has turned so cold here (thermals almost edging out the drawer)...and to make matters worse the clocks have gone back and it is dark by 5.0pm.! Roll on spring!...though it is a good time to cosy up and craft. I have knitting, cross stitching and cards on the go...and the fruit is soaking for a Christmas cake (late this year), so plenty to keep me busy!

I do hope you are all keeping well and free of bugs...I'm thinking(being the operative word here) about a flu jab but always hear so many people say they are ill afterwards ..so indecisive about it at the moment. Have you had yours?

Thank you so much for stopping by and thank you to those who regularly leave me some love in the form of a comment. I do love to read them and they keep me going. I do visit all your blogs to see  your wonderful creations and I am blown away by the artistry out there...you are such a talented bunch. Big hugs to you all.

So HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all of you celebrating it, wherever you are and hopefully I will be back again soon.

Crafty hugs
Carole xx


Challenges entered :-

Pixie's snippets Playground Challenge #364.......stag, sentiment and mats from snippets

October Rudolph Days Challenge.......................Anything goes

Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #59 .............Anything goes

Happy Birthday Son!

Hello friends...so glad you stopped by....Thank You.

Today is my youngest sons birthday...the one who lives in Brisbane, so today he is in my thoughts more than ever. It seems like yesterday that he was at high school...then graduating from Uni...and then moving to London with work and for a girlfriend...  getting married.....having a baby...and then moving to the other side of the world! Where did those precious years go? It all makes me feel old I have to say!...and they now have another baby. I miss them so much.

Anyway here is my very simple in design but not as simple to execute to my perfection standard..lol.

The stamp is just the one word SON..inked and repeated in rows in the two different shades of blue and double embossed lines either side. Topped off with the stars and sentiment. See told it was simple! (but fiddly)...He is worth it.

Filled with lots of love...I hope he celebrates a wonderful day.

So halfway through October, Autumn is here with a vengeance. Too much rain here in West Yorkshire...we never seem to go a day without some. The nights are drawing in and we alter the clocks in a couple of weeks so it will be dark by 4.0pm...time to hibernate...hopefully to the craft room..and think of Spring!

I hope you have a good week whatever it holds for you.. Thank you to those dear blogging friends who take the time to leave me a comment when they visit...they really are appreciated so very much.  I love seeing all your wonderful creations and get card envy so much as you are all so talented...some really clever people out there!

So till next time, stay well and happy and thanks for popping by.
Love
Carole xx

Birthday Greetings x 6 !

Well hello blogging friends..I am back as promised. This time I have some more shares from card class. For those that ask it is a monthly class and we make 6 cards in two sessions of three. Always something different and the chance to use stamps/dies that otherwise you may not choose to.

So straight in....a tag card with a  liberal amount of winking!!..

..........a bit of decoupage here....

this uses the inside of the centre cut in the card above....

 Oxide inks and the words are die cut from card swiped with the same oxide colours used in the background...The black square is drawn on with a fine liner but looks 3d.

Gemini dies on this one...not sure about the flower...

 and this one is created from a Hobbyart scene it set that contains the castle, hills etc which I used in a previous card.

and there we have it.!

I hope your week is going well. Here in West Yorkshire we are fed up with the rain! The days are so dark and depressing and it is so hard to get motivated.
I have been in the craft room but mainly trying to find a home for things (freebies from magazines)
....this sorting out lark takes time, especially when one has so much stuff!! but I am pleased to say that all my ink pads are nicely labelled now and I can see what I have!

Thank you so much for stopping by and extra thanks to those that leave me a comment and let me know they have been. Your comments are what keep me blogging as sadly it seems rapidly to be going out of fashion....blogging that is. I wonder if some peoples feeds have disappeared from blogger as I know that on the odd occasion I miss an odd post from someone for that reason.

I went to Port Sunlight on Saturday......always a good show and though there was nothing I wanted or needed, it as along way to go and not buy a few bits. Mainly stamps from Uniko and Inkylicious this time. It didn't seem as busy as last time we went in the Spring so it was easier to get to see the stands.

Enjoy the rest of your week.....I won't wish it away as we will soon be half way through October!!!

Take care everyone and keep well.
Love Carole xx

Merry Christmas! x 5

Well hello everyone!

How are you all?..well I hope.
Feeling the change in the weather here in the UK that's for sure..heating on and winter duvet!

 I can't believe we are into October! So I thought I had better get cracking with a few batch Christmas cards.

I used a die that I bought in 'The Works', some small base cards and some oddments of other card, mostly glitter. Here they are in no particular order and oh so difficult to photograph!

This first one was liberally sprinkled with Glamour dust on plain white card.......

Silver glitter card on this next one...encapsulated.... and I found it hard to die cut even on the Gemini! The true sparkle does not show unfortunately.

Silver mirri card though it does look a bit gold on this picture.....

A red and gold combi glitter paper.....

and lastly bronze glitter card on pearlescent chocolate card......

So 5 cards to add to the box and very quick to do once I had decided on the colour combos. Which is your favourite?

It's a sunny day here today but cold, but still a welcome change from all the rain we have had lately. Autumn is really here and I have to say I am DEFINITELY not a winter person with dark days and long nights.

I will catch up again soon with some more festive makes from my monthly trip to card club/class.

Someday I will hopefully find the time to play with some inks and try some more background techniques but at present it's got to be quick and easy so I am not at the last minute come December! (because I have left it till now to start maybe)

Take care everyone and have a good rest of the week and weekend.
Love Carole xx

Seaside to garden.

Hi Friends!

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying some sunshine wherever you live.
Here in the UK late summer is upon us already (where has this year gone?) but today we are enjoying some lovely sunshine. It's a bit breezy and the days are getting cooler and shorter!

Here are a few more card club/class/group (call it what you will) cards for you to catch up on. I am very productive in class but sadly not so at home!

First up one to remind you of summer holidays....

and the inside....

Stamps from Hobbyart.

Visited any castles lately?...

and there are still plenty of these flying around my garden, (not castles..butterflies) though not as flamboyant and unusual as this one.....

and to save you standing on your head..the definition reads :- " A kind heart is the definition of true beauty "

Next up a peony easel card....

and lastly a tag card....

A bit of fussy cutting involved in that one! Pink and purple seemed to be the theme on the last two!

That's it for today..time to think about what to have for dinner!....isn't it a chore thinking what to eat?

Take care everyone and enjoy your weekend..nothing special planned here, might make it in to the craft room to craft!..but then if the sun is shining I must make the most of it!

Crafty hugs to all my lovely blogging buddies..thanks for stopping by.
Love Carole xx