Winners Post!!

Hi Ladies

Thanks so much for visiting my blog for the Hero Arts Hostess Picnic Blog Hop  this week and leaving all the

 lovely comments. 

My husband has randomly picked the winning comment for the HA stamps and the winner is!!!!  TONA The flower card is beautiful & the kite card is too fun! 

Congratulations Tona please can you email me your full postal address and I promise I will get them in the post as soon as I return from my holiday in two weeks time!!

I am off to France now for a well earned rest.

Hugs

 

Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Hop!

Today is the forth day of the hop, I hope you have enjoyed it so far!!

I was thrilled to be asked to be part of another Hero Hostess blog hop, as they say 'once a hostess always a hostess' and Hero Arts are such a great company that its always a fun to be part of these events!!

 Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning!

 If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Arts Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to: blog@heroarts.com.

• Your next stop on the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop is the very talented Marcy

at http://enpapillotearts.blogspot.co.uk/

My card is more about the beautiful countryside in the summer rather that a picnic design, I thought the Painted Flower (K5767) stamp looked so like a poppy that I used it to make this one layer card.  I kept thinking of the ripened corn fields with all the gorgeous poppies that we see in the UK.  The one layer also reflects this months HA challenge.  I used low tac masking tape round the edges then stamped the flower with distress inks, masked the flower and added the Silhouette Grass (S5316).  I am going to add a sentiment when I use the card.

I got a bit carried away and made a second card featuring the lovely 'Kite' stamp in the Picnic clear set (Cl599)



I have paper pieced the kites and layered onto a base made from the Postcard Stamp (S5665) and Tweed Background (S5654).

And now for my picnic recipe, its a vegetarian pie that can be eaten hot or cold so perfect for those summer days when you take the family out. 

Goats Cheese and Walnut Tarts

Serves 6.

Can be made ahead and frozen as a raw pie, just cook when needed.

Ingredients.

125g (4 ½oz) spinach leaves

150g ( 5oz) soft goats cheese

2 shallots chopped

50g (2oz) walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1½ tsp honey

500g pack puff pastry

120g log rinded goats cheese

1egg beaten

You will need a 4¾ inch pastry cutter

1. Heat oven to 200C, 180C fan oven or Gas mark 6
2. Wilt the spinach in a pan, squeeze out water and chop.  Mix with the soft goats cheese and season.
3. In a pan cook shallots and walnuts in the oil until softened, season and add honey.
4. Roll out pastry and cut 12 rounds, place 6 rounds on a large oiled baking sheet.
5. Spoon on the spinach mixture followed by a round of the rind cheese and a spoon of the walnut mix.
6. Put on the other six pastry rounds as lids and seal, brush with beaten egg and cut a slit in the top. Bake for 10 t0 15 minutes until golden brown.
7. Serve hot or take on a picnic and serve with a salad.
8. The perfect vegetarian summer pie!!

Lastly I would like to do a little give away to celebrate summer and to thank you all for taking the time to visit my blog and leave me comments. I would love it if you came a follower of my blog but its not essential. I will make a drawing on Saturday but as I am going on holiday on Sunday morning I will not be able to post it out till I get back.

Summer Days!

We are having beautiful weather here in the UK at the moment and  I have noticed quite a few butterflies in my garden, so I have been inspired to pull out my Antique Engraving set again and make this card with paper pieced butterflies.  Here is a closeup of them attached by just the middle so I could lift the wings for more dimension.

At last I have found time for a little creating, life is so busy at work at the moment that crafting has taken a back seat, still School breaks for the summer in just over a week and I can't wait!!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Two more weeks till the end of term here in the UK and its been so busy that I have been to tired to craft.  The only card I have made is this one for my cousins daughter Rachel.  She has her own business making celebration cakes and cup cakes, her company is called "Miss Pink Cupcakes" hence the card I made.  I got the idea from a card I saw on Pinterest.

We are heading for a sunny weekend here in the UK, hope it stays nice where you are.