Favourite Colour Duo (DT) As You Like It Challenge

 Whoo-hoo!! It's the start of the 2021 challenges with the AS YOU LIKE IT CHALLENGE!

So, to kick off the year, our first theme is

Your Favourite Colour Duo (and please explain why)

I like lots of colour duos, and use them in phases, but it always comes back to the same one - brown and turquoise - I love the earthy, warm, tones of the brown contrasted by the bright, ethereal, sky quality of the blue.  Land and sky is what is comes down to, I am a squirrel of the soil.

So, I have used

CC Designs : Roberto's Rascals Hearts To You

MFT DieNamics : Sending You Hugs - MFT-1888

MFT 6x6 paper : Party Plaid

Trimcraft First Edition 8x8 paper : Wild At Heart

Nancy has been painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

The sponsor for this challenge is

LAWN FAWN

Looking forward to hearing all about your favourite colour duo choice.

Hugs

In The Pink (DT) Spots/Stripes

Hello Pink Fans - it's a new challenge starting today over at IN THE PINK

and the theme this time around is SPOTS/STRIPES

Once I started looking at my stamps, I was seeing spots and stripes everywhere

but I decided to use this one just because she is sooooo much

fun and a joy to colour

This is Stamping Bella: Edna Needs A Martini

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

the sentiment comes with the stamp

I'm not 100% sure about the striped paper but it could well be First Edition

A very simple card, but Edna doesn't need anything else!

Our sponsor for this challenge is

A DAY FOR DAISIES

You have a month to get your pink on

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

AYLI (DT) Favourite Flower

Hello chaps, and welcome to another Thursday challenge with the girls at AS YOU LIKE IT

This time the theme is FAVOURITE FLOWER

For me, flowers are seasonal, I love daisies all year round, but there are certain flowers that fit the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter slots too.  For Spring, when the air is full of hope and promises, there is nothing like the splash of colour from the nodding heads of tulips to make you think everything is going to be just fine

For this card I have used

Wild Rose Studio - Milton with Tulips

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

The word die is from W Plus 9 Design Studio "Sending Hoping Wishing" set and I have made a stack using two layers of kraft card for depth before adding the top layer

The gingham and polka dot papers are from My Favourite Things

and the matting layer is a sheet of First Edition

Die shape is Spellbinders Labels 18

The sponsor of this challenge is

Wild Orchid Crafts
£12 gift voucher

I'm "hoping" that on this chilly January day, this has helped you feel a little more Springy!

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

Ooh, Cheeky!

So I have no willpower ..... I hold my hands up to that.  If it's cute and it's rubber, it ends up living with me (grin).

New release from Clearly Besotted last week ...... here's a couple of quick and cheeky little makes.

Both cards using the new Cheeky Monkey stamps and dies

Sentiment on 1 is with the monkeys

Sentiment on 2 is from MFT

Paper on 1 is Dovecraft

Paper on 2 is First Edition

Both painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

It's That Girl Again

I was reminded on Thursday by FaceBook about a couple of cards I made this time last year.  I was in love with the stamp and couldn't decide on a colour scheme so I made two cards.  You can see those ones here.

Apart from astonishing me that a year has passed, it also nudged me into getting that stamp out again, because she is just too cute to resist.

Yep, it's Bunny Twila by Roberto's Rascals from CC Designs

The egg is from the Easter Funnies set, also CC Designs

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and fussy cut

Papers are First Edition Hideaway

MFT double stitched rectangle dies

Sentiment from Crafters Companion

That's me done for today, we're off to take the Easter goodies to the Oldies this afternoon but have to make a detour to find some fat balls for dad.  Well, not actually for dad, he wants them for the birds!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

AYLI (DT) Shape or Fold

Well hello there!  Welcome to another Thursday at Squirrelville where it is DT day for the AS YOU LIKE IT CHALLENGE.

