Saturday, March 31, 2012

Notebook ... And Garden

Oooh.... The weather has changed ... it's quite cool now but this last week has seen the gardens flourish so that's a good thing ... so nice to look out and see fresh green leaves on the trees ... the Forsythia and the blossom ... 



and the lilac tree is full of buds...



even my lily of the valley is also coming through .. I'll take some photos of these once the flowers show

I met up with a friend yesterday ... she's 84 and used to attend our Philosophy group ... such a sweet lady ... I made a little notebook for her


A  mix of papers but the beautiful flower you can see in the frame is from a set of tags created and given free from this lovely blog  - Lilac & Lavender well worth a visit
I used a faux leather fabric to cut the butterfly on my Sizzix ... the PTI die cut through this fabric like butter!


Just to add more interest I added a butterfly sticker on top of it 

I'm off to grab a latte ... my hands are freezing! I hope you have a lovely weekend 

Till soon

~ Ros ~






Thursday, March 29, 2012

Decisions ....

The sun is still shining here .. though it's set to change next week and we will be back to the rain and cool days. 
This week was the last class at Practical Philosophy for this term ... 
I can't say that I enjoyed this last term ... it was not so 'practical' as 'theoretical'  ... and now I have to decide whether I am going to return in May ... I'm not great at decisions ... Well I'm ok with material things but when it comes to people I hate to think I am letting anyone down ... so I'm hoping the next few weeks will enlighten me as to what to do ... 
I made a card for our tutor Mike ... he gives up his time and travels a fair way every Tuesday evening just to tutor 4 of us ...


Unlike my decision this was very simple ... The image is from MadeByJanet and a great 'turn to' for masculine cards ...


The sentiment is a stamp from WaltzingMouse

Maybe I just have a lot on at the moment ... I had to come up with something on the last minute last week for Thursday club ... Not easy when you have over 30 people of mixed gender and mixed abilities ... but the lady who was supposed to be covering didn't let us know until the night before that she couldn't make it ... and you know I can't let them down ... 

On Monday I will be doing my talk at the Womens Club and have them make some book houses too ... It's a little nerve wracking thinking about talking to over 40 women ... and I've been preparing a few things to take along to give them some ideas about making and using books

Guess I just need to wind down a little and clear my head .... and maybe create a little something .. "just because" 

I hope you have a great day ... Thanks for stopping by 

~ Ros ~

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

City Crafter Challenge ... Spring Fling

Good Morning sweet friends ...
I'm back today to share my card for this weeks challenge at City Crafter .. chosen for us by Cheryl ...
This is the inspiration photo


and Cheryl is asking that we create a card or project using All of the colours shown
Once again we are lucky enough to have Sheila Burns as our Guest Designer this week ... and the winner of this weeks challenge will also be offered a Guest Design spot ... So get out your papers, paints, inks etc., and come and join us in our Spring Fling!


These lovely papers are from the Grace Taylor pack and though they are 12'x12' ... they can still be used on cards ... The little watch I stamped on just to add more interest ... and the leaf ribbon on the bottom came from my friend Lauren ...


WaltzingMouse stamps for the sentiment ... flowers, 
ribbon, lace, buttons and trim are all from my supplies


I love this little birdie!

Don't forget to visit the City Crafter blog to check out the projects from my lovely team mates ... Hope to see you there!

Have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping by

~ Ros ~




Monday, March 26, 2012

CR84FN colour challenge and March in the UK

If like me you picked up a copy of the latest Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine ... not only would you have seen the wonderful creations by the Uber talented Mona Pendleton ... but you would have discovered a FREE pack of 6x6 papers from Websters Pages!! As I am a big fan of both Ms Mona's style and Websters pages ... I couldn't be happier ... And looking through the papers I found a couple that would co-ordinate perfectly with the latest challenge at CR84FN so I had to make a card ...

This is the colour pallet


... And this is my card ...


Websters papers are so pretty ... I added a couple of fabric flowers, with some paper ones and topped them with a pink Rhinestone .... the "Ooh La La" is a rubon I've had for ages in my supplies


... A Melissa Frances glittered chipboard heart and for my sentiment I combined two stamps from WaltzingMouse


We still have lovely sunshine here ... and this last week has seen so much change in the landscape and gardens ... Daffodils are abundant everywhere we go ... Here in Merseyside they are planted on embankments and central reservations ... along with a variety of crocus ... Driving becomes a pleasure ...
I caught this little butterfly in my garden yesterday enjoying the sunshine ... 


... I noticed that my garden is overrun with Ladybirds ...



Click on the photos to enlarge and see for yourself...There are so many of them! 

 The Forget-me-Nots are just starting to bloom

A peek at my primroses ... these are to be planted and some are already are filling the garden having been planted years ago ... they just come back



Wherever you are I hope the sun shines on you today ...

