Bunnies everywhere it would seem!

 Morning blogland

It's time for a new challenge over at Passion for Markers and this week it's my lovely Teamie Marlene who set a theme of 'dies and/or punches'.

Our sponsor for this week is RAM Stamps and there is a great randomly drawn prize on offer for one lucky winner.  We also have a Top 5 selection to make as well - but you do have to be in it to win it!  So, the rules, you must follow the theme, use your markers (any brand) and no backlinking. I also know that I 99.9% of the time make a card - you don't have to!

And, coincidently, talking of cards!  Here's one I made for this challenge, with an image from RAM Stamps that the DT were very kindly supplied with 😀

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

RAM Stamps - Bunny & Guinea: Balloon

coloured with my Copics

Dies used:

un-branded stitched rectangles

Time for Tea Designs - Cloud die Set

Creative Expressions - Craft Dies by Sue Wilson (sentiment)

Anything else:

Papers - artstudio : Candy Marble 12x12 patterned paper

And that's it, I believe! 😀

It's busy at home at the moment, TTT has come home from Uni for the Easter break and crafting time has shrunk by about the equivalent amount! I was even roped into playing a game on her Oculus VR headset last night, conducting an orchestra - who knew and so weird.  I ended up getting a 'jump scare' from a skeleton in the audience of the game and - in real life - thumping my hand into her wardrobe!! Oh what fun late teens games are. 😕

Looking forward to seeing all your entries.

Sarah

Challenge/s:

I love Promarkers: (no longer just for ProMarkers - I coloour using Copics now) Challenge #604 - cute or whimsical

Try it on Tuesday: Make it Cute

Hanging on in there

 Hi fellow bloggers,

It's time for a new challenge over at Passion for Markers and this week it's our Teamie Marlene who picked the theme of 'Anything Goes' for this challenge. Our sponsor this week is Lili of the Valley with one lucky person in for the chance of wining a lovely prize.  

As always a few simple rules to take part in the challenge - use your markers and follow the theme!

This is the card I made:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamps:

Lili of the Valley - Sweet Wishes

coloured with my Copics

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips: Friendship

Dies:

Taylored Expressions -Simple Strips: Well rounded

Creative Craft Products - A2 Essentials Landscape Card Die Set

Anything else:

scrap of striped paper

self adhesive gems

Title is quite appropriate really - I'm trying very hard to hang in there with my crafting.  Unfortunately my mojo hasn't just go on it's jollies I think it's up and emigrated! Also a lot of time is being taken up keeping Emily entertained while she's on her extended holidays before she heads of to Uni.  Not that I begrudge one moment of the time I spend with her - it just means that between work, Emily and general life I really have very little time, or inclination, to craft.

Who knows when September comes (and it's the end of September not the beginning) maybe I'll get back on an even keel.  For now, I'm afraid I'm almost capsized!

Anyways, enough of my moaning, hope you find time to join in with us and look forward to wandering around checking out all of your lovely creations.

Sarah

Awww, how cute!

Morning again blogland,

It's another Tuesday so here I am with a new card for a new challenge over at Passion for Markers.  This week our lovely Teamie Lorraine is in charge of the challenge theme and she has picked 'Make it Cute', not a hardship, eh.  

Teamed up with the fabulous sponsorship of Rachelle Anne Miller and RAM Stamps  the theme is a match made in heaven!  As Design Team members were were given an image or two to play with and this is my make from one of those images.

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

RAM Stamps digital image - 'Fairy & Birdy: Leaves'

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

Whimsy Stamps - Simple Sentiment Strips

Dies:

Creative Craft Products - A2 Essentials: Landscape card die set

Penny Black - hello edger

Anything else:

green cardstock

flat backed gems

sequins

Hope you get a chance to pop over to the challenge and admire the wonderful cards that have been made and even pop your own in when you're there!

See you soon,

Sarah

It's a little spotty!

Good morning blogland,

It's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this fortnight the theme is 'Spots and Stripes'.  

As always, this is a 'for fun' challenge, so no prizes - we do this just for the fun and love of stamping!  There are also only two rules - follow the theme and stamp (rubber or digital) on your project somewhere.

