Happy Mothering Sunday

Hello There! 

Hasn't today been a glorious day weatherwise?  I was lucky enough to spend some time with my Girls today sitting on the bench whilst they had a roam around.  It was lovely to see them enjoying the Spring sunshine and having a rootle around looking for fresh worms.  Mr Hettie kindly cleaned the coup out and just let me enjoy my time with the Girls.  We noticed that Tracey was a little slower than normal and not her usual self, although she did come to me for a cwtch and we had a long chat.  So glad we did as when I went out a little later she had toddled off over the Rainbow Bridge.  She was the last of the first set of rescue hens that we had and we are guessing 5 or 6 years old.  We had her nearly 4 years. Bon voyage Tracey.  We will miss your wonky tail feather and I will miss our cwtches.

Right onto today's post.  I wanted to share with you the Mothering Sunday cards I made for both mine and Mr Hettie's mothers last week...

I made the card using some Bazzill cardstock and then cut the filigree piece using my Silhouette.  This was a NBUS design that I downloaded.   It took me a few attempts as the cardstock was quite thick.  However, persaver is my middle name (amongst others!) and I set the cutter to double cut and it cut it perfick.  

Then I looked to find some patterned paper to cut the butterfly with...I did not want to use the one that was cut with the filigree background.  I managed to find a Snippet of Crafty Individuals card and just about squeezed two butterflies out.  I then took my NBUS Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and punched an extra butterfly for the centre.  Once it was all assembled I took the Liquid Perfect Pearls and applied liberally. 

My Mum loved it so much she asked me if I would make something similar as invitations to their BIG Anniversary later this year.  However, she wants to embroider some butterflies to add in the centre.  I will share those with you when the time comes. 

Now the sharp eyed among you will realise that I have used the same butterfly punch before, however, the punch was totally knackered dull and not cutting properly.  So I hunted around for a while trying to get a good price.  Eventually I found a brand new one on a famous auction site at a bargain price so Paypal helped me out.  I haven't got rid of the old one yet.  Thinking it would make a good paperweight.  Incidentally I have tried every possible remedy to sharpen it.  

Right, one more think I need to do now is to welcome Twinkle Toes as my latest Follower.  Thank you so much.

Off to join in the fun and frolics at the Snippets Playground as well as Darnell's Playhouse and Mrs A's Butterfly Farm.  Cor that is going to be a busy half hour!!

Thanks for calling by.  Please leave me a message so I know you have been.

Hettie

T on Tuesday...T Stands for err...

Hello there Peeps!

I am late for the Tea on Tuesday with my friend Elizabeth and Bleubeard.  Unfortunately I only finished this project yesterday and the light was no good for taking photos so I had to take them this morning.  Being the first Tuesday back after Bank Holiday it was hard to get up early enough!

So here is my cuppa...

In case you didn't know, I am a huge fan of NCIS, or should I say Leroy Jethro Gibbs.  What I wouldn't do to be left in an interview room with him!  

Anyhoo...moving on!  The book that is next to my mug is another leaving book for one of the girls in work.  She is leaving the firm after being there since she was 16...36 years!  I was asked to make a book for her, which I said yes, then had to think of a theme.  Well, she likes my chicken cards, the last one she had was framed, so I decided it would be a chicken themed book.

So far all the girls who have signed it have told me they like it...phew!

I have used a mixture of goodies in this.  My Mind's Eye, Crafty Individuals, Stampin Up, Artemio, Penny Black, Tim Holtz, Bazzill, Memento, Papermania, Inkadinkado, WOW embossing powder and of course Snippets!  so off to the Playground I will run!  The flowers on the front were all in my Snippets tin - hurrah!

Thanks for calling by.  Don't forget to call by Elizabeth's for a cuppa.  

Hettie

Happy Birthday to my Buddy!

Hello there

Gosh this last weekend has flown by quickly!  I hope it was a good one for you all.  I went to a workshop yesterday with my Buddy.  Creative Journalling with Rebecca Loncraine.  I will tell you more about that in a later post.

Today I want to share with you the card I made for my Buddy Mandy for her 50th Birthday....

The background was a piece of Crafty Individuals paper, part of a pad I won some time ago.  The doily was made using my new Tonic die set that I fell in love with and could not resist buying when I saw it in my local craft shop.  I used my "crafty" money.  

