Going Round in Circles at Allsorts Challenge

Hello and Welcome! Today a new theme starts at Allsorts challenge! Kath is our host and she picked the fun theme of "Going Round in Circles", so be sure to include at least one circle on your card. We're back to a weekly schedule so you have until next Friday to join in for a chance to win a beautiful floral Silhouette stamp.

Please note: This post includes some affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

It's been a while since I used my Lavinia stamps and thought it would be fun to create a background full of circles for a magical fairy scene. There are now a few Lavinia stamps retailers in the US, and I just discovered some are now found on Amazon. If you're new to this brand, they are clear photopolymer stamps and do require a stamping tool like a stamp platform or at least a clear stamping block in a size that fits the stamps, but I definitely recommend a stamp platform with any type of silhouette stamps.

The larger circles were done with a homemade stencil using circle dies and an old school folder with my Big Shot machine. The small circles inside the larger circles were done with TCW Circle Explosion stencil. 

Distress Oxide inks were used for the stencilling and Versafine Clair Nocturne ink for the stamping. The sentiment on the bottom is a sticker from Tim Holtz' Quotations sticker set, and "Dream Big" is one of Penny Black's sentiment from the set Snippets. 

I used a Sakura stardust glitter pen to add some sparkles to the fairy wings and flowers.


Thanks so much for visiting!!


PS: 
Each week in September there will be a prize giveaway here........Please share the photo on your own blog and keep an eye out to see what you can win each Tuesday in September.


I'm linking up here:

Themed Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes // Crafty Friends Challenge - Fairies and Fantasy // Di's Digis Designs - For the Girls // Double Trouble - Anything // Cute Card Thursday - Inky // Simon Says Stamp // Path of Positivity - Exploring the Fantastical

Always Anything Goes Card Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft // A Perfect Time To Craft // Crafts Galore Encore // Classic Design Challenge // DL.Art Linky Challenge // Not Just Cards (F) // Lemon Shortbread // Through The Craft Room Door // Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenges // Lil Patch of Crafty Friends // The Corrosive Challenges // Creative Fingers // QKR Stampede // Crafting With An Attitude // Brown Sugar (?) // Craft-Dee BowZ

Linky Parties:  
Artsy Fartsy // Thinking out Loud Thursday // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // Creative Compulsions // Fridays at the Fire Station // Friday favorites //High Five for Friday // Friendship Friday // Funtastic Fridays // A Morning Cup of Joe // On the Edge // Friday Favorites // Best of the Month-- (first Friday/ month)
Party In Your Pj's // Tuesday Turn About // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // Dare to Share // Inspire Me Mondays // Little Cottage Linkup // Love Your Creativity // Handmade Monday // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // Craftastic Monday // Beautifully Made // The Happy Now // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night)

Misfits Market Boxes No. 11, 12 and 13

Happy Wednesday! It's been a while since I've shared my Misfits Market box contents, but I am still receiving my weekly orders of produce. I just took an unplanned break from some of my blogging due to some sickness going around our house and I just didn't feel like blogging much and only did my design team commitments for the papercrafts challenge blogs I am a member of.

If you are new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

To  safe time and keep the post from getting too long, I will just leave a short review for each box.

Box No. 11

Box No. 11 Contents:

1 Bundle of Carrots

4 White Onions
4 Yellow Onions
5 Roma Tomatoes
2 English Cucumbers
4 Green Bell Peppers
2 Mango
4 Zucchini
1 Romanesco Cauliflower
6 Apples
6 Limes
4 Red Potatoes
1 Bundle of  Radishes
2 Small Lettuce Heads
Add-Ons:
Red Grapes
1 Box of Shishito Peppers

Everything I received was picked by me, but I do not get to choose how much of each. It's been while since I received this box and if I remember correctly, the only thing that ended up in the trash was one english cucumber :-(  Honestly I should not have chosen any cucumbers because during this time I also had a ton of cucumbers from my garden and I just didn't get the chance to use it all. (I need to learn how to pickle them!!) I was very impressed with this box!!

Box No. 12

Box No. 12 Contents:

2 Bok Choy
1 Lettuce Head
2 Small Butter Lettuce Head
1 Celery Stalk
6 Plums
4 Nectarines (only 2 pictured)
8 Red Potatoes
4 Red Bell Peppers
6 Apples (only 5 pictured)
8 Zucchini
4 Peaches (not pictured)
1 Eggplant (not pictured)
Add-Ons: 
1 Mini Watermelon
2 Garlic

I received everything as selected through customization. This was the week my box arrived a day late (Thursday instead of Wednesday).
There were several items that arrived spoilt/moldy - Eggplant, all Peaches, 2 Nectarines, 1 Apple.
They weren't included in the photo as I separated them from the rest to take a photo for costumer support. I did receive a partial refund.

Box No. 13

2 Mango
1 Bundle of  Broccoli Stems
1 Bundle of Cilantro
4 Apples
2 Zucchini
2 Summer Squash
2 Lettuce Heads (not sure what kind)
1 Romaine Lettuce Head
4 Peaches
1 Bundle of Rainbow Carrots
8 Yellow Potatoes
8 Red Potatoes

About half of the items here I did not select and all of my "add on's" (I selected 3 extras) were missing. After taking to costumer support, they discovered I was sent the wrong box. I was refunded for the missing items as well as received a partial refund for what I paid for the box. I did not request any refund for the box, just the missing items, but they offered the extra discount because I was sent the wrong box.
Also, (hard to see in the photo) but the Romaine Lettuce was spoilt and had to be thrown out. Needless to say this box was a bit of a disappointment especially knowing I had selected other items that I had hoped to receive. I was still able to use these products (minus the rotten lettuce head and probably won't use the cilantro.)

I am still continuing with my Misfits Market subscription, even though my last two boxes weren't exactly perfect but I really like the service and convenience. Hopefully today's delivery will be one with no issues :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you're interested in my other Misfits Market posts, you can see them all HERE.

Please note: This post includes Amazon affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Traffic Jam Weekend //@Being a Wordsmith Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

More Flowers for Penny Black and More Challenge

Hello, it's time for the reminder post at Penny Black and More where our theme this month is "Say it with Flowers". Still a little bit of time left to join us if you haven't already and remember you may enter up to 3 times! Prizes come from  Penny Black and Stamp Addicts this month.

I used a newer stamp from the Penny Black Secret Garden release, this one is called Exhilaration. It also includes a brushstroke butterfly, but I didn't use it today.

It's been inked up using Distress Oxide inks. I actually tried with regular distress markers but the ink was bubbling up and I couldn't get a good impression. It worked better with oxide inks and thank goodness for my stamp platform!! There would have been a lot of wasted cardstock otherwise! 

The sentiment is from the Penny Black set Friendship, stamped with Gathered Twigs distress oxide ink, then again with versamark on black cardstock and heat embossed. 

I also added some stenciling using penny Black's Oscillations Stencil and TCW Circle Explosion. 

Stamps: Penny Black Exhilaration // Penny Black Friendship

Inks: Assorted Distress Oxide Inks  // Versamark Ink

Tools: Penny Black Stencil Oscillations // TCW Stencil Circle Explosion // 

Accessories: White Detail Embossing Powder

Related Products:

As always, thanks so much for visiting! 

Please note: This post includes some affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Allsorts Challenge 585/586 - Summer Fun

Hello and thanks so much for visiting! It's time for a new theme at Allsorts challenge. Another theme running for 2 weeks to cover summer and Wendy wants to see something showing "Summer Fun". 

I'm using an older clear stamp set from Penny Black today called Critter Time. Stamped with Memento Tuxedo ink and colored with Copic markers. 

I used a tree stamp from Penny Black, called Snow Blanket stamped with Mowed Lawn Distress ink all around. The sentiment from the set Sprinkles and Smiles was stamped using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink. 

Thanks so much for visiting!! 

Please note: This post includes some affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Fashion Over Forty: New Utility Shorts (again) with a Striped Shirt

Happy Friday! 

Surprise! I'm sharing another outfit featuring my new Olive Utility Shorts today :-) By the way, if you've been thinking about adding these to your wardrobe, they have now been marked down even more and are $19 but sizes are limited. I have both the Olive and Taupe, but have not worn the Taupe yet. However these olive shorts have been on repeat. They wash well and did not shrink. PS: Sizing down is recommended. I have them in 00 instead of my 0 and the fit is perfect!

Please note: This post includes some affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Last week I styled them with a tie dye shirt and today I'm wearing it with a simply striped t-shirt which I topped with a cardigan.

Utility Shorts (Olive and Taupe) from White House Black Market (Now marked down to $19 - sizing down is recommended!)

This simple striped tshirt I've had in my closet for a couple of season. While I can't link to this specific top, I did find this navy/white striped shirt at Old Navy and think it would be a great alternative! And it's currently only $10 plus an extra 30% off at checkout. Unfortunately sizes are a bit limited here as well, but if you need a S, L, or XL or XXL then you're in luck!

                                                       Navy/White Striped T-Shirt Option

My handbag is another oldie (but goodie). I did find this bag to be similar but quite expensive. Otherwise Amazon has some good prices and a great selection, but I  have no idea how well these bags will hold up. Many of them have great reviews!

I'm wearing these sandals on repeat. With the built in orthotics they are extremely comfortable and I love the thin strappy style. 

I always have a cardigan nearby in summer because I always get cold inside!! This pretty pink one is one of my favorites from last year purchased at LOFT. I found this pink cardigan currently available at LOFT. (Now an extra 50% off with Code: SMILE) It's a little longer than mine (I think) but perfect for the summer  months to throw over your outfit when indoors (and cold!) 

Open Cardigan from LOFT. 

Not much else to say about this look! It's hard to see in the photos, but I am wearing a tiny gold necklace with a sideways leaf charm. I've linked an option below.

Here are both looks side by side featuring these shorts. 

Which one is your favorite?

This Week's Look      //              Last Week's Look

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by my blog today! 

I'm linking up with these wonderful blogs:
Friday: Fancy Friday hosted by Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style // Lizzie in Lace //  Friday Favorites at Penny's Passion // A Little Bit of Everything // Friday Favorites // A Fireman’s Wife // Shelbee on the Edge //  Fabulous Friday Link Up with Lucy

Saturday: Dare to Share

Sunday: Style Splash linkup

Monday: Away From Blue // The Queen In Between (first Monday) // Claire Justine Creative Mondays // Glass of Glam // Mutton Style // Inspire Me Monday // Ageless Style Linkup (1st Monday) // Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures

Tuesday: The Fashion Canvas // Shelbee On the Edge Spread the Kindness // I Do deClaire // Elegantly Dressed and Stylish // Myriad Musings // Jenerally Informed Happy Now Blog Link // Style Splash linkup // Tuesday with a Twist @Stonecottage Adventures

Wednesday: What's Up Wednesday? (last wed. of month) // The Queen in Between Style Six // Straight A Style // Jersey Girl, Texan Heart // Fashion Frenzy at Seeking Sunshine and Rosy Outlook // Is This Mutton? Wow on Wednesday // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday //  Welcome Wednesdays
Thursday: Fashion Files at Doused in Pink and Curly Crafty Mom // Elegance and Mommyhood // High Latitude Style // A Labour of Life // Mummabstylish // Thirty Minus One // Mutton Style // Thursday Favorite Things //  Little Things Thursday

Misfits Market Box No. 10: What I Received and How I Used the Produce

Hello everyone, this is my second post today, if you are visiting for Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge, please click HERE.

I'm sharing my 10th box contents from Misfits Market today.

If you are new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

What I Received:

2 English Cucumbers

1 Broccoli Bunch

2 Mangoes

2 Baby Bok Choy

4 Red Bell Peppers

4 White Nectarines

2 Zucchini

1 Bunch of Collard Greens

4 Green Bell Peppers

2 Lettuce Heads

2 Yellow Peaches

2 Packs of Green Beans

1 Bunch of Curly Kale

2 Yellow Onion

Add On (at an extra cost):

1 Mini Watermelon

How I used the Produce:

I used the Kale and 1 Onion to make Kale and White Bean Soup (I also used the carrots I received from the previous week's box).

1 Red Pepper was added to Hungarian Beef Goulash - similar recipe but I seasoned my goulash with caraway seeds, dried rosemary and thyme. 

