I Want to Ride my Bicycle!

 Hello Everyone, hope all is good for you and that your weeks got off to a good start. After all the strange weather over the weekend, we have now settled down to some lovely sunshine, albeit, in the minuses during the night, in fact it's warm enough for Alistair to sit outside and chew the fat with our neighbour, I can hear them now sorting the world out. 

We will loose our neighbours in a few weeks, as they are going into sheltered housing, having been on the list for years, they are delighted to have been offered one, all on the one level and with a little garden. We will be sad to see them go, but so pleased that they have somewhere that suits. The houses we are in are no good for anyone in the elderly age group and or with any sort of poor physical mobility, and it's something that we will have to be thinking about for ourselves.......eventually.

So Alistair is going to miss his political conversations with Donny, and I'll miss their beautifully tended garden, but nothing stays the same for ever.

My Son and his wife finally got their first vaccine on Saturday, I was so pleased for them, not that they are out and about much, as Moreen still works from home, but Damian has had to start going into his office a couple of days a week, but thankfully, they're stay at home bods, so will still take precautions.

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my CCC post, I appreciate your visits and every comment.

I have my first finished page from Johanna Basford's new colouring book;

This is a beautifully illustrated book, such wonderful drawing to colour, and Johanna put it all together during lockdown, and she was telling us on one of her videos that her the books sales are 3rd. after Michelle Obama and Piers Morgans' book, although why anyone would want to buy his book is beyond my understanding, anyway no accounting for taste in my opinion, and Johanna's book was only launch on April 1st. 

So what did I use to colour up this wonderful cycle, Derwent Softcolour and Procolour pencils, I used a petal stencil and DI in the background, I kept the background simple so as not to detract from the picture. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Well, that's it for today, remember to keep yourselves safe and see you soon,

 

Little Robin Redbrest of the CCC!

Hello Everyone, another weekend and time once again for the Christmas Card Club to show their cards. This time around it's Margaret otherwise known as Duchess who has chosen the theme of Robins . Now who doesn't like to see a Robin on a Christmas card???  So I managed three this time, and if I'd had more time I think I could have made more, lol.

First one up is an upcycled card which was too lovely to throw out;

I love the watercolour look of this little Robin and the paint splashes around him. I've added some glitter and gems. Sentiment is from a Creative Stamping magazine.

Next up;

An image from Hobby Art, I just love this Robin image, I've coloured with Copics, which is not too good, I seem to have forgotten how to colour with them, and paper from an old paper pad, some snow and a few gems, sentiment from a Tonic stamp set.

Finely;

Now this is the one I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The image is from Imagination Crafts, which I've had for years, but never opened. I don't think it was meant to be a Robin, however I gave the bird a red breast, hey presto it's a Robin, and to match his red breast I matted it on to red card and added a red gem. Sentiment is from Tonic. I've added a wee bit of glitter on some of the leaves.

So Margaret, thank you so much for this challenge, I did enjoy it.

So, for days we have had snow throughout the day, off and on, and it's been much colder too. Today's snow has been like little polystyrene balls. Thankfully at low level it's not lying.

I hope you are all well and getting your jabs okay, I'm still waiting for my second one, 19th April, so that will be the full 3 month since my first one. 

We are having a treat tonight, Alistair a fish supper and it's a jumbo sausage supper for me and to hell with the diabetes, you have to live sometimes. 

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post, I do appreciate them.

So just going to schedule this for tomorrow, Sunday when the CCC goes live.

Take care everyone and enjoy your weekend

Autumn!

 Hello Everyone, and I hope your Easter holiday has been going well and you are enjoying it.

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning, snow pelting down, it's not lasting at this level though, but the mountains are plastered with the white stuff once again. Last night saw the temperature at minus 3, so pretty cold. We haven't done anything, Alistair has been painting the fences, and I've been quite happy colouring in, and my new Johanna Basford book arrived. World within Worlds. The whole colouring community has been awaiting it, so lots of You Tube videos already out for inspiration.

Anyhoo, I've a completed page from one of my Rita Berman books

 I just love these books, there is one for every season, and this one is Autumn, I believe the translation is My Autumn Walk.

I've used Derwent Coloursoft and Procolour to colour the picture, and the quote is a stamp by Inkylicous, thought it was very apt. Finished of with a little bit of Stickles.

Thank you all for the lovely comments on my Santa card, very much appreciated.

Well, the snow is on again, so it's a day for indoors and I've discovered a fabulous film on, The Fall of the Roman Empire, just my type of epic movie with a cast of thousands, none of this modern digital stuff, and it has a great cast,  Alex Guinness Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer, and Steven Boyed in the lead roles, only thing is it's on BBC 2, so loo breaks and it's a very long film. Some popcorn would have been just the ticket, but I've none.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday, keep safe if you are able to get out and about more, and I'll see you soon,

When Santa!

 Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and looking forward to the Easter weekend. I think it's to be pretty good weather for most folks and we all have a bit more freedom for travelling, not much but every mile counts.

Thank you so much for your continued visits and the lovely comments that you leave.

I have a card today that I'm going to enter into Hazel's challenge;

https://www.fezziwigsfestivefrolics.com/2021/03/santa-says.html

My image and sentiment are from a Daisy Mae Designs, called When Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney. and I've coloured it with Derwent Softcolour pencils and added some clear gems. The paper is from an older First Edition pad called Vintage. I'm not that happy with the lay down of the colouring, I didn't use my usual Strathmore paper and it seems the the paper I did use isn't suited to the pencils, or the other way around. The more I use colour pencils I'm realising how important what paper you use is. No all pencils suit all types of paper.

Anyway, we have no hard and fast plan for this weekend, if the weather is good we might go for a drive somewhere, but we'll be keeping safe whatever we do.

So that's me for now, take care of yourselves

All the Flowers!

 Hello there, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and that the new week has got off to a good start. For some of you in the UK you have a little bit more freedom, being able to see more people which for many must be wonderful. 

Our daily Covid briefings seem to have stopped because our politicians are out campaigning for the Scottish elections on May 6th. so I'm not all that sure when our more relaxed restrictions start, except for hairdressers opening, I've got that marked in big red letters in my diary, it's 5th April and I've got an appointment on the 8th. I did take the scissors to it the other month with disastrous results lol. 

Just before Christmas I got my very long hair cut, I'd been growing it for 7 years and it was was down my back, and I was fed up with just having to put it up in some kind of way, so I decided I was going all Judy Dench, and I love it. But the only thing with having your hair short is you have to keep getting it cut to maintain the style, which also mean lots of money lol. Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting it cut again.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my Christmas card, I do appreciate your continued visits,

I've completed another page in my planer;

   I've used a combination of Bambino Clay crayons and Derwent Coloursoft pencils, with a few bits of gel sparkly gel pen here and there, finished off with a lovely quote from Card-io stamps. I actually loved colouring this page, some of the pages are so detailed that I begin to loose concentration, so I've decided to leave those alone, after all colouring is supposed to be a stress buster 😄

So that's me for now, remember to continue to keep yourselves safe, the virus is still out there,

Trees, either Inside or Outside for the CCC!

 Hello there, I hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying your weekend, whatever you have planned.

We had a lovely walk around Ardisier this morning, it's a little village along the Moray coast, and the sun was out, but very breezy, and not too warm. Mind you, the weather wasn't deterring swimmers, a whole bunch of them....I don't know what the collective noun would be, were all kitted out in their wet suits ready to take the plunge. Now I would have said the see was too choppy, but when I mentioned that I was told that it was nothing to them. A real bunch of hardy folk, I bet it was exhilarating though.

Anyway, I'm here with this fortnight's Christmas Card Club creations, and this time it's my turn to choose the theme, and it's cards with trees on them, either inside trees or outside.

Here's what I've come up with;

All of the images I've used are by Chocolate Baroque, and I've embossed them in Silver WOW EP. I used some lovely teal coloured embossed paper that Mr's A sent me when I won a wee competition around Christmas time, and also the Novo Drops on one of the cards. Sentiments are from various sets. As usual I've put clear gems to finish. Sadly the photos aren't brilliant, sorry about that.

Do make sure you have a look at the other cards the girls make, they are a;ways fabulous.

That's me for now, thank you for all the lovely comments on my last card.

I'm going to schedule this post for tomorrow Sunday for when the CCC post goes live. Take care everyone , 

 

With Sympathy!

 Hello Everyone, I hope are feeling good and your week is going well.

Sunny and blustery wind with squally showers for us today, I hate the wind so going for a walk is for me out of the question. Alistair and his chum Bill are away walking over on the Black Isle, gives me a bit of piece, as we are fighting for craftroom space, as he has started another story and his lap top is in there, and of course it's more important he gets his ideas down while he still remembers them, lol.

Anyway, thank you for the lovely comment on my last card, you are always kind in your words and encouragement.

I have one of those cards we hate to make, 

This is a card I made a while ago, I don't post these cards very often. Stamping Up dies and stencil for this one, it's the First Frost set, that was out a couple of years ago. The sentiment is an old one I've had for ages. I've added WOS and some tiny gold pearls.

So just a short post today, Whilst Alistair is away I get a chance to do some house work,  and maybe a bit of colouring.

I'll be back at the weekend with my CCC creations, till then, keep safe,