Super Candy from Wiccababe.....

The lovely Weewiccababe (Debbi) is celebrating her 20,000th hit on her blog with some amazing candy from Lettraset! Debi has been lucky enough to be involved with creating a fab new craft gift box from Lettraset and is offering this giftbox as candy on her blog plus three other prizes including two runners up!

I haven't really used ProMarkers - as you know, I'm a Copics girl - but I'd love a set to try out and this gift-box looks the business!

Pop over to 'The Crafty Cuttings of Wiccababe' and see if you can win!

See ya there!

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 27 prize

I am sponsoring this week's C.R.A.F.T Challenge and have some text stamp sets for someone to win!

The winner can choose between Wedding Words, Christmas Cheer or General Verse and they are made from photopolymer, a material which stamps well in most media and unlike some of the cheaper acrylic stamps, you can use them with Staz-On. I've been using my brand logo stamp with Staz-On for over six years and it's still clear & distinct.

Here is the 'Wedding Words' set in Edwardian Script (app. 28 point) which is perfect for wedding cards, invites etc. and below is the 'Fab Wedding' set which is a bit fancier.

Fab Wedding
This is the Fab Wedding set.

Look forward to next week !

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T 27 - Christmas Gift & Secret Saturday 61

For this week's theme on C.R.A.F.T we have 'Christmas Gift' so I've made a Journal/photo album/scrapbok and a matching giftbox.

I have taken photos and will upload instructions when I get another nanosecond to myself!

I'd like also to enter this into Secret Saturday's Challenge which this week is matching sets!

Hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Eiglas Digistamps

Who would like a set of my Christmas Digistamps for free?
As you may know, I don't sell my digis - I make them mainly for my own use and I give them for prizes on my thread but as it's now getting quite close to Christmas, I wondered if anyone would like the full set - for free - to use on their Christmas cards.
I know not everyone likes digistamps or sometimes, don't really know how to use them but I'd be happy to help with instructions if required.

If you would like:-
Rufus the Reindeer,
Bear Hugs,
A very Cheeky Snowman
Merlin up the Christmas Tree
Merlin Mesmerizing A Chocolate Santa
and/or
Puss In Boots
or a selection thereof, just pop over to the C.R.A.F.T. challenge and tell us why you'd like them!

The offer runs until Wednesday 2nd December

All these digis are on my gallery here and on my Trimcraft gallery too so have a lickle look if you're not familiar with them. The reply that makes us laugh the most will get them!

Hugs,
Ei
x

Some lovely Eiglas Candy......!

As a special Christmas bonus, I've decided to give one lucky C.R.A.F.T follower the stash in this photo.

There are no less than eighteen Christmas-themed peel-off sticker sheets - six each of gold, silver and white, which include borders and corners.

In addition to this I'm offering an exclusive set of Eiglas clear photopolymer (not to be confused with the cheaper acrylic) stamps. They aren't on sale anywhere so you can't buy them and they're a nice large text so they are great for titles on both cards and scrapbook pages.

They include the following words which can be used in any order on an acrylic block.

Christmas Greetings Across The Miles From Loving Daughter Partner Mum & Dad House My All !! With Love Special Us A Wishes At Best To You Family Your Our Son Time.

The font is 'Black Chancery'.

If you fancy this bit of Christmas Cheer, all you have to do is to go over to C.R.A.F.T, make yourself a follower and tell us in the comms section what you'd like to see as a challenge on C.R.A.F.T.

You just then link back to your own blog so we can see what you do!

Simple!

For an extra mystery prize, add the C.R.A.F.T logo to your sidebar!

This candy will run until Wednesday 2nd December when we will announce the lucky C.R.A.F.T -er!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Look......Snowballs!

This week on Trimcraft, the Making Cards For Christmas thread's theme is Snow, Silver and a Christmas Creature.

I'm pushing a point here and using my own Very Cheeky Snowman digistamp!

He's coloured with Copics (of course) and glittered and mounted on a large round Nestie which in turn has been trimmed with a glitter border.

