Turn on the Charm

 Hello.

"Relaxing Hobby" they said.
Have you tried die cutting and gluing these teeny, tiny charms
to a delicate bracelet piece?  Argh!   
One breath of wind and they would have been scattered across the craft room floor  :o)

I'm a Yorkshire lass, with hands like shovels - so 'delicate' is tricky for me  :o)
I was happy when all those tiny pieces were stuck in place.

The simple background stripes were created with a stencil and some distress ink.
I definitely need to use this stencil more - I love those stripes.

Challenge

Inspired By

Congrats on reaching Challenge #400  💖

I was inspired by the bracelets and the blue/coral colour palette

• concord and 9th - charmed dies
• clearly besotted - stripes stencil
• distress ink - tumbled glass
• mama elephant - labeled messages
• altenew ink - sea breeze
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

Welcome to the Herd

Hello.
News of a new baby is always a delight - so this card was a joy to make,
and I love this cute giraffe.

For the background I tried out some faux embossing. Simply using die-cut stars in the same colour card as the base. I think it turned out really cute.
Of course, after sticking on all those stars,  I decided to add a small panel of mint green on top, so most of them were covered up - but I know they're under there!   :o)

Challenge

As You Like It 

(Just playing for fun) 

Favourite Safari Animal, and Why

It's a giraffe!! They are such cute and gentle creatures and did you know,
a giraffe's spots are unique. They're like fingerprints.

Also  - my grandson's favourite giraffe fact - their tongue is so long 
they can clean their ears with it :o)

• my favorite things - joyful giraffe
• sentiment - mft - hello little one
• star dies - clearly besotted
• tiny star die - mft bundle of baby clothes
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

Life Is Better With You

Hello.
This week, my dh and I, celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary.
Wow! That seems a crazy long time :o)
I am so happy I found my soul mate all those years ago 💘

As we've just come back from the beach, this seemed a cute stamp to use for the card.

As you can imagine, we've done our fair share of hearts and romance cards over the years, but this time I wanted something cute and fun.

This took quite a bit of masking here and there to separate these 2 critters from the full image, but I think it was worth it.

Challenge

Allsorts

🏖️At the Seaside⛱️

or Anything Goes

• colorado craft company - beach life
• my favorite things - ray of light stencil
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• ranger distress ink - mustard seed / fossilized amber
• copic markers / white pen

Yeehaw Birthday Girl!

Hello...  or howdy! :o)

Today I'm sharing this birthday card with a bit of cowgirl charm, and a sprinkling of pretty blooms.

I could definitely stomp around the dance floor in these boots :o)

This is for the MAWTT Challenge - where they want to see your favourite stamp, die or tool.

I've gone for tool - and my sizzix big shot. I've had my machine since I started blogging (2008) and it's never let me down - touch wood.
Wow! That makes it 18 years old!!!
It definitely gets a lot of use too - I think I use it on every card I make, even the simplest ones. So I couldn't do without it.

Challenge

Moving Along With The Times

Use your favourite stamp, die or tool.

• concord & 9th - bootcut and coloured cardstock
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle 

Snow Falling, Fizz Flowing

Hello.
Well, what a change in the weather this week.
Here in Yorkshire, we've had just about non stop rain. It's lovely.
No sarcasm here - I LOVE the rain :o)
And it gives me time to play in my craft room.

I've kept things simple with this cute, penguin image.
I'm afraid it might be the last outing for this guy - it's one of my older stamps and is just starting to disintegrate around the edges.

I coloured him with copics, then added distress ink around him, and some snowfall.
I'm not sure why he's drinking fizz in the snow, but he's having a lovely time!

For the recently restarted

CAS Christmas Challenge

• wildrose studio - pickle with tipple
• distress ink - tumbled glass
• wplus9 - winter wonderland sentiment
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• copic markers - white gel pen

Swipe, Swipe, Done!

Hello.
I am definitely not great at fancy ink techniques,
but this one was so easy I had to give it a go.
                                             Direct to Paper Inking

I chose some ice-cream colours, dragged the ink cubes across a card panel and voila - instant background. How easy is that?

Suzie skunk was die-cut and assembled, complete with ice cream and backpack.
Then I used the pole of the oar for the happy birthday sign. 

