Of all the trees that are in the wood...

"...Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown"

Those nice people over on the Something Completely Different challenge blog have a new challenge out for November, here it is:

So, its November...and a new challenge....this month we are changing the rules slightly. For this month each theme will be a colour and subject theme....we are hoping to help you get ready for Christmas by making Cards!...and this weeks theme and colour has been chosen by the very talented Dawn and she has chosen.....

HOLLY AND THE IVY - USING THE COLOURS, GREEN, RED AND GOLD

This was a simple card to make, I won the Holly stamp from Gez in a charity auction so it was an obvious choice for this challenge, I stamped the image with Dazzle Versamark in Champagne and embossed with Chinese Red embossing powder (it's sort of red and gold), then I used Ranger 'Worn Lipstick' Distress ink blended with a bit of sponge round the edge, a blast of Irridescent Gold Glimmer Mist, mount the image on gold card add a green ribbon and a pin featuring red, green and gold beads.

So Krafty

It was such fun to be a Guest Designer with the Daring Card Makers, they are a lovely bunch. However, I'm back on the other side of the fence now checking out the dare on a Friday to see what lovely ideas the girls have come up with. This week it is Jo's turn to set the dare and here is what she says:

"I thought that it would be fun to use a product that seems to be 'Bang on Trend' so this week my dare is....

Using Kraft cardstock :) Either as a card base or somewhere on the card - if you don't have any you could use some card board such as corrugated or even a brown kraft envelope... "

I was pretty sure I had some Kraft cards somewhere, I've had them for a long time and used them one year for my Christmas cards at the time when I was less obsessed by card making lol! So I had to rummage through my drawers, in fact I had to take a lot of stuff out and found some other things I'd forgotten about while I was there, and eventually I did find 4 of these brown Kraft cards which I'm pretty sure I got from Lakeland Limited.

The ribbon is stuff I picked up in the January sales at Tesco and the little scrap I bought in Avoca when I was in Belfast in the summer. The greeting is a Lakeland stamp (Kathy, I've got those one's too and mine still stick, hee hee) and I fancied up some plain brads with some purple glitter glue.

Happy Birthday Jenny

Jenny Cat is 17 today.

If I couldn't join an Irish Boy Band...

Journalling:...If I couldn't join an Irish Boy Band, I might try my hand as a Andy Stewart impersonator (a one time favourite Scottish singer). My failure to break into this market left me so traumatised I never wore a kilt again...and that yard still hasn't been concreted!

Continuing the series of of layouts featuring my husband's childhood photographs for Friday Photo Flashback. Here we see him in a kilt, indeed he has never worn one again, but hee hee hee, all that will change next May as our son is getting married and yes, you guessed it, it will be a kilt affair - so you will see him in Scottish national dress after all.

Kits: Time Passages - Lisa Bowman, Rebel without a pause for Digital Craft Cottage
Remembrance of Times Past - Digital Craft Cottage
Denim Fancy - Donna, for Digital Craft Cottage
Frame/Tag - Finuf

Beltane

Here is the digi-LO for the Spring Festival of Beltane as part of the November Quote It Challenge on Digital Craft Cottage.

The quote at the top of the layout reads:

It is Beltane! The Earth softens under the caress of the sun and all the world is new.

We emerge from the darkness of a long, difficult winter; our eyes drink in rolling

green hills budding branches and tender shoots. We breathe deeply the fresh fragrance

of radiant blossoms. Merriment calls!” – Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary

Note that I am wearing my glasses, so it must be Sunday as that is the day I rest my eyes from my contact lenses. Also my fetching overalls complete with Massey Ferguson logo!

Kit: Digital Craft Cottage, Gift A Day May 08
Font: Century
Sketch: Pencillines 158

Pumpkinhead

It's the last inchy challenge on the Something Completely Different Blog. In keeping with the time of year, it's a halloween theme. This is a very simple inchy, a piece of black card, a big orange brad which I drew on with Sharpies and some silver glitter pen round the edge of the card.

Samhain

It's the start of the November Challenges at Digital Craft Cottage and for the 'Quote it' challenge we have a choice of seasons to scrap. Sassy Serenity who set the challenge asked us to go back to our ancient roots and scrap the ancient seasons of Samhain or Beltaine. I'm doing both, but will come back witht he Beltaine (Spring) one later. I just thought it was appropriate to get this one out today, as Samhain is the festival which turned into Halloween.

Here is the Journalling:

Samhain is one of the four Celtic fire festivals marking the quarter points in the year - feasts were held and bonfires were lit throughout the countryside.The bonfires were to warm friendly spirits and ward off evil spirits, and also represented the sun which they wished would return, bringing heat and growth.



Never sleep or rest on the ground beneath the boughs of a hawthorn tree on Halloween as it's believed that evil spirits and mischievous faeries who are roaming the earth that night hide within the branches of hawthorn trees and cast unpleasant spells on those who innocently stop to rest beneath them.

Kits: May 08 & June 08 Gift A Day Kit from Digital Craft Cottage
SO November from Scraporchard
Font - Scrap Twiggy