Autumn/Fall - it's that time of year

Well even though the weather isn't quite sure what it should be doing (although I don't mind this last summer rush of sun) it should really be the start of that season full of golds, browns and oranges, so here's my take on Autumn.

 

I love this Magnolia image and could just picture her on a lovely, windy autumn day, flying her kite over the fields, with the leaves just beginning to fall from the trees - are you getting the scene? :)

I coloured the image with a mixture of Promarkers and Copics and used a basic form of 'pointillism' to create the background.  The base card is made from a cocoa cardstock that I had in my stash and the green layer is from a paper stack called 'Spring Feast' by First Edition Papers, (lovin' these papers), this was layered onto gold mirri card.  The next layer is 'Rusty Hinge' from Tim Holtz and Rangers Distress Collection.  This was run through my GC in an embossing folder and then distressed with sandpaper.  All the layers were 'hand' stitched (yep - hand stitched).  The leaves were coloured with 'Pumpkin' Promarker and cut using a Woodware embossing punch.  The ticket is from a Tim Holtz range which I stressed I think, rather than distressed!!!!!!! and this is sitting in a Magnolia 'Doo Hickey' die, which I just love, cut from 'Dried Marigold' from the Distress Collection Core'dinations stack. There are three little yellow gems to the top right of the image too - just to add a little pazazz :)

Hope you like this fun little card, setting me up for those Autumn days to come.  if you click on the lower piccie, it will take you to a close-up; hope you enjoy.

Hugs

Kaz Bee

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Magnolia Wk 125 - Fall/School Time has Returned

Bunny Zoe  Monthly Challenge 16 - A Sketch by Debbie

Rachel's 17 - Happy Birthday Rachel

Oh my stars, how time flies.  My youngest daughter was 17 on the 14th of this month.  Rachel is starting at a new performing Arts Academy on 19th September in Hove, called the MGA Academy; so it will be a very exciting time for her.  Rachel loves her music, dancing and acting; it's going to be a lot of hard work but I know she's going to love it. She'll be able to start her driving lessons too - oh my word, my little girl all grown up; and I'm very proud of her :) 

And here's the card I made for her

Rachel not only loves singing, she plays guitar, keyboard and writes her own music, she is currently recording her first album.  So as you can see, the card had to have a music theme!  

Now why did I pick that image???? 

well this is my Rachel a couple of years ago with her Red Guitar and below is my Rachel performing at Pevfest 2011 with her band, as you can see I think the image was made for my Rachel !

If you want to see and hear what Rachel's up to 

please follow this link: Rachel Brett

Aaaagggghhhhh Blogger!

Apologies to my followers - for some reason if you are using Firefox the piccies of my followers do not appear; however, if you're using Safari they do!  This problem occurred today, but reading the Google Blogger Help Forum there seems to be a lot of similar issues to this, all without any solution so far.  If you know the answer please leave me a comment.  Otherwise, apologies to my followers who view through Firefox for your piccies not appearing!

Other than that, hope you all had a good day today :)

Curlybearcrafts 100 Follower Candy

Curlybearcrafts 100 Follower Candy: click on the piccie below to be taken to the fabulous site with lots of inspirational projects using lovely tones and colours. Enjoy the journey of crafting through Blogland.

Downrightcrafty Blog Candy

Celebrating 400 followers, Downrightcrafty are offering some fabulously themed candy.

Click on the piccie below or side bar to go to the site and see the fantastic projects.

Scallywags - You Want Candy?

For inspirational projects and designs pop over to Scallywags Blog

Click on the piccie below of the candy on offer or the link on the side bar - enjoy and good luck

Ali's Sharing the Passion

Ali's sharing the Passion: Molly Blooms Birthday Candy

Go have a look at Ali's Blog and her candy.  Very inspirational great designs and projects.

Click on the piccie to go!

The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog

There is some great candy on offer at 'The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog' who also launch their first challenge on 19th September 2011.  Click on the piccie below to be taken to their site.  Have fun and enjoy :)

Kylies Kraft Room Blogaversary

For those of you haven't visited, take a trip to Kylie's Kraft Room.  There are fantastic projects and designs to be found, which are absolutely delightful and gorgeous.  

Kylie's celebrating her 2nd Blogaversary very soon and is offering some fantastic candy.  Click on the link below or on the side bar to take a visit - you'll be glad you did.

Sail Away!

Back to crafting after a hubby's holiday.  Didn't go away as I'm still recovering from my heart op. but we managed a few days out together, which was lovely and I left the crafting alone for a few days - oh no - withdrawal symptoms.  Still back to routine - kind of - and as I love this stamp, I couldn't wait to create a card with it, saw Pop's Sketch on the LOTV Challenge and here it is.

