Santa's Elves (DT) Dies To Die For

To be brutal, this little Squirrel has felt totally cr@p this week.  I have had my share of cold germs over the years, but I swear they are getting more evil with each passing winter!

It's a miracle that I managed a make, but of course Birdie Brown came to the rescue.

and the ingredients for this are

MFT Birdie Brown - Santa's Elves BB-25

MFT Die-Namics - Santa's Elves MFT-782

MFT Die-Namics Stitched Circle Scallop Frames MFT-858

Impression Obsession - Holiday Bottom Word Edgers DIE233M

Taylored Expressions - Nordic Snowflake Stencil TE-TESN18

Mixture of craft papers

Snowflakes stencil with Distress Inks (Broken China)

and Elf painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours

Anyone for a tissue?  Sniff.

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

Travelling Gnome (DT) Dies To Die For

Morning all, V.E.T visit attempt No 2 today (last week's was cancelled because of emergencies) so I am hoping that HRH (Her Round Hairyness) will still be within grabbing distance in a couple of hours.

Speaking of which, I have something else small and hairy for you .....

Lurrrrve this little chap!

Stamping Bella - Travelling Gnome EB816

Stamping Bella Cut It Out Travelling Gnome Die

MFT Stencil - Staggered Mini Circles

Impression Obsession - Congrats Word Set dies

and even though you can't actually see them, I used the new

Picket Fence Life Changing Blending Brushes

Have yourselves a wonderful week

Hugs

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

Bundles of Love (DT) Dies To Die For

Morning all, how is your weekend panning out?  Too early to tell?

Well, I really hope that it is everything you want it to be.

I'm not sure why, but the Pure Innocence girls from MFT don't seem to do as well in the UK as they

do in the US, which is a real shame, because they are such cuties, and so versatile.  I really like them so I shall continue to share them with you until you surrender!

MFT Pure Innocence Bundles of Love stamp

MFT Die-Namics Bundles of Love die

MFT Die-Namics A2 Stitched Rectangle Stax

Impression Obsession Birthday Top Edgers DIE429-K

Impression Obsession Dandelion Corner DIE525-M

Lawn Fawn 6x6 Really Rainbow Scallops

Of course she has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and I have used

a tiny layer of kraft card to separate the yellows from each other

Hugs to all

DIES TO DIE TO INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

As You Like It Challenge (DT) Favourite Animal

So, here we are at Thursday, crumbs they come around fast, anyone would think that

we get one at least once a week.  What do (alternate) Thursdays mean?  Of course they do, it's

a new challenge with the AS YOU LIKE IT crew!

The theme for this fortnight is Your Favourite Animal (and why).

I am a huge animal lover, and if it is furry it has a place in my life.  I have shared many more years than I care to count with cats, and on a day-to-day domestic level I wouldn't choose anything else, BUT if I could then it would have to be Sciurus vulgaris, the Eurasian Red Squirrel.  They are such endearing little chaps, and as a rare native British squirrel, they deserve a lot of love and care to ensure the survival of their species in this country - it would fill my heart with joy to see a glimpse of red amongst the tree branches

Clearly Besotted - Nutty But Nice stamp set

and the matching die set

Your Next Stamp 6x6 Summer Plaid

Your Next Stamp 6x6 Fabulous Fall

Impression Obsession Greetings Bottom Edgers

I had a happy Sunday afternoon colouring up the squiddles with Distress

Inks (ReInkers) used as watercolours

and the sponsor for our animal theme is

CRAFTS U LOVE

Hugs to all

Oh Gnome - You DIdn't?! (DT) DTDF

Morning all, it's a chasing-her-tail type of Squirrel today, I'm running a bit behind

Anyhoo, I'm here with a little Bella fun for you

So, what I have used

Stamping Bella - Oh Gnome You Didn't

MFT Die-Namics Stitched Basic Edges

MFT Die-Namics Stitched Scallop Basic Edges

Impression Obsession - Buttons

MFT 6x6 - Dots & Stripes Bright

I just love that snail's face!

and of course the whole image was plastered with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

I made the big flower using a Die-Namics set but I can't tell you what it is as I bought it unlabelled in a destash, but it makes me think of a Dianthus with the frilly petal edges

Hugs to all

DIES TO DIE FOR INSPIRATION BLOG

DIES TO DIE FOR ONLINE STORE

DTDF (DT) Christmas Mash-Up

Morning peeps, I hope you are all well, that your festive plans are coming along and all is joyful.  Our Christmas is currently going to hell in a rapidly accelerating handcart and I am not sure there are any brakes!

