Wish You Were Here

Hi

These lovely sunny summer days just seem to go on and on, and, as you know, over at Crafty Boots Challenges we are celebrating Summer Holidays.  Some time ago I made some postcards for a project, this was one of them.  The Summer Holidays Challenge made me think of this postcard and I decided to up-cycle it into a little card.

This sweet image is from Mo's Digital Pencil, it is called Pineapple Girl.

I coloured the image with Promakers., then I mounted it on some silver mirri card and made the 'Wish you Were Here' sentiment on the computer. I cut it to the standard postcard size of 4 ¼” x 6”.  The backing papers are from Dove Craft and the sentiment from Craftwork Cards.

What do summer holidays mean to you?

Dionne

Not Exactly the Tour de France

Hi

Another lovely day here.  We are so lucky to have missed all of the dreadful hailstorms and flooding of yesterday, we just had a couple of quick showers.

Over at Crafty Boots Challenges we are celebrating the summer holidays.  When I was a child I loved to go out on my bike during the summer holidays, racing my friends around the village and probably driving all of our neighbours mad.

My bicycle was second hand and actually looked a lot like this vintage bicycle from McMahon Five.  The backing paper is from Kanban Crafts and the card from Stampin' Up.

I hope you are having a great day.

Dionne

Another Letter S

Hi

Where is this year going?  It seems like it was only a few days ago that we were celebrating the new year but it will not be long before I need to start think of Christmas.

These pretty decorated letters make good birthday or Christmas presents.

I purchased an 8 inch MDF letter from Barry on ebay.  I gave it a coat of Gesso and, once that was dry, I painted it pink using acrylic paint.

I also purchased a bag of mixed pink buttons from ebay and used these to cover the painted letter.  You have no idea what you will get in the button bag until you open it, this one had some amazing shapes and textures.  

Finally, once everything was dry, I cleaned the excess glue from the surface.  

Dionne

A Day at the Beach

The storm clouds of the weekend have gone and the intense heat is back.  High temperatures in Mediterranean countries and, no doubt, certain areas of countries like the United States and Australia are fine, the air feels good and everyone one is equipped for living at those temperatures,  But in the UK high temperatures tend to mean high humidity, on average it only happens for a few weeks each year and therefore we are ill equipped.  This makes life difficult and everyone complains that they find it impossible to sleep at night!  I believe this is partly why us Brits have a reputation for being obsessed with the weather.

On days like today, the best thing to do is to pack your picnic hamper and a towel and head for the coast.

I think that is exactly what this couple have done.  This happy pair are from Bugaboo Stamps, the image is called 'Peaches Car'.  I coloured them with Promarkers and added Flower Soft for the sand and the little puffs of smoke from the exhaust.  I also added some tiny shells from my stash.

Here is a quick reminder that the current challenge at Crafty Boots Challenges is Summer Holidays, don't forget to enter your projects.

Dionne

I am entering this card in the following Challenges.

Catch the Bug Challenge - BINGO (Using Circles, Stripes and Red, White or Blue)

What I did on my Holiday

Hi

In England and Wales the school summer break is just starting.  Traditionally six weeks long and, when I was a child, those six weeks seemed to last forever.  A new challenge starts at Crafty Boots Challenges today and the theme, which was chosen by Sandra, is 'Summer Holidays'.

During those six weeks holiday my father would take two weeks off from work for our family holiday.  Throughout my childhood these holidays would alternate between two weeks at the beach and staying at home, but going out somewhere different each day, to the zoo, a stately home, a trip to London to see the sights like the Tower of London, Madame Tussauds, Buckingham Palace etc. but my favourite days where the ones to the beach.  Those were idyllic days and the sun always seemed to shine.

In all of those trips to the beach my parents never rented a beach hut, I would watch other children, and their families, going in an out their beach huts all day long, returning with cups of tea, sandwiches, deck chairs, bats and balls and, of course, changing their cloths.  It seemed to me that Beach Huts were related to the Tardis and they were a source of endless fascination to me.

Imagine my envy when, many years later, I discovered that my husband's family always rented a beach hut for their beach holidays.

My DT project harks back to those long summer days and the mystery of the beach hut.

I started by painting my miniature beach hut with a coat of Gesso, then I painted it in blue and white stripes - it is what I think of when I think of beach huts but if you actually take a walk along the front at Crommer or Felixstowe or West Mersea or indeed any of those other British seaside towns, you will see that most people paint their beach huts one colour.

I used Toffee coloured Flower Soft for my sand, it has the perfect texture.

A long time ago I bought a small bag of very expensive tiny sea shells but I had never knewn how to use them.  They were perfect for this project.  I put one at the apex to the hut and a small pile by the door - as if a small child had just left them there.

I dressed my scene with some dolls house furniture, the sorts of things those children from those distant holidays would pop into their beach huts and return with.

Please take a look at the fabulous inspirational projects made by the rest of the Crafty Boots Challenges design team.

Good luck with your entry.

Dionne

Christmas Fairy Bea

Good morning

There are only a couple of days left to enter the current Crafty Boots Challenge - Christmas in July.  These two weeks seem to have flown by and, whilst I never managed to make a Christmas card a day, I did my best.

Today's card features another image from Teddy Bo & Co, this one is called 'Your Wish Will Come True'.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and added a touch of glitter to the wings and wand.  Then I mounted it on some purple glitter card.  The backing paper is by Kanban Crafts as are the snowflakes, the sentiment is from Little Clair and the Christmas Tree die is Memory Box.

Don't forget to enter your Christmas projects into the Craft Boots Challenge, you still have time.


Dionne

Poinsettia Basket

Second visit of the day, a very rare thing.

The thunderstorms of last night have done nothing to reduce the heat, this afternoon has been as hot and uncomfortable as yesterday.  However, this has not stopped me from crafting (although it has certainly slowed me down).

Slightly later than intended I should like to share with you another Christmas card in respect of the current Crafty Boots Challenge - Christmas in July.

This is one of my vintage rubber stamps which I coloured with Promarkers and sprinkled with glitter.  The designer papers are from Kanban Crafts and Dove Crafts.  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

I am not sure how many Christmas cards I have made over the past few days but it is nice to think that I shall have a few less to make later in the year.


Dionne

Winter Fairy Talva

Good morning fellow bloggers

Well, the intense heat of yesterday climaxed last night in either one massive thunder storm or a series of smaller ones - depending on how you count these things.  The biggest storm rattled around the house for about 30 minutes and smaller storms were still about 3 hours later.  Now the sky is bright blue and the sun is shining again.

I am still working on my Christmas cards, I would like to make a few more this week whilst the Crafty Boots Challenge, Christmas in July, is still running.

Winter Fairy Talva is from Mo's Digital Pencil.  I coloured the image with Promarkers and I used Polar White Flower Soft to create the snowball.  I mounted the image in purple glitter card, the designer papers and snowflakes are from Kanban Crafts and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

If everything goes to plan I shall return later today with another Christmas Card.

Dionne

Snow Time

How is your week going?

As you know over at Crafty Boots Challenges our current theme is Christmas in July but I am finding it so hard to concentrate on making Christmas cards in the current weather.  Here in the UK we are enjoying some very high temperatures and it is hard to imagine weather less like Christmas.

I have a Teddy Bo & Co card to share with you today, this image is called 'Eski Bo and Bea'.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and glittered all the 'fur' areas.  I mounted the image on silver mirri card and the backing paper is by Kanban Crafts.  The snowflakes were made with a Martha Stuart punch and I added a flat backed gem to the centre of each.  The sentiment is by Craftwork Cards.

I hope you are keeping cool.

Dionne

Jungle Bells

I have another early Christmas card to share with you today.

This one could not have been simpler to make - well actually it could have been, I could have saved myself the trouble I went to in colouring the bells before I decided to glitter them instead - I do love a bit of glitter!

This is another image from A Day for Dairies called Christmas Bells.  I mounted the image on some gold glitter card and some red Centura Pearl card.  The backing paper is from Kanban Crafts.

Thank you for dropping by today.

Dionne

Monarch of the Glen

Another of my early Christmas cards to share with you today.

Regular visitors to my blog will know that the current challenge at Crafty Boots Challenges is 'Christmas in July'.  So this week I have been busy making cards.

This is another of the stamps have been in my stash for 20, or maybe even 25 years, and I doubt very much that it is available now.  However, it was always a firm favourite if mine and so therapeutic to colour.

I mounted the image on silver mirri and purple Centura Pearl card.  The backing paper is from Kanban Crafts and the ribbon form the Really Reasonable Ribbon people.  The sentiment and snowflake charms are from my stash.


Dionne

Red Snowflake Candles

Good morning and thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today.  Over at Crafty Boots Challenges, the theme of the current Challenge is Christmas in July.  Last Christmas I made some candles for family and friends, they were a big hit, so the other day I got out my stamps and ribbon again and made some more.  I am not sure what the collective noun for a gathering of candles is, any ideas?

The stamp set I used is from a Stampin' Up set called Festive Flurry.  As you can see, I added snowflakes all the way round the candle.

As regular visitors to this place know, adding stamped images to candles is so easy, simply stamp your image onto tissue paper, then, after roughly cutting out the image, place it onto your candle.

Cut a strip of baking parchment to wrap around the candle to hold the tissue in place and to give you something to hold on to.  Use your heat gun to gently melt the skin of the candle and watch the tissue disappear into the molten wax.  Take care not to over heat the wax, you do not want it to run.  The wax will quickly set again once you remove the heat.

I finished these candle by adding some festive red ribbon to the top and bottom and holding it in place with small silver pins.

Dionne

With All Our Love

The weekend is almost upon us and I am looking forward to making a few more Christmas cards for the current Crafty Boots Challenge - Christmas in July.  However, today I have a wedding anniversary card to share with you.

I coloured this TeddyBo image with Promarkers and mounted it on blue glitter card.  The backing papers are by Dovecraft and the flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts.

The heart, organza ribbon and flat backed gems are from my stash.

Have a great weekend.

Dionne

Christmas Express

Welcome to my blog, I confess that there is little point in writing this if no one reads it, so I do this in the hope that you will drop by.

The theme of the current Crafty Boots Challenge is 'Christmas in July'.  To get me in the mood when I was making my Design Team pieces I popped Polar Express on the DVD player ... I think that must have been where I got the inspiration for this card.

The image is from A Day for Daisies and is called Choo Choo Train.  I used my Promarkers to colour it and I picked out the flags with some green Martha Stuart glitter.  I mounted it on some green Centura Pearl card and gold glitter card.  The backing paper is from Kanban Crafts.

A few weeks ago I bought a bag of resin 'sweet things' from ebay, this lolly pop and bag of sweets were in the bag.  Aren't they cute?  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

Thank you for dropping by today, please come again.

Dionne

Ho Ho Ho, it's Christmas in July

I can hardly believe that we are already half way through the year, the longest day has already come and gone and, in the UK, the days are already getting shorter and we are heading for Christmas.

A new Challenge starts at Crafty Boots Challenges today, the theme for the next two weeks is 'Christmas in July'.  I do not know about you but, every year I promise myself that I shall be better organised this year and I shall get my cards made earlier so that this year I have time to make all of those special gifts I have been promising myself I am going to make!

Well, this year I have made a start by making this set of three cards.

These three stamps have been in my stash for 20, maybe even 25, years.  Back then I could tell you the manufacturer of a stamp just by looking at the wooden block and the way the rubber was cut but I am afraid all of that has gone now and I cannot tell you who made these stamps.

I coloured this image with Promarkers and mounted it on silver mirri and some red glitter card.   I added some white Martha Stuart glitter to the fur trim on his cap and the pom pom. The backing paper is by Kanban Craft, as are the flat backed pearls.  The sentiment is Craftwork Cards and the sleigh charm is from my stash.

I also coloured this image with Promarkers and added some red Martha Stuart glitter to the lettering.  This time I mounted it on red Centura Pearl card and some gold glitter card.  The backing paper is again from Kanban Craft, the net is from Stampin' Up and the silver tree charm is out of my stash.

Finally, once again, it was Promarkers to colour this image, which I then mounted on silver mirri card.  The backing papers and snowflakes are all from Kanban Crafts and the stocking charm was also out of my stash.  I added some Martha Stuart gold glitter to the bell on his cap.

Please take a look at the fabulous inspirational projects made by the rest of the Crafty Boots Challenges Design Team.

Good luck with your entry.

Dionne