My new papers...ideal for older kids!

Hi all, :)

Every now and again i feel i should give a shout out to my local craft shop here in the heart of The New Forest. Emerald Crafts in Lyndhurst high Street is run by Oliver who is super helpful when it comes to finding what you need when it comes to paper crafts.

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So many people come down to the south of England on holiday, and it's lovely to find a little gem of a shop like this when you are missing your crafty shopping. What i like about Oliver's shop, is that he knows what he is on about when it comes to crafts. I mean he knows about the products he sells which is a bonus. Yes Oliver even i was surprised when a lady came in the shop the other day asking about how to make a certain card design....and you rattled off the design including a diagram straight off the top of your head! :)

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Recently the shop has expanded into another room and there is loads more stash to see and buy now.

Whilst there i came across this 6x6 paper stack. It's the "Pulse Collection" from Prima Marketing Inc.

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Each pack has 48 papers, 4 sets of 12 different designs of paper.

When i opened this pack up, it just shouted two things at me...."Teenagers with attitude".....and also my ever growing daughters who often display the "teenagers with attitude" thing!

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Click on the images for a better look, these papers have graffiti, colour, and just that urban street feel that separates them from some of the more "kiddy" papers that are out there.

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I just love the bottom left one below......
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So that's a top recommendation for anyone wondering what to use for when scrapping for the older kids

Another purchase was a long time in coming. Every time i go in Oliver's shop, i look at these brads, always say to myself that i should get them as i want something "that little bit special" for my projects.....but never get them.
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These are absolutely gorgeous! They will compliment any nice bit of work i get round to making. I also ran out of white card the other day (my girls eventually got through a whole box of the stuff), and i was going to ask Oliver today if he could get any in, when what do you know.....he's started selling exactly what i need!

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Can't ask more than that in a craft shop can you?

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So once again, a big thank you to Oliver. Pop in there if you are ever down this way, you won't be disappointed.

Playing with Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders.

Hi all :)

A little while ago i bought a set of six of the Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powders, not a new product i know but they are new to me.

Here is a simple tag that I have made to show the powders off on different coloured distress inks.

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What I love about this product, is that Ranger have addressed one of my "niggles" when it comes to the art of distressing. It doesn't have to be dull, dark and dowdy every time! "Vintage" or "distressed" makes can indeed have colour to them!

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For those of you who have not used these powders before, they are used similar to ordinary embossing powders, except for when they are dried, you rub off the "release crystals" that are cleverly incorporated into the powder. This leaves a worn and textured feel.

This picture shows the crystals having been rubbed off with my fingers.
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The main thing you'll notice with these powders are that they don't turn shiney when heated, but you soon get the knack of knowing when they are done.

I think these powders are a great way of creating the "rusty metal" effect sought after by many people.

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I stamped out some butterflies from a Crafty Individuals stamp set, and added them to the tag for a little depth. Nothing difficult, just a quick tag to practise my powders on.
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Thanks for stopping by. :)

Veg i inked today!!!

Welcome bloggers to another Thursday of inky things! :)

Today was a close call with regards to the inked veg, in that it almost didn't happen for several reasons. Shock horror!!! Yes i know my little veggie fans, what would you have done without your weekly dose of verbal....I'll say inkyness....replace that word with whatever you feel fit! :)

I won't bore you with the details though, just know that about 30 minutes ago i was ready to chuck the veg in the bin and call it a day!

However i persevered, and despite a busted lamp for lighting my pics, my camera playing up and various veg playing up for me, i settled on this one....the ASPARAGUS!!!
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Whats it doing outside on that rock by your pond i hear you say? Well thanks to the mishaps with my technical equipment, i decided to have a change of location for the photo shoot. I think it looks quite nice actually, don't you?
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I had to do this inking with less colours than usual, as i ran out of about 3 bottles of my fave colour whilst trying out other fruit. Fruit that went horribly wrong i might add.

