CROSSING BRIDGES

Hi Everyone

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

A bit of everything done here today .. .. which thankfully included some crafty time as I still need lots of  birthday cards .. .. hence this little make:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3206J" Crossing Bridges
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Aracne Condensed"
Backing Papers:  Make & Create "Sweet Garden Roses"
X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch
ProMarkers
Nail Heads
Ribbon
Diamond Stickles
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is it!

A quick post and a late one too!!

Hopefully catch you again soon.

BRUSH PINES

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!

After a gorgeous week of sunshine .. ..  today doesn't look quite so exciting on the weather front here in my neck of the woods .. .. .. but hopefully it is going to be exciting on the crafting front!

In fact it needs to be exciting on the crafting front over the next three days because there is a mountain of work to be done before Monday .. .. but thankfully I am excited about every single task on the list!  Not a single boring one anywhere to be seen!!  Yay!!

So I decided I had better get my Christmas card for this week over and done with before everything  else takes hold .. .. and here it is using my very first Penny Black brush style stamp.  Really enjoyed using it and can see some more of this style making their way into my collection.

I am entering my creation into the Winter Wonderland Challenge where the theme is "don't be square" .. .. .. so I have gone for a simple rectangle:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black Slapstick Cling Stamp "40-408" Brush Pines
Sentiment:  Penny Black Clear Stamp Set "30-316" Season's Gifts
Distress Ink:  Tumbled Glass
Dewdrop Memento Ink Pads
Watercolour Brush Pens
Stampendous Frantage:  Chunky White
Gold Metallic Twine
Wooden Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I have come to the conclusion that if I don't make something for my blog very first thing in a morning then "it just isn't going to happen".  As proven over the last couple of days.   Must try hard to get a new routine sorted .. .. sigh!!!

Back to the weddings now though, but before I go I would like thank everyone for the messages and good wishes regarding the hospital appointment that Mum and I went to on Tuesday.  All went well thank you!  Some of her tablets have been altered so we will wait and see if that can improve things a little more for her.  It would be good if they did.

Hopefully catch you again soon .. .. but for now that is Christmas card number 27 dropped into the box!  Yippee!!

TEENY TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Tuesday!

Another gorgeous day today .. .. following on from the beautiful one we had yesterday.

Dashing in and out quickly today with a teeny, tiny make (a whole 3.5 inches square) which I created first thing this morning .. .. and using one of my very favourite techniques .. .. paper piecing..

This used:

Image:  WOW! Clear Stamp Set "Gratitude"  (may be discontinued now)
Backing Papers:  All from my snippet box
Nail Heads
Button
My Trusty Sewing Machine
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

Time to dash off and take Mum for a hospital appointment now.  I am hoping they will be as pleased with Mum's progress as I am .. .. and they don't throw any more spanners in the works!!!

Catch you again soon.

A SPARKLY NEW WEEK!

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

The start of another sparkly new week .. .. I love Mondays and the thought of having a whole week spread out in front of me.

I always start with such great expectations .. .. as if my week is going to last ages .. .. but of course it never does.  But that doesn't stop me living in hope of performing a few miracles.

A beautiful day here and one which will see me tootling off to Mum very soon.  At least we should get to have a lovely walk out today!

Before I go though I thought I would share a few of my makes from the latest "Make Special Cards" Magazine which should be on the shelves now.

My mission was to work with the pigs in the collection and here are a few of the samples I created ..  ..very picture heavy but that adds to the fun!

My first two are from a selection of stamped cards I created:

These next two were part of a "mirror stamping" section

 Then finally I worked on the card shape section and created a range of wobble or rocker cards.

These were my favourites  .. .. but there are lots more in the magazine.  

I worked on other sections two which involved the toppers and sentiments that come alongside the magazine .. .. .. but my post seems picture heavy enough already LOL!!

It was a great fun commission and I loved the papers and images I got to play with.  I am looking forward to playing with the ones I wasn't asked to work with now.  Love the look of the little bike and the wheelbarrow.

Right .. .. time to get things together for going to Mum.  She will be well chuffed today as I have made her a little rhubarb crumble using some of Mr Heart's crops! Yummy yummy!!!

NUMBER 26

Hi Eveyone

I hope you are well and your weekend has got off to a good start.  If not then I hope things improve for you smartish!!

It is time for this week's Christmas card so I am playing along with Dotty Jo's Christmas Kickstart Challenge where the theme for this fortnight is "S is for Snarky Christmas!".  I did scratch my head for a few days on this one .. .. but was determined to take part because I haven't missed a week yet since this new challenge began.

I do have to admit to not knowing what "snarky" actually meant .. .. but luckily Jo described it as a mix of sass, sarcasm and irreverence, seasoned with a pinch of humour.

So hopefully my effort will fit the bill in one form or another .. .. and here it is:

This used: 

Image:  Penny Black "3766J" Royal Mail

Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Chauncy"

Backing Papers:  The Lovely Studio "Snowberry"

ProMarkers
Chalk - for the background set with a fine mist of hairspray
Crystal Glamour Dust
Ribbon

and that is it - Christmas card number 26 dropped into the stock box!  Woo hoo!!

Catch you again soon.

PLAIN AND SIMPLE

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a Happy Friday!!!  Gosh wasn't that a quick week!!  I am sure they lasted much much longer than this in the past.  They definitely did when I "went out to work" !!!

Today's card was made early doors for the Moving Along With The Times Challenge where the theme is "Black and White Only".

My offering is plain and simple (a bit like me really) .. .. but I love it!  Made early, but no chance to photograph and post until now.

Not everyone's favourite colour combo .. .. in fact I have some customers who never want "any" black on their cards .. .. but personally I love it!!  For me a touch of black makes a card "pop".

So here we go

This used:

Image:  Woodware Clear Stamps Set "JGS300" Going to Seed (love this stamp sooooo much!)

Sentiment:  Clear Sentiment set from Digistamp Boutique (sadly no longer trading boo hoo!!!)

Backing Papers:  Craft Sensations "Mix and Match Basics"

Unbranded stitched rectangle die from Ebay

White Embossing Powder

Before I go I would like to say thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous post.  It was interesting to read your opinions on the two types of distress inks .. .. and how some of you favour the old distress inks to the oxides.  Just shows how people's creativity is influenced differently, and how we all feel comfortable using different things!  After all if we aren't liking what we are creating with then we will never have a finished project we a feel good about will we?  It is really disappointing though if we have invested our hard earned cash into something only to find we "just don't like it or get on with it".

I think for me one of the biggest disappointments comes when you buy a paper stack because you have seen papers in it that you really really love .. .. but to have those you have to accept that there are some pretty ugly ones in there too that you just know you are going to be stuck with (but can't throw away because that is wasteful).  Perhaps I need to force myself to use them "somehow".

Anyway after that ramble I will love and leave you.

Have a lovely weekend everyone .. .. I hope you find some crafty time for yourself at some stage.

DISTRESS VERSUS OXIDES

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday . . . . . whatever you might be doing!  If the predictions were correct I would take a guess that it is raining!!

I am here with a scheduled post today to share a couple of cards I made for a Masterclass Commission for Papercraft Inspirations.

The commission was to compare the original distress inks with the newer distress oxides and alongside all of the writing these are the cards I had fun creating.

The first one made with the original distress inks and the second using the distrress oxides.

The magazine is on the shelves already and alongside it is a free kit for making rosettes.  I am quite looking forward to having a play with that little kit.  

My normal scoreboard doesn't have score lines at regular intervals unfortunately which makes using it for rosettes really awkward .. .. so this one should be much more user friendly.  I will let you know!

As you read this I will no-doubt be tying wedding ribbons and printing for England!  

Things are hotting up on the wedding front with invitations to do for those August/September weddings .. .. save the dates for the spring weddings next year .. .. and thank you cards for weddings that have already happened this year!  

Need to get on with all of those, and not look at the new toys I want to play with that are sitting on my craft desk  LOL!!!

Catch you again soon.

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Tuesday, I hope you all had a lovely bank holiday weekend.

Not quite the weather we enjoyed over the Easter bank holiday, but never mind .. .. it was brightened by Harry and Megan's baby arriving .. .. and hubby's football team making it through to the playoffs!!

I had quite a productive time on the crafting front which was nice, and come Sunday I installed myself downstairs with Mr Heart to start prepping for two wedding orders.  

Shock horror!!  I even caught up with all the dreaded washing and ironing.  

So this morning, before I plunged into those weddings I tidied up my craft pod "just a little" and created today's little "teeny, tiny creation" .. .. which to anyone new to my blog is a whole 3.5 inches square.

I designed it to fit into the CAS Stencil Challenge for May where the theme is to stencil over a coloured background.  Every month I intend to join in this challenge (along with its three sister challenges) but time always seems to run out before I get there.  Must try harder.

Anyway, I have at least made the stencil challenge and here is my offering:

This used:

Bleeding Tissue offcuts to produce the background (I squirrel away the tiniest of pieces LOL!!)
Stencil:  Free on the front of a magazine
VersaMark Embossing Ink (pressed through the stencil)
Gold Embossing Powder
Sentiment:  Digital Download LOTV Block Sentiments - coloured with a ProMarker
X-Cut Heart Dies
Flower Punch
Nail Head
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Coffee break over, along with a quick post and linking session .. .. ..  now back to the wedding work.

NUMBER 25

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a lovely Sunday.

I have been chipping away at wedding stationery samples for prospective new "happy couples" today and once finished I turned my hand to this week's Christmas make using a beautiful die I was very fortunate to win from Pixie's Snippets Playground .. .. .. and my fingers have been itching to play with it since it fell through my letterbox.

This evening I had chance to free the die from it's package and I used it to make this little card.  Not a teeny tiny one but not much bigger .. .. this measures 8.5 x 12cm.

This used:

Die:  My Favorite Things "MFT-1429" Christmas Tree Window

Backing papers :  From my Christmas paper snippet box

Sentiment:  Computer generated

Sequins

Acetate

Dimension Tape

I am taking my creation over to Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge to share what I have done with my wonderful prize.  Thank you so much Di.  I am going to enjoy using this die very very much.

So that is Christmas card number 25 into the box.  Woo hoo!

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!!!  

I hope your week has been a good one and that you have something nice planned for the weekend.

Lots of birthday cards needed here this month so I had a quick search for a challenge to give me inspiration .. .. .. I settled on Color Throwdown Challenge #541 and teamed it up with sketch number Twenty Five from my sketch library.

Then as I used a beautiful Penny Black butterfly image I am also entering the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.   The theme as always is "anything goes - as long as it features Penny Black" and there is an optional theme of "make your own background" .. .. but I didn't do that.  Perhaps next time if I get to play again.

So with most of the decisions already made, all that was left was for me to actually create something .. .. and this is what I came up with:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black Clear Stamp Set "30-116" Social Butterfly
Sentiment:  Lili of the Valley Clear Stamp Set "Sentiment Tags"
Backing Papers:  Craft Sensations "Sweet Candy"
Die-namics Die Set:  Blueprints 14
Brilliance Pigment Ink "Moonlight White"
Crystal Glamour Dust
Flat Backed Pearls
Ribbon
My Trusting Sewing Machine

These are the colours I was challenged to work with: 

Pale Pink  -  Brown  -  Black  -  White

and as my eyes were drawn to the spotted curtains in the inspiration picture I thought my spotted social butterfly was quite fitting.

This is the sketch I picked to work with .. .. .. I turned it clockwise 90 degrees.  After all every sketch has four ways of being used.

If you would like to use any of my sketches, you are more than welcome to do so .. .. you will find them on the tab at the top of the blog.

Enjoy the rest of the day (and the bank holiday if you are in the UK).  

I will catch you again tomorrow with this week's Christmas creation.