INKY SKIES

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday!

I hope you are all well .. .. and are perhaps seeing a little sunshine today!

I am still submerged in the world of weddings and have lots of lovely samples to make for couples I have met over the last few weeks .. .. but thought you might like to see some of the magazine creations I have been making.

Today I am sharing some cards I made for the current edition of Papercraft Inspirations

My brief for this commission was to create interesting skies using distress inks.

I really enjoyed and lost myself in this commission as I don't very often get chance to sit and play with my distress inks nowadays. 

The magazine comes with some scrummy stamps and a great snow globe embossing folder .. .. really hoping I get chance to play with these soon too!  After all that panic Christmas crafting  is soon going to be upon us!!  LOL!!

So that is me for today .. .. just time to unpack and put away at least one of the boxes of wedding supplies I took to a wedding fayre nearly two weeks ago!! .. .. and then off for a little adventure with Mum and her wheelchair!  We can't waste this little glimpse of sunshine!

Enjoy your day everyone

BOO HOO TIME

Hi Everyone

Big apologies for my rather long absence from blogland .. .. and continued apologies because I am not likely to be back in a hurry!

The weddings are manic and those alongside my magazine commissions have been keeping me ultra busy whilst still helping Mum (who is continuing to do well but does still need some TLC on a regular basis .. .. like we all do!!).

Quite a few weddings have come and gone over the last few weeks and I have had the pleasure of meeting lots of new couples too.

Mr Heart and I did a wedding fayre a month ago and I am still getting enquiries following on from that as well as taking orders on the day .. .. .. but we also have another one booked for next Sunday .. .. and my brain is buzzing with new ideas I want to put into action to take with us.  

We did escape for a few days last week to re-charge our batteries so fingers crossed this week time is going to go ultra slow and my re-charged energy levels will make it a super productive one. All so very exciting!  

But sadly my blog is suffering and I haven't been making anything I can share .. .. sorry!!

Thank you to everyone who has emailed to make sure all is well though.  I promise it is.

But now it is time for some sad news .. .. after today Sally-Ann's Digistamp Boutique images are no longer going to be available anywhere .. .. .. boo hoo hoo!  I am gutted.

I love, love, love Sally-Ann's work so much and I am going to miss using and seeing new images and sentiments pop up very very much!

I have done a lovely top up of Sally-Ann's gorgeous images from the LOTV website and was hoping to have shared some of the new ones here before everything folds .. .. but sadly that wasn't to be .. .. time just hasn't allowed it.

So instead I will share one of my favourite cards which I made when I was super happy to be on Sally-Ann's DT

This uses one of the gorgeous mermaid images .. .. and describes Sally-Ann perfectly

MER - MAZING

Thank you Sally-Ann for having shared your talent with everyone for so long and for being such a lovely caring and kind person.  If only the world could be filled with more people like you.

So .. .. if anyone else needs to "top up" before midnight then click quickly over to here lots of  special offers.

Take care all my lovely blog buddies .. .. I hope all is well with you.

CAN YOU HELP PLEASE ?

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday

I hope this post finds you well and enjoying your week.  If not then I am sorry .. .. but there is another one just around the corner which will hopefully be better for you!

So I will start first by extending my love and thanks to everyone who has been in touch to check that all is OK here .. .. .. due to my lack of activity in blogland.  My blog has never ever been so neglected and quiet .. .. I'm so sorry .. .. I am missing it lots but am struggling to fit everything I want to do into my waking hours!

But fear not .. .. all is good.  I have had quite a lot of medical appointments to attend with Mum over the last few weeks and we have been awaiting results .. .. and they have all come back good!!  Yay!!!  Well done Mum!!  

So now we can hopefully settle into our routine again.  We will still be having our wheelchair walks and I will still be going round to take her out shopping and basically help her where I can .. .. but that is fine and is no more than she deserves.  She is someone who never ask for anything from anyone .. .. .. which makes it even more of a pleasure to help her.

But the month has also seen two of my "happy couples" get married which has involved me doing the "last minute" venue stationery alongside some magazine commissions and general orders .. .. never a dull moment in my life!

As well as touching base and explaining my absence I am also here to try and help a lovely lady called Karen who contacted me over the weekend.

Karen is on the look out for a stamp set from Hero Arts which is now discontinued and she had found it used on my blog and wondered if I still owned it and would be interested in selling it.

I do still own it, but sadly for Karen still use it and would like to keep it in my collection .. .. .. but is there anyone out there that has the set and would be willing to part with it?

If so please let me know and I will pass your details onto Karen.  She is sitting with her fingers crossed in the hope that someone can help.

