We have snow!

 Good morning blogland

Well wasn't that an interesting weekend! Thankfully no damage done with the winds, but my goodness it was blowing a good 'un out there - so a very good opportunity to stay in and craft! That was Saturday, then Sunday more winds and... ta-dum!.... Snow!! 

I love snow - strange as I don't like the cold but I love snow.  Can't stay out in it for too long, I get cold so quickly these days, but I love watching it fall, settle and walking on fresh snow.

This is what we've woken up to:

Sooo pretty!

Now your personalised weather forecast is over - this is one of the cards I made whilst hiding away from the wild wind. It looks nothing how it started - the image changed, the jewels were added, the doodling was added.  In fact, you may just say I ripped up the original card and started over! Although I did save the other image for use on a different card.

her close-up - so you can see the tiny gems I've added to her cup:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya Pumpkin Spice

coloured with Copics

Rubber stamp / die:

Taylored Expressions: Simple Strips - Birthday

(Die) Well Rounded

Paper:

My Mind's Eye - Bloom & Grow

Anything else:

Hobby House - gems

Random strips patterned paper and black card (both die cut with a stitched square die)

What I did:

Re-sized, printed, coloured in and fussy-cut out Miss Anya.

Printed on Copic friendly paper and coloured in with Copics

Cut a piece of patterned paper and stuck it to the 5x5 card base then doodled a frame on/around it.

Stuck the image and the sentiment onto 3d foam and popped them on the card base.

Cut up two die-cut squares and arranged them as a partial frame.

Randomly added flat backed gems to the card base and 3 to Anya's cup.

et voila, job done!

Am quite pleased with this card, in the end, as, like I said at the beginning, it might just as well be a completely different card from where I started out. Also in-spite of the fact I had a blob with my Copics and almost gave up, I still managed to rescue the image.

Once of the challenges I intend to enter this card into asks for a card along the lines of happy and thankful.  Well I'm thankful for Cult Pens who got me a new E00 Copic delivered in 2 days - when I re-filled my E00 with E000 ink - how stupid is that! I'm also happy to have hats, gloves, boots and hot chocolate after being out in cold weather - which Miss Anya represents. I'm also grateful for my friend whom I go running with - is lovely to be out and about and chatting whilst improving my fitness levels. 

And, now I've written a novel, I'm off to do my weights also grateful that I don't have to drive to a gym (only walk around the corner) and that I'll be warm and dry whilst I'm working out!

Hope everyone else got through the storm with minimal disruption,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Markers: Week 19 - Happy and Thankful (if you haven't read the essay above (and I don't blame you!) I'm happy to have warm clothing, hot drinks and thankful for a friend I jog with.

Crafty Catz: Challenge #574 - Anything Goes (no optional twist)

The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog: Challenge #165 - Anything Cute

Just Us Girls: #612 - Photo Week. I know I've not taken the literal route with inspiration from the picture - but, once I saw the colours were similar to my card, I just thought to myself Miss Anya's been shopping (in the cold) and is having a nice mug of Chocolate before she starts to unpack all the Christmas shopping (food / presents?) that are in those bags.  If it's gone too far 'off piste' for the challenge, it's fine - I don't expect everyone to follow the weird twists of my mind!! ;-)

Krafty Chicks Challenge: KCC #587 - All Occasions

A little note

Good evening blogland,

It's been quiet again on the old bloggy blog, hasn't it.  I've been colouring away but they are 'in progress' DT stuff so can't be shared yet. 

In the meantime another CAS card left my table today - it's been mulling away in the background most of the week but, for one reason or another, it hasn't really come together before today.  Even now I'm not entirely sure it's my best effort and may well be re-visited at some point in the future.

Not much to chat about either, other than my evening runs are now done in the dark and cold - that's a shock to the system! I really am much happier in the sun and warm. 

More often than not I seem to go black and white when I go CAS, will have to work on getting more colour in.  Also, please note this is supposed to be a touch grungy so it's not badly stamped - it's a style.  Although, I'm not over pleased with the sentiment, I don't feel it goes but I didn't have the right typeface!

