Wednesday again, hope your week is coming along nicely

Morning readers,

I SHOULD have been away at the moment but, sadly, the friend I was going to visit will be at a poorly friend's, assisting her during her period of ill health. We'll be rescheduling but don't yet know when! In the meantime, sending get well thoughts to their poorly pal.

I've a make to share with you today ... a mini batch of two Christmas cards using the same stamps but with the variation of having Santa going up and down the chimney - I can't make up my mind which one I prefer but ... it's another two for my quota and they're both quite fun!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Clearly Besotted "Santa" and "chimney" images (from CBSSA137 from 2022 and neglected for too long) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink. I stamped and cut out the chimney image, using full coverage post-it, to use as a mask for stamping my Santa image (see below pic of materials including the mask)
• Clearly Besotted sentiment (from CBSS1276) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Coloured using sharpie markers and Faber Castell Polychromos pencils
• Stardust stickles to add some sparkly snow and fur trim

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 331 - ANYTHING GOES
2. CraftyCatz - challenge No. 721 - ANYTHING GOES
3. SimplyCAS - October challenge - ANYTHING CAS GOES + (optional) SOMETHING TINY
4. Ally's Angels - challenge No. 111 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Night Owls - challenge No. 66 - CHRISTMAS

Monday, have a good week

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. For us it was time to host the "Surrogate Secret Santa Draw". We do it early so everyone has the chance to find the "perfect" gift ... another reason is that (historically) we have been in Florida at this time of year - but, having sold the house, not this year! I miss it, I really do.

I've a make to share with you today ... another sentiment free card as I have a customer in mind for this and she prefers to pick her own occasions for each of my cards that she buys.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and lime green, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Stampers Anonymous dog image (from CMS272 "mini cats and dogs") stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink ... including on to a post it which I fussy cut out to use as a mask
• With my mask in place and using a makeup brush and my Arden Creative "Distressed Diamond" stencil, I applied Memento bamboo leaves ink around my image
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils were used to colour my image
• Stardust stickles to add a smidge of sparkle to my doggy collar and "grounding"

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Stencil Fun - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) ORANGE
2. Krafty Chicks - challenge No. 842 - CAS (Clean And Simple)
3. Ally's Angels - challenge No. 111 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Cardz4Galz - challenge No. 287 - ADD AN ANIMAL
5. Kleuren met potloden - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES, using coloured pencils

And here's a second make from me today, an Artist Trading Card because, well, it's a cool stamp and I had it on an acrylic block to make a recent card and thought, why the heck not!!!

Materials used:

• ATC blank
  
• Snippets of card in white and light blue
• Aall & Create bloom (from set #140) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils to colou
• Clearly Besotted cloud stencil used with a makeup brush (without re-inking) to create the background "CLOUDS"
• Stardust stickles for a little added sparkle

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. The Little Things - challenge No. 09 - PUMPKIN & PINK or ANYTHING GOES
2. Tagalong and ATC's - October challenge - ALL THINGS AUTUMN or ANYTHING GOES
3. CraftyCatz - challenge No. 721 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Ellibelle's Garden Party - challenge No. 20 - ANYTHING IN OR FROM THE GARDEN
5. Beautiful Blossoms - challenge No. 46 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) MOOD BOARD

Saturday, hope you have plans!

Morning readers,

To those of you who swung by yesterday and knew that we were expecting an electrician. The company involved had confirmed (weeks earlier) yesterday before sending another appointment for the 31st. We TRIED to persuade them to confirm which was the genuine appointment but without success ... we're just hoping that the electrician WILL turn up on the 31st now!

I've a make to share with you today ... it's another batch of two Christmas cards, still playing catch up but - I'm definitely getting there!! I loved this stamp coloured in red recently ... so thought I'd see if it worked in blue .... I'd like to think it did!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and navy, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Paper Artsy image (from JOFY130) stamped using Versafine Clair paradise ink
• Paper Artsy sentiment (from JOFY01) stamped using Versafine Clair twilight ink
• I used a combination of Pro Markers, Copics and Faber Castell polychromos pencils to colour my image
• Stardust stickles on the stars and the "snow" on the baubles - to give it pzazz!

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. The Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 213 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
2. CraftyCatz - challenge No. 721 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Creative Knockouts - challenge No. 581 - HALLOWEEN/FALL or ANYTHING GOES
4. Creative Inspiration - challenge No. 43 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Ally's Angels - challenge No. 111 - ANYTHING GOES

I was a top pick over at Ally's Angels this weekend, thanks so much peeps, appreciate it

And I'm on a roll as I was a TOP3 over at Peace on Earth too this week, thank you so much

TGIF! Almost the weekend

Morning readers,

Busy week this week ... with a hair appointment on Monday, coffee with friends on Tuesday, a bit of furniture shopping on Wednesday and a day out with a friend on Thursday! We have something scheduled for today but ... the electrician may or may not turn up as they confirmed two dates and it's proven difficult to persuade them to confirm one rather than the other so it will be a nice surprise if they show up today! Wish us luck.