This is the stamp set in use on my blog "years ago":

and this is what the full set looks like in its packaging

So that is my "good deed for the day" .. .. off to do a bit more prep work for a wedding fayre I have coming up and then off to meet up with Mum.

Have a good day everyone.

SMILE

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday!

I hope your week has been going well.

.

Just dropping in to share another card I made at the weekend during my "craft fest".

This features a pre-loved Penny Black stamp I gained from Ebay .. .. and you know what it is like when you get a new image or stamp .. .. you just have to tickle it with your pens don't you!!

So here is the finished result .. .. 

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "1745K" Like it or Not !!!!

Sentiment:  MFT "All Occasion Sentiments"

Backing Papers:  Mix of papers from my snippet mountain

ProMarkers

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

I am just going to whizz and enter my creation into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme is always "anything goes".  This month there was an optional extra theme of "baby" but unfortunately I didn't get that far .. .. sorry ladies!

Anyway, back to my crafty list .. .. lots I need to cross off it today!

Enjoy your day and thank you to everyone who continues to call by and leave me messages/send emails.  They are all very much appreciated.  I am trying hard to catch up with everyone but it is taking a bit of doing.

MERLIN

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!

So sorry for my absence from blogland once again .. .. .. lots of wedding work has been happening here in the House of Hearts and there have been new "happy couples" to meet up with and make samples for .. .. all alongside more medical appointments with Mum.

My Brother and Sister take over sorting Mum at the weekends and today as I have no wedding couples visiting I have moved lots of crafty goodies downstairs to sit and play at the dining room table.

My printer, pens, box of stamped images, sewing machine and a mini mountain of snippets are there for playing with ALL WEEKEND .. .. all my ironing and washing is up to date so no reason not to just sit and play!!  Lucky me!!

This was my first make of the day:

This used:

Image: DigiStamp Boutique at LOTV "Merlin Valentine"
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using fonts "Back Black" and "Youngsook"
Backing Papers from my snippet mountain
Nestabilities:  Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle
ProMarkers
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon
Crystal Glamour Dust

As you will know due to other pressures I have chosen to step down from the DigiStamp Boutique DT (boo hoo!!) .. .. but that isn't going to stop me playing with their scrummy images and showing you how I have used them.  I just love colouring them sooo much and find it very relaxing and therapeutic!!

Sally-Ann's images are now sold via Lili of the Valley but if like me you also love the more watercolour effect / print images that Sally-Ann has been producing then you will find these on her "Etsy site".  These are on my "play list" for the weekend too.

So that is me for now.

We have actually had rain today and the air is much clearer and fresher .. .. which is the good news.  The bad news is that one of my "happy couples" were getting married today and the weather hasn't been very kind at all.  Such a shame because they were having a horse and carriage as part of their celebrations.. ..  taking the bride to the Church and then the newly weds to their reception.

They do live quite a long way away from here though so fingers crossed their weather wasn't quite so wet.

Hopefully catch you again soon with more of my weekend creations.

Hope you have a really good one too, and can find a bit of crafty time for yourself.

THANK YOU

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. 

Mine was weddings all the way!  A final collection saw my journey with one "happy couple" come to a close.  That always feels quite sad as we do build up such a lovely relationship .. .. this particular couple I have been working with for quite a while now and I can remember their first enquiry as if it was yesterday!  Time really does fly!

Their happy day is very close now .. ..  I am just hoping the sunshine is going to stay around for them.

So once everything had left the house for that wedding, I unpacked my next set of boxes and spent my time progressing the next wedding - working on the dining room table with the patio door and windows open.  I love it when the doors are open and the garden feels like an extension of the house.  A glance to the right lets you see the summer flowers and the birds feeding and drinking.  Simple pleasures!

I am on the final stages of this wedding too .. .. so everything for the Church service and the reception is left to complete and then that will be "bye-bye and happy wedding day" to another lovely couple.

I do love my wedding work and have been deliberating as to whether I dare do the next two wedding fayres I have paid deposits on.  My time is still being shared between home and Mum and to be honest I don't think our routine now will ever change.  Mum is possibly as strong as she is going to get.. .. but that is wonderful .. .. she has fought hard to get back to where we are and I am very proud of her.  Lots of folk would have just given in and sat there moaning.  But she is made of strong stuff and usually manages to surprise me most weeks with something new she has achieved.  I feel we may always be going on our "wheelchair excursions" but that is fine.  It is good exercise for me .. .. and I do need some!!  Just a bit worried about the days that winter will bring .. .. I might have to exchange the wheelchair for a sledge!!  Now there's a thought.  LOL!!  

Anyway, time for today's share .. .. which is a thank you card I am going to ask Sally-Ann if she would kindly add  to the DigiStamp Boutique Facebook Page.

I have decided that with everything else that is happening at the moment continuing on the DT with DigiStamp Boutique is going to be rather difficult for the time being.  There is so much wedding work looming that it isn't fair to remain on a DT if you can't give 100%.  

I don't do Facebook .. .. for some reason I avoid it like the plague .. .. so I can't reply and thank people personally.  That is why I have made a parting thank you card for all the lovely visitors who have called by there and acknowledged my projects that have been posted.

So my last official DT card might have been posted .. .. .. but don't worry.   I will still be creating with Sally-Ann's gorgeous images and sentiments .. .. I love them too much to stop .. .. and she knows she is free to lift them from my blog if there are any she wants to share.  It will just be a case of me creating when I get chance.  I am very fortunate in that the door has been left open for me to return to the DT (thank you xx) .. .. so it doesn't feel quite as sad and painful as it might.  Just a bit sad and painful!

So here we go:

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Truffle Heart"
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique - one of the sentiment in the "Special Occassions Messages" Set.  I used it (along with a heart) to create a sentiment sheet of backing paper
Backing Papers:  Make and Create - Mix & Match "Sweet Garden Roses"
Sizzix Die "658226" Botanical Flourish (treated to a few layers of clear embossing powder)
Hobby & You:  Flower Punch
Do Crafts Punch:  Flower Doily
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Buttons
Crystal Glamour Dust
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
Ribbon
and an un-branded tag die from E-Bay.

.. .. and that is me for today.

Back to the wedding work for a little while now .. .. 170 hearts to stick down!!  LOL!! and I also need to get in touch with a new bride that I have been recommended to.  Can't wait to learn who the kind person is that recommended me!  See .. .. there are still kind people in the world!

Enjoy the rest of the evening.  It is looking like we might be going to get a few drops of the "wet stuff" .. .. which the garden will be very grateful for.

Hopefully catch you again soon.

HAPPY NEW HOME DIGISTAMP BOUTIQUE

Hi Everyone

My apologies for being absent from my blog for a while .. .. ..  lots of lovely wedding work and a couple of hospital appointments with Mum have been keeping me well busy!

But I am here now to let you know that

DigiStamp Boutique has moved home today!!  

The lovely Sally-Ann is taking up residence with Lili of the Valley and going forward her gorgeous images are going to be sold from there.

To celebrate the launch there are two new gorgeous characters added to the range.  A cute hippo and a beautiful mermaid .. .. and because I couldn’t decide which to play with .. .. I played with both!  LOL!!

This used:  

Image and Sentiment DigiStamp Boutique "Mermazing Mermaid" 

Backing:  Created with Distressed Oxides: Twisted Citron, Faded Jeans and Broken China and splatters of water

Sizzix Thinlits Dies:  Garden Greens
Glitter Card

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

Metallic Cord

Charm

Pearls

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Dimension Pads

Peel-Off Circles

I created the background first and then once well dried printed the sentiment directly onto it.

and this is my second card.  Such a cute little character. :

 This used:

Image:  DigiStamp Boutique "Hippo Birthday"
Sentiment:  DigiStamp Boutique "Hippo Huge Wishes"

Backing Papers:  Make and Create "Sweet Garden Roses"

X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch

First Edition Craft "Bunting Die"

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

Chalk

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Ribbon

I really enjoyed making these little creations.  One card that I simply coloured and layered up and another where I had fun inking up an ocean background  .. .. and that is me for today.  

It just leaves me to wish a 

"Happy New Home" to  DigiStamp Boutique!

BESTIE

Hi Everyone

Happy Sunday .. .. .. and happy July too!  

That means another month has flown by in the blink of an eye!!!

One of my lovely happy couples came to collect their invitations this morning so that was another line I was able to cross off my crafty do list.  One little line of writing on a list .. .. but hours and hours of work!

So with a nice clear dining room table I decided to bring some supplies downstairs and get some of my general orders crossed off my list .. .. they certainly get crossed off much quicker than the wedding work does   .. ..  but the general cards are just a short reprive .. .. it will be weddings for nearly the whole of July.  

This one is a lovely flat card that is nice and "postal friendly".

this used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Alyssa"

Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Large Girly Word Art" set 

Backing Paper:  Dovecraft "Serendipity"

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

X-Cut Palm Punch - Small Daisy

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Pearls and Ribbon from my crafty stash box

Love the large sentiment image (which being a digi image is re-sizeable) .. .. especially liking the watercolour look.  It comes as part of a set of four sentiments in a variety of colours.  

Time now to do a little bit of gardening .. .. which I have been threatening to do all week and have got nowhere near.  In fact I had better hurry up and get it done as it looks like we might be going to have a spot of rain this evening (not that any is forecast).. .. .. but it would mean the plants and the very brown lawns will get a much needed treat!!

So that is me for today.  Catch you again soon.

MR & MRS

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend .. .. full of sunshine!

My day has been full of wedding work .. .. so to round it off nicely I had a quick play and created this:

This used another of the lovely new June images from Digistamp Boutique (you can also get Cute Mrs & Mrs and Cute Mr & Mr .. .. and they definitely are cute):

Image & Mr & Mrs Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Cute Mr & Mrs"
Swirly Congratulations Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique Quick Print Plus Sentiment Set "Congrats"
Backing Paper:  First Edition Paper "Sweet Nothings"
First Edition Dies:  Nesting Doily
ProMarkers
Ribbon
Pearls
Glossy Accents
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Dimension Pads

and that is me .. .. flying by the seat of my pants because we are meeting friends at 7.30pm and I still need to make myself look presentable.

Catch you soon .. .. have a lovely evening!

DISTRESSED BIRDCAGES

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday!

I hope you are having a lovely bright sunshine filled day.

It has been lovely here .. .. but with a gorgeous breeze too.  Just perfect.

Dropping in today to share another of the new images from Digistamp Boutique .. .. ..

This used:

Images:  Digistamp Boutique "Distressed Birdcages" and "Pretty Flowers" (coming soon)
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Quick Print Plus Birthday Sentiments"
Backing Paper:  Created in Craft Artist 2 using the Distressed Birdcage, Single Bird and Pretty Flowers
X-Cut Embossing Folder:  Polka Hearts
Poppy Stamp Dies:  Stitched Market Tags
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Ribbon, Twine and Pearls
Dimension Pads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.  I really enjoyed making my own backing paper .. .. I must do that more often.

Many thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post. All very much appreciated.

Enjoy your evening and I will hopefully be here again soon with another creation.

NEW RELEASES FOR DIGISTAMP BOUTIQUE

Good morning everyone

Bright and early for me today .. .. .. for a change!!

It must be because I am excited to be sharing one of the new releases from DigiStamp Boutique.

I have used another of the "new style" of images that Sally-Ann is so brilliant at creating .. .. but I am showing how I have used it in two different ways.

This is my first card which for me represents the beautiful sunshine we have been experiencing recently .. .. and I have simply matted a layered the scrummy image and added a sentiment from the set along with various little embellishments.

and for my second card I indulged myself in a little inky playtime ... .. and have turned the background into a moon.. ..

These two cards used:

Image and Sentiments:  DigiStamp Boutique "Large Flower Panel Set"
Background Papers:  Docrafts "Kraft Notes"
Distress Inks:  Stormy Sky, Dusty Concord, Mermaid Lagoon and Iced Spruce
X-Cut Punch:  Corner Rounder
X-Cut Mini Die:  Moon Gazer
Inkylicious Duster Brushes
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon, Cord, Charm, Button, Flower and Pearls from my Crafty Stash Box

I love both cards but enjoyed playing with my inks on the second one very much.  To create this look I printed off the brown version of the image firstly onto copy paper and then onto smooth white card (the set has brown, green and grey/purple options within the set for you to choose from).

I cut the moon from the photocopy printing and used a temporary glue runner to attach it as a mask over the moon on the printed card.  I then used duster brushes to add colour in bands across the image starting with the lightest shade at the bottom and working up. 

Once happy with the inking I then removed the mask and added a little ink to the moon image so it wasn't too stark.  It was just a case of trimming and layering the panel up then.

So what do you think to the cute little rabbit die?  I saw it cut out on an inspiration board at a local craft store (the die cuts the rabbit and the flowers) but it was never in stock.  It sold as quickly as it arrived!!  Then one day .. .. in an attempt to take Mum somewhere "different" I took her a drive out to a garden centre for a bite to eat and a nosey around .. .. and guess what?!?!  There the little beauty was.  Just one solitary little rabbit sitting waiting just for me!!  I love him!! 

Anyway, there we go.  Two ways to use a digi download.  One for if you are in a bit of a rush and one for when you have the luxury of a little "playtime".

Can't wait to play with the other new releases Sally-Ann has created .. .. .. but first it is back to wedding work.  I have two weddings in July and am chipping away at Order of Services and venue stationery for those.  So, I had best get on.  

Have a great day and thank you for calling by to see what I have been up to.