Watch Out .................................

..................... for a blog fest on the Chocolate Baroque Design Team blog.  Myself and my DT buddies will be posting some of our recent makes over the coming days and there are some lovely ideas and lot of inspiration to be seen.  Keep your eye on the blog to see the gorgeous Chocolate Baroque stamps in action.

Have a wonderful weekend doing what you love best.

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

On The Cover ................. CSQ post

Hi Everybody,

Just to let you know I've posted my project for this month over on my shared blog, Craft Stamping Quartet.  Here's a little taster and more pics and details are on the CSQ blog if you'd like to pay us a visit.

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

CHOCOLATE BAROQUE HAVE AWESOME BLOG CANDY .............!!!!!!!!!

Happy Sunday Morning Everyone,

Well, it's definitely going to be a very Happy Sunday for one lucky commentor over on the Chocolate Baroque DT Blog.  Glenda is giving away one full set of two A4 and two A5 stamplates!  These new sets are all being released tomorrow and they are absolutely stunning.   Pop over there now and check them out.  You definitely won't be disappointed and keep an eye out over the following week for some stunning makes by the DT members.

Good Luck everyone.  I'd be so chuffed if one of my visitors won them!

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

Oooh! New Goodies ........

Hello Everyone,

I really ought not to be playing on here as I have loads to do before I go to get my hair cut in an hour's time ............. and Boy! does is need it!!!!  However, on Sunday I went to the Stampmagic show at Doncaster Dome and had a fab time with my Craft Stamping Quartet buddies Judith and Jo.  We do always miss Elaine though but the distance for her makes these shows impossible.  We were sorry that a few old favourite exhibitors weren't there this time but ....................... the advantage was that it made room for one fabulous new company called IndigoBlu who are only just a few miles from me.  My friends had introduced me to their website a couple of weeks ago so I was really pleased when I found they were going to be  showing their gorgeous range of stamps and other goodies.  I have to confess that the visit to their stand (I went back 3 times, lol) was not good for my debit card and couldn't wait to have a play with some of my purchases.  This is my first make with IndigoBlu stamps and alterables and I know there'll be many more.

I have only used part of the image of this lovely lady from the Music Hall plate and the beautiful little flourish  plus the music background and the quote are all lovely stamps and very useful.  I also used a separate crackle stamp of theirs which is really nice and fine and a good big stamp so handy for backgrounds too.  The stamps all gave lovely clear images on card when I tried them out and have done the same for the effect I wanted on my little altered box.

I used Eco Green acrylic paints, stamped with Archival Sepia ink, added a bit of clear Crackle Paint here and there before rubbing in a little Distress Ink.  The little roses were from a very cheap headband bought from a wellknown High Street store and the wired paper string came from a package I received and the metal rose I bought on my Ally Pally visit.  I love that string stuff and have used it all now so must do a search to see if I can buy it anywhere.  If anyone has seen it for sale I'd appreciate a tip off, lol!

 Right, I must get my skates on now or I'll be late for my hair appointment.

Have a lovely day everyone and I hope the sun is shining on you.  It's glorious here!

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

It's Only Words ................

Oooh, Bee Gees!  I love that song.  I think I might have to get the LPs out tomorrow and give them a whirl on the old turntable, lol!

However, what I'm really referring to in my title is the card I have to share with you.  Debbie, one of my fellow DT members for Chocolate Baroque suggested a friendly little challenge a couple of weeks ago which was to make a card using only word stamps and this is what I came up with.

I used a variety of script and word stamps from Chocolate Baroque (formerly Elusive Images) and even the border down each side was made with a lovely script stamp from CB.  I made the flowers from layers of Tim Holtz Ideology Kraft Glassine and some lovely burgundy tissue paper in which my lovely Daughter's wedding flowers were nestled.  Needless to say I couldn't let it be thrown away, lol!  After scrunching the layers and assembling the flowers I spritzed them with Chocolat Glimmer Mist.

I really enhjoyed myself making this card so thankyou Debbie for the challenge.

