RUDOLPH DAYS CHALLENGE - APRIL

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend has got off to a good start.  Another sunny day here after a rather dull start.

Today I am sharing my fifth and final Christmas card for April.  This year I am attempting to make five a month and so far all is going well.

This card has been made for the Rudolph Days Challenge which starts on the 25th of each month.  The theme is always "anything goes" .. .. provided it is Christmas.  So here is my offering:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3741K" Filigree Tree

Sentiment:  Lili of the Valley "Christmas Sentiment Tags"

Backing Papers:  Craft Sensations "Floral Dreams"
Scallop Edge Die:  Unbranded from Amazon
ProMarkers
Ribbon
Wooden Snowflake
Pearls

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and take care everyone.  Stay super safe!

I wonder how long we are going to be in lock-down?  I have some really sad brides on my hands at the moment who just don't know what to do about their weddings.  Such a shame when some would have been getting married in just a few weeks.  I can't help feeling that it could take the rest of the year for us to get to anywhere near a sense of normality.

SENDING LOVE

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has gone well.

Nearly another weekend .. .. .. not that weekends feel any different to weekdays at the moment do they?

A quick share tonight where you shouldn't have any problem finding a heart LOL!!!

This used:

Images:  Lavinia Stamps "Star Gazing" and "Vine"
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using Fonts "Aracne Condensed Regular" and "Sweetheart Script"
Backing Papers:  Make & Create "Pastels"
Distress Inks:  Chipped Sapphire, Shaded Lilac and Antique Linen
Watercolour Pen
Ribbon
Nail Heads
Crystal Glamour Dust
My Trusty Sewing Machine

My supply of Nail Heads are slowly starting to dwindle .. .. and sadly my past supplier "Josy Rose" are no longer stocking them .. .. so the search will be on soon!  

I'll catch you again tomorrow, but in the meantime I am sending you love in these troubled times and saying please stay safe and take care of yourself. 

FEZZIWIGS FESTIVE FROLICS

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has gone well.

Today I am playing along with the new Fezziwigs Festive Frolics Challenge which this fortnight would like to see "clean and simple" Christmas cards with lots of clean white space and minimum embellishments and am also adding a second card into the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where we are encouraged to "Make a Scene" (something my Mum would never approve of!  LOL!!).

This used:

Sentiment:  Stampendous! Cling Stamp "CRH296" Joyeux Noel

Snippet of dotty design paper

Aperture Card Base

Memory Box Dies:  "998257" Modern Landscape Border and "99031" Snowflake Heart

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today with my fourth Christmas card for April.  Just one more to go this month.

I still struggle with lots of white space but I am hoping that the more I try the more comfortable I will feel with it.

See you again soon .. .. can you believe it is nearly the weekend again!!  Where did this week whizz off to?

SKETCH NUMBER FORTY ONE

Hi Everyone

I hope your day hasn't been too bad.

Mine has been pretty full on work wise .. .. and what with bread making duties yesterday and digging and preparing the garden I must admit I am starting to feel like we are turning into Tom and Barbara off The Good Life .. .. .. minus the animals though I hasten to add!.  LOL!!!

Some of the seeds we planted are already starting to make an appearance .. .. and the lettuce needed re-planting already!!!  I think I must have been a bit heavy handed when setting the seeds as even when sprinkling them very very sparingly I have ended up with 24 iceberg lettuce plants.  I could end up with more than our local supermarket at this rate!!  LOL!!

Anyway as promised here I am with a card I made this evening that uses Sketch Forty One from my sketch library.

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3209H" Hedge Delivery

Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique Clear Stamp (sadly no longer trading)

Backing Papers:  Make and Create "Travel"

Circle Die

ProMarkers

Woodware Envelope Punch

White Gel Pen

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and here is the sketch I followed

 

if you would like to play with the sketch, or any of the others in my collection please feel free to do so.

I'll catch you again soon .. .. but in the meantime make sure you stay safe.

NEW SKETCHES

Hi Everyone

I hope your Tuesday has gone well.

Sadly there is no card to share today .. .. and I am blaming that on the bread making machine.  We loaded it all up to make dough as we wanted to make some bread rolls rather than a loaf.

We programmed it and pressed the start button .. .. but no .. .. it just didn't want to play.  So I ended up spending rather a lot of time tipping the contents out, mixing and then kneading in the old fashioned way.

Left it to rise, knocked it back and kneaded again, shaped it into bread rolls, again left them to rise and then cooked them.

There has been a wonderful smell everywhere, and I found the kneading quite relaxing and therapeutic .. .. .. and they have tasted lovely too.  But what a lot of time and effort for twelve bread rolls!!  LOL!!

So no card to share but I have added ten new sketches to my library which you can find on the Sketch Library Tab underneath my profile at the top of my blog.  I was getting a little bored at using the same sketches all the time and decided I needed a few new ones to play with.  

If anyone would like to use them then please feel free to do so.

So I will catch you tomorrow with a card using Sketch 41.

JUST HAVING A PLAY

Hi Everyone

I hope Monday has gone well for you.

Lovely and sunny here but blowing a gale at the same time.

I spied a lovely template over on Gathered that I thought would make a great card for my Mum .. .. .. I just need to write "have fun with you new toy" inside.  It will make her smile!

If you fancy downloading and making one yourself you will find the templates for this and other technology gadgets here .. .. .. you simply download for free and you are good to go.  I just added a little heart LOL!!

Great for the youngsters .. .. not just my Mum!!

If you haven't come across Gathered before then you are in for a real treat .. .. .. but be prepared to lose a few hours from your day!  It is like a free on-line magazine full of crafty hints, tips, templates and inspiration.  Not just for Papercraft Projects but for Art & Craft, Needlework, Knitting and Crochet as well as Sewing and Quilting!!!  A great place to learn!

There are even videos to watch and competitions to enter.  

Who knows you might find a whole new hobby you would like to try!  

See you tomorrow folks .. .. stay safe.

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all enjoyed your Sunday.

My day has been spent doing a bit more crafty sorting out.  Today's mission being to empty and find storage places for a small box and basket of things that sit on a bookcase outside my craft pod.  Who knew there was "fake wood" sitting underneath them  LOL!!

But as always happens one job leads to another and then another .. .. but that's OK.  They all count in the grand crafty tidy up campaign.  

So with a bit more sorting done my attention was then drawn to Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge where we are encourage to use up our leftovers .. .. whatever they may be.  Paper, card, wool, fabric anything goes (not sure if I have ever seen some left over veg used to make another meal but it might count LOL!!). 

I spoke to my Auntie earlier who was going to be starting a 1,000 piece jig-saw puzzle today to occupy herself.  For a few short moments I quite fancied doing a jigsaw .. .. but I let that idea pass and instead did a crafter's version of a jigsaw puzzle by paperpiecing a die to create this:

Absolutely everything except the base card came from my snippet collection.

This used:

Sentiment:  Personal Impressions "PICS066" Wording Stamps

Backing Papers:  GCD Studios - Ella Blue

Sizzix Die:  "659133A" Moroccan Card Front

Memory Box Dies:  "98261" Kaleidoscope Butterfly and "98260" Moonlight Butterfly

Versafine Ink:  Vintage Sepia

Nailheads

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me all done and a few more of my many snippets are used up.  This style of card is great for using up some of our more "busy" or "ugly" papers .. .. not that my Ella Blue paper pad contains any of those.  This still remains my most loved paper pad ever .. .. .. but it is getting very, very thin now after all the years of use.

Stay safe everyone and try to enjoy and make the most of each day.

PENNY BLACK SATURDAY CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend is going as well as it can.

Yesterday saw Mr Heart and I spend ages starting off all the seeds we have bought - they are now adorning the greenhouse and kitchen window ledges.  Hopefully we will have some success with them .. .. .. and then we will end up having to spend even more hours thinning them all out. 

Today I decided it was time to play along with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for April.  The theme is always "Anything Goes" but with an optional theme this month of  "use ribbon or twine".

Well, with all my wedding work currently on hold, I have to get my "ribbon fix" in somewhere .. .. so here is what I came up with .. .. using a rustic ribbon:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "4082H" To Cake Moment

Sentiment:  Die-Versions Corner Concepts "DVCR-001" Happy Birthday

Backing Papers:  Make & Create "Refreshing Basics"
ProMarkers
Circle and Scallop Circle Dies

Ribbon
Crystal Glamour Dust

My Trusty Sewing Machine

You might think that my ribbon isn't something you would associate with a wedding but you would be surprised!  I have probably done just as many rustic style weddings using kraft card and rustic ribbon as I have the lacy, bling and satin ribbon type.  Hence why there are so many kraft card snippets in my collection.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Catch you again soon.

CAS WATERCOLOUR CARD CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday ahead of another weekend.

Is anyone else having difficulty working out what day it is?  All day I have been thinking today is Saturday!!!

Anyway .. .. for the first time ever I have managed to play along with all four of the CAS Challenges this month .. .. with the last one being the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge where the theme this month is "Spring Flowers".

Of course I saved the most challenging until last LOL!!  Watercolour!

I am by no means experienced with watercolours of any description .. .. but that doesn't stop me trying and playing over and over again.

So here we go with today's watercolour card created by painting with watered down Distress Ink.

The very first time a whole card has been created by me using just watercolours.

This used:

Image:  A magazine covergift (as used earlier this week with ProMarkers)

Sentiment:  Very old from Docrafts

Distress Inks:  Tumbled Glass, Dried Marigold, Bundled Sage, Squeezed Lemon and Shaded Lilac

Gold Embossing Powder

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is my watercolour challenge completed. 

I often create cards that simply say things like, Just for You, Thank You, Thinking of You or with this Love You stamp.  That then gives me the opportunity to use them for lots of occasions by simply adding an appropriate insert.

Enjoy your weekend everyone as much as you can and please stay safe.

  

WELCOME BABY BOY

Hi Everyone

I hope Thursday has been kind to you.

Looks like we are at home for another three weeks at least.  Good job we have our crafty obsessions to keep us occupied isn't it?

I have spent time with the Playstation Queen today, catching up on her laundry for her and cooking us a little roast dinner .. .. something she can't be bothered to do for herself .. .. even more so now she is "deep in game mode". 

The oracle that is my Mum has also predicted that there will be a baby boom happening next due to the lock-down we are experiencing .. .. .. so as Mum is "always" right, I thought I had better get ahead of the game with this plain and simple card that uses one of my favourite baby images. 

This used:

Image:  Pink Petticoat "Baby Boy Buggy" - sadly not transferred over to The Lovely Studio

Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Annie BTN"

Backing Paper:  The Lovely Studio "Tiniest Lovely Little Hearts"

ProMarkers

Nail Heads

Ribbon

My Trusty Sewing Machine

and that is me for today.

Short and sweet .. .. .. and yes .. .. still with a clear and clean desk ready for tomorrow!!  LOL!!

Stay safe everyone and I will catch you again tomorrow.

TEENY TINY TUESDAY - ON A WEDNESDAY

Hi Everyone

Hopefully Wednesday has gone well for you and the sun shone nice and brightly.

My day started with that lovely clear desk  .. .. and me climbing on said desk to remove and clean the Venetian blind and the windows inside and out.  The Spring cleaning is continuing and becoming a little bit addictive .. .. which isn't a bad thing.

I also finished the teeny, tiny card I started yesterday.  They are such fun to make.  I even enjoy making the tiny envelopes that go alongside them.

For anyone new to my blog my teeny tiny cards measure a whole 3.5 inches square and this is the latest:

This used:

Background Stamp:  Hero Arts Cling Stamp "Thank You Definition"

Sentiment:  Personal Impressions Clear Stamp Set PICSA6104 "Double Sayings"

Sizzix Die "658232" Leaves and Vine

Flower:  MFT Dienamics Die:  Blueprints 14

X-Cut Embossing Folder:  Polka Hearts

Peeled Paint Embossing Powder

White and Clear Embossing Powder

Twine

My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am pleased to report that my desk is all nice and clear again this evening ready for me to start again tomorrow .. .. .. oh I do hope I am going to be able to keep this tidiness going .. .. and perhaps let the habit spread through the whole house!!!  LOL!!!

Definitely lots of other crafty corners that need the same sorting out that's for sure .. .. .. and not just in my little craft pod!!!

Stay safe everyone.  It sounds like we are going to confined to barracks for a little while longer yet.

AFTER AND BEFORE

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has been as good as it could be under the circumstances.

I spent some of my day clearing up that messy desk .. .. everything was put away I promise .. .. not just scooped into a humongous cardboard box LOL!!

This is the finished result:

and I am sure you would agree it is a definite improvement on how it looked at the weekend .. .. .. and it smells beautifully of polish too!

I am proud to say that every single stamp and die now resides in its rightful place with the exception of three teeny, tiny clear snowflake stamps and a clear sentiment stamp.  Hopefully tomorrow will see those placed where they belong too.

I am going to try and make it look like this at the end of every day .. .. how lovely it will be to start the day with a clear desk and actually have room for my Cuttlebug!

I did work on a teeny tiny card today as well but unfortunately didn't have time to finish it so I will share that tomorrow.

FESTIVE ANIMALS

Hi Everyone

I hope your Easter Monday has gone well.

Today saw me making the third of my April Christmas cards .. .. just two to go and I'm not halfway through the month yet!!  Woo hoo!!

This is for taking over to Fezziwigs Festive Frolics Challenge where the theme for this fortnight calls for "Festive Animals". 

This used:

Image:   Penny Black "1508K" Caroling Hedgehogs
Sentiment:  Kaisercraft "CS188" North Pole
Backing Papers:  From the Christmas Snippets Box
ProMarkers
Nail Heads
Ribbon
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Many thanks to everyone who has been enquiring as to how my Mum is doing.  I am pleased to say she is really well thank you.  We decided not to take her out over six weeks ago now and feel it was definitely the right thing to do.  She has however been getting quite "fed up" being "cooped up" for all of this time.  Most of all she has been missing her walks out, and being able to see such lovely sunshine and not go out in it hasn't helped.

We kept asking if there is anything she would like whilst she is "confined to barracks".  I suggested talking books but that went down like a lead balloon.  Then the other day she told my Sister she would like a Playstation!

She used to have one many years ago but parted with it when she got RSI in her thumbs through playing it too much !!!

So my Sister got one on order for her and set it all up on Good Friday .. .. .. downloading some of Mum's favourite games from the past.  Mum is now in her element and hopefully her days will be a little more enjoyable when we aren't able to be with her.  Can't be bad can it .. .. at 89 years old. If you could see her with the controls I find it unbelievable .. .. she doesn't even have to look at the buttons .. .. unlike me!!  LOL!!   Hope she doesn't give herself RSI again though!!!

Anyway, take care everyone.  I hope your Easter hasn't been too bad .. .. .. we won't forget this one  in a hurry will we .. .. if ever !!!

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope your Easter Sunday was enjoyable .. .. .. and you didn't eat so much chocolate that you started to feel poorly!!  LOL!!

Thank you for your lovely comments on my rather long post of yesterday.  It was lovely to hear that I am not the only one who works on a tiny square of desk surrounded by stacks of crafty goodies.

Today I attacked a box that holds lots of small design paper snippets and created this:

This used:|

A variety of snippets

Mama Elephant Clear Stamp Set "Make A Wish"

X-Cut Nesting Hexagon Die Set

Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies

Memento Dew Drop Ink Pads:  Lavender and Angel Pink

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Black Fineliner Pen

and that is me for today.

I am heading off to share in Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge where we are encouraged to use up our leftovers.  My whole card .. .. apart from the base are remains from what were once A4 sheets.