CD Sunday Plus - Challenge #22 - ATG but a little twist this time.

Our little twist for this challenge comes with the generosity of Debbi Moore.   Fellow teamie Margaret met Debbi at the Shepton Mallet Show back in April and they got chatting.  Margaret told Debbi all about CD Sunday Plus and as a result, Debbi sent us a selection of her CDs for us to use. A very generous gesture.
So the team have all made something using the CD of their choice from the gifts and I chose 'Vintage Botanical'.

Lots of lovely images to choose from so I decided to use several - six in fact - for my project.
I made notelets - 4 x Thank You and 2 x Best Wishes.  I always like to have a few in the drawer as it is so much nicer to send one of these out rather than an email or a Facebook message.
I printed them out onto linen card which gives even more of a vintage feel.

Here are the ones I made:

I have a programme on my computer called ACDSee. It is designed to play around with photos and images so I use it all the time. It came with a camera I bought at least 10 years ago.  This programme allows me to import any image and add a border of almost any design and width and match the colour to any part of the image. It also is a great programme for adding text.  I really couldn't manage without it.  The programme is CD-based so it is a win-win.  And as you can see I used it for my notelets.
I enjoyed using Debbi's  CD and I thank her for her gift.

Please join in with us, and if you can use a Debbi Moore product -  then even much more betterer.
Hugs
Carol
xx

Forever blowing bubbles.......

It will be obvious to regular readers of my blog that apart from my love of all things parchment I also love card stitching. You will see that in my sidebar under 'Some Great Sites' you will find some stitching sites and one of them is Cardmaking Online (Australia).  For a card stitcher, this site is a gold mine and there are so many wonderful patterns to choose from.
One of my favourite designers down under is Laura and this pattern that I have used can be found on page 14 of her designs.  Wonderful service from the site as they come so quickly digitally - even from Australia!!

I fell in love with this design immediately but it has taken a while to finish because after I had started it - the first time,  I had an accident.  I had the 'girls' round for our monthly craft day and I was stitching the card.  We all do different things.  One of my guests wanted something and I jumped up to get it for them in my best hostess manner and knocked over my coffee and you can guess where it went.  I put on a brave face but I was very upset after all the work.
But because I loved the pattern I started again and I finished it yesterday.  Here it is:

 The frog and the bubble blower are coloured with chalks and the fairies are die cut from a Marianne Craftable set.
As the scene of a frog blowing bubbles can only be in the imagination - I imagined some fairies.
I hope you like him as much as I do.
Hugs
Carol

Surprise in the post

I had a wonderful surprise in the post this morning. A beautiful, stunning 'Just For You' card from Jo (Seafield  Jo ).  Jo is one of our (CD Sunday Plus) faithful challenge  followers and has been a contributor for many a year.
It was to wish me well after my 'eye' ops and I must admit my new 'eyes' filled up a bit when I saw what Jo had made for me.

Here it is:

Thank you so much Jo for your thoughfulness.

Hugs
Carol
xx

CD Sunday Plus - Challenge # 21 - Anything Goes

I have already shown some of the cards I have made with my new CDs from 'The Card Hut' and here is another that  I have made for this challenge.

I love how the scene can tell a little story - if you want it to of course.

My two scouts are having a practice camp in a back garden. They are toasting marshmallows.  The fire looks a bit fierce and as you can see one of the boys has set fire to his marshmallow.  The birds and the rabbit are looking horrified and even the hedgehog is looking very wary and making his escape. 
Like all good scouts with an eye to Health and Safety, they have a First Aid Book to hand.

Believe it or not, I was a Brownie.  I can't say that I really enjoyed it but I do have one strong memory and that was of a trip to see Windsor Castle.  I think that was my first coach trip.  All very exciting,  a packed lunch -  and no parents.  I was living in Thame in Oxfordshire at the time so it was quite a full day out.

I do love using these new to me CDs and wish I had discovered them earlier as sadly some are no longer available.  Watch this space as I have already another lined up for a future challenge.

Please don't forget that we now accept USB and Digital images as source material as well as CDs.

We look forward to visiting your Blogs and hope that you will visit ours, and leave some 'love' on your way past.
Hugs
Carol
xx

Another parchment Christmas card

I have made this one before ( here ) but I have made it again with some differences.

 This time I did portrait instead of landscape and used a different central image (but still from La Pashe).  Last time the border was done around the image but this time the image has been done separately and glued to the aperture and the whole has been stitched to the green backing card.

I found some old peel-off sheets of gems and borders and decided to do a little titivating.  All to celebrate my new 'eyes' - which reminds me that I must go and do my third lot of drops for the day.

Carol
xx

The border pattern was by Gwen Paxton and was in the Parchment Magazine in Dec 2009

Not only crafting......

......but cooking as well.

Just to show that it isn't ALL about parchment.  I have just finished a mammoth session of chutney making.

 Sadly I cannot tolerate anything from the onion family which makes eating manufactured chutneys and sauces etc impossible so I have to make my own.  It just so happens that this particular one is also a  favourite with friends and relations so I have to make a biggish batch - 21 jars this time.
The recipe is very simple and the main ingredients are eating apples, dates and sultanas.
If anyone wants the recipe just leave a message.

xx

Celebration

The cataract operation on Monday was a success and I have celebrated by making a parchment card.  I couldn't wait and started it yesterday. I was so keen to find out by how much my sight has improved especially for fine detail and for colour.  I used a pattern  by Judith Maslen in November/December's Parchment Magazine.  Judith had designed a gorgeous image of  the head of Father Christmas which involves the use of colouring and embossing.  Some of the colouring involved the face which is always the most difficult to get right.

I shouldn't say so but I am thrilled with the result and am so glad that I have had the cataracts removed.  I cannot fault the wonderful service, care and attention I received from my local hospital - Frimley Park.

Here is Father Christmas.

Thank you for the gorgeous pattern Judith. It was a joy to do.