Have I Been Good Enough?

Every month, on the 1st, I get twitchy for the new release from Clearly Besotted, and 1st October was a biggie, what with it being full of Christmas goodies.  I may have indulged a little bit .....

This year all my cards are CAS for Christmas, that way I stand a vague chance of actually having enough ready in time - although sometimes the colouring is taking far longer that chucking a heap of embellishments in the air.

So for this one I used the Clearly Besotted Winter Plushies set (darn it, they are cute, and will be used a LOT), and teamed it with a sentiment from the Say It's Christmas sentiment set.

I painted the Plushies with Distress Inks (ReInkers).  Recently I have changed my painting paper from Bristol Board to Langton Smooth Grain (a proper watercolour paper) - you might not have noticed the difference but I certainly have, especially as the Langton looks so cream against the white base card!  That aside, it really has helped with moving the colour around the paper and getting a smoother grading.  I may have to remake this card as I can see where I haven't been able to blend very well to get rid of the hard edges.  It's all a learning curve huh.

Hugs to all

Dies To Die For (DT) Yappy Christmas

Morning all, slightly behind schedule today!

After last week's little card for DTDF with lots of lovely ingredients, today's is a far simpler affair, but still a cutie.

MFT Stamps - Happy Pawlidays

Lawn Fawn 6x6 - Knit Picky Fall

Pupster and fairy lights all painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and

the string the lights are on was a deep-breath-and-go-for-it moment with a biro!

and that really is all folks

Hugs

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As You Like It Challenge (DT) CAS or FAF

Hello chaps, here we are at Thursday again, and it's the start of a new challenge at

AS YOU LIKE IT CHALLENGE

This time around, our theme for you is Clean And Simple (CAS) or Fussy And Fancy (FAF).

Oh I love a good FAFfy card, so packed with embellishments that it can hardly stand, so many bows, buttons, ribbons, frilly bits, that you can't see what the design is ...... well actually, yes, I do, if someone else has made it!  Honestly, it is so far away from my CAS style that I almost think I have a FAF allergy!

CC Designs : Rodney

(love this little fella, he comes out every Christmas!)

painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment stamps are Whimsy Clear Stamps Christmas Greetings (retired?)

Matting layer of paper is from DCWV Christmas Stack

and that is it, clean, and very simple.

and our sponsor for this challenge is

CraftsULove

Hugs to all

Adorable Elephant (DT) Dies To Die For

Good morning all, so, after the shock of late week's grown-up card, you can breathe again because I am back to cute this week!

Quite a list of lovely things for this little card

MFT Adorable Elephants stamps

MFT Die-Namics Adorable Elephants dies

MFT Lots of Hugs stamps

MFT Stitched Circle Stax

MFT Die-Namics Linked Chain Circle Frames

MFT Die-Namics Stitched Sentiment Strips

MFT Die-Namics Stitched A2 Rectangle Stax

MFT 6x6 Lucky Prints

MFT 6x6 Fresh Squeezed Chevron

Phew, good job I had a little elephant on hand to remember all that!

Ellie painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Have a wonderful week, don't forget to check the DTDF Inspiration Blog every day to see fresh, new, projects from my talents teamies.

Hugs to all

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Dies To Die For (DT) Wildflowers

Hello everyone, here I am, and I've gone a bit grown-up (don't worry, it won't last long).

and the lovely things used

MFT Wildflowers
MFT Big Greetings

MFT 6x6 Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots

MFT 6x6 Bundles of Blossoms Brights

MFT 6x6 Party Patterns

Versafine Onyx Black

I used Langton Smooth Grain watercolour paper this time instead of my usual Bristol Board, worryingly I can see me falling in love with this ..... anyhoo, image painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)
Sadly, several Post-It Notes were harmed in the making of this card.

I'm now off out for tail trim and colour, and after I have prepped a pork and apple casserole for dinner, I intend to get inky this afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

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As You Like It (DT) Favourite Season

Morning all, hope you are well this fine and sunny (hopefully) Thursday.  Here we are at the end of September and it is still t-shirt warm, amazing.

Which brings me nicely to the new challenge over as AS YOU LIKE IT and the theme is

Favourite Season.

It's a toss up between Spring and Autumn for me, Winter is too dark and (certainly this year) Summer is far too hot.  I love the mellow richness of this time of year, the colours, the smells, apples, blackberries and pears, and I don't even mind the shorter evenings so long as I can get home in daylight!

CC Designs : Scarecrow Henry

Your Next Stamp 6x6 : Fabulous Fall

Orange matting layers and leaves coloured with Apricot Copic

MFT Die-Namics Wonky Stitched Rectangle Stax

and I think the leaf dies are Marianne Designs but have long since lost the packaging

Henry has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours.

The sponsor of this challenge is a £20 voucher from

Hugs to all

Bear on A Bun (DT) DTDF

Well, ok, it can be a cupcake if you want to be fancy!

Had a week off work, but instead of managing to secure myself some lovely crafting time, the husband has been dragging me out of the house, kicking and screaming because I've been parted from the paintbrushes.  Which rather explains why I am here with a very CAS but still festive little make.

Sorry for the greyness of the photo - yesterday had a limited amount of sunshine and it was heading towards seriously rather wet by the time that I remembered I hadn't done this.  I need to get my "winter-time" lighting arrangement sorted out.

Stamping Bella - Polar Bear on a Cupcake Stuffie

MFT 6x6 - Hearts and Stripes

Whimsy Stamps - Christmas Greetings

Painted entirely with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

and that's all she wrote folks

Hugs

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Tick Tick Tick

Afternoon all, happy Sunday to you.  Yesterday, when we popped into town, I bought a little clock for my craft desk.  I'm not sure it was a great idea as I've been working on a make for the MFT 2018 Superstar Challenge and it all has done is remind me how little time there is left to enter!

I entered the Clean and Simple category previously, and I honestly had not wanted to enter the Colouring Virtuoso category because in my heart of hearts I know I will just be making up the numbers.  Don't ask me what changed my mind, it certainly wasn't a late flush of confidence or a bolt of talent from the heavens, I rather suspect it was more of a well intentioned nagging mate!

Having looked at the already entered cards, there are so many done using Copics, but you know me, I like my paintbrush and inks, so there's a point of difference for you right there.

The two stamp sets used are:

MFT New Best Friend; and

MFT Little Buddies

I'm not sure what the circle frame is called, but it is definitely Die-Namics

MFT Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours, with a dash of Polychromos Pencils for hair detail.

That's it.

Hugs to all

Dies To Die For (DT) Kitten Flowers

Happy Saturday everyone, I'm here today with someone who is feeling feline furry!

Geddit, see what I did there?

This cute, but slightly shy, little critter is

Whimsy Stamps : Kitten Flowers (Lee Holland Collection)

Your Next Stamp 6x6 : Fabulous Fall

Stamping Bella : Smile Dies (x3)

Versafine Inkpad Onyx Black

I've painted the kitty with a very smallpalette of autumnal colours of Distress Inks (ReInkers) although I think, looking at it now, I could have gone a lot deeper with the shading tones,

and with a Pumpkin Copic I inked up the matting layers and a swatch to cut the Smile from

so that everything coordinated

I'm now away from work for a week, so with two weekends and five days in between, I am aiming for at least a couple of days of serious colouring therapy!

Hugs to all

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As You Like It (DT) Boy or Girl

Hello peeps, you see me today with the start of a tiny scamper in my step as I only have to get through two more days of work and then it's HOLIDAAAAAAAAAAAYS!

So, before I get all hysterical and giggly, I am here with my DT make for the

As You Like It Challenge and our theme is Boy or Girl.

I actually like making cards for the boys, they suit my CAS style really well, but, the majority of my makes are for the ladies.  I made this one for my wonderful mum who had her 81st birthday this week.  Love you mum!

So for this one I have used

CC Designs - Balloon Lucy

MFT Die-Namics Big Birthday

Papers from Nitwits and MFT

Lucy has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils and then fussy cut, including that balloon string (which was a heart stopper).

Our sponsor for this challenge is

PolkaDoodles

Hugs to all

It's that time of year folks ......

Somehow, despite a great deal of resistance, I have agreed to be thoroughly humiliated again this year, it will be 2017 on repeat, GroundHog Day, deja vue, and all that jazz.

Yes, it is time for the MFT 2018 Card Design Superstar Challenge.  Sigh.

Last year I wept buckets over the Colouring Virtuoso category, so we are giving that a definite miss this time, but instead will pop something of very little hope into the Clean And Simple Genius (ha) category.

Probably not enough white space, but there is lots of sky...... who am I kidding.

MFT ingredients used are

Furever Friends stamp set

Brushstroke Expressions sentiments

Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

6x6 Lucky Prints

Black card from PDA Card & Craft

and the whole thing painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

I must be insane.

Dies To Die For (DT) Furever Friends

Hello everyone, I'm here today with a double dose of some furriness to share with you.

Now, we all love our friends, but how may of us take the time to tell them we do?  I really enjoy making random friendship cards, those ones for no particular reason but just because, and this super cute stamp set is perfect for that.

So for this one I have used

MFT Clear Stamps - Furever Friends

Your Next Stamp - Smiley Happy Alphabet

MFT DieNamics - Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

MFT 6x6 - True Blue Houndstooth

Your Next Stamp 6x6 - Fabulous Fall

and because I was having so much fun

again the

MFT Clear Stamps - Furever Friends

MFT Clear Stamps - Sassy Pants Best Friends

Both cards are painted in Distress Inks (ReInkers) as watercolours but rather than use my

usual Bristol Board this time I have pushed the boat out and used proper watercolour paper.