I loved creating this card.  I used matting and layering on the backing papers with silver mirri card; the papers are from a Heritage stash set.  The blue band is watercolour paper which I inked with Tim Holtz, Faded Jeans and I then wrapped Bakers Twine (from wild Orchid Crafts) around the card in diagonals.

The image was coloured using promarkers, which worked really well on the watercolour card, even though they draw the ink quite strongly.  I edge the image with Tim Holtz, Antique Linen, to bring the design out.  The sentiment, LOTV stamp, is also on watercolour card and has been stamped using Tim Holtz, Faded Jeans too, to keep the colour theme running through.  I added the buttons as I felt these kept the feel of the design.

Ingeredients:

Stamps: LOTV, Main Image (Sailing Boat)  and Sentiment (Dreamy Days Collection)

Papers: Heritage (Paper Pizazz),  Silver Mirri Card, Watercolour Card

Markers:  Promarkers: China Blue, Cornflower, Musard, Buttercup, Poppy, Cinnamon, Caramel and Sandstone

Embellishments: Buttons and Bakers twine from Wild Orchid Crafts
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities - fancy circles

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

LOTV Challenge 110 - Sketch by Pops

I Love Promarkers Challenge 81 - Anything Goes 
Crafty Purple Frog Sep 1 - Birthdays
Passion for Promarkers Challenge 115 - Theme - Anything Goes

Pixie Dust Paperie September Kit ~ Tecolota Preview

Pixie Dust have some fantastic candy that they are giving as a gift.  The kit includes lots of embellishments that would be brilliant for card making, scrap booking and all sorts of other projects too.

Just click on the picture which will take you too the link, or on the side bar link too :)

Happy September!

Hi all, just wishing everyone a Happy September.  It's that back to school and usual routine month, for some of us, which we either love or hate.  

Lot's of new things in my family - 

Kim starts her new job at a local school and starts her Degree course 

to hopefully become a teacher one day

Rachel will be going to a new Performing Arts Academy in Hove, England and will be studying for a HND in performing arts. She'd love to be treading the boards of a West End stage one day as a leading lady.

Hubby's just started with a new division with his job and continues with his own charity 'Starcards' where he raises funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital in London that looks after children from all over the world.

And I will be returning to my place of work, following my heart surgery!

Oh boy, what a month!!!!!!!

Fantastic News and Candy to Celebrate

Jacque has had the most fantastic news and to celebrate she is offering the most delicious candy.  Click on the piccie to go to her website and take a look, but most of all to celebrate in her good news :) 

Two Happy Birthday's - My Mum and our Dear Friend Vicky

Wishing my Mum a Very Happy Birthday today

This is my Mum with all the trophies that she won for her fuschias at the recent Fuschia Society Show.  Mum won five firsts, five seconds and three thirds, plus best in show!

The other birthday that we are celebrating today, is a very good family friend's, particularly of my eldest daughter Kimberley, our dear Vicky.  

Vicky and Kim spent the day photographing cats with Vicky's dad today, you may be thinking why? but not the domestic cat but wild cats.  tigers, lions, pumas etc.  It's a special wild cat reserve that is in Kent, England, that hold special photography days, which help fund the animals.  The center is not like a zoo and relies on funding and volunteer keepers along with the trained specialists.  

Here's one of my daughter's photos.

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Bog Candy

Well the lovely ladies at Bunny Zoe's are offering some delicious candy this week, as always, so pop over and see.  Click on picture below or link on side bar to blog.

Vixx Handmade Cards Candy

It will be Vicky's birthday soon and she is offering great candy to celebrate.

The candy ends 28th August at 9 p.m. so be sure to click on the picture above, or on he side bar, and pop across.

Wedding Card

OK, so this is the other project I've been spending my time on.  One of my very good friends is getting married, tomorrow!!!!!!! And this is the card gift that I've have made for her and her husband-to-be.

I made an easel card and their theme is Vintage Gold & White, hence my colour scheme.  Used the LOTV Bride and Groom stamp, which is very apt in style for the couple, as the bride works in a school and loves al the children and this image has that feel to it.  The card base is made from a pearlescent card stock, which I also made a matching gift box in. There are two sentiments, one which is from a multi-round stamp 'On your Wedding Day' written in a vintage style to match the theme and the LOTV stamp which supports the easel card says 'Wishing you a World of Joy', very apt.

