I am Dreaming of a Pink Cancer Free Christmas!

Hello there

A few days ago I happened across a Challenge that was looking for pink Christmas cards by Jingle Bells.  For each card that is entered into this challenge a $4 donation will be made to the Susan G Komen cancer organisation.  Also the Sisterhood of Crafters are also looking for Pink Christmas cards for Breast Cancer.  Having a few friends that have unfortunately been through this awful disease, it is a very worthwhile cause close to my heart.

So here is my entry...

That is not a grey line down the right hand side...the sun was shining at the same time as it was pouring with rain whilst I took the photo which left a shadow down the side.

I have used some NBUS in the form of Tonic dies and embossing folder.  I used a Snippet of white card to emboss and brushed over some Versamark and sparkly embossing powder.  Unfortunately you cannot see the sparkle but believe me it is very sparkly.  The pink cardstock is Bazzill and the black is Papermania.  The baubles are cut from Spellbinders and stamped with matching Creative Expressions stamps.  I added a further swirl of Memory Box holly which was stickled with some bright pink Stickles, which I used again on the right hand side.  A little bit of clear sparkly thread and hey presto, another card in the tin ready for posting!

If you wish to join in the Jingle Bells Challenge you have until Wednesday 22nd.  The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge ends very soon.  Just getting in by the skin of my teeth!  The cause is all worthwhile no matter which country the donation is made.  

I am taking this over to the Snippets Playground too as there are Snippets involved.  Better throw my hat in first as I didn't join in the frolics and fun last week...oops - not intentionally of course!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

The Mayflower...Mini Album...

Hello there

Well that weekend went like a flash and ended with a crash bang wallop didn't it?  We had beautiful weather yesterday and Hubby and I were able to do a little more work on my little Trabbi called Hilda before it absolutely tipped it down and has remained so most of today.   Never mind ey!  It gave me chance to have a play in my Craft Room today.

Now some of you know from a previous post that myself, Sandra, Debs and Miss had a meet up in Southampton for lunch.  We all had to be on our best behaviour!  Debs kindly volunteered to pick myself and Sandra up from the train station, however there was an hour between our trains so Debs offered to take me to the Mayflower monument whilst we waited for Sandra's train.  Whilst there we met a gentleman and his wife, and he told us that he was a direct descendant of one of the people named on the monument.  

Of course I had my trusty camera with me and snapped some shots.

Debs had made is all a little W or M (depending what hemisphere you reside in) mini album and I decided I would print my photos out on my Pogo printer (a bit like the old instamatic photos which measure about 2x3") and put them into this album.  The little anchor on the front is my addition.

On the left is the main plaque on the monument which is on the right. Surprisingly there are no signs to let people know this monument is here.

Some close ups of the monument.  The little words are from some VOS K&Co paper which I have cut from a Snippet.

The photo on the left is the view over Southampton from the monument.  I suspect that this looks very much different from that day in 1620 when they embarked on the journey.  The tall ship on the right was passing just as we were walking back to Debs' car.  

This building is where the voyagers would have passed through in order to board the ships.  Yes, there were two....The Mayflower and The Speedwell.  Unfortunately The Speedwell didn't get any further than Plymouth.

The little tags in the album I have used to put factoids on including the date, crew and cargo as well as the firstborn on American soil.

If you are interested about the voyage of The Mayflower there is a book available on Kindle HERE which I very much enjoyed. 

Hopefully the next time I share this little album I will have completed an item on my bucket list which has been near the top for a very long time.  I have wanted to see Plymouth Rock and surrounding area since we studied the Mayflower when I were a lass!  

I am off to take this down to the Snippets Playground as I have been using lots of little Snippets in this book.  I hear Debs is poorly so hopefully knowing I have used her little book may cheer her up a little.

Have a great week.  I am hoping that BT will have sorted our t'internet out so I can visit blogs better this week.

Hettie

Tea on Tuesday...T stands for Twangy Card!

Hello There!  

Happy Happy Tuesday Everyone! Yes that means you - my Blogging Friend.

As I mentioned today is Tuesday and I am sharing my latest project with you, whilst having a cup of Glengettie Tea!  Of course, this is linked up by the magic of t'internet with my friend Elizabeth. 