As I'm doing a post I'm going to  do a bit of proud Mum boasting and point you in the direction of my Son's blog.  He's not posted anything for a while now (real life got in the way a bit, lol) but he's recently posted some pics of his latest paintings and I think they are well worth a look if you have a few minutes.  Like all of us I know he would appreciate a few words of encouragement if you think they are merited.

Well, I'd better get myself off to the Land of Nod as I can't have any lie-ins at the moment.  I have my Mum staying with me following a cataract operation last Friday and she has to have eyedrops 10 times a day.  I am the lucky (?) person charged with the responsibility of making sure she get them administered correctly.  I'm fed up with the job already and we have another five and a half weeks to go yet!

Nite, nite All,

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

New Shoes!!!!

Happy Bank Holiday everyone.

I hope the weather is nicer where you are than it is here where it is cold, windy and rainy.  All I can say is thank goodness Jenna and Tony got married last Saturday and not today, lol!

Well, I'm back sooner than I expected with another post because this month's Chocolate Baroque Guild Newsletter has started arriving on member's doorsteps (I got mine this morning) and one of the articles in there was a fun challenge Glenda gave the teamies a while ago .................... to make some paper shoes!

Now, I have to admit that I was not amused when she gave us this challenge, lol!  I am definitely not into this sort of thing normally but I got stuck in to give it my best shot and I ended up having so much fun.  Glenda asked us if we could add more pictures to the DT blog.  My buddy Judith did her post last night and  I've just done mine so if you'd like to pop over there using the link in my sidebar you can see some better pics of what we came up with.

I've just decided while doing these posts that I'm going to make one of these for my Mum in lieu of a birthday card.  It's just the sort of thing she will appreciate although it will of course mean I have to look at it for at least the next year, displayed on her dresser, Ha! Ha!

Oooh, I forgot to mention that there is a free downloadable shoe template on the Chocolate Baroque website (link in my sidebar) if you'd like to have a play.  Leave us a comment on the DT blog if you do as I'd love to come and see what you make.

Thanks for looking.

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

PS   Thanks to those of you who left messages yesterday wishing me better from my virus.  Your wishes must be working because I had a much better night's sleep and the cough finally seems to be subsiding, Yay!!!

Normal Service Resumed ?!?

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all feeling fine and dandy .......... 'cos I'm not, lol!  No seriously,  I have been a bit under the weather since just before our big day last Saturday.  I caught some sort of virus from one of the little ones and have had a really nasty sore throat and chest.  My voice virtually disappeared, which our granddaughters thought was hilarious and they took great delight in getting me to sing to them with my squeak, Ha! Ha!  Lullabies have never sounded so truly awful.  Things are finally settling down a bit so I'm hoping the weekend to come will get rid of the bugs completely.

I thought I'd just pop in a quick post to say hello while I'm waiting to get the photos of Jenna's wedding.  They should have the cd very shortly and as they will own the copyright I will be able to share some of them with you.  Much better than our amateur snaps!  As my only makes other than wedding stuff have been for design team work I haven't anything to show you just yet so I'm going to show you the wedding invites I made plus some postcards.

This is actually a picture of the 'prototype' as the photo of the final article seems to have gone missing.  The only difference though was a natural shell button with a tiny bow made from thread in the centre of the rosette and there were four sets of colours, dusky pink, dusky mauve, pale blue and a pale greeny yellow.  The reason for the sweetpeas was because when Jenna was little, every week through the summer my late Mother-in-Law used to send her home with a lovely posy of sweetpeas from her garden for me so this was Jenna's way of including her in the wedding.

This was a 'poster' which Jenna asked me to make to put up in her office at work to save me doing about 20 separate invites.

and these were a few of the 80 odd 'postcards' I and my lovely Craft Stamping Quartet buddies made.  Thankyou girls!  Jenna borrowed a vintage suitcase from a friend for guests to deposit their cards, etc., in and we scattered the postcards around the case and asked people to choose one and write a message to the Newleyweds on the back instead of a guest book.  Everyone thought it was a lovely idea.

We had a wonderful day but I'm not going to say anymore until I have some proper pics to show you.

Hopefully I'll be back very soon either with the wedding photos or something I've made.

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend everyone.

Love and Hugs
Lesley  Xx