Week 224: Allsorts Challenge - Baby, Baby.

Hello Blog Land,

Welcome back my blog friends thankyou for popping by.  Well, again, it is Saturday and I reeeellllly don't know where that week went.  I was talking to a lovely older lady the other day and saying how time seems to fly by these days and her theory about the whole subject is that the world is going around faster!! I could not agree more this sounds logical to me! I have packed rather a lot into the week so I suppose that is ok!  What is your theory I would love to hear from you!

 

Well we know that Saturday means Allsorts and this week we have a theme that we all love to make projects for: .....................

 

Baby, Baby

 

and I have chosen a really amusing image from the fabulous House Mouse designs

 

 

This poor mother House Mouse is having quite a fight to get that knitting finished whilst the baby House Mice are having great fun with the wool! These decoupage sheets are from Joanna Sheen.

 

This week our sponsor at Allsorts is

 

thankyou to Whiff of Joy.

 

Please pop over to the Allsorts Blog to check out the Design Team ideas for this weeks Challenge.

 

Now, as promised a few pictures from the holiday (I promise not to bore you rigid but they are lovely!)

 

 

This is the beach that we went to for my birthday and I was tempted to say that Mark privately hired it for me as a treat!!!  but I must tell the truth it is a beach that local Bermudians tend to go to and it was a work day so it was quiet but it sounded very impressive didn't it!!! lol

( I thought I would leave it this size you really don't need to see anything closer!)

 

Sorry but you will need to stand on your head for this one - I can't work out how to turn it around! and yes I am now on a diet!!

The beauty of the island. All the roofs are white and are have ridges on them and this is the way that the homes collect their water.  If it doesn't rain - you don't have water! they don't have any fresh water sources only sea.

Our foot picture! (no mine is not the one with the art work on!!)

 

Ok - I here you say that's enough!!

The ideas are starting to gather for scrapbook pages!

 

I hope you enjoy a lovely weekend and a great week

I am back on Create and Craft on Thursday at 12 o clock and 2pm with some really silly prices on this years Christmas Spellbinder dies so if you haven't treated yourself yet don't miss out!

 

Take care and bye for now

thankyou, as always for popping by, leave a comment to say hi!

 

Jo xx

 

 

 

 

 

Week 223 - Butterflies

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that this post finds you all well and have enjoyed the last few weeks of the lovely Summer.
As you know The Channon's have been away on a fabulous holiday visiting my Brother and family in Bermuda and we had the best time ever!  who couldn't on this amazing island.  We got back into England on Wednesday morning so it has been hitting the ground running the last few days but I think I am back in the groove as they say!! It was great to come back to lovely weather it doesn't make you feel quite so grim! and you get the washing done quick!

We have some gorgeous photographs and we will be downloading these this weekend (and filtering out all that I am on on the beach (not a good look!!!!) hopefully I will have some amazing shots to use for scrapbooking and will share them with you.

I also had a birthday whilst I was away and we spent the day on the most stunning beach - it is usually used by local people on the Island and it was a week day so the beach was deserted when we arrived - Mark tried to suggest that he had arranged it especially for my birthday!!! ummmmmm !

But back to today - it is Saturday so that means a great new Challenge from the Allsorts Gang and this week our lovely Tracey has chosen ....................

 

Butterflies

 

 

as the Challenge and we all know that we use these gorgeous creatures on so many of our crafting projects and I am sure this will be a really popular week.

 

This is my project using Butterflies ~

 

 

my apologies for the flash on the photograph I used a glossy card to put alcohol ink onto it and stamped the image with Stazon over the coloured card.  The stamp is from Creative Expressions and it is one I have had for some time it is excellent to decoupage so I restamped the middle of the image and layered it up to give dimension.  I have also added more butterflies - stamped onto acetate coloured with more alcohol ink and again layered up.

The florish die is from Tim Holtz and the flowers, leaves and papers were from my stash.

A bit of bling finished it off.

 

I hope that you enjoy having a go at this weeks Challenge and remember it doesn't have to be a card project.

Pop over to the Allsorts Blog to check out the other design team members ideas for the challenge.

Thankyou also to our sponsors who are :

 

who are giving a $20 voucher for stamps of your choice.

 

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend and please leave a comment if you pop onto the post - you know I love to hear from you all.

 

Bye for now

 

Jo xx

 

 

 



Week 220 - Use Your New Stash

Good Morning Everyone!

