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

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

All You Need Is Love... And Doughnuts

 Hello.

Today I'm playing along at AAA Colourful, and using their pink, colour palette.
Perfect for a Valentine's card.

What's also perfect for Valentine's day?
That's right - doughnuts.  :o)

I used strips of pink card on my base and layered it with a 'peek-a-boo striped heart'.
Then, I fussy cut those cute animals, coloured them with Copics and popped them up with foam tape.

Challenge

AAA Colourful

• clearly besotted - donut worry
• my favorite things - peek a boo striped heart die
• the greetery - valentine wishes sentiment from sweet tooth
• copics / white gel pen

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

Eat you Own Weight In Cake

 Hello.

Today I needed a card for a little girl, so I reached for the pink card and some cute 'pawty time' stamps.

I white heat embossed the sentiment and streamers onto the pink cardstock, which gives it a lovely crisp contrast and a little texture.

Then I added my cute animals (a dog and a cat ???)  and a huge cake.
It's not really a birthday unless you eat your own weight in cake, is it?

Challenge

Krafty Chicks Challenge

• my favorite things - pawty time
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• lawn fawn - stitch hillside borders
• versamark ink and hero arts white embossing powder
• copics and white gel pen

The Cheeky Robin

 Hello. I'm excited today, to be a guest designer for the

AAA Colourful Challenge

with this sweet, winter snow scene.

There was lots of debate in our house about whether this colour scheme was blue, or green!
As you can see, I went with more blue shades, a touch of green and some lilac (that my dh insisted was in there)   :o)

I can't wait to see what the other designers have come up with. 

The background was inked up with distress ink  (tumbled glass)  then I used a small, round stamp for the extra blue/green shades.
The white ink doesn't stamp well, so I made a quick stencil with a piece of scrap card and a hole punch, and sponged the ink through that.

My snowy pals were stamped, fussy cut and coloured with Copics - then popped up with foam tape for some extra dimension.

Check out the amazing work from the Design Team and 

I know it's a busy time for everyone, but I hope you'll find some time to play along.

xxx 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• colorado craft company - christmas presents
• ranger distress ink -  tumbled glass
• my favorite things - snow globe sentiments
• winnie and walter - big bang confetti
• copic markers / white gel pen

When A Dog Turns Up On Skis - You Buy The Set!

A dog on skis?
Yeah, that went straight into my basket :o)

Can you believe this was my first time using stencils like this? You lot make it look easy don't you?
I've got a few basic stencils, like stripes and circles, but this was my first layering type.
I didn't manage to quite line it up right, so copic markers helped me out a little.

Also, I realised you probably need a good supply of inks if you're going to use these - something I'll have to be careful of for future purchases.

Challenge

Inkspirational

The dog comes with a stencil for adding shadows and details
Then I used a snowy hills set ( 2 stencils ) for the background

Here's Buster - waiting for Amazon to deliver his skis  :o)

• waffle flower crafts - cool pup die and stencil, snowy hills stencils
• mft - snowglobe sentiments
• ranger distress inks - salvaged patina/twisted citron/mowed lawn/walnut stain
• copic markers
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil

The Chaotic Christmas Tree Club

Hello.
Today I'm sharing these cute critters, decorating the tree.
There's a rabbit up a ladder, a penguin with a star, a fox trying to hang the baubles and a bear untangling the fairy lights.
What is the guy with the Santa hat?  Any ideas?

I've continued with making multiple cards at once, which is really helping me to get on top of things this year. 
The background 'snow' is a die cut, and then the tree and little critters are added, popped up with foam tape for some extra interest.

Challenge

A Place To Start

                                                                

**Winter Things**

• mama elephant - decorate the tree
• avery elle - falling snow
• mft - stitched scallop edge die
• copic markers 

Father Christmas In The Snow

Hello.

I think I've cracked Christmas cards.
Usually all my cards are different, but this year I've had production lines going of the same design,
with just a little twist.

This Father Christmas is on different coloured, snowy backgrounds. 

Which one is your favourite?

This design and colour combo is for the AAAColourful Challenge - where the palette is reds, white and a touch of gold. I hope I'm forgiven for the little bit of green in there on the present!