Till soon

~ Ros ~






Sunday, March 25, 2012

Jingle Belles ...Hybrid

It's glorious weather here in the UK ... 
Yesterday we drove out to the countryside and had lunch outdoors surrounded by fields and flowers ... horses were grazing and spring lambs were leaping around ... It was beautiful! 
I wore a proper shoe for the first time in ages ... the consultant says it will take 12 months for my bones to get to full strength ... providing I follow the rules, use my crutch for now and not put too much pressure on my foot ... Hopefully I can wean myself off the crutch in the next few months ...


I should be outside making the most of the sunshine but I decided to get my card done for this weeks challenge at Jingle Belles ... This week we are challenge to make either a full digital card or a hybrid ... As the sponsors are Robyn's Fetish Digitals Stamps and More  who have donated a free digital for anyone who wants to use it and there's a prize up for grabs this week too ...
I did a hybrid ... using some red paper from my scraps ... but the main focus is a digital text paper by Jen Allyson ... on which I layered a digital stamp from HA ... "Seasons Greeting Collage"


I coloured the holly leaves and berries with Promarkers and added a little sparkle...
A few embellishments ... ( a ribbon, some berries and a handmade by me crocheted heart) and it's done .. well it wasn't really done quickly .. I sort of lost my mojo along the way ... Maybe a little more sunshine will re-charge me ...

Have a lovely Sunday and remember as well as this challenge you still have time to enter the challenge at CCCB and the challenge at Pixie Dust Paperie too 

Till soon

~ Ros ~



Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A Hug For You ....

Yesterday was the first day of Spring here ... and it was a glorious Spring day ... Not so today ... It's dull and overcast ... but it hasn't deterred the birds who are busy building their nests and see this little bird box on the fence ... 


Well I have a pair of Blue Tits nesting there ... and as you can see ... the Hawthorne has finally started to unfurl her leaves ... soon the little box will be surrounded in beautiful scented blossoms

At Papercraft Star ... the challenge this week is Spring ... and I made a card which is Spring like to me ... from the new paper pack I got last week ... and a Peter Rabbit image


I just love that image ... and The House Across The Bay has some gorgeous rabbit images ... go check them out ...


Before I go ... Gipsy just wants to say "Hi" ... I think she's missing my Aunt ... 


Have a wonderful day ... 

Till soon

~ Ros ~




Tuesday, March 20, 2012

City Crafter Copy Cater ...

It's that time of the week again when City Crafter Challenge Blog sets a brand new challenge for you and this week Linda is hosting for us with 'Copy Cater" ... use the beautiful image from the Graphics Fairy on your project


Such a lovely image don't you think?
And we have a new Guest Designer this week ... the talented Sheila Burns  so be sure to check out all the DT creations ....

This little bird reminds me of Spring ... and Daffodils ... hence I used the yellow and greens ...


The clock is a symbol of Spring Time ... our clocks here in the UK will be "springing" forward shortly and daylight will last a little longer


My card was cut on the Silhouette and the background paper is from the pad Linda sent to me ...I love it!


A couple of strips of TH tape just add interest and both the tape and the doily were painted with TH distress stains

I love to see how one image can be interpreted so many different ways so I am looking forward to seeing your creations this week at CCCB 

Have a wonderful day ... keep safe

~ Ros ~



Monday, March 19, 2012

Back to normal

Well I'm back to the normal routine here ... my dear Aunt is back home ... we drove to Lincoln yesterday laden with far more than she came with ... 
It was Mothers Day here in the UK so we got to spend the day together and my home and hers is full of flowers and chocolates ... I missed seeing her smiling face this morning but it wont be long before we are together again for the Norwegian cruise ... Right now she will be playing with her newest toy ... an Apple iPad! One is never too old to learn right?

I got to do a little crafting whilst she was playing ... and I made my card for the challenge at Jingle Belles  - 'Neutral Noel' which is based on this photo of beautiful cushions ... 


I was going to make a card with a wreath but Stephanie already did a brilliant take on that ... so in the end it's kind of a mix


The image is recycled from an old shop bought card and the leaves are cut on the Silhouette Cameo...


The music paper is from a fabulous pack of papers I got from the Hobby Shop ... there are 100 sheets of 12'x12' papers in the pack and they are so lovely ... by Grace Taylor ... Guaranteed you will be seeing a lot of them in the future!

I'm off to visit my friend this morning ... we've a lot of catching up to do ... then I will be catching up with all your blogs ... 