So, card:

Supplies used:

Stamps:

Digital:

Free piece of clip-art from the internet for the typewriter

Rubber:

Mama Elephant - spots and stripes

Do-crafts / Anita's - sentiment

Anything else:

Woodware - corner rounder punch

What I did:

Searched for and found then printed an image of a typewriter off the internet and fussy cut it out.

Stamped the spots, the sentiment  and the stripes on the card blank.

Popped the image onto some 3d foam and attached it to the card over the spots.

Then used the punch to round the corners of the card blank.

et voila, job done!

And now I'm off to have half hour sit down with a bit of TV!

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

CASology: Week 397 - Type

Gotta get my skates on

Good afternoon blogland,

Minimal chatting today - want to get this post linked up to a couple of challenges - so only subject of conversation is, isn't it turned cold!!!! Weather seemed to change overnight from 'ooh it's too warm to be November, feels more like September' to 'where's me blooming woolly hat at then, I'm freezing!'.

Also in my head I've taken a decision with those blooming Christmas cards, I will be separating making them out from the actual thing of Christmas itself - I mean I make all types of cards with no-one particularly in mind to send them to, just do it for the fun of 'making' so why not the same with Christmas cards? Makes me feel better than all the angst I have over not particularly liking Christmas itself.

So to join in with a challenge or two, here's my latest creation (please try to ignore the dodgy printing - my printer wants new ink and so is throwing it's dummy out of the pram):

Digital stamps:

Image:

Pollycraft - Maurice Christmas Socks

(coloured with Copics)

Sentiment:

From an etsy seller - a set of them listed as for making vinyl signage but I thought they're .pdf's so why wouldn't they work as sentiments. Proof in the pudding!

Patterned Paper:

First Edition - Arctic Wonder

Dies:

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection: Double Stitched Squares

Anything else:

MDF glittery triangles

What I did:

Re-sized and mooched around a bit with the image and sentiment until I was happy with how it looked, printed off onto Copic friendly paper (after swearing at the machine a couple of times because it's being a pest).

Coloured with Copics.

Die-cut with square die.

Die-cut a bit of patterned paper out with different sized die from same set.

Glued paper to 5x5 card base, popped 3d foam on the image panel and popped that onto the base.

Glued the corners onto the image panel.

et voila, job done!

I showed this card to TTT she actually laughed and said 'that's good!', of course then carried on with 'why are you making Christmas cards this early, don't you know it's a month off?' It seems parents are sooooo dim they don't know when Christmas is!!  Here's hoping someone can tell me, when should I expect it to be Christmas - please help out an old, out of date parent, eh! ;-)

Hope you are all well in blogland and I'm signing off now,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

Passion for Markers: Week 618 - Anything Christmas

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #540 - Check it Out

Watercooler Wednesday: WWC 329 - Cathy's Challenge - All Things Masculine

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite - Dies v Stencils - for me dies all the time!  I have a few stencils (a steadily growing collection it has to be said!) but I'm much more of a die person, I just feel they either create a great embellishment or hide the fact I really cannot cut straight when used for matting and layering. 

 

Look who's 12!

 Good Morning Blogland

It's Saturday morning, which means it's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge and this fortnight the theme is Birthdays!

The reason the theme is 'birthdays'? It's because the Sweet Stampin' challenge has been in Blogland for 12 years! Can you believe it! I first joined The Sweeties probably about 10 years ago and was part of the DT for a couple of years until I totally lost my mojo and stopped crafting 7 or 8 years ago. When I re-started crafting last year I was very kindly asked if I'd like to join again and I almost snapped Susan's hand off!  They are a lovely group of crafters and I'm very privileged to be on the DT.

My contribution to the festivities are these two cards - whilst browsing my gallery I found I've got a fair number of un-blogged birthday cards.  I found it very difficult to pick a single card, so I've gone with two - one a recent make for one of TTT's friends and one a more elegant CAS style.

Card one - Elegant CAS:

Supplies Used:

Rubber Stamp:

Inkadinkado

A very old flourish stamp which has no packaging so you're lucky I remembered it was Inkadinkado!

Dies:

Lawn Fawn - Happy Birthday Border

Memory Box - Chloe Butterfly

Spellbinders circle - to make a mask that inked the grey circle through

What I did:

Die cut out the Birthday border (x2 white card x1 black card) and stacked it. 

Die cut out the butterfly and circle mask.

I put the mask on the card blank and inked through with a grey ink pad to get the circle, then glued the butterfly on - just by it's middle so the wings are loose.

I stamped the flourish across the bottom of the blank in black ink and then glued the stacked Happy Birthday border across the top of the flourishes.

et voila, job done!

Card two - Teen birthday:

Supplies used:

Stamps:

Digital Images:

Saturated Canary - Peace Out Selfie

The Greeting Farm - Birthday Party (a digital images background pack)

coloured with Copics

Rubber Stamp:

Catherine Pooler - Happy Birthday Many Ways

Dies:

Catherine Pooler - Bestie word

Anything else?

Copic fineliner

lilac coloured card

What I did:

I re-sized and arranged the digital stamps in Word until I was happy with them then printed onto Copic friendly paper and coloured them in.

Stamped Happy Birthday onto the paper.

Cut the panel to the right size to fit my 5x5 card blank with the card mat just showing.

Die-cut 'bestie' out x3 - x2 white card and x1 lilac card - stacked them and attached to the panel.

 Drew stings onto the balloons with a Copic fineliner.

et voila, job done!

Now we would love to see what you make! As always, please remember this is a stamping challenge, so there has to be some sort of stamping on your make, but your make doesn't have to be a card!

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #586 - CAS (Card one)

Gem of a Craft Challenge: Wk 23 - Anything Goes (card two)

Crafty Catz: #573 Anything Goes (sorry no additional twist) (Card two)

Time out Challenges: Challenge #201 - Da Vinci quote (took the 'simplicity' part of the quote and entering card one)

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog: #288 - Anything Goes and a Sentiment (Card two)

Variations on a theme

Good evening blogworld,

I've been CAS-ing and not Copic-ing again! 

It's funny really as much as I love colouring, and I really, really do, I also love the challenge I get by having a very minimal amount of 'stuff' on the card blank and arranging it into a design that appeals to the eye. 

Although, it wouldn't be 'me' if there wasn't stamping somewhere - even if it is a plain black stamp! I actually made three cards along this theme, with two different stamps but wasn't sure that one of the stamps was technically a silhouette. I'd looked at it and thought I could probably colour that in, so that card has been put to one side for another time.

Presenting my 'variations on a theme' cards that I made:

Card one:

Card two:

Supplies used:

Image stamp:

docrafts - Papermania: Henbury Lane

Variations for card one:

Sentiment:

Catherine Pooler - Happy Birthday Many Ways

Dies:

unbranded rectangle die

Spellbinders circle dies

Anything else:

Distress Ink

blender brush

Variations for card two:

Sentiment:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips Background

Dies:

Taylored Expressions - Well Rounded

My Favorite Things - inside /out stitched circles

unbranded rectangle die

What I did:

Card one:

Blended two Distress Inks onto white card and stamped the image on the top.

Die-cut with circular die, then die-cut another circle and mounted the image onto the white circle.

Die-cut out the rectangle, 3d foam onto the stamped panel and popped it onto the rectangle.

Attached that to the card blank, again with 3d foam.

Card two:

Cut out a rectangle from linen card and die cut out a circle in the top right hand corner.

Marked the circle on a card blank, took away the linen card and stamped the image directly onto the card blank.

Attached the linen panel to the card base with 3d foam - making sure the image was lined up.

Glued the sentiment to the linen panel.

et voila, job done!

It was a very enjoyable afternoons' crafting to make these two (technically three) cards I am pleased to report. However I'll be back to colouring next time I see you as I'm swapping and changing as the mood takes me!

Oh, and in other news, all is right with the world again - as I'm feeling much better now than I did at the weekend and I can get my Les Mills exercise fix again!

See you all soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Less is More: #456 - Silhouette

Little red wagon: Challenge #628 - No Patterned Paper!

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #418 - Birthdays (entering card one)

Retro Rubber Challenge: Challenge 171 - Fall colours (entering card one and the bird stamp I used is at least 10 years old if not nearer to 15, but I can't find a date on the packaging but I did find a SALE sticker - I do like a bargain! Confession time - it's also the first time I've used it, that's terrible!!)

Happy Little Stampers: November anythings goes with dies

Deep breath and calm!

 Hello blogland,

Well that last post was a bit of an insight into my non-Christmas personality, I don't ignore it altogether but I'm happier dropping all the expectations and so minimalising the whole season.  Maybe if I was religious, it'd be different but I'm not so I get through it and out the other side. Although, obviously without raining on anyone else's parade! I maybe a grump but I'm not a monster! Generally I keep this particular opinion to myself, but there I've vented on the blog, now I feel better and won't do it again. 

So moving onto happier thoughts - I did some Copic colouring - that was much happier and a much needed calming afternoon.

Here's the card:

Supplies used:

Rubber Stamp:

The Greeting Farm - Anya Lifts

(image and sentiment)

coloured with Copics

Dies:

My Favorite Things stitches inside and out 

I'm not sure what die cut I used for the bottom border - it came out of a box of bits

Anything else:

Hobby House - flat backed pearls

twine

What I did:

Stamped Anya onto Copic friendly paper, coloured her in and fussy cut her out.

Stamped the sentiment onto the die-cut circle.

Wound some twine around the bottom die and glued it onto the card base.

Played about with positioning of the circle then glued that down and stuck the pearls on.

Put 3d foam on the back of the image and popped her onto card.

et voila, job done!

Not quite sure why the sentiment looks so badly stamped in the picture - can assure you it isn't!

I'm off for a quiet day today, I appear to have eaten something unpleasant so I'm on toast and water for the day hoping for improvement tomorrow.

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Markers: Week 617 - three of a kind - 3 pearls and 3 balloons

Watercooler Wednesday: WWC: 328 - All About Occasions

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 44 - Anything Goes

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite Circle Embellishment - Flat backed pearls or gems - all time favourite - as shown by the fact that I've got a draw full of them!!

Hmmm!

 Morning Blogland,

I almost went with 'urrgh' for a title but thought, in the end, that might be a bit tooo cheeky, so Hmmmm it is. This is because I'm posting up another Christmas card - did I mention that I'm the one in a million who isn't that into Christmas? I might have done! Too many reasons to list why I'm not keen, and it's not on religious grounds, it's just personal experience.

Anyways, challenges are starting Christmas / Winter themes so, as I like joining in with challenges, it would appear I'm going to make a couple of Christmas cards. I might even make enough that a couple of people get a handmade card this time.

This is my second Christmas card this year:

I used:

Dies:

Memory Box - Deer Trio

My Favorite Things - Inside and Out Stitched Circle

Picket Fence - Merry Christmas Word Topper Die

Un-branded stitched rectangle

Anything else:

Mica Spray

Linen card

What I did:

Die cut out rectangle from linen card, then cut the circle from the rectangle.

Sprayed the mica spray on the card blank.

Die cut the deer out and attached to the back of the rectangle.

Added 3d foam everywhere on the back of the rectangle and deer and fixed to the card blank.

Die-cut the topper x3, stacked them and attached to the front of the card.

et voila, job done!

It's a shame the shimmer on the Mica Spray doesn't show up - it is actually very nice in real life and the linen card gives a lovely texture to the panel.

I fully expect to be back on Copics and 'ordinary' cards as soon as possible, but I can see I will probably end up making a couple more Christmas cards - maybe just a bit closer to Christmas!

Also no waffle today, as not really been an interesting week - just plodding along here doing ordinary everyday stuff.

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

Less is More: #455 - Winter Whites

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #210 - Circle

CAS Christmas Card Challenge: November Challenge - Critters

Just us Girls Challenge: Word Week #609 - Merry

Free hugs!

 Good morning blogworld,

Yes, I'm back again! This time though I have purpose - it's a new month and so time for a new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge!

This month the theme is Anything Goes so basically like it says on the tin - any craft project goes, am so looking forward to seeing what you all create!

Our sponsor, with some fabulous prizes, are:

The Design Team were very kindly provided with some images to use and this is my make using one of the images and a sentiment:

Supplies used:

Digital Stamp and sentiment:

Artsy Stamper - Nick and JJ

coloured with Copics

Die:

Creative Expressions - Noble Collection : Double Stitched Squares

Anything else:

Black card

Linen card

What I did:

Printed the image onto Copic friendly paper, coloured with my Copics and fussy cut out.

Printed the sentiment onto linen card and die-cut out.

Used an embossing board to emboss a square on the die-cut square then glued it to  black card, which I then cut out leaving a small border around the linen card.

3d foam mounted that onto my 5x5 card base.

Added some 3d foam to some of the image and then attached it half on / half off the square sentiment.

et voila, job done!

As I was here late last night I've not got much more to waffle on about, so I'll leave everyone alone to go get crafty!! Looking forward to having a wander around everyone's blogs to see what they create.

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenges/s:

Cardz 4 Galz: #159 - CAS

Happy Little Stampers: November CAS - Loveable Pets

Gem of A Craft Challenge: Anything Goes - Challenge 23

Not for me

 Good evening blogworld,

This is not for my anniversary - I've still got the card that I didn't give him this year put away for next year.  This purely made for fun and joining in with challenges.

So how's your week been going? Mine has been pretty quiet, which is nice really after half-term chaos last week. The biggest event in our world is that TTT's flute teacher has changed - the new lady is 'more organised and just as nice', so we're told, as the previous lady! Em's done pretty well with flute - she's quite a musical kid - and played cello and recorder at Primary School but dropped them when she moved into Secondary.  Then she chose the flute last September, in Year 9, when she picked options for GCSE and one of her choices was music for which you need an instrument.  She's just about to take her Grade 3 which to me, who enjoys music but is not musical as such, seems to have been quite quick progress. Am I right, or just a biased mum??

So enough waffle, time to share a different thing - my card!

Supplies Used:

Rubber Stamps:

Stamping Bella - Lovey Gnomes

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Background

Dies:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Rounded

un-branded heart

Whimsy Stamps - Zig Zag Edger Die Set

Anything else:

Papermania - Hampstead paper pack

What I did:

Stamped the image on Copic friendly paper, then coloured in with my Copics and fussy cut it out.

Used the Whimsy die to cut strips from three different patterned papers from the paper pack.

Cut the heart from some red card.

Stamped and die-cut out the sentiment.

Glued the three strips of patterned paper across the bottom third of my card blank, then glued the heart on top of the papers.

Put 3d foam on the image and sentiment and popped them on the card too.

et voila, job done!

That's me for today folks, will be back soon!

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Passion for Markers: Week 616 - 3 or more papers

The Male Room: Challenge #156 Gnomes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #584 Week 1 - (Stamp Act)

AAA Cards: Game #202 - Sketch + optional twist gnomes

Not Monday

Morning Blogland,

Nope - it's Tuesday! Thought I'd give you a day off from my chit-chat, but I still do have a card to get into a couple of challenges so I'm here but I'll keep it short (a real accomplishment for me!).

Not much has happened since Sunday - other than TTT is back at school and so life is falling back into it's school day routine.  She's off on the bus, I've got a sourdough loaf just out of the oven, then it's a bit of stretching, James Bond film this pm and a jog with a friend this evening.  Ahhh, life is back in it's normal curve!

So no more chit-chat - onto card:

Supplies used|:

Rubber stamps:

Un-named ages old Papermania wooden backed rubber stamp for the robot

Catherine Pooler - Happy Birthday Many Ways for the sentiment

Anything else:

Pretty Pink Posh - Polka Dots Stencil

Tim Holtz - Distress Ink : black soot

Versamark black ink

Linen card

Copic Fineliner

What I did:

Stamped and cut out the robot.

Cut out a panel of linen card to fit my card blank, then inked through the stencil with Distress Ink to get the pattern.

Stamped the sentiment in the corner and attached the panel to the card base.

Popped the image on 3d foam and attached it to the panel.

Looked at the card for a bit and decided it might be too plain so doodled around the edge. Now I'm not so sure!

Hmmmm, job done, but do I like it? Not sure!

I might just do this one again and see if I can re-arrange it a bit to look better to me.  Which would either be something to do with the stencil or the doodling.  Maybe another layer, don't know, but something just doesn't look right.

Anyhooo, moving on! Time to get on with my exercise - stretching today, in readiness for my jog this evening.  Doing rather well with that, even if it is blowing my own trumpet, me and the friend that I jog with are up to just under 7km in just under the hour.

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

The Male Room: Challenge #155 - Black & White