However the few colours that i did use, definitely changed the asparagus's all green appearance.
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So how about that now world famous method of judging inkability of a vegetable..the "veginkability rating"?

Well i have to say that whilst not the most colourful of subjects that i have finished, the asparagus did look good out in the sun. It kept it's colours well and didn't waste too much of my ink.....unlike the stupid mushrooms i tried earlier!!!

I think a 6 is in order for this weeks veg! I'm probably being a bit generous with a 6, but i did end up finding a nice location to photograph the veg, so that was a bonus. :)



Talking of the outdoors, guess who i bumped into whilst i was outside?

"Hi Rotty......wow that looks impressive!!! What are you doing?"

"Bit of rock climbing boss"....
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"Really? I never knew you were into that?"

"Yeah well, I'm actually getting in some practice for ....i mean....ummm...ah well...just keeping fit and all that".

"Hmmm, that sounds rather suspicious, plus ...it does look rather high for you Rotty, are you sure you're ok?

"Don't panic boss, I'm safe as houses, i have a good rope and my technique is second to none!"

"Ah Rotty, is that some of my fibres that you've pinched from the craft room?"

"Umm it could be boss, but i thought that I'd put them to good use."

"Well just go careful little fella, your arms are already looking a bit mashed".

"That's coz i took a couple of bumps whilst tackling the north face earlier....tough game this climbing yanno!

"If you say so Rotty".

Right then bloggers, i think we'll leave him to it. I've no idea what he's up to, but I'm sure he can be trusted.

Until next Thursday, keep smiling and I'll see you all later. :)

So the hard nut has a soft centre!

Hi all.....sorry i haven't been around much, no decent excuses so i won't try and make any! :)
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I would like to say thanks to everyone who has visited again this week, it does make me smile reading your comments, especially when I'm feeling lousy! Anyway, i should be back on track this week.
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So not much to report from me....I must say though, it does seem like a certain little man has something on his mind!....
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"Hi Rotty.....you look a little perplexed there......whats up?"
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"Well boss, it's like this........i don't think I'm appreciated around here!"
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"Come again Rotty? How do you work that one out?"
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"Well....as you know I've recently returned from Calvin Mouse's house......and whilst i was there i....lets say... had my eyes opened a little bit!"
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"What on earth do you mean Rotty?"
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"Well boss.....i did a little "investigating shall we say"......"Calvin Mouse not only has his own house.......but did you know he has his own kitchen?!!!
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"Well yes Rotty, i had heard he had a little bit of a set-up there".
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"LITTLE SET UP!!! HE HAS CAKES DAGNAMMITT!!!!!
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"Whoa there Rotty, calm down little fella!"
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"That's just the tip of the iceberg....i could have just about put up with lacking a house...and a kitchen...even cakes and cups of tea......but after further investigation i found out he has his own LOUNGE!!!
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"HE HAS A TV, DVD PLAYER AND STEREO!!! A LEATHER SETTEE TOO!!!
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"Ok now Rotty, i don't understand, you're a sewer rat, hardened to the dark and dangerous world of the streets. How can you feel hard done by?"
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"For weeks now I've kept your crafty stash safe from harm.....often putting my life on the line"....
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"Uh i think you'll find you put both our lives at risk actually Rotty"....
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"Never mind the minor details......I've had to live in piles of crafty stash that most sewer rats wouldn't be seen dead near!"
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"Come on now Rotty, my stuffs not that bad?"
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"I'VE WOKEN UP WITH BLOOMS STUCK TO MY BUM FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!! Things have got to change boss"...
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"Wow Rotty, i didn't realise things were that bad?.....is that all that's on your mind?
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"Well if you must know...I'm missing the sewer".
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"Oh I'm sorry to hear that Rotty, are you not happy here then?"
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"No it's not that....i just think i could do with a bachelor pad like Calvin Mouse's...and maybe a cake too?"
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"Oh my Rotty, things must have gotten bad if you are yearning after Calvin Mouse's cakes!"
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"It's ok boss....i think it's that old onion i keep in my pocket!"
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"Come here my little mate....let me get that for you"
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"There now...lets see what i can do to help you out with your crisis eh?"
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"Cheers boss, much appreciated!".
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"Not a problem my little runny-eyed rat".
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"Uh boss....lets keep that between us eh.....i have a reputation to keep in the sewers yanno...and it was the onion!"
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"Of course Rotty....oh and by the way, you know it's not really the done thing to go sneaking around other peoples houses don't you? You didn't get into any bother whilst you were up at Calvin Mouse's did you?
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"Who me boss?!"