This has been mounted on 3D foam and stuck on a previously prepared 21cm square white cardstock. The silver foil square is edged with my Martha Stewart Gingerbread man border stamp (...okay, it's not a snowman but it's near enough...LOL!).

I think it's fairly clear that the 'snow' is cotton wool!

......I'm laughing my socks off at the moment because I've just realized that it looks like the snowman is creating the snowballs from his bottie! LOL! Totally unintended naughtiness there! So I'm leaving it in!

Hope you like him!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Award from Eiyiyi

A recent good buddy, Eiyiyi has very kindly given me this lovely award, which I've placed in my sidebar. I've had this same one from both Spyder and CraftyCheryl too and cherish it from all of them - it's lovely to know peeps think well of you and your work.

Thank you Eiyiyi - much appreciated!

Hugs,

Ei

x

The Four Seasons - Secret Saturday 58

This is my entry for Secret Saturday's Challenge 58 the theme of which is 'The Four Seasons'.

I was chuffed this theme was chosen because I have this set of stamps, which were amongst the first I ever bought, and I love 'em! I've made a set of pictures for my hall walls with them and have been dying to use them again. I already had them stamped up and coloured meaning them for just this opportunity.

I made up a little verse to suit each of them and hope you like the mini-book I've made with them.

I took four pieces of plain 'rustic' white cardstock and put them through my Bind It All, one side each on two of them and both edges on the other two.

I then started to decorate the cards and used a very similar method on each, just changing the colours chosen to suit the season mentioned.

I used Cut and Dry foam and Adirondack, Archival and Tim Holtz distress inkpads in a 'distress' style all over the edges of the cardstock.

I stamped random edges of Spring, Summer and Autumn with some lovely 'swirl' stamps from La Blanche and Winter with a large Snowflake stamp, all in complimentary colours.

Then I mounted the image on 3D foam to the decorated A5 cards.

I then created some paper 'ribbon' by taking some quilling strips and cutting them lengthways into thirds.

Using this 'ribbon' I joined the four cards together, stapling the ribbon together.

(You could also use brads for this or 'real ribbon and tie it.)

This done, I now finished off the decorating with flowers, butterflies, leaves, berries and glitter.

Oh, and I must just mention, the images were coloured BEFORE I discovered Copics! I used Marvy-le-plume, Zig photo-twins and Sakura pens! So there! LOL!

I hope you like it, because I really enjoyed making it and even have an idea for a variation, so may well do it again!

Thank you for looking!

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T. DT 26 - Insprational Photo

For this week's C.R.A.F.T 26 challenge it's an inspirational picture of a Georgian Pillar-box in the snow by Liverpool University, that my husband took about two years ago.

I wanted the photo because the pillar-box is in Abercromby Square where my great great grandparents lived in the early 1800's.

It was an extremely swish area in those days and residents each owned a key to the gated garden in the middle of the square.

I found it really interesting and not a little weird that these great-great- grandparents lived in such a magnificent building - the whole thing, not a flat -

and must have used this little pillar-box regularly!

(I was going to upload a photo of the house but my external hard-drive has just fallen over!)

For the card

I used a lovely pearlescent deep red card for the base but being thrifty, I gutted it!

I then used a printed & embossed cardstock in blues and whites with snowflakes on, scalloped the edges and with my Martha Stewart snowflake border punch, made a white border which I attached to the printed mat with sticky-dots.

This was then adhered to the red 'frame'.

Another white border came out of my 'bit-box' and was married to a red organza ribbon and topped with a red velvet ribbon, the whole being adhered to the completed double mat which was adhered in turn onto a plain white scored & folded 21cm square cardstock.

My image was next.

The photo my husband had taken, was opened up in my Paint-Shop Pro graphics program and 'fannied about with' (...techie term...LOL!) until I got the effect I liked.

I then printed this off in duplicate, coloured them both with my Copics and decoupaged the pillar-box, shaping it by folding slightly on the lines of the hexagon. I stuck it on with silicon glue to keep the deep shape (though you can't see it well in the photo)

I then used Liquid Applique in white to make the snow and glitter to create the frost on top and snowflakes falling.

