A rose is a rose is a rose...

although what I really mean is 'I love my new Distress markers!' When I made my tag for Hels' challenge last week I used an old Elusive images rose - which I use - a lot !
I decided to use my markers to stamp the image so my first was onto a Clarity postcard....

really pleased with this so a huff and puff and stamped onto tag.

Another huff and puff and onto a journal page in my Garden Journal which has craft paper pages, I don't show much of this as it's a bit personal, being a tribute to my Dad, a lifelong gardener both as a job and a hobby.

I ran out of huff, so I spritzed and added it to another journal,

this time my car journal, that I keep in the car for those times when I sit waiting for hubby or long journeys,

and then straight onto a page that I'd been using as mop up from making the tag.
Now in my book that's value for money! Oh! the colours I used - Barn Door and Peeled Paint. Thanks for looking, Chris 

Sunday Stamper on Friday!

I actually did this on Monday but errr..events slightly overtook me. I was really keen to do this as I thought I had a really good idea - The Rose and Crown - well you know, we do have our Queen's Jubilee celebration coming up! 
I have to say I really enjoyed making this at least I did up to the point where I decided to use my new (Port Sunlight treasure) Stampendous Frantage embossing powder. It gives an amazing effect but Oh My!... the mess I made!    

The glitter in it is so fine that it seems to stick to everything! How do I know this? Well, me thinking I would be clever sprinkled some without using an embossing pad and just heated from underneath - fine until the tag suddenly jumped and flicked some powder on to my uncovered dining table - oh it did look pretty!I can still see tiny bits of glitter in certain lights! 

Any way, this is my contribution to Hels' Sunday Stamper Challenge. 

So, as well as aforementioned powder I used an old Sarah's glossy tag(an old QVC purchase) and tried an experiment with Tim's new summer colours distress inks(gorgeous) - I pressed pads onto mat, spritzed, dipped the tag,lifted it out flipped it over and left the puddles to dry. Then I got to try out my new distress markers on an old Elusive Images rose - I'd read how good they were but I was still absolutely gob smacked as to how good they are(will post later)

The crown - a Tim mask, a bit of bling and sakura pen, beads ribbon and I was done! Then the tidying - I craft on my dining table so it had to be done - which took aaaaages! Note to self - put newspaper down first next time I use that lovely embossing powder!

That's all for now off to town. Thanks for looking,Chris  

Couldn't resist!

Last weekend we went into Morecambe and just happened by my favourite cafe/shop - Warehouse 13!
It is like Aladin's cave, and it's much bigger now they have taken over the shop next door too! Which means a whole floor upstairs of fantastic fabrics and haberdashery and space for workshops. The ground floor has all manner of craft goodies and down in the basement is a vintage section, so I just had to spend a few pennies!!
The lace tray cloth said imperfect so...permission to cut up!!(although can you see how imperfect? - theres a slight nick by the orange rose!!)I have something in mind for the fabric and some of the buttons but it will have to go on hold for now!

 I picked up a card so you can see for yourself what I mean!!

I love Morecambe anyway but this just adds to my delight!

I won't do this often but the other week my grand daughter was looking through my buttons and beads and we made a bracelet - only thing is she wanted everything on it - if I'd had bells and whistles I'm sure they would have gone on too. Still, we had a great girly time while the men watched a film!


Have a lovely weekend, I'm off to Port Sunlight tomorrow and hoping to meet up with bloggy friends.
Thanks for looking, Chris

Just playing!

I've been playing in my journals, but nothing much else! We had a lovely weekend away at our caravan - days out, nice lunches and time to play!

My attempt at an imaginary vase of flowers - maybe I should have looked at a real one!!

A little bit of zentangling, bit of a flower theme going on here, probably influenced by this

Our garden at the caravan(and the field of bluebells next door)I love Spring flowers and last weekend they were at their best, apart from the poor daffodils which are just about on their last legs stems

We also had a trip to Rydal Mount near Ambleside and got 2 for 1 entry, thanks to Gardeners World magazine, who have given away a card that is valid for a whole year to loads of gardens and houses. We got our money back on the magazine with just one visit and looking at the booklet that comes with the mag it's looking as though we are going to be out and about quite a bit!

No wonder Wordsworth wrote poetry!

I also did this on a background I made ages ago in my smallest Moleskine

I often just grab a handful of stamps before we go away and pop them in my Journal bag, just happened to be birds this time!


On the way home we called to see our grandchildren and my son.
My grand-daughter is into 'counting on' and using colours to write them down.

My grand-son, well, it's footy with Granpa!

Home again and it's been a combination of motorway driving, lunch out with friends, trying to sort stuff - yep!! still!!....and the best surprise of all, a lovely phone call from my sister-in-law. We don't talk nearly enough as she lives in France now and we had sort of fallen out of touch - will remedy that now!!


Thanks for looking, Chris

May already!

The months are certainly flying by and here are my May pages for the 366/12 journal challenge. 'What for?' you may ask (or not!)Take a look here at the amazing Kate Crane's blog, for she is the host of this monthly get together.

I had some old bright coloured paper which I found in the big clear out(ongoing lol)so having made a background using baby wipes and Dylusion paints I've gone for a flowery theme just using punches and a white pen. The MAY is computer generated using 'Printshop' on my Mac. 
Here are my completed April pages - one of the wettest Aprils on record but a very busy and enjoyable one for me!

I am looking forward to a little time to get to see what everyone else has been doing, meanwhile I'm off to eat!

Thanks for looking, Chris

High Viz!

When I saw that the Stampotique Designer challenge this time was for an ATC I decided to have a go - on Thursday!I then got so involved with sorting stuff out that I left no time to make anything...at all! However I am really organised now - for me!
So yesterday I had a go at this...

The little 'Strut your stuff" bird always walks with attitude and seems to me that he probably would jaywalk, which is why I've given him luminous beak feathers and toenails(whoops! I mean claws lol!)using some Zebra gel pens that I've had for so long I was surprised that they still worked!
The idea came about because I only have a few dictionary pages at home - the dictionary having already moved to the flat - and the j page was in my little bag of pages that I tore out before I took them.
The background is made by using two shades of some old Twinkling h2os - smooshed on a mat, dried, and then put back in to pick up the blobs(a trick picked up on Hels Sheridan's workshop)
I hope he stays safe!
Thanks for looking, Chris

Sunday Stamper!

Which for me seems to be Friday Stamper! If you don't know what I'm talking about look here. Hels Sheridan - "Superstamper" - sets up this challenge every Sunday but somehow I never seem to manage to get round to my attempt until the end of the week:(

The theme this week was summer colours and I made a sparkly background by using some old h2os splodged onto a mat and rubbed my tag over the top, Sun is an old faithful stamp by Rubber Stampede and I stamped the words using Studio g letters onto a background that was in my box of scraps and cut them out. Only thing is ever since I started this I been singing the song - hope you are too!
Thanks for looking, Chris