A Little Teacup Challenge

Lynn and I have been 'talking teacups' this week. It all started when I saw the lovely Bridal Invitation card in her Zazzle shop (you can find the link on her blog). So we decided to have another of our own little challenges this week.....if you would like to join in just link back to us in the comments box and we'll come to see you!

Above you can see my first version.....and to the left is the original photo. This is one of my favourite cups; it isn't very old - on the back it says 1996 "Florence" by Royal Doulton.
I picked the rose from my garden yesterday...it was the very last one left on the bush. So I called my digital piece "The Last Rose of Summer".

My second version has a clematis flower; we have a 'late' purple clematis climbing over an arch in the garden..... I can't believe it's still producing flowers.
I love 'text textures' ;-) this one is free from Boccacino (Flickr).

All the other textures and layers I've used are from Kim Klassen, Shadowhouse Creations and Playing With Brushes.

Whilst watching Frances Pickering at Ally Pally last Saturday I spotted her embroidery threads all neatly organised on rings and thought I can do that!!!

 Mine were in a real mess....








so I bought some of these.....

 ...and now they look like this! (Mmmm...not sure why there are so many pink ones - mum must have given me those ;-)

Fun at Ally Pally!

Maggi and I had such a great day at the Knitting and Stitching Show on Saturday, despite getting lost a few times on the London North Circular Road! Poor Maggi, she kept her patience very well and eventually we began to see signs for Alexandra Palace (they were in short supply!) We were there almost seven hours, but still only saw about 3/4 of the exhibits....... my head was spinning round in all directions; so hard to know where to start! Anyway, above you can see my purchases (spot the theme going on there?)
Below are all my favourite bits.....

I bought Frances Pickering's book 'Page After Page' which she signed for me and we watched her painting and drawing on fabric for a while. The book is an absolute delight ......

I did a class with Gwen Hedley called 'Take 100 Lines'; it involved cutting and piecing rectangles of fabric and attaching them with a variety of materials and stitches. It was lovely to meet a fellow blogger there from vintagebunty.blogspot.com  (her piece is on her blog). I did a bit more this morning  - this is probably the only time you'll see this colour-scheme on my blog :-)

And here we are at the end of the day...tired but happy! (Rosie - please note the gorgeous bag I took with me. Your stitching must be very strong - there was a lot in there!)

The Pear Challenge

Lovely Lynn (Her Creative Spirit) and I decided to have our own little challenge this week. We are both taking part in Kim Klassen's 'Test Kitchen' and we've been discussing subjects for digital altering. I sent Lynn some photos of my pears (we have loads ripening in our conservatory at the moment) and she sent me one of hers.

This is one of my photos which I altered using a colourful texture (one of my acrylic paint and ink backgrounds), some text and a few of Kim's textures.

This is my version of Lynn's photo....I tried to make it look like a journal page using a texture from Jerry at Shadowhouse Creations. The leaves and flourishes are a brush from Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals. I also used other textures from Kim Klassen and Jerry.

Go and see Lynn's beautiful creations; she makes lovely soft digital pieces. Make sure you scroll down and see her fabulous pumpkin post. We both have our own individual styles, which is what makes it interesting.

Thanks Lynn......we must do this again! :-)


I'm very excited about tomorrow....Maggi (To Dream to Stitch) and I are going to Alexandra Palace in London for the Knitting and Stitching Show - billed as 'the best textile exhibition in Europe'! I've never been to one of these events before so its a real treat. Maggi says I need comfy shoes, a largish bag and my debit card ;-)  I'm doing a workshop with Gwen Hedley called 'Take 100 Lines' (creative hand-stitching)......can't wait! If you're going there tomorrow, please look out for us!
I'll tell you more on Monday....

Its a wonderful day.....

We're having some wonderful weather in England at the moment....I can't believe how warm it is! Hope you're managing to make the most of it..... :-)
I'm awaiting news from Kim Klassen; I joined her 'Test Kitchen' and the digital fun starts today.
Whilst I'm waiting I'm playing with PSE...the above piece is from a photo I took at Hidcote Manor Gardens. I used various textures, some free ones from the very generous Jerry at Shadowhouse Creations  plus PSE filters and a clipping mask from Kim.
Here's the original....

 

Do you think Kim's up yet...... ?