I normally stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black, which dries really fast on the BB, but the trick with watercolour paper is to plan ahead and stamp one day and paint the next, it gives the ink a chance to dry properly and stops it bleeding into your colours when you get it wet.

I've been asked about the clouds using the Mini Cloud Edges Stencil - I do these with Distress Ink Oxide Broken China - I used to do it with my finger, but found it was too mucky and I was getting blue ink in places no squirrel ever wants to find it, so I experimented with a few things and, after some trial and error, I have found that for me the Tsukineko Finger Daubers are the best thing EVER!

The background paper on the second card is from an old Papermania pad that was purple and green themed.  This "sunburst" design is the last page of that pattern, which is a shame.

Hugs to all

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(new releases from MFT and Stamping Bella now available guys!)

Dies To Die For (DT) CCD Nerdy

Morning all, here I am again.  Welcome to September, my favourite month of the year.

I have a confession today - I am a Stationery Addict.

(note the capital S and capital A, it is that serious)

I love pencils and pens and pretty notepapers, and I cannot walk into a stationery store and come out of it empty handed, it might only be a packet of standard envelopes or a pencil sharpener but it still makes me happy, very happy.  I may have to live for many more years than my prescribed allotment just so that I can use up some of the numerous notebooks that I just "had to have" (and if I really like a particular one, I have to get a spare as well).

I wonder if there is a therapy available for this, surely I can't be alone in my madness.

So, anyhoo, when I saw this on the CC Designs new release list, I knew it had my name written all over it, in crayon of course.

And for this colourful little number I have used:

CC Designs Nerdy Clear Stamps

Die-Versions Express Edges Just A Note

MFT 6x6 Farm Fresh Gingham

The images stamped with multiple masks and painted in Distress Inks (ReInkers).

Black card (super heavyweight) from PDA Card & Craft

A simple little card this time but with a lot of impact and a whole lot of fun

Hugs

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As You Like It (DT) Non Card Project

Morning peeps, hope all is well in your world today.

I'm here again with a DT post for the AS YOU LIKE IT challenge, and this

time our theme for you is a Non-Card Project

A friend's son is space mad, he adores Prof Brian Cox, and wants to be an astro-physicist when he

grows up (got to admire his ambition).  He is now of an age where said friend is about to bestow

upon him a door key - and for a door key, you need a keyring

I may rather have over ordered a batch of keyring blanks, so there will be several keyring stocking fillers around at Christmas this year, rofl.

MFT Stamps - Space Explorer

Clearly Besotted alphabet stamps

Distress Inks (ReInkers)

And one of many keyring blanks!

The sponsor of this challenge is

Prize:

Hugs

Baseball Squidgy (DT) Dies To Die For

Morning all, or should I say Strike One!

I am getting to be a terror at forgetting birthdays until after the event, so this little chap works well for my newly acquired but really annoying failings,  It has become something of a joke these days so that's what I am turning it into "Yeah, I failed again, but I know I did"

Lovely things used

Stamping Bella - Baseball Squidgy

Honey Bee - Blah Blah Blah

My Favorite Things - Mini Cloud Edges Stencil

Versafine Onyx Black Inkpad

Image painted with Distress Inks (ReInker)

Red cardstock from Rymans

Enjoy your Bank Holiday (UK) weekend folk!

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On The Bookshelf

"On the bookshelf" is a commonly heard phrase in this house, usually in response to "Have you seen my ......?"  Don't get me wrong, there a a LOT of books on the bookshelf, but somehow a certain someone always manages to find a space to put down his treasures!

What there isn't room for on any of our bookshelves is Rosie.  Bless her, she is rather rotund in her physic (it runs in the family) and the overhang plus gravitational pull would be too much for her.

Anyhoo, where is all this leading ...... a sweet friend bought me a stamp set for my birthday and this is its first inking.

Gerda Steiner - On The Bookshelf

Papers are from (I think) and old Bo Bunny collection

Clearly Besotted - Brushed Sentiments

I used seven of the stamps from the set, and all are coloured up with

Distress Inks (ReInkers)

It was fun to do, if a little nerve racking getting things lined up.

I had toyed with the idea of the Gerda Steiner Design Team Call but I just checked and I am two days too late, so it wasn't meant to be!

Hugs to all

Rockabilly (DT) Dies To Die For

Hello all, finally made it here this morning (just) - it's all a bit behind so this is

a clean and simple card for you today, even though it wasn't that quick -

her hair was more tricky to deal with that my own!

CC Designs: Rockabilly Girls

Stamping Bella: Happy dies (x3)

MFT 6x6 Farm Fresh Gingham

Imagine painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and highlighted/shaded with

Polychromos Pencils

and that's it!

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(Tracy and Andy are taking a short summer break but you can still place orders)