Monday - have a great week

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and the warm sunny weather.

I've a make to share with you today ... it's been a while since I used this dog/cat stamp set and also since I inked the Memory Box stencil too - this card is a general purpose theme with the simple "Happy thoughts" and low key colour scheme

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 full coverage adhesive post-it which was then fussy cut out and used as a mask
• Stampers Anonymous sentiment (from THMM182) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• With my doggy mask in place and using a makeup brush and Brilliance pearlescent thyme ink, I applied colour through my Memory Box grid stencil (88517)
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils used to colour my pooch
• Anita's dimensional gloss for the pooches eyes
• Stardust stickles to add some sparkle

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

1. Kleuren met potloden - August challenge - ANYTHING GOES (using coloured pencils)
2. Stencil Fun - August challenge - ANYTHING STENCILLED GOES + (optional) CAS STYLE
3. Critter Crazy - challenge No. 113 - ANYTHING GOES (featuring a critter)
4. Creative Aunts - challenge No. 116 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 283 - ANYTHING GOES

Hubby and I had a couple of days away, trying to see more of the UK before the weather changes, abruptly, from Florida style weather to British winter!!! The forecast was for 19° - 21° over the course of our break and I have to say, this was most welcome after the 30° - 37° of late!

Ludlow Castle

Ludlow Market Square

The Rose and Crown, apparently, the oldest pub in Ludlow

The Parish Church of St. Lawrence

The local brewery, which we found after three consecutive trains to Shrewsbury were cancelled and we lost the will to wait any longer!!!

Shrewsbury - we tried again, this time by car!

Wednesday ... mid week!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... a wedding card commission for SD#2, as she was off to a wedding last weekend and wanted a card featuring hearts along with the initials of the happy couple. I don't often use a square card blank but I wanted to use this heart of hearts stencil and, frankly, it was too big for my preferred card size. Came out pretty much monochrome too!

The card front and the insert

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, 6" x 6" square card and envelope
• Card in white and cream pearl, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippet of white card for my "Always and Forever" sentiment
• Unbranded heart of hearts stencil, taped in place and, using a mini blender and domed foam pad, I applied Versafine Clair strawberry ink for the outline hearts
• Inkadinkado "R" alphabet (from 99107) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• CRASPIRE sentiment (from WHO167-57-0256) stamped on to a white snippet, using Versafine Clair strawberry ink and then cut out - edging with a red alcohol marker so the white base didn't show
• On the insert/back of card and the envelope I stamped the CraftyRoo sentiment (from "Happy Wedding" - December 2024 yet still NBUS) using the Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Finally, a light touch of stardust stickles to the R & R to give some celebratory sparkle and - DONE!

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 89 - USE NBUS
2. Make My Monday - challenge No. 283 - WEDDING/LOVE WISHES
3. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2631 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Stencil Fun - August challenge - USE A STENCIL + (optional) CAS STYLE
5. Crafting Happiness - August challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) BACK TO SCHOOL

I was a lucky top pick over at Paper Rocks Scissors this week, thanks peeps, I really do appreciate it.

Monday again - have a great week

Morning readers,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend and that the weather was kind to you

I've a make to share with you today ... I've had need of YET another sympathy card, that's four in less than two months. This one was selected to be Quick, Clean And Simple.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and black, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippet of white card, for my sentiment panel
• Sizzix thinlits die (from 660220) used to die cut my card front panel
• CRASPIRE sentiment (WHO167-57-0250 - July 2026 - NBUS) stamped on to a white snippet, using Versafine Clair nocturne ink and cut out (with scissors) leaving a narrow white border and attached using dimensional foam pads

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 89 - USE NBUS
2. Paper Rocks Scissors - challenge No. 19 - ANYTHING GOES - but MUST use paper and/or scissors
3. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 327 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Polkadoodles - challenge No. 8 - ANYTHING GOES
5. AAA Cards - challenge No. 20 - SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH "S" - in this case, SYMPATHY

I always TRY to use new craft goodies when they arrive, this plan sometimes works well and sometimes not! Darnell does her best to help out by running the fab NBUS challenge blog which is designed to encourage us to use our new stash, she recently ran a "Mutual Appreciation Challenge" and I was one of the lucky winners, winning a prize from Alex Syberia Designs, and I'm looking forward to receiving details of my prize - thank you Darnell and Alex Syberia Designs

Great afternoon and evening with the Surrogate family, meeting at 'Spoons and then Rosa Thai - delicious!

Saturday - Woo Hoo .. it's the weekend!

Morning readers,

Welcome to August - this year is simply racing by and I'm STILL only half way towards my Christmas card quota!! Oh My! Best I get a wiggle on.