This is a close up of the front of the card.  I trialled a few where I added colour to the image and shading; however, because the theme was 'Gold and White' and the image was clean and crisp, I decided that it didn't need colour this time.  I embossed the image using clear embossing ink and gold embossing powder. I used gold mirri-card for the layering.  The backing paper is, in fact, a stamped image.  It is a large wooden stamp that my daughter picked up once in a local store reduced.  I'm so pleased she did, because I love it :) The bouquet is assembled from flowers purchased from Wild Orchid Crafts and I added some pearl pins which I had in my stash.  I held them together with florists tape.  The bow is made from white chiffon.

The couple already had their own homes before they met and therefore did not require gifts for their new home together.  So we have decided to give them some money to put towards their honeymoon.  I therefore made a small pocket sleeve, from stamped backing paper to take the gift and set this above the sentiment to support the card.  This way I thought they would see the gift easily but it's concealed when the card is resting on the sentiment. If I had put it underneath the flap, which was my other option, I wasn't sure they would know it was there. 

This is the back/base of the card.  I printed the sentiment and cut the two layers with nestabilities; one layer of gold mirri card and the other of neenah as it took the print better than the pearlescent card stock.

I am really pleased with the card and can't wait to go to the wedding tomorrow. let's hope the weather stays fine.  My daughter Rachel has been asked to sing at the wedding, and the song chosen is 'The first time ever I saw you face'.  Rachel sung it at the rehearsal on Tuesday and it was decided that waterproof mascara would definitely be the order of the day, it was so moving and beautiful, there were lot's of watery eyes!!!!!!

Well I hope they like it - I enjoyed making it - please leave a comment and let me know what you think too :)  

Hugs x 

I have decided to enter it into these challenges 

LOTV Challenge 108 - Roses
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes (optional extra of metal)
Crafts & Me Challenge 46 - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoe's Challenge 15 - Easel Card

Baby Bouquet & Lacey Cardigan

I had seen a Baby Shower gift set that had used baby items folded and rolled to make a bouquet so I thought I would give it ago, with baby socks,  as my gift to go with the card that I had made for my friends new little baby and this is the result. Hope you like it :)

 

The bouquet is sitting in a box, which actually contains the lacey cardigan and a couple of sets of little pyjamas, then there is the layer of tissue paper and the bouquet of socks fills the box (bought from Clinton cards) with the little Miffy toy rattle.  I really enjoyed rolling the socks and you can find examples on You Tube of various methods of rolling.  I watched some and then did my own that worked with the socks that I had bought and that I thought looked like a rose when rolled. I was going to make little leaves, or add artificial ones to add to the effect, but I liked it better without in the end.

Well this is the lacey cardigan that is in the box with the PJs.  I spent a few evenings knitting it and enjoyed it as it grew quite quickly.  I made it with Bamboo yarn as it is more hypoallergenic than most man-made fibers.  the colour is a very soft pink, perfect for a 'little baby girl'.

This is the back view.

Hope you like this and it inspires you in your own crafting. 

A Baby Card & Gift

Hi All

Just thought I'd share why I hadn't blogged my crafty bits lately.  Well a good friend of ours has had a beautiful baby girl, who they have named Phoebe, and I wanted to make a special card and gift.  I started with the card. I decided to make it as a hanging frame, spelling the word Baby in pink gingham letters. My daughters a far better photographer than I and I'm afraid these pictures don't really do it justice, but you'll get the idea!

The reverse side of the panels looks like this.

The panels were made with a pearlescent card stock and the letters were cut out using my cricut machine.  I added the butterflies and flowers to each letter, but did not want to overdo the embellishments, so that it didn't detract from the letters.  The panels were joined together with pastel pink ribbon with a small silver bead at the top.  This is the box that I made for it.

Hope you like it and it inspires you with your crafting projects.  Of course the panels can be adapted for whatever you want to celebrate.

In my next blogs I'll show you what I made as the present.

Have fun.

Rachel Brett & Dorie Jackson

WOW! Whole week without a post but boy have we been busy.  Highlight last night though was of my daughter Rachel recording with Miss Dorie Jackson.  Rachel has been writing some new songs and is putting together an album, which will be released soon.  Dorie came to the recording studio to put down some backing vocals for Rachel; and the tracks are sounding brilliant.  Dorie is a lovely, inspiring lady and a fantastic singer and has worked with many famous vacalists and groups, including Chris Difford of 'Squeeze' fame.  It was a great evening and we were very grateful to Dorie for her time and input.

Rachel and Rachel also did a 'live lounge' style acoustic version of one of the songs, which hopefully I will be ale to post the link for soon. 

Rachel and Dorie at Appleyard Studios in Robertsbridge.

I'll be back to crafting & posting soon though!