Here's my card:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamps:

Image:

Whimsy Stamps - Ruffles / Time for Tea Designs

coloured with Copics

Sentiment:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips: Friendship

Dies:

Creative Designs - A2 Card Creator

a very old tab die - so old I can't even remember where I got it

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips: asymmetrical

Anything else:

Time for Tea Designs - Simple Stripes Stencil

Cosmo Cricket - Pixie-Licious

Distress Ink

blending brush

flat backed gems

Back in the using smaller un-inked rubber stamps groove, so the American sized card die came out and I've made another diddy card.

Right I'm off now to do some painting - of the walls sort!

Bye for now,

Sarah

Seashells on the seashore

Good evening blogland,

Yes I'm here and it's evening - honestly it's about the only time I get at the moment to have a sit and wonder around the web.  Life is continuing to be hectic but I'm always hopeful that it will calm eventually.

The reason for this late evening post is that I'm sharing my All Dressed Up Stamps New Release inspiration card.  These images are always super cute and the ones for July are no exception.  You can see what wonderful cards my Teamies made by either popping over to the Facebook Group or taking a look-see at the blog.

This, however, is my card:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

All Dressed Up - Seashells

I both created a scene and coloured the digi in with my Copics

Dies:

un-branded stitched rectangle die set

Creative Expressions - mini expressions duo: Friends are like seashells

Anything else:

striped card

And that's about it folks, I'm off for a nice quiet sit down before bed-time!

See you soon,

Sarah

Do you knit?

Good afternoon blogland,

Here I am with my New Release inspiration card for All Dressed Up Digital Stamps.  Yesterday was my turn, as part of the Facebook girls, to show off the first part of February's new digi stamps release yesterday and what a lovely lot of inspiration it was!

If you'd like to see all the Facebooks girls cards just pop on over to the Group, get yourself joined up, and take a gander - I know you won't be disappointed.  Alternatively, if you're not a Facebook type of person, there is always the blog to take a look at which also has some great inspiration for these digis (and many others!).

In the meantime - here's my card:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

All Dressed Up - Love to Knit

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

Taylored Expressions - simple strips: Friendship

Dies:

Taylored Expression - well rounded

Spellbinders - Grand Nestabilities: Grand Big Scalloped Circles

Creative Craft Products - Nestables: stitched and plain circle dies

Paper:

BoBunny - Smoochable

Anything else:

flat backed pearls

small pearl hearts

And that's about it folks, hope everyone is doing well and the current snow snap we're having in the UK is only causing fun not chaos (it's falling as rain here in wet and damp Lincolnshire!) and see you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

As You Like It Challenge: Digi or Physical stamps (and why).  Oooh, difficult one - but I think digi pips real rubber at the post.  I love them both, but the versatility of digi just takes the edge for me - being able to re-size, flip, rotate and crop - it opens up a whole new world!

Creative Inspirations Challenge: February challenge - For Someone You Love / A Special Friend

The Paper Shelter: Challenge #582 - Hearts

Digi Choosday Challenge: Wk 5 - Anything Goes

Doodle, doodle, doodle

 Good morning blogland,

This is the first of two posts for today -  a couple of DT cards have collided - so I'm not going to do a lot of waffle, mostly because I don't have enough for two posts!

First challenge of the day.  It's Team Wends turn over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge - and this fortnight the theme is 'Doodling'.  Now, as I'm sure you know, Sweet Stampin' is primarily a 'for fun' stamping challenge, we don't mind what project you enter - it just has to have stamping (digital or rubber) on it and follow the theme.

This is mine:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

AlexShopsArt - this was an Etsy digi stamp store that shut some time ago

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamps:

My Favorite Things - Hey

Neat and Tangled - Hello there

Dies:

Un-branded stitched rectangle

Anything else:

Copic fine liner for the doodling and drawing the wall

Have to admit to almost forgetting the theme of this challenge - I spent so long looking at the image and wondering how I'd made a cat look more like a dog or cow, that the doodling was marginally overlooked!

Please pop over to the challenge and take a peek at my Teamies work - their doodling is much better than mine! Why not pop in a card while you're there, it's fun!

See you very shortly,

Sarah

Where'd the sun go?

Good morning blogland,

Late again, and for two posts this time! I think I can't have set the 'publish on' button right - I really must check my work more thoroughly and not do things in a rush next time!

This means this post and the last are posts without waffles - even though I've been on a holiday since last we spoke. Nothing fancy - just a weeks jaunt to County Durham and Yorkshire but I did have pictures to share. That will have to wait.

Back to what should have been happening in this post.

Hello everyone!

This is my second post for today and this time it's for the new challenge over at Crafty Calendar Challenge. We have a very easy theme for the busy month of August and that is 'Anything Goes', a lovely prize from Hetty Clare of two digital images and wonderful inspiration from my Teamies. 

So summer is a season of festivals is it - if so where'd the summer go?! We took TTT to only her second ever concert at the end of June, a George Ezra concert - it was a lovely friendly, family event but my goodness it was cold and it rained! Set the tone for the rest of the summer I think! 

Anyway that random piece of information helps with the card I've made - I thought of all those best of friends (young and old) heading off to festivals and outside concerts thinking they're going to have a wonderful time in wonderful weather and then - bam! - it rains and is terrible British weather!

My card:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Hetty Clare - Festival Girls

coloured using Copics / scene created using stencils and inks

Rubber stamp:

Neat and Tangled - Together

Dies:

unb-branded stitched rectangle set

Neat and Tangled - Together die set

Anything else:

Polkadoodles - Creative stencils: Grass Lawn and Great Outdoors

Distress Ink

blending brushes

I do hope you have a chance to pop over to the challenge, my Teamies have made some wonderful inspiration and it's a fab prize on offer.

See you again soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: #578 - Summer Fun

Polkadoodles Challenge: Wk 30 - Anything Goes

Inkspirational Challenge: #295 - Use Stencils

As You See It Challenge: #304 - The Thing I love most about Summer is: Generally it's warm (not this year in the UK) and lots of music concerts / festivials.

Cardz 4 Galz: #204 Something Beginning with 'P' - Prosecco Cocktails!

Just hanging

Hello blogland,

Well, didn't that week whoosh by! I think it might have something to do with feeling like this year is just disappearing quicker than I can blink, a side effect of aging I wonder? Anyways, I couldn't really tell you what we've done in the last week - it's just gone. I did however carve out some 'me' time yesterday to do some colouring and this is the result. 

I've had the image printed off for ages (sitting with others in my 'waiting to be coloured draw') but hadn't got round to colouring in.  It took my fancy yesterday, so a very pleasant couple of hours were had with my Copics!  

I wasn't in the mood for making cards as such, just colouring, so it's another one of my 'paired back' style cards.  I often wonder these days when I'm going to get round to using up all the 'card-making' supplies I've got hoarded away. You know what I mean - the paper pads, flowers, gems, embellishments, twine, ribbon and so on! When all I really seem to want to do is colour and cut out the finished panel. Oh well, I've had 'phases' before, no doubt this one shall pass too!

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Lee Holland Art - Cute Monkey

coloured with Copics

Rubber stamps:

taylored expressions - Simple Strips: Friendship

Dies:

taylored expressions - Simple Strips: Asymmetrical

un-branded stitched rectangle

So there we go folks, not so much to report at the moment, but hopefully it won't be a week before I'm back again!

See you all later,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 698 - Go Wild! Wild animal, rather than wild colours!

The Cutie Pie Challenge: #184 - Simply Cuties (CAS)

Worldwide Crafters and Colourists: Challenge #7 - Anything Goes

And finally,

Hello again blogland,

If you are here looking for my Sweet Stampin' challenge card it's the post before this one.

This post is all about Crafty Calendar Challenge, this month the theme is Anything Goes and is sponsored by Lawn Fawn, with a great prize on offer. As we are a monthly challenge and this month is December (the last month of the year, if you hadn't noticed!) the next time you see us we will be in 2023! I know I'm going to sound cliched, but my goodness this year has really flown!