The stitched rectangle panel was also swished with pink ink, which was brilliant as it always really hurts me to use a big piece of my coloured cardstock for those bases. :o)

Challenge

Group Of Cardmakers

Direct to Paper Inking 

• spellbinders - trailside trio / camp days / splash days
• altenew inks - cotton candy / peach sorbet / mango smoothie
• hero arts ink - green hills
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• lawn fawn - offset birthday sentiments

Fun In The Snow

Hello.
Today I'm an elf!
I'm excited to be joining Jo, over at the 

Christmas Kickstart Challenge 

This month I've chosen the theme of Snow Days.

I'm thinking...  building a snowman, kids on sledges, penguins with scarves, birds on snowy branches, you get the idea.
I'm looking forward to seeing all those snowy scenes, so I hope you'll play along.

Here is my card, using one of my favourite stamps.

I stamped my image and coloured it with copics. 
For the landscape, I found a little stamp with those flower tufts on,  which just helped to ground the image a bit.
The sky is distress ink and my snow is made with a white gel pen, through a snowfall stencil.

Thank you Jo, for letting me join you this month.

It was fun xxx

• purple onion designs - happy mail
• fa la la stamp - sorry! Can't remember the make
• landscape stamp - my favorite things - frost loving friends
• distress oxide - salvaged patina
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• 
  

Adventure Awaits!

Hello.

Anyone else stuck to their craft room chair! :o)
It's a bit warm here in Yorkshire - definitely a picky tea tonight.

With this heat my brain seems to be operating at half speed - so I kept this card nice and simple.

Just a cute skunk, ready to go on a birthday adventure.

I followed along at Freshly Made Sketches - just turning the sketch for my landscape design.

I dug out an old bird branch stamp that worked great for the dashed lines on the sketch - then I added my die cut canoe, and popped up the skunk, his backpack and oar with foam tape.
The sentiment came from a different die cut set, but I thought it worked here.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches 

• spellbinders - trailside trio / splash days / camp days
• wplus9 - happy birds (bird branch stamp)
• concord & 9th - silly goose - happy birthday stamp and die
• memento ink - danube blue
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• 
  

Tiny Tipples and Bubbly Vibes

Hello.

Has anyone seen my mojo?
It seems to have deserted me.

I tried to jump start some creativity with the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge,
but I never really got into the groove with this one.

I switched out the squares, for hexagons and tried to keep it bright and cheerful.
My little critters were stamped and coloured with copics.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

• clearly besotted - tiny tipples
• pinkfresh studio - simply hexagons
• copic markers

Life's Too Short... Jump In Puddles.

 Hello.

Today I'm sharing this little goose, in the rain with his wellies on.
Sometimes you just have to get in there, splash about, and make the most of a rainy day.

My grandsons are 4 and 5 years old - so every puddle is fair game!

My silly goose, is die cut and popped up with foam tape.
The sentiment is made from an alphabet stamp set - I almost made it without an error - then a letter dropped off my acrylic block just at the end. I managed to cover up the worst with a large raindrop.

My eureka moment was the raindrops :o)

They are flames from a birthday candle die set.

Challenge

Inskspirational

concord and 9th - silly goose / make a wish

my favorite things - well connected alphabet

pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

Berry Blooms (And A Rare Floral Win)

Hello.
Today I'm sharing a rare, floral card. 
I always find them really tricky to put together, but I'm happy with how this one turned out.

I went for a mix of berry shades, through to soft, light pink, for the blooms and added in the fresh green leaves to pull everything together.

I kept the background simple, so I didn't distract from the blooms, but added that little extra detail, using the scoring blade on my paper trimmer to create the subtle horizontal lines. 

Challenge

Inspired By

I was inspired by the mix of flowers and leaves
with berry shades, to light pink and a touch of green.

• altenew - garden picks 3d dies
• sentiment - colorado craft co - citrus berry cupcake
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• coloured cardstock - concord & 9th

Wobble On Silly Goose

 Hello.

I couldn't resist adding a wobble to this silly goose -
for a cute, spring birthday card.

This was a fun, die-cut card, to put together for my daughter's birthday.
For some reason a goose seems to be a popular spring thing, but in our house 'goose' is a standing joke.

*long story* :o)  so this set was perfect for us.

Today's annoying mistake - adding a little cheek blush to my geese, with a new Copic marker.

Argh! It just flooded colour the second it touched the card!

