V IS FOR.....

V is for Victoriana over at inchy challenge blog - we're nearly at the end of the alphabet and a big thank you to all my ladies who have stayed with me from A-Z! A mean feat.

I've been toying with the idea of finishing the blog after the alphabet challenge but then.....what else would I do on a Monday morning and I've been inspired by what the ladies have come up with for the alphabet challenge and its given me an idea for a new challenge - slightly different to what else is out there in blog land. If you nip over to inchy challenge blog - you will see I'm running a little competition - why not join in?

On a different note - I've had another dose of Jane Austen this week - whilst wandering around my local Oxfam shop getting some holiday reading books - I came across a hard back book of Sense and Sensibility, the Film for which Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and starred in. The book had all the screenplay in it - it still had some still photographs of all the main characters and it also had Emma's diaries of the weeks shooting the film. A fascinating insight to what it takes to make a film.

I've joined in with a couple of challenges today and hopefully one piece will do all.

Mixed Media Monday wanted us to use something "Borrowed" on our piece - I have borrowed the inchy of Mona which I received in an inchy swap.

Theme Thursday want us to use "Torn paper" on our piece - I have even laid the torn paper on mulberry paper which is the paper I usually tear but for this piece I've left it whole.

Think Monday Think ATC have the theme of Mona Lisa and here we have two for the price of one.

Finallly......

... I have my main computer up and running again - although it is a little slower than the laptop its easier to use so no excuses for not posting more.

On Friday I spent a lovely couple of hours with Karen MissyK who I met through my inchy challenge blog - we discovered we live not far from each other and have met up in Winchester for coffee on a few occasions- but on Friday we decided to go a bit further and visit Jane Austen's House and Museum in Chawton. The weather was glorious and it was so nice wandering around the house and the gardens - afterwards we popped over the road for a lovely lunch in a little tea shop which had gorgeous china tea cups hanging from the ceiling. Hmm - where shall we go next?

On to the Inchy challenge blog and we're up to the letter U - mine is a Unicorn - someone asked if he is a goat with a horn - but the stamp comes from a collection of Magical Signs and Symbols which I bought when I lived in Texas. The boxed set also has a book with information on all the signs and for the Unicorn it tells us that, although now dismissed as a fairy tale, in medieval Europe it was widely accepted. Some think it was a misunderstood rhino or narwhal - some think it was hunted into extinction. The unicorn was said to be faster and fiercer than a horse but of a trusting nature. His noble nature and strength caused the unicorn to be adopted as the emblem of British royalty in the 15th Century.

INCHY CHALLENGE - T

We're up to T on the inchy alphabet challenge - my T is for Tower - the Eiffel Tower - I was last in paris 24 years ago when hubby took me for a suprise weekend for our 1st Wedding Anniversary - I can't believe its 25 years this year - where does the time go?

I'm having strange phenomena at home at the moment with all things electrical going bang - my computer went last week - my mobile phone went yesterday- the DAB radio wouldn't tune this morning - makes me wonder just who is coming to visit me.......

INCHY BY INCH - S / MONDAYS ATC

We're up to letter S on inchy challenge blog already - don't the weeks fly by and this was my inspiration for my letter S for Soar. I used Tim Holtz's stamps for the birds.

We're nearly at the end of our A-Z challenge and I'm wondering whether its worth carrying on. We have 138 followers but only a handful of regular loyal players who join in. Maybe its time to call it a day.

The challenge over at TMTA this week is groups - what a fun challenge - I can't remember doing anything like this one before. I ummed and aahhd (?) over what to do as I do have a Tim Holtz stamp with a great group on it but thought everyone may use it so I found something slightly different in my stash. Maybe they are discussing crafting over their coffee! What do you think?

WEDNESDAY STAMPER - HIP TO BE SQUARE

the challenge over at Wednesday Stamper has been running for two weeks and a new one starts tomorrow - so I just managed to scrape in here. How could I not join in when it was asking for squares - and doing inchy challenge blog means I'm surrounded by squares - here I've put some together and made a tag.

