Party On .... But Not Too Long

 Aren't we all our own worst critics?  I know I am, and am particularly hard on

myself at times.  However, now and again I make something that I am really chuffed

with, and this is one of those - it very nearly didn't get sent to the recipient (but

she's special so it did get there!)

So, I used one of the Rockabilly Gals from CC Designs

painted her with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and fussy cut

For the background, I cut a stencil using an older Spellbinders Nestabilities die

and then stencilled through that with Gina K Daisy Chain stencil with a

Distress Ink Oxide pad

Corners done with an old Woodware punch

and simply layered with some pink paper from my stash

A couple of sentiments from the MFT Sassy Pants Birthday Greetings 3 set

and that's it, it took all afternoon, but I really, really, enjoyed making it

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes (14th Birthday) Week 729

Hugs

As You Like It Challenge (DT) Autumn or Winter

 Hello folks, it's time for another new challenge over as AS YOU LIKE IT and the theme for this fortnight is Autumn or Winter (please explain your choice).

Autumn is my most favourite season of the whole year, although I don't mind winter that much.  There is so much loveliness about autumn, the cooler mornings, the temperate days, the cooler nights.  I love the warmth of the light, the rich colours, the smells, I don't even mind it getting dark early, I just close the curtains and snuggle up indoors with himself and the cat.  I love being able to get out and about without having heatstroke, and on the cooler days I am happy to pull on a woolly pully.  I am definitely an autumnal squirrel.

Stamping Bella - Curvy Girl Loves Autumn (no die available, she was fussy cut) sb-eb989

Newton's Nook Designs - Shades of Autumn (background leaves, fabulous linen effect on these) NN1709S04

Lawn Fawn 6x6 papers - Watercolor Wishes LF-1355

MFT 6x6 papers - Keep Me In Stitches MFT-EP82

Spellbinders (Nestabilities) Tall Scallop Oval die

Crealies - Open Scallop Square die CLNestXXL70

Distress Inks (ReInkers) and pads

With Love sentiment die might be Tonic, but I have no packaging for it now

Our sponsor for this challenge is the ever adorable LAWN FAWN

Come on over and share your favourite (autumn or winter) season with us.

Hugs

As You Like It Challenge (DT) Favourite Occasion/Reason

 These weeks are galloping past, how is it possibly another AS YOU LIKE IT CHALLENGE already?!

Well, it is, and this time our theme is

Your Favourite Occasion/Reason for Sending A Card

(please explain why)

So, the majority of the cards I make are for birthday, but my favourite reason to send cards is for friendship, there is nothing quite like receiving a card out of the blue from someone who cares about you.

MFT Birdie Brown - Mice Day to Celebrate

MFT-BB-120 (stamps) MFT-1938 (dies)

MFT Slimline Stencils - Clouds (ST-149) Hills (ST-150)

MFT 6x6 papers - Road Trippin' (MFT-EP-71)

Coloured up with

Mouse - Zig Clean Colour pens

Background - Distress Inks and a finger dauber

Our sponsor for this theme is

POLKADOODLES

Hugs

Tea Party (DT) Dies To Die For

  SNOW!  We finally have snow (we're usually the last, or miss out entirely), so this little Squirrel was very excited to see it all beautiful, crisp, pristine, and white, this morning.  Mind you, it's all slushy and horrible now so not quite so much fun!

Anyhoo, from the sublime to the ridiculous, last week I used about a billion items on my DT make, this week just three.

This dinky little card features:

MFT Stacey Yacula Tea Party stamps - MFT-SY-27

MFT DieNamics Tea Party dies - MFT-1890

MFT Stencil - Micro Cloud Edges MFT-ST-145

Images painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours, clouds stencilled (DI Broken China pad), and grass splodged on (DI Peeled Paint pad) with a finger dauber.

And that's it, just like me, short and sweet, LOL!

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

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Unicorns & Glitter (DT) Dies To Die For

Morning peeps, yes, I am late with my post today.  Having now returned to the office for work, rather than home-working, my routine is well an truly screwed, and I am a creature of habit so any changes like this really throw me off kilter!

Anyhoo, over on Instagram, I follow a lot of kitten fostering pages, and through one of those I have made a new friend, Danica, who is as mad as a box of frogs but I still adore her.  A while ago she dropped this not so subtle hint that it was her 30 birthday this year and how she would absolutely love to receive one of my cards (told you, mad), so this is the little make that went winging its way to Canada a couple of months ago.

Sorry about the photo - I think the sensor on the camera got confused by the blue and white!

MFT Birdie Brown - Unicorns & Glitter stamp set MFT-BB-100

MFT 6x6 papers - Spring Whimsy MFT-EP-61

A bit of masking on this one, before the background was sponged with Distress Inks in Peacock Feathers, little girl painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours, base ground of the grass was Distress Inks and then detail added with Polychromos Pencils.

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

As You Like It Challenge (DT) Stamp or Digi

Hello everyone (well ok, hello Annette and Faith 😏), welcome to another alternate Thursday and a new themed challenge from the AS YOU LIKE IT team.

This time our theme is Stamp or Digi (please explain your choice).

For me, it is always stamps.  Don't get me wrong, I have tried digis, and yes, I appreciate the convenience of storage, but for me (and this is very much my personal preference) they take away something of the creativity.  It might be something to do with working with computers in my day job and the urge to get away from the screen, but I thoroughly enjoy the rummaging through boxes, the choosing, the inking, the cleaning, the putting it away in a different box...... and I like to be able to play with the positioning of the stamped images as I am creating rather than walking away from the computer with it set in stone ink.  Call me old fashioned if you like, but it is definitely stamps for me.

So, for this little cutie, I ripped a hole in a sheet of paper to create the "splotch" and then gently inked it in Distress Ink Vintage Photo using one of my Picket Fence Blending Brushes directly onto the card base.

On watercolour paper, I stamped the elephant with his pen, and the separate pencil pot, coloured them up with Zig pens, fussy cut them, and fiddled with the position until I was happy enough to then stamp the "ink splat" and the sentiment in Memento ink.

Once that was done, I committed to gluing the two image pieces.

The elephant, pencil pot, ink splat and sentiment are all from the

Clearly Besotted - Little Notes stamp set

We have a lovely sponsor for this challenge and it is

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

Looking forward to seeing what you create!

Hugs

Harvest Mouse (DT) Dies To Die For

Yes, it's me, sorry about last Saturday's hiccup (did you even notice?), but I am back now.

I have been really struggling with my mood during lockdown, some days I'm fine, bright and chirpy, but other days, such as most of last week, I'm low and tearful and wanting to hide under the duvet.  Working from home in splendid isolation is not suiting me at all.  I really miss the interaction with my colleagues and the buzz of the office.  For heaven's sake, I am even missing my boss!!

Some weeks I find it difficult choosing what to use, I must have bought THOUSANDS of stamp sets from Dies To Die For over the years, and I am not exaggerating on numbers, so this week I had a little rummage through the slightly older, but still available, sets to see what I could find and came across these little cuties.

OK, they are out of season but who cares that it's not autumn yet, let's face it, no one knows for certain what day/week it even is!

And the lovely things used

MFT Birdie Brown - Harvest Mouse MFT BB-24

MFT Die-Namics Harvest Mouse MFT-759

MFT Sassy Pants Birthday Greetings MFT CS-319

MFT Stencil - Mini Cloud Edges MFT ST-100

MFT Stencil - Grassy Edges MFT ST-111

Honey Bee 6x6 paper - Great Outdoors HBPA-004

So, colourwise, I used bog standard Distress Ink pads and finger daubers to use with the stencils for the clouds and grass, and for the mice they are a multi-media mash of Distress Inks (ReInkers), Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens, and Polychromos Pencils.

Hugs to all

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

Thank You (DT) As You Like It Challenge

Well, here we are then, 2020!  If you are not sick of hearing it, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

The change of year doesn't change the alternate Thursdays so here we go with the first

challenge of 2020 for AS YOU LIKE IT

There is no choice to be made this time, we would just like to see your thank you

creations.

I was dragged up properly and taught that a thank you costs nothing, but means so much.

I am still a firm believer in that.

Should I have warned you about the colour bomb?!

Lovely things used for this are:

MFT Pure Innocence - PI290 You Color My World

and the matching die MFT-1592

Heffy Doodle stencil HFD0057 UnbeLEAFable

Sunny Studio 6x6 Jewel Tone papers

Concord and 9th - Bitty Thank You die CAN10380

Lots of Distress Inks for painting and stencilling

Our sponsor for this theme is

CRAFTY RIBBONS

I do hope that you will find time to join us in the next fortnight.  We have an exciting year of challenges ahead of us (I know, I have seen the list!)

Hugs to all

Two Teeny Tiny Cards

Ooff, Wednesday already, hurrah!  Where has the time gone?  Sorry I've not been around much this week so far.  My boss is away on holiday and I am frazzled by the end of the day and just seem to be falling asleep after dinner!

Anyhoo, just popped on with a couple of tiny cards for you tonight.

Ingredients for cards are:

4x4 card base

Both Stamped Images - LOTV Furry Festive Friends

Medium - Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers - Dovecraft Back To Basics

Sentiments - LOTV Handwritten Christmas Phrases

Extras - Holly Punch, gems, golden heart peel-off border

Dies - Nestabilities and X-Cut

Hugs, Sxx

It's Still August

Afternoon everybody, how are you?  We are having a quiet Sunday - I've been faffing about with a couple of cards and Toad has been building a station for his model railway layout.  It struck me as very funny that you could buy flat-pack buildings.  You should see how tiny the pieces are - iddy-biddy - and it even comes with tiny sets of curtains for the windows!

With all the Christmas cards I've been making lately I've had to remind myself that it is still August and have made a summery feel CAS friendship card today that I would like to enter in the CRAFT Challenge of Fairies.

This is another stamp that I'd been hankering after for a little while and it finally plopped onto the doormat last week.  It's "Faye & Freddie" from Sugar Nellie.  I've painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and used some Prima papers to frame it and for the corners that are Cheery Lynn dies.  The sentiment is Hero Arts.

I've also been playing around with a Less is More challenge card but I think I might have to bin it and start again - it's just not floating my boat at the moment!

Hugs, Sxx

Out Of The Frame

Morning all, hope you are ok!  I've been like a kid in a candy shop this morning as my new LOTV stamps arrived in a very exciting package yesterday.  It was soooooooooooo hard to choose which one to use first as they are all totally adorable but, after due consideration, my heart has gone with a certain little bear.

This week SWEET STAMPING CHALLENGE are asking for part of your image to be Out Of The Frame.  I love making cards like this so off I went.

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  LOTV Teddy With Penguin

Medium  Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment  LOTV Christmas Handwritten Phrases

Papers  Dovecraft Back To Basics

Extras  Papermania gems and Nestie Label die

Doesn't he look like he has a belly button?  I'll let you into a secret - he doesn't. It was another pesky cat hair that had sneaked onto my inked stamp.  Flippin' cat - I've threatened to shave him.

Hugs, Sxx

Now, here's a statement ....

... that you won't hear from me very often.  Are you sitting down?  Are you ready?  Are you sure you're ready?  Nah, don't believe you, I'll give you a moment to compose yourself ......

This week's challenge from Lili's Little Fairies is Spots or Stripes - that is such a cool challenge, love it!  So, as soon as I got in from work tonight it was a quick cuppa and straight out to the "studio" to look for spots or stripes.  I found both.  I couldn't decide.  I used both, what the heck.

Sorry, I've must have picked up the wonky camera by mistake (it is the camera, honestly, cough).

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  LOTV Delivering The Presents

Medium  Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  ALL from same pack of Dovecraft Back To Basics Vintage Christmas (yummy)

Sentiment  LOTV Happy Circular Sentiments

Extras  Dovecraft Back to Basics buttons 

Here's a close up of that cute little chap (got so carried away I forgot to take it before sticking the sentiment in place)

Oh, you are still waiting for that statement from me?  You sure you are feeling strong enough to cope with these momentous words?  Here goes then ......

I LOVE THIS CARD!!!!  For once, I chose the papers first so there was none of my usual paint-and-panic antics, and the inks behaved themselves so well, and I love the vintage feel of the whole thing, and I may actually "accidentally" forget this one is in the box and not send it out!

It's been a long week, I need a lie down.

Hugs Sxx

Button It! LOTV

Hello peeps!  I suspect I may be talking to myself this afternoon as you are probably all outside enjoying this out of season sunshine.  Amazing weather for October!  I prefer a more traditional autumn myself and am looking forward to the slightly cooler days that are forecast for later in the week.  It's all this fur you know, gets a tad warm under this lot, just at a time when I should be growing my winter coat, lol.

And speaking of winter coats .... neat transition huh .... James the Bear looks like he could do with a coat instead of just a hat and scarf ....

Challenge:  Lili Of The Valley - Challenge 114 - Button It

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image:  LOTV - James Bear In The Snow

Papers:  Dovecraft, Basic Grey, HOTP

Colouring Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Reinkers)

Extras: Dovecraft buttons, Anita's Glitter Borders

Of all the LOTV Christmas stamps, old and new, this is my favourite of all time, and he is such a joy to colour - I admit I am finding this year's releases to be very detailed and fiddly but I will get there with patience!  Here's a close up of just the image:

He certainly has the "aahhh" factor!

Hugs, Sxx

Oh My Grandma, What Big Slippers You've Got

Oh my gosh!  First day back at work ...... blerrrrrrgh!  Why is it always so awful?  I guess there must be some lucky people who have dream jobs that never experience the Post-Holiday-Monday-Blues and all I can say is that they don't know how lucky they are, lol!

Anyhoo, just thought I would share this simple but fun card with you tonight:

The ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image: Wild Rose Studio - Granny Relaxing

Text Stamp: Papermania Relations

Paper: Dovecraft Tea House

Punch: Martha Stewart

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Extras: Peel-off borders from stash

Sadly, I don't have either of my grandmas now but this is another one for the craft fair box.  I love that little cat on her lap, he certainly looks like he's had the cream!

Hugs, Sxx

A Hanglar Birthday Boy

Evening all, well, here we are, mid-week - so it'll soon be the weekend again, yipee!

Just a little card for you today - I was playing with my Hanglar Message kit and came up with this - so straightforward, but it is for a man, ha ha!

Camera has distorted the colours a bit.  Image painted with distress inks, the message banner is stamped with a LOTV sentiment and layered over the boy image.  Papers are a mixture of K&Co, Dovecraft and Papermania.  And that's it.

Hugs, Sxx

Crafty Catz - Special Birthdays

Here's my card for this weeks CRAFTY CATZ CHALLENGE who have the theme of Special Birthdays.  I must state, for the records, that it is not my mum who is 80 (and woe betide anyone who tells her she looks that age) - no, this is an order card for one of my work colleagues whose mum is 80 this month.

The instructions were spring colours so ....... image is LOTV, distress inked, the papers are all Dovecraft Back To Basics (I and II) except for the pink circular mat which is Papermania.  Daisy from Wild Orchid Crafts, Martha Stewart branch punch for leaves, peel off lettering and numbers from stash.

Fingers crossed that she likes it, otherwise I'll be stashing it away for another 7 years for my mother!

Hugs, Sxx

Just Magnolia And Hanglar & Stanglar - Anything Goes

When my most recent ebay purchase plopped onto the doormat this morning, I could not wait to get it inked up and, as the challenge at JUST MAGNOLIA AND HANGLAR & STANGLAR is Anything Goes, I thought why not.........

........I got a bit carried away and forgot totally about the optional glitter, but hey, the word is optional, and I couldn't really think of anything that I could get away with glittering once the card was made!

I've painted the H&S image with distress inks, and I've 3d his little cart with two more layers, one for the cart and the next for the wheels.  The papers are all from the MME Fine & Dandy: True Blue collection.  These colours are just screaming to be used for male cards.  Sentiment is from a little Hero Arts set.

Might have known that it was going to be one of those days - the car battery is dead, again, poor old Toad's i-Touch crashed and burned, and I've just broken a tooth on a Galaxy Counter of all things.  That'll teach me for having sneaky chocolate before dinner.  Guess that'll be another ££££ appointment coming up.  Hmph.

Hugs, Squirrel xx

LOTV Sketch + CCT Spring

Guess what?  I stopped in my little furry tracks this morning because ..............we FINALLY, after four months of standing in the snow, the wind and the rain, FINALLY, we have a new bus shelter!  And it's a posh one, with proper sides and a front and a roof!  I can hardly contain my excitement!  We're having a house warming party on Monday, lol! 

Anyhoo, I made this card last night after seeing Bev's brilliant sketch over on the LILI OF THE VALLEY challenge and, because it is soooooo long since I played there, this is going in to the CUTE CARD THURSDAY challenge who are looking for Signs Of Spring this week.

I'll apologise now for the photo - I had to take it using the flash and then tweek the white balance on Photoshop.  It's not brilliant so I'll try and swap it if we get some daylight tomorrow.

The LOTV bunny is another one of those stamps that is so cute but I haven't used much so I thought it was time he had an outing.  He is painted with distress inks.  Papers are mostly K&Co from the pad that has the daisy on the front, and a sheet of Basic Grey for the bright green bottom layer and the strip.  The white daisy ribbon around the part circle is sticky ribbon (what a wonderful invention).  EK Success retro flower punch with Martha Stewart frond and branch and Card Candy for the flowers.  The little sentiment is LOTV also.

Hope you like it.

Hugs, Sxx

Help - It's Infectious!

First of all, I'd like to wish the fabulous Jackie at Craft Designs a VERY Happy Birthday today - hope you have had a great one sweetie!  If you have not met Jackie before, do pop over and say hello - she does some wonderfully creative things with beautiful photographs that she takes herself.

I thought long and hard about Jackie's birthday card and I cannot get this Less Is More lark out of my head, it really is an infectious way of thinking about the way you craft.  It's all about placement, proportions and design - and when there is very little on the card, there really is nowhere to hide!  I still can't break free of the need to paint a stamp image though, lol!  Here's what I made (it's ok, I know she has already received it)....

I've used image stamps from the little Flower Girl set by H Cuppleditch and watercolour painted them with distress inks.  Kitty was a joy to colour but quite difficult for me to get the body shaping around her legs and tum.  I hope she doesn't look too much of a Ninja Mutant!  The sentiment is LOTV and the matting and gems are from stash.

I am enjoying these so much I am even thinking of adding a "Less Is More" range to my sale cards!  Chrissie and Mandi, you have so much to answer for, lol!

Hugs, Squirrel xx

Square Yesterday, Circles Today!

It's stopped raining!  It has actually, finally, stopped raining - now that is a pleasant surprise....was beginning to think that weekends were doomed to be wet until August at least.

Hope you are having a great day, whatever you are up to.  It's going to be a chill-out one for both me and the Toadster as after this past week I think we've earned it.  And of course, how can a girl chill out without some crafting?

LILI OF THE VALLEY are challenging us to use at least one circle on our creations this week, and I just love circles so this was one I couldn't resist. 

A very simple little card from me - I made it with Toad's nephew in mind, and I really don't think a 25 year old engineering student would want lots of frills and fluff, so the embellies have been kept to a minimum.   This LOTV pup with the BBQ sausages is from an A5 sheet of stamps that must have been a limited edition as I can't find it on the website now (sorry), I've painted him with distress inks, quite lightly this time.  The spotty paper is from stash, the corners are a Marianne Creatibles die and the raindrop gems are from stash too.  The sentiment is also LOTV, and the white picket fence to finish is Martha Stewart.

Thanks so much for taking time out to come and visit me, I hope to be able to pop over and see you soon.

Hugs, Sxx