Ready, steady, bake!

Good morning blogland,

I think, at the moment, you must all realise if I'm posting it's a new challenge time - that's all the time I appear to have available to blog at the moment!

So as this is a new post, let's tell you about the accompanying challenge, shall we? This time it's for Sweet Stampin' and this fortnight the theme is 'Cakes and Baking'.  As always this is both a 'for fun' challenge - so no sponsors or prizes - and the only rules are follow the theme and stamp somewhere on your project.  We don't mind if it's rubber or digi, but you must stamp somewhere.

Again, being strapped for time, this card comes from the vaults so made ages ago but not blogged.  

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:

The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya: Anya Treats

coloured with my Copics

taylored expressions - Simple Strips: Birthday

Dies:

taylored expressions - Simple Strips: Well Rounded

Pretty Pink Posh

un-branded stitched rectangles

Designer Paper:

Bo Bunny: Ambrosia

Anything else:

Flat backed gems

 And that's about it folks,  Only thing left to add is why not pop over to the challenge, admire the wonderful cards my Teamies have made and pop a card in yourselves.  We'd be pleased to see you!

Cheerio for now,

Sarah

A late, late, birthday!

 Good evening blogland,

This post should have been up last week - I thought I'd scheduled it, haven't been back to check until yesterday and realised it never appeared.  I don't know what I've done, but here I am to fix it.

Good morning blogland,

It's Saturday and so it's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge and it's a special one - we are celebrating 14 years, yes count them 14!, of challenges!  I 've been around for a lot of them, although with a very large break in the middle and it seems so weird sometimes that the blog is actually 2 years younger than my TTT.  I've made so many of her younger birthday cards and then used them for challenges!!

Anyways, enough reminiscing from me - on with the challenge.  In honour of our birthday the theme this fortnight is 'Birthdays'.  This is my card, and, quelle surprise, I was running out of time to make something new so this is one from the vaults.  Made but never shared.

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:

The Greeting Farm: Miss Anya - Ian (I think it's 'My Guy' but I'll check.  It's so old though that I doubt it's available anywhere)

Patterned Paper:

Anything else:

A very old pre-printed foiled sentiment

Right that's me off to work out what I've used on this card. I'll be back!

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Hip to be (not) square

 Hello blogland, 

It's Saturday and Team Wends turn to play over at Sweet Stampin' - this fortnight the challenge theme is No squares. 

We'd like to see any shape you can think of for your creation - other than those squares. Please remember, also, that a large part of your creation has to follow the ethos of the challenge - stamping! It doesn't matter if it's old fashioned rubber stamping or the new! invention of digital stamping, there just has to be some stamping on your entry somewhere.

Now if I'd planned this I'd be going for a circle (it's what I tend to make if I'm not doing a square or rectangle) however with me having no foresight or planning I'd run out of time to make something. Hence I raided the archives - once again - and came up with this shaped / folded card I'd made for a friend of TTT's awhile ago, hope you like.

Front shot:

Open:

Side on:

Supplies used:

Rubber Stamp:

The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya Lounge

coloured with Copics

Dies:

Very, very old GoKreate - Frilly Frame

Spellbinder for the border and the mount for the stamp

Papers:

So old I'm not even sure where they are from - it could be Craftwork Cards but I'm not sure

Anything else:

flat-backed pearls

pre-printed sentiment from Craftwork Cards

I do hope you get a chance to pop over to the challenge blog, my Teamies have been much more inventive than I have with shapes (and also more organised to get something new made!).

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Another Happy Birthday

Morning blogland,

It's almost unbelievable how quickly the weeks come and go - it's been two weeks and we are here on this chilly Saturday with a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin'.  This time the theme is For the kids - as always please remember we are a stamping challenge, so there does need to be some stamping on your project (whether digital or rubber).

I'm always two steps behind at the minute, so this is a card from the vault.  I made this one awhile ago for one of TTT's friends and it never got blogged. You might notice I've got more sophisticated with my 'staging' of photos - tho not by much it has to be said!! :-)

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:

The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya Lounge

Digital stamps:

The Greeting Farm - Birthday Party

all coloured with my Copics

Dies:

Double stitched square set

And that's about it folks, hope your weekends go well and hopefully I will stop finding myself going and instead find some time to craft and blog soon!

Please do pop over to the blog if you get a chance - my Teamies cards are absolutely fantastic!

Sarah

Challenges:

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

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!!

Running late today

 Hello blogworld,

This is very late in the day for me to be posting! I started making this card yesterday, but I had one of those which image was I going to use wobbles, then when I picked a stamp I couldn't think how to layout the card - just a total bleugh day.

I blame it on I decided to do a masculine card - not something I do very often. When I last made cards for the boys all the boys I knew were boys! Now they are teenagers and I haven't got a lot I can use, most of my images are a bit childish.  I'm told by their mums that teenage boys are difficult in more ways than one!!

So this is attempt number one.  Attempt number two will appear at a later date.

Without further ado card:

I used:

Stamps: The Greeting Farm - My Guy Ian

Coloured with Copics

Catherine Pooler - All Around Wishes Sentiments

Papers: echo park paper co - A Boy's Life

Dies: Sunny Studio - Stitched Circles

MFT - Die-namics: Photo Corners

And that's all folks!

Hope you are enjoying, and not melting in, this mini heat weave we are having - have a good weekend.

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Always Fun Challenges: Challenge #217 - 'Layers'

Passion for Markers: Week 595 - Masculine

Crafty Catz: Challenge #555 - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Masculine Makes

Back for good..

Hmmm, wonder if anyone's ever thought of using that in a song!

Morning blogworld,

Apologies for absence, again!, it's been half-term here in sunny Lincolnshire and with TTT at home all schedules (for that read normal activities, exercise, me time!) go out the window.

All I've managed to do crafty wise was a little bit of colouring on Saturday, other than that my craft supplies got consigned to the junk room, again.

But, as it's back to school today, hopefully it's back to normal as well - hence the early morning post.

So although I've had no craft time I do have a couple of cards I made before the school hols - those will be my catch-ups until I get some colouring time in the next few days.

Therefore, catch-up card number one:

This one was made for a friend's of TTT's birthday at the beginning of the school holidays.  I very much doubt she reads my blog so feel safe sharing it now.

I used:

Stamp: The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya : Hats Off

Coloured with Copics

Paper: Prima - Fairy Flora

Anything else: Sentiment from Craftwork Cards and a bit of trim from my stuff

Think I hear the rest of the house stirring, so time for me to go,

See you soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Fab 'n' Funky - Challenge #526 Go Girly

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 22 Anything Goes

Crafty Catz: Challenge #554 Anything Goes

Fantabulous!

Hello blogworld,

Did you notice the little absence there, then?  I'm guessing probably not, as you are as busy as I am, but you never know. Anyways, am back now, maybe not as regularly for this week - as it is half-term so TTT is at home - but I will be back again before you know it.

So onto card, and it's another one of the Anya styles stamped and coloured during my 'what went wrong there then' panic. 

Actually, blowing me own trumpet here - I'm quite pleased with this one!

And so, card:

I used:

Rubber stamp: The Greeting Farm - Anya Styles

and Whimsy Stamps - Fantabulous for the sentiment

Coloured with : Copics

Die : Pretty Pink Posh - Scallop Borders 2

Paper: BoBunny - Isabella

Anything else: couple little foam hearts from my stuff

There we go folks, got things to do so, signing off now,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

A Bit More Time To Craft: #141 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenges: #249 - Dies cuts and/or punches

Gem of A Challenge: Challenge 11 - Anything Goes

Dreams do come true

Morning world,

So to go back to my little experiment with papers, ink and colouring at the weekend, where I discovered that Versafine and Copics no longer mix. Good job I had a Memento ink pad to hand!

I find it a little odd that up until the weekend the Versafine hadn't bled when colouring but I can't deny it did, and it did it every time I stamped and coloured my images on a range of papers. No denying it's unsuitable for Copic colouring, still good though for any other stamps.

So am now a definite Memento ink for colouring in with Copics kinda gal!

Here is the first card made following the experiment. I like it mostly, but I always struggle with sentiments - either size of, place of or just which one to use - and I'm not sure the sentiment really goes with the image, but hey ho it's what I went with!

 I used:

 Image: The Greeting Farm - Anya Styles

Sentiment: Catherine Pooler - All Around Wishes

Coloured with Copics

Papers: Bo Bunny - Ambrosia and Prima - Fairy Flora

Lace and ribbon from my stuff

P.S.: For the curious among you - a quick shot of all the images I was working on, the stamp I used and my 'Copic combos' images. Ha, I never noticed until just now - the mat is soooo mucky!!  My goodness, how did that happen!! 🤣

Will be back another time with variations on the theme!

Bye for now,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Always Fun Challenges: Challenge #215 - Summer (It's the colours that say Summer to me!)

Passion for Markers: Week 593 - Ribbon and/or lace. I got both! :-)

Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Tags

Dream big

 Morning world,

A quiet weekend for me this time, no blister inducing days out with TTT and her friends (thankfully!), meant that I could do a large amount of crafting. Much better than blister inducing walking.

However, the disappointment, an image I'd stamped smudged when I was colouring in - that lead to a lot of stamping of same image with different ink pads on all the different types of stamping/colouring specific paper I have. Discovered that Versamark doesn't seem to like Copics anymore, don't remember that being a thing but there you go. Expect a stream of cards with one image coloured differently appearing in due course.

Having to stamp and re-stamp also inspired me to do a set of colouring index cards, always fancied having some sort of reference but never took the time to create one - have now!

Enough waffle, card:

I used:

Stamp: The Greeting Farm - Miss Anya Hats off

Coloured with Copics

Dies: Pretty Pink Posh - Scallop Borders Set 1 and Spellbinders - Floral Ovals

Papers: Bo Bunny - Smoochable

Everything else: 'Dream' and 'big' chipboard letters, bit of coloured paper string - all from my stuff.

And that's it folks,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Cupcake Inspirations: #519 colour challenge : pink, white, brown

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite colouring medium - Copic markers! Started out with pencils, quite liked them (still do) but then found ProMarkers and was pleased, discovered Copics - found my happy! I love how they blend and the massive range of colours (which I nearly have all of).

Crafty Catz: 552 - ATG (optional cute as you like)