Monday - look out! Here comes another week!

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and had something nice to occupy your time. For us, it was dinner with the Surrogates on Saturday so it was all systems go ... hubby was cooking, I was in charge of cleaning prep and, once our guests arrived I was the entertainment committee too, it was a lovely evening, thanks for coming both, not forgetting Riddick, guess he made three!

I've a make to share with you today ... yes, it's another Christmas card but I still some way behind so, sadly, you're all going to be seeing more of them!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Stamplorations sentiment (from the "Oh Christmas tree" set) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Stampa Rosa tree (a very ELDERLY wood mounted image ref: 221108) stamped using Versafine Clair shady lane ink
• Faber Castell polychromos pencils to colour the star and add a little shading to each side of the tree image and to add some brown to the trunk ... that's a little more obvious in real life - sorry!
• Stardust stickles to add some serious sparkle 

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

1. Neglected stuff challenge - October challenge - USE NEGLECTED STUFF
2. Christmas Crafts All Year Round - October challenge - LETTERS "T" and "U" - I went with "T", for TREE
3. Outlawz Christmas Challenge - October challenge - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. Merry Little Christmas - challenge No. 70 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
5. CraftyCatz - challenge No. 720 - ANYTHING GOES

I was a lucky TOP3 over at Dream Valley challenges for their challenge No. 370 - thank you so much

Sunday .... I KNOW I don't NORMALLY post on a Sunday but ...

Morning readers,

I don't normally post on Sundays (just Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat) as it happens (because I'm frantically making Christmas cards) I am ahead of my posting schedule but saw a challenge I quite fancied entering so decided to push the boat out and chuck in an extra post!!!!

I've a make to share with you today ... the challenge theme of "TINY" set me thinking about this particular little quartet of robins

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Stamplorations sentiment (from "Oh Christmas tree") stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Little Clair image (a gift in 2015 so no other details) stamped using Versafin Clair nocturne ink
• I used a red sharpie, an orange marker and Faber Castell polychromos pencils to colour
• Stardust stickles on the hats, to add some festive sparkle

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

1. Simply CAS - October challenge - ANYTHING CAS GOES+ (optional) "TINY"
2. D.L. Art - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Creative Inspiration - challenge No. 43 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Crafty Animals - challenge No. 110 - ANYTHING GOES (featuring an animal)
5. Critter Crazy - challenge No. 115 - ANYTHING GOES (featuring a critter)

Saturday - it's the weekend!

Morning readers,

It's the weekend and I hope you have something nice to look forward to, we have two of "the Surrogates" joining us for dinner which will be nice.

I've a make to share with you today ... another CASE'd make, this time it was Shirley Bampton for Visible Image - her glorious original is further down my post. Obviously, I didn't have many of the OP's materials - basically just the inks. It didn't start out to be a Christmas card either, but I'm on a roll and this is just how it turned out - thanks for the inspo Shirley, I hope I made it sufficiently different from your original.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and black, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Using Tim Holtz mini blenders I applied Distress Inks: Fossilised amber, Barn door and Aged mahogany till I was happy with the colour saturation
• MFT "swipes" (from DC.52 "Abstract art") and Tim Holtz large bottle brush tree and sentiment (from THMM173) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• A quick spritz of Crafters Companion Spray and Shine - to protect the water based inks
• Stardust stickles to give some festive sparkle

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

1. Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge - ANYTHING GOES
2. Merry Little Christmas - challenge No. 70 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
3. The Outlawz Christmas challenge - October challenge - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. Christmas Crafts All Year Round - October challenge - LETTERS "T" or "U" - in this case I went with "T" for TREE
5. Love to Craft - challenge No. 94 - ANYTHING GOES

Want to see Shirley Bampton's fabulous original, for Visible Image?

Friday, it's October peeps - how are your Christmas preparations coming along?

Morning readers,

I recently mentioned that I am WAAAY behind with my Christmas crafting, I started the year off so well and then .... we had a lot of stressful aggro which evolved during the sale of our much loved Florida home (after nearly 32 years, it was such a wrench). My mojo just went AWOL and it was the Christmas cards that seem to have suffered the most. However, that said, I need to put my big girl pants on and get rolling - if I'm ever to catch up! So, surprise, surprise, today's make is .... yep, you guessed it! A mini batch of (two) Christmas cards!, using a stamp set I was given for my birthday earlier in the year. I don't really like making big batches but find two works for me AND is helping me get back on track for Christmas 2026 - Woo Hoo! I realise that the sentiment below is perhaps a little large but it IS (currently) my favourite festive sentiment!

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and red, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Snippets of white card for the sentiment
• Paper Artsy Christmas tree image (from JOFY01 - May 2026 - NBUS) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Alcohol markers (Marvy le plume II and Copics) and Faber Castell polychromos pencils (for shading) used to colour my image
• Stamplorations sentiment ("Oh Christmas tree") stamped on to a snippet of white card using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Stardust stickles used to add texture and sparkle to the stars and the "grounding"

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 91 - USE NBUS
2. Dream Valley Challenges - challenge No. 370 - ADD A SENTIMENT
3. Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 212 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Passion for Markers - challenge No. 857 - ADD SOME SPARKLE

For those of you who've been following me down the rabbit hole of tidying my Christmas drawers (just three drawers within an IKEA set of 6) - I finally finished the sorting - the newly streamlined drawers look terrific, I've found some Never Before Used Stuff that I may never use so I'm going to donate those as prizes and I have about 25 sets of stamps that I will never use again that I am offering around my friends to see if anyone would give them a home ... we shall see.