I also used my Joanna Sheen Ivy die, Tonic petals dies manipulated into flowers, McGill tiny flowers and my Martha Stewart butterfly.  Some pearls and ribbon and a small discreet 50 cut from some silver cardstock using my Quickutz die cutter.

I am entering this into Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge as well as the Snippets Playground, plenty of Snippets used in here.    I am also entering it into the SOS Challenge.

Thanks for calling by and I hope you ahve a good week.

Hettie

T stands for ..... My Dad Scrapbook Tuesday

Hello there Peeps

OK!  Who stole the big round yellow shiny thing that was in the sky yesterday?  It IS still dry but it is a tad chillier here today.  

So today is Tuesday.  Day 4 of no-rain-since-October-phenomonon!  That means it is time for me to share a layout and a cuppa with my friend Elizabeth and Bleubeard.  

So here goes.....

This photo was taken on Christmas Eve.  Yes it is my Dad!  The cup one of my favourites which portrays a picture of a poster that was around on railways in times gone past.  Hubby bought it for me on one of our trips to York Railway Museum.  It was not the last trip so must be around 7 1/2 years old now.  And no chips!  I cannot bear chips in cups and if I find one the cup has to go!  No sentimentalities about it - out it goes.  If a handle goes I move them upstairs in my craft room for water or brushes, if it is a special one! No chips though!  Got that?  The tea is good ole' Glengettie - a Welsh brew!

This picture below is a better representation of the colours.  The background piece is a VOS sheet of Kaisercraft I bought a while ago and have not used.  Tut Tut!  I just love Nutcrackers.  I had a rummage in my Snippets box as well as the box with my Guernsey album in and found lots of long strips of plain cardstock, as well as the cream piece (second from left) which was left on my desk from the mini ATC album I shared last week.

I stamped the background sheet with two Crafty Individuals stamps and inked around the edge.  I punched the purple/red TH strip with my EK Success punch and sanded it to show the core, likewise I sanded the orange and green strips too.  

The tiny rosettes are VOS from K&Company bought many MANY moons ago and the little stars are off the same sheet too.  The wooden DAD is from a pack bought in The Works a long time ago.  There is something new on here though - the die I cut the star from.  The star paper is a Snippet though, and once attached I stickled around the star using a black stickle.

I added the string on the photo 'cos my Dad always has string in his pocket, as well as some rubber bands.  A star, well, that is my Dad! and a tag with the date on.  The "Full of Joy" is from Cosmo Cricket.

Dobby insisted on standing still (for once) and having his photo taken so he could say "Hi" to my friends and especially Bleubeard!

Thank you for popping in.  I hope you like my layout.  I shall find out if Dad does on the weekend!  Off to join my friends over at Elizabeth's with my cuppa.  I am also taking the layout over to the Snippets Playground as there was a plethora of Snippets used on this layout, including the string which came from a the tag on my new shopping bag!

Hugs

Hettie

Recycle, Reduce and Reuse...Old Tag New Card

Hello Peeps

Sorry I haven't been around recently, but I have been a little under the weather this week with a nasty chest infection.  However, a few antibiotics and lots of forced rest and I shall be bouncing along to the Playground very soon. 

I thought I would share a card that I made for a friend recently.  I am trying to create more shelf space in my room to try and reduce the amount of schtuff on my floor in my Crafting Room, so I decided it was high time I used the tags that I made for various challenges in the past.  So here is Emma's card, which she liked...phew!

The background to the card was made using a piece of cardstock from my spray box.  I added more colour by smooshing distress inks on my worktop, spritzed with water and sprinkled some perfect pearls in there and swooshed the card through, drying with a heat gun.  I then stamped and stencilled the background until I was happy with it.  

I used some Washi tape, die cut some more Snippets, added some schparkly spots and hey presto Emma's card was created.

Here I am trying to show you the stencilling and perfect pearls (but they don't seem to show very well!).

Thanks for popping by and I shall be along to your blog very shortly.

Hugs

Hettie

xx

Scrapbook Tuesday.......And it is finished!

Hello Friends

Welcome to this week's edition of Scrapbook Tuesday.  I hope you are well and have a cuppa as this post is a little photo heavy (but not as photo heavy as it could be!).  I thought that as it is now heading towards the middle of the year it was high time I shared my Christmas Album with you.  It has been finished a while but I just have not got round to photographing or sharing it with you.  So sit back and take a peek at the finished album and I will try not to butt in too often while you browse..