Here's my card:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Polkadoodles Winni Sugar Sprinkles - Hi, it's me!

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp:

Neat & Tangled - Hello There

Dies:

unbranded stitched rectangle set

Pretty Pink Posh - Scallops

Lawn Fawn - lawn cuts 'hello border'

Anything else:

Lawn Fawn stencil - Brick

Distress Ink

blending brush

wood effect card

And done! As with the previous post this will be the last time you will see me for Crafty Calendar Challenge, so I hope you all have a great Christmas period (if you celebrate) and see you either in the Challenge or here on my blog in 2023!

Sarah

Challenges:

Sleepy friends

 Good Morning blogland,

I'm here with my DT inspiration for the new challenge starting today over at Colour Crazy Craft Challenge, as always the theme is Anything Goes but as we are a colouring challenge there does have to be some element of hand colouring on your project.

This week's sponsor is Sweet November Stamps, who very kindly allowed the Design Team to use some super cute digis. Have to say, I love Sweet November, the stamps are so versatile - they can be used stand-alone or merged to make wonderful scenes. 

For this card I decided to use two elements from Tree Friend: Sycamore, the bear and the tree - I flipped and merged them in Publisher until I was happy with how they looked then coloured them and created a simple background with my Copics.

A very simple card, but so pretty - I hope you'll agree!

Supplies used:

Digital stamps:

Sweet November Stamps - Tree Friend: Sycamore

my hand drawn background

coloured with Copics

Rubber stamps:

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Friendship

random hot-air balloon

Dies:

un-branded stitched rectangle

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Well Rounded

Copic fineliner to draw the birds

Please pop over to the challenge and see what my Teamies have made - they are fab-u-lus, as usual - and why not join in while you're there! Your make doesn't need to be a card, just colour something and you're away!

Signing off now,

see you later,

Sarah

Challenges:

Digi Choosday: Wk 19 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Guyz: #296 - Wildlife

little red wagon: Challenge #654 - With a little help from my Friends

A bit Gothic!

 Good morning blogland,

This is a bit of a belated blogland anniversary - it was 13 months ago tomorrow that I re-started crafting and blogging, hasn't time flown by! I'm properly back into the swing of things now and realising that it's the colouring side of card making that I really enjoy.  I'm happy to sit for hours and just colour, but still struggle to do something 'interesting' with the finished coloured image on a card.  Maybe I'll just say that a coloured image and a die or two and not much else is my 'style'!

Properly 'back into carding' includes Stamparama at Harrogate - had fun there!  I'm sure, though, it's waaaay smaller than I remember when we used to go there with TTT (who was then SWMbO) in her buggy - would've been around the early 2010's - but it's still very nice to be able to see crafty stuff in real-life as it were.  One thing that I do like about it now is the wider aisles - I never appreciated being barged into, pushed around and having toes trod on in the old shows! I must've done my passive aggressive 'Don't mind me, I'm just invisible' mutter a million times in those days.

On the recent additions list are the nice little stack of new goodies from Stamparama, enough Copics from Cult Pens (on-line) to almost finish the 'collection' (only some greys to go now) and then a small parcel arrived from CraftStash (I do like the their stamp and die sets).  That'll be me now for some months - probably until my birthday!

Of course, I buy all this and then don't use it! The card I'm sharing today only used some new BV Copic colours - everything else has got to be over 8 years old! Oh, other than the digi and the font for the computer generated sentiment.

But it does illustrate my points above about how I love colouring but fail on interesting card layouts!

May I present the evidence, M'Lud!

Supplies used:

Digital Stamp:

Ching-Chou Kuik - Black Rose

coloured with Copics

Sentiment generated in Word

Dies:

Un-branded stitched rectangle

Anything else:

Home made cloud stencil

Distress Ink and a blending brush

paper 'dots'

There I think that's probably enough waffling on to put anyone off! So I'll say,

Signing off for now,

See you later,

Sarah

Challenges:

Passion for Markers: Week 639 - Flowers (a paltry amount of flowers I know, but then I'm not really a flowery person!)

