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A very warm welcome to my teeny, tiny part of the huge world of blogging. This is where I share my passion for making hand made greeting cards. So - why "Always with a Heart"? Well this is for two reasons. Firstly, it is because every card I produce carries a heart on it somewhere. This can be big and bold or small and almost hidden - the fun sometimes is just trying to find it! Secondly it is because I put my heart into everything I produce. I hope that any visitors enjoy seeing what I post. If you drop by then please leave me a comment so that I know you called. It would be nice to know that you have found my heart in what I do.

Wednesday 30 September 2020

PARIS

Hi Everyone

I hope Wednesday has gone well for you.  Definitely a dip in the weather here.

A quick play this evening created this:



This used:

Image:  Polly's Paper "French Tags"
Backing Papers:  Make & Create "Floral"
Memory Box:  Moonlight Butterfly teamed with Kaleidoscope Butterfly
Unbranded Circle and Fishtail Die 
Ribbon
Resin Rose
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

No sentiment on this one .. .. I will add one later .. .. or then again I might not.  It may not need one.

Have a good day tomorrow and I will hopefully catch you soon.


Tuesday 29 September 2020

PEACE ON EARTH

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has been good and productive.

This evening I sat playing on a little lap tray in front of the TV .. .. armed with just a few supplies I came up with this little scrapling card which is made from the offcuts I get left with after making my card bases.  I trim them a little to measure 6.5 x 13.5cm.

Quick and easy to do, the masks took me longer to produce than the actual card!  But I love the finished look and will be making lots of them .. .. on my knee!  LOL!!

A quick run upstairs to my sewing machine and this is what I ended up with:



This used:

Image and sentiment:  Penny Black "3907J" A wish for all time
Stormy Sky Distress Ink
Promarkers
My Trusty Sewing Machine


Quite a short recipe list .. .. .. but the perfect amount of goodies for working on a lap tray.  I often play on one of those when making my teeny tiny and scrapling cards.  The perfect size for a small guillotine and a stack of card and design paper offcuts!

So an extra Christmas card from me this month which is good because I wanted to play along with the Rudolph Days Challenge for September where the theme is always "anything goes .. .. as long as it is Christmas".

So that is me for today - another day just about done and dusted.  Why do they have to fly by so quickly?


Monday 28 September 2020

MERRY

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has been good.

All super busy here at the moment so the days are flying by in the blink of an eye.  I can't believe it is nearly October already!

Here today with my last Christmas card for September.  All five now complete.

This one is for taking over to Fezziwigs Festive Frolics Challenge where the theme this fortnight is "Inside Out".   This means the inside has to be decorated as well as the outside and this is what I came up with:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2521K" Snowy used with matching die.
Sentiment:  Crafter's Companion "Festive Wishes"
Backing Paper:  The Works
Stag Die:  Sizzix "659376" Holiday Joy
Spellbinders Circle Die
Tree Die was unbranded from Amazon
ProMarkers
White Gel Pen
Acetate
Fineliner Pen
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink

and that is me for today.

Enjoy Tuesday when it arrives.


Saturday 26 September 2020

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Hope your weekend has got off to a good start.

It has been very windy here today and there has been a real nip in the air .. .. .. so much so that the woolly jumpers and heating have had to go on! 

I haven't had much chance to join in any challenges this week so decided to put that to rights and play along with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.   Their theme is always "anything goes" (provided it uses some Penny Black goodies) .. .. .. and there is also an "optional" theme each month.  

This month the optional theme is "your favourite colours". 

Personally, and I don't know why, my favourite colours change quite frequently.  Does that happen to anyone else? 

For years and years and years my favourite colour was blue .. .. .. then when I started to do my wedding stationery work I found myself warming to colours I had previously dismissed and really enjoyed creating stationery in colours that were not traditional "safe and pretty" colours .. .. .. which was brilliant for business because they "stood out" on exhibition displays and created lots of interest in my work (a little tip there if anyone is thinking of venturing into wedding stationery work in the future .. .. .. once things settle down in the world of weddings again of course).

Anyway, my current favourite colours are "purple and aqua" which I have used to create this:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3377K" Whispers
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Sentiment Bundle - Everyday" (sadly no longer trading .. .. boo hoo!)
Backing Papers:  Nitwits Collection "Heartstrings"
Spellbinder Dies:  Oval and Scallop Oval
Butterfly Die:  Magazine Freebie
Distress Ink Pad:  Dusty Concord
Corner Rounding Punch
Ribbon
Pearls
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.


Thursday 24 September 2020

BALLOON PUP

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday .. .. .. it is Thursday isn't it ?!?!? 

It has been one of those weeks where I have been trying to cram far too much in .. .. .. and I have had to keep stopping to work out exactly what day it is.  

Weddings have once again all changed.  My happy couples who had already had to cull their attendance numbers down to 30 are now having to reduce them yet again to 15.  That can't be easy!  

So many changes that won't be popular, but we all just have to do what we can to stay safe don't we.  

I actually had time for a quick play this evening and I created this fun card:




This used:

Image:  Bugaboo Stamps "Pup Balloons"
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique (sadly no longer trading)
Backing Papers:  Craft Sensations "Basics"
ProMarkers
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.



Monday 21 September 2020

BABY GIRL

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday .. ..  I hope your day has gone well, though listening to the news it doesn't instil much confidence that the week is going to be a smooth ride.

Today I have been trying to boost up my supply of baby girl cards.  There are lots of baby boy cards in my box and not a single baby girl.  This was my favourite of  the day: 



This used:

Image:  Pink Petticoat (who are now rebranded as The Lovely Studio, but this image didn't get transferred over).
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using Font "Annie BTN"
Backing Papers:  The Lovely Studio "Tiniest Pretty Little Hearts"
ProMarkers
Ribbon
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine


Saturday 19 September 2020

FABULOUS BIRTHDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend has got off to a good start .. .. .. no-doubt we are all sitting with bated breath wondering when our own personal lockdown is going to come into effect.  Or will it be another national one?  

Many thanks for the lovely comments on my previous post.  It really was a lovely card to make.

Tonight's play session created this:



and used:

Image & Matching Dies:  A magazine covergift
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique clear stamp  (sadly no longer trading)  Boo hoo!
Backing Papers:  Craft Sensations "Blackboard"
Memento Dewdrop Ink Pads
Ribbon
Jelly Sticker
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Catch you again tomorrow .. .. all being well.


Friday 18 September 2020

BELIEVE

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a good Friday.

Before I start I will apologise for posting "yet another" Christmas card .. .. .. .. but I seem to be in Christmas mode at the moment and feel I need to make the most of that.

My card today was inspired by a little video I saw on Pinterest demonstrated by Tracey from Lavinia Stamps .. .. you can find it here if you want a little "look see".

Here is my version



This used:

Images:  Card-io Collection "Mini Tall Trees" and Penny Black "PB-4342K" Berry Tree
Sentiment:  Penny Black Clear Stamp Set "PB-30-310" Believe
Ranger Distress Ink:  Stormy Sky
Red Stickles
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Thank you for the inspiration Tracey xx .. .. .. .. This was so enjoyable to make that there is definitely going to be a batch making session of these happening here! 


Thursday 17 September 2020

ROCKER CARD

 Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday.

I hope that your day has gone well. 

Today I am merging three challenges into one with this little creation:


This used:

X-Cut Large Circle Dies
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Dies "Layered Poinsettia"
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder "Snowflakes"
Distress Ink "Shabby Shutters"
LOTV Christmas Labels
Ribbon and Cord
Pearls
Eyelet
Diamond Stickles

I am entering this little creation into the following challenges:

Fezziwig's Festive Frolicks - where the theme is to make an interactive card (hopefully my rocker card counts)

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - where the theme is "White on White" but you are allowed a "pop of colour"

Pixie's Snippets Playground -  where each fortnight we are encouraged to use up our snippets .. .. .. lots of white snippets are stashed away here that's for sure .. .. .. and a few of them were used up here.

Of course the fun with rocker cards is balancing them so they stand straight in-between rocking sessions .. .. .. I am sure the tiny heart made all the difference LOL!!

That is me for today with September Christmas card number 3 popped into the box.

I will catch you again soon.


Wednesday 16 September 2020

FRIENDS FOREVER

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!

I hope you have all had a good day.  No bright sunshine made an appearance here today but at least the day was dry.

So I finished playing with my die set today .. .. and as I guessed it would the teeny tiny card idea went out of the window as there were far too many lovely die-cuts I wanted to use.  

This is what I created instead



This used:

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set:  "663087" Funky Foliage
Sentiment:  Sorry not sure - one that was sitting in my sentiment box waiting to be used
ProMarkers
Clear Wink of Stella Pen
Butterfly Ribbon
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder "Script"
Tag Die (unbranded from Amazon)
Distress Ink "Tea Dye"
Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine

So many lovely and useful elements created from just one die set:

I am taking my creation over to the Little Red Wagon Challenge when the theme this week is Nature, Flora or Fauna.

Is it just me or does that little toadstool on the right look like a little person?


Tuesday 15 September 2020

I ONLY WANTED ONE TOADSTOOL

Hi Everyone

I hope Tuesday has been kind to you.  

The day has whizzed by here and this evening I escaped to my craft pod with an idea of what I wanted to create .. .. part of which involved a toadstool.

But once I started playing I'm afraid I couldn't stop at just a toadstool .. .. and I haven't ended up with anything finished to share .. .. just the "beginnings" of a collection of die cuts assembled ready for use.  

There are still lots more to be cut and put together .. .. ..


This is the first time I have had chance to play with this die set and I can't believe just how cute it is.  Can't wait to get back to them in the morning.

I wonder how I will use them now?  Probably not the teeny, tiny creation I had in my mind at the start of my play session.

Catch you tomorrow when I will hopefully have put them to good use.


Monday 14 September 2020

SENDING CHRISTMAS WISHES

Hi Everyone

I hope you all had a good weekend.  Our weather was fantastic .. .. and it has been today too.  

It would be lovely if Mr Sunshine decided to stay around for a while.

I am here today with my second Christmas card for September.  It is the result of my first play using the new style of Lili of the Valley Digi Stamps. 



This used:

Image:  LOTV "Sending Christmas Wishes"
Backing Paper:  LOTV "Krafty Red and White"
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

For anyone who hasn't seen this new range from LOTV - you layer images on top of patterned paper (it will work with any digital papers).  The image remains white on the patterned paper so you can colour it

The images come with full step by step instructions on how to use them and I couldn't wait to have a try.  

Really pleased with how this has turned out .. .. might have to nip back and pick up a few more images before the sale ends!


Saturday 12 September 2020

HURRAY FOR THE WEEKEND

Hi Everyone

Hurrah .. .. .. the weekend is here and I am going to treat myself to a much overdue weekend of "chill time"!  (Please say the world doesn't have different plans for me).

Yesterday was our youngest son's birthday .. .. .. .. so a music themed card was in order and this year I came up with this card for him.  Not sure what the name of this type of card fold is .. .. but it is one I love using:





This used:

Image:  Etsy "Piano Keys" by Blessings Etc
Backing Papers:  The Works
Distress Ink:  Weathered Wood
Spellbinders Circular Die
Cord
Charm
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

No sentiment on the front, each one I tried took away the impact of the lovely piano key image .. .. but there were lots of lovely words inside on the sections you can't see (those are private .. .. I don't want everyone to know how soppy I am LOL!!!),

So enjoy your weekend everyone .... .... I hope it can be as relaxing and lazy as I am hoping mine will be.