Mono Shades for the Christmas Card Club!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and having a lovely weekend whatever you have planned.

It's time for the CCC girls to share the latest challenge which it's my turn to host and I decided on Mono Colours... , and I'm looking forward to seeing what the talented ladies have created. Here are mine.. I made two card as I couldn't make up my mind on the shades to choose;

Now the colours here are blue, it's not showing up too well. I've used SU Night of Navy ink and the trees  in the foreground are also SU Winter Woods, the little fir trees in the background and the deer are from Creative Stamping Magazine. The sentiment is SU. Again not showing up is the  snow that is meant to give the glitter. I have to say the card looks much better in reality.

Shades of brown for this one, Crumbcake SU ink and an other tree from Winter Woods set long with a die from the same set and decoupaged on top of the stamped tree. The branches around the edges are from Creative Stamping  Magazine as is the lovely sentiment. Stardust on the tree and around the base of the tree and sequins in  coffee and cream. LOTV paper and shades of brown card from SU, finishing off with baker's twine.

I was looking to see how many card we still have to make for our little challenge and there's only four more....EEEEkkkk!! it will soon be Christmas, where has the year gone??

Do check out the lovely creations from my lovely team mates.

Thank you all for your lovely comment son my last card, always appreciated, I'll say cheerio for now, and see you soon, oh and I'll leave you with a photo of my lovely boy Teallach I managed to shoot the other day

Love him to bits!!

Autumn Treasures!

Hello Everyone, hoping you are all well and enjoying this fine Indian Summer day. It's glorious here, warm too. Alistair was away up in the mountains this morning as the weather indicated it was going to be good.  4 O'clock he got up, I don't know where his energy comes from, still he was back by lunch time having climbed what he wanted. What did I do....housework of course. There is something about the sunshine that makes me want to clean. 

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my last card, I do appreciate each of them.

Card for today;

A little easel card, something I don't make often too much measuring for me, and even with a ruler I never get things right. Anyway, I've used lovey papers from Sara Davis Autumn pad, the papers are gorgeous, and the card is from SU. The leaves are a selection of SB and Crafter's Companion dies.
The stamps are all from Creative Stamping a couple of issues ago, issue 60 a truly lovely stamp set and inks up well. I added a few sequins and the odd bit of WoS for some sparkle.

Well what a fabulous choral rehearsal we had on Monday night, Pat MacMahon, who apart from being an international singing teacher is one of our Honorary Patrons, putting us through our singing paces so to speak.  We all felt as if  we had a singing work out, paying attention to our diction, shaping and loads of other things, even the way we stand in order to convey certain emotions on particular words. Our main musical work for our Winter concert is The Armed Man, amazing work, it's a piece I love doing, and it was felt that our session with this inspirational teacher worked magic, the trick will be in remembering it all come the concert, although I did make note on my score, hopefully everyone else did too. It's marvellous that she takes the time to spend doing this with us when she has now retired and we appreciate it so much, a well loved and respected lady she is.

That's me for now, I'm hoping to get a couple of hours in my craft room later, so take care everyone and see you soon,

Waterfront!

Hello Everyone, back from our travels and had a lovely few days near Peebles which is on the way to the Scottish Borders. The weather wasn't bad at all and managed a few walks. The colours of the trees were glorious, I just love all that gold and bronze shading.
My hot stone massage what wonderful, to be highly recommended and I felt so relaxed afterwards, a must for the Christmas list I think.

Anyway, I hope you are all well, but if not, sending out kind thoughts that you will feel better soon.

Obviously while away I wasn't doing any commenting, in fact, I couldn't work out how to get the wifi going, sometimes I'm techie challenged, however it did give me a lovely break from all things internet.

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments left on my last card, which was my DT contribution for the Back to Basics and Beyond Challenge Blog. It's also my last creation for it as I've stepped down. I have come to realise that I just like what I do, and felt frustrated by having to do techniques that are not my style...  I will follow what the lovely girls on the team do as it's an excellent idea to have a challenge blog that shows different techniques to new and experienced crafters, just not for me.

My card today ;

The stamp is a set from SU called Waterfront, comprises of mountains, water and a variety of  trees. I stamped the scene with various inks. It took me about four attempts to get to this, but a simple enough card really. I think it's a good masculine card. There are also palm trees in the set so you could have a tropical scene.