That said I've a make to share with you today, that isn't a Christmas card ... instead it's a Quick, Clean And Simple card, and one for the guys, I think.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippet of white card, for my sentiment panel
• Creative Expressions dot image (from CEC-897) stamped using Versafine Clair morning mist ink
• Studiolight grid image (from SL340) stamped using Versafine Clair twilight ink
• Studiolight abstract image (from SL341) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• CRASPIRE sentiment (from WHO167-57-0250) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink .... this sentiment is faulty and leaves a little "v" uninked so I filled in the gap using a Faber Castell Pitt pen don't think you can tell now, though I WAS disappointed when I first realised
• Once the sentiment was dry, I cut it out and adhered dimensional foam pads before attaching to my card front

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

1. Seize the Birthday - challenge No. 331 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) NON-WHITE CARD BASE
2. Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Papercraft Crew - challenge No. 683 - SIMPLE STAMPING
4. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2630 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Love to Craft - challenge No. 93 - ANYTHING GOES

TGIF peeps! The weekend approaches!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... another ATC on the theme of "TRANSPORT"

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in white and a random piece of packaging, coloured light blue using Versafine Clair paradise ink
• Snippets of card to die cut a circle and both the positive and negative used as a mask/stencil
• Inkadinkado motorcycle image (96346-k) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• With the circle "mask" in place I used a makeup brush to add a light covering of Versafine Clair paradise ink before overlaying the Clearly Besotted "clouds" stencil and adding the clouds using the paradise ink
• Removing the circle "mask" I placed the circle stencil before adding some Distress Oxide in lost shadow (grey), taking care to avoid the image.
• Then I overlaid the Clearly Besotted row of houses (from the "up my street" mask/stencil set) and adding a further layer of the lost shadow
• Tim Holtz sentiment (from THMM113) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink

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

1. The Little Things - challenge No. 06 - FLAMING/ELEPHANT or ANYTHING GOES
2. Love to Craft - challenge No. 93 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge - ANYTHING GOES

I was a lucky TOP PICK recipient over at Krafty Chicks yesterday, for my entry to their recent MASCULINE challenge - thank you so much. My Congratulations to my fellow TOP PICKS too

Wednesday .. aka "Hump Day" as it's downhill to the weekend!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... we were dog sitting whilst I made this and, yes, that IS a dog hair in the bottom right corner of my card!!!, I didn't notice it until after I'd taken the pic and uploaded it - DOH! I can't make up my mind whether I think this is super or just "Meh"! I love the colours and I love the splats so what IS it that I'm not sure about???

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and orange, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Visible Image sentiment (from VIS-BEB01) stamped using Versafine Clair charming pink ink
• Clearly Besotted splatters (from "Splats and Splotches) stamped using Versafine Clair cheerful and charming pink inks along with Memento rosebud and tangelo inks
• Stardust stickles to add some sparkle

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

1. AAA Cards - challenge No. 319 - Colour challenge - see below
2. Seize the Birthday - challenge No. 332 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) NON WHITE CARD BASE
3. Polkadoodles - challenge No. 7 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 282 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2630 - ANYTHING GOES

Monday - another week off and running!

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed another weekend of the glorious weather .. mind you, I'm not built to cope with the heat well ... and, after weeks of it I feel like I've been wrung out! Me and the gardens need a little rain and a little cooler weather - sorry! Yes, we had a little rain overnight, on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to make a difference to the parched grass.

I've a make to share with you today ... it's CAS (Clean And Simple), masculine AND monochrome - for a Chelsea supporter - my apologies if it's not the EXACT Chelsea shade but .... I did my best!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and textured mid blue, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippets of card in white and mid blue, for my image and sentiment panels
• Unbranded circle dies to to cut the 2" and 2½" circles
• Unbranded footballer (DIY-WHO618--0894 - from Amazon - July 2026 - NBUS), MFT single word sentiment (from CS.74) and Unbranded sentiment (DIY-WHO167-5700250 - from Amazon - July 2026 - also NBUS) all stamped using Versafine Clair paradise ink
• I cut out the birthday sentiment and used dimensional foam tape to adhere to my card front
• Stardust stickles to add some sparkle to the football and grounding

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 88 - USE NBUS
2. A Cut above - July challenge - ANYTHING GOES WITH A DIE CUT
3. Crafty Calendar - July challenge - BIRTHDAY
4. Alphabet Challenge - July 24th challenge - "G" is for GAMES .. in this case FOOTBALL!
5. Krafty Chicks - challenge No. 830 - MASCULINE

And then, of course, I had to make the matching gift tag ...

Materials used:

• White 300gsm card
• Unbranded faux stitched nesting circles to cut two 3" diameter circles
• Unbranded footballer image (DIY-WHO618--0894 - from Amazon - July 2026), stamped using Versafine Clair paradise ink
• WRMK "Crop-a-dile" used to punch a hole in my gift tag and also to set the eyelet
• MFT sentiment (from CS.74) stamped on to a white snippet using Versafine Clair paradise ink and cut out with scissors, before attaching dimensional foam tape and attaching to my gift tag

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

1. The Little Things - challenge No. 6 - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) FLAMINGO / ELEPHANT
2. Paper Rocks Scissors - challenge No. 18 - ANYTHING GOES but MUST use paper and scissors
3. Love to Craft - challenge No. 93 - ANYTHING GOES
4. TagalongandATC - July challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Snippets Playground - challenge No. 537 - USE SNIPPETS