In other news...

 Hello blogworld,

Wow two posts in one week - a sure sign the school holidays are nearly over!  TTT goes back to school a week today and then I get my routines and calm back.  Is always nice to have her at home, but it's even nicer to get some routine back into our lives.

Do I hear you asking what have you been up to whilst not keeping old bloggy blog up to date?  Or  maybe not, maybe you are all about the cards - which is fine.  So if it's just cards, that's next, if it's cards and a little of life chez Sarah keeping going to the end.

So cards first.  Here's one I made as a thank you for the cat sitters, not my usual style but not only did I fancy trying something new - I was also pretty sure they'd like a flower themed card.

Card:

What I used and how I used it:

Altenew - Peony Bouquet stamp and Floral Ink Set

Memory Box die - thank you script

Square card mount.

I stamped one Peony in various inks, to build the flower, onto my card mount then masked the image off while I repeated the same steps twice - one flower either side of the original.  Then picked two of the leaf stamps and randomly stamped them around the flowers - mostly to try and hide any gaps.

Die-cut out the 'thank you' three times - x2 in white and x1 in black.  Stacked them with the black on top then stuck them to the card mount.

et voila

Now I need to talk to my Copics and tell them that, even though I enjoyed stamping this way and will do it again, I still love them and I will be back!

Meanwhile, outside of crafting.  You recall the never to be mentioned birthday - well it had to be mentioned one last time as we had a very belated midweek London shopping / theatre trip to celebrate.  Oh, and also because TTT is into Manga and Anime and wanted to go to London - to 'proper' shops! So we hit Camden Lock, via the Emirates Cable Car over the Thames, and central London for a couple of Anime / Manga / Comic book shops. We also took in my old stomping ground of Lakeside and Ikea in Thurrock and Beckton on the way home.  Fairly well shopped out!!

We did this:

And this (inside):

(outside)

My little family:

Oh, and finally, the cute little car is my 'new' car. Not part of the birthday bash, just because I cannot park the beast next to it and I've complained about it for a good year!

There you go, hope you liked that little look into life outside of blogging.

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Allsorts Challenge Blog: Week 639 - CAS (Clean and Simple)

The Paper Players: PP556 - Tic-tac-Toe (square card, die-cut / punch, florals)

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #205 - Nature (Now I'm not sure my card is strictly CAS, I feel the flowers might be too much, but leave it up to you to make a final decision

So many layers!

Hello blogworld,

Been a busy wee while chez Sarah which explains the absence - will catch you all up with the adventures of me another post - this post is dedicated to Sweet Stampin' Challenge.

I can't believe how quickly it's come round to Team Wendy's challenge time but it has and so here I am! This fortnight our challenge is Lots of Layers.

I've no idea why I tend to make boys / masculine cards with layers, but I do and I've proved it this time as well. Photographic proof:

My card:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:

C.C. Designs - Sugarplums: Balloon Trevor

coloured with Copics

Papers:

Bo Bunny - Surprise! collection

Dies:

Die-namics - Rectangle Stax

Stacking Stars and circles - but can't remember the name of the companies

Anything else:

Kraft card

Pre-printed sentiment

Wot I did!

Stamped and coloured the image then die-cut it out.

I had no plan or sketch in mind, just played around with pieces of paper until I liked the way they looked and mounted them on Kraft card.

Added the sentiment to a circle of Kraft card then popped it and the image up on 3d foam.

et voila!

My Teamies have made some fabulous creations and we'd love to see what you make as well! Please remember though, this is a stamping challenge so we need to see some stamping on your projects - they don't need to be cards - just include some stamping.

Be back soon, with an update on my antics shortly - once the current antics are over!

Signing off,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 34 - Anything Goes

The Male Room: Challenge #153 - 8th Birthday

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Challenge 18 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: Week 4 #574 All Occasions

A quick hello

Hi Blogworld,

Nearly another week has gone by, hard to believe we are at the half-way mark of the summer holidays. Looking forward to getting my craft time, and it has to be said, my routines back as well!  

It's all very well to have holidays, but I actually like knowing which day of the week it is.  We were in Skegness on Sunday and I missed getting into B&M (I do like a bargain!) because I forgot it was Sunday and the shops close early. 

Obviously we were there for TTT - it was a friends birthday last Friday and TTT had been invited for a day in Skeg-vegas to celebrate. They did a 'Clip & Climb' (attached to harnesses climbing what looked like giant Lego pieces stuck together) - voted a thumbs up; a Virtual Reality game - a thumbs down; played on the 2p machines in the arcade - a thumbs up; had McDonalds - a thumbs down from TTT (McD's are not vegetarian friendly); Laser Quest (shooting each other in the dark with lasers) - a thumbs up and a go in the only bit of soft play that they are allowed in now they are teenagers - a thumbs up.