1 English Cucumber was used to make Cucumber - Tomato with sliced onions Salad (tomatoes from my garden) using a simple vinegar, salt and dill dressing.

With the Baby Boc Choy (this was a new veggie to me) I made garlic and lemon sauteed Boc Choy (I followed this receipe but cut the Boc Choy into smaller pieces). 

With the larger of the lettuce head, and part of an English Cucumber (plus tomatoes from my garden) I made a garden salad.

With 3 Red Peppers and one onion I made a double portion of my favorite Pasta Salad made with elbow macaroni pasta. The recipe is out of an german cookbook and includes ham, cheese, green olives, pickles, onions and red peppers. (everything is cubed, diced or sliced). The dressing is a simple oil, vinegar salt and pepper dresssing. 

1 Zucchini and the broccoli bunch were sauteed with garlic and served with fish.

Fruit was eaten fresh.

Still left:

All Green Beans. Wish I had put them in the freezer right away, but I kept thinking I'd be using them. However I never got around to it. They still looked ok yesterday when I checked and hope to either use them today or freeze them.

1/2 English Cucumber

Green Peppers (I am waiting on today's delivery where I will receive more green peppers so I can make Stuffed Green Peppers.)

What went in the trash:

Yes, even though I was really impressed with this box, I did have to throw out one Zucchini, one Nectarine, one small lettuce head and the Collard Greens. The Zucchini  had arrived very soft and squishy but I thought I'd still be able to use it, so I did not make a claim. (Probably could have but things have to be extremely bad looking for me to make a claim.)

The Nectarine ended up with a few moldy spots after several days (note to self: store in fridge!) 

The Collard Greens and the small lettuce head just started to look poor and wilty and I decided to throw them out....

It still was a great box and I feel like I just received too much and not enough time to use it all up! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you're interested in my other Misfits Market posts, you can see them all HERE.

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday- August Challenge

Hello and welcome to the August theme of Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday, right here on my blog! I'm so happy you decided to check it out and maybe you'll decide to play along too! Thank you everyone for your continued support in my challenges! It was great seeing all your wonderful entries.

This Month's Theme

For the month of August I've selected one of my favorite themes:

Something Beginning with "B". 

How about Blossoms, Butterflies, Birds, Beach, Bench, Bow, Bonnet, Blue? And so many more options! I think this is the perfect theme for the month of August and hope you'll play along!

*Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.

My B's are the color Blue, Blossoms and Blotches.

The stamp I used is by Penny Black - Painter's Vase. It's actually a two piece stamp set, I've not used the vase part on today's card and only the poppies. For this card I decided to ink them up in shades of blue. I used Distress Oxide Tumbled Glass, then went over the flower edges with Faded Jeans Distress marker and over the stems I used a Wild Honey Distress marker. Since the stems were blue to begin with the two colors mixed and it turned into a brownish -green stem.

The music notes on the background were done with an old stamp from Hero Arts and Old Paper Distress ink. This stamp would be an alternative option. Then I flicked some diluted distress inks onto the background using the same inks I used on the flowers with a tiny bit of Chipped Sapphire ink too.

The sentiment is part of the set Blooming Sentiments, also from Penny Black. It's been stamped using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.

I paper pierced along the edges using an old template and piercing kit from Stampin Up. I'm sure there are similar tools available, but for some reason I could not find any. Before adhering the card to the base, I inked up the edges using the same inks again.

Last Month Top Picks:

As I have mentioned last month, I am discontinuing the prizes (started with the July challenge and going forward), but of course I am still going to select my top picks. 

As always, in order to be in compliance with GDPR I am not able to post links, but I have decided to create a Pinterest Board where my Top Picks of the month will be pinned with links back to each Top Pick's blogs. 

No. 32 Carole J. 

No. 49 Craftartista

No. 56 Hazel

See the Top Picks's Creations HERE on Pinterest.

Congratulations! Your Top Pick logo is below, feel free to post it to your own blogs!

To play along in this month's challenge simply use the linky tool below. The usual guidelines apply:

• Enter up to 3 times with a new project.
• You may combine with any other challenges.
• You may use any brand of stamps/digis (no company restriction)
• Please add a link back here to my blog