Summers End.........and a thank you.

This summer we have enjoyed some of the best tomatoes, chillies and peaches from our garden, but sadly they have just about finished. But that's ok. because Autumn is here, my favourite season. Bring on damp evenings, golden and scarlet leaves, and naked trees.

Thank you Maggie. A Liebster Blog Award came my way via. Maggie Armstrong from New Zealand

http://www.maggiesdoodads.blogspot.com.nz/liebster-blog-award-html

I know bloggers are divided on the subject of award giving and accepting.............

To be honest, I was surprised and delighted; who doesn't like to receive a compliment ? And as my nanna used to say," compliments must always be readily accepted, but always with the right balance of pride, grace, and humility." So I am gratefully accepting and paying it forward.

 The idea behind the award is to spread the love, interest and knowledge from one small blog ( under 200 followers ) to other small blogs.

To accept the award you must;

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you & thank them.

2.Post the award to your blog.

3. Give the award to 5 people ( blogs less than 200 followers ) that you enjoy visiting and who inspire you.

4. Leave a comment for these people to let them know how much you appreciate them.

I think these 5 people are amazing, for different reasons, but I love visiting their blogs and I find them inspirational.

1. Louise Nelson

 2. Melinda Thompson

3.Alberto Juarez

4. Michelle Grant

5. Eila Sandburg.

Being Challenged...........

Sorry, todays post is long, and I hope not too boring, but I have lots to ' show and tell '.

We all love a challenge, and the challenges at CSI...Color, Stories, Inspiration have really been that....challenging. It's not just the color scheme you have to stick to but several other specific elements must be included on your page and the journalling must also be done in a specific way. This really appeals to me as it creates great prompts for you, so you have to think out of 'the square'.My page from last week must have passed all the set criteria and it made my day to read the comments left by the DT who really 'got' what I was trying to express with this page.

This is the latest challenge at CSI...

Use of liquid medium needed to be in evidence.

Glass or transparent elements had to be used.

Another great challenge has been that set by Meg from the online store Meg's Garden. Using the theme " Vintage Gentleman ", and the beautiful papers that she supplies, I made a gift box and a page. You would give the box probably to an 'older ' gentleman, and of course you could fill it with chocolates, but my extravagant heart wants to put a new iphone in it or airplane tickets for 2 to Paris.

This page is about my dad...a dapper young man in 1946 with his pipe. Also an airforce gunner in the second World War, a prisoner of war in Rangoon Burma, a champion golfer, wonderful husband and very kind and loving father. Ironic that this photo has him smoking.  He continued to do so until his death, caused by lung cancer.

It can be a challenge to make things made yesterday appear to look 'ancient' or at least 'vintage'. The tag used here has been distressed, crinkled and stamped, but the ledger paper with 1946 written on it is actually from 1946. Sheets of this old ledger paper were used as gift wrapping for a gift sent to me by a very kind friend. The metal embellishments used are from Vintaj Brass and are available from Meg's Garden.

Aren't these Garnet Velvet Forget Me Nots just beautiful and this paper is called "Suitcases For Travelling"....both available from Meg's Garden.

A big thank you for visiting me today, have a great end to the week and a fun weekend coming up. xx

Lets Get Shabby.....New Challenge

The new challenge for March at Lets Get Shabby is about "Strawberries and Hearts". Hop on over there to find out all the details and be inspired by the creations from the DT girls

Hearts, are Spellbinders, butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch.

Shabby flower made using cheese-cloth, card stock and the Tim Holtz tattered Florals Die.

I cut a slit in the hands in the photo and threaded the ribbon through so it looks as though Ella is holding onto it.

I glued some muslin cloth onto thin card, ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Sizzix Angel Wings Die, ran it through the Cuttlebug again in an embossing folder, misted the edges with water then misted them with Pink Bubblegum Glimmer Mist. 

We'd love you to join in this challenge, it's pretty and girly and is open to lots of interpretive creativity. xx

New Members, a ' Slider ' and a Page for TCR #99

Meg has announced her new Design Team and I am very happily back for another 6 months along with some lovely and very creative ladies now joining the original team....

Eila Sandberg

Heather Jacob

Yuka Hino

Gabrielle Pollacco

Vickie Alberto

Cathy Cafun

Here are 2 of my Feb. projects for Meg's Garden.....my theme being "Vintage Gentleman".

A card for February, one you could send to the man in your life,using, ATC A4 paper....Vintage French Couples and A4 Collage paper....Suitcases for Travelling. Added Lace, a Vintaj Brass Scrolled Ornate Corner, Satin Ribbon and beautiful Garnet Forget Me Not Velvet Flowers, all from Meg's Garden.

This is a "glass slide mailer". It's what you put a glass slide ( you know, same as you used to use in science and biology ) in to mail it. It's like a little folder, very cute, very robust and a lot of fun to paint, ink, paper, emboss or decorate in any way your creative heart tells you to. I've used Meg's Garden A4 Collage Papers, Travel Labels and Suitcases For Travelling.

This page for TCR #99 has been done with the paper,  as usual being the main 'ingredient'...I love patterned paper and have to get a grip, and stop myself from just using every piece I own if it's in the right colour for a project. I have also stencilled, colour washed, inked and misted........and I followed the sketch.

Thanks for dropping by.......I wish you all a happy, productive and super creative week. xx

Color..Stories..Inspiration..#7

I have joined in at CSI this week. Apart from using ALL of the 5 colours, there were also a number of other elements that had to be used:

metals, stripes, combination of straight lines and organic shapes.

There were a number of different ways you could journal as well. I went with 3,2,1.

3. most important things

2. questions

1. word to sum up the story

2010 was not a great year for my daughter. At times she was completely OTT ( "Over the Top" )She made some bad decisions that year, but also learnt a lot. 

Evidence of straight lines and organic ( curved )shapes.

Evidence of metal and stripes.

I'm not very good at keeping track of the products I use and more often than not they are things I have had for a while and are no longer in a packet, or the paper has had it's brand cut off, but, for what it's worth these are some of the things I used here. The background was done using Distress Ink 'worn lipstick' and 'shabby shutters' and a stamp from Paper Inspirations. The chipboard is Imaginarium Tinies, Delish flocked letter stickers, Kaisercraft Rubons and Collectables, flowers are a mixture of Prima and Kaisercraft and I think the paper is Flocked Dot from Making Memories.

Just Messin' Around............

Playing in my art journal with textures and ink. Of course the blue page is inspired by Finnabair. 

Wishing you all a creative and happy weekend,and thanks to those lovelies who took the time to leave me birthday wishes........  you are special; and you made my week a little bit more special too. xx

A Birthday............and a song.

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were.....?

So thankful for my lovely, lovely family, my friends, and for each and every day. xx                                                  

The Color Room #96............

Another very soft and pretty palette at The Color Room this week. Again I followed the sketch,

and indulged my love of stamps and rub-ons with a bit of 'shabby love'.

When I buy card stock for scrapbooking I don't really pay much attention to the composition of the paper, i.e. what it's actually 'made of' and of course papers come in different weights, textures and 'compositions'. All I'm interested in is the 'colour'. Any way this particular paper did not cope well with being wet. In fact it almost disintegrated with just a small spray of water on it. However, once dry, after being blasted with the heat gun in order to try and save it, I loved the very soft "fluffy" edges I was left with....a pleasant 'random' out come.   

Thank you so much to my loyal visitors who drop by and take the time to say a few sweet words.....I love that you do that, and it makes my little world a happier place. xx