TEENY TINY FRIDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!

Today I decided I would satisfy my never ending "compulsion to do something crafty" by making a  couple of  teeny tiny cards .. .. which for anyone new to my blog measure a whole 9cm square.

These are what my little crafty session produced 

Firstly a birthday card .. .. .. 

This used:

Image:  Altenew Leaf Canopy Stamp and Die Set
Sentiment:  LOTV Embossed Labels
Frame:  MFT-926 Stitch Round Square Frame

Distress Oxide Inks:  Evergreen Bough, Iced Spruce and Broken China

Ribbon

Papers and card from snippet mountain

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and then a Christmas card to help with that new year resolution I rashly made to produce a Festive card every week.  My 2024 Christmas card total is now 13!  .. .. woo hoo!!

and this used:

Stampin Up! Die Set:  Hearts Come Home

Sentiment:  LOTV Christmas Sentiment Tags

Frame:  MFT-926 Stitch Round Square Frame

Card and Papers from Snippet Mountain

Die Cut Snowflake

Ribbon

My Trusty Sewing Machine

My crafty supplies are "very slowly" starting to get packed away (but to be totally honest every other room in the house is much further forward .. .. including the kitchen!!)  Note my order of importance .. .. .. yes .. .. .. I can go without kitchen supplies much more easily than I can cope without crafting goodies LOL!!!).  

Mr Heart is becoming aware of just how many snippets I have actually accumulated over the years .. .. .. most of which I blame on years of wedding work which have resulted in mountains of offcuts that I could never bring myself to part with .. .. just in case!  LOL!!!.  After all a placename card doesn't need much card at all does it!

Wedding invitations invariably had RSVP cards and a small envelope for returning it, so I have been turning some of the offcuts into card blanks that will fit into the last of the small envelopes that are still in my collection, and I am passing these to a local charity store.  They make up little craft packs which they sell out of as quickly as they make them.  They have also gained quite a lot from "snippet mountain" for adding into the packs .. .. because lets face it .. .. .. we never run out of them do we?  I am sure they breed whilst we are asleep.

Last time we did a drop off to them they showed me the craft packs they had been putting together in their "crafty corner" .. .. they looked lovely .. .. but I resisted the temptation to buy one!  LOL!!!

Anyway, catch you soon with my new sketch for this week.  Be good until then!

SORT OUT THAT CRAFT STUFF MRS HEART

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend is going well.

My time this week has been spent doing more sorting and packing ahead of our impending move, but in an attempt to stop Mr Heart keep shaking his head in disbelief at everything "crafty" I have been trying to focus more on my craft supplies this week and make those take up less space than they currently do. 

Out of sight, out of mind, where Mr Heart is concerned, but not true for me.

Just because he has done the shed and "most" of the garage I think he feels I should be further forward with my crafty packing .. .. but the difference is I actually "use" my supplies on a daily basis .. .. and his outdoor belongings only ever came out "if they really, really had to" which would be "once in a blue moon" LOL!!!

But I did have a break from the sorting today in order to create my weekly new sketch and Christmas card.  I promise I am not going to be turning into a Christmas card blog .. .. it just feels that way at the moment. Things will improve eventually, I promise.

So here we go with Christmas card number 12

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3986J" Crystal Wreath
Sentiment:  Penny Black .. .. sorry will add later
Backing Papers:  from snippet mountain, but originally from The Lovely Studio (miss you Liz)xx
X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch

Ribbon

Gold Gems
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and sketch number 18 which has gone into my rectangular sketch file today.

Please feel free to use my sketches if you like the look of any of them.  You can find them on the tabs at the top of my blog.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

SEIZE THE BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 276

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday .. .. I hope your week is off to a good start.

Here today with a card for the Seize the Birthday Challenge where you have the option of "anything goes" (as long as it has a birthday theme), or you can add the special "topping" and follow the option for this challenge of "kraft and another colour".

Being a big fan of kraft card I went for that option and created this:

Yep, it is that card design again .. .. .. the one I just can't stop making .. .. LOL!!!

This used:

Digital Sentiment:  LOTV "Stamp Block Sentiment"
Spellbinders Nestabilities: Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
Card and Papers from Snippet Mountain
Ribbon
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Time is running out on this challenge so I had better run and link up fast .. .. ..

Have a good week, and many thanks for everyone's lovely comments on my previous post. 

NEW SKETCH AND CHRISTMAS 2024 CARD NUMBER 11

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a really good week.

Mine has been brilliant because we got the news from the hospital yesterday that we have been waiting for .. .. .. for what has felt like an eternity, 

No more treatments, no more tests, no more injections, and no more oncology appointments for six months. Woo hoo!!!  I now just have to hope that my appetite returns and I start to significantly gain some weight .. .. .. otherwise I am back in 3 months.  

.. .. but for now I can return to where I am truly happy .. .. .. the amazing and super lovely subject of crafting and blogging, which is where I am always super happy.

This card used:

Image:  Penny Black "2754H" Xmas Kiss
Sentiment:  Penny Black "30-2592 Wonderful & Jolly
Papers and card from Snippet Mountain
X-Cut corner rounding punch
Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
ProMarkers
Hot Fix Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and rectangular sketch number seventeen which looks like this:

I hope you are all having a good weekend and manage to find a bit of crafting time .. .. .. and if anyone fancies having a play with one of my sketches then please feel free to do so.  You can find them all on the tab at the top of my blog.

SNIPPET TIME

Hi Everyone 

Happy February!  

I can't believe that we are one month of the year down already!!!!

Today I got my homework completed for handing into the current Snippets Playground Challenge. 

This challenge is where we are encouraged to use our offcuts of card, paper, fabric, ribbon etc to create something .. .. .. and believe me I am surrounded by snippets of just about any variety you can think of because I hate waste, and struggle to part with anything I feel I could turn into something else.

Anyway, this is what I have created for this fortnight using one of the very first stamps I ever bought .. .. .. many, many, many years ago!

Below are the snippets I picked to create with

 .. .. .. not that I used them all .. .. .. and I replaced the grey snippet with a black one 

Not much to report "ingredient wise"

Image:  Anita's .. .. but no name or reference number on it .. .. just a red reduced sticker that has stayed in place even after all those years!  LOL!!!

Sentiment:  Computer generated
Papers and card from snippet mountain

X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch

Woodware Circle Die

My Trusty Sewing Machine

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

A SIMPLE HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hi Everyone

I hope your week has got off to a good start.

Just flying in and out quickly tonight with a birthday card I enjoyed making yesterday and photographed this morning whilst there was "a hint" of decent sunshine !!!!  .. .. .. 

This used:

My Favorite Things Die-namics "MFT-2351" Happy Birthday Centerpieces Die
Backing Paper from The Works
My Trusty Sewing Machine
and various bits of card from Snippet Mountain

I love making this type of card because it uses us some of those snippets  .. .. and feels a bit like doing a jigsaw!

So short and sweet from me for a change.

Hope everyone is doing OK.  Take care.

NEW RECTANGULAR SKETCH AND CHRISTMAS 2024 CARD NUMBER 10

Hi Everyone

Here at last after another chaotic week.

I was hoping for a crafting week .. .. .. be that actually creating .. ..  .. or packing/organising more of my crafty belongings but unfortunately life had other plans and my full creative week didn't happen .. .. .. but I have manage to grab a few hours here and there so mustn't complain.

Today though priority had to be given to my new sketch and Christmas card for this week as I want my new year resolution to produce both weekly to continue unblemished .. .. .. my Christmas card stock is into double figures already and it isn't even February yet!  Woo hoo!!!

This used:

Image with sentiment:  Whipper Snapper "BY802" Let It Snow Snowmen (a very old image and one where there are actually five snowmen on the stamp .. .. but I split the party up and only used three)
Backing Paper:  From snippet mountain, but I remember it coming from a paper pad from The Works (because I am sad like that LOL!!)

Spellbinders Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
ProMarkers
Ribbon

Crystal Glamour Dust

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and my new sketch for this week .. .. Rectangular Sketch Number Sixteen

Hope everyone has had a good week and fingers crossed I will be here again very soon .. .. .. can you believe January has nearly disappeared already!!!

TEENY TINY TUESDAY

2024 CHRISTMAS CARDS (NUMBERS THREE TO NINE)

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good Saturday.

Another weekend is upon us .. .. and they certainly seem to be coming around very quickly.  I am here with my Christmas make for this week .. .. well actually a little batch of  Christmas cards. 

Super quick to physically put together, but lots of time was invested in actually creating the image panel which to be honest I did a while ago.  It was originally created using Serif Craft Artist on my old computer (before it sadly died) but thankfully I had some printed off ready to use.  

So I am now trying to master Affinity Craft Designer along with Windows 11 and I have to admit I have a sneaky feeling it might be a bit beyond my capabilities .. .. .. but I am enjoying trying to master it (sort of LOL!!) and won't be giving in without putting up a good fight.

So here is my little batch:

These used:

Image:  Created using a mixture of images from a variety of downloads I purchased from a very talented lady called Lisa from Lisa Glanz Graphics 
Sentiment:  Computer generated
My trusty sewing machine

and that is me for today.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all managing to keep reasonably warm.  Super nippy weatherwise here that's for sure!

Quite late doing my homework for the Snippets Playground Challenge this fortnight .. .. and I don't want to miss this super special one .. .. because it celebrates Miss Di very bravely, and successfully, taking over the playground keys 12 years ago! (that is nearly halfway to getting the silver carriage clock that used to be the traditional gift you received as a "long service award" when you worked hard at the same place for 25 years!). 

Normally the snippet challenge rules are simply to use up as many "offcuts" as we can .. .. but for this super special landmark there is also a theme to follow of "celebration".   This can be "any" celebration .. .. but it does need to be obvious what the celebratory occasion is.

This is my celebratory card .. .. .. to celebrate what everyone in the world needs .. .. .. "love"! 

This used:

Snippets from snippet mountain

Sentiments: Computer generated

Spellbinders Heart Die

Ribbon 

X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and my new sketch for this week, which for a change is a square one .. .. .. 

I am trying to find ways to use up some of the ribbon that is in my craft collection and after seeing this lovely card on Jill's blog (Ribbon Challenged), my brain wondered if you could perhaps do something similar using ribbon instead of folded paper, and a quick You Tube search found this lady here had played with the same idea.

So thank you ladies for the inspiration.

I made my card yesterday evening and sadly it was too dark to take a decent picture of my "starting snippets" .. .. they all got rejected as too rubbish to post.  But hopefully I won't have to write too many lines when my homework gets marked in the Playground office!

Take care everyone.

Will catch you tomorrow with my Christmas card for this week, but will leave by extending a big thank you to Di for her "staying power" and to Sarn who is her trusty assistant.  Between them they provide us with such great entertainment and inspiration .. .. .. and long may it continue .. .. ..  mwah!!!

Still time to enter folks if you have any snippets you need to use up!

CHRISTMAS 2024 - CARD NUMBER TWO

Hi Everyone

Sorry for having been so quiet on the blogging front .. .. chaos reigns at the moment in the House of Hearts now that we are getting to the serious end of moving home. 

If I was to say that this has been our "family home" where we have lived very happily for nearly 33 years .. .. .. and our new home will be about a third of the size of our current one .. .. .. you will get some idea of how much we need to part with.  So if anyone has any great ideas of how to fit a quart into a pint pot then please share!  Pretty, pretty please!

I have been busy packing away crafting supplies that will definitely be moving with me, and there is an organised corner, in the spare bedroom where the boxes that are "good and ready to go" are starting to be stacked.   But that is all that is "organised".  The rest is one big jumble of chaos.

Strange thing is I am not finding it hard to part with most things (as long as they aren't craft related).  The crafting side is where I am struggling.

Add to this the fact that a solicitor asked us to collect belongings relating to a "late pretend Auntie" who had volunteered us to be her executors .. .. .. so now we have to sort through those things too.   Sigh!!!

Anyway, before the week disappears I am determined to get Christmas card number two into my collection (I can't break my new year resolution on week two!!!) and yet again it also has the honour of using my new sketch for this week:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2238K" Jingle All The Way (the image is really a trio of hedgies but one absconded!).

Sentiment:  Computer generated using font "Grilled Cheese"

Backing Papers from Snippet Mountain (which are about all I am going to be left with the more packing I get done)

ProMarkers
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and of course my new rectangular sketch number 15 .. .. .. 

and that is me for today!

Take care everyone and I hope you have some of the lovely sunshine we have had here today.

STARTING TO WORK ON MY "RASH PROMISES"

Hi Everyone

Well, now Christmas has been packed away it is time to start working on some of those rash promises I made (otherwise known as new year resolutions). 

"One" of the "many" rash promises this year is to design and add a new sketch to my collection each week.  One which I feel should be easy to keep. 

I do love sketches and find they speed up the cardmaking process immensely, and as my rectangular library is the one that is lagging behind in the number stakes, they will probably be my main focus for a little while.  (For anyone new to my blog, all of my sketches - square and rectangular are on a tab at the top of my blog .. .. please feel free to use them if you like the look of any of them).

So this is my new sketch for this week: 

and this is how I have used it

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3741K" Filigree Tree
Sentiment:  Jande Summer via Etsy Merry Christmas and Heart Text
Design Papers:  All from snippet mountain (which is all I am going to have left to play with soon)
Spellbinders:  Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
Gems
Snowflake from my snowflake box
ProMarkers (well one .. .. for adding a bit of colour to that fabby tree)
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am making no apologies for posting a Christmas card so soon after the festive season has ended because another rash promise I have made is to make "at least one" Christmas card each week (and if I can keep this promise then it will be wonderful as I will have at least 50 cards come December - woo hoo!)

This particular card fits into a challenge I haven't had chance to play along with for quite some time (sorry Jo) .. .. The Christmas Kickstart Challenge .. .. .. which this time is calling for "The Midas Touch" .. .. .. which simply means include some gold on your creation.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.  We had a cold and frosty start today and judging by the number of people who are walking up and down our road, quite a few have resolved to be more active!!!  Not something I need to worry about doing .. .. I probably need to do the opposite and slow down a bit!!    LOL!!!

It is now back to more sorting and packing ready for our move, but not until I have put an insert into today's Christmas card "straight away" .. .. another resolution I need to work on.  

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW

Hi Everyone

Happy 2024 .. .. .. before the first day of the year disappears!

Here's hoping it is going to be a brilliant year for us all and that everyone has recovered from the new year celebrations.

I love the excitement a new year brings.

Of course the impending house move is our main focus at the moment, but we don't have any dates or timescales and so far it has been "clearing out and passing on" .. .. .. and surprisingly we found this quite easy once we got into the swing of it .. .. .. but it has also been very time consuming and physical hard work at times.

The hardest part of the move for me is going to be packing my craft goodies away.  I do get serious withdrawal symptoms when I can't do any crafting.  Even when we have been away for long weekends in the past I have got a bit depressed about leaving my craft goodies behind .. .. .. and sneak a bit of colouring into my packing so I can have a "quick fix" at least.

I do feel I am a bit obsessed with "making things" and if I can't physically be making things then my brain is thinking about it and planning, or I watch other people crafting on You Tube, and look for new things to try on Pinterest.  There is just so much I want to do / make / try.  Oh, I hope I never lose that feeling of wanting to improve and experiment with new techniques.

I have started looking around my craft room and packing some things away .. .. .. but I know full well that whatever I pack then within the blink of an eye I will want to use it and will be rummaging back in the boxes!  LOL!!!

Might just have to limit what I leave out to play with!!

But one thing has already become obvious in my attempts to start packing.  No more buying of design pads or ribbon until what I already have has reduced by at least three quarters!!!  LOL!!!

So a quick share of my favourite make of last year (not that there were that many to be honest .. .. sorry) .. .. .. you wouldn't believe how many different versions of this card I have made over the last few weeks .. .. .. and I have enjoyed making every one.  

I haven't yet done a "new baby" or a "new home" version though.

Hopefully catch you again soon and again, I wish everyone the very best for 2024!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!  Has anyone else lost track of the days .. .. or is that just me?  LOL!!

Christmas has been lovely here .. .. and I hope that yours has been too.

As much as I love Christmas and the excitement it brings, I also enjoy the calmness that seems to descend straight afterwards .. .. .. when all the rushing about and last minute panics all disappear into thin air .. .. .. and you make those rash promises to be more organised next year, so that everything isn't so stressful next time December comes around!  

I have made lots of "rash promises" (some might call them New Year Resolutions) and if just half of them could materialise into reality I will be pleased because even that will be an improvement.

My fingers have already got "itchy" after a few days of not crafting, and I had a quick play with my snippets before everyone else was awake and created this for taking over to the Snippets Playground Challenge, where they would like to see us use up those leftovers we hoard to create "anything but a Christmas card".

and these are the snippets I gathered together to use

This used:

Lots of snippets (card, paper and ribbon)
Another cheap and cheerful die from Amazon

LOTV:  Sentiment Tag Stamps
Corner Rounding Punch

Nail Heads
Eyelet and Eyelet Setter
My Trusty Sewing Machine

So there we are .. .. my crafty fingers satisfied (for two minutes) and a very, very slight reduction in snippet mountain.  Not that I used all the ones I originally grabbed to play with.

A lovely blog buddy, Pauline C, who has a very inspirational blog called Passion for Papercraft asked about the stamp I used on my Christmas Day post.  It is a Penny Black Stamp called Brush Pines and if you click here it will take you to the original blog post and all the ingredients used to create the original card.

Enjoy the rest of the Christmas break.

Hopefully catch you again very soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Hi Everyone 

Just calling by with a scheduled post to wish everyone the very best Christmas you could possibly have, however you are spending it .. .. .. and re-posting one of my favourite Christmas makes from times gone by .. .. .. and one I keep meaning to repeat and haven't!

Have a good one!

HAPPY AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!