 

Challenge

Moving Along With The Times

Challenge #188 Anything Spring

• concord and 9th - silly goose
• spellbinders - landscape edges
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

Coffee, Books and Cosy Vibes

Hello.
The new Inspired By Challenge caught my eye today - Cocoa Café.
I loved the pink and green colour combo and could just imagine sitting there
with a hot drink and a good book.

Rummaging around in my stash, I came across this old die set, and created a cosy, reading nook.

I finally got round to buying one of those little applicator bottles, with a fine tip, for my glue.
Honestly, it's a game changer for these tiny die cuts.
Why did it take me so long to get one!

The background wallpaper was made with some pink distress ink and a cute little stamp that has 4 columns of hearts.

Challenge

Inspired By 

I was inspired by the green and pink combo - 
and the idea of sitting down and relaxing with a nice drink

my favorite things - décor and more dies/couch potato sentiments

concord and 9th - heart stamp - celebration squad

pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle

ranger distress ink - kitsch flamingo

Special Delivery... From The Dog

Hello.
I'm excited today, to be a Guest Designer over at the 

AAA Birthday Challenge

where the theme is 'die cuts'

This was right up my street. I LOVE using die cuts.

For my card I've used this cute pup. Yes, he's supposed to have skis, but I had other plans.
Instead of the ski poles, I've got him to carry this birthday present.

I wanted to use some more die cuts for the background, but still keep the overall look pretty simple.
So I went with cloud and grass dies, and a couple of extra presents - one is never enough!  :o)

You've got a whole month to play along and show us your die cuts.
Do you alter yours?
I'm always looking for ideas to stretch my supplies,
so I'd be interested to know how you do it.

Thanks to AAA Birthday for letting me guest design this month.
It's been fun  xxx

• waffle flower - cool pup
• spellbinders - landscape edges dies / handmade holidays (presents)
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitched rectangle
• distress ink - tumbled glass / twisted citron
• concord & 9th - poolside (sentiment)

Tied Up With A Bow

Hello.
I'm excited to be joining the Allsorts Challenge  today
as a Guest Designer.

This is such a fun and friendly challenge, and I hope you'll find time to play along. 
 Sarah has chosen the theme...

Add a Ribbon or Bow

Ooh, this one had me scratching my head for a while.
I haven't used ribbon on a card for AGES! But when I went digging through my stash I found it all beautifully packed and organised. Go me ! (I've added a pic below to show how tidy and organised I used to be)  :o)

Back to the card.
And I couldn't resist a little box of sweet doughnuts all wrapped with ribbon and a bow.

The doughnuts are stamped and die cut. The sprinkles were added with Copic markers and some glossy accents. Then I added a layer of acetate to my scalloped edge die, and taped ribbon and a bow onto the corners.

Allsorts Challenge

Add Ribbon or a Bow

• the greetery - sweet tooth
• distress ink - salvaged patina
• altenew ink - maple yellow / fuchsia
• pinkfresh studio ink - warm buff / doe / gathered twigs
• copic markers, glossy accents
• sentiment - sugar pea designs - summer scoops

Small Heroes Bring Big Joy

Hello.

Today our very own super hero grandson is 5 years old.

I had so much fun making this card for him - he is a huge fan of superheroes, and is always coming up with bits of information about them. I don't know where he gets it all from.
So this little group of  warriors is right up his street.

Those cute heroes, are stamped and fussy cut, coloured with Copics and popped up with foam tape.
I kept the background skyline neutral, so that it didn't all clash.

Batman and Superman are fitted with mini wobbles for some extra fun interaction.
(check out my Instagram post here if you want to see it )

Challenge

A Place To Start

Anything Goes with optional twist small critters

• clearly besotted seriously super
• copic markers
• mini wobble
• pink fresh studio diagonal stitch rectangle 

A Little Card To Celebrate The Fun

 Hello.

I was meant to be following a sketch today.
You know when you have it in your mind, and you make your card, but it's not quite right.
It's close though - if you squint :o)

This is a Valentine's card for my dh. 

After 40 years of marriage, we're kind of over the red, love hearts and roses, so  I think this cute Eddie and Ethel stamp is more our thing.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

I converted this to portrait and moved those stripes a bit. 
By which I mean a lot. It still looks a bit like the sketch though, right?

• purple onion designs - eddie and ethel
• memory box - parker alphabet dies
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• mft - sentiment from frost loving friends
• copic markers, white gel pen