The perfect combination

Hello there,

I hope you are well today!

I'm back with another challenge from Sweet Stampin but be warned - its a lovely dovey one! As February is fast approaching (where has January gone??) we thought you better get ready for that special day of the year....yes, our theme this week is Valentines.

As many of you know I love nothing better than a spot of tea and cake....to me this are the perfect combination....and so I decided to feature my favourite things on this week's card....

I've gone for a simple design, layering my kraft card and adding some stitching as a border. My image has been coloured with my Promarkers and I created the sentiment on my computer.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out and hope that Joe likes it too!

For more Valentines inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards that have been created. While you're there you can take a peek at our fab sponsor this week....

We can't wait to see your creations!

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Passion For Promarkers - CAS

Tuesday Throwdown - Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes

I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hello there,

Happy Saturday - I hope you've had a sweet week!

I'm back today with a new challenge from Sweet Stampin and this week I found the challenge quite....well....challenging! Our theme this week is "embossing"....and as some of you know I'm really not a fan! I'm not keen on dry or wet embossing...no particular reason...I just don't like it!

However, I'm a big girl....so when I saw the theme I took a deep breath and looked through my craft stash for some inspiration. To make it a bit easier I opted for a Birthday card and to sweeten it a little more I thought I should feature some cake.....

I've gone with a bright zingy colour combo, using the strong green plain paper with striped and starred patterned papers. My dry embossing was created using my Cuttlebug - I embossed the present and then used a light grey Promarker to add a little more definition.

Finally I added a stamped cake image, which has been coloured with my Promarkers and I've added a little sparkle with my Stickles.

For more embossing inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards that Team Abi have created. While you are there you can read all about our fab sponsor this week...

I would also like to enter this challenge over at:

The Pink Elephant - anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes

Pop by all these fab challenge blogs to see some gorgeous DT cards.

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Happy Easter!

Hello there,

I hope you've had a good day and a great week!

No card from me this week, but I just wanted to share with you the wonderful Easter inspired afternoon tea that Lorna and I held for our friends this afternoon. As you might know we've been baking and hosting our own afternoon teas for a while now and love baking for our friends.

Easter afternoon tea

We stayed with tried and tested sandwich fillings like egg mayonnaise, roast chicken and cheese, using both white and brown bread. These were followed by Lorna's scrummy scones - topped with cream and homemade blackberry jam.

The sweet treats were made by myself, Lorna and our mum.

We had sheep meringues, chocolate and raspberry cakes, passion fruit and white chocolate tarts, lemon madeleines and chocolate and orange cakes with a chocolate glaze.

Easter sweet treats

I also made some little chocolate tarts with chocolate ganache, topped with little mini chocolate eggs. This is the second time that I have made this chocolate pastry, and I was pleased with how light and crisp it turned out - perfect with the chocolate ganache.......

Easter chocolate tarts

Next time I make these tarts (and I definitely will be making them again) I will add a layer of salted caramel under the chocolate.

Everything was washed down with rather a lot of tea - both black Ceylon tea and yellow tea. I also made a bottle of blackberry lemonade which was rather popular.

I'd like to enter my Easter chocolate tarts in The Pink Whisk Easter Make and Bake Competition, run inconjunction with Two Little Fleas.

If this afternoon tea has got you in the mood for more sweet treats pop by my afternoon tea blog Tea With Me and Friends!

Thanks for popping by today,
Wedgie xxx

A Little Favour Please....

Hello there,

I hope you are well and are ready for your Christmas celebrations.

This is a slightly different post from me today, as its a request for a vote from you! If you have stopped by hear below you will know that I also run a little afternoon tea blog with my sister Lorna which is called Tea With Me and Friends.



Afternoon Tea Treats!

On the blog you can read reviews of afternoon teas we've enjoyed, see afternoon teas we have created and drool over lots of scrummy photos of cakes! Take a peek here if you haven't seen it yet!

One of our favourite afternoon teas of 2013

Anyway, we have entered our little afternoon tea blog in the UK Blog Awards 2014, which we are a tad bit excited about! The awards will be judged by an official panel early next year...but to get to that stage we need a successful public vote....and that's where you come in! I'd really appreciate your support....if you are able to vote for us you just need to click on the link below and leave your name and email address.

 

http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/blog-entries/tea-with-me-and-friends/

 

Every vote counts at this stage and we'd be so grateful for your vote!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post....I know there isn't a card in sight!

 

Our homemade Halloween afternoon tea

I'd also like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

 

Best wishes,

Wedgie

xxx

Brrr...its a bit chilly....time for a quilt!

Hello there,

Well, if you are in the UK I hope you survived the storm on Sunday night! It was really windy here in Farnham and we lost two of our fence panels....apart from that everything else survived ok.

It's also been Halloween this week, so I hope you all had a spooky time! Last weekend I hosted a Halloween themed afternoon tea for my friends.....