While we were away we visited  Traquair House, which is near Peebles and what an interesting place it is, the history dates to before the 11th century and most of the Scottish Kings have stayed there, including Mary Queen of Scots, who visited with her husband Lord Darnley and baby son who was eventually to become James 6th of Scotland and 1st of England. Now I'm sure many of you who follow me will know of this history, but there may be some from far off lands who don't. Then of course there was also the Bonnie Prince that many Highlanders lost their lives whilst  trying to restore the Stuarts to the Scottish throne.  I love this period of history, and have read quite a bit as I've gotten older, because in my day at school we were not taught about Scottish history....I wonder why!

Here is a photo of the King's Room, and the bed Mary slept in, we were thinking that people must have been much shorter as it's quire a small bed.

And here is the cradle made for the young Prince, it's beautifully carved.

We spend a good while at this house,  well worth a visit.

So, back to the old routine, and although it's lovely to have a break away it's always good to get home.

That's me for now, I hope you are enjoying your weekend, till next time keep well and cheerio,

Watercolour for Back to Basics and Beyond!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and enjoying your day.
It's time again for another challenge at BBB and this time is to create a card using water colour as a medium. Now there are plenty of tutorials over on You Tube to help you, so I do hope you will join in the challenge which you can find here

Here is my card;

I've use an image and sentiment for Little Claire and coloured with Gansi Tambi watercolours from Kuretake. 

Thank you all for your visits and comments on my previous card, I'll see you soon,

Turkeys, Camels or Sheep for the Christmas Card Club!

Hello Everyone, how are you doing today, I hope your weekend is going well.
I'm much later than I usually am with my contribution to the CCC, just couldn't get myself together to schedule the post as I usually do on Saturday for today, anyway, here I am and this time around it's our lovely Rachel who is hosting the challenge and she would like to see Turkeys. Camels or Sheep, her is what I made;

I just love this fabulous stamp from Hobbyart, just look at their expressions, so funny and I love the take on the very traditional Christmas Carol.  I've coloured it all with SN Aqua Pens and distressed ink around the edges of the card, added a little bit of glitter to the camel's head gear and job done.
I was hoping to make another card with the sheep stamp, but didn't get around to it. 

Is your weather turned cold?? I've got the gloves and the socks out now and today we've had huge downpours, definitely a steak pie dinner night, getting into the comfort food now. I've even had to put the warmer duvet on the bed as Alistair was complaining of being cold.

We had a lovely night out at a concert last night;

Over 60 musicians from over the Highlands came together to play this fabulous programme in aid of Cash for Children a charity run by Moray Firth Radio. Being in the Cathedral the acoustics were amazing and what fantastic music from such a large orchestra. There was audience participation too, where instead of cannons firing at the finish of the 18212 we were given large brown paper bags to blow up and than bang at the appropriate time, such fun, and I'd noticed a wee boy sitting making paper aeroplanes from the programmes and wondered if he was going to let them fly at that time and that is just what he did, it was such a brilliant ending. Now I've never heard Tchaikovsky's 1812 played live before and I have to say it was absolutely marvellous, especially the percussionists, they must have been exhausted at the end of the piece.

The people who run the charity gave a bit of a talk about what the charity does and the amount of children that require help is just staggering, the numbers go into the thousands who have no hot meal during the school holidays and require new clothes to go back to school. The charity help with this sort of thing, disgraceful that in the 5th riches country that there should be such amount of child poverty, and many of the parents were working. It makes me so angry, as there is no need for it. Anyway, I'll stop my rant there, other than to say I look forward to the revolution.

Thank you all so much for you super comments on my last card, and a warm welcome to my new Followers, Mitzi and Heidi, so pleased that you pressed the Follow button and I hope you will pop in often.

That's me for now, enjoy your Sunday evening and take care,

  

  

Merry Christmas for The Rudolph Day Challenge!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and you are enjoying your day.

I've had a lovely few days, just doing my own thing, but Alistair is now back having had a great time despite the gale like weather. I had vision of them chasing a blown away tent yesterday The weather  has been pretty awful. I'm hoping that it will improve for next week as we are going away for a few days break, but just in case it's no good, I've book myself a Hot Stone treatment and a Manicure... we are going to a hotel that has a spa.  Never had the Hot Stone treatment before but certainly looking forward to it, it's meant to be amazing, so I've heard.

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my last card and I'm glad I could raise a chuckle with the telling of the tale A Night at the Opera. I have sadly lost touch with this friend, but  I have fond memories of the many brilliant times we spent together.