Never mind, it will be what it will be, and we will still enjoy it I'm sure.  I'm fretting somewhat because I still have so much to do, combined with a full week of work to go, and something is going to have to give way, before I do, but in the end it doesn't matter, it's celebrating the event with family and friends that matters the most, and who needs the frills to be able to do that?!

Anyhoo, today I have a little mash-up for you, and I'm not talking potatoes.

So, the list of deliciousness used for this is:

MFT: Jingle All The Way

MFT: Santa's Elves

MFT: Our Story

Die-Namics: A2 Stitched Rectangle Stax Set 1

MFT 6x6: Farm Fresh Gingham

Impression Obsession: Ho Ho Ho

The bottom border die is also Die-Namics (I think it is Dainty Doily Border) but it has

been retired by MFT.  

There are still some  related products available in the DTDF store, just search for Dainty Doily.

I painted the entire design with Distress Inks (ReInkers) with the exception of the two

Glamour Dust sections of the tree.

For those of you who haven't attempted masking yet, give it a try!  All you need is a Post-It Note pad (other brands are available) and a steady hand.  You just need to work out whether you want your image at the front (stamp first) or behind (stamp last). 

That's me for today, I'm off to continue my panic elsewhere, we have a lot to do today and there isn't that much time to get it all done in.

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

DIES TO DIE FOR Inspiration Blog

DIES TO DIE FOR Online Store

In The Pink (Final DT) Christmas

Hello all.  Normally on a Thursday we would be bursting with happy Pinkness, but today's challenge is tinged with a great deal of sadness.  Today sees the start of the final challenge at IN THE PINK.

Our favourite Pink Lady, Christine, has decided that after five years of dedicating her soul to the Pink Purpose, now is time to call it a day.  We hope that you will take the time to pop over to her own blog to express your thanks/thoughts.

So, for our final theme, it is of course, CHRISTMAS.

CC Designs: Pollycraft Snowy

Impression Obsession: Let It Snow

Die-Namics: Rectangle Stitched Scallop Edge Frame

MFT 6x6 Tiny Hearts Pastels

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and a hint of Polychromos

Looking forward to seeing you there one more time.

Hugs, Squirrel x

DTDF (DT) Winter Bunny

Morning all, a somewhat chilly Squirrel here.  The Toad and I have just had our last couple of

days holiday before Christmas and I have to say that Thursday was subzero temps over here.

In fact, it was too cold for the snow that everyone else seemed to be getting (we had three flakes at most) and I felt decidedly cheated!

When it is as cold and windy and snowy (here and there) as the UK weather

has been this week, what you need is a matching hat and scarf combo!

Lovely things used

Whimsy Stamps (Krista Heij-Barber) Winter Bunny

Impression Obsession DIE233-M Holiday Bottom Word Edges

Die-Namics Stitched Scallop Edges

MFT 6x6 Farm Fresh Gingham

MFT 6x6 Tiny Hearts Pastels

Image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead - I plan to be snug and warm in

the studio and getting immersed in the last of the Christmas cards

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Dies To Die For Inspiration Blog

Dies To Die For Online Store

DTDF (DT) Whimsy/Wee Sarah

Yoo-hoo chaps!

Here I am with my DIES TO DIE FOR inspiration blog make, on what is (here) a rather nippy November day.  It's warm hat, coat and boots weather - all you need is a furry friend to finish it all off

So, the yummy things used here are

Whimsy/Wee Stamps: Sarah

Mama Elephant: Snow Flurries dies

Impression Obsession: Let It Snow DIE593-B

Whimsy Stamps: Double Scallop Doily Die

I painted the image with various shades of Distress Inks (ReInkers)

and the papers are LOTV Krafty Christmas

Right then, when did I put my bear ....

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Dies To Die For online store

for all of the above and a huge amount more

DTDF (DT) Snail Mail

Morning all - three day weekend, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It's my day for the DIES TO DIE FOR inspiration blog and I have some

Squidgy cuteness for you

I just love receiving letters by post (not those sneaky former-brown-envelopes-now

disguised-as-white-ones) but I cannot remember the last time I actually sat

down and wrote anything other than a card - maybe we should try and

bring back the tradition of proper letter writing, in pen!

Stamping Bella Snail Mail Squidgy

Die-Namics Stitched Scalloped Basic Edges

MFT 6x6 Tribal Prints

Impression Obsession Hello

Coloured with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils

DTDF Holiday Closure - see below for details

Have a fabulous weekend, whatever you are up to

Hugs

Squirrel

Dies to Die For online store

Tracy says

HOLIDAY CLOSURE

Please be aware that I will be taking my annual holiday from  Friday 18th August until Monday 4th September.  Orders received after 3pm Thursday 17th August will not start shipping until Tuesday 5th September.  Whilst I am away the website will be updated with any new stock and restocks and you will still be able to place orders online.