 

I hope everyone in Crafter's Blog land has enjoyed a great week.  It has been a super busy one at Let's Create.  Everyone is loving the new shop and workshops have been great in our new workshop room.

It still feels that we are borrowing this gorgeous building and not that we are here to stay!!!

I hope that you all had a chance to have a peep at Sheena's blog about the opening day.

 

It is my week to host the Allsorts Challenge and I have chosen .........

 

Use Your New Stash

as my Challenge.

 

I was thinking about a title when I realised that this one is ideal for all Crafters alive!! we are always seeking out new crafty bits and pieces and I am sure you are one of them!!

My new purchases are Sheena's new Floral Fantasy sets and I have also had the pleasure of playing with some of the new Spellbinders so I thought I would combine the two to make my offering for the Challenge.

 

 

I have used the Daffodil set and really love the detail and the size of these images,  they work for card making and for altered art pieces.  I have coloured them with Mustard Seed Distress ink and highlighted the flowers with Peeled Paint.  I then used Luminarte Radiant Rain pourables to colour over the top to create a gorgeous glossy, mica effect (I used the Verdigris set)

I also coloured the largest of the Spellbinder mat with the Radiant Rain too.

 

We are away on holiday from Monday we are a very lucky family going to visit my Brother and his Family in Bermuda - we are all looking forward to it so much.

I hope to bring back some fabulous photographs when we get back - some great material for some scrapbooking I am thinking!!

 

I have just got today to get a whole list of jobs done so must dash now and get on.

I hope that you can have a bash at the Challenge.

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog to check out the other great designs from the Design Team Members. 

Enjoy your crafting week and hope to see you back soon,

Please leave a comment - I love to hear from you,

Bye for now

Jo xxx

 



Week 219 ~ Stitching

Good Morning Everyone!

Hope that everyone is well and enjoying the Summer months.  Sorry for my absence last week I was a little busy moving from our first shop into our new one and we had just 5 days to do it! At one point over the week we did think oh hec! are we going to make it, but we did and enjoyed a fantastic day on Saturday at the opening.  Sheena came to open up and cut the ribbon which was really exciting.

Our Daughter Kate took lots of photographs and she is going to download these so that I can show you them next week.

In the meantime Russ (Sheena's husband) has given us a fantastic comment on their blog this week so please pop over and have a look - the write up is fantastic this is the link .....

 

http://www.sheena.tv/?p=6333

 

We are over the moon with the new place and everyone has been really pleased when they have popped in over the last week.

 

 

The Allsorts Challenge this week is entitled Stitching and our lovely Catherine has decided on this weeks idea and I decided not to put a card on but thought you might like to have a look at this project that I made some time ago for Mark.

 

 

I thought that it was a bit ironic that this is where it all started for me.  I loved making cards using Aida, a pattern and cottons.

I then dabbled a little in making the card more embellished with some papercrafting items.

So many cardmakers have started off their crafting habit with cross-stitching.

 

I hope that you have time to pop over to Sheena's blog and check out the photographs of the new shop and also pop over to the Allsorts Challenge to have a look at the DT's ideas for Catherine's Challenge.

I hope that you enjoy a fabulous week and hope that you can join me again next week.

Pop a comment down if you have a minute and let me know what you think of my stitching!  



Allsorts Challenge: Week No: 216 - Transport

Good Morning Crafters,

Here's hoping that this finds you all well and enjoying this fabulous Summer weather.  I know some of you are loving it more than others but it certainly puts smiles on everyone's face and everyone looks so healthy.

 

We are so busy at Let's Create as it is only 2 weeks today that we move into our new shop!!!!!  scarey what we have to do in this short space of time.  Today I had my last workshop in this shop and next week I can concentrate on getting the workshop area packed away - it sounds so much easier when you can't see what needs to be done!! Big thankyou to Denise (Box lady) for the fabulous chocolate cake to celebrate the last workshop (well any excuse for Denise's cake!)

We also purchased a new lap top this week - not by choice I might add - it died on us! we didn't have one for 4 days and you really don't realise how much you rely on your computer.

 

Anyway, back to the matter in hand.  Today's challenge is from our lovely Wendy and she has chosen

 

TRANSPORT

 

as our Challenge for this week and I have chosen something that we may not always look upon as falling under this category ........

 

A Pram!