Veg i inked today!!!

Hello everyone :)
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Welcome to another episode of "Veg i inked today!". Yes it's Thursday evening.....a bit late i must admit but i have good excuses.

I almost had to skip this weeks veg inking, you see i haven't been feeling that great and have had dentists and hospital trips.....so i have felt far from crafty this week. However i know Thursdays would not be the same without my waffle and a play with vegetables, so i thought I'd take my head out of the sand to ink something. :)

So after a few attempts on different veg, i managed a result on the.....POTATO!!!

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If there is one thing i have found so far with veg inking, it is that the outside of a vegetable does not like to be inked! It goes dull, it dries very quick, and is just generally non-co-operative.

So peeling them first is a good way of at least getting some colour to stand out.

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You have no idea how much of a mess i got into with this potato! I got through about half a pack of babywpipes, three pairs of latex gloves.....and a lot of Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning up afterwards!

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The potato is not quite as bright as I'd have liked, but it does remind me of a precious stone or rock you would find in a mine.
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Veginkability rating? I'm going to give this a middle of the road 5!

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Not a bad score, but it wasn't a great veg to ink. I'm finding that veggies just don't have the shininess to their skins as fruit does. Not to fear, i will persevere and find that elusive pineapple of the veg world!

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Thank you for viewing my veggies....oh and on a side note, my effort at growing veg at home is going well. My salad plants are doing well and my peas are sprouting nicely. :)

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Rotty is also doing well after his Comic Relief dance last week with Calvin Mouse, yet something seems to be on his mind since he got back. He's been scurrying around the craft room all week, mumbling about all kind of nonsense. I think everything went well up at Calvin Mouse's house?

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Maybe i'll ask him in a few days?

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Take care everyone, and once again, i apologize for the lack of craftyness this week....I've been a poorly man and you know what we are like when that happens!!! :)

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On the plus side, the nice nurse who took loads of bottles of blood from me today, well she was a fellow papercrafter, so we have something to chat about whilst she drained me!!!

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Nite all.....till next week. :)

What is Rotty Rat up to?

Hi everyone, my postman has just been and it would appear that my little mate Rotty has a special letter from someone.

"Hi Rotty, I'm glad you have cheered up from your embarrassing incident in Maddy's naughty corner.....here's a letter for you.....looks a bit cloak and dagger if you ask me!"
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"Cheers boss....i wonder who this is from?"

"I've no idea Rotty, but it looks official, you'd better open it."
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"Hmmm yeah i guess I'm up for that.....better get packing".
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"Oh boss....do you mind taking my waist measurement for me?"

"Certainly Rotty...may i ask what for?"

"I'm having something made for me".

"Ah i see......come here then little matey.....arms up!"
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"Wow Rotty....have we been tucking into my biscuits again? I think your six-pack is turning into a barrel!"

"Ok boss....leave my figure out of it will ya, unless you want me to start on yours?"

"Enough said Rotty.....there you go, all done!"

"Right then boss, I'm supposed to have a taxi coming, but it's really late.....i might have to make other arrangements if you know what i mean."
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"WHAT ON EARTH ROTTY!!! Is that one of my kids Bratz scooters?
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"Yeah sorry about that boss, well my travel arrangements were messed up so i had to hot wire this from the girls bedroom....it's not ideal but it will get me to where i need to go".

"Fair enough Rotty, nice helmet by the way, may i ask where you are going?"

"I'm off to Leeds boss.....for a rather special event...*wink wink*"

"Oh now Rotty, do be careful, you know what happened last time you had a go at Calvin Mouse".

"Don't worry boss, everything will be fine this time...theres just something i have to do."

"Ok Rotty, if you say so. By the way, won't you find it a bit embarrassing travelling the length of the country on a pink scooter?"

"Oh believe me boss.....you ain't seen nothing yet!!!"
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"Catch ya later boss, behave yourself....and if you can't behave...be careful!!!"

"Ok Rotty, have a safe journey....."

So then bloggers, that's a little intriguing to say the least, what do you think he's up to?

To find out, i think you'd better click here......i think you'll be in for a real treat! :)

Veg i inked today!!!

Good evening everyone! :) I hope you are all well this week?

Welcome to another episode of "Veg i inked today!", that strange time of the week when we take a break for the norm and cast our eyes over the sometimes more artful side of fruit and veg!

Now usually i pick a few veggies to ink, and decide when i get home. It's hand to have a back up just in case one goes wrong. So why of why didn't i do that this week?!!! Whilst shopping this afternoon. i made the rash and over confident decision to try just one veg. Not only just one, but one that i knew i would probably have trouble with.

It was a challenge though, so i took it on....sadly i fear i should have left it in the supermarket!

Please ladies and gents, accept my apologies.....for the TOMATO!!!
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What an unsightly mess!!! I tried doing something different this week and used crackle paint. Bit of a tip for you....crackle paint does not like vegetables!!!

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Bit's came off, some didn't crackle. It did give me a nice white base to ink on, which i was looking forward to as i wasn't relishing inking on a red background.

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There are a few nice colours there, but nothing that jumps out at me. It was a nightmare to handle too, with paint coming off each time it was touched. Not good.

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So as you can imagine, the veginkability rating for this will be poor I'm afraid. It will have to be a 2!

Sorry but that's all this little red fella deserves. I was sure that the shiny red smooth skin of this veg would be a pleasure to ink, but alas it was not to be.

As you know though, we learn by our mistakes and this week i learnt a lot.

Oh yes, whilst i remember, some people have in the past asked if it is real fruit that i ink, so here's the proof....i cut this weeks subject in half for a piccy.....in fact i think this piccy is nicer than the complete thing!

On a more positive note, i have been balancing out my fruit and veg inking habit, by learning to grow my own fruit and veg at home. I figured that it would be cheaper too, so I've started with the basics, onions, peas, carrots, potatoes, strawberries and a grape tree.

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All is going well so far, I've learnt a lot thanks to the Internet and some wonderfully helpful friends. Hopefully i will succeed with growing it all, and become a little more self sufficient.

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As well as all this, i have been trying to attract more wildlife into my garden. As well as birds and the usual visitors to my pond, i wanted to do my bit to save the bee. I haven't got the room or experience for a honeybee hive, so instead i bought a solitary bee hive.

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What do you call a place of shelter for bees though? Well where might you stay when you go away?....A Bee & Bee of course!!!

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Pretty cool eh? :)

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At first Maddy was quite concerned that i was getting this for the garden, she knows me too well i guess! However i scoured the Internet for advice from beekeepers who were most helpful. It would appear that this will attract and provide a shelter for "solitary" bees that you get in the garden. So only one bee will shelter in each hole and maybe lay an egg.

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Apparently it is really hard for bees to find shelter, and there are so many reports of them dieing off, so i hope that i will get some visitors to my Bee & Bee.

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This particular hive is made in stackable sections, so it will be great for education the kids and also for cleaning when it's not in use.

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So that's it from me this week, wish me luck with my fruit and veg growing...and that you don't see me running down the road with a swarm of bees around me! :)

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Take care all.....till next week.

Copics Colour Challenge entry.

Hiloo bloggers! :)

Tonight I made a card for the Copics Colour Challenge this week. They had a sketch to work to and the colours you could choose yourself. I've just popped over there and i think I'm a bit late with this one, but isn't that a mans prerogative or something like that? :)

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Anyway heres the card...

