Just when you think you are finished......

Well, I did think I had finished my orders but you know there is always one which cannot be refused, isn't there...and this is one of them....I've spent so long on this card - all afternoon and still not finished...still to write the sentiment on the front and write the inside too.
A local Choral Society is giving this to it's after dinner speaker in the next few days...it had to be these colours...black and royal blue and this blue was the only thing I had near good enough....rather shimmery it is and looks good cuttlebugged. Was really pleased that I had recently taken delivery of the Waltzing Mouse (www.waltzingmousehouse.com) stamp set of musical backgrounds....although I've just used four of the stamps on this project I was so grateful to have a long music stamps - stamped the music notes and the piano keys on two separate strips and stuck them together to make the curved piece on the front of the card...liked this as it gave the impression of movement etc....added a treble cleft (can't remember what company it is) which I clear embossed on silver card and then cut out laborously with a scalpel....hate cutting out with it as I'm not too good at it but thought the left hand edge needed it. I stamped the edges of the box as well to take the plain look off of it (using American grammar here!). The lining paper in the box is also stamped with the treble cleft and the single note also in the set but sorry, the sun went and I didn't get it snapped in time.
Now, off to finish the writing!

Chocoholics look the other way.....

Well, I didn't think I'd be back today but there you are. Our first born has a birthday tomorrow and the family are coming here for a birthday meal. This is dessert/birthday cake....he's not 5 though....add 4 decades unto it and you'd be right! This is a basic sponge cake with rather scrumptious filling inside including 4 Ferero Roche chocolates crumbled in the middle. Then I poured ganache (a mixture of chocolate and cream over it...great shine with all the cream...hmmm....think of the fat! Then piped some fresh cream around and on top. But you know...cooking with chocolate is a messy business! Wish I could give you all a little piece of cake...wouldn't that be a great gathering!! We'll just have to imagine the chat (or the craic as they call it hereabouts) we'd have if we all could get together.

Magazine Inspiration....

Hello everyone, sorry I've been lax in my posting - it's holiday time for me and I've been enjoying a somewhat relaxing time and it has been great to have time to rest and think straight for a change. Card making for others has been completed and have been card making for myself for birthdays and occasions which are later in the year.
Over here we have a plethora of stamping magazines and over the years I've become disenchanted with them. They are not cheap and for my style I usually find very little to inspire and my standard phrase after flicking through one is 'why did I spend the money on that - I'm not buying any more' but months down the line I buy one again....well, as I was away this month I bought yet another one to flick through while travelling...and there was only one item that inspired me. Joanne Wardle in The Craft Stamper has written and illustrated an article on Silhouette Stamping and I decided to have a go.
Basically you mask off an area in the middle of the card with post it notes. Well I did the first one like this but I then cut an aperture out of old commercial cards with a glossy surface on them (ink rubs off easily) with Spellbinders dies...you may not get such a crisp edge to the image but it's not so important anyhow. Then you colour this space with Distress Inks...she advises to use a sponge but I use Dreamweaver brushes which I love. The first card used Dried Marigod, Wild Honey and Fired Brick....then I used PTI's Turn of the Leaf to decorate...the second card has more yellow in it.....then I began to think in another direction....could I not make a little 'landscape coloured' space and add scene stamps? So tried green for the grass, yellow (Actually wasn't Distress Ink just a yellow inkpad)for a sunshiney bit in between it and the Broken China 'Sky'
Then I had bought a little Winter Scene stamp set at the November Exhibition in Belfast last year and it was perfect for completing the little landscape. Think it's either Papermania or Inkadinkadoo, not sure. There were just a few stamps which were the right proportions for this small scene but that's ok, I like how they worked. I really enjoyed my playing around with this technique...think I'll have to invest in a few more inkpads to compliment what I already have.
Please bear with me for a couple more weeks....we are off to Tuscany, Rome and Sorrento for our real holiday...and I trust I am going to see beautiful paper aplenty...I'm even taking two large sheets of mattboard/mountboard to safely store it in my suitcase for travelling. Until my return, all of you take care.

Please excuse my absence....

I'm pleased to say I am off for a long weekend in St Andrew's.......yes, the home of golf but I don't play...I'll just listen out for the American accents which you cannot fail to hear on the streets there.

Whilst we have had days away we haven't had a complete break from home so now is our opportunity to have some time out.

Back next week! Take care everyone!

Cup Cakes a la Spellbinders & WMS Victorian Font

Tomorrow we have the wedding of our nephew Ryan and his bride Diane in a Church in Fivemiletown and then our Reception is in Corrick House - a beautiful old house adapted as a hotel and venue for weddings.
Some hotels around here still permit the hosts to provide their own home made goodies for the evening refreshments....I got to know that this was the case and made these cup cakes to add to the spread. They are simple 'butter sandwich' mixture made in muffin cases and then iced and decorated.....but being for a wedding I covered card with this wrapping paper and cut out the hearts and added half a cocktail stick to the back - the mechanics are covered with yet another tiny heart just to keep them neat and tidy. Then I made two larger hearts and stamped their intials in this great font on plain card and pop dotted these to the large hearts and attached them to the box. Fun things. Normally I would put these all in a treasured basket with a handle which makes for easier handling but not wanting to lose sight of this basket I decided to cover a box with the same wrapping paper and then I don't have to worry about losing my basket which I use so much for taking goodies to church.

Flutterby Butterfly.......

When hanging out the washing (yes folks in the U.S. we hang out our washing year round) I spied this beauty looking for sustenance from the flowers on my blouse. Wish I could have lifted it and placed it on some blossom. Ran for the camera, turned it on to find I needed to change the batteries....what a time to run out of energy...doesn't that always happen when time is limited! Anyhow after an hour the rain came - took the washing in - then the sun came out and fooled me into thinking it was going to be good for the rest of the day...no....on came the rain and so the washing had to come in again...so it is in permanently now....one of those changeable days hereabouts.

Yet another day out....

Our weather has been glorious for the past two days and we've taken advantage of it today and packed a picnic and headed off. We drove through the Glenelly Valley and it was looking great today..the photo of the little tumbledown cottage was on the roadside.....into Strabane and over to Stranolar and Ballybofey (I digress here to say that I did visit McElhinney's - this is a high fashion shop where I just looked and didn't buy) and then on to Donegal Town. There I visited Magee's shop - it is a long established business and they have been involved in manufacturing Irish woollen tweed for a long number of years. They also sell garments made from this exclusive fabric.....they are high class and beautifully constructed. It is such a popular place for visitors from abroad. On the picture of the town you will see this shop on the right hand side. I did buy two items here....in their outlet department - a pair of woollen charcoal grey trousers. Also a cotton blouse in a similar fabric to Liberty. Both items were greatly reduced. I'm also showing you a photo of Donegal Bay and you can take a pleasant boat trip around the bay (sorry the photo is a bit dark). Then we went to Rossnowlagh which has a very long beach...cars are allowed to park on parts of it and families were enjoying the great weather. This is somewhere we used to take our children years ago and families are still swimming, surfing and making sandcastles....it's great to see so many children having fun in the fresh air.