I've a make to share with you today ... another make that is occasion free so I can pick the occasion when I need to. Thought it was time to take a break from Christmas cards.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and textured mid blue, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Aall & Create bloom (from set #140) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• I used Faber Castell polychromos pencils to colour
• Using a makeup brush (designated for "blue" inks) without re-inking I applied my "clouds" using the Clearly Besotted cloud stencil
• Stardust stickles to add some texture and sparkle

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Kleuren met Potloden - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES (with coloured pencils)
2. Stencil Fun - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) ORANGE
3. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 331 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Crafty Catz - challenge No. 721 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 287 - ANYTHING GOES

It's Wednesday, hope it's a good one!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... it's YET another small batch of Christmas cards, it's easy to make two at once whilst not becoming boring. I find making big batches gets a bit tedious but two is manageable and every batch of two is really helping me play catch up on my Christmas card quota for 2026 .... I'm now so much closer to my 2026 quota than I was just a couple of weeks ago! Who knows? I MIGHT even be caught up by November ... before I need to start writing them!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Paper Artsy image (from JOFY01 - May 2026 - NBUS) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Paper Artsy sentiment (also from JOFY01) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• I used a selection of alcohol markers (Pro Markers, Copics and Marvy le Plume II) and Faber Castell Polychromos pencils to colour
• Stardust stickles to add some festive sparkle to the stars and some of the baubles

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. NBUS - challenge No. 91 - USE NBUS
2. The Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 213 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
3. Merry Little Christmas - challenge No. 70 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES

Monday - here we go again, another week!

Morning readers,

Hope you all had a great weekend and that the (sometimes torrential) rain didn't spoil any plans you may have had. We were Riddick sitting whilst his peeps went to Cornwall to put up a fence and do a few other bits and pieces ... and (sadly) it was pretty wet for them too! Riddick however, didn't seem to mind walking in the rain, that was just us!

I've a make to share with you today ... and, oh look, it's NOT actually a Christmas card!!! Instead it's an occasion free card - so useful to have a couple in stock, just in case

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and black, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Using a new sticky mat (from Amazon), I laid my white card front on it and (using a Tim Holtz mini blender with domed foam) and applied layers of Distress Inks in: Bundled sage, Iced spruce and Forest moss (never my 1st pick when thinking green but it IS lush), till I was happy with the colour saturation and left it to dry. Happy to report that the sticky mat held my card front in place perfectly - YAY!
• Sunshine Designs bloom (CSD01-M and sadly much neglected ... until this project) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Paper Artsy splatter (from the very elderly HTPX01 - my fave splatter for SO very long but now much neglected) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• A quick spritz of Crafters Companion Spray and Shine - to protect the water based inks
• Stardust stickles to add some sparkle

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Love to Craft - challenge No. 94 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 287 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Creative Inspiration - challenge No. 43 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 331 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Polkadoodles - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING GOES

Saturday and that MUST mean, it's the weekend - ENJOY!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... a 12 Days of Christmas make - this one uses the "5 gold rings" element from the Penny Black set, it's been languishing at the back of the drawer for just too long, rather like the embossing folder too, I thought the folder worked well with the "circular" theme of my card.

Materials used:

• 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippets of card in white and red, for my image panel, sentiment and embossed panel
• Unbranded nesting circle dies in plain and faux stitched edged - to cut my image panel and matting layer
• Penny Black "5 gold rings" image (from 12 Days of Christmas - often neglected but such a fab set) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Stamplorations sentiment (from "Oh Christmas tree") stamped on to a white snippet using Versafine Clair strawberry ink, fussy cut out using scissors and then attached to my card front using dimensional foam tape
• Snippet of red card run through my Big Shot inside a Sizzix/Tim Holtz circles embossing folder and then "swiped" with Brilliance galaxy gold ink to add a gold highlight sheen to the embossed sections of the strip
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour my image, the gold ring was coloured with a gold glitter gel pen
• Stardust stickles to add sparkle to the "sparkler" of the ring!

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Penny Black Saturday challenge - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) BRIGHT COLOURS
2. Neglected Stuff Challenge - October challenge - USE NEGLECTED STUFF
3. Paper-Rocks Scissors - challenge No. 21 - ANYTHING GOES (featuring paper and scissors)
4. Simply Clean And Simple - October challenge - TINY
5. A Cut Above - October challenge - USE A DIE/S