So today's project is a card I have made for my friend.  She likes pink!  Not that you could tell, right!  I actually started this card at the Crop with my buddy Di (who also likes pink) who showed me how to make the base.  The flowers and flutterbies I added when I got home.

So it kinda looks all innocent here...

And then you open it...

The morning was dull and grey here so you cannot get just how bright these pinks and yellows are.  I just love it.  Really old K&Co papers which I had free for subscribing to a magazine that has long ago become a distant memory.  

A straight on picture.  Again, the light isn't good and too damp to photograph it outside.

Now the envelope is better as I took the photo from above.  Now these papers are VERY old and quite flimsy but they are just great to use up making envelopes with the We R Memory Keepers tool.

And of course, my cup.  It is a Cath Kidstone which my Buddy bought me for my Birthday a few years ago. It is quite a bucket size but perfick for my morning brew!

Now as well as linking this card up to the Tea on Tuesday, I am also linking the card with the Snippets Playground (a few used here including the white card and the "hello" piece - recycled from a gift card some time ago) and also the Butterfly Challenge, Butterflies, wet embossing and flowers.  Hurrah!  Three linkies.

Thanks for calling by. It is persisting it down with rain outside so I guess I shall be staying in now rather than get wet!

TTFN

Hettie

Rudolph Day - I am Late, I'm Late, For a Very Important Date!

Hello there

I am trying to sneak this post in very quietly without anyone really noticing.  You see I should have put this up on Monday.  The cards were all ready on Sunday.  However, I had to go to Cardiff on Monday for a work seminar and when I got there I was so close to Ikea it seemed rude not to pop in.  Well I didn't buy very much at all, but I did stop and have tea to save me cooking when I got home.  Only to realise once I did get home that I was too late for Rudolph Day.  I am sooooooo sorry Buddy!

These started as I had these two pieces of Bo Bunny paper left over from a layout I did some time ago and I thought if I cut them very carefully I could squeeze three C cards out of it.  Only thing is the pinkiness of them cried out for pink card rather than the bluey and the pink won!

I used my lovely MB Tree Die with another two pieces of Snippets card and managed to squeeze three trees out, stamped with versamark and embossed with sparkly embossing powder.  I picked out the remnants of a card of sparklies and tried to use them all up.

A peice of ribbon, some tags, which I cut out of pieces of white cardstock when it gets too small to do much else with, rather than put them in the box.  

That is three more to the C Box!  And as they are full of Snippets I am taking this down the Snippets Playground, where I know a certain Miss will be happy as they are pink!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Psst.  I am also sharing this with Mrs Hazelnut!!  

Scrapbook Tuesday - In the Pink!

Hello Friends

Do not adjust your set.  This is a bright PINK layout today!  I know, I know, I am not the Pink Queen!! I am usually more of a Purple Peril but today is schpeshial 'cos it involves a Charity fundraising event which yours truly took part in.

You may recall earlier this year I was praying for good weather as I and a few colleagues from work were all walking for the In The Pink Charity, which raises money for research into Breast Cancer in Cardiff.  So here is us at the end of the day in pictures....

Here are, the motley crew, all dressed in pink t-shirts and other items of pink clothing, some of which were not on show! (I was wearing something pink but I am not showing - my excuse and I am sticking to it!)

Our medals we were were presented with.

Dobby was a trouper.  He isn't used to 10 mile walks but he did not complain once, though he was desperate for a lie down at the end!  He even got his own medal!

Various states of attire on the feet I see! Not noticed this until now!!

Who can resist stars on the flip flops!

This layout came about as I was removing the medal from where it had been put and decided to scrapbook it straight away rather than put it in a drawer!  Aren't I a good girl today then!

Papers are Bazzill, DCWV and Silhouette adhesive paper (Snippet of). I used my QuicKutz tool (VOS) for the flip flops and star.  Cricut for the text.  Black Archival ink for the stamping and NBUS sewing stamp and also my doggy paw stamp. Dobby and his mat were cut using Spellbinders.

Thanks for popping in.  I shall take this over to the Playground as there are some Snippets in there.  

Top tip for today!  If you gut the base card so that you can get the same pink for the flip flops, don't merrily place adhesive on the layer of cardstock over the hole you have now made.  This makes the back of your layout stick to the table - with an ATG gun - very well!  Doh!  Though I used a Snippet of white cardstock to prevent this which now doubles as a place to list the participants!!  We raised just short of £1,600 for our walk!  On to next year now!

Hugs

xx

Scrapbooking Tuesday - Live in the Moment...

Hello there Friends

I am afraid due to circumstances beyond my control I was unable to share a Layout/scrapbook page with you last Tuesday, but I hope you will forgive me when you see what I have brewed up for you today!  You may want a cuppa as it is a bit of a heavy post.....

I am using my lovely new "the Sweetest Thing" papers and stamps by MME.  Awesome papers and I was sensible enough to buy the 12x12", 6x6" and stamps that all co-ordinate bootifully!  

So I started with a fairly plain sheet which I sprayed with a mix of Colourwash (Cranberry and Plum), Perfect Pearls Mist (Forever red) and Glimmer mist (Gold).  

I took another piece which has a pinky damask background and my honeycomb mask and Distress Inks (Festive Berries and Picked Raspberry) and adhered it to the centre of the background piece.

Then came the fun part..... I die cut, electronic cut and "fiddle-farted" with flowers to my heart's content.  I used some of the pieces left from the centre panel, some of the 6x6" paperstock, plain white card stock and some Snippets to make flowers, leaves and more flowers!  I cut some of the flowers out on the Silhouette using plain white cardstock as well as some print 'n' cut flowers and the pink rose picture.  The flowers I put together with my glue gun and then sprayed them with the same mix of colourwash and glimmer mists that I used on the background.  

I die cut lots of the flowers and leaves using printed papers from the collection and also my Snippets box.  Dies used ranged from Tim Holtz, Spellbinders, Sizzix and Paperartsy.  The cream doily pieces were cut from Snippets which my friend Kim thought would be funny to send to me at Christmas with a whole pile of other Snippets!  See! They do get used!!

I used very few bought embellishments other than four teeny tiny paper flowers by Hero Arts, the metal TH embellishment, two TH buttons (very stingy with those buttons!) and the pearl brads.  

The bees were stamped using the stamps from this range with Momento ink, embossed with clear embossing powder, coloured yellow with a Copic pen and then washed with pearl PP.  I then cut them out and added them on to the layout with foam pads to (hopefully) make them look like they had just landed.

Here you can see the depth of the flowers.  This one at the bottom right was made with a die I bartered for at the Crop with Debs!!  It is my newest die and I Love it!!!

Here is another view so you can see the depth of the layout.  Let me tell you, I will not be crushing this into an album!  I shall be taking a trek to a well known Hobby shop to buy a frame.  The colours match our bedroom and this is one of my favourite Photographer photos (scanned and converted into black and white).  Megan broke free from the Bridesmaids and wanted Uncle Simon to pick her up!!  Of course he obliged!  (She is 25 this year!!  Scary!!)

The centres of the flowers were glued and then red and gold micro beads were sprinkled liberally inside.  

And isn't this lace divine?  I bought it a little while ago from HERE and I have not used it until now as it is soo gorgeous!  I don't want to use it all up too quickly now do I?

Well, sorry this is a bit of a long post and thanks for staying with me thus far.  I hope you have enjoyed it and if you wish to know anything about what I have done, please feel free to ask.

I am going to enter this into the following challenges.....

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - Snippets

Frilly and Funkie - Sunday Share - Lace (go check out the shop - I dare you not to buy anything!)

Fashionable Stamping - Something new

Hugs

Hettie

xxx

Don't Think I Shall Stop!

Hello Peeps

Loving this SD painting still.  Here is a card I made for Lizzie in work.  Her birthday was last month, but this card is still on her desk!

I shall just whisk it off her desk and take it to the Playground to brighten the Treehouse up!  Lots of Snippety bits in this card.

Thanks for popping in, and especially thanks to my latest Followers Sarah, Sandee and A Work of Heart for following me!  Always nice to have new followers.

TTFN

Hettie

Scrapbooking Tuesday - Macro Peonies

Hello Friends

Tuesday is here again, and a pretty cold Tuesday it is here in the UK.  I am extremely envious of a good friend of mine as she has a Crafting Day today aka Snow Day!  I hope she has fun and wish I was with her!

So without further ado here is my layout this week.....

The Peonies were photographed early one morning still with some dew on, whilst I was taking Dobby for his morning perambulation.  I never planted them, but rather they appeared after we transferred some soil from Mum in Law's garden when we were levelling part of her garden to extend the lawn.   

The layout is a kit which I have tweaked to add an extra photo and I have included some stamping and embellishments.

The punch I have used on this top right corner, and indeed all of them, come from a punch which I have used for the first time.  My friend was laughing at me when I was using it as I had to put it on the floor and push down putting all my weight on it (or as much as I could)!!  Talk about being difficult to use.  All the punched pieces and the word "macro" have been glittered with a fine shimmery glitter, but it is not really noticeable on these pics. I did not want it to detract from the photos so am fine with that.

That is it for now folks.  Thanks for calling by and thank you also to my newest members Lauren, Shana and Irene.  Thank you for following me. 

TTFN

Hettie

Scrapbook Tuesday - Oh Megan (or should that be Pig-pen)!

Hello Friends

Tuesday is here and so I am sharing my latest layout with you.  It is a photograph which I have been wanting to scrapbook for ages now but have never been quite sure how to do.  So I was wandering around Basic Grey's blog (well the cardstock is Basic Grey) and I came across a layout which they suggested you "scraplift".  I liked the concept so here is my version.....

Not content with cutting papers up from my stash I took one of my Snippets boxes and just kept pulling papers out until I found a piece that would tie in with the colours in the photo, then I ran them through my Big Shot using a Sizzix die.  Once I had cut about 40 hearts I took them over to my desk and sat down and procraftinated, using the camera to ensure I did not have too many darks/lights congregating together. (In case you don't know what I mean by "using the camera", if you point your camera at your work you can get a better idea of the depth of colour through either the viewfinder or on the screen on the camera.  A great tool for quilting too!)

The photo is of my youngest Niece at Llangranog Beach just weeks before she was to be my bridesmaid!  We refer to this photo as the Pig-Pen photo and it makes me smile every time I look at it.  She really does look "Pleased as Punch"!

As you can see I got my trusty sewing machine out (though the lines are not perfectly straight but neither is the beach!).  The hearts are not stuck down so that some of them have slightly curved which is what I wanted it to do.  I would hate to hazard a guess as to what makes of papers I have used, but they are all Snippets from past layouts and cards.  Even the distressed doily was cut for something else, not use, turned over as I had inked the other side and then used!  

Now for another photo of Amsterdam.....what Holland is most famous for....tulips!!

Beautiful colours on a quite dull day.  It is interesting to see the price of them there €12.50 for 50 tulips - that would be about £12.50 for 20 here!  The exchange rate is currently around €1 = £1!!

Thanks for calling by.  Please leave me a comment so I know you have been.  Hope you like my layout today!  Off to show my layout to the girls in the Playground!  Anyone got any flumps today?

Hettie

Good Luck - Use it Up

Hello Friends

I was rummaging through my basket of stampings and came across this stamping.  As I was colouring it in with my Copics I could imaging there was a conversation taking place between the two chooks along the lines of....."go on Darling..give it a go..we will become parents if they hatch....Good Luck!"

Hee Hee!!

All Snippets so I can play in the Playground.  I get to meet Miss on Saturday!  Better be on my best behaviour or she will send me to the Headteacher!!  The card itself was from a box of bits bought and not used!!  I see my lickle chook has sneeked into the picture again!!

I also want to thank Jo aka Twiglet for becoming my latest Follower.

Hugs to you and have a great week!

Hettie

xx

Pink Birthday Card for my Pink Friend!

Hello Friends

It was recently a very good Blogging Friend of mine's birthday, you know who you are, and because I didn't want her to see her card whilst she was away on holiday, I didn't post it here until now. I know she has seen it so it is okay!  

A very pink card for a very pink kinda lady!

I even stamped the reverse as I was going to tease her with it!  I used spun sugar and tattered rose DIs for the background and aged mahogany for the stamping (black for the lickle stampings on the reverse for those smarty pants who are reading this!).  The stamps on the front are Penny Black, Hero Arts and SU and the reverse is Tim Holtz. The two little stamps "handmade by" and "hand made in Wales" are what I use on all my cards and are so old I have no idea what make they are!  And of course I had to include a Snippet on the front as well as the Snippet fibres. 

Thanks for popping by and have a good week!

TTFN

Hettie

Hello - This Is Me! My Mojo Monthly Challenge

Hello Peeps

If you pop over to the lovely Sarah La De Dah's blog at the moment, you will find that this month she has interviewed herself and is talking about her background and what has inspired her.  A very interesting lady indeed with a beautiful beautiful baby girl Ruby who was born recently.

Sarah has asked us this month to make something that reflects "Your style".  Well, I had to think hard about this Challenge.  What is my style?  Regular followers to my blog will know that I am a bit like a butterfly going from project to project.  I scrapbook, I love to make mini albums, I make cards.  But when I questioned Hubby for ideas, he pointed out that I also like to take the usual and turn them into something unusual.  So he brought home a wooden artist's model and said "do your stuff to this"!!  Now! that was a challenge if ever there was one!!

I named her Catriona.  Here is Catriona with her tights, pink shoes and pants on!  I wasn't going to show her naked now was I?!!  Funny enough, I was recently at a talk by the lovely Ann Rippon, who said you should always dress your doll starting at her pants, because everyone who picks the dolls up always look up their skirts.  She wasn't wrong!

And here she is fully dressed.   She is the Me I would like to be.  Tall, perfectly proportioned, wears pink and white, does tea with her friends, sews, gardens, sings, talks to the animals, is never seen without her pearls.  Not really me at all  (unless you count me talking to my chickens!).  

Here she is from the side.  You can see spools of ribbon on her base and some of those birdies she likes to talk to.  You can also see her flower (Tim Holtz and brad) in her hair.  

And here is the right side of her with more spools of ribbon.

And the back of her, more birdies and her lovely lacey top she is wearing today.

The base from the back.

The back of her close up.

The beady eyed amongst you may have spotted that her pinnie-on is three Tim Holtz bird cages cut, joined together and inverted.  The ribbons are woven through the holes at the base of the cage. I trimmed the top piece of the bird cages and die cut (Sizzix) hearts and attached.

And here are Catriona's beads and now you can see her lacey top.  A single piece of lace which I wrapped around her torso.  I then cut two more pieces, stitched together into tubes (by hand) and then attached these to the body of the top.  The heart pearl necklace came from a charm on a Primark necklace and the chain was the safety chain section of the same chain.  I often find some of Primark's necklaces do have some lovely charms for crafting with!

And here you can see how I made her skirt and pettiecoat.  I cut a piece of Bo Bunny double sides patterned paper and punched one edge with a Martha Stewart punch.  Then using my Score-it scorer, I scored at every 1/4", folded with valleys and mountains and then punched each flap with my Crop-a-dile to thread the ribbon through.  I turned the remaining paper over and cut another piece, again scoring it at 1/4" and I then cut a lace piece from a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die, attached this to the pink pettiecoat and then attached the pettiecoat to the skirt.  That red tape has really done a great job of keeping these together.  I also inked the pleats of the skirt to add a little definition.

Here you can see the flower, which is a Tim Holtz metal one, painted with white Acrylic Dabber (Ranger) and a brad popped in to the centre and adhered to Catriona's head.  You can also see the ribbons which are holding the skirt and pettiecoat on.  

And now you can see a close up of the base with some more spools of ribbon and Prima flowers.  

I thank you for being so patient in reading all the way to this point, but I wanted you to see as much of Catriona as I could show.  She was soo much fun to dress with paper and lace and Tim Holtz products.  

As the Simon Says Stamp Challenge is "Hey Girl" and they are offering $50 of goodies to the winner, I shall be entering Catriona there too!

I will also be bringing Catriona down to the Snippets Playground today as her lace, ribbon and paper lace are all from the Snippets box.  Please do not take her to the Duck Pond as I would hate for her dress to become ruined!

I would also like to thank Eileen for becoming my newest Follower.  Thank you.  

TTFN

Hettie

P.S.  My friend Nicola of Sunshine Reflections has a Blog Hop on Wednesday in which I will be taking part.  Please pop over to Nicola's blog and see the talented peeps that are taking part.  Oh yes, and me!!