I've a little card today that I'm going to enter into The Rudolph Challenge over at ScrappyMo's

A rather simple card, but one that would be god for a guy. The die is from the Works and it cuts out a dream, I cut two and made a shadow. Mounted it onto red card and them some fab tartan card the my friend Mrs. D sent me, she also gave me a selection of buttons too, one of which I've used to embellish here. Some baker's twine and a gem, as I say simple.

The night's are fairly drawing in, 7 o'clock and it's already quite dark, I hate drawing the curtains whilst there is still a smidgen of light out there, but it looks like they will be drawn soon. Teallach loves sitting on the window sill and I forget he's there when the curtains are closed and sometimes when I'm passing he'll whack me from behind them and gives me a fright, especially if I'm passing with a coffee, he's a menace at times.

I've got a walk date tomorrow with Moreen and the Pups, I've not seen them for a few weeks so I'm looking forward to that. Moreen goes for longggg walks, so I'd better be prepared.

So, that's me for now, enjoy your evening and I'll see you soon,

https://scrapsoflifebyscrappymo.blogspot.com/2018/09/september-rudolph-days-challenge.html

Madam Butterfly..One Fine Day!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and enjoying your weekend. 
We are a bit chilly up here and some rain, but there's supposed to be a high coming in and Alistair and a couple of "the boys" are off tomorrow for a few days, doing their men stuff. Yeah! I hope the weather does indeed hold for them, I always feel a bit cheated when they come home early as the weather has been awful.
I've nothing much planned, choral practice tomorrow night and I might indulge in a wee bit of shopping in town and a cuppa at Costa.

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last card and for the suggestions regarding the moderating thing. I've given pressed buttons so I've no idea if I've done it correctly, but if  I have no comments I'll know I've not.

So on to my new card, it's another Aurora Wings Lady and it was the first one I ever bought and I love it;

I believe her name is Miyabe and I've coloured once again with watercolours and some silver gel pen.
The background paper is from the Oriental Treasures pad from Papermainia. I found some little stickon butterflies which I've had for years and felt they were just perfect for the card. My lovely friend Mrs. Duck gave me a bunch of these lovely metal embellishments,again perfect as I thought they had an oriental look. A few pearls and some silver bakers twine from SU and I felt it was done.

Now I'm entering my card in to the Aurora Wings Challenge which is about music and one of my favourite pieces of music, well it's Puccini opera is Madam Butterfly. I've chosen the One Fine Day piece whilst Butterfly is still happy and so in love.. Yes she is eventually  betrayed by her American  Navy Lieutenant lover Pinkerton and has a tragic ending, as most of Puccini's operas do.

I have a wonderful memory of being at this opera many years ago when I lived in Edinburgh and took a friend along with me to see it. My friend had never been to an opera before and she was keen to go along, I didn't tell her too much about it as I didn't want to spoil the story for her.
Anyway, we met up after work, and my friend Pat at that time owned a little newsagent shop and had been up from the crack of dawn... therefore she was tired. Pat dosed off during the first half of the performance and was given a few nudges when the snoring started, but I thought a G&T at the interval would waken her up a bit.  So, we are now into the second half of the performance and she is absolutely loving it, no dosing off this time around, she is caught up in the story, tears streaming down her face and at the moment when Butterfly is about to end her life, Pat shouts out "dinne  de it hen... the bast..d no worth it!" Well at this point, the folk in front of us are turning round, people were saying shhhh and all of that, I'm sliding down in my seat totally embarrassed wishing the floor would open up, and Pat never daunted by it all, turned to me and kept saying  how awful and that's men  for you.  Anyhow the opera came to an end, Butterfly having not taken Pat's advice.. if she heard and we made a getaway to the nearest bar.  My friend, absolutely loved the whole experience, didn't know anything so beautiful could be so sad, and apologised for getting carried away. But, you know when you think about it what a marvellous way to show appreciation of the work when you get so lost in that you let your feelings out.  I always think about this night when I listen to this operatic work.

So, that's me for now, off to link this up with the challenge blog, and see to our dinner, haggis, neeps and tatties tonight..we love out gourmet food lol!
Enjoy what's left of the weekend and I'll see you soon,

I would like to enter my card into;   https://aurorawingschallenge.blogspot.com/2018/09/challenge-71-inspired-by-music.html