My photo
A very warm welcome to my teeny, tiny part of the huge world of blogging. This is where I share my passion for making hand made greeting cards. So - why "Always with a Heart"? Well this is for two reasons. Firstly, it is because every card I produce carries a heart on it somewhere. This can be big and bold or small and almost hidden - the fun sometimes is just trying to find it! Secondly it is because I put my heart into everything I produce. I hope that any visitors enjoy seeing what I post. If you drop by then please leave me a comment so that I know you called. It would be nice to know that you have found my heart in what I do.
Showing posts with label Anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anniversary. Show all posts

Sunday, 12 January 2025

SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND ANNIVERSARY

Hi Everyone

I can hardly believe that it is a whole 13 years since I handed the snippet playground keys over to the ever wonderful Miss Di .. .. .. she has done a fantastic job in helping us to keep our snippets under control over the years.

I dread to think how many tonnes of paper/card and ribbon we have turned into little works of art over the years between us all.

The number 13 is supposed to be "unlucky for some".. .. .. .. but for us it is "super lucky" because we have definitely enjoyed many years of fun with Di and also more recently Sarn too .. .. who between them do a brilliant job of trying to keep us all from being buried under piles of snippets.  

Thank you ladies, long may the fun continue.

So to celebrate this landmark occasion I have used "just a few" of my many snippets to create an anniversary card:


This used:

Random Snippets, acetate, and a snippet of ribbon
Spellbinders Heart Die
Sentiment:  Polkadoodles PD8024 All About the Girls Sentiments (love this stamp set, it matches with others that are available for creating your own sentiments).
My Trusty Sewing Machine

These were the snippets I selected to work with (but not all made it to the final card):

As you may already know Di very kindly, and very bravely, took over the snippet challenge from me which all began in January 2011 as a way to use up some of my leftovers and I made it a one year mission to use as many of them as possible.  This is the post where it all began and it was at that stage just a personal mission .. .. it was something I did on a Sunday and I called it my Sunday Scrap Day.  A title I later abandoned for the word snippets .. .. .. .. because our snippets definitely aren't scrap are they?  

Lots of other folk seemed to have the same problem as me and were becoming overrun with snippets, so they joined in and enjoyed sending me links to what they had made and I would share them the following week by simply linking to people's blogpost.

Then once my year mission was complete this was the point at which the lovely Di took over and turned everything into a proper challenge blog, which has provided us with lots of fun, friendships and fantastic prizes too.  Many thanks Di.  You truly are a star.

So here we are all these years later .. .. .. .. and I can remember the day it all started like it was yesterday.  I still have as many snippets as I had at the beginning - but I have had lots of fun along the way and my mission to reduce them still continues!

I  hope you enjoyed my links to "memory lane" and that you get chance to break out some of your snippets to celebrate this special occasion and join in the fun at The Snippets Playground Challenge.

Take care everyone and I hope you find yourself some crafty time. 


Monday, 13 November 2023

ACROSS THE MILES

Hi Everyone

I hope your week is off to a good start.

The weather is definitely very Autumnal here with the wind swirling a multitude of different coloured leaves all along the roads!  Not my most favourite season I must admit.  I love the colours but not the dark evenings or the thought of worrying winter weather looming.  

My share for today is a Christmas card which uses another of the cute images from the download I purchased on Friday .. .. .. I just knew this was the next character I "needed" to use.  I love the outfit so much that I would love a jumper just like it!  LOL!! 


This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Amanda Jayne Designs "Ultimate Christmas Bundle"
Backing Papers:  Buddly Craft - Kim MacFarlane - Silent Night Digi Papers
Memory Box Die:  Snowflake Heart
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
My Trusty Sewing Machine

I am trying really hard to make "at least" one card every day and will hopefully be here again tomorrow with a Teeny Tiny Tuesday creation.

But each card needs to be created alongside us working on what we are calling "project downsize" .. .. .. .. where we are sorting out our house ready for moving to pastures new.   Not an easy project!  We have lived here for 32 years and have accumulated far too much. We are all sold and have found our next nest .. .. .. but can't take everything with us! 

Various local charities are doing well out of us, and anything that we don't need which will help someone else is being passed along.  I just wish I could be given £1 for each time one or other of us has said "why on earth did we keep this?" LOL!!!

We have moved house a few times during our very happy marriage, and a couple of times the saying "new house, new baby" has turned out to be true .. .. .. but there is no chance of that anymore (unfortunately).  Those days are long gone.

Anyway, enjoy what is left of today and I hope the week is a good one for you.

Saturday, 11 November 2023

HO HO HO!

Hi Everyone

Happy weekend!  I hope yours has got off to a good start.

After what has been a very busy week I decided I was going to treat myself today and spend as long as I possibly could in my little craft pod making Christmas cards.  I didn't manage as long as I would have liked .. .. .. but then I am never satisfied.  I always want to play longer.

It was as if fate decided that it was going to lend me a hand and treat me too, because out of the blue yesterday evening I got an email via Amanda Jayne Designs promoting a special offer on her Ultimate Christmas bundle .. .. .. a whole 130 Christmas characters and 50 Christmas sentiments for £15.00.

I already owned a handful of Amanda's images and knew how lovely they were to colour/work with so I decided to treat myself and hopefully speed up increasing my Christmas card collection in the process.

Oh my days!  I am now spoilt for choice on what to use .. .. .. so many lovely images to choose from, and all easily downloadable from just one file I received via MailBigFile. 

I made the mistake of going through the whole download straightaway last night just before bedtime (well it would be rude not to LOL!!) and filled myself with excitement at the thought of it helping me with my craft makes today.  I was even tempted not to bother going to bed .. .. but to start playing straight away .. .. but of course that would be silly!

Anyway .. .. .. .. here is my favourite make of the day.  I have also printed out lots more images and plan to take them with me when I go to spend time with Mum tomorrow.  Nine times out of ten she will have a snooze so I sit quietly colouring until she wakes up.  Then she likes to look at everything I have done!


This used:

Amanda Jayne Designs "Ultimate Christmas Bundle" for the image and sentiment
Christmas design pad from The Works
ProMarkers and Chalk for the rosy cheeks
X-Cut Corner Rounder Punch
Die Cut Snowflakes
Tag Die
Ribbon
Diamond Stickles
My Trusty Sewing Machine

Always keen to share something I feel is amazing with my crafty pals .. .. you can see the images in the collection here on Etsy .. .. .. but if you decide you "need" the collection too don't buy it from the Etsy site.  To get the super special offer (it ends at midnight tomorrow - Sunday 12th November) you need to send a payment of £15 via PayPal to stokesamanda@ymail.com adding a message saying "ultimate bundle" and the email address you want the bundle sending to.  The bundle comes via MailBigFile within 24 hours (but mine came through pretty much straightaway).

I haven't been asked to promote this offer .. .. I just wanted to share the amazing deal .. .. but I did check with  Amanda first to make sure it was OK to do so.

So that is me for today.  

Going back now to play with my download a little bit more before my day of crafty fun ends. 

Hope your day has been as much fun as mine.

Monday, 6 November 2023

JOLLY HOLLY CHRISTMAS

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

I hope your week has got off to a good start.

I am happy to report that my Christmas stash is still being put to good use and my favourite make of today is this little number which involved a bit of paper piecing.  A technique I really enjoy.

This used:

Image: Amanda Jayne Designs "Holly Penguin" Digital Stamp 
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Backing Paper:  Dovecraft 12 x 12 Christmas Basics (very old)
ProMarkers
Corner Rounding Punch
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
My Trusty Sewing Machine


Hope everyone has a good week.