It's Sweetie Time!

Hello blogworld,

Hope everyone is doing well.

Can you believe it's already time for another challenge over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog! This time it's Team Wendy's turn, so I'm officially taking part, and the theme is Gingham / Plaid. 

We'd like to see a sea of gingham or plaid papers / patterns / stamps / used in images - anything you can think of to do with gingham or plaid. For me this was a proper challenge, I've no idea why but I really struggle to know what to do with gingham. You'd think I'd just use it like any other patterned paper, but I have a real block!

I eventually gave up and went really simple - this is the result:

My card:

Supplies:

Stamp (rubber):

Stamping Bella - Uptown Girl Lucille sends her love

coloured with Copics and a white pen for the polka dots

Dies:

Die-versions Whispers Torn Notebook Edge

Anything else:

Gingham paper

'moments' 3d embellishment

What I did:

Stamped the image onto marker friendly paper, coloured it with my Copics and added polka dots with a white artists pen.

Cut the coloured image out to form a large panel then die-cut the edge detail on that panel.

Cut a panel of gingham paper to fit onto my 6x6" card blank, mounted the image onto that panel and then mounted all that onto the front of the card.

Affixed the embellishment onto the top right hand side.

et voila!

Why not pop over and see what my very talented teamies have made - they are much more talented with gingham and plaid than I am! You never know, you might even fancy joining in too and I'd look forward to seeing your creation!

Still hoping to get a bit more crafting and blogging 'me' time in the near future, but who knows! This weekend is very busy is as TTT has become a local Carnival Princess and the handover from the current Carnival Queen to the new Queen and entourage is Saturday.  It involves a ceremony, turning lights on and setting off fireworks! If I can get pictures I will and post them up here.

Signing off now, 

See you soon,

Sarah 

Challenge / s:

Polkadoodles Craft Challenge: Wk 31 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 30 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Galz: Challenge #152 - Dies and/or Punches

Just popping in!

 Hello Blogland,

Carving out some time here for crafting and blogging. Life is not in routine right now, as always when it's the school holidays. Today I finally managed to finish colouring an image I started a few days ago and turn it into a card.

It's the same one I'd started for the monochrome challenge, but I made a mistake and gave her blue eyeshadow - very eighties and not monochrome at all. I put that (this) one to one side and started again.  When I got to go back to the unfinished image I decided to carry on and finish it in technicolour. 

Without further ado here is the finished image on it's card:

I used:

Stamps:

Image (digital)

C.C. Designs - omg cake

coloured with Copics

Sentiment (rubber):

Fiskars - Make a wish quotes

Dies:

Impression Obsession - everyday top edgers

Anything else?

Random un-named dotty paper

Red and black card

And that's all folks!

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 29 - Anything Goes

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Challenge 15 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and more: Challenge #410 - die cuts and/or stencils (die cuts for me)

Make a wish

Good evening blogland,

Much too late for me to be posting but it's started already - Summer Holidays Syndrome! I've had very little time to myself today, and so have had to resort to blogging later.

One big thing that's changed as TTT has got older - is the sleeping schedule, she used to be up very early and back to bed early as well.  Now it's up late (sooo late it's afternoon) and bed late, sometimes even later than me and her dad go to bed.  I'm led to believe this is normal behaviour for the species teenager-ish! I'm sticking to my up early, get on with things and bed early(ish) to get up early again the next.

So that's my small tale of woe? Setting the scene? Excusing myself for the next 6 to 7 weeks? Take your pick!

Onto more important things - a card! This one has been made specifically for a monochromatic challenge, and coloured only with Grey Copics, but the Copics have such a good grey range it looks like I've used other colours. I do love my Copics!

I used:

Stamps - digital:

Image: C.C. Designs - omg cake

coloured with W and C grey Copics

(+some E's for skin)

Sentiment: Lili of the Valley - Statements fabulous

Anything else:

Piece of gray card

And we're done!

Hoping to be back next week but probably nowhere near a frequently as before school holidays.

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Promarkers: Week 601 - Celebration

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #533 - Monochrome

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #569 All Occasions

For you

 Good morning Blogworld,

Two warnings - long rambling post (the heat has got to me) and lots of pictures!

As much as I'm a heat loving person this little heatwave is just about starting to be too much. I've dropped exercising the last two days in favour of hiding indoors and crafting - and a walk replaced my regular Tues evening jog. Am missing my jumping about and weights more than I thought I would! I've become a gym bunny!!

I do hope the temp drops slightly soon and I can get back into my normal exercise / craft routine.  Which in itself is going to be interrupted as TTT breaks for summer holidays today - so chaos ensues from Thursday!! Cannot believe she will go back in September in Year 10, edging ever closer to exam years - frightening how time flies.

Anyways, while hiding in house I've been crafting - and more eclipse technique cards have emerged. I even brought an alphabet die specifically to have a proper go at this technique, but after 'testing' the dies hubby confiscated them to form part of my birthday present.  I only managed to get two cards done before they were wrestled from me!!

I did debate turning this into two posts but the cards are so similar I decided just to do the two in one post.

And so, without further ado, cards:

(here come the pictures)

Card number one:

Card number two:

I set the die too low on card one and the 'Y' of 'YOU' was lost so I had to outline it in white - higher on card two but still debating if it should be outlined as well. Insufficient definition of  stamped and cut panel on card one, which was fixed on card two.  Then I preferred the sentiment on card one to card two. How do you pick favourites between two favourites??

I used:

Stamp (rubber):

Stamping Bella - Teeny Tiny Townie with a bouquet

coloured with Copics

Dies:

Go Kreate - Half XXL Square Frames: Frilly #1

Anything else:

rub-ons

gems

And done! After inflicting a lot of waffle and pictures on you - I'm running!

Stay safe, stay cool, and see you all soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 28 - Anything Goes

Allsorts challenge blog: Week 633/4 - Feminine / For a lady

Crafty Catz: #560 - Anything Goes (optional twist - Christmas in July)

As You Like it Challenge: Favourite non-square / rectangle shaped card base - I could've gone for an easel card, but to be honest these Go-Kreate dies are my out and out favourites.  Had them years, used them loads,  they fit into 'ordinary' sized envelopes but still are a little bit different to an 'ordinary' square.  I hope they fit the challenge theme!

Something different

Good morning blogworld,

Firstly I'd like to say a big warm hello and welcome to my new followers - must feel like you've joined a very select club!! Am gradually inflicting my brand of overshare and waffle on the world though :-)

And so onto the main event - the card! I discovered something new to me last week, the eclipse technique.  From the tutorials I've watched it appears it was a big 'thing' a few years ago, which would have been while I was having a break from crafting and so why it's a 'new' technique to me.

I really liked the look of it, but don't have the big floral stamps that I saw most people using, neither did I want to do Christmas cards. I also only had a couple of word dies that I thought would work with the technique and no alphabet dies. Therefore I decided to have a look around at what I did have and have a play.

This is what I made:

I used:

Stamp (rubber)
Penny Black - Brush Lilies (it says 2005 on the stamp! eek!)

Catherine Pooler - All Around Wishes: birthday

Dies:

Sunny Studio - Happy

Anything else:

Various makes / shades of ink

I'm sure I don't need to explain how to do the eclipse technique - it must be only me who'd never heard of it! Am mostly happy with how the card turned out and will be sharing more in my next post, with one card I particularly liked.

Anyhow, that's it from me for today - am off now to try and exercise in this heat and not melt away into a puddle on the floor!

Have a good day,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

Fab 'n' Funky: #532 - CAS with options

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge: C#162 - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge Blog: H is for 'Happy'

I'm officially..

an oldie newbie (or should that be a oldbie newbie or a newbie oldie or oldbie newbie - the permutations could go on for awhile) Sweetie!

Whatever the case this is my Design Team post for the new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge. It's not my Teams' turn but I'd been playing around with some re-discovered (for that read dug out of a cupboard) crafting things and made something that met this fortnights theme.

Ahh yes the theme - this fortnight we are going with Create your own background - the Sweeties  have made some wonderful creations and, as I always was and always will be, am super impressed with them all.  Please pop on over to have a look and maybe even join in yourselves?

So this is my contribution. As I said I was playing around with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, dies and a stamp. This is the end result:

I used:

Stamps:

(Rubber)

Bird on branch - no idea! Had it ages, lost the packet and no clue who made it.

Sentiment - There She Goes Clear Stamp : Angel Mail

Dies:

Memory Box - Prim Poppy

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection : Double Stitched Rectangles

Anything else:

Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Versamark Ink

What I did:

I used a spare piece of card and inked it with a few different Distress Inks, put to one side. 

Die cut out the poppy three times and stacked them together, put that to one side. 

Took a piece of card slightly smaller than my card front and offset the die to cut an aperture.

Stuck the inked piece of card to the opening made in the card mount then stamped the bird and sentiment in Versamark onto it.

Took the stacked poppies and stuck them to the card mount.

Mounted the whole lot with 3d foam squares onto the card blank.

Et Voila!

Phew! Enough words for now I think!

So, signing off,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Creative Fingers Challenge: Challenge #212 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #568 - CAS

Happy Little Stampers: July Anything Goes with Dies

The Creative Crafters: Challenge #42

Dancing in the rain

 Hello blogworld,

More like running in the rain for me - although I enjoy dancing I wouldn't really want anyone watching me make an idiot of myself (much the same as with singing). As for gardening, well, nope, I am not a good gardener - I pull up weeds! 

Running, though, that I can do through most weather, apart from wild winds as that blows sand into face which is not a nice experience!

Anyways, the point of this ramble is - there is no point, it was just started off due to the card I made. Again experimenting with colouring my own backgrounds.  I know it's going to take practice, but I'm actually enjoying the process. Also this one was made specifically to a challenge theme - haven't paper pieced in ages and fancied giving it a go.

The card:

I used:

Stamp:

(rubber) Stamping Bella - Uptown girl Lolly and her brolly

(both image and sentiment)

coloured with Copics

Dies:

Whimsy Stamps - Slimline Zig Zag Edger 

Patterned Paper:

Allsorts - spotty paper

not sure for the raincoat - it was a scrap

Anything else:

Green cardstock

And that's nearly it folks! Got a week left of school term making the most of the peace, as after school breaks who knows what will happen :-)

Signing off,
Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Challenge 600 - dies or punches

The Cutie Pie Challenge: #161 - Paper Piece It

Crafty Sentiments Challenge: Anything Goes

Today is your day

Good morning blogworld

Been a quiet weekend chez Sarah, TTT went off on Saturday afternoon for a sleepover at a friends' house and wasn't collected until lunchtime Sunday - she doesn't do sleepovers very often at all (if she does the girls normally come to us) so it was very quiet, dare we say peaceful? Until she came back Sunday afternoon, then it was lots of homework and walk with friends (and their very cute puppy!)! She crashed Sunday evening and I'm just about to go up and 'try' to get her up for school!

The hubby and I also went and got my bike back from it's service - so all the quiet meant I had time to fit in both colouring and a quick bike ride in the glorious weather!

I thought I might add photographic evidence that when I talk about living in the middle of nowhere I do mean nowhere - a couple of photos from my bike ride, I only went on a 25 min loop around our house:

This is on far end of the loop, furthest from our house:

This is coming back home, you may just be able to see a house with chimney pots on it's own between a couple of trees - that's us!

Now, of much more interest, my card:

I used:

Image (digi):

Pollycraft - Retro Chester

coloured with Copics

Sentiment (inked):

Kaisercraft - Today

Dies:

Sunny Studio - Stitched circles: large and small

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection: double stitched squares

Anything else:

red card

And that's it folks. 

Off to deal with the bus rush - wish me luck!

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for markers: Week 599 - animals

Allsorts challenge blog: Week 632 - masculine

Crafty Catz: #559 - Anything Goes (option - CAS with a sentiment)

Some exciting news!

 Good morning blogworld,

As you can see this isn't my now usual Friday morning post - it's Saturday.  The reason it's a day delayed is because I've been invited onto Sweet Stampin's Challenge as a Design Team member! I'm well chuffed!

I'm not sure though, do I class myself as a newbie or an oldie or a returning oldie? I used to be on the DT many moons ago, on my other blog, and it's so nice to be asked back again.

Sweet Stampin' Challenge

I'd made a card ready to join in with the 'Unusual hair colour' challenge and so that's become my first DT contribution.

As much as I love 'colouring in' I sometimes think that my images could be made more interesting with backgrounds and I'm in awe of the people who can create whole scenes around their images - so I thought why not give it a go!  Also, I'd printed this image out quite large (another thing I fancied trying!) and then realised she was supposed to be sitting on something and I had nothing to sit her on.

This is what we ended up with - I used the skills learned from Kit and Clowder classes to draw the sky and then winged it with the wall!  I drew in oblong boxes in pencil, went over them with a fine liner and then coloured in.

I was so nervous / strained by the end of it, that all I did was find something to mount the image on and used a die for a sentiment then went and had a lie down in a darkened room! Still I'm quite pleased with the end result, apart from the sentiment!  I've always struggled finding the right sentiment - I've got loads of stamps and nothing really seems to go properly with the finished images. Any suggestions anyone for a good range of sentiments?

I used:

Digi stamp:

C.C. Designs - Bouquet Birgitta

coloured with Copics

Dies:

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection: double stitched rectangles
Lawn Fawn - 'hello'

Anything else:

Sparkly card

One final thing, does anyone want me to start listing the Copics I use?  I've no idea if these meandering posts are being read - but if it helps I'll make an effort to start listing colours.

So final, final thing - thanks for asking me back onto the Sweeties and look forward to sharing my makes.

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 27 - Anything Goes

As You Like It: Favourite way to add stitching - well, as you can see it's dies, dies, dies! I used to try either hand sewing or piercing (to make it look like stitching)  but now dies have been invented - it's dies all the way!!

Aud Sentiments Challenge blog: #278 Fairy Magic + a sentiment

A cuddle of cats

 Good morning Blogworld,

And how are we doing this morning, all good I hope! Life is plodding on in chez Sarah, finally back into a good routine after the excesses of TTT birthday - and I include exercise in that as, obviously, baking and eating copious amounts of cake then not getting my exercise does nothing for the old waist line! Back on the waggon, or more accurately up on my feet!

Of course, we've now only got a couple of weeks to school hols and then my own birthday - so it could all de-rail again at any time, arrrgggh!

I think that's enough of my waffling, lets do cards!

This is TTT's birthday card from her dad.  I said before we get her two cards as there's just the three of us, so if we didn't do that she'd only have one card before she got the ones from her friends and I always feel a single card sitting on the side looks a little sorry!

Card:

Supplies:

Stamps:

Main image: 

Stamping Bella - tiny townie Courtney loves kitties

coloured with Copics

Sentiments: 

Catherine Pooler - All Around Wishes

unknown stamp set for 'daughter' but probably Do-Craft

Dies:

Memory Box - heart ensemble

Other supplies:

Anna Marie Designs - striped paper

card and numbers from my stuff

And that's it folks!

Gotta go now, as am taking my bike off for a service and hubby is waiting for some assistance to get it into the car! Will be nice to be out on the bike again, I'm very much a fair weather rider but I do enjoy cycling.

See you soon,

signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #531 - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles Craft Challenge: Week 27 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #409 - Any Occasion

Dream Valley Challenges: Challenge #251 - All Occasions

Beachward bound

Hello Blogworld,

Well that was another unintended break - no idea what happened other than I just sat down to write this post and realised it's been a week!

I could blame it on being busy trying to take the colouring up a level and colour both my own backgrounds / scenes and using digi images to build scenes - so was busy crafting instead of blogging. Or I could blame it on just not realising time was marching by.  Hmmm, wonder which it will be!

So onto card and onto my first attempt at making my own background. The image and sentiment are stamped but everything else is freehand.  Overall am pleased with it but, as always, can do with improvement which comes with practice.  Also doesn't help that I created my own unique Copic colour by re-filling a pen with the wrong colour! Still upside is that I'll have to go get a new pen (or two!) now.

So card:

 I used:

Stamps:

Some Odd Girl - Beachy Tia

Whimsy Stamps - Fantabulous

Coloured with Copics

Dies:

Pretty Pink Posh - Scalloped Borders 1

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection Double Stitched Rectangles

Anything else:

Anna Marie Designs - Stripe Paper

string from my stash

I will be sharing attempt number two at creating a background during the week - how exciting!! 😉

That's me signing off now,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 26 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge Blog: Week 631 - Sea, Sun, Sand

Gem of A Craft Challenge: Challenge 14 - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday: Challenge 690 - Anything Goes (optional summer theme)