The album was taken from a pattern which I bought and downloaded from Laura Denison of Following the Paper Trail. I covered the outside covers with hessian and then adhered Papermania papers, which I have used throughout, and decorated with embellishments including the Poinsettia die cuts which my friend Helen let me cut at The Crop I.  Thanks Helen.  (In fact I am not sure she had even used it when she let me borrow it!)

Inside cover with a piccie of Mr Hettie putting our second tree up in the Dining Room for me.  He actually ended up decorating it too!!  

Inside pages showing all the pockets, journal cards on which I stamped, buttoned, ribboned, punched, strung, die cut and doodled on.  

Stamps used included Darkroom Door, Crafty Individuals, Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi, Penny Black and Craft Stamper freebies to name a few.  

Papers used were from Papermania and cardstock was Bazzill.  

Buttons from Hobbycraft and Brads from MME.  The domed stickers were from err!  Forgotten.  I will try and remember.

Punches used were Stampin Up, EK Success and Martha Stewart.  Dies used from Tim Holtz.

The small pockets were cut using the Silhouette.

Ribbons came from a number of sources including Snippets.  In fact there are lots of Snippets in this project!

Inside back cover.  One of our latest decorations bought in our trip to Bath for the Christmas Market.

The decoration on the spine was made using alcohol inks resist technique and a Memory Frame from Ranger.  Stamps were Tim Holtz.

And here you see a taster of what the pockets contain.  Three photographs which were dated and which signified aspects of a particular day.  They were not in strict order, it sort of depended on the photograph.  The tags were photographs of tags that I made for the Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of 2012 which I shall definitely be joining in on this year.at the start as opposed to Tag 9!!

The end cards contain journalling as do the insides of the flaps to comment on the photographs.  I bought the white Sharpie pen from HERE and it is the best pen I have ever used for writing in white!  

As the Papermania paper pack I used for this was 6x6 I can enter this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge this week - yippee!    Serendipity strikes again!

Crazy Hazelnut is looking for stars this week.  I know there are plenty hidden in this album so I am going to pop this project into that challenge too.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed making this album.  The paper engineering was alot of fun, even if it did create alot of mess and "Punch Poo" at the Crop.  Incidentally, if any of you who are going to The Crop II on 1 June would like to see this at close quarters, I am willing to bring it.  Just leave me a comment to that effect.  

Right.  Off to beddie byes now as I am feeling very tired and very sniffley and this Rum Toddy is starting to take effect on me!  

Hugs and TTFN

Hettie

Same stamp - different colours

Hello Friends

Brrrrr!!

Do you remember the lovely Paperartsy stamp I was lucky enough to win recently?  You will remember that I made some cards in muted colours for some peeps HERE.

Well, just to prove that the stamp works with brighter colours.....

It was a Special Couple's Anniversary recently and Mandy does like her bright colours.  I will never forget the kitchen in their previous home being Bright orange, Sunshine Yellow and Lime green!!

They loved this card!  As it is made using a plethora of Snippets I shall take it along to the Playground!  The blue piece is another from the bottom of my spray box and it has a lovely shimmer on it.  Hope they have the fire on in the Treehouse!

Hugs

Hettie

Just a card...

Hello Friends

Oops!  I was going through my posts and realised I had not shown you this card which I made to send to a very good friend of mine at the beginning of this year.  (I am still wondering what happened to January - it went so quick.) All made from Snippets so I shall be popping it in to the Playground.  

Over at the Playground Miss has issued a new challenge which involves a bale of straw and some clippers!  Fancy giving it a go?  Why not just use your Snippets, make something and join in for some fun and frolics in the virtual Playground.  You can even feed the chickens in the chicken run or the ducks on the pond!!  And of course you get a chance to play in the lovely virtual Treehouse!

TTFN

Hettie

Nature is Unique..

Hello Friends

For those of you who visited my desk this week you will know that I had a layout on there that I was working on so without further ado here it is.....

The photo is of one of Hubby's Bees who was out for a beautiful early February day two years ago enjoying the sweet nectar of Snowdrops.

I started this layout with a sheet of plain creamy yellow cardstock which I sprayed with Ranger Colourwash in Lettuce, Terracotta and Pesto whilst using Heidi Swap, Tim Holtz and Crafters Workshop masks.  I sprayed the colourwash in sections and then unscrewed the spray part, removed the tube and then flicked the ink to get some small splodges.  Well, gotta get inkey haven't we?  The flourish stamp here is from Crafty Individuals and most papers used are 6x6" My Mind's Eye - Tangerine. 