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges: Challenge #550 - Punk or Goth - See now, I was never into Punk (it was a little early for me!) and I realise this image isn't pure Goth (more Gothic) but I made it for a friend of my daughter's so it needed to be this hair colour, otherwise there would've been a lot more black. If it doesn't meet the rules, don't worry - I know I'm taking a bit of a punt here!

As You Like It Challenge: Favourite Layout and Why - See waffle above! Condensed version - I used to use sketches, a lot, now I favour a lot of colouring and that takes over the style of card.  Hence Favourite Layout - a hand-coloured image, a die to cut the image out, a large sentiment and a little bit of embellishment. And job's a good 'un!

We Love Stamping: May challenge - For a Lady (or Girl)

Happy Little Stampers: May Stencil Challenge

The Fairy and the Unicorn: May Challenge

Digi Doodle Studio Challenge Blog: Challenge #49 - Fantasy / Light and Sprite / Believe in Magic

Back to my desk

Good morning blogland,

I'm back! As always school holidays throw my routines up in the air and it takes a couple of days to recover them. I'm getting there now.

Hope everyone had a good break (and Easter if that's your thing), we went on mini break to London - to see another musical, 'Wicked' this time  and do the touristy thing of wandering around.  I do like my musicals, TTT and hubby just really get dragged along with! Although TTT appreciated the trip as we went back to Camden Lock and back to the shops that sell Manga / Anime books, collectibles and Japanese food that she likes.

I am sorry I've not been visiting anyone's blogs - keeping up with my DT commenting was about as much as I could manage. Will rectify that from now.

So cards - all I've managed to make are essentials, no playing for fun! Birthday card I'm sharing today was for a friend of TTT's. Hard to believe all these 'little children' most of whom I've known since they were babies are starting to turn 15, GCSE's next year as well - time has really flown by!

 Supplies used

Digital Stamp:

Saturated Canary - Coffee Needed

coloured with my Copics

Rubber Stamp:

Catherine Pooler - Happy Birthday Many Ways

Dies:

Unbranded stitched rectangles

Catherine Pooler - 'bestie'

Anything else?

Black card

HobbyHouse - self-adhesive rhinestone

Mei Flower - pearl heart

Now I'm off to take a look and comment on all the cards I've missed in Blogland over the Easter break.

Signing off,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Krafty Chicks Challenge: Challenge #608 - CAS

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: #180 - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers: April Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Seize the Birthday: #236 - Birthday (option Spring)

Aud Sentiment Challenge: #293 - Use a Birthday Sentiment

Fancy that!

Good afternoon blogland,

Another flying by the seat of my pants post to join in with a challenge!

Card:

Supplies used:

Stamps:

Digital - Saturated Canary : Fancy

Rubber sentiment: Lili of the Valley - not named set of sentiments

colouring done with my Copics

Dies:

Pretty Pink Posh - Eyelet Borders

Anything else?

Scraps of red card and patterned paper

And done!

It's been an odd week chez Sarah - we went to a wedding reception first weekend in March, first evening we've been out with a lot of other people in nearly two years and, yes you guessed it, TTT caught Covid!

Do not panic, friendly blogland, she's been (mostly) fine!  She went to school the week after the reception with just a little sniffle, by the end of the week she was complaining of tiredness, headache and stomach pains. To be honest, as we've managed nearly two years avoiding it, I thought she was faking it a bit (swinging the lead as my Mum used to say to me when I wanted a day off school!). So she missed one day and then went back, however I was out on the Saturday and thought best we all do a test - and she only went and tested positive. The Best Dad and I, however, did not and still haven't! We've been testing for nearly a fortnight now and she stayed positive until Sat, he and I have dodged a bullet!  

All three of us have had all the jabs we are supposed to and the only difference is, as far as I can see, is that he and I didn't mingle that much at the reception, whereas she did. Oh, and we've heard from the Bride that pretty much everyone came away with an unexpected present of Covid. Hmmm, not sure how I feel about that!!

Anyways, that's my exciting news, it has thrown me out of routine again, but I'm coping better this time which I put down to keeping my morning alarm going the whole week she's been off school. No lazing around until 9am for me, lay-in until 7.30 and then on with! 

