Pure Vintage.

This is the tag I have entered into the Tag Tuesday #4 challenge 'Vintage'.

I had originally planned on using this free digital download here from Valerie Brincheck on the tagbook in a previous post but when I reread the instructions for the swap realised tag was too big and though vintage was not shabby cottage garden chic.

It now fits the bill perfectly for this weeks theme. The big silver looking brooch is actually an old clip earing but the photo dosn't do it justice by showing up how much it sparkles from the glass setting. I tried using green leaves but think the clear crystal fit in better with the burgundy colour.

The beads and the corner beading came from my favourite bracelet which broke a few months back so kept to use for crafting. I used my Martha Stewart edge punch to create the lace border and satin ribbon on the side edges of the tag finishes it off. Can you see/find the heart button?

Still 100% squeaky clean on my UIU pledge.

Entering into the following challenges.

All Sorts: One or more hearts.

Crafty Creations: Anything but a card.

Do You Stack Up: Ribbons.

Paper Play challenges: Lovely Lace. (I used Martha Stewart lace edge punch.)

Come and Get It challenges : Anything but a card.

No tunelling under the Fence!

More snippets from my stash.


The lolly pop sticks came from the odds and ends tub in the potting shed, a bit of shrink plastic for you know what and papers from kirsty Wiseman "Window Box" , Funky Hand "Paper Blossom Green" Correen Silke "SI - orange".

This is what they became. I used Bockingford Water paper for the 6"x 6" card base. Sky was made using pastel chalks and masked cloud shapes. The rabbits are a stamp from Prima Marketing #545086 which I stamped onto the Correen Silke paper and then cut out. One rabbit had his face and paws masked so that he would appear to be facing backwards! The fence was painted using acrylic paints and then covered with crackle paint and distressed ink. (I had seen this done in a magazine by Jo Nevill on how to recycle lolly sticks so thought I would have a go too.) Now what did I use the shrink plastic for? Can you spot it?

I'm still 100% squeaky clean.

Entering this into Di's Crafty Snippets challenge No4.

also the following:

Joan's Garden: Create an outdoor scene.

Creative Inspirations: Anything goes.

Digi Doodle Shop: Anything goes.

Tag book and Box Swap.

I recently entered the Shabby Vintage Cottage Chic Tag book and Box Swap hosted by Jean at

Lilac Lane Livery. My partner Michele has received her tag book so I can now show what I made for her.

We had to make a 3 page tag book in a shabby vintage cottage chic style and embellish with buttons. Also to be included was a container to hold the book. Having found out that Michele loved pink with green I was happty to pull out my pink stash and go to town. I made paper roses and various shaped buttons from shrink plastic to compliment the design papers and free rose picture downloads from Heart & Home.

Finished front of tag book.

Back pages of tag book.

Michele also loves anything to do with teacups and tea pots. I had this tea pot stamp which I stamped onto cream satin and embroidered onto the top of the box lid. The box was made from

cardboard cut to size and covered with some pink/green cotton fabric from my stash. Finished off with more buttons to match and a green/pink cord around the edge and corded ties.

Close up of the box lid and still sticking to my pledge.

Entering into the following challenges:

Crafty Catz: Buttons & Bows.

Pile It On: Add lace.

The Cuttlebug Spot: Box it and something to go inside. (added texture by embroidered stamp)

My Mums Craft Shop: Flowers.

Here is the tag book that Michele of Michele's Treasure's Teacups & Tumbling Rose Cottage

made for me. All in pinks!!!!

And the lovely decorated box that it came in. Thankyou so much Michele, I love it and have it on

my desk beside me. Hope we can do a swap together again one day.

Oh yes nearly forgot can you spot the wally heart shrink plastic button? I've been a bit devious this time. Have fun looking and don't forget to let me know if you find it. hugs Mrs A.

It will be all white!!!!!

Here is the tag that I have entered into the Tag Tuesday #3 challenge ' White'.

I decided to do a tag on a tag. The base tag is #8 size and I used the size 3 oval from my Xcut nesties for the middle (cut from cardboard). Both were covered with white linen fabric which was then blanket stitched around the edge with an embroidery anglaise frill added. The central flower is crochet (from my friend Ann) and beads/buttons used for the embellishments. A white satin ribbon finishes it off.

3 people commented on where they found the Where's Wally shrink plastic Heart button' on my Wednesday post. I need a few more of you looking for it (before names go into a hat) so I have made todays one (or could it be more) really easy peasee. Also my pledge remains unbroken!!!

Entering into the following challenges:

Alphabet challenge: Y= You can choose.

Southern Girls: White on White.

Creative Belli: Frames. make it fancy.

Papertake Weekly: Buttons, bows, bling & blooms. (I used buttons and blooms.)

Cracked it and 240volts!

Went for the results of my MRI scan yesterday to find out the state of play with my right wrist.

The scan confirmed that I have a hairline fracture across the middle bones in my wrist. Too small a crack to be put in plaster so to keep the splint on for another 3 weeks. Meanwhile I need to have

physiotherapy sessions arranged in order to get my wrist moving again.

After the hospital trip we decided to go on into town and have a little retail therapy (no not stash I promise, just needed a new dressing gown). Went round several shops and saw a couple I liked (sale prices even better) and 'The Doc' suggested going to one last shop before buying. They had several different ones but not hanging on rails to make it easy to choose oh no they were alll folded up in assorted piles. Having found one in the right size the doc helped me on with it only to find himslef getting electric static sparks from the fabric so making him step back. His next suggestion (do not try this one at home) was for me to let the dressing gown drop to the floor (its okay I was fully clothed) so that he didn't have to help me out of it. So far so good but don't be wearing a Steel Splint on your right wrist and try grabbing a metal edged table for support with your good left hand as you do it!!!!!!! To add insult to injury the doc told me I would have to pay good money to get elctric shock treatment like that done privately!!!! I do also have naturally wavy hair just not normally this curly.

Needless to say I did not buy from that shop and went back and bought the nice pale blue one I had wanted all along.

Post Script.

Feeling has now returned to right arm and hair is nice and straight again after a visit to the hairdressers.

The Doc has snaffled his discarded bottle back!! Sergent Jones is now on guard duty in the Lounge!!!

WOYWW 137

Remember the bottle that 'The Doc' asked if I wanted for anything ? Well SharonK suggested back on WOYWW 133 that if I turned it upside down with the cork attached it would make a Christmas Tree in a pot.I must admit that when I did that it did indeed look like a tree but that was not what I had in mind.

Ta Da!!! I finally finished him at 3am this morning. Here he is ready for the parade ground.

Lets see how many of you have been paying attention and who will be first past the post.

Not much else on my desk as this is just a snap shot. You can just see Wimpy's vaccination reminder card though. It's up here so he dosen't see it and do a runner!!

For more moments in time on other crafty desks pop along to Julia's blog. I should take a flask of coffee with you as you may well be a long time.

News of a shocking nature comming right up after the break.

Playing in the Snow.

I made this tag for the challenge over at Tag Tuesday which was 'Snow Sports & Games. I have had this retro stamp in my stash for ages and never found a use for it until now. The tag is from the second largest die shape in the Xcut Nesties 'Square Parenthesis' and die cut using 300gsm watercolour paper. I am finding these sets of nesties (bought with Christmas money ) are turning out to be really useful and quite versatile.

I used 2 shades of pastel chalks to create the sky and distress ink for the trees. The girl was stamped using Stazon ink and coloured in with watercolour pencils. The look of snow was achieved by covering the white areas with glossy accents and then sprinkling over with matt white glitter.

I realised when I had finished making the tag that I had inadvertantly made a mini scenescape so I am posting this onto the Craft a Scene #1: Anything goes. 2nd posting.

Everything to make this tag came from my stash so I'm keeping to my pledge.

In case any of you are frantically parting the branches on the fir trees searching for the themed heart button, there isn't one so stop looking!! (The buttons will only be put on craft items going out as gifts.

Also entering the following challenges:

Use it Tuesdays: All about winter. Hoarded supplies of several yrs, retro stamp & white glitter).

One stitch at a time: Anything goes.

Well and truly Framed.

Why am I showing you rubbish you Ask? Well these are not rubbish these are Sipppets!!!!
Bits of left overs too small to go back into stash but too large to throw out. What to do? You start a snippets tin. of course. Only in my case they never made it to the tin as I thought there's no time like the present. Strike while the iron is hot. Following on from the previous post I was going to throw those pieces of paper away where I had cut out the small squares needed to make the card. Picking them up they struck me as being little picture frames and an idea was formed. The small white triangle is actually shrink plastic and the thread left over from doing the edging.


The white card is Bockingford Watercolor paper trimmed to 6" x 12" and folded in half. (From Fluffs stash). Flowers made from odds of white paper coloured with watercolour pencils, layered up with a brad. You can't see very clearly but I pricked a design out using the largest nestie size in my stash as a template and also used part of the frames to mark out the corners. The" Wheres Wally" heart button (see previous post) was made using the shrink plastic and water colour pencil in pale green. No prizes for spotting where this one is I won't be making them all this obvious, in fact some will be right down devious so keep your eyes peeled!!


Nothing bought in, so again I'm 100% squeaky clean.

Going to enter this into Di's Crafty Snippets challenge No 3.

Also the following:

Make It Monday Party .

Crafting when we can: New Years Resolutions. (Mine is to only use up stash and not buy new.)

Truly Scrumptious: Shabby Pastels and paint.

Anything Goes: Anything goes.

Birthday Wish.

A friend rang me at 8.30pm on Tuesday evening and said that she had just seen on face book that it was a mutual friends Birthday (whom we were both seeing for a coffee the following day) so could I do a card to give to her then? Nothing for it but to bite the bullet get over the 'C' word and make a card.

It needed to be quick, simple and from my stash. I had these coordinating Nit Wit papers left over from making a tag book for a swap (which is still in transit to USA so can't show yet) and by turning the double sided paper over I had enough patterns to cut out twelve 1" shapes using my Xcut nesties in the 'Ornate Frame' die. My alphabet stamps came into play to spell out the sentiment "Birthday Wish" The card blank was then very roughly stitched into squares using green thread and pink embroidery thread woven through the outside edge and tied at the top in a bow. Paper shapes were then glued in place.

Fluff had asked me what my new theme was going to be for this year( last yr was a butterfly) that I would attach to every craft item I made to give away. Well I can now reveal that it will be a handmade shrink plastic heart button. You can see a pink/green candy stripe one on the front of this card. Some will not be as obvious as this so it will be up to you to spot them ( a bit like Where's Wally!!!). You never know I might even offer a little candy for the eagle eyed amongst you.

A simple verse added inside and bobs your uncle all done and as all the shops were shut I can safely say

So without further ado I am entering into the following challenges:

Dream Valley: Anything Goes.

Gingerloft: Anything Goes.

Aud Sentiments: Any sentiment but use scraps.

Paper Play challenges: In stitches.

The Poodle Parlour: Button up. ( As long as your creation has a button on it somehwere.)

WOYWW 136

Ive been busy having a massive tidy up so wasn't going to participate this week but then some goodies turned turned up in the post this morning.

You can see my January page of the calendar challenge I did last year in the background. On my laptop are some wooden fairy doors from Jan at Picto. Ordered for onward delivery to the Yorkshire division (of the family) so I havn't breached my pledge of only using stash up in 2012! Two sets of bag handles that I won from Annie The Felt lady so I will be sorting some material out to make a bag up later when I have my two hands back. A stamp I have rooted out (I keep all mine in a large plastic see through box too Julia, don't even seperate them from clear/rubber.) to use on the next tag challenge and lastly a packet of stash goodies from my blogging buddie Sherry. We are doing another swap together and this time I have set the challenge of each sending the other 4 items from our stash for the other to add to and then make an item to be sent back again. (See I'm so sticking to my pleadge UIU). This way we will be making something totally differentg for one another. Should be fun. Sherry has sent me design paper, lace, pearls and a green voile rose trim. Need to get my thinking cap on now. I have sent my 4 items off and Sherry is probably going to have a fit when she sees my choice.!!!! Well I never said i'd make it easy Sherry. Tee Hee!

So back to the sorting now. My desk might look tidy but the floor sure dosen't.

Pop on over to Julia's blog if you have a chance today, grbp a coffee and have a rummage/good old snoop around a few other desks . You never know what you might find.

There up to no good again (WOYWW 136).

Before I show what is on the boys desk this week we need to back track to last week, to Thursday to be precise. I thought they were being very quiet.!

I knew we would crack that code in the end that Mrs A put on. I say this looks an interesting site.

You didn't just press the buy button did you Norm? Have we just bought a Monkey then?

Fast track to today.

Meet' Bert' who turned up on our doorstep on Saturday! Norm took him down the charity shop and he is all togged up ready to go onward to the Derby Division to live with Fluff in the 'Bat Cave' where he has been promised loads of crafty stash to play with.

Just to prove there are indeed two of them.

Tag your it.

This is a tag I have made for the new challenge blog Tag Tuesday. The theme for the 1st challenge was Snow. (Snowflakes/wintery weather/icicles).

I really had fun making the icicles for the christmas card last year so decided to use them again for this Tag. I used the largest die from the 'Bloom' nestie by Xcut as my tag shape. Added a lace trim around the edge and navy rhine stones. Tag is coloured in with chalk pastels, daubed with glue and sprinkled with silver glitter. The icicles behaved themselves this time and were attached with sticky pads to give a dimensional effect. Cord was made from white and turquiose embroidery threads plaited together with a tassel each end. Very pleased with the result as I have only used stuff from my stash so can safely say I am following the pledge I made on Fran's blog

Ladyoflosttimescrafts to use it up 2012.

First Scenescape.

Well the stamps arrived yesterday and I have been having some fun creating scenescapes.
This picture was inspired by a National trust property not far from us that has a nature walk attached to the grounds. The Doc & I love to go there as they have a water meadow with a hide and if you go down about 3pm you will often see their prize herd of Aberdeen Angus cows having a drink along with the Herons and other assorted birds.

Whilst I did splash out on the stamps (Christmas Money) I did use everything else from my stash.
Here is a little thrift idea for you. Whilst taking down the Christmas cards received (I normally keep the handcrafted ones and give the rest to charity but this time I suddenly realised that the front of the shop bought cards were generally blank inside so making excellent white card stock so I now have an assortment of different sizes to use.
So my scenescape below is actually the back of a Christmas card! I used chalks to colour the sky, grass and pond using Ice Blue, French Blue, Olive Pastel and Dark Moss.
Trees were inked with distressed ink in Forest Moss, cows in Walnut Stain and for the fence I used StazOn Jet Black.
Stamps used were 'Stampscapes' old fence 293c, cows 157a & 172a, tree cluster 266d,( trees over the hill were the top half of ) lakeside cove 048e and sedge filler 251 for the grass texture.




Going to enter this into the new challenge blog over at
Craft a Scene#1: Anything Goes.

Also the following:

Papertake Weekly: Anything Goes (new stamps).

Simon Says Stamp: Something old (stash), Something New (Stamps & Technique).

Pile it On: Anything Goes.

Fasionable Stamping: Anything Goes using your New Stash. (new stamps).

Wet off the Press.

1st craft of the new year. 'Toucan' do it.
Finally finnished this morning so the paint is still wet as we speak.



Decided to set myself some crafting goals for 2012 so here we go.
Learn how to:
Do Quilling
Work with Parchment
Use a Melt Pot
Brayering
Teabag Folding
Make Scenescapes
Paperpiecing
Easel Cards
Laminating

I have started the ball rolling with Scenscapes and with christmas money, have ordererd the stamps needed to begin. There is a new challenge blog dedicated to this art. You can check it out here. Busy reading up on the techniques so as the saying goes 'Watch this Space'.