I stamped up a new stamp which I bought from Ebay and unfortunately there is no makers name on it.  I inked it with Archival, embossed with embossing powder and coloured it in with Copics.  The bakers twine is Stampin Up and finished with a little button from my jar. 

I cut the "Nature" letters using my Cricut and Quickutz self adhesive paper (cuts like a dream, glad I rediscovered it).  I went around the edge of the letters with Forest Moss Distress Marker to make them pop as well as stamping them with Stayzon Forest using a Hero Arts flourish stamp.  The word "Is" was made using Grungeboard letters adhered onto a grungeboard block which I adhered then painted with Paperartsy Fresco in Snowdrop,  with colourwash and flicked again then a little Adirondak Lettuce.

The Unique was stamped with A Lettuce again and embossed with embossing powder and trimmed then flicked with Colourwash and edged with A L.    The Stampotique Bees were stamped with Archival ink and embossed with embossing powder.  They were coloured with Wild Honey Distress Marker and an embossing pen was applied to the wings along with some Pearl Perfect Pearls.

I used the lace mask from TH which has given the effect of a crown at the bottom of the page. I will have to remember that for future projects!  I added some lace and Stamping Up bunting below the photo too. On the pink strip of paper you can see a little of a Pink Paislee stamp and the shimmer of the bee's wings.

The layout came a sketch from Liz Chidester of thescrappiest blogspot - so thanks Liz.  I really liked this one and hope you do too. I am linking this up with Simon Says Stamp - Lace, Facebook CC101 - spray ink, as well as the Snippets Playground.  Here is the Sketch....

Thanks for reading all the way to the end and hope you like.  I look forward to receiving your comments.

Have a great snowy weekend and please be careful.  Do heed the advice of the Police and other bodies of only going out if necessary.  

Hugs

Hettie

Tag 4 - A little bit of Country

Hello Friends

Brrrrrrr!  My phone this morning says -3 feels like -6!  Yep!  It certainly feels like jumping back into bed cold this morning.  I just wonder how my girls are in their coup!  

Over at The Funkie Junkie Linda's Tag 4 has a little Country feel to it.  So as usual I will show you Linda's tag first.....

Isn't it just divine?  I love how Linda displays her tags and I am trying to find a new way of displaying mine for photographs too, but I have to take the photos in my bay window in the lounge as that is the best place for light.  Let's see ey.

So here is my tag....

I changed the background colour as I wanted to try my new Festive Berries DI out that was screaming to be let out of the cellophane and so I stamped the background with my Wendy Vecchi stamp.  Love it.  So then I had to think which embossing folder I wanted to use and the Christmas Tree kept coming to the forefront as I was going through my embossing folder drawer, so out it came.  I used Cordinations cardstock and then sanded the edges a little and inked a little Vintage Photo for the trunks. I stamped the Crafty Individuals Believe stamp and tore the individual word out, inked the torn edges with Vintage Photo DI, added some Stickles on the dot of the i, and adhered it onto a rosette that happened to be in my Snippets box.

Whilst I was rummaging in my Snippets box I came across the mini reindeer which I had cut when my friend was up some time ago (note to self, get this mini die).  I stamped it with my TH flourish stamp and Festive Berries again and then swooshed some gold perfect pearls on there. I then had an idea to get the Rock Candy Distress Stickles on top, which I did and also the trees.  Unfortunately I am not sure the photo picks this up very well.  A little Snippet of lace at the bottom and a piece of holly cut with my TH Lamp post die and the tiniest Snippet of red SU pleated ribbon on the left.  Instead of using the berries from the die I wanted to add glass beads to give a little more dimension to counterbalance the rosette.

I stamped my TH Post Card stamp with Archival ink then quickly decided to add clear embossing powder to make it stand out a little more.  I distressed the edges using the TH distressing tool, and inked with Vintage Photo DI,  added some Snippets of ribbon and hey presto Tag 4 was complete!

So that is now 5 tags done, just 7 to go.  As I have some play time tomorrow I shall try and maybe do another one or two tags.  I will be very happy once I am over the half way mark!

Don't forget there is still time for you to join in this Challenge.  The Funkie Junkie Boutique are sponsoring this Challenge and if you win I know you are just going to love going shopping there!  Lovely goodies there!

Thanks for calling by and hope you like this tag.  Please let me know you have bee by leaving me a comment.

Hugs and wrap up warm.

Hettie