My photo
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.

Saturday 30 January 2021

SATURDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday .. .. .. I hope you are managing to find something to keep you amused .. .. .. especially if your day has been as dull and miserable as it is here.

Can you believe we are nearly into February?  I get the feeling this is going to be yet another year that is going to fly by in the blink on an eye!

Lots on my "do list" today, but for now I thought I would post a card that I started last night and finished first thing this morning.  It utilises lots of snippets (everything on this card was a snippet other than the actual base card.   This means I can take it over to Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge.




This used:

Image:  AALL & Create "Eclectic Stems" (well one of the flowers from the set)
Sentiment:  Polkadoodles "PD7995" Super Sentiments
X-Cut:  Mini Die "Buttons"
Fineliner Pens
My Trusty Sewing Machine


Off to the playground now to wave my creation in the air .. .. .. sadly it is the first time I have visited this year .. .. .. will have to make amends on that front if I am going to reduce the size of my snippet mountain(s)!!  LOL!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.


Wednesday 27 January 2021

EVER MADE A STENCIL?

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.

Have you ever made your own stencil?

I have often made them from paper or thin card and end up throwing them away eventually because they clearly aren't going to last very long.

Well the other day I had a brainwave and I finally got chance to try my idea out.

I laminated a piece of thin paper and then die cut into it lots of different shapes in a variety of sizes:



This is what I then did with it, using a cream base and card blank:




This used:

My home made stencil
Distress Inks:  Hickory Smoke, Peeled Paint and Tattered Rose
Sentiment:  Clearly Besotted "Fancy Sayings"
Peg Stamps:  Rubber Stamp Tapestry "Moonlit Vase" for stamping through the stencil
Nail Heads
Ribbon
Twine
Charm
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Quite chuffed with my first attempt.  This stencil is definitely going to last .. .. .. and I think I will be making a few more!

I also laminated a thicker piece of card and have been using that as a blending mat!

So that is me for today .. .. the snow (and the neighbouring snowman who had already lost his head as we were going to bed) have now all disappeared so the roads are now going to be much much safer for those who need to use them.

Hopefully catch you again soon.

Tuesday 26 January 2021

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.

All that lovely snow I showed you yesterday is slowly disappearing .. .. .. and a snowmen that has been standing to attention in a front garden over the road from us is starting to get a bit of a lean on him.  I don't think he is going to have a head on his shoulders by morning.  Shame!!   But at least that means the roads are going to be an awful lot safer!

Today is Teeny, Tiny Tuesday when I try to make a small 3.5" square card .. .. and use up some of those ever increasing snippets of card and paper. 

This is my offering for today:



This used:

Butterfly Die Set "Crafter's Companion" Kaleidoscope of Butterflies (another fabby Christmas present xx)
Spellbinders: Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
Distress Ink:  Tattered Rose
Glitter
Gems
Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine


I hope everyone is as well as they can be.  

Stay safe and take care!  


Monday 25 January 2021

DID YOU GET ANY SNOW?

Hi Everyone

So Sunday here was pretty much non-stop snow .. ... and it made the day feel quite magical.

This is how much was left when we got up this morning:


I haven't seen this much snow in quite a while .. .. .. did you get any?

So with all the snow around what better than to make a snowflake card?




This used:

Snowflakes:  Bee Crafty "Yuletide Doodle Art Stamps - Snowflakes"
Sentiment:  Penny Black Clear Stamp Set "30-259" Wonderful & Jolly
Distress Ink Pads:  Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky & Faded Jeans
White Embossing Powder
Nail Head and Gems
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am taking this over to Fezziwig's Festive Frolics Challenge where the theme this fortnight is "anything festive goes".

So that is me for today  -  Christmas card number three into the box!!  Yay!! 

I wonder if we will have any more snow overnight!





Saturday 23 January 2021

LITTLE MIRACLE

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend has started well.

Our day started with snow .. .. .. great big flakes and lots of them .. .. .. but then the afternoon was lovely sunshine .. .. followed by an evening that has seen the temperatures fall and fall to give us a good thick frost on the cars etc.  I wonder what the night is going to bring?

Definitely feeling super sorry for all the people who have had their homes flooded .. .. what else can be thrown into the mix of misery I wonder?

Hopeful of some good news for someone further down the line here is a baby card from me today:




This used:

Image:  LOTV Baby Hammock
Sentiment:  LOTV Baby Sentiments
Backing Papers:  Nitwits Collection "Cherish"
First Edition Die
ProMarkers
Nail Heads
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend .. .. doing hopefully, whatever makes you happy!

Thursday 21 January 2021

THANKS

Hi Everyone

Thursday again already and I am flying by quickly with a card I made first thing this morning before taking my Auntie and Uncle for their Covid Vaccinations. Then this afternoon I headed off to Mum's laden with her shopping for the week and to make her one of her favourite dinners .. .. stew and dumplings.  

Home again now though so a quick post with my share for today.  Only two pictures today .. .. as I am rubbish at trying to take pictures of tent style cards "face on".  I don't know why I even bother trying as they never turn out successfully LOL!!!


This used:

Sizzix 3-D Embossing Folder "662716" Botanical
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set "664163" Wildflower Stems #1
Sentiment:  A magazine cover gift from ages ago
Vellum
Gold Embossing Powder
Distress Ink Pad:  "Speckled Egg"
Ribbon
Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine


and that is me for today.

Thank you for popping by and also for your lovely comments on my Teeny, Tiny Tuesday card.  I had to smile when people made reference to it looking "retro", because funnily enough, as I was posting up the photographs the background reminded me of the wallpaper my late Mum in Law used to have on her kitchen wall back in the 70's.  

Hopefully I will catch you tomorrow.


Tuesday 19 January 2021

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope your week is going well.

Tuesday here is always teeny tiny Tuesday .. .. the day my cards shrink to measure a whole 3.5 inches square .. .. .. and here is my offering for this week





This used:

Background Image:  Crafty Individuals "CI-490" Blossoms Repeating Background
Die-Namics Die Set:  Blueprints 14
Sentiment:  Clear Stamp Set "DigiStamp Boutique" sadly no longer trading
Distress Ink Pads
Onyx Black Versafine Ink Pad
Clear Embossing Powder
Ribbon
Twine
Pearls
My Trusty Sewing Machine

The background was created by stamping the image with the Black Versafine Ink and heat embossing it with clear embossing powder so that a mixture of distress inks could be blended across it and polished off.

.. .. .. and that is me for today.

Catch you again soon.

Sunday 17 January 2021

FEZZIWIGS FESTIVE FROLICS

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good weekend.  Rubbish weather here but an enjoyable couple of days nonetheless.  

Playing today with a lovely present that a very dear friend sent me for popping under my Christmas tree (thank you again if you should pop by here xxxx).



This used:

Backing Paper:  Ephrazy Design "Christmas Tartan" an Etsy store that isn't linkable at the moment
Sizzix Thinlits Dies "664210" Wreath & Snowflake (my lovely Christmas present)
and "664205" Circle Words Christmas
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am taking this over to Fezziwigs Festive Frolics Challenge where "anything festive" is the theme of the moment.  There are still a couple of days left to play along if, like me, are wanting to nail your Christmas cards nice and early this year!

Two Christmas cards in my box now!  Woo hoo!

Have a good week everyone.

Friday 15 January 2021

BE HAPPY

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday .. .. ahead of what I hope will be a happy weekend.

I know we don't have a lot to be happy about at the moment as things are getting extra worrying and scary virus wise .. .. .. but hopefully we all still do have reasons to be grateful for lots of things in our lives .. .. .. so perhaps we should concentrate on those to keep our spirits up.

Certainly for me my little craft pod keeps my spirits in a happy place .. .. .. I love to lose myself in there. 

This is my latest creation:




This used:

Image:  WhimsyDreamsClipart "Romantic Flowers" Digital Stamp
Sentiment:  LOTV "Embossed Labels"
Backing Paper from the snippet box
ProMarkers
Ribbon
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Hopefully catch you again soon.


Tuesday 12 January 2021

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope your Tuesday has gone well .. .. .. and you are finding enough to keep you occupied whilst in lockdown.

I have plenty to keep me out of mischief that's for sure.

Today I grabbed a few of the snippets that are haunting my craft pod and use them to make a teeny, tiny card.  For anyone new to my blog they are a whole 3.5 inches square.

No sentiment for this card .. .. I thought it would make a lovely little note card .. .. and at the same time it has potential for much larger cards too.  There is another bird in the stamp set and a couple of sentiments that I am sure will appear another day.




This used:

Image:  Woodware Clear Stamp Set "JGS701" Bird Blocks
ProMarkers
My Trusty Sewing Machine
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board


and that is me for today.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

Monday 11 January 2021

CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR

 But it comes to my blog multiple times a year - starting today!!  


Hi Everyone

I hope your week is off to a good start.

Flying in and out very quickly today with my very first Christmas card for 2021




This used:

Every stamp and die in the Sizzix stamp and die set "659376" Holiday - Joy
Creative Craft Products:  Side Stepper Card Die Set
Backing Paper:  Make & Create "Magical Christmas"
Spellbinders Dies:  Circle and Scallop Circle
Versafine Inkpads in a variety of colours
Ribbon
Gems
My Trusty Sewing Machine

This is for taking over to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme this fortnight is 

"Such a Deer"

So that is it .. .. Christmas card number one into the box!  Yay!!

Saturday 9 January 2021

MAKE A WISH . . . . .

Hi Everyone

I hope your Saturday has been a good one.

It has been quite productive here on many fronts .. .. .. which of course means the day has flown by .. .. .. but I did make time for a little crafty session this evening and created this:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2349K" best of luck!
Sentiment:  Woodware Clear Magic Singles "FRS009" Make a Wish
Backing Papers:  Craftwork Cards "The Potting Shed" and a snippet from "The Lovely Studio"
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and for all of you who sadly received torture finding the heart on my last post .. .. .. it was here:


sitting tucked away under the black layer in the top right corner.

It wouldn't do for them all to be easy would it? LOL!!

Catch you again soon and thank you to everyone who so diligently seek the heart in what I create.