What happens when your card is too long.....

.... and you can't be bothered to cut it too size?  You get a little bit crazy with the bone folder and come up with a fold that doesn't even have a name yet.  Or does it?  Perhaps the more experienced out there can tell me.

It's sort of a concertina not-quite-gatefold thing!

Anyway, this is Russell from Pollycraft

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is Personal Impressions

and papers are a very old Papermania Colossal pad 

I've papered the inside as well but you can't see that from the photos

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Long time no Bella

Do you go through phases of using certain styles or brands of stamp?  I know that I do, it's like the needle getting stuck on an LP when it used to take a gentle nudge to get things moving again.  For younger readers, LP records came before CDs and downloads!!

It ages since I used this little lady and it was an absolute delight to get her out to play again.  I did apologise to her for leaving it so long.

This is Bella With Presents from Wild Rose Studio

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is by Dovecraft

Papers are all Nitwits/LOTV - from Always & Forever and Woodland Wishes pads

Bella's background shape is a Nestabilities die

I have a couple of days off work, using up the leftovers of 2014 holiday, and Toad is also off tomorrow so today is my one chance of a Me day, and I shall be getting inky later.

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Another Happy Bear

We still haven't had a chance to get the laptop fixed.  Not only has it taken me a disheartening 40 mins to log in this morning, something random is now happening with the keyboard.  If you find there are a load of repeated letterssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss (yes, like that) I do apologise.  I am too scared to press the delete key and I have lost whole posts before now.

Anyhoo, as I am here I had better share a card with you:

Yes, it's another one of those Happy Bears from Lili of The Valley

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is from the same set

Cloud shaped die is from L'il Inkers Border Builders set

Papers are from a pad of Forever Friends

We are planning on a vegetable weekend, similar to being couch potatoes but without so much tv.  In a moment I shall be headed to the conservatory to be a crafting carrot as I have some orders to deal with, and Toad is currently being a model train turnip in the spare room.

Whatever vegetable you are being this weekend, I hope it's a tasty one.

Hugs to you all

Squirrel xx

Pressing The Embelly Button

Now, you know me and embellys - they don't naturally go together, so you can imagine how I must have been feeling when I had the sudden and desperate urge to use some flowers.  This is a direct side effect of inhaling too much of the steam from cooking cabbage apparently!

 

 

This Uptown Girl is Fiona Loves Flowers from Stamping Bella

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) with a few Polychromos for her hair

Dies are from MFT (oval) and Tonic (scalloped rectangle)

Sentiment is Personal Impressions

Wood effect paper from Joy Craft

Flower from Wild Orchid Crafts

Pearls from stash

 

See, I even sat and fiddled with curling the wires on the flower stems,

I feel all lightheaded now.

 

Have a super day

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

 

Everything's Looking Rosie

OK, so it's Monday, and I am back at work today so you wouldn't think things were too rosie at all.

However, having failed miserably with the New Year Resolution of cutting back on spending on rubber, I thought it only fair to share one of the culprits that had me falling off the wagon so soon, and she certainly is rosie.

 

This little lady is Rosie from CC Designs

with matching die

Coloured with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils

Sentiment is from Clearly Besotted

The cross stitch border dies are Memory Box

and the double sided blue graph/chevron paper is Doodlebug

The little hearts are the punch waste from a Martha Stewart corner punch

 

So that's me done.  Hope you have an absolutely super Monday.

 

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Smart Cookie

Now then, I thought I was being a smart cookie taking a day off work for Friday 13th - not that I am superstitious or anything but it never hurts to play it safe does it.  All was going well, until I got out a new set of dies that were all tagged together with those little bits of wire.

I couldn't find the wire cutters so, as I have done before, I reached for my sturdy scissors.  It's amazing how much finger can be snipped with those scissors.  The wire cut quicker than I anticipated and the scissors managed to take a rather large chunk out of the knuckle of my left index finger!

Anyhoo, the day did improve as the postie delivered my new Tiddly Inks stamps and I just had to play.

So this little cutie is

Tiddly Inks - Smart Cookie Wryn

Coloured with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and with Polychromos Pencils for her hair

Sentiment is from Clearly Besotted

Stitched scalloped border is Lawn Fawn

Paper is LOTV/Nitwits Solid Promises

Chocolate Chip pearls are from Crafty Devils

Hope you have a super weekend.

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

AYLI (GDT) CAS or FAF

What an honour, to be asked to GDT for AS YOU LIKE IT challenge!  I was rather bowled over as those girls are a serious bunch of talent.

The theme (and the reason why) is CAS or FAF (Clean And Simple or Fussy And Fancy).  Funny isn't it how we all know what CAS means, but you rarely see anyone use FAF.  I think it is the perfect acronym really, because if I add embellies it is what I end up doing, FAFfing around!

Anyway, here is my style, and of course it is CAS:

Oh you just have to love that bear!

Peek A Bear from CC Designs

Painted entirely in Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is by My Favourite Things

And the papers are from my leftovers box

I was asked by AYLI to define why I prefer the clean and simple style to fussy and fancy.  Blimey, I never thought it would be so difficult but this is what I came up with (sorry if it sounds pompous, it wasn't meant to).

Am I an artist?  Technically, no, I can’t draw for toffee, but I am a colourist and, despite opinions to the contrary, this is an art-form in its own right.

I find that there is something magical, almost meditative, about taking a black and white line drawing and breathing life into it with colour, light and shade.  I can spend hours with inks and brushes, losing myself in the joy of seeing something transform by my own hand.  I can often come back to a coloured image after a couple of days and find it hard to believe that I created it.  A dear friend calls it a “warm glow” effect, and I cannot disagree with that.

So why clean and simple instead of fussy and fancy?  After spending hours painting, the last thing I want to do is hide the image under a ton of fluff, I want it to be front and centre and allow the artwork to sing solo and be heard rather than being a small voice in the back row of a large choir.

So there you have it folks, CAS - definitely showing my style!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Smile! (It's Monday)

Flying visit for a Monday morning - a very joyful little bundle plopped on to the doormat on Friday so even though you probably saw enough of these in sneaky peeks, here is what I did with them:

One of the LOTV Happy Bears

Painted in Distress Inks

Die-Namics Stitched Snowdrifts border

Basic Grey papers

and another Happy Bear, again ReInkered

Whimsy tag die

Clearly Besotted sentiment

Hope you all have an absolutely super Monday!

Hugs, Squirrel xx

Life's Gremlins And A Bunny

So, I've not been around that much since October, and for a variety of reasons.  The start of the decline was losing our precious Vince, that really knocked me for six and I miss him so much every day.  Then mum was really unwell.  Then it was the laptop playing silly beggars, that still hasn't been fixed because of the next reason - we are trailing all over the place looking for someone to do our kitchen (complete rebuild), and then the bathroom leaked which meant three visits from a plumber.  We are only one week into February and I am exhausted already!

The really worrying thing is that the longer I have been away from blogging, the less I am missing it.  I really need to get my act together and attempt to blog more often, even if it does take me an hour to get the laptop running.  I notice I have lost a couple of followers recently, and I am not surprised.  What does surprise me is that more of you haven't given me up as a lost cause, so a huge thank you to those who are sticking with it.

Not blogging does not equate to not crafting though.  I am still beavering away happily, and I would like to share with you a card I made last weekend for someone special.

 So, what we have here is

Scrapberry "Cherry" stamp from Funky Kits

Painted in Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment by Clearly Besotted

Papers are Dovecraft Back To Basics

Border punch by Martha Stewart

Challenge

In The Pink - Love Is In The Air

and I do love my fabulous friends

Sweet Stampin Challenge - Add A Heart

Plenty of pretty hearts on this one

Crafting Muskateers - #22 Cute

I challenge you to say this is not cute!

The Sugar Bowl Challenge - 121 Anything Goes

So, that's me, a whole post!  And I have a special one lined up for Thursday too.

Hugs to you all

Squirrel xx

Without Words (DT) February

Hello chaps!  What a wonderful way to start the week - a new challenge from Without Words!

As it is February, the month of lurrrve, our theme at the challenge is Je t'aime

Yes, we want you to be saying "I love you"

It doesn't have to be Valentine, it could be for a friend, a parent, a sibling, or even a pet, but we want to see you getting loved up and romantic.

Here is my DT card

So, this is one of the four Wee Playful Kittens by Sylvia Zet

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is Paper Smooches

Shaped die is Spellbinders

Stitched circle die is MFT Die-Namics

and that really is it - small but perfectly formed, lol

We would love you to join in with the challenge but please do remember to check on the rules first, and step away from those pesky embellishments!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx