Folk Art Garden!

Hello there, how are you you all today, I hope well and looking forward to another weekend.  The last week whizzed by, frightening really.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last card,  I do appreciate them and the time you take to visit me.

So,  here's my latest card,

In shades of blue I've coloured this image from Chocolate Baroque, it's called  Folk Art Garden. I've used Prisma colour pencils, silver gel pen and silver paint. I stamped the butterfly again and decoupaged it. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  Sequins and gems to finish off.
This stamp is really big, and I had quite a job getting a good crisp image, even with a stamping platform and different inks and papers,  in the end I had to place the card onto the stamp,and even that took more than once. However, I persevered and finally got a good enough image,  not perfect but I was able to doctor it. This is the first time I've ever experienced this kind of thing with a CB stamp, but got there in the end .

Well it's to be hoped that the weather improves for the weekend, it's been raining all day,  so have a lovely weekend whatever your plans and see you soon,
Kate xx 😉

Toadstools!

Hello Everyone, I hope today is a good one for you.
It's a lovely sunny day up here, but still a bit of a chill in the air, but with the slight breeze this morning, I'm hoping my washing will be dry. Oh the simple things of life!.

I'm still struggling along with my tablet, the laptop has been diagnosed with the hard drive needing replaced, only 18% healthy. However it's going to be less expensive than a new machine,but I'm missing it for blogging and there are obviously tasks it can't do that the laptop can, like linking up as I realised when wanted to enter the Rudolph Challenge. I also can't access my photos that are in my laptop files. Hopefully I'll have it back by next week .

More fungi for my latest card, this time from Woodware, and a bit of a mixed media with Spectrum Noir pencils,  Derwent Inkintese pencils and Altenew watercolours. Image embossed in Copper Wow EP. Paper is from Crafty Individuals, sequins, Star Dust and Glossy Accents. It wasn't how I intended, but how it ended up.

Thank you for your ĺovely comments on my last card, I do appreciate them.

That's it for now folks, take care,
Hugs,Kate xx 😉

Christmas Lights for CCC!

Hello Everyone,  I hope all is well with you and you are enjoying the weekend .

It's Christmas Card Club time once again. ....where did the fortnight go?  Anyway this challenge is hosted by Margaret , or Duchess as she is know ,and she would like to see Christmas Lights,  could be  tree lights, candles, lanterns,  so plenty of scope.
Here are mine,

This lovely stamp was gifted by Rita, it's an old one so can't tell you the brand. I've added a ton of glitter, and a freebie sentiment and some gems.

Another stamps from Rita,  it had Anita on the side of it,so I guess that's the make, freebie sentiment and lots of glitter.

Something a wee bit different, an embossing folder by Sheena Douglass, all fairy lights with a little yellow for the lights,and some coloured gems. A Card-io sentiment and some SU silver thread looped behind it. Very simple.

And last but not least,

Wonderful Card-io lantern and sentiment, and of couse loads of glitter, didn't think it needed anything else.
Thank your Margaret for the challenge I thourghly enjoyed it. Please look at what the other CCC ladies create, always super cards from them.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last card.
My laptop has gone off to the computer hospital and I'm missing it,  more difficult to do posts on my tablet and slower too. I doubt that I will be able to link up to the CCC blog.

So that's me for now,  have a lovely Sunday,
Cheerio Kate xx😉

Mushroom Highrise!

Hello there, I hope all's well with you and you'er looking forward to another weekend. 

I've not been around as I've been away visiting my friend Rita who lives down in Ayrshire, we had a lovely few days and blethered ourselves dry. Rita arranged a wee crafting day and another of the CCC ladies, Elizabeth who lives in Ayr joined us along with Rita's daughter Anne and had to great afternoon making foamarin flowers.
Anyhow I'm back home now and have a rest day. 
I'm laptopless, so hoping this post works out on my tablet. The laptop is awaiting the computer doctor to arrive.

One of the latest stamps from Chocolate Baroque, Mushrooms House.  Coloured with Cotman watercolours . Sentiment is also from CB. I've stamped out a tag,  CB again, added some matching ribbon and put it on a DL card and finished off with  sparkle pen and gems. I just love the image ,hope you do too.

That's me for now, take care and hope you all have a good weekend, see you soon

Kate xx😉

The Art of Chess!

Hello Everyone, hoping today finds you all well and having a good day so far, and of course it's Friday and heading into another weekend. 
We've had the most glorious weather, but this morning sees it more cloudy and windy, but I believe that it is to get cooler with rain over the weekend. I'm just hoping that next week is good as I'm off to visit my friend Rita, some of you may know her from Blogland and she is also on the CCC team. I've been invited to spend a few days at her home in Irvine, Ayrshire. I am so looking forward to it, it's not often I go away now on my own and give Alistair peace and quiet. So I expect that there will be much blethering and a bit of crafting too.

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my last card, I do appreciate your continued visits and comments.

Today's card is one for the http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.com/2019/05/97-black-white-only-debbie.html

This fabulous Chocolate Baroque just screams Black and White to me....well it is Chess,

The background is a crackle stamp from Crafty Individuals and it's all been stamped in Versafine Claire ink. I didn't add any bling or sparkle this time around, it's just one for my box that may well do for a man.

Picking up Alistair later on, he's been away walking through the Cairngorms and sleeping out in Bothies, he no doubt will be exhausted as this man always goes for the burn, but I'm pleased he managed to get away as he had been sited for Jury Duty on Wednesday, and was spitting tacks about it, but at the last minute in Tuesday evening he found out that no one was required, so he hot cycled it down to the bus station to book a bus to Aviemore to get him to where the walk began. He seems to have a a good time and there was no midges as yet.

Well that's me for now, going to get the next batch of washing hung up, take care every one and see you soon,

   

In an English Country Garden!

Hello Blogging Friends and Visitors,  lovely to welcome you all here and I hope today finds your well and having a good day.

The sun is splitting the heavens here in Inverness, not a cloud in the sky ans so hot already. I doubt that there will be much getting done around the house today.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last cards and I am so pleased you found my Nativity story entertaining, as I said it still makes me laugh after all this time.

I've got a card today that I'm entering into; http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/05/may-in-english-country-garden.html

All of the stamps used here are from two issues of Creative Stamping magazine way last year and coloured with Zig watercolour pens and Versa Magic chalk ink. I've added flower sequins and a few tiny gems. I just love the lady....I like to think it's me lol!  but I'm not a gardener, I've wasted no end amount of money over the years we've been in this house, buying plants that die. Our neighbours have a lovely garden and we enjoy theirs. and they have a beautiful tree, the name escapes me at the moment, that attracts the birds and bugs with it beautiful purple cone shaped flowers. I know somebody reading this will know the name.

That's me for now, just a short post today, so I do hope you have marvellous weather wherever you are and enjoy what you're doing, take care,

Children at Christmas for CCC!

Hello Everyone, I hope all is well and a good weekend is happening for you.

Well, I was almost not here with this post as I thought it was next Sunday, that's pretty poor as I'm the hostess this time around, and if it hadn't been for Christine showing her card, I would have missed the date.

Anyway, as it's a theme of my choosing I thought I'd go with Children at Christmas, of course you can opt for Anything Goes, if that's better for you, here are my cards;

An upcycled card and added to navy card and an embossed background, the sentiment is one of my freebies. I thought this card was too lovely to toss, glad I kept it as it's perfect for the challenge as children make snowmen at Christmas.....if there is snow.

And of course children post their letters to Santa, although they could always be posting to their friends or favourite Auntie or Gran.   LOTV Art Pad topper for this one, with lots of added sparkle. Post box, robins and sentiment are all from Little Claire and coloured with Derwent Coloursoft Pencil.

Now something else that Children do at Christmas is the Nativity Play, I'm sure we've all been to one at some time or other. LOTV Art Pad again , paper is an old pad from LOTV too. Sentiment is another freebie, a little bow and gems.

I have a fabulous story and memory of a Nativity Play at my church many decades ago when I was in the church choir. The little ones had been practicing for ages and were good to go, the play was taking place in the church, and lovely scenery had been made and the children had brilliant costumes, much work having been put into them by mum, grannies, teachers, whoever. The little girl who was the Narrator was word perfect and I wouldn't be surprised if she went on to The Royal Shakespeare Company in later life. 
Anyway, the play got going with the Shepherds and Angels and the Wise Men, all so good and then we had the Inn Keeper, leaning out of his inn door and blowing the most huge bubbles with his bubblegum, and it going all over his face. There was some sotto  voce sounds coming from off the stage from a teacher, of course the Inn Keeper was ignoring her..as you do.
Then we had Mary and Joseph coming in looking for a place to stay, poor Mary was looking so tired and weary, and upon Joseph asking if there was any room at the inn and getting the response "there's nay room here, yes'll hevtogo to Edinburgh,"  We were in Musselburgh at the time, Mary, turned to Joseph and lassoed him with the set of rosary beads that she had been swinging as she walked on. The action was as good as any cowboy out on the range, and all this time shouting at poor Joseph " I telt ye te book earlier we would'ne get a room, yer nothin but a numpty. Well, poor Joseph was getting choked by this time as Mary was twisting the beads. Thankfully the teacher ran in and sorted out the situation, taking the bead away, but Mary was having none of it and punched Joseph in the face, whereupon he let out the biggest wail ever and started crying. Of course the whole play had to be abandoned. I have to say it's the best Nativity Play I'd ever been to lol.

Children are marvellous really, you just never know what's coming, and a rosary swinging Mary was was amazing, I believe she got a good spanking....these are the days when spanking still happened, but the memory of it all still entertains me to this day. I've often wondered what became of her, was she a psychopath in the making, her language was certainly I would say home learned, but who knows. But, what daft parent or teacher allowed her to have the rosary beads  as part of her costume has to take some of the blame. It was a pity the other children didn't get to shine in their roles, but there was cake, ice cream and jelly in the hall afterwards, so not all bad, and the grown ups fell about laughing at it all.

So I hope you enjoyed my story and I've not bored you with it, and if you've kept reading you understand my attempt at the vernacular  of Musselburgh dialect.

Please make sure you comment on my team mates cards, they are always fabulous, and thank you for the lovely comments on my last card, that's me for now, scheduling this post for tomorrow,

     

Spring Tulips!

Hello Everyone and welcome to my wee bit of Blogland, it's always good to see you here, and especially to welcome new visitors.Thank you for all your lovely comments, I do appreciate  them all.

So how are you all today? looking forward to another weekend I hope, boy do they come around fast, it's frightening how quickly the months are going by. We have nothing planned as yet, but we'll maybe go for a drive if the weather improves. We've missed out on a wee break away this year so far, we put everything on hold because of Alistair's brother, but, thankfully he is doing well with the treatment at present, long may that continue. We may manage a break later in the year.

I love tulips and my card today is a tulip one;

I've used a beautiful Chocolate Baroque image and embossed it in white on black card. I then coloured with Derwent Metallic Pencils. Stamping Up swirly embossing folder as a background. I chose pink and grey as a colour theme, it's a colour palette that I really like, ribbon and pearls and that's it.
I'm entering this card into https://theflowerchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-flower-challenge-32-embossing.html

Now for some reason, I'm not able to access the linky bit that lets me upload the photo to the challenge blog, so it's going to Viv by email. This is strange as I've always been able to access it before, so if anyone out there knows what I may be doing wrong, I'd love that you let me know. I'm have this bother on both my laptop and tablet.

Well the nurse managed to get blood from me yesterday with no problem. I got up early and drank bucket loads of water which helped plumped up the veins, but the downside was constant trips to the loo. Still, the test will let me know if I need Vitamin B12 injections, which I hope not.

Alistair is taking me out for lunch today, so no cooking tonight yeah!!
So cheerio for now and I'll see you soon

Christmas Stocking!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are good and getting through your week well. 
It's a cold miserable day up here, wondering where Spring has gone, it feels like a day in January today. I had to go and do a bit of food shopping earlier, I was back indoors very quickly. Still I've got a lovely pan of lentil soup to compensate.

Thank you for the lovely comments on my last card, and a warm welcome to Lia, who has clicked the Follow button, I do hope you will pop in as often as you can. Now, unfortunately Lia you don't seem to have a blog so I can't return a visit.

My card today is to enter the https://caschristmascardchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/05/cas-christmas-may-challenge.html

The challenge is asking for a Stocking, and I've used one of the free stamps from one of the Creative Stamping Magazine sets, and the background is coloured with Altenew watercolour and the stocking is coloured with Zig watercolour pens. The sentiment is a freebie too. I've splattered some white gouache over it.

I'm back at the surgery tomorrow to try once again to have blood taken for a test, could't get a vein to work last time, just lovely bruises with nothing to show. The appointment is a bit later in the day, so I'll be drinking lots of water as I believe that plumbs up the veins, anyway I hope it works.

That's me for now, take care and see you soon,

A Cup of Cheer!

Hello to You All, I hope you are well and having a super weekend.

 Hasn't it turned back to Winter!! here it has. Yesterday we were visiting our friends over in Strathdon...Aberdeen-shire, and the weather turned awful with hailstones and snow flurries, and a bit of sunshine, but by the time we were getting ready to drive home the snow came on for real. Alistair was a bit concerned that the snow gates would be closed and we'd get stuck, thankfully they weren't, but we were driving through a white out. Scary drive, as there are twists and turns and single drive roads. Just had to take things slowly and we made it home safe, albeit much later than was planned. However we had a lovely day with our friends so worth it all.

It's been a week since I posted anything, I must have been busy or something, but I've got a Christmas card today;

An old Sheena Douglass stamp and coloured with Copics Pens, WOS and glitter and a few sequins. Embossed in the background with an Embossilicious  folder. and shaded with Iced Spruce DI.

A quiet weekend for us, be it will be no less enjoyable. Alistair is hoping for some good weather next week as he is wanted to go away for a few days into the hills, don't know how lucky he'll be with that.

Just before I go, thanks for all the lovely comments on my last card, so very much appreciated them and your visits.

That's me for now, take care of yourselves and I'll see you soon,