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A nice easy sketch, and i picked the colours all on my own....who's a big boy now eh? ;)

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I like browns and blues lately, so i went for the aqua blues and browns for the fairy. I messed her hair up a bit (went too dark with the colouring on top of the lighter brown), but hey.....even a fairy can have a bad hair day! :)

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I added a few buttons on blooms for the bottom of the card, and there you have it.....one card for the Copics Colour Challenge.

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Thanks for popping in. :)

Veg i inked today.....and a prezzy!

Good evening fellow bloggers! :) It's Thursday night and time for another episode of that vegtastic weekly event that has grocers up and down the country reaching for their computer screens in anticipation....yes it's "Veg i inked today!!!"

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For this weeks veg presentation, i would like you to close your eyes.....go on, do it......ah, actually open your eyes to read this but still close them if you get my drift.....now drift off and imagine you are in a magical land filled with colour. You are flying high above it and looking down over a vast sea of magical colours, except everything is not it's usual colours. Think Willy Wonka style colours.

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As you look down, you see a thick dense forest of multicoloured trees......or possibly an INKED CAULIFLOWER!!!

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How great does that look?!!! This was without doubt one of the best veg I've inked so far. The ink didn't run, it just coloured whatever it landed on. It bled sightly, but only so much that it ran into the little branches of the cauliflower.

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So what about the veginkability rating? Hmmm i reckon this deserves an 8 at least! Usually fruit and veg needs a little mixative to make it look good, but not this fella! Pure alcohol ink through and through!

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You could almost think you were under the sea swimming amongst the coral looking at the close ups of this couldn't you?
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The only negative with inking this was that i can't stand the smell of raw cauliflower! So this was inked not only with rubber gloves, but with my t-shirt pulled up over my nose and with frequent periods of breath holding! Yes i know what you are thinking everyone, "Wow you take some risks Calv!!!"

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Yes i do....but know this.....i do it for each and every one of you so that you don't have to!!! :)

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One more thing before i depart your lives for one more week (yes i know you only come here for the inked fruit and veg!). I'm sure many of you often thing to yourselves, "What do i buy for the fruit and veg inker who has everything?".

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Well my friends, this morning i had a visit from the postie who brought me a parcel. I wasn't expecting anything so i opened it and discovered these cool fruit and veg papers from Claire at ArtyFartyMack's Craft Space.

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How great are these?!!! Thanks ever so much for the papers Claire, I'm sure they will get put to good use scrapping the adventures of a fruit and veg inker some day! :)

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They are all nice, but these three are my faves....

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The red cherries....

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The red cabbage.....(i believe)....
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And the orange slices....
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Loads of colour in those, so once again a huge thank you to Claire. :)

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Also, a while back i received yet another prezzy from a fruit fan. Concerned at my inability to preserve most of the fruit i ink, my friend Jennie from The Artistic Stamper sent me these little gems to ink.......PLASTIC FRUIT!!!
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Does life get much better than this? As a famous man once said, "Throw in a fat guy and a tree and you've got Christmas!!!"

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So a huge thank you to Jennie for these too, who is incidentally probably sat there thinking , a) Why hasn't he inked them yet? and b)Where are the green and purple plastic grapes that were with it?

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Simple answer, easily explained.....a) Can't think of an excuse for not inking them, but at least i know that when i do, they'll live forever!...and b) The grapes are around the house somewhere, these things were like a kid magnet...the purple grapes were last seen in the tip that is the girls bedroom, acting the part of shopping for their dolls.....and the green grapes....they were last seen in the ears of my youngest daughter, who was ingeniously pretending to have green "Shrek ears!".

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All perfectly normal in the house of Calv! :)
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Right then, I'd better get this tucked away somewhere, I'm sure i saw Rotty sniffing around for his dinner.....and no veg is safe when he's hungry!!!

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Until next time veg fans....take care and keep smiling! :)