'Snowflake Fairy' in parchment

Here is another new design by Judith Maslen.  Judith has done three of these Christmas Fairy designs and I loved them as soon as I saw them.  This is my second one.  I really don't know which I like the best.

Here she is:

In her pattern Judith had drawn and embossed 3 snowflakes  (in about the same places I have placed mine).  I have never been very good at this very fine embossing and after all my hard work I couldn't bear to spoil it so I added a couple of die cut snowflakes.  I did paint them with Wink of stella first.
I spent a quiet day yesterday doing this pattern.  Am still coughing like crazy.  Have been told by friends who have been there that this can last weeks. I am coping as long as I don't stress myself - like doing housework.
Carol
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'Poinsettia Fairy' in parchment

This is a new for Christmas 2016 pattern by Judith Maslen.  Judith has designed 3 new Christmas Fairies and this is my first one.
I love the style of this especially the skirt of the dress. Beautifully designed using Poinsettia leaves.

I hope you like this as much as I liked making it.
Carol
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CD Sunday - Fab 'n' Feminine chosen by Wynn

Good morning.  This will be a short entry because the dreaded lurgy is getting worse - my typing is all over the place and it is too hot.
I am sad that we will be losing Sue from our team (read about it here) and I hope that she will come back when she has managed to sort out everything that needs sorting.
For Wynn's challenge I have made 3 ATC's (only one is shown on the challenge blog) and here they are:

I used Joanna Sheen's - Janet Kruskamp CD.  This is a new CD to me.  The blood rushed to my head one day and I purchased 3 new to me CD's from Joanna Sheen and this was one of them.  The gowns have been decoupaged and I have added some cotton lace and lots of gems.
I said it would be short.  I will probably revisit when I am feeling better.
Carol
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'Squirrel's Feast' - pattern by Judith Maslen

Here is the second project from our day at Barton-on-Sea last Saturday. Another brand new pattern.
I am afraid I tweaked this one as well as the Swallowtail.  Nothing to do with Judith's wonderful designs - more my ineptitude in the execution.
Here is my interpretation:

Judith had used an Almond Tool for the border and I didn't like my embossing inside the perforations.  I did say in my last posting that I was having trouble with embossing. There wasn't really enough room to do a new border inside the old one so I started afresh with a new piece of parchment.  I made a new border (own design), traced, embossed and coloured the cherries and embossed the sentiment.  I wasn't displeased with my squirrel so I "took him out" by pricking and snipping the oval out from the old card and attaching it to the new card as a topper by sewing with red beads.
There certainly are times when you can rescue a piece of work as I have above but parchment can be very unforgiving.   I was lucky this time. 
Sorry I tweaked so much Judith but I did save the little varmint.
Thank you for looking.
Carol
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'Fantasy Swallowtail' - pattern by Judith Maslen.

Well - we have travelled down to Barton-on-Sea for a Judith Maslen Workshop in all kinds of weather. Frosts, just plain cold, monsoons and last Saturday it was the hottest day yet.  Everyone was just plain sticky and there was no air (well of course there was but it didn't feel like it).

We had two projects as always and we had to work hard - no time off for heat exhaustion.
This posting is about the first project - the 'Fantasy Swallowtail' - No: 1 in a new folder to be called Butterflies Galore.
A beautiful pattern which I proceeded to make a pigs ear of on the day.  I put it down to the heat.
So on Sunday I started a new one and this will be a surprise to Judith as hopefully it has improved greatly  on the one she saw me making.

I have done a couple of tweaks Judith - hope you don't mind. One of the problems on Saturday was my embossing of the flowers - apart from doing them from the front instead of the back (a beyond  careless mistake) I just wasn't having a good embossing day.  So - I used a flower stencil I found on a Pergamano grid.  The flower was the right shape but just a little smaller.  I added a touch of pink to the flowers and then some Wink of Stella to the body of the butterfly.  I was more relaxed and sitting in front of a fan whilst I made this one so I am more pleased with my efforts
Now I just have a few tweaks to perform on the second project.  Just waiting for the place to cool down a bit.  Even with the fan it is too hot.

Thank you Judith for yet another fabulous workshop - my favourite days in the year.  And a big thamk you my companions - Charmaine and Jenny.  Charmaine does the driving and Jenny laughs at my jokes. (They both do really).
Hugs
Carol
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"Pipeworks"

is a new die and CD by Robert Addams and I have used the die to make a male birthday card.  Not displeased with the first effort but I think I could do better next time.
Next time it might be cooler and perhaps I could type without my glasses slipping off my nose.
On my patio - in the sun - the temp is 31.7C

Carol
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'G' is for......................

is our theme for the July swop at 'ATC Swop UK'.
I have done 5 again this month.  I think that 'Letters' and 'Colours' are amongst the most popular themes as the field is really wide open.
My good friends Debs and Mandi stayed with me last week for a couple of nights.  It was so good to catch up with news and gossip after a longish time between seeing each other and I did persuade Debs to get back into some crafting - and hopefully some ATCs is where she is going to start.  Debs had a terrible time last year with many heart attacks and a triple bypass and we are all so glad that she is still with us.
Debs has told our organiser Sue that she is going to enter some this month so I am mentioning it here just to make sure she does.  It was Debs who first got me into doing ATCs.  It was at a craft session at my house - many years ago - and my fellow CD Sunday teamie Pamela was with us as well.  I can't remember if it was Pamela's first go with ATCs then or not.  I remember I had a housefull and I believe Pamela got the short straw and was sleeping on a lilo.  It was a fun time though.
Anyway - here are the 'G' is for ........ ATCs that I sent off

I enjoyed making them.  My favourite is the second one.  I found the image on the internet and I have added lots of sparkly miniature butterflies made with my Pinflair punch. I have added sparkle to the red butterfly and a red gem to her hair.  It doesn't show very well in the photo but even though I say so myself - it does look good.
Have a good day.
Carol
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p.s. see comments below for facts about this photo.

CD Sunday - 'Summer Vacation' - chosen by Meg

Good morning everyone.  I am pleased to say that the theme for the next two weeks has been chosen by Meg.  This is her first choice as a new Design Team Member.   A great choice for this time of the year but secretly I am praying that it doesn't start raining again as soon as we hit the post button.
(My prayers weren't answered - it is raining as I type at 9.50am.  It did wait a couple of hours !!)

Here is my contribution to the inspiration by the Design Team:

I used Joanna Sheen's - Faye Whittaker CD for all of the card.   I imagine - judging by the clothes the little ones are wearing - that they are at the seaside (in Edwardian times) with their Nanny and are sending home a postcard to 'Dear Mamma'.
I decoupaged the postbox, the children and the hats. The bunting and the sentiment are both made using fairly newish dies. The bunting die is a Marianne Creatable and the Happy Birthday garland is from Memory Box.
A personal thank you to those who entered my theme choice - 'Once upon a time' - and I will be choosing my Top 3 in time for the next CD Sunday posting.
I love to know if you have visited so any comments you care to leave are greatly appreciated.
Carol
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