If you enjoyed doing squares you might like to join in with inchy challenge blog's summer swap - details on the blog here

INCHY CHALLENGE BLOG - R PLUS SWAP

Up to R on the inchy challenge blog and my R is for Romance.

I'm also running an inchy swap titled ON THE BEACH if you'd like to join in - pop along to the inchy challenge blog here

TMTA and other stuff

We're on Q on inchy challenge blog this week - but I can't show you mine as my computer has died on me. I'm having to use a spare laptop which doesn't have the picture on it. But as I had a few minutes to spare and I've actually tidied my craft desk and thrown a lot of rubbish away - I thought I'd have a play. You know what its like when your desk is all tidy and you can actually see some space??????

So I joined in with TMTA this week which is asking for fairies or princesses - mine are done with all Cherry Pie Art Stamps.

Oops - it might have needed cropping!

I'M BACK WITH A 'P'

Thank you for your kind messages of support during this difficult time - I still find it hard to believe that my mum isn't with me - so many times I've gone to pick up the phone and there are still messages she has left me on my phone which I can't bear to delete yet.

Anyway - I'm back up and running with the inchy challenge blog and this week we're on the letter P - I used an old Stampin Up stamp of a penguin as I'm not thinking very creatively at the moment and, as the weather has been so hot, he helped cool me down!

my mum

I lost my darling mum Dorothy on Friday 7th May after a short illness - she was 86 - she died two days after my birthday. I want to be able to ring her up and speak to her but I can't - how awful it was for me on Saturday to find a message she had left for me on the phone when she was still fine only a month ago.

I've also had to bury my old cat today - we had to take him to the vet as he looked poorly and there was nothing more we could do so we had to have him put to sleep - he was 17 and the best cat I have ever had but did he have to choose this weekend? Maybe mum wanted a companion!

INCHY CHALLENGE BLOG/TMTA

I'm a day late with our challenge this week - but things are still not well with my mum - she's now on morphine to keep her comfortable and that's not good.

On to our inchy challenge - I found O another difficult letter - I was nearly having to resert to French and do Oiseau (bird) but right at the last minute I thought of Opera - doh and me an opera singer!

The challenge over at TMTA this week is to use the colour green - one of my favourite colours so I jumped at the chance to join in with this one. The song Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones was the first thing that came to mind so I had to do a Welsh ATC cause that's home to me.

WS - Tim Holtz

Wednesday Stamper this week is honouring Tim Holtz - the great idea of Jaine and you can see her wonderful canvas on her blog here. I'm obviously not alone in loving Tim and his ideas and I was surprised at how many of Tim's products I have. One thing I noticed though is that my inks are getting dry - I need some re-inkers or maybe some new inks........now there's a thought. Considering I bought them in the States over 3 years ago they've lasted me a long time.

Just in case you haven't come across Tim before - here's a link to his website.

I used a selection of Tim's stamps and one of his Idealogy Masks called Timeworks. The inks are all Tim's distress inks:

Aged Mahogany

Weathered Wood

Worn Lipstick

Milled Lavender

Antique Linen

INCHY CHALLENGE BLOG - 'N'

I found N a difficult letter to come up with something for the inchy alphabet challenge this week - nut or nature were the only things I could think of but then found a Stampin Up stamp with November on it and some Chrysanthemums - I must admit they are not my favourite flowers - I always think of them as funeral flowers.

Speaking of Nuts - here's a recent picture of our pup Tegan - growing up fast - she's now 6 months. This ball was proving a bit too big for her! Look at that sunshine - looks like summer doesn't it - although the sun has deserted us here today in Hampshire and its back to damp and dull! Nice while it lasted - hope it comes back soon.

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

The challenge over at Something Completely Different this week is to use the Letter H. A slight cheat here as I'm going to include one of my alphabet inchies - as its one of my favourites its nice to give it another airing!

MORE CREATING!

Do you know its nearly 24 years since I was last in Paris. My hubby took me there for our 1st wedding anniversary as a surprise trip and it was so gorgeous - we often say we'd like to go again and, really, as we live in Hampshire - its not that far away to just jump on the train. I can remember walking and walking and walking - so much that I broke my shoes! The best meal we had was overlooking Notre Dame sitting by the Seine drinking a bottle of red wine and eating some baguette and cheese. Over at Sunday Postcard Art their challenge is Paris - hence my memories. Here's my postcard - the Eiffel Tower stamp is from Tim Holtz.

From Paris to Egypt - somewhere I'd love to go but have never been.....yet. My map is for the Three Muses challenge

Ready Steady Stamp!

The challenge over at Ready Steady Stamp is to use three or all of the following ingredients:

I decided to try and use all of them in my layout of a wonderful holiday we spent in Mexico in 2004.

LOTS TO DO CHALLENGE

The challenge at Lots to Do this week is to use embossing - I've used a variety of stamps here - the embossed image of the girl is Cherry Pie - the others are Stampin Up.

Hello Dolly/Three Muses/Theme Thursday

Another piece from me today - my mum is seriously ill in hospital although last night I found out they may be sending her home today where she lives practically on her own which has me incensed. I live about 5 hours away from her and can't believe the hospital would even consider sending home a woman of 86 who isn't eating or drinking. So before I do battle with the hospital again - a bit of "time out" for me


This piece is for the Mixed Media Monday challenge whose theme is Hello Dolly. It also fits in with the Theme Thursday challenge which is to include hats or crowns!





And yet another piece from me - i must be on a roll! lol! This one is for Inkurable Stampers who wanted us to show an example of the spotlight technique - i've used a Cherry Pie stamp here for my Three Muses and made a 4x4:

CHECK OUT THIS BLOG....

I've finally persuaded my very talented daughter Emma to start her own blog for her digital art - its early days yet but you can find her here - she also does commissions and not only of horses but most animals.

Some art!!!!

I surprised myself today by actually sitting down and doing something creative. After the difficulties of the past two weeks I was inspired by Wednesday Stamper to join in with their theme of trees. I have this wonderful tree stamp by Cherry Pie that I often use and just played around with it a little. Perhaps this is the start of me getting back into my stamping - doing the Stampin Up thing spoiled my enjoyment of crafting. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction....

The piece sounds melancholy - must be my mood - the words say "on my own" - not quite as clear in the picture.

I also came across a tag challenge Kard Krazy who asked us to find inspiration in a quote. I found this quote about Love which struck a chord with me at the moment and the stamp of the family image is by Tim Holtz.

INCHY CHALLENGE BLOG AND BLOG CANDY

The week before Easter we suffered a sad loss in the family when my sister in law died suddenly. Inchy challenge blog had to go on hold for a few weeks as real life definitely got in the way.

I'm back now, but not sure for how long as my mum is now seriously ill in hospital - everything comes together right?

Anyway our challenge at inchy challenge blog is up to the letter L which I chose to represent Love.

As a thank you for being patient I'm also offering some blog candy - so pop along if you fancy a chance - in case you don't know you'll find inchy challenge blog here

INCHY CHALLENGE BLOG / OSTARA BLESSINGS

We're up to K on inchy challenge blog this week and my K is for key, through the keyhole to be exact. I think this is a Cherry Pie stamp.

I'm sharing some Ostara Blessings I received yesterday from Wendy from Painting Dreams - if you are not familiar with her work check out her website - she does gorgeous paintings and she also has a book out about a Lunar Hare, as well as calendars and cards.

I finally have some daffodils in flower in the garden - only the small narcissus but very welcome - normally I have loads dotted about the garden by this time of year - let's hope they show their cheery faces in time for Easter.