Wednesday, the last day in September

Morning readers, 

I can hardly believe that today is the LAST day in September and that tomorrow it will be October .... don't know about you but I'm feeling that this year is just zipping by. I'm still rather far behind with my Christmas cards ... due to my mojo taking a couple of months off, I'm now finding myself playing catch up so I was delighted to have had my eye "caught" by a stunning make, on social media - do read on.

I've a make to share with you today ... I recently saw a card I admired, by Julie Maddock and (with her permission) I've CASE'd it. Her original is further down my post. I'd like to think Julie would approve of my interpretation.

Materials used:

• White, 250gsm, C6 card and envelope
• Card in white and navy, for my card front, insert and matting layer
• Using Heffy Doodle low tack tape I marked off my panel
• Using a makeup brush and Distress Inks in Salty ocean and Faded jeans I applied colour between my taped off area
• Tim Holtz foliage image (from THMM155) and Aall & Create sentiment (from set #607) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Using diluted Twinkling H2O's "icicle" I splattered the panel (for snow) before adding stardust stickles to the "bough", also as "settled" snow and to add texture and sparkle

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

1. Merry Little Christmas - challenge No. 70 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
2. Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 212 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
3. Peace on Earth - challenge No. 120 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES + (optional) MOOD BOARD
4. Dream Valley - challenge No. 370 - ADD A SENTIMENT
5. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2639 - ANYTHING GOES

And Julie Maddock's original? See below

I went down a rabbit hole on Monday, I thought it seemed like a good idea to have a good old tidy up of my Christmas stamp drawers, not even all of my drawers!. Basically, SOMETHING was catching at the back of one of the drawers so it seemed it was past time to do something about it. How long could it take? Hmmmm 3½ hours later and I was about half done! I usually write on the packaging which drawer the set belongs in so I was having to rewrite labels for each set. I thought I would actually sort all of my Christmas stamps and then keep all of the Christmas sets from one manufacturer together - great idea ... right? So, right now, after at least another hour on Tuesday, I still have a dining table covered with stamps and I have three half full drawers which, admittedly, do look lovely and tidy but, I can't use the dining table and I don't have access to all of my Christmas stamps so I can't really make Christmas cards, I'm stymied and trying to remember why I thought it was such a great idea in the first place!! I DID, however, find out what was catching ... an errant piece of black card though I'd no idea how it even found its way to the fifth drawer from the top! If I ever mention having a good old tidy up of my drawers, please remind me of this exercise!

Monday, hard to believe it's almost the end of September

Morning readers,

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and that no weather related issues spoiled any plans.

As for me, I'm STILL so far behind my Christmas card quota for 2026, so it's time to batch make! Today's is a batch of just two "same but different" makes - I decided not to make them absolutely identical! Actually, in the spirit of full disclosure, I dropped my stamp and (OF COURSE) it landed ink side down .... the obvious fix was to stamp it again and mat and layer it, to cover up the mistake. I'm sure you've all had to think of a quick fix!

I've a make to share with you today ... I was given this fab set of Paper Artsy Christmas stamps for my birthday earlier in the year, and decided it was high time they got an outing!

Materials used:

• Two of 250gsm, C6 card and envelopes
• Card in white and red, for my two card fronts, inserts and matting layers
• Snippets of card in both white and red, for the sentiment panel on one
• Paper Artsy "bauble" image (from JOFY130 - May 2026 and NBUS) stamped using Versafine Clair nocturne ink
• Paper Artsy sentiment (from JOFY01 - also May 2026) stamped using Versafine Clair strawberry ink
• Alcohol markers used to colour my image - a mix of Pro Markers, Marvy le Plume II and Copics
• Stardust stickles to add interest, texture and festive sparkle!

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

1. NBUS - challenge No. 90 - USE NBUS
2. Dream Valley Challenges - challenge No. 370 - ADD A SENTIMENT
3. Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 212 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. As You See It - challenge No. 382 - CHRISTMAS IS A COMING, AND THIS WILL BE THE 31st & 32nd CARDS I'VE MADE
5. CRAFT - challenge No. 789 - CHRISTMAS

Saturday! Woo Hoo! It's the weekend!

Morning readers,

I've a make to share with you today ... an Artist Trading Card - this time I'm deploying more neglected stash, this time my Twinkling H2O's ... which I bought in St. Mary's in Georgia, U.S.A., at a splendid store which (if my memory serves me well) was called something like Old Town Crafts and was on Weed Street ... the rest rooms were Egyptian themed and the place had an aura that was pure glitter and there was a bubble making machine outside - what a place?!?!?!?! Anyone else remember this store?

Materials used:

• ATC blank
• Snippets of card in black, lime green, black and white
• Using a large brush I applied twinkling H2O in sunburst all over my white snippet - gives a lovely sheen
• Using an unbranded floral die I cut my silhouette using black card
• MFT sentiment (from CS.74) stamped on to white snippet which I then cut out before attaching to my ATC

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

1. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 2638 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Love to Craft - challenge No. 94 - ANYTHING GOES
3. The Little Things - challenge No. 8 - SUNFLOWER and/or SQUIRREL or ANYTHING GOES
4. A Cut Above - September challenge - ANYTHING GOES - with a die cut
5. Ellibelle's Garden Party - challenge No. 19 - ANYTHING IN OR FROM THE GARDEN