 "Thank you" for all your lovely wishes for my Aunt's birthday ... she was tickled pink!
I'll be back tomorrow for the CCCB challenge ... 
Have a lovely day 

~ Ros ~




Thursday, March 15, 2012

Family

It's been a wonderful week so far ... Spending time with my Aunt ... laughing the hours away like two schoolgirls ... How I shall miss her when she goes home.
On Sunday we celebrated her 85th Birthday ... this is the card I made for her



I took a photo of the inside but it isn't too clear ... I stencilled some butterflies using the negative from a die cut and some chalks


Here are a couple of photos too


Both my Aunt and I on our walking sticks ... my brother carrying Sophia and my son behind


My two beautiful boys ... my adored son Mikey and my great nephew Ross ... It was so lovely to see Ross again ... my heart just swells with love for him

A couple of days later Aunt and I went for an English 'high tea' 


we bumped into a friend who presents a program on BBC Radio Merseyside .... needless to say the following day my Aunt got a mention and a happy birthday on "Air"

I haven't done any crafting at all this week but we spent a fair amount of time in the hobby shop and bought some goodies ... so nice to spend time with someone who loves creating as much as me ... And yesterday ... we visited the Apple shop ... Aunt got an iPad and is now having a wonderful time playing around! Sheesh! I really hope I've inherited her genes!

Thank you for letting me share with you ... have a lovely day

~ Ros ~







Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Blog Pillow ... City Crafter Challenge


Hi there ...
It's time for another challenge at City Crafter ... And can you believe this week it is our 100th challenge? 
My how the weeks fly by ...
This week our lovely Kirsty creator of City Crafter is hosting for us and the challenge she has set us is 
"Things in My Heart"
In other words ... create a project that pertains to things in your heart right now ... this can be anything from perhaps your loved ones to a form of art that you love right now ... there are no boundaries so just let your creativity flow ...

For me right now I am loving printing on fabric and making things from it ... you've seen some of my pin cushions and hearts ... I also love blogging ... being part of this wonderful group of creativity all over the world ...
So it was a simple choice for me to make ... a pillow with my blog header on it 


This sits on my bed so I can always be reminded of the wonderful friends I have out there and the things I have learned 


The blog header was made and designed by me using graphics from the fabulous Graphics Fairy ... which I shall be linking this up to for Brag Monday ...
 I printed it onto white cotton fabric which I then stitched to a calico fabric ...


... added some lace, ribbons and buttons and attached the whole thing to a pillow case cut from the same white fabric... edged with more lace ... Then I just sewed it all together and made a filling for it 


This week we are offering a Guest Designer spot to the winner of the challenge ... so I do hope you will join us and show us what is in your heart right now.

Thanks so much for stopping by ... I know the rest of the DT will be thrilled if you hop over and check out their creations ... and also that of our Guest Designer this week ... Sabrina Radeck ... her beautiful creations can also be found Here

I'm enjoying spending time with my sweet Aunt ... so I'll bid you all a wonderful day and catch you soon

~ Ros ~






Sunday, March 11, 2012

Parisian Clock

I've not been able to go to my Thursday group due to my fractured foot ... and my friend and co worker has also been unwell ... The class had to close ... much to the upset of the group ... 
Well I am so much better now and as long as I am not on my feet I can still work ... So last Thursday I came up with a very simple but effective project for them and the class re-opened
I had missed them so much and it was lovely to be back creating again ... This is what we made ... a "Parisian clock"


Ok, so it doesn't actually work ... It's a canvas wall art
I did take in a variety of coloured ribbons and flowers and when they were all made ... They looked fabulous!
Simple supplies ... this is all you need


A canvas, a Paris printout ... (Free from Very Merry Vintage Style Blog... Printout of a clock face also Free from Friendly Scrap ... a CD ... 5 punched flowers, ribbon and a rhinestone
Simple huh? 
Grateful thanks to those sweet bloggers who provide such an array of fabulous freebies

Have a wonderful day ... and thanks so much for visiting me today

~ Ros ~



Thursday, March 08, 2012

Pixie Dust Paperie Challenge

Hello and Good morning to you all...
This morning I am here to share my DT project for this month's challenge at Pixie Dust Paperie - 
For the March challenge Kirsty has given us a sketch to work with


You can interpret this anyway you choose ... make a card ... a scrapbook page ... a project ... flip it even!  As long as you follow the sketch you could win a $15 voucher to spend on the gorgeous Pixie Dust Paperie goods ... take a visit to the shop and be amazed at all the beautiful goodness there

For my project I chose to make a wall hanging 


I started with a piece of cardboard and covered it with Prima papers from Pixie Dust, some lace from my supplies and that lovely leaf ribbon from Lauren ...
Then I took 4 little canvases - painted them and then used crackle paint on them


After adhering the canvases on to the board ... all that needed was for me to decorate


Most of the things I have used are 3D stickers from my supplies ... some handmade flowers and a few trinkets


... Epoxy stickers and Glittered heart ... and even some stitching on here


I'm quite pleased with this and I am going to hang it in the bedroom I have ready for my aunt's visit ... I know she will appreciate it

I hope you will join us this month at Pixie Dust Paperie ... many congratulations to last month's winner Artis ... And don't forget ... everyday this week you will be able to see projects from all the challenge DT at Pixie ... So please stop by

Have a beautiful day

~ Ros ~