And I'm off now to link up to my challenge/s.

Signing off

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 632 - birthstone inspiration (I'm an end of July baby so mine was Ruby, hence all the red!)

Allsorts challenge blog: Week 668: Feminine

Gem of a challenge: Week 6: Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #603 - CAS

KISS with Chester!

Good morning blogland,

Today I am stepping over onto Team Susan - a big wave and hello Team Susan! - at Sweet Stampin' as I loved their challenge theme for this fortnight and really wanted to join in!

So what's the theme for the challenge that I liked so much? Well it's KISS -Keep It Sweet & Simple (CaS - Clean and Simple) makes. Now you I'm sure by now you know how much I like my CAS cards, so I couldn't help but join in! I also used one of my all time favourite digital stamps from one of my all time favourite digital stamp companies - very sadly no longer in business.

As always, as we are a stamping challenge, some stamping (digital or rubber) on your make is a must but other than that - follow the challenge theme and let go! 

This is my Chester make, and all together now - lets say 'awwwww':

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Pollycraft - Call me Chester (sadly no longer available)

coloured with my Copics

Rubber stamp (sentiment):

Neat and Tangled - Hello there

Dies:

Pretty Pink Posh - hello friend

un-branded stitched rectangle die

Anything else:

Copic fineliner

Hobby House - flat backed gem

DL (slimline) card base

You really should pop over to the blog and check out what Team Susan have made this week - they are fabulous! Then go ahead, challenge yourself and why not join in our KISS challenge!

Signing off now,

see you soon,

Sarah

Challenge / s:

Cardz 4 Galz: #168 Zoo/Safari Animals

Time Out Challenges: Challenge 209 - Cute

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #424 - Any Occasion

Crafty Catz: #586 - Anything Goes (option - Spring colours)

Digi Choosday Challenge: Week 9 - Anything Goes

Colouring drama!

Good evening blogworld,

I was feeling quite pleased with myself after my first attempt the other day at no-lines colouring so thought I'd have another go.

This time it's gone Hmmmm!!! I think I might've picked the wrong image for my level of non-expertise, it was blooming hard! So to help me along a bit I decided to stamp another of the same image and colour that in as well.  I'm pretty sure the paper I used to stamp my ordinary image onto, was not Copic friendly even though it was in my Copic paper folder. It did not go well! 

The no-lines image was definitely on Copic paper - it blended wonderfully, even if I was struggling with the image itself. However, the other one - my goodness it just would not go right! I struggled along but was about to bin it when TTT came home. Showed her the two images, talked about my colouring woes and she said 'but what are you worrying about - I like the one without lines the best, but they are both really good'! This from my biggest critic! So I said I'd carry on and turn them both into cards, which I finished today.

Here is the evidence for y'all to take a look at:

No-Lines

  Memento Ink pad:

Supplies used:

Rubber stamp:

Stamping Bella - Uptown Girls: Pattie and Dottie friends forever

coloured with Copics

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Friendship

Dies:

Catherine Pooler - 'Bestie'

My Favorite Things - Fishtail Foundations

Pretty Pink Posh - Scallop Borders One

Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips : Asymmetrical 

Anything else:

Dotty paper

Hobbyhouse rhinestones

fineliner for the doodling

Martha Stewart - essential colours glitter set

white gel pen

I'm not going to do the 'This is what I did' bit as it's repetitive, other than to say the no-lines colouring image went on the card on a large panel of Copic paper and the Memento Ink stamped one I fussy cut out.

Never say that I'm afraid to share - or even over-share - warts and all!

Hope everyone's colouring (if that's what you're into) has gone better this week.

Signing off now,

See you soon,

Sarah

Challenge /s:

 Passion for Markers: Week 627 - add a sentiment

As You Like It Challenge: True Love or Fabulous Friendships. Hmmm, well as you can see it's Fabulous Friendships for me. I'm not sure I believe in 'True Love' - a divorced person here, although happily re-married now. Although having said that, also not got many friends either! Oh my goodness, makes me sound terrible doesn't it, better in real life, honest!

Digi Choosday Crafting Challenge: Week 6 - Anything Goes

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Always Anything Goes

Just Us Girls Challenge: #618 - Word Week

Fantabulous friend!

 Good evening blogland,

I know, not the usual time for me to post, but I really wanted to join in with the first challenge of the year from Passion for Markers so I've put non-crafting life on-hold this afternoon and spent time crafting instead. How lazy is that!

Not much has happened since my last post, so I'm not going to waffle on loads - the main thing in our lives right now is TTT's got tests this week and next at school.  Not GCSE's - she's still only Yr10 - these are exams that her school does every other year at the beginning of a year (calendar not academic) to check how they are doing and make sure every thing they've been taught has actually landed. TTT feels fairly confident about them, her dad and I are not so sure - considering the tiny bit of revision it feels like she's done! We will wait and see who turns out to be right.  If it's TTT - the adults are in for a bumpy ride as she will be even more super confident that she's perfect than she already is! Teenagers - sigh!

Anyways - card! Can you see I'm playing around with the lightbox I got for Christmas? Trying to make my pictures look more 'professional' or 'Instagram-able' maybe.  Or just maybe I'm heading down a dead end and should go back to simple pictures - no idea, but it's fun playing about!

Supplies used:

Digital Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Jasmine Music

coloured with Copics (can you see the hint!?)

Rubber stamp:

Whimsy Stamps - Fantabulous

Anything else?

Distress Inks and Oxides for the background

Un-branded stitched rectangle die for the matt.

What I did:

Re-sized and printed out, on Copic friendly paper, the digi stamp. 

Coloured in with Copics and fussy cut it out.

Die-cut out a panel from my usual Copic friendly paper and inked with the Distress Inks and Oxides to create a background.

Stamped the sentiment.

Added 3d foam to the back of the image and attached to the panel.

Added 3d foam to the back of the panel and attached to the card base.

et voila, job done!

I suppose I should say the only other thing I did was add some white gel pen and Copic fineliner to her eyes as she looked quite moody to me - but I think I mucked it up so (shhhhhh!) I'm keeping that quiet!!! :-)

Be back soon,

Signing off,

Sarah

Challenge/s:

Passion for Markers: Week 622 - January blues

Watercooler Wednesday: WWC332 - All Things Feminine

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)

I'm a bus!

Morning Blogland,

Just in case anyone really thinks I'm a bus - it's the 'you wait for ages for one bus and then three turn up at once' saying I'm using here in relation to this being my third post in as many days.  I don't really think I'm a bus!!

I wasn't going to post again today - that was being saved for tomorrow to get back into Mon, Weds, Fri routine - but, again, I saw a challenge I wanted to join in with is closing in a few hours so I've got to get my skates on!

Maybe it's because I've lost a week what with it being half-term, but my goodness for me October has flown past. Having November here tomorrow has thrown me completely and am astounded December and therefore Christmas isn't too far off. Cue panic about Christmas presents!

No more chatter - card:

Supplies used:

Digital stamp:

Alex Shops Art (etsy seller)

coloured with Copics

Dies:

Pretty Pink Posh - Hey Friend (new stash!)

Pretty Pink Posh - Scallop Borders 1

Anything else:

Anna Marie Designs - striped card

Craft UK Ltd - White linen card

Black card

What I did:

Sized and printed the digital stamp on Copic friendly paper, coloured in and fussy cut out.

Trimmed a piece of striped card to fit the bottom of the card blank.

Trimmed and die-cut a piece of linen card to fit the top, stuck them together and then stuck them to the card blank.

Die-cut the sentiment out of black card and stuck that to the top of the linen card.

Popped the image on 3d foam and mounted onto the linen / striped card.

et voila, job done!

Well I think I've talked myself out over the last three days, so I'm disappearing off now. Going to wait and see if the wild weather we are having right now goes before I'm due to be vaguely supervising TTT on her Trick or Treat outing this evening.

Signing off,

Sarah 

Challenge / s:

The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog: #164 Theme - down on the farm

Crafty Catz: Challenge #570 - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles Craft Challenge: Wk 44 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge: Week 43 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge: KCC #583 - 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