 

 

I really love Halloween afternoon teas, you get to be so creative! For this tea we had snail wraps and skull cheese biscuits. We indulged in eyeball cake bites, ghost biscuits and cobweb millionaire shortbreads to name a few of the sweet treats!

 

 

To find out more and to see more scrummy photos pop by the Tea with Me and Friends afternoon tea blog!

 

So, on with this week's challenge from My Time to Craft...this week the weather seems to have got a bit colder and so you might have got your winter quilt out. To mirror the colder weather we'd like to see some quilting on your cards this week....all you need to do is make your background look like a quilt!

 

I've gone with a pink and brown colour combo that I love - I think it looks so sweet, especially when topped with a cake or two! My image is from Digi Stamp Boutique and I have coloured it with my Promarkers - adding a little sparkle with my Stickles. I've also added some faux stitching to the card and a printed sentiment.

 

Pop by the My Time to Craft website for more fab inspiration from the DT.

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Make it Monday

DigiStamp Boutique - Customer Competition

 

If you get the chance pop by these fab challenge blogs!

 

Thank you for popping by today!

Wedgie xxx

 

 

Have a Tea-riffic Day!

Hello there!

Happy Hump Day! I hope you are having a fab week so far!

This week I have had the pleasure of harvesting some of the fruit and veg from my garden. Its the first year I've been able to grow my own things and I've really enjoyed the experience. I have onions, potatoes, tomatoes, plums and apples at the moment. I also have pears still on the tree and I have pumpkins growing for Halloween! Its been a very productive summer!

On Monday night I made myself some scrummy apple cake...which was made even sweeter because the apples came from my own tree! What a satisfying bake!

 

In celebration of harvest time and the autumn season I have created this clean and simple card......

 

 

I've used a kraft card blank, which has been topped by my cup digi images, a little doodling and my fab sentiment. I've gone with autumnal colours for the tea cups, which have been coloured with my Promarkers.

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Di's Digi Designs - fabulous fall colours

Cute Card Thursday - Hip to be Square

Love to Create - clean and simple

 

If you get the chance pop by these fab challenge blogs, there are some gorgeous DT cards to be seen!

 

I'm off to have a cup of tea now!

 

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Bold and Beautiful!

Hello there,

Happy National Afternoon Tea week! I hope you've had a spot of tea and cake this week to celebrate!

As well as a host of different posts on our afternoon tea blog this week, I have also celebrated the wonderful tradition of afternoon tea with my work colleagues by taking some of my tea cups and homemade mini Victoria sponges into the office!

 

So, onto this week's challenge over at Sweet Stampin....this week we have an interesting theme for you.....we want to see your bold and beautiful creations! Now this got me thinking for a while...bold and beautiful...that could be so many things! Then it struck me...in my eyes there is nothing more beautiful than a perfectly laid afternoon tea table....so with this in mind I got crafting.....

 

 

It is definitely bold with that fab backing paper and I also think its quite beautiful! I have stamped my images and coloured them with my Promarkers. I also added a little bit of sparkle to the cakes with my Stickles. I have fixed my backing papers in place and then arranged my stamped afternoon tea images in place using a combination of glue and 3D sticky pads.

 

Pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog to see how the other DT members have interpreted the theme this week. While you're there you can find out about all our fab sponsors this week....

 

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Make it Monday

Allsorts Challenge - use your new stash (the fab paper was bought this week!)

 

So I hope wherever you are in the world you have indulged in a little tea and cake this week, and maybe a scone or two!

 

 

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

More than words.....

Hello there!

Happy Saturday....its a Bank Holiday Weekend in the UK....a lovely long weekend...plus we've had some lovely weather this week! What a lovely combination!

Soooo....we have a lovely challenge for you over at My Time to Craft this week....we want to see you using your sentiment as the main focus of your card. I love the power of words...especially on a card...you really have the ability to make someone smile!

Maybe a bit predictably I've gone with a baking theme to my card.....

 

Now first off....please excuse the hand written sentiment....I have very suddenly run out of ink in my printer!! I thought there would be some kind of warning...but no...I've run out just like that!!

 

Anyone who has popped by my blog before knows that I love baking....making cakes and breads in my kitchen makes me happy (a probably a little bit heavier than I should be!!). Therefore I thought this was the perfect sentiment for a card from me!

 

I've gone with a pink and blue colour combo, some punched flowers with gem stone centres, the tiny cute cupcake image and some faux stitching. I've coloured my image with my Promarkers and added a little bit of colour to the flowers too.

 

Pop by the My Time to Craft challenge blog to see what brilliant cards the DT have created this week!

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Make it Monday

Love to Create - punches and or dies

Passion for Promarkers - to die for

Crafty Sentiments - the letter B (bling, blue and baking!)

Simon Says Stamp - Happy Mail

 

NOTE - to all the challenge blogs mentioned above - I had difficulty linking to you on Saturday, but it seems to be working today (Sunday)....I'm not backlinking I promise!!!

 

There is great inspiration on all these challenge blogs this week....pop by if you've got the chance and take a peek!

 

I also wanted to share with you my latest baking creation....I don't usually make cakes for other people, but a good friend of mine asked for cakes for a baby shower she is hosting and I couldn't say no!

 

 

I made twenty cupcakes in total, 10 blue and 10 pink (because they don't know if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl yet!) plus the plain white iced cake. Its the best royal icing I've done so far....I was so pleased with myself!

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Anything but a Birthday!

Hello there...lovely to see you!

I'm sorry that I haven't been around much in blogland this week...after my lovely week off work I was rudely brought back to reality with a rather busy work diary this week! I'm currently demonstrating some new software to colleagues around the business and this has meant trips to Leeds, our head office in New Malden and Cheltenham....lots of travelling!

Anyway, I wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone for their lovely Birthday messages, I've really loved reading them all and will be visiting you all soon I promise. I had a brilliant birthday and a fab party last Saturday, everyone dressed for the occassion and we listened to rock n roll all night ......

 

This is me and Joe ready to party...my fab hair stylist Lucy gave me my retro do!

 

Everyone made such an effort...here I am with the girlies (and Gerty the puppy!)

 

Finally, it wouldn't be a blog post without some cake!

 

Soooo....today's challenge over at Sweet Stampin this week is really quite good for me. The challenge is "anything but a Birthday"....so we want to see your projects that do not include Birthdays! Considering all the lovely pressies I recieved last week I opted to make a thank you card....

 

 

I've gone all pretty and girlie for this card, using soft pastel colours to compliment the pretty doilly and flower paper. My cupcakes have been coloured with my Promakers and I have added a little bit of sparkle to the cherries.

 

Pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog to see all the fab projects that the Team Abi have created this week. While you're there you can find out about the fab prizes that our sponsors are offering this week...

 

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Make it Monday

Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

 

Pop by these fab blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week!

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Pretty Pastels

Hello there...Happy Saturday!

I hope you are keeping well and had a lovely week. Today my posts are scheduled as its the first round of the British Drifting Championships and I will be spending the day at the side of a race track in Kent watching Joe slide around the track. I have my fingers crossed that the weather is going to be kind to me....a race track is a cold, drafty place to be on a bad weather day!!

I also have something really exciting to show you...well I think its exciting.....this week I have been lucky enough to become the owner of a gorgeous purple Kitchen Aid mixer!!!

 

Sorry ....probably not as exciting to everyone else, but I really love it! I've wanted a Kitchen Aid for ages and so I decided to treat myself using some money that my Dad left me. Its going to last me forever and I will use it a lot.....so I think Dad would approve!! Oh and that's a rather lovely banana cake sitting next to the mixer...my first bake made with the mixer!

 

Anyway, you're not here today to hear about Joe's cars or see my new mixer....no you're to find out about this week's challenge over at Sweet Stampin! Well, this week we have a very pretty challenge for you...we want to see pastels on your project.

 

Inspired by my love of cakes and my new mixer here is my card.....

 

 

Hee, hee....I wish that sentiment was true of all cakes!

 

This is a new Digi Stamp Boutique image that I recently bought which I think is very cute! I've coloured my image with my Promarkers. I've used a combination of pretty pastel papers both plain and floral, along with a doily cut using a new die. Finally I added some punched flowers and some faux stitching. I'm really pleased with how this card turned out...pretty and girlie and full of cupcakes!

 

Pop by the Sweet Stampin blog to see how the rest of the fab DT used pastels on their cards! While there you can also find out about the fab prizes our sponsors have for you this week....

 

 

 

I'd also like the enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Digi Stamp Boutique

Simon Says Stamp - April showers and/or spring flowers

 

Pop by these fab blogs if you've got a spare minute to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created!

 

Thanks for popping by today!

Wedgie xxx

A sketch....some cakes and a new puppy!

Hello there! Happy Sunday!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend....I had a fab day with my mum and my aunty. It was lovely to spend a couple of hours just drinking tea and relaxing...and of course eating some homemade cakes....

 

We had a selection of sandwiches and some mini quiches. Then we washed that down with some chocolate tarts topped with raspberries....some vanilla cupcakes, some coffee cupcakes topped with walnuts and mum provided some delicious marble cake.

 

Phew! It was all so tasty...do you fancy a close up...

 

 

After all those sweet treats I had to go out for a long run this morning!

 

Anyway, I must apologies to the lovely Sweet Sketch Wednesday ladies...as everytime I enter one of their fab sketch challenges I seem to have lots of photos of cakes to post too!! I'm sorry if I've runied anyone's diets or left anyone with rumbling tummies after visiting me today!