DTDF (DT) Beach Babe Twila

Hello everyone, here I am at the end

of a week's holiday - I would like to say I had a chance to do this

but unfortunately it wasn't really a paddling kinda week!

CC Designs - Beach Babe Twila

Impression Obsession Bottom Edger Greetings

MFT 6x6 Tiny Hearts Pastels

MFT 6x6 Farm Fresh Gingham

This is my post for the DIES TO DIE FOR inspiration blog, but it is also a nudge for

SQUIRREL'S NOT SO RANDOM CHALLENGE which is Holiday Fun

Hope you are all having a great weekend

Hugs, Squirrel xx

Dies To Die For blog

Dies To Die For online store

Sweet Stamping Challenge - Summer Fun

Bluebell (DT) Dies To Die For

Happy Saturday everyone, here I am again with some loveliness
brought to you from Dies To Die For

All the linked items below can be found in the store

Wild Rose Studio - Bluebell With Hedgehog

My Favorite Things - Sweet Celebration paper pad

My Favorite Things - Watercolor Wash paper pad

Impression Obsession - Birthday Top Edgers

Die-Namics - Dainty Doily border

Lawn Fawn - Puffy Clouds Borders
Image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

I've been under the weather for the last couple of weeks with this hideous cold virus that has been doing the rounds.  It went through our office like wildfire.  I thought I was getting over it and then WHAM! back it came with a vengeance.  Hopefully I am now on the right side of it, hope so, as we are beginning to squabble over the tissue box! 

Hugs

Squirrel xx

Dies To Die For on-line store

Don't forget to check out the Events Page, there could be something

DTDF happening near you!

Wyanet (DT) DTDF

Morning all!  A bit earlier for me today but it's dad's birthday and, knowing me, I will be finishing wrapping his presents before we pop over later today with the gifts and some cake!

Today, for my DIES TO DIE FOR make, I am using this little sweetie

So the main ingredients for this are:

Whimsy Stamps (Wee Stamps) - Wyanet (Beautiful)

MFT Die-Namics Blueprints 13

MFT Die-Namics Homespun Stitch Lines

Impression Obsession For You

I painted the image with my usual Distress Inks (ReInkers)

I used some linen card for the matting layer and also the underlay (?) to put the blue behind

the zig-zag holes and coloured both with Copic colours.  I tried to match as near as possible to the Distress Ink colours.  I coloured a scrap of it to use for the die-cut words too, so for me, this is just about coordinated!

Now, Mr Toad has a narrow gauge model railway.  It's been getting bigger, and now he

has ventured into the realms of building scenery.  Scenery (rocks and cliffs at the moment) that involve wet plaster and silicon moulds.

  They come out white and looking like lumps of chalky plaster.

The sets come with little pots of paints.

HOWEVER

He has now decided that the colours of some of my Distress Inks are better.

I've told him to buy his own!

Have a super weekend all

Hugs

Squirrel xx

Dies To Die For on-line store

For my daddy

I love my daddy to bits, he is my hero.  Next weekend will be his birthday, and I always like to try and make him a card that is really relevant to either our relationship (amazing), or his hobbies and interests.

He has always been a bit of a handyman, although as mum often says "whatever your father makes never falls apart"- his items do tend to be rather heavy duty!

He has his sheds, of course, but he also has a part of the house that has evolved over the years into "the  Cubbyhole", which is where you can often find him hiding, tinkering with something or other.   I have many happy memories of spending hours with him, just pottering, and emerging smelling of wood shavings.  When I saw this stamp I had to have it just for him.

The ingredient for this are:

Lili of The Valley "The Workbench" stamp

and LOTV For Him Circular Sentiments (retired)

Spotty paper is Echo Park Birthday Wishes Boy

and I picked out one of the colours to use as the matting layers, a ProMarker on white card

I used the same colour for the buttons which are Impression Obsession dies

Image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) used as watercolours

And as Sweet Stamping Challenge have a "Masculine" theme, it would be rude not to enter

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

SNSRC #2 (DT)

Hello chaps, well, here I am again with another Design Team make and this one is for Squirrel's Not So Random Challenge #2 that went live today at 8.00am.  It's the post before this one if you want to scroll back, or I shall add the link to the sidebar shortly.

So this is my One Colour make

I have used Roberto's Rascals Super Hero Henry from CC Designs

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) with Polychromos Pencils for his hair

Papers are from an old Nitwits collection called, I think, Father Knows Best

Impression Obsessions word edge die

and the stars are the waste from a Martha Stewart border punch

Wonky stitched rectangle die from MFT Die-Namics

Custom sized card base

Quite a list of ingredients for a simple card!

Sorry the photo isn't the best quality, it's that time of year again - no daylight!

Hugs to all

SQUIRREL XX

AYLI (DT) Favourite Flower

Morning all, time for another new challenge from the AS YOU LIKE IT team

This time we've gone all green fingered and are asking you to show us your

FAVOURITE FLOWER

and don't forget to tell us about your choice

Here is my make:

Oh my, another difficult choice to make - if they were in-the-ground flowers then I would choose daisies every time as they are just such happy little blooms - but if I were to receive a bunch for a vase then it would be roses, especially if they were scented.  Mum always cuts some from the garden to have indoors and they make the house smell so lovely.

For this card I have used the bunch of roses and rounded vase from a Clearly Besotted set called

Delightful Day

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers are Dovecraft Bloom and Grow

and the sentiment die is a top edger from Impression Obsession

Our sponsor for this challenge is

Wild Orchid Crafts

£12 voucher

Off you go, bloom where you grow!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Flower Power

I was going to say good morning, but it isn't any more!  Where has the day gone?  Anyhoo, it feels an age since I blogged (it isn't really) and I have something new to share with you 

Professor McSquinty is alive and well!

So, I have used a Whimsy stamp from the Lee Holland Collection and 

this one is called Flower Bouquet Bunny

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers are from LOTV pads

Flower corner punch is Martha Stewart

Butterflies are an Impression Obsession die

and the sentiment is from Lil'Inkers Read Between The Lines set

for the short-sighted of you the sentiment says

YOU'RE NOT

just

MY FRIEND

you are my best friend ever

As well as Prof McSquinty taking his usual squint photo, he seems to have done something whacky with the colours too - I swear the rabbit wasn't that orange when I put the card in the mail!

Anyhoo, that's me done for today.  I'm just about to take the roast chicken out of the oven and this afternoon we are going on a broad-bean raid in the Oldies garden.

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Summer Sunshine

Hello chaps!  I'm in holiday mode now (for this week anyway) and thought I would start my break with a dose of sunshine for you.

I had been patiently waiting (ok, maybe not so patiently) for the arrival of my CC Designs June release and they plopped onto the doormat this week.  Naturally I was straight into them.

So, what do we have?

Image from the CC Designs Roberto's Rascals "Splashies" set of clear stamps

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils

Papers are all old Papermania Colossal collections, except the green which is Echo Park

Dies used are:  MFT double stitched circle, Crealies stitched squares, MFT Sunny Skies and Impression Obsession Sunshine word die

So that's a little dollop of summer sunshine for you - I'm off to watching the qualifying session for this weekend's British Grand Prix.  (Wave to mate, Karina, who is there)

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

AYLI (DT) Favourite Die

Hello everyone, hope this finds you well and itching to get crafty.  So, it is a new challenge day over at AS YOU LIKE IT and the theme this time is rather tricky......... we would like you to use your FAVOURITE DIE.

I think they should have renamed this challenge as Mission Impossible.  I started off with a huge pile of "favourite" dies on my desk, and gradually whittled them down by the number of times they have been used, and practicality.  They I got some back from the discarded pile, threw out (not literally) some others, started all over again, and I still couldn't narrow it down to just one favourite.  So, this is what you are getting

So, for this I have used

CC Designs Nancy With Sunflowers stamp

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

I have used two Crealies stitched rectangle dies

I believe the word die is an Impression Obsession word edger die

and as for the top border .......... hmmmmm (missing packaging)

Matting layer is First Edition cardstock

I made this for a very special friend who has been having a tough time lately

but she has received it so it is now safe to post here.

Our sponsor for this challenge is

Bunny Zoe

£10.00

So now you can go and give yourselves the same kind of headache I had, but don't forget to enter the challenge to show us what you made!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Spring Gardening

Hello peeps.  You all know by now that I am an absolute sucker for the Twila and Nancy character stamps from Roberto's Rascals at CC Designs so when there is a new release I am there like a shot.  Unfortunately, my last few orders have all been held to ransom by the Royal Mail until a Customs fee has been paid - this is starting to make the stamps very expensive ........sigh.  Anyhoo, having paid the most recent exorbitant charge, I FINALLY got my hands on the last ones I ordered.

This is Nancy Gardens

I've painted her with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

and got busy with the craft knife to fussy cut her 

The smile word die is also a recent addition, by Impression Obsessions, which I've stacked and covered in clear Wink of Stella

Papers are LOTV/Raspberry Road Baskets & Bunnies (retired)

6x4 card base

Hope you have had a lovely weekend enjoying the Spring sunshine!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx