Thank you

Good morning blogland,

So here I am with my first Sweet Stampin' Challenge of 2025 and the theme this time is 'Thank you cards' - hence the title of the blog post! As always with Sweet Stampin' this is a 'for fun' challenge so no prizes on offer but do please use a stamp (digital or rubber) somewhere on your project and follow the theme.

I figured for Thank You cards you either go into a total one-off unique really heavy on the personalisation side or you go mass-production.  So, as I don't have any particular person to thank, I went mass-production.  I'm not saying these were really quick cards to make, but they were pretty easy. 

I used the stencil with Distress Inks to create a background, which I then stamped the sentiment directly onto, die-cut it and mounted onto black card and then onto the card blank.  Stamped (from the same set) a sentiment, die-cut that, foam pads on the back to 3d mount it, add some gems and viola! Straight forward and easily repeatable in as many different colours as you have Distress Inks (other background creating inks may be used :-)!)

Here's the card:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamps:

Altenew - Mega Greetings : Thanks for everything

Dies:

My Favorite Things - Fishtail Foundations

un-branded stitched rectangles

Stencil:

Honey Doo Crafts

Anything else:

Distress Inks

blending brushes

self-adhesive gems

You may also note that although I used my favourite 5x7 top-fold card blank, I turned it on it's side.  Added a bit more interest and worked better with the absolutely huge sentiment stamp!

Why not pop on over to the blog - my Teamies have made some wonderful cards which I'm sure will inspire you!

Aaaand that's it from me, folks - see's ya soon!

Sarah

Animal magic

Good morning all,

Just a quick flyer as I'm actually typing this rather late (for me anyways) on Monday evening because I'm at work on Tuesday and I don't have time to type in the morning and I've been to the cinema to see Deadpool and Wolverine.

Seeing as how this is posting on Tuesday, I'll say good morning! and welcome to my post for a new challenge over at Passion for Markers.  This week's theme has been picked by our lovely Teamie Lorriane, the theme she picked is 'Animal Magic' and our sponsor is Hetty Clare.

The DT were allowed some images to use and this is my card with one of those images:

Supplies Used:

Digital Stamp:

HettyClare - The Hamster Flower

coloured with my Copics

Rubber Stamp:

taylored expressions - In & Out -Thanks

Dies

Whimsy Stamps: OMG! Word Die Set

unbranded stitched DL set

Anything else:

Spotty paper

Black card

DL card blank

Hope you find time to run over and join in - would love to see you!

Gotta go, gotta get to bed!

See you later,

Sarah

Blooming lovely

 Good morning blogland,

And isn't it just - blooming lovely that is, in more ways than one! I love this warmer weather we are having, it's so much more me and really cheers me up from the Winter doldrums.

The other way it's blooming lovely is that's the theme for this week's Passion for Markers - actually to get it technically right it's 'Let it bloom' but basically we're looking for flowers on your projects this week and, always, please use your markers! :-)

We're sponsored by the lovely HettyClare with a prize of two digi stamps on offer.  The DT were given a couple of images to create with and this is my card with the image I got to use:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Hetty Clare - Cat Flowerpot

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

taylored expressions - 'Big Thanks'

Dies:

un-branded stitched rectangles

Poppy - Thanks outline

I like the overall card, but my goodness what did I do to that cat!  I gave it a nearly human looking nose and face, not good, not good at all! Hey ho, we live and learn, eh and live to fight (or colour!) another day.

Hope no-one is melting - like the hubby and TTT - in this heat and see you all soon.

Sarah

Thanks for

Good morning blogland

Can you believe another month has gone by - I honestly don't know where 2024 is going to.  It's not going to be long before I'm cardmaking for TTT's 17th birthday and then it's into school Summer Holidays! My goodness, what a thought!

As another month has gone by, it means it's time for the new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge. This month we're sponsored by the wonderful Di's Digital Stamps with a great prize of $6 to spend in the shop. It's also a very easy challenge theme this month of 'Anything Goes'.

The Design Team were allowed to choose images to use and this is my card with one of those images. As always these days I was running out of time to make my card, so I used a pre-coloured image which feels a little like cheating, but quickness was of the essence!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Di's Digi Stamps: Koala Flowers

a pre-coloured digi (which I flipped for better placement on my card)

Rubber stamps:

taylored expressions - 'In & Out - Thanks'

Dies:

unbranded stitched rectangles

Pretty Pink Posh - Scalloped Borders

Anything else:

MDF flower embellishment

Aaand, again, that's it folks,

I'll be back again at some point, hope to see you when I do re-surface!

Sarah

What's your animal?

Hello blogland,

Looks like I'm having a better run of luck with scheduled posts at the minute - so let's hope this keeps that run of luck!

It's Saturday, and time for another challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this fortnight the challenge theme is 'Animals' - so something stamped and animals in your project somewhere.

This is my card:

Supplies Used:

Stamps:

Time for Tea - Sundae Sweeties

coloured with my Copics

taylored expressions - simple strips: Background

Dies:

taylored expressions - simple strips: well rounded

Stencil:

Honey Doo Craft

Anything else:

Distress Ink

flat backed gems

Not the best picture ever - I really struggled to get the stencilled background to show in the photo.  The stencilling is quite soft and it did not want to show up in the pictures!

Anyways pop over to the challenge, my Teamies have made some wonderful cards!

Am off for a bit of retail therapy this weekend - it's a Craftarama at Lincoln Showground, so guess where I'll be on Sunday!

See you soon,

Sarah

Daffodils and a hedgehog!

Good Morning Blogland

I'm here with my DT inspiration for the new challenge starting today at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge, as always the theme is Anything Goes, but there has to be some hand coloured element on your entry.  Your entry doesn't have to be a card, that's just my go to, but something on it does need to be hand coloured.

This week we are sponsored by the wonderful Lee Holland Art, and the Design Team were very kindly allowed a stamp or two to play with.  This is my card using this super sweet image - Hedgehog with Daffodils.

Supplies used:

Digital Stamp:

Lee Holland Art - Hedgehog with Daffodils

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

tyalored expressions - Big Thanks

Dies:

unbranded stitched rectangles

Memory Box - thank you

I do hope you find time to pop over to the challenge and see the gorgeous creations my Teamies have made.  Maybe they might inspire you to join in as well!

Thanks for popping by and I'll be back soon,

Sarah

Challenges:

As You Like it Challenge: Favourite: Floral or Cute - Pretty sure you can tell from all my posts - Cute! Not always creatures, more often people, but definitely cute over floral any day. I have been known to colour flowers, it's just not my thing - so I always return to cute.

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #549 - Feature a Creature

Time Out Challenges: Challenge 212 - Spring

Use Your Stuff: #446 Spring/Easter - New digi, but everything else is from my 'stuff'

Unicorn Challenge: Challenge #75 - Include an Animal

Di's Digi Challenge: Welcome Spring

Spots / Stripes / Easter

Hello Blogland,

I'm here today with my DT make for the new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge, this month the theme is 'Spots / Stripes / Easter'.  Our lovely sponsor this time is Digi Doodles and the Design Team were provided with some super cute images to use - this is my card with one of those images.

As said before, and probably enough to bore you, I don't 'do' religious celebrations so my make focuses on the 'spots / stripes' part of the challenge. Here's the card:

Supplies used:

Digital Image:

Digi Doodles - Daisy May and Sweet Pea

coloured with my Copics 

(I hand coloured the background - the image doesn't come with clouds)

Rubber stamp:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips: Backgrounds

Dies:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips: Asymmetrical

un-branded stitched rectangle die

Any thing else?

My Minds Eye free Spring paper pad

Normally I would do a 'This is what I did' bit here, but while floating about the many groups I belong to on Facebook I read a post saying from someone starting a blog who wondered if it was old-fashioned to do an explanation of how the card was created. Lots of people said they appreciated knowing what was used, but didn't need a step by step 'how to' guide. Hmmm, appears I maybe old fashioned then! So I thought I'd leave that bit off for now. I figure my pictures of my cards are very clear (I hope!) and probably people can figure out from them and the list of what I use how I make my cards.

Please do pop over to Crafty Calendar where you'll find my Teamies have made some stunning cards - as always! I look forward to seeing your entry as well!

On the craft room front, I'm almost there. Just got a few more drawers to move about, a lot of labelling to do and then tweaks as I work with it all - to see if I've got things in the right places, so should be back to normal cardmaking next week.

Signing off now,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 630 - feminine

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite Interactive or Not (and why!) Ahhh now as much as I love looking at interactive cards, I've never actually tried one - oooooh confession time there! I'm not the most technical of people and I wonder if trying to make something move / wobble / pop would work for me. I gave up making my own card blanks as I couldn't get a straight edge on any of 'em! Also I take agggeeess to colour and place things 'just so', if I tried to add any other elements I'd be doing one card a year - so long story short, not!!

Polkadoodles Craft Challenge: Wk 9 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #601 - Stamp Act

Critter Crazy Challenges: Challenge #60 - Anything Goes

Trying something new

Absence and the heart growing fonder and all that stuff!

Good afternoon blogland,

Another absence on my behalf - again no real reason (other than busy with DT cards that I can't show yet!) but here I am now and this week I'll be here a lot more!

I felt like trying something new after all my 'work' cards were done and decided that new was no-lines colouring. I'd brought an 'Ink on 3 'Fade-out'' no line colouring ink-pad way back when I went to a craft fair last year that I'd not used, today I decided that had to change! Now I've admired no-line colouring since it was a 'new thing' way back when but not had the gumption to give it a go - today I decided to be brave and go for it.

I don't like my colouring of the rose, but other than that - wow! Love the soft almost water-coloured look that the ink disappearing gives, so pretty! I can imagine that it will be very difficult to colour more detailed stamps, but for a first go, and this stamp, I'm well impressed.

As an aside, to get the same 'no-lines' look with a digi stamp - do y'all just print the image fainter? Or is there a trick I'm missing?

I'm still getting used to the new light box - adjusting colour hue and brightness, sure I'll get there in the end!

And, so, card:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamps:

Stamping Bella - Bundle Girl with a Rose (image)

coloured with my Copics

Catherine Pooler - Note of Thanks Stamp Set (sentiment)

Dies:

Go-kreate - Frilly Frame No 2 set

Anything else?

Random scrap of patterned paper

300gsm white card - to make card base

HobbyHouse - Rhinestones

What I did:

Cut the white card with one of the dies in the set to create the card base.

Stamped the image with 'fade out' ink onto Copic friendly paper and die-cut it out, from the same set of dies - and coloured it in with my Copics.

Stamped the sentiment on the cut and coloured panel.

Die-cut out patterned paper with another die from the same set.

Glued the image to the paper and the paper to the card base, then attached some rhinestones.

et voila - job done!

Not sure if I'll get back to the blog midweek but will definitely be here end of the week - watch out for me!!

Signing off now,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 624 - use a die

Watercooler Wednesday: WWC333 - All About Occasions

Crafty Catz: #579 - Anything Goes

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite Colouring Medium (and why) Ooooh now I wonder what do I like colouring with most????  Hmmmm, could it be, maybe, perhaps, possibly - Copics!!!! I love how they blend, love the colour range and the colouring system (colour groups, hues and intensity). Second choice would always be Prismacolor Pencils - but they rarely get a look in these days.

Last minute!

Evening Blogworld

This is going to be a super fast post, so minimal chit-chat or waffle as I've only got a short while until the challenge I want to join in with closes.

I really do like Clean and Simple, even like One Layer Cards - see them as a challenge - but I really think I need a long look at an alternative range of stamps for these cards. My normal 'character stamp and colour with Copics' really doesn't work.

I'm now on a hunt for more 'artsy' stamps that can be used with different colour ink pads.  Any suggestions?

In the meantime - card:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamps:

Catherine Pooler - Note of Thanks

HunkyDory - For the Love of Stamps (for the leaves)

Everything else:

Distress Ink

Pear colour ink pad

Versamark ink pad

What I did:

Made a DL (slimline) card base.

Masked off a strip along the centre and stamped some leaves with the pear ink pad around and over the mask.

Blended Distress Ink over the stamps and mask.

Took off the mask and stamped the sentiment, using a Versamark black ink pad, in the gap created.

et voila, job done.

Liked the technique, liked the look but next time I'd make more of the leaves by using bigger stamps and different colours of ink pad.  For now, it's a start.

I will be back tomorrow.

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Less is More Challenge: Challenge #454 - OLC - Autumnal

Still here!

 Hello Blogland

Yes, I'm still here and making cards - still not managing to get to the blog as often as I would like though!

I will be making more of an effort and wonder if I'm better off posting in the evenings, now it's getting darker - when all there is to do is sit in front of the TV and do nothing! I am by nature a morning person - but my mornings can be busy and I run out of time to sit and work on the lappy.  

Anyway, ramble, ramble - moving on.

These aren't the newest cards I've made (that post is for Friday) but they show how my mojo is having an identity crisis.  I wanted to make a CAS card for a specific blog challenge.  First card is how I started - second card how I finished.  I just felt the first one wasn't really CAS - right colours and idea but too much background.

See what you think:

Card one:

Card two:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:
Catherine Pooler - Note of Thanks Stamp Set

Die:

Memory Box - Arboscello Tree

Anything else:

1st card only - nuvo Mica Mist - Antique Gold

Tim Holtz - Distress Ink: fired brick

fine liner to create the flying birds

5"x5" card blanks

What I did:

First card:

Die cut the tree from brown card.

Inked up a card front with the Distress Ink - heavy at the bottom, softer as rising.

Sprayed it with Mica, waited for it to dry, inked and stamped the sentiment on the bottom of the panel.

Glued the die to the panel and drew on some birds.

Mounted the panel on the card front with 3d foam squares.

Done

Second card - OLC:

Die cut the tree from brown card.

Made a circle stencil from scrap card and a circle die, taped that down to the card blank with artist tape and taped off the bottom half of the circle.

Inked through the circle with the Distress Ink, when I took the stencil away I thought it looked too sharp so smoothed out the bottom.

Stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the card.

Glued the tree between the inked panel and sentiment.

Drew on the birds.

et viola, job done

Let me know which you think is the more Clean and Simple card - or even just if you prefer one to t'other! All comments and constructive criticism welcome!

Signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

 Addicted to CAS: Challenge #207 - Autumn (It's card two I'm entering in the challenge - I felt card one was too much to be CAS).

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #415 - Die cuts and / or stencils - 1st card is just die-cut and the 2nd both. 

Watercooler Wednesday: WWC326 - Helen's Challenge: All About Occasions

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

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