When I punched my border, it had created little star-like confetti, so I stuck a couple of those in the sky and topped them with little white gems.

Lastly, I drew a little robin and decoupaged that too.

I then mounted the picture onto red glitter paper, stuck it onto the card and finished of with three big snowflakes and a selection of frosty branches!

Hope you like it!

Thank you so much for looking and for leaving the lovely comms you do!

They're all appreciated and I do try to get back to each of you personally .....eventually!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Winter Wonderland 24 - 'Wishing you a Purrr..fect Christmas!

Here's my Winter Wonderland entry - not sure if I'll be in time but here goes!

I actually made the other card first then realised I'd forgotten the sketch! So I started again and here's the sketch!
I had nothing in my stash relating to panto, so I created this Puss In Boots digistamp especially for the challenge.

I coloured Puss with Copics and the papers are from Paper Adventures ' Holiday Joy'. I've mounted the rectangles on Bazzil Bling in the light green to tone with Puss's coat and hat and the red ribbon, feather and flowers are from stash

Hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Wishing you a Purr-fect Christmas...! Allsorts 27

The lovely Winter Wonderland have a theme of Panto this week. I had absolutely nothing in my bought stash that would come close to translating so I created a new Eiglas digistamp for the occasion!

Allsorts 27 have their challenge up today and theirs is 'something for the kids'. I cast my memory back about thirty years and recalled 'Puss in Boots' as being one of my children's favourite panto heroes, so 'Puss in Boots is was!

The fly in the ointment was I forgot the Winter Wonderland sketch! LOL!

Never mind eh.....! I'll try to do another quick one for WW.....

Hugs,

Ei

x

My Nic's Christmas Card

I've made my Hubby's Christmas card using two of my Merlin digistamps. Nic misses our big boy too but blokes don't express it very well, do they?

I've used K&Co's Swell Noel papers and coloured my digistamps of Merlin with Copics .

I hope you'll excuse a re-do of these two images - I'm afraid I really like them! LOL!

Thank you for looking and I hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Colour Create 31 - Blue, Silver & White

Colour Create 31, this fortnight, has a theme of Blue Silver & White, with additional options of Winter & Glitter.

I've used another of my Eiglas digistamps on this card - Bear Hugs - and coloured the image with Copics.

I've used torn white card and Bazzil Bling, mounted over blue Bazzil Bling to make the snow, bordered with Martha Stewart 'Snowflakes' border embossing punch. I've added glitter with a glue-pen to make the frost and stars, simple silver glitter-paper trees and finished off with a silver organza ribbon.

Thank you for looking and hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T 24 DT card - '....come to me...come to meeee....'

For this week's C.R.A.F.T challenge 25 we have a recipe! One ribbon, one tag and one sentiment.

For the image I've used another of my own digistamps 'Merlin Mesmerizing a Chocolate Santa...' coloured with Copics.

I'd also like to enter this card into the Secret Saturday Challenge 60 where the theme is ........Christmas Trees! LOL!

I hope my greedy Springer Spaniel doesn't put Mr Linky off!

Papermania 'Home for Christmas papers are used, the lace was from the local market, the ribbon from stash and I hand cut the scalloped cardstock with fancy edged 'Cloud' scissors. The punched border is a Martha Stewart snowflake border punch.

Hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

A Lovely Award from Peggy.......

I had a lovely surprise when I came on here just now. As well as some lovely comms on Rozzy's Snowman card there was a message from my team-mate Peggy, who has kindly selected my blog for an award!

It also appears, I have a few questions to answer.....!

1Where is your cell phone? On charge at the other side of the room.

2.Your hair? Auburn and long with 'blonde' bits creeping in...

3.Your mother? No longer with us but completely crackers when she was!

4.Your father? Also gone and much missed.

5.Your favorite food? No favourites - I like anything & everything provided it's beautifully cooked.

