Escape it!

 Morning all.  We have a lovely new challenge for you over at Make My Monday today.  Caz has chosen the theme of 'Escape It'.  Think country retreat, seascapes etc.  Somewhere you can get away from it all.  It might even be a cityscape if that's where you chose to go for a break.  I'm a countryside girl myself.  I do love the see but we are about as far away from any coastline as you are likely to get in Derbyshire.  The Peak District is right on my doorstep so I consider myself to be a very lucky girl.

I embossed this lovely scenic stamp (a magazine freebie) on some pretty water coloured backing paper and just popped it onto some co-ordinating paper panels.  That's just about it.  I did brush over my mountains with a little distress ink that I had left on my brush.  I didn't want to colour the image but I did want a little definition.

Where do you like to escape to.  Please join in and show us your inspiration.

Thanks for reading.  Love Dawn x

The great outdoors (is ok if it's not raining)

 Morning all.  We have a new letter for you at The Alphabet Challenge this morning.  We have reached 'O for Outdoors'.  Now the outdoors is ok for me, as long as the weather is ok.  I'm not a great fan of wet weather.  Yes, I know I won't rust but why take the chance.

I'm also a fan of my garden, as long as I don't have to do any gardening.  Every now and again I will pop out and try and tidy it up but what's the point.  The weeds just wait a week and pop back up.  I like to sit by the pond with a book and a glass of something.  I have used the garden as inspiration for my card as I had this lovely topper in my stash.

In my dreams my garden looks like that. My reality is quite different.

 Anyway, that's my version of outdoors.  I'm sure you have your own ideas so let's see them.

Thanks for reading.  

Love Dawn x

Pretty as a Princess

 Morning all.  We have a very girly challenge for you over at Cardz4galz this morning.  We also have a DT call for new designers guys.  If you've ever considered having a go at a DT position I can recommend this one.  Cazro's blog challenges are a lovely friendly place to join.  The regular members are a very friendly and helpful lot and can offer help and advice to guide you in gently.  

Anyway, did I mention a new girly challenge?  We would love to see a 'Princess', or several if you feel like it, on your projects this time. Told you it was girly!

I bought this cute set of digital stamps from Drawn by Krista on Etsy. It's got a princess, obviously, and the most adorable frog.  Anyway, this is what I did with it.  I had the added bonus of being able to use some scraps of paper I had in my leftovers pile so I'm really chuffed with this one.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Driving me batty

 Morning all.  I hope you are all ready for a new challenge over at Cardz4guyz.  We are looking for an 'Animal' on your projects please. I have to admit to cheating for this one a little bit.  I've had to use a card I'd got in my stock.  My appointment for a steroid injection into my wrist was a 'good news, bad news' situation.  The good news is he decided to do both wrists at the same time.  The bad news is that I was unable to use both hands for a few days whilst the steroid worked it's way into the effected area.  I am, however, getting through quite a bit of reading and a tonne of You Tube videos.  I'm having to prop up my phone and use my Kindle App but I'm on my third book since Friday. 

I am slowly getting around to doing some commenting on the computer and I have managed to put some papers together to create finished cards when I'm up to speed.  My hands feel fabulous in the morning but I am still getting numbness and pain when I attempt too much.  Anyway, I'd better post this card.

I probably wouldn't have chosen a bat as an animal normally but, as my frustrated hubby pointed out, 'it counts'.  He was helping me go through my cards.  Bless him.  The digi image comes from a cute set on Etsy by Mya Detalles Que Enamoran.  I have found several new to me digi stamp companies recently whilst browsing Etsy - as you do.  Not sure my OH blesses me when I've been 'browsing' (shopping).

OK, over to you before I over do it.

Thanks for reading - and for all your good wishes regarding my wrists.

Love Dawn x

Shaking all over

 Just a quick post from me as my wrists are bad at the moment. I will have had my first injection by the time this goes live. Wish me luck. Over at Sparkles monthly challenge we are  looking for shaker cards this time.

I love this die set but never used it for a shaker before, What do you think?  I like how it turned out.

Please join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Outdoor Sports! But it's Cold Outside

 Morning all.  We have a new challenge for you today over at Make My Monday.  'Outdoor Sports' is the theme.  If you've read my blog before you will know that the Outdoor Sport I indulge in is Cricket.  However, as it's autumn and not cricket season in this hemisphere, I have gone for a Rugby theme. 

My son did toy with Rugby for a while as a child.  I well remember why I'm a summer sport girl.  Standing on a windy moor with the sleet coming sideways at you and no shelter anywhere.  The rugby mum with a flask full of 'laced' coffee was very popular that morning if I remember rightly.  No, summer sports are definitely my thing - although I've frozen at a few early spring cricket matches in my time too.  I've had the download of sporting chaps for ages.  It came from Crafts-u-print.  The artist is Gordon Fraser.  He has some really fun sporting designs. It's about time I dusted off some of these old bits and got them used up.

Please pop over and join in the sporting fun.  No freezing needed but you can lace your coffee if you like.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

 

N O spells No (layers)

 Morning all.  We have reached the letter N over at The Alphabet Challenge and we have the dreaded - by me - 'No Layers' card.  I find these so difficult to do.  My single layer cards look so flat - until now!  Yes it's a single layer but look at all that embossing.

I love that the embossing folder gives it so much dimension without adding layers.  I just inked the card before I started and stamped a sentiment in the middle panel.  I think the folder came in a goody bag I'd had and I can't remember ever using it before as it's so large.  I'm so pleased with the result.

Please nip over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Oriental Express

 Over at Cardz4galz this week it's my choice of theme.  I had chosen a different subject originally but it wasn't popular with the DT and I like to give them something they can enjoy so I had to come up with something else pretty quick.  In the end I chose 'Oriental' for my theme.  Firstly, because I love the oriental style and, secondly, my Mother-in-law's birthday was coming up and, as she used to live in Japan, it's a go to theme for me.

I'd recently bought a deep blue and gold coloured oriental paper pad from The Works and, at the same time, I'd seen a pretty girly set too.  I lasted two whole days before I went back for it.  I have absolutely no will power.  I teamed up my cherry blossom paper with some teal card and used a very only digistamp from The Digistamp Boutique (now closed and much missed by me).  I absolutely love it.  In fact I made a spare.  Sometimes I have to make a spare if I really love a card, just so I can still see it once I've used one.  It's a bit like keeping the pretty papers so you can just look at them.

Please join in my challenge - or I won't have anything to comment on.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Autumnal Happy Birthday

 Morning all.  Are you ready for a new Cardz4guyz Challenge.  This time we are looking for 'Birthday Cards in an Autumnal Colour Palette' please.  Well it looks like getting the same autumn paper pad out again.  But wait, hang on, I've found an old Men's paper collection with some green and brown tones in.  Yipee!

I used gold card for matting and for my sentiment and some wooden embellishments I'd got hanging around.  I'm quite pleased with it and I got to use some old stash so it's a win, win card.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Flora and Fauna for Christmas

 Well September just flew by in a hurry and I only just realised that today was 1st October and I needed to write my post. For today's Sparkles Christmas Challenge we would like to see 'flora and/or fauna' on your project.  I chose to throw in a bit of both. 

I'd fallen for this pretty set of papers when I saw them in The Works.  They'd only just gone on display and they didn't have many left so I think they are going to be popular.  I teamed the papers with a magazine freebie stamp set from last year.  I love how it turned out.

Now I'd better get off to work.  Please pop over to the blog for inspiration and join in the fun as we love to see your cards.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x