Bitty Bears

Hello chaps, how is your Monday afternoon?

Having entered the MFT colouring competition yesterday, the adrenaline has

gone to my head and I thought I would try the CAS category too

Tis not the cleanest photo ever, but it's rather wet and gloomy here today.

MFT: Bitty Bears

Die-Namics: Bitty Bears

MFT: Distressed Patterns

Die-Namics: Happy Greetings

Die-Namics: Stitched Scallop Edge Rectangle Frame

Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Memento pads

MFT 2017 Card Design Superstar Competition

Clean And Simple Genius

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Not another mermaid?!

Hello peeps, happy Tuesday.

Now, unless you have been locked in a shed for the last two weeks, you will have seen these mermaid images everywhere in Blogland and on FaceBook.  However, I am a wee bit behind as my own package of loveliness only arrived on Saturday but I simply could not wait to play so on Sunday, out came the fishiness!

MFT BB Mermazing stamp set

Die-Namics Double Stitched Circle Stax

MFT Tribal Prints 6x6 pad

MFT Wild Prints 6x6 pad

Distress Inks (ReInkers), Memento ink pads, Copics (for the splatter background)

aided by a Tim Holtz air-puffer gadget (Distress Marker Spritzer)

Do Copics wash out of clothes?  A fun method of applying colour, but not

particularly directional!

Just keep swimming

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

English Rose

I seem to have gone a bit flowery lately, not sure what's got into me but, don't worry, there will be some more cute characters here soon!

When dad retired from work he had spent over 42 years with his employer, Notcutts Garden Centres (founded in 1897 and now the UK's largest family owned garden centre business).  Dad worked out on the plant fields, driving his tractor, lifting roses, cutting hedges, all the heavy stuff.  Before that he did a spell with the landscaping team, and before that on the HGVs until migraines meant he couldn't do that any more.

The boss of the firm, Charles Notcutt, later Sir Charles Notcutt, was a fabulous man.  In the days when there was just the Woodbridge centre, and latterly when they started to expand, he knew just about everyone by name who worked for him.  He certainly knew my dad very well.  Sadly, Sir Charles died this year.

This week mum and dad were invited to a Celebrating the Life Of garden party at the home of Sir Charles and Lady Notcutt, along with several of the "old" employees who were there, back in the day. They had a lovely time, catching up with old pals, and Lady Gill had done them proud with her generous hospitality.

Anyhoo, mum asked me to make her a "nice" thank you card.  I'm not sure what other sort she thought I would make!  And this fitted really well with a rather large package of happy mail that arrived this week.

Notcutts won many gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show for their roses so ........

I've used my new English Rose stamp set from Clearly Besotted

and the matching die set

Inks for the roses are Altenew

and I used Memento inks for the leaves

Crealies stitched rectangle die for the image plate

I inked a scrap of card with the midtone rose colour and cut the MFT Thanks word die

and a piece of grass green Papermania for the matting layer

Heading off to the Oldies to deliver to mum.  Hope she likes it!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Camellia

And just where has this week gone?  Whoosh.  It only seems a moment since it was last Friday and I was looking forward to my holiday, and now here we are and it is almost over.  Sob!

Oh well, let's cheer things up a little bit.  You've had Colin and Charlie, now it's time to meet Camellia, the girl cousin.

Camellia loves her make-up and lots of bright colours - I think she's a bit of an 80's girl

Yep, it's that Colour Chameleon set again from Clearly Besotted

Lots of Memento colours for the paint swishes

Sentiments from the same set

Camellia pained with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and fussy cut

Only one more cousin from the set to go.....

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Colin's Cousin, Charlie

Hello peeps.  For those of you who fell in love with Colin the other day, I would like to introduce you to his slightly more flamboyant cousin Charlie.

Charlie also comes from the Colour Chameleon set by Clearly Besotted.

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and fussy cut

Colour streak from the stamp set, as are the sentiments

Memento inks used for the coloured stamping

Wonky stitched rectangle from MFT Die-Namics

Paper from scraps

There are two more cousins to introduce you to, so keep your eyes peeled for those!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Colin The Chameleon

Morning all, hope this finds you well.  I had a super package of happy mail arrive last week and couldn't wait to get stuck in.

Oh my word, isn't he ADORABLE?!  I have named him Colin.