We were there from 11am to 6pm - can you see why I get no craft time in holidays!!

So I had to make a very quick card for said friend and here it is:

Supplies:

Digital Image:

Saturated Canary - Peace and Chill

coloured with Copics

Digital Sentiment:

Lili of the Valley - Grunge Stamp Sentitments

Rubber Sentiment:

Catherine Pooler - All around wishes

Think it's fairly obvious I printed the image and sentiment onto a piece of Copic friendly paper and coloured it - giving a very simple background - then mounted it on black card onto my card base. Done!

Hopefully see you again before next week!

Signing off 

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 32 - Anything Goes

As You Like it Challenge: Favourite Primary Colour and why. It's either red or blue for me and, as TTT wouldn't let me put any red anywhere on this card (it wouldn't look like Holly then, mum!) I'm picking blue. Blue sky and eyes specifically this time but blue in general any time.

Digi Chooseday Craft Challenge: Week 33 Anything Goes

It's deja vu

 Hello blogworld,

Goodness this takes me back - that feeling of it's the school summer holidays and I've got no time for me!! I seem to remember this happening every year last time I had a blog and was making cards.  

Certainly one thing never changes - doesn't matter if daughter is SWMbO ('She Who Must be Obeyed' for the new followers) or morphed into TTT (The Troublesome Teen) - she has a better social life than I do. I won't list all the things we've done this week, suffice it to say 95% of them were for her and the rest of the week into the weekend is the same!

So this card, is one pulled out of the 'not blogged' pile - otherwise you wouldn't see me this week.

And, breathe, and card:

Supplies:

Stamp (rubber): 

C.C Designs - Kiki la Rue / Cupcake Kiki

coloured with my Copics

Die:

C.C. Designs - Cupcake Cutie

Anything else:

Anna Marie Designs - striped paper

Also, for anyone who still thinks I popped into the world a fully fledged card maker - I didn't. I've been making cards (with a small 7 year break!) since the early 2000's (showing my age here) and this is proof of how practice, and practice, and practice really does improve your skills.

A comparison of the same image coloured 10 years apart - I made the card on the left for a birthday invite for my daughter's 4th birthday. Different pens it has to be said - ProMarkers not Copics  - but basically lots of practice on my part. Plus lots of YouTube tutorials, peering at photos of what other people have done and a course or two over at Kit and Clowder - add it up and my skills have improved.  I'm nowhere near perfect but I've come a long way.

So bye for now, I will be back - just not as regularly for a few weeks.  Ha. Just thought, I bet you're all glad of the break from my waffle!! No offence taken if you are! ;-)

Signing off,

Sarah 

Challenge / s:

The Cutie Pie Challenge: #162 - Girls, Girls, Girls

Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge: Anything Goes

Digi Choosday Challenge: Week 32 - Anything Goes

Retro Rubber Challenge Blog: Challenge 164 - Anything Goes.  The stamp doesn't have a date on it - but as you can see from the post I was using it in 2011 - so it's at least 10 years old! Hope that is old enough to count :-)

How exciting!

 Good morning blogworld,

I have some exciting news:

I was recently asked by the very kind Sue to join the DT of  Crafty Calendar Challenge and, obviously otherwise I wouldn't be writing this post, I very gratefully accepted! I'm not entirely sure Sue and the other DT ladies know what they've let themselves in for with all my chat!

Here's my first challenge as part of the DT:

The theme of our challenge this month is 'Anything Goes' and we are sponsored by the fabulous Wendy Burns of  All Dressed Up

And here's my card for my Inaugural Challenge as a Crafty Calendar Girl:

 Supplies:

Stamps:

Digital Image:

All Dressed Up - I Love My Puppy

coloured with Copics 

Rubber Sentiment Stamp:

Whimsy Stamps - Fantabulous

Dies:

Creative Expressions - Noble collection: double stitched squares

Anything else:

MDF embelishment from Anna Marie Designs

pearls from my stuff

What I did:

Printed out the Digital Stamp onto Copic friendly paper, coloured her and  

created a background (following a video on Delphine's Stamp & Colour YouTube channel).

Die-cut this out and mounted onto another die-cut panel of card.

Mounted both those onto a 6x6 card blank.

Affixed a embellishment in the top right corner and pearls in the bottom left.

et voila

My new Teamies have created some wonderful inspiration and I do hope you will come join us in this month's challenge.  I'd love to see what y'all can create!

Signing off

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Markers: Week 603 - Favourite Colours: still greens, blues and shades of pink/red

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 31 - Anything Goes

All Dressed Up Challenge: July Challenge #119

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #571 Week 1 (Stamp Act)

Cat, cats and more cats!