 

Speaking of Sweet Sketch Wednesday...here is the fab sketch that we have this week...

 

 

When I saw this I wasn't 100% sure how much I was going to enjoy using it...but when I combined it with the "Great Outdoors" challenge that Stamping Sensations have this month I soon got cracking!

 

I have to say that I love being outdoors....and now that we have moved to this lovely house in Farnham I finally have my own garden! There is a veggie patch that needs digging, a lovely big flower bed and three cute fruit trees. I can't wait for the springtime to come along!

 

Inspired by this passion I have created the following card:

 

 

Isn't she cute??

 

I've coloured my digi image with my Promarkers and then I have backed her with a combination of green and flowery papers. I have added some faux stitching to both the image and the sentiment in green pen and finally added some dinky pink gems.

 

For more inspiration pop by the Sweet Sketch Wednesday and Stamping Sensation blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week!

 

Finally I wanted to introduce to you someone very special....my sister has a new puppy......

 

 

 

This little lady is called Gertrude (or Gertie) to her friends! And here she is making herself at home in my chair! She is only 14 weeks old and she is incredibly cute!

 

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

A sweet post...

Woo hoo! Its Friday evening!

I am rather excited as I am going to see Stomp at the Ambassadors Theatre in London tomorrow afternoon. I've seen them perfom on TV, but never live and I can't wait! I'm glad this snow is staring to clear....I've been so cold I thought I was turning into a snowman!!

Anyway, I decided to brighten everyone's day with a sweet post. I got inspiration for today's card from The Pink Elephant who have a fab chocolate covered strawberries photo as inspiration for this week's challenge.

With this in mind I went for one of my favourite colour combos....a little bit of red and brown.....

 

I've stamped my image and coloured it with my Promarkers. I created my background by using a selection of red and brown papers, adding some faux white stitching and a cute mini bow.

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Top Tip Tuesday - layers

Passion for Promarkers - favourite colour combo

Papertake Weekly - tie up your loose ends (use a bow!)

The Pink Elephant - photo inspiration

I Love Promarkers - anything goes

 

Pop by all these fab blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week!

 

Now this wouldn't be a sweet post without some cakes would it?? My lovely mum bought me some new baking equiptment last night when I visited....I am now the proud owner of the cutest little loose bottomed cake tins and a cake decorating turn table! I'm so easily pleased! I decided the best way to thank mum was with some freshly made cakes...and I was feeling a little nostalgic so I went with butterfly cakes (mum used to make us these when we were little!). These little beauties are mocha flavoured cake with coffee icing and chocolate sprinkles on the top!

 

 Thanks for popping by today and thank you for all the lovely comments that people leave me...especially about my baking...I wish I could send you all a cake or two!

Wedgie xxx

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone!!

I hope you are well and ready for Christmas. This is my first "live post" in ages!! As some of you know I made the silly decision to move house the week before Christmas (something I wouldn't recommend doing!!)....its been chaos to say the least and to make it worse my lovely internet provider has messed up my internet!! I'm currently at my sister's house and so I wanted to pop by and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Thank you for everyone's lovely comments over the last couple of weeks and I am sorry that I haven't been around to see everyone's fab blogs in ages! I also want to say a BIG thank you to my Design Teams for putting up with my abscence recently, everyone has been extremly understanding!

Soooo......I haven't got a card for you today as I'm still not sure where all crafting goodies are!! However, it wouldn't be right to have a Christmas post without some cakes would it?

Merry Christmas!

Wedgie xxx

Tea at Grannys!

Evening! Hope you've had a good Tuesday!

Ok....so after another very long day at the office and a tense Great British Bake Off final I was delighted to find a challenge that was perfect for me...so perfect that I decided I needed to make a card straight away!!

But what is the challenge I hear you cry.....pop over to Tuesday Throwdown and you'll see! This week their challenge is "Tea at Grannys" and they have included the following photo for inspiration....

 

Anyone who has popped by my blog before will know how much I love pretty teacups...and tea...and cakes! Perfect challenge!!

 

So, here is the card that I created....

 

 

Bit of a dodgy photo..sorry!

 

I've used a pretty teapot and teacup stamped image, which I have coloured with my Promarkers. I have then created a pretty background using pretty plain pink paper and gorgeous floral papers. I've also used a doilly....a must at granny's house I think you'll agree!!

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Tuesday Throwdown - Tea at Grannys

Make it Monday!

 

Pop by both blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week.

 

Now talking of cakes...I mentioned in yesterday's post some rather scrummy chocca, mocha caramel cakes that I made last night and promised a photo today once they were iced. Well in the end I decided they were too yummy to add icing to and so they don't really look like much....but Joe declared that he thought they were the best cakes hes eaten! High praise indeed!

 

As they don't look that pretty I decided to make some cake art for you instead...what do you think....

 

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx