Wedding Horseshoe

I'm entering this for this month's Tando Creative competition.  This is the horseshoe that I am making for my son and future daughter-in-law's wedding in a couple of weeks.  There is a 'book' for it to go in, but that is not yet finished, but  I thought I'd post this for the competition. Flowers are by Wild Orchid.

Red Leather Seats

Join Alicia for Friday Photo Flashback at More than Words.

This is a photo of my Dad's Rover. I think it is a Rover 500, it wasn't his first car but it is probably the first one that I really remember.   It was black and absolutely solid and had beautiful red leather seats.  It is parked in the backyard of the house that my mum still lives in. Although there have been a few changes to the garage, and there are paving blocks rather than gravel on the ground, it is still very recognisable. We moved to this house in 1965, so it is probably around that time.

Mosaic Monday

I thought I'd have a go at Mosaic Monday over at the Little Red House,

full instructions are available on the blog here.

Carefree

Here is the fun image provided for the Soartful Challenge this week.  It reminded me immediately of the spiral staircase at New College Oxford.  I was fortunate to be able to stay there a couple of years ago for a week long course and took lots of photographs.

My lady has gone all arty but she is still sliding down a staircase!

Nature Walk

It was a warm and sunny day today, so I took my camera for a walk. As I live right in the countryside, there are always lots of natural things to photograph, but I think  the spring is the most exciting time.  The tree buds are just bursting open, the lambs are in the fields and the bees come out to gather nectar from the first spring flowers.

Here are some pictures from my walk to day.

Wedding Photos

There are wedding bells in the air (for my son), and my friends are all desperate to see what I am wearing and I'm not showing them lol!  So instead I thought I would entertain you with a photo from an earlier wedding.

In fact it was my uncle Johnny's wedding, my mum's brother.  That's my mum, dad and my gran with me (in the blue hat and matching gloves) and my sister in the pink.  Look at those hideous, 'sensible' shoes! 

Join Alicia at More than Words for more Friday Photo Flashbacks.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday 19th April 2010

Outside my window...the sun is still shining at 7.42pm but there is a very cold wind.
I am thinking...about my new kitchen, it is starting to take shape.
I am thankful for...the positive outcomes at work today.
From the kitchen...turkey curry from the freezer, heated in the microwave because there is no stove in my kitchen right  now.
I am wearing...back into my wool sweater again because of the cold.
I am creating...a lucky horseshoe for my son's wedding.
I am going...to answer the phone.
I am reading...another Joanne Fluke foodie mystery - this time it's the Carrot Cake Murder!
I am hoping...that tomorrow is another good day.
I am hearing...the television
Around the house...everything is covered in dust, not volcanic dust, workmen dust!
One of my favorite things...warm plates - it's not easy heating them in the microwave!
A few plans for the rest of the week: it's all kitchen plans right now!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Looking better already!

Cat in a Hat

This pretty lady in her bonnet was the image provided for the Soartful Challenge.  I actually started out making a fairly dull and safe LO for this picture, but as I had posted my DCM yesterday I thought I would wait till today to post this and I then came up with something which was much more fun!

The cat face is from a photo of my cat James (I know, a bit of transgender going on here) spot the mackerel and the field mice - hee hee!  The photo has been 'posterised' in Photoshop Elements.

Flappers

Kathy has set the dare over at Daring Card Makers Blog this week, here is what she has asked us to do:

Getting in a Flap

I'd like to see cards with flaps this week. Little flaps that you lift up or open out to see a secret "something" hidden behind or bigger flaps that form part of the actual card. Maybe even little birdies with wings that really "flap" As long as it's a flap that lifts up from your card it will count - just flat images of a bird or butterfly flapping it's wings won't!

 I used an Elusive Images stamp over a Distress Ink background simply layered up with different cardstock.  Eyelets hold two different coloured ribbons which untie to reveal...

the message inside, another Distress ink background, this time spritzed with water, another Elusive Images stamp fo rthe foliage and a Studio G sentiment stamp.

The roof is finished

The roof is finally finished, the chimney's have been rebuilt and the scaffolding has been taken down.  It turned into a much bigger job than we expected, but it should last for a very long time now.  The next thing will be getting the house painted as it is looking a bit scruffy.

Spring is a busy time on the farm, so today Brian is taking out some muck/dung/manure that has been 'maturing' in our 'midden' for a year.   Here he is heading off to the field at the top of the road.

Join the Flashback with Alicia at 'More than Words'

This is me in my pram, strapped in and ready to roll!

A little bit of spring on the farm

Follow the Kitchen Diary....

..join me at Farmersgirl Kitchen where I'll be posting daily updates on my Kitchen refit. 

Here is a sneaky peek ;)

Ruby Slippers and Sister Act!

If the Shoe Fits...

buy it in every colour, as the saying goes!

We all wear them, don't we? so this week I would like to lots of footwear on your cards.

Boots, shoes, sandals, trainers, ballet shoes, slippers.... the list is almost endless so I'm sure there'll be some fab fancy footwork to admire this week. 
One thing, though - no cheating, please - We don't want any sneaky stuff like "My Tilda's wearing shoes so I'm entering this card" - oh no, we're far too mean to allow!
(and Sue says she'll be checking up on you :-0) 

 

That's the Dare at the Daring Cardmaker's Blog this week and 

here is my card:

 

 

I'm also using the Whispers of Colour prompt on Bubbly Scrumptious for this card, it's Red, white and blue!

 

It's my sister's birthday soon and I've always loved the song 'Sisters' in the film 'White Christmas'.  My sister and I used to sing it to each other, so following the theme of musicals that started with Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.  I've made this card showing Rosemary Cluny and Vera Ellen with lots of bling and feathers!

I used the Fiskarettes sketch again and this is the card that I am entering into the competition.

Dear Deer

Yesterday we went for our New Year lunch!  Every year we are invited for lunch on New Year's Day at my DH's cousin's farm which is up on a hillside.  Due to the very icy and snowy conditions this year, the lunch was postponed and earlier this week we got a phone call to ask us to come up this weekend.

They told us that they had had a lot of Roe Deer coming close to the house this year due to the lack of grass for them on the higher ground and on our way home we met one of those deer. I only had my phone camera so they are not great shots, but I though I'd share them anyway.

Can you see the deer's white rump flashing as he/she runs for cover?

Looks like there is nothing there doesn't it?

But if you look closely you can see the beastie, how wonderfully they are camouflaged in their natural environment.

Bamboo Geisha

The Soartful Challenge this week has provided us with a bamboo background to alter.

I combined my background with some oriental images courtesy of Art Freebies to create my 'Bamboo Geisha'.

 If you are interested in working with digital images come along and join in on the new forum Show & Share Art

More Wreck this Journal

I did another couple of pages of my 'Wreck this Journal' last night. 'Do some rubbings with a pencil' - I used watercolour pencils for a bit of colour and rubbed over bits of crafting stuff, fancy clips and chipboard pieces.  Then I washed over it with water to make it merge more.

This one was quick and easy to do, I scratched it with my crafting tweezers.

A Girl's Best Friend

This week on Daring Card Makers it's the beginning of a new month and therefore it's time for a new birthstone to inspire our card making. 
The birthstone for April is the

Diamond

"How you decide to use the birthstone is up to you, it may be a card for someone who has a birthday during this month, featuring "diamonds. or it may be a card that refers to the meaning or mythology surrounding the stone - anything goes, really as long as somehow the birthstone is hinted at."

I thought that 'hinting' was quite a good idea and, of course, diamonds must mean Marilyn Monroe and Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend!

I've had these papers for a very long time, they are from the Meg Collection from Making  Memories, the font for the sentiment is, of course, Hollywood.  The 'diamonds' and 'sapphires' are from a vintage brooch which has been kicking around in my junk box for  two or three years.  I also tried out a sketch from Fiskarettes which is part of a competition, but you have to make an original project so I can't submit this one.

Wreck this Journal

Some of the forum members at Bubbly Funk have bought this book including me!  It's an unusual journal with lots of interesting prompts involving smearing it with food, breaking the spine and posting it to yourself.  One of the first ones I did was to take the book into the shower, it curled up nicely without doing too much damage and the pages didn't stick together.  

Last night I filled in this page 'Fill the page with circles'  I used my Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers to make the big circles and then just some coloured pens to make lots of little circles, it was quite therapeutic.  There is no particular order to do these in, it is really quite anarachic and as, for most of us, destroying books is such a taboo, it actually feels great to give yourself permission to do just that!

Oh and by the way, remember that lovely Hotel Chocolat Easter Egg competition?  I WON!  Woo hoo!  I've blogged about it HERE

When a woman smiles, the dress must smile with her

It's digital challenge time again on Soartful  Here is what Jeanette posted on the challenge blog:

Here is a beautiful image of vintage
fashion. I was looking for an image showing fashion finery that
could be used as an Easter theme or not,
which ever way you wanted to go.
Dorthe had posted this in the Freebie section of June's (Dezinaworld) new
Show and Share Art forum. I promptly got in touch with Dorthe and
asked to use the image here at Sorartful. She very graciously said
yes. I think the colors in this are gorgeous.

So have creative fun with this lovely Easter finery (or not) image

 

 

And here is my interpretation of the image:

The brown paper, chalked frame and snapshot album are all by the very talented Scrappin' Cop.  The ribbon, bow and border are by Laura Boetto of Digital Craft Cottage.  The stamps and postcard are from Grannyart.blogspot.com and the kiss is from Digitreats.

W is for Westie

The Something Completely Different Team have chosen 'Letters of the Alphabet' for April's theme, no size restrictions or other criteria.  Gez chose the letter "W" for the first week, so my card features a West Highland Terrier or Westie, a stamp by Little Claire.  I've left it greeting free because I'm not yet sure what I want to use it for.

What colour are the hyacinths?

Here are the hyacinths that are in my Easter Basket.  The blooms have really come out in the last couple of days and they are ....BLUE (Karen!).   I love the scent of hyacinths but it makes me sneeze, DH, on the other hand said "I keep wondering why it smells of burning rubber in here" - there is no hope!

Pretty flowers.

In my Easter ' Basket' with all the flowers upon it....

Last summer my mum made me some strawberry jam, she packed the jars into this basket which would have been the one that the punnets of strawberries came in.  My crafty eye caught sight of it and I knew that it could be 'upcycled' into something more beautiful.  It's beeing hanging around with all the other things that I would like to alter since then.

The basket was painted with acrylic dabbers in butterscotch then I stamped over with the Cornish Heritage Farm backgrounder 'canvas' to give the basket weave effect.  I lined it with red gingham type fabric and found some broderie anglais at Dunhelm Mills to finiths it off. The paper 'straw', chicks and the hyacinth all came from Tescos (plant was half price!) and the glittery eggs came in a pack of  9 for £1.50 at a local stationers.  

I took the pictures last week and the hyacinths are now flowering, I'll try and get another picture of them to add to the post later.

My Friday Photo Flashback also has a bit of an Easter theme.  I first started going out with my now husband on Easter Monday 1979, 31 years ago.  This picture of him is from a year or so before I met him, but I think he looks absolutely gorgeous XXX

To see more Friday Photo Flashbacks or to join in yourself go to More Than Words