Hello blogworld,

The challenge over at As You Like it Challenge blog really got my attention and I managed to make some 'me' time to make a couple of cards. Neither of my cards are very fancy, one is distinctly CAS (Clean And Simple) and both were made using some new crafting goodies I got for my not to be talked about turn of the decade birthday last week!

I'm going to share one card now, and keep the other in reserve in-case I run out of time (or inspiration) again.

This is my paired back but not quite CAS card:

Supplies:

Stamps (rubber):

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - A Purr-fect Day

Cat coloured with C and BV Copics

Dies:

My Favorite Things - Die-namics : Inside and Out Stitched Circle

Anything else:

Momento Dew Drop Inks

Blending brushes

What I did:

Made a DL sized card blank and a front panel to fit.

Die-cut a circle in the panel, then masked off the top third and using my (new) blending brushes inked over some (new) Memento Dew Drop colours.

Stamped the paw prints and mice from the stamp set on the inked and die-cut panel.

Stamped and coloured the cat in on Copic friendly paper, then fussy cut it out. 

Popped some 3d foam squares on the cat and mounted it on the panel.

Popped 3d foam on the panel and mounted that on the card blank - lined up so that the sentiment showed through the die-cut circle.

et voila!

Now, the bit that got my attention (other than the theme) at AYLI - is that we are encouraged to share pictures of pets - well as you can guess from the card our pets are cats. Personally dogs have the edge over cats for me, but with an allergic hubby and cat-loving TTT - it's cats all the way in our house.

So, photo overload incoming!!

We have: brother and sister Ewok and Worried - 7 years old.  They were the kittens of a rescue cat we took in Tinker (short for Tinkerbelle) who was Emily's (TTT's) own cat. Unfortunately Tinker was run down on the road outside our house in Emily's last years at Primary school - a very upsetting time for her.

Ewok - also known as Vampire Cat! Look at those teeth - but please don't look at all those darn shoes that TTT leaves lying about.

Ewok again - in front winking at the camera.

His sister - Worried.  

Who is permanently worried and has been since a kitten - hence the name.  She is also a total fusspot over food and totally obsessed by the food she does like.  Only dried food, only in a particular bowl (she seriously walks away if it goes down in a strange bowl), only one particular place to be fed and screeches at 7am, 12midday, 5pm and 10pm for her corresponding meals! 

Twinkle - newest addition to the family. She came to us as a runaway from a farm down the road about 3 weeks after Tinker had been knocked down and killed on the road.

She was just 'there' one day after the school run, ran over to Emily and never left her side. Still hasn't, they are the closest of friends and if Em calls her from her bedroom, where ever Twinkle is she goes running!

So there you go, we must be the luckiest family alive - to have all these black cats!  If only they didn't throw up fur balls, be sick in general (normally on the furniture), bring in dead mice and rats, kill birds, claw the furniture and carpets (when we had them) and scratch me to pieces - I'm sure I'd be a real cat convert!!

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

As You Like It: Favourite Pet Animal - and why.  Hmmm, well family favourite pet animal? I'm forced into it!!

Crafty Creations Challenge: August #424 - Anything Goes

The Paper Funday Challenges: Challenge #32 - Anything Goes (optional twist - Cute Critters)

Try it on Tuesday: Keep it Simple

It's gnome time!

 Hello blogworld,

Well, that was a busy Saturday which I obviously can't cope with anymore - as Sunday was an extremely quiet day!

As said TTT was asked to be a local Carnival Princess / Maid of Honour by the incoming Carnival Queen and we had a very busy week in the run up to Saturday, with dress fitting, panic tiara buying, working out how to fit the tiara and rehearsals daytime Sat for the main events Sat evening.  Main events being a crowning, turning on the summer lights and starting off fireworks - phew! Oh, and it was my birthday last week as well, not that I'm telling what I turned, suffice it to say I'm not 21!

But that's not what you came to my blog for, I'm sure. Onto cards, I've struggled this week to carve out time for me - so this very simple card is all I managed.

Card:

I used:

Stamp (rubber):

Stamping Bella - Flowery Gnomes eb800

coloured with Copics

Dies:

My Favorite Things - Die-namics: Inside and Out Stitch Circle

Anything else:

Cuttlebug embossing folder - Thanks

blue chalk (to bring out the embossing - though I'm not sure now it needed it)

You can't see so well in the photo but the embossed panel is stuck flat to the card, while the die-cut panel and fussy cut gnome are popped on with 3d foam.

Just a proud mummy moment - TTT in 2018 (on our cruise around the Med):

To a very grown up 14 year old Carnival Maid of Honour:

So proud of her! But, my goodness, where has time (and my little 'un!) gone!!

Be back soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Markers: Week 602 - Make it Bloom

Allsorts Challenge Blog: Anything Goes (with option of roses) - well I managed flowers but even with my small knowledge of flowers, I know they ain't roses!

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Challenge 16 - Anything Goes