Clearly Besotted - Colour Chameleon

The word stamps are from the same set

Papers are from a Papermania Colossal set, probably one of the first paper pads I ever bought, and it never seems to run out

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Stamped with Memento inks (various colours)

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

In The Pink (DT) Happy Anything

Hi peeps!  I am on the Big Pink Naughty Step this time around - I should have posted this morning but unfortunately life has a habit of disrupting plans, so here I am now.  The right day, just running a tad late!

Anyhoo, a fabulous new challenge from the IN THE PINK team, and for this fortnight we would like you to celebrate HAPPY ANYTHING - your card can be for any occasion or event so long as it is happy!

Here is my DT card - it's different for me, and could be used for lots of occasions.  I do like to have versatile cards in my stash!

I have used the Penny Black "Petal Party" clear stamp set and two Memento inks

This really was easy peasy to make

Once the base card was stamped with the flower and leaf

I stamped the bigger flower onto the scrap of patterned paper and fussy cut, the leaf was stamped onto white card using the same green as the base leaves

I edged a strip of white card with the pink ink, and layered a white mat over.  

Finally I cut the Mama Elephant happy die from the same paper as the flower and added a Card Candy centre to the bloom

Our scrumdumptious sponsor for this challenge is the amazing Tracy from DIES TO DIE FOR

Two weeks to enter - go off and get happy, but don't forget to come back and enter!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Oh Baby!

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?!  My boss discovered that she has become an auntie again this week, a baby brother (as yet unnamed) has arrived for her niece, Isabella, so she asked if I would make a card for her to send to her brother and his partner (like I needed to be asked twice!).

And the card I have created fits perfectly with three of this week's challenges:

Creative Card Crew - New Beginnings

Dutch Dare Card Challenge - New Beginnings

Cute Card Thursday - Out With The Old

I simply adore this LOTV Baby Blanket stamp, I have used it soooo many times in the last year.  Image is stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink onto Bristol Board and then watercolour painted in Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  To qualify for Cute Card Thursday you have to use old papers etc, and these papers definitely fit the bill - they are from a DCWV Stack that I must have had for about four years.  The card stock is Coordinations and of course I used my trusted Nestabilities on the Cuttlebug for those perfect circles.  The sentiment is also LOTV.  Buttons and DMC embroidery thread from stash and finished off with Pebbles Inc Candy Dots.

Here's a close up of the little fella:

Thanks for popping over.  Just about to put the kettle on - anyone fancy a cuppa?
Hugs, Sxx

You might also like:

Lili Of The Valley - Lena's Sketch

Going Dotty ..... with Distress Inks

Oh gosh, I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to have the luxury of crafting on a weekday and in daylight!  Makes a change for me, all my crafting is normally crammed in at the weekend or, if an emergency, late in the evening.

Just Cute Bears Challenge this week are asking for us to go dotty!  How could I say no to a challenge like that?!

Now, I ended up with two cards for this challenge, but there is a good reason for it .... read on.  Card No 1 I did late yesterday afternoon.

I've used James from Lili Of The Valley with his box of decorations and coloured him with ProMarkers.  Papers are from a summer collection by Papermania and I used the smaller dots to paper piece the decorations box.  The star has Glossy Accents on it and the tinsel I did with a glitter glue (not appreciating how long it would take to dry!)  Sentiment is Woodware.  So far so good .....

Now, when I looked at it again this morning, the glitter glue (which had been nice and puffy last night) had dried nearly flat so that tinsel look was gone.  Then being in a bit of a picky-pants mood, I decided that the ProMarkers were too strong so I wanted something more delicate.  "I know", says I, "I'll have a go with the Distress Inks, it can't be that hard".  Oh yeah, it was!  Anyway, on my third attempt I think I achieved something acceptable ......

It's going to take me a lot of practice to get the wow factor but I can feel a new addiction coming on.  As I only have four Distress Pads, I had to cheat a bit with some Memento pads for the red, pink and darker green.

Another Lili Of The Valley stamp, papers are Wild Rose Studio Polka Dot Collection and again, the sentiment is Woodware.  This is the card I shall enter into the challenge.

Thanks for dropping by .... I'm now off to browse for some more inks (well, four pads is a bit of a limited palette, so that's my reasoning!).

Hugs, Squirrel xx