 

I made this card for Pat and Geoff to celebrate the birth of their Granddaughter Lyla.  She is only a day old and proud Grandad has sent me some gorgeous photographs of his beautiful girl that he says he isn't going to spoil!!! whatever Geoff!!!

 

I have used the Tattered Lace Pram as the main image and layered it onto a Marianne die. We are stocking Tattered Lace now at Let's Create and I am loving using them. The background has been embossed using the Crafters Companion Patchwork A4 embossing folder.  Pat chose the colours.  The flowers and the beads are from Hobby House and the punch for the border at the bottom is an EK Success punch.
The card is an 8" x 8" size and I made a box for it too.

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to check out the other Team members ideas for this Challenge. 
Thankyou for popping by and hope that you can make a comment and also take part in the Challenge.
Thankyou also to our Sponsors for this weeks Challenge prizes.

Must dash I have lots of packing to do.
See you all next week,
Bye for now
Jo xx

 



Week 215 - Allsorts Challenge Feather and Fur

Hello Crafters!

Well, we wanted Summer and now we have jolly well got it!! Phew isn't it hot!! We have a demo day at the shop today with the lovely Chris Scott using Hobby House goodies and I hope that some of you will be able to peel yourself out of your sunbeds to come along!!

This weeks Challenge has been set by our lovely Tracey Mouse and she has chosen Feather and Fur which is a fab title I am sure you will agree.

I couldn't chose between two projects so I am going to show you both.

This is a plaque that I made using Joanna Sheen's fabulous House Mouse Collection cd rom and I thought the image was perfect for Moving Home.  I love the way that the Mouse has piled his furniture on top of the snail.  I have crackled the plaque using Acrylic paints and pva glue and then mat and layered up the decoupage.  I have also used Clarity Tiled Alphabet for the words and finished it off with a little embellishment with flowers from the Hobby House. 

This second project is a basic scrapbook page which features my Mum and Dad's cat - Monica!  as soon as I read the title of this Challenge I thought of her.  She is a really fluffy cat and tends to leave fur all over the place.  Mum cant stop her from going up stairs at the moment (she isnt normally allowed) but she is constantly wanting to go and visit Dad in the bedroom.  He has agreed that she can lay on her cushion and keep him company!  By the way she only has 3 legs and no tail so she is a little unusual.

I hope that you like my take on the Challenge.  Must dash now I must get down to the shop to get the cakes out ready for the demo day!!

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog and check out the other Design Team Members projects and read all about our Sponsors this week Crimson Cloud.

Take care and enjoy the sun safely,
Bye for now,
Jo xx



Week - My Favourite Things

Good Morning Everyone!

Well I have woken up to glorious sunshine I hope that you have too! A fabulous weekend ahead the weather man just said!  

I hope that you have all been enjoying Wimbledon - come on Murray lets have a win this year!

I will be at Inspirations in Preston tomorrow when the final is going on so if you pop in to see the Christmas Event make sure you know what the score is and let me know!!

It has been a good week for the family too as Dad came out of hospital and is finally home and Mum is chief Nurse and he is doing well.  He has a long journey to get back on track but I am sure that he will make sure that happens.  Thank you to everyone for all your good wishes whilst Dad has been in hospital.

On to todays task of the morning.  It is Saturday again and that means a fabulous Challenge from Allsorts and this week we have a great one from our lovely Brenda and it is ........

Our Favourite Things

Brenda would like to see a project showing us what your favourite crafting goodies are I think it is going to be a popular week!

This is an example of several of my favourite crafting goodies ~

As you will see this is a mini canvas using lots of crafting goodies that I love to use - vintage ink, guilding flakes, moulds, stamps and paint.  A collective mix of everything that gets down and dirty!

This is a canvas that I recently took on a Crafty Notions show when I had all of these gorgeous goodies to use and show you all.

The moulds are a brilliant product to use with Crafty Notions Jewelled enamels and topped with gleams to really bring out the patterns on the flowers.  The stamped sentiment that I have used is from a Studion 490 set.

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog and have a look at all of the Teams favourite things that they love to use when they are making all of their stunning projects.

Thank you also to our sponsors this week who are DigiStamp Boutique.

I hope that you enjoy a weekend of glorious sunshine and tennis!! 

Have a go at this weeks challenge we love to see what you all create and we are really interested to see what your favourite crafty things are.

Thankyou for popping in and please leave a comment if your like my project this week.

Take care and bye for now

Jo xx