CHRISTMAS KICKSTART CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well and have had a good day.

Sorry for the absence .. .. yet again .. .. but the house of hearts escaped for a few days .. .. which called for lots of work before we actually left .. .. and now there will be lots of work to do on our return .. .. but it is all worth the extra effort because we have had a wonderful few days away and spent some lovely time away with some very special friends.

I do need to fly in and out really quickly tonight though with a card I have thrown together since our return for entering into the Christmas Kickstart Challenge before it ends .. .. which will be happening very, very soon!!   I haven't missed entering since the challenge began and it would be a shame to spoil things now.

The theme has been "festive things with wings" and this is my offering:

Everything for this card came from the Polkadoodles "Winne Winterland - Big Kahuna" digital download .. .. love that sentiment so much!

Finishing touches being Crystal Glamour Dust, Sequin Ribbon, Twine, Charm and My Trusty Sewing Machine.

So that is me .. .. and Christmas card number 33 goes into the stock box.

Best fly before the challenges ends and hopefully I will be back again soon.

TEENY, TINY TUESDAY

Hi Everyone

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

Another scheduled post today to share another of my teeny tiny cards .. ..  which to anyone new to my blog is a whole 3.5" square.  I love making these so much and as sad as it sounds I even love making the little envelopes too!  As Mr Heart always says "It doesn't take much to keep me happy" LOL!!!

 This used:

Image:  Docrafts A5 clear stamp set - Meadow 

Sentiment:  DigiStamp Boutique clear stamp set (sadly Sally-Ann is no longer trading boo hoo!!)
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board
Stampin' Up Punch (they don't do exactly the same one any more but have a similar one)
Distress Inks:  Sage Green, Fossilized Amber, Shaded Lilac and  Chipped Sapphire 

Sakura Jelly Roll Pens (which haven't seen the light of day for a while but still worked beautifully)

White Gel Pen
Pearlised Twine
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.   A tiny post for a tiny card!!

Before I go though I would like to apologise for the lack of any blog visiting on my part  .. .. rather a lot of work to get through before the end of July so every minute is feeling extra precious at the moment.  But I promise I will catch up with everyone as soon as things calm down again.

BRING ON THE HAPPY

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday .. .. ahead of what is hopefully going to be a good productive weekend.

I am here with a scheduled post as I want today to be a "get your head down and get on with it " kind of day.  If all has gone to plan my day started hours ago with a good old clear up and my "list of things to achieve before Monday" has started reducing already.  It is a very long and unrealistic list that contains some quick missions and others that will take several hours to achieve .. .. but I do love a list and the feeling I get when I cross work off it.  

To be ahead of the game I made today's card last night at "daft o'clock" as I had an idea floating around in my head that I wanted to try.

I called in on our youngest son on my way home from being with Mum yesterday and as often happens he made me a cup of tea and we put the world to rights whilst sharing a few music videos.  It is always dangerous going to my son's home though because I relax "too much".  There is a lovely sense of calm that hits you as soon as you walk through his front door and it is so hard to drag yourself away from it .. .. it is certainly far removed from the atmosphere I create for myself when I am at home.  LOL!!!

My son played one video that showed a band performing behind what I can only assume was a huge muslin sheet strung across the front of the stage.  The lights shining through the fabric, turning the band into muted silhouettes and giving shots of color to the perimeter of the muslin sheet. 

I wondered if I could get a similar effect using stamps, an aperture card and a piece of organza.

Sadly the finished result was nothing like what I had in my mind .. .. .. more experimenting with the organza needed .. .. or perhaps ditch the organza and try vellum?!?!?  But I ended up with something I didn't feel was too bad.  More attempts will follow at some stage as I am already thinking of what I "should have done" instead of what I "actually did".  Yes, definitely thinking vellum might be the way to go!!!

But never mind, life is all about trial and error.  That is how we learn. 

This used:

Image:  Inkylicious "French Rose"

Sentiment:  Penny Black clear stamp set "30-297" Sprinkles and Smiles

Pink Organza (behind the aperture and also tied into a bow and crinkled with a heat tool)

ProMarkers

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is it.  Quite a short little supply list really .. .. so why is my desk and surrounding floor area looking like I have used every item in my craft pod?!?!?!  Although hopefully by the time this goes live it will all have been cleared away and I will look and feel organised again .. .. for two minutes!!

Have a good and productive day everyone. 

CAKE OR JAM TART ANYONE?

.. .. .. or both if you like!!  LOL!!


Hi Everyone

Hope your week has been going well.

I am mostly on wedding duties this week but did dip into the box of images I sat and coloured in the garden the other weekend and found one that was perfect for using to enter into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme for this month is "anything goes" plus an optional theme of "food or drink".

No drink at this picnic by the look of it .. .. but the food looks good!!

This used:

Image:  Penny Black Slapstick "40-016" Hedgehog Birthday
Sentiment:  Penny Black Clear Set "30-297" Sprinkles and Smiles
Backing Papers:  We R Memory Keepers "Love Notes"
ProMarkers
Ribbon
Nail Heads
Glossy Accents
Crystal Glamour Dust
Pearlescent Chalk
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Just off to link up to the challenge and then back to the wedding work.  There's no peace for the wicked!!

Have a good day and I hope you find yourself a bit of crafty playtime at some point!

SUNDAY CHRISTMAS SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a really lovely weekend.

Mine seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye ..  but I did at least manage a quick Christmas make amongst everything else that has been happening .. .. which always feels good. 

This used:

Image:  Forever Friends (a very, very old stamp from my early days of crafting)

Backing Paper:  Snippets from First Edition Paper "Merry Little Christmas"

ProMarkers

Distress Ink Pads:  Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky

Spellbinder Nestabilities:  Circle Dies

Nail Heads

Metallic Cord

Crystal Glamour Dust

Christmas Ribbon

My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am entering this into Pixie's Snippet's Playground which I sadly haven't visited for a while (and it cetainly isn't because I have run out of snippets that's for sure!!!) and also the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where this fortnight the theme is "your hot beverage of choice". 

and that is me for today.  Running very, very late .. .. but happy that Christmas card number 32 has made its way into the stock box!!!

Catch you again soon

NEARLY THE WEEKEND - AGAIN

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday ahead of what I hope will be a lovely weekend for you all.  I don't think the weather is going to be as amazing as last weekend .. .. but at least it looks dry on the forecast which is something.

It is still all weddings and magazine work here .. .. lots of excited brides at the moment hoping that the sunshine is going to last for them.

Whilst out walking with Mum yesterday I noticed that Issue 19 of Make Special Cards has made it to the supermarket shelves .. .. so I can now share some of my favourite makes from that lovely commission.

The idea of this magazine is that you can make lots of different projects using the stamps, papers and toppers and sentiments that are provided.  I got to work with the squirrels in the collection whilst the other designer, Hazel France, worked with some scrummy peacocks.  

There are a mixture of simple and more difficult projects in the magazine and I love to think that perhaps a "newbie" crafter will pick up a copy "just to have a play" and end up getting hooked on an exciting, enjoyable and very addictive new hobby.  I can remember only too well being that "newbie" and just one purchase changed my life completely .. .. so much so that paper crafting in its many forms has now consumed my world (and home) completely!!

Anyway here are my favourite makes this time round:

These two cards are from a stamping commission .. .. I love the tree design paper on the first one sooo much .. .. I would buy a pack of it if I could!  The colours are just gorgeous!

along with a little gift box .. .. that uses that paper again LOL!!!

Next up are some "quick makes" using some of the toppers and sentiments that are provided

and finally a couple of card fold makes .. .. .. one using a topper and the other is stamped

.. .. .. and after picture overload that is me for today.

I will catch you again over the weekend.  Have fun until then!