The backgrounds are all made with distress ink, some water splatter, and a white gel pen and snowfall stencil.

Challenge

AAA Colourful

• spellbinders - dancin' st nick
• lawn fawn stitched hillside borders
• ranger distress ink - festive berries / salty ocean / salvaged patina
• mft - snowglobe sentiments
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• white gel pen

Pedal Power Post

Hello.
Today I'm sharing this cute, little bear and his helpful penguins.
Rushing around to deliver the Christmas post before he gets snowed in.

I stamped this cute image onto a card panel, and then masked it and distress inked the background.
Then I coloured the image with Copics and added the sentiment piece, and a strip of gold.

Lastly, the snow was added with a white gel pen and a snowfall stencil.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

I've definitely pushed the 'clean and fresh' brief on this one!
I just couldn't resist adding that snow flurry.

• purple onion designs - happy mail
• ranger distress ink - salvaged patina
• mft - snowglobe sentiments
• copic markers / white gel pen

Snow, Sparkle and a Tangle of Tails

Hello.
I'm back in the craft room today - one day it's spooky, the next it's sparkly :o)

I can't resist a card with dogs on - and these festive pals are having fun in the snow.
One is carrying his own stocking, whilst the other is getting tangled up in the fairy lights. Classic!

I've followed the sketch over at Freshly Made, with my pups and the tree representing the circle shapes.
The background was inked with distress ink and for the snow I used a white gel pen with a snowfall stencil.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches 

• my favorite things - happy pawlidays / stitched scallop edges
• ranger distress ink - tumbles glass / salty ocean
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• copic markers / white gel pen

Stay Wild, Look Majestic

Hello.
Today I'm sharing this 'floral stag' - isn't he majestic?

               

I've popped him up on a heat embossed background.
How much fun is heat embossing?
There's something very satisfying about watching that powder melt, to reveal a beautiful, glossy design.

Challenge

Allsorts   #833

*** Woodland Critters ***

• spellbinders - floral stag
• my favorite things - peacock pattern stamp, white embossed
• my favorite things - stitched rectangle scallop die
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle die
• my favorite things - snowglobe sentiments

Under The Sea We Off The Hook

 

Hello.
Today I'm sharing a shark, a narwhal and a whale, messing about under the sea.

I used my circle nestabilities, to create a tunnel style card, following the ombre theme of the AAABirthday Challenge.

Then I tucked in the fish, a little bit of seaweed, and some bubbles.

Challenge

AAA Birthday 

• mft stamps and dies - friends with fins
• spellbinders - circle nestabilities
• the works - m&c boutique - foliage dies
• hero arts - sentiment - i'm a puffer for you
• concord & 9th cardstock - midnight/peacock/oceanside/aqua sky
• copic markers / white gel pen

Soy Happy For You

Hello.
How cute is this happy, little panda - popping out of the bamboo with a happy message.

This is an old 'my favorite things' set.
I loved how their sets always included plenty of elements to make a little scene, and some cute, punny sentiments. I'm going to miss them.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

Hands up - I took a bit of licence with this sketch.
I rotated it, to use the bamboo as the 3 elements, but also kept it portrait!

• mft - sushi date
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle dies
• copic markers / white gel pen
• distress ink - cracked pistachio (to stamp the bamboo)

Believe In Magic

Hello.
Who else is on a tight budget? I keep seeing all these gorgeous stamp and die sets everywhere, but they're out of my price range. I love the Spellbinders stitch dies, but they're £43 !!!

In order to make my money go further, I thought I would give some digi stamps a try. 
After some hit and miss with getting card through my printer, I finally made it work.
What do you think?

This little, wizard  (who looks just like my grandson) is from a Halloween bundle by Lili of the Valley  which includes wizards and witches, extras and sentiments for only £4.99

I gave him a moon to fly past, coloured him with Copics, and added a few bats from a stamp set I have. 
Now, I just have to get used to the lack of dimension - but maybe I need to practice some fussy cutting.

Challenge

Try It On Tuesday

It's All About Children

• lili of the valley digital stamp - magical halloween bundle
• copic markers - white gel pen
• bats - mft ghostly greetings
• moon - AI