Merry Christmas

This is our tree, I made the christmas roses from wired ribbon, they don't look too bad from a distance.  I love fairies and have a small collection of them, I am sure that they fly around during the night!

The colours did not come out very well in this photo, they look a bit washy washy.  I had made more of a purply edged sky and a brighter looking deer. The deer is a very very cute stamp,isn't it!

I am entering again into the monthly Clarity Stamp Challenge - this month it is trees

Wishing you all the happiest Christmas it is possible for you to have.

Lavinia Stamps Challenge #12 add a flower

As this year is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One, I wanted to include the poignant World War One Christmas Story in my December journal.

 On Christmas Eve both sides lay down their arms, and came together in Peace. 

If only it could have lasted forever.

I have used Lavinia stamps for this, and I am entering it into the Lavinia Stamp Challenge

I made the top 5 in the Clarity Stamp Challenge

I have entered the majority  of the challenges since the Clarity Stamp Challenges began, and today my book sculpture was selected as one of the top 5. Thank you so much, it means such a lot to me. Congratulations to the winner and all of the others in the top 5, and to  all of the other entries, I know how hard we all try.

Now if only one day I could actually win the coveted top prize..........  I hope we all do eventually

 

Clarity Stamp Challenge 21

I am entering my " Bringing Home the Magic" book sculpture into this months Clarity Stamp Challenge. I used the lovely new old fashioned car and tree stamp from this months Clarity Design Club. I also used the magical Flying Reindeer, and other cute deers , squirrels, and birds, they are all having fun in the forest! Of course I used my favourite hare stamp too.

A birds eye view 

Those trees were tricky, I just hope they look more like trees now they certainly didn't at the start.

A little log cabin, I hope the fire isn't alight inside, or the poor bird will get a hot bot.

Thank you for looking.



Lest We Forget

I have commemorated my Great Grandfather and three Great Uncles at Every Man Remembered and also many many others. There are so very many, it is beyond heartbreaking to see all of their  names, and so many of them were so very young.

My own Grandfather fibbed about his age to get into the army and fight for his country when he was only 14 years old.

My Grandfather with the Belgium family who looked after him

We Will Remember Them

ooooh John Lewis Christmas Advert 2014

This is just wonderful, as always. John Lewis always make such heartfelt adverts. I look forward to their adverts each year, and I was certainly not disappointed this year.

Joss Stone Feat. Jeff Beck – No Man’s Land (Poppy Appeal Single 2014)

Thats Crafty Hot and Spicy Challenge

I love the "Guess How Much I Love You"  Story, so I was thrilled when I saw the " I Love you to the Moon and Back" stamp, and  of course I couldn't resist it. I am entering this card into That's Craftys Hot and Spicy Challenge, it's  my first entry into their challenge. I think the orange sky looks hot, but I am not sure if it's spicy, so I have decided to name the hare Spicy so it will fit, is that allowed? : )

Classic Pooh Book Sculpture

in February this year I attempted to create my very first book sculpture.  Of course it did not,come out as good as I had hoped but nothing usually does!

I can't hold things for very long, and trying to wield a a craft knife is well a bit hit and miss. 

I have to do all of my crafting on a lap tray. Which  can be challenging, trying to cut, Brayer  etc on a little tray balanced on my knee.

If you would like to see some proper and amazingly wonderful book sculpture visit Si Blackwelll

How long will I love you

For this months challenge "seasons" I decided to do a little scene for each season using a different technique which I have picked up from watching Barbara Gray. 

I had finished creating Spring and Summer, when  I heard the devastating news that my best and dearest long time friend had died.

 

I still cannot believe it. 

I will remember, love and miss Marty everyday  for the rest of my life. 

This week I rediscovered  those two little pictures which I had made, and  decided to make the remaining two. I have always busied myself with crafts, to stop me thinking so much.

I made the scenes for Autumn and Winter. I have been listening a lot to Ellie Gouldings "How Long Will I Love You" and there are these lines in it 

How long will I love you?

As long as stars are above you

And longer, if I can.

How long will I need you?

As long as the seasons need to

Follow their plan.

Mike Scott

I just had to use these words with my seasons pictures. It  is going to be a page in a scrapbook I am planning to make in memory of Marty. 

Clarity Stamp Challenge 20 "Seasons"



 

There are tiny glitter dots on the background sky to represent stars, but they do not show up very well in the photo.

 

Marty, Thank you for being my friend I will love you forever.

I am so glad that we always told each other how much we loved each other and how much our friendship meant.
You are free now.

Lovely large pink case, and how do you store your clear stamps?

I found this gorgeous large pencil case, and my stencils fit in it perfectly. I especially love the deer on it and of course it's pink, my favourite colour!

Now if only storing all my clear stamps was as easy. I have the made for purpose stamp holders, you know the TIm Holtz one and also a papermania one. But they don't seem to be working out for me. You have to reach into the plastic pockets and pull out the acetate which the stamps are stored on and then many of them slip off, or get caught. I always seem to be losing a stamp, and of course this induces great panic when I lose one of my Clarity stamps!

How do you store your clear stamps? I would love to know...

Some crafty things I've made

I love fairys 

In memory of Tammy

The first soft toys I have made.

My first Clarity club stencil

It was found hurray !

My card was found by these two nice ladies. The freeartfriday is such a nice idea. It would be nice to do one at Christmas time too.

Free art Friday

Today I took part in free art Friday #freeartfridaypp run by paper panda http://www.paperpanda.bigcartel.com

Artists and crafty people are leaving their art to be found and taken home for free. It's a lovely idea. I left my card with this beautiful large wooden deer. I wonder who will find it and if they will get in touch......

Clarity Stamp Challenge 19 'Nature'

My entry into this months Clarity Stamp Blog Challenge, I made several cards for this challenge, and I couldn't decide which one I should enter. So I asked my family to vote, and this is the one they selected. Fingers crossed.

Clarity Stamp Challenge 18 "Feminine"

Clarity Stamp Challenge 17 "Anything Goes"

I stamped the Clarity images onto card, and then cut around them. It was very, very fiddly!

Clarity Challenge 16 "masculine"

Lavinia Stamps Challenge # 6 ‘ Add Some Beads or Gems ’