6.Your dream last night? Remembered! I dreamed about my lickle granddaughter

who has recently had her bottle banned by her Mummy and I was trying to give her milk from a water bottle with one of those spouts on! She's only 18 months and I guess it bothers me even more than I thought!

7.Your favorite drink? Water

8.Your dream / goal? World peace & love.

9.What room are you in? My studio.

10.Your hobby? Crafting/writing/reading/painting.

11.Your fear? Harm to my family.

12.Where do you want to be in 6 years? Same but a bit richer, perhaps another grandbaby!

13.Where were you last night? Crafting until approx 5:15 am

14.Something that you are not? Jealous, mean, dishonest, unkind, materialistic....thin.....

15.Muffins? Shouldn't but do.....

16.Wishlist item? Bungalow (....sore knees!)

17.Where did you grow up? Liverpool

18.Last thing you did? Eat Bananas & ice-cream with family!

19.What are you wearing? Easy clothes

20.Your tv? Which one? My studio one is small Pacific with built-in video for craft-recording

21.Your pets? My beautiful dog died last year but I have a cat, Tabitha and I 'borrow' my daughter's Bichon and my son's Labrador.

22.Best friend? I don't have just one. I have three. I also have some very very good cyber-buddies.

23.Your life? Very full & busy! Grandbaby Ada sees to that!

24.Your mood? Mostly happy.

25.Missing someone? My beautiful Merlin. I will never stop missing him......

26.Vehicle? Meriva

27.Something you are not wearing? My watch.

28.Your favorite store? TK Maxx

29.Your favorite colour? Don't have one. Depends on what the subject is. I like my grass green, my earth red-brown and my sky various colours. White is good for snow.....etc....etc...

30.When was the last time you laughed? Earlier with my son & his girlfriend and my Hubby.

31.Last time you cried? When I wrote about Merlin five minutes ago. I cry about him all the time.

33.One place I go over and over? Calderstones Park, Knowsley Safari Park, Scotland

34.Facebook? Not much

35.Favorite place to eat? Home

Apparently I have to pass this one to five other victims -- I mean good friends with nice blogs! LOL!

Cheryl, who has had a bad time this week but who is mega-talented whether she know it or not.

Pattie Who has the most amazing projects

Lisa Who always has something nice to say

Eiyiyi A new buddy!

HopeJacare Always has time for her team-mates

I hope you all enjoy your awards!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Does my bum look big....?

This card was made by my friend Rozzy, who makes the most lovely cards and this time, she's used one of my digistamps 'A Very Cheeky Snowman' and turned it into this lovely project!
Beautiful Roz - you're so talented!
Hugs,
Ei
x

Merlin Up The Christmas Tree

Introducing another of my digistamps - this time based on my wonderful, faithful Springer Spaniel Merlin whom, sadly, we lost last year.

But he's never far from my thoughts and is now appearing at a Christmas card near you...!

The image is coloured, of course, with Copics and the papers are from stash.

I think the text one is DCWV and the patterned is Doodlebug.

I hope you like him!

Hugs,

Ei

x

C.R.A.F.T 24 DT - Bonfire Night/Celebrations/Fireworks

This week's challenge at C.R.A.F.T, is for Bonfire night, with the alternative themes being 'Celebrations' or 'Fireworks.

I personally found this subject really hard as I don't care for Bonfire night really and my mojo went walkabout for most of the week - most disconcerting!

But then I got to thinking of what Bonfire night and Hallo'een meant whan I was a child and my thoughts went to my Dad, who always made Treacle Toffee and Cinder Toffee at this time of year. He never made it at any other time of the year, just around this time!

We didn't think that at all strange because in those days butter and sugar were expensive items and not at all thick on the ground (..well, unless he dropped the pan...!) in the fifties so it was a special treat to look forward to along with the fireworks and neighbourhood bonfire.


So, going with that thought, I decided to make some Treacle Toffee in a seasonal box anda matching recipe book.


Here it is!


The first recipe is for
Treacle Toffee


Ingredients
makes about 800 g (1 3/4 lb)
450 g (1 lb) demerara sugar
75 g (3 oz) butter
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) cream of tartar
100 g (4 oz) black treacle
100 g (4 oz) golden syrup

Method
1. Put the sugar and 150 ml (1/4 pint) water in a large heavy-based saucepan, with a sugar thermometer attached, and heat gently until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.

2. Boil until the temperature reaches the soft crack stage 132°C (270°F), when a little of the syrup dropped in cold water separates into hard but not brittle threads. Brush down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in water. Do not stir.

3. Pour into a greased 18 cm (7 inch) square tin. Cool for 5 minutes and mark into squares with an oiled knife when almost set. When set, break the toffee into squares and wrap in waxed papers or foil. Store in an airtight container


The second recipe is for
Cinder Toffee

100g golden syrup
200g caster sugar
40g Butter
0.5 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp water


Cinder toffee is made with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda because they react together so it froths before it sets into the little bubbles we’re so familiar with that give Cinder toffee it’s characteristic crispness.
Any taste of vinegar is neutralised, leaving you with its usual buttery toffee flavour.

Method

Line a 15cm square tin with greaseproof paper. Put the syrup, sugar, butter and water into a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, before turning up the heat and bringing to the boil. Simmer this mix without stirring until a teaspoon of the hot toffee mixture becomes a hard ball when dropped into a jug of cold water. If you have a sugar thermometer, it should show 138C. Remove the pan from the heat. Take care with this next bit. Making sure tha pan is on a secure surface (I use the sink!) add the vinegar and bicarb to it - the toffee mixture will bubble up and rise in the pan like a small volcano erupting!. Pour immediately into the lined tin and leave to one side. After about 15- 20 minutes the mixture will begin to set so now score the toffee in square shapes with a sharp knife. When the mix has completely set you will then be able to break it more easily along the lines. The toffee will keep in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.

Both of these toffees can, of course, be enrobed with chocolate, if you so desire.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and if you like the project and would like to win it complete with contents, leave me a comment stating why you should win it!

Thank you for looking!
Hugs,
Ei
x

PS

I should just add that the card I used for the box has been recycled from a lovely craft kit packaging my good-lookin' number one son bought me last Christmas! I really liked the colours so, as with most crafters, I kept it! LOL!

My Handsome Sons.......

You may or may not know, but I have three handsome sons Matthew, Michael and Rob as well as my beautiful daughter Beverley and I'm very.very proud of them all as I actually LIKE them!

It's a mother's duty to LOVE their children but liking them is optional and I'm pleased to know that even if they weren't mine, I'd still have the same high opinion of them. They're all honest and hardworking, compassionate and loyal and I'm a very lucky woman to have them.

They visit often ...well, I suppose they just sleep somewhere else really...! LOL!

Bev's down every day, Michael every day, shifts allowing, Rob about every two days and Matt about four times a week and even on Hallo'een number one son popped in on his way to a party.......

.....told you he was a good-looking lad......! LOL!

Hugs,

Ei

x


A reader suggests Matt is like his Dad - I'm afraid I cannot tell a lie he takes after my good-looking and totally sane side as you can see.....

Polar Blue

I absolutely love this image from Mo Manning (...is there any other way to react to a Mo Manning image...?) and have used it twice already!

This project was for the Making Cards For Christmas challenge over on Trimcraft.

I just join in for the sake of it after all, if I do win, do I draw myself a digistamp...?! LOL!

The image is coloured, of course, with Copics and mounted on royal blue mirri card and embossed foil paper. A blue velvet ribbon, silver pine embellishment and a tag finishes it off.

Hope you like it!

Hugs,

Ei

x

Rufus

Introducing one of my digistamps - his name is Rufus and he says he's a distant relative of a very famous reindeer but I'm not sure I believe him....

He's been coloured with Copics and layered onto two different shades of green card. The red starburst paper is from Creata and the braid is from a haberdashers.

Poinsettias from stash.

Hope you like him!

Hugs,

Ei

x