This time the challenge is SHAPE or FOLD (and you must tell us why you made your choice)

It was a tussle whether to do a fold or a shape, and ended up combining the two into a "fol-ape".  I think it qualifies more as a fold though.  I love to see both, they always make cards feel more special, I'm just not very good at thinking outside the square

So I found the tutorial for this on SplitcoastStampers and it was really easy - of course, I added to it by punching the top border and then swearing because it wouldn't line up at the join, lol.

Stamped image is a Wryn from Tiddly Inks

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils

Papers are all First Edition from the Paper Flowers collection

Sentiments and banner from Clearly Besotted

Oval dies by Tonic

Border punch is Martha Stewart

Here's a picture of her flat and ready for the envelope

Our sponsor supporting this challenge is

Sweet Stamps with a $10 store voucher

You have two weeks to get folding or shaping, and remember to tell us why you made your choice

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

In The Pink (DT) Bling It On

It's another pink day chaps, and over at IN THE PINK this time the challenge is BLING IT ON

so we'd like to see your sparkle!

I may have gone a little over-the-top

OK, so I made the gift box with pre-glittered cardstock by First Edition

and bordered it with some beautiful cotton lace that I had in my stash

The enormous flower was punched from some self-adhesive holographic foil and then

I layered on the gorgeous fabric flower with the gemmed centre

The ivy swag is a Joanna Sheen Signature die which I cut from kraft card and then green glittered the leaves only, leaving the stems bare

I cut the sentiment from the same foil with Lawn Fawn Scripty For You die

Gems and pearls from stash

It's quite spectacular in the sunshine!

Of course, we have a sponsor for you too and it is the lovely Tracy

from DIES TO DIE FOR with a £10 voucher for the winner

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

As You Like It (DT)

Morning all.  As you might have twigged from the post title, I have been invited to join the Design Team of those super talented crafters over at As You Like It Challenge!

This is my first challenge for the team and the theme for this fortnight is

Paper or Non Paper Project

(and remember to tell us why you chose what you did)

Here is my first DT project

It wasn't a difficult choice for me, having tried many crafts over the years, some more successful than others, I have always come back to papercraft.  I love that you can create something so colourful and/or dimensional from a flat piece of paper!

I decided to have a go at making a perpetual calendar, which I did completely freestyle with no template.  It took the best part of a whole day to make but I am quite chuffed with the end result.

Papers used are all from the First Edition Sweet Owl pad, with the exception of the black card

Numbers done with Memory Box dies

Days with letters from a Clearly Besotted set

Months (cut down, they were too long otherwise) from a MFT Die-Namics die set

Flowers made with Woodware punches and an office hole punch

And some lace trim from my leftovers box

This challenge is sponsored by DIGISTAMP BOUTIQUE with a £10 voucher

digistampboutique.co.uk catalog

digistampboutique blogspot

So there you have it, do come on over and join in the fun - this challenge is wide open for you to make all sorts of projects, from a simple card through to a wedding cake (if you feel that ambitious!), it's all about your style of craft.

Hugs, Squirrel xx

James says Hello

Afternoon everyone.  Hope you are enjoying your weekend - it's "scorchio" here in the east, bright blue skies, sunny, and heading towards 30C.  You probably know that I am limp lettuce when it comes to hot weather, so it will come as no surprise that I have been taking refuge indoors and watching the qualifying for tomorrow's F1 Belgian Grand Prix!

The craft space is started to get back to normal after all the upheaval of the plumbing so I hope to be able to get inky again very soon, but in the meantime here is something I made a couple of weeks ago.

This is James Butterflies from LOTV

Painted, as usual, with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

The Hello die is by Penny Black - I had to cut the twirly tail off the O for it to fit the card - I cut it three times to make a word stack

Design papers are First Edition: Boho Chic

We were going to go and see the Oldies this afternoon, but mum was otherwise engaged so Toad is cutting the grass and I am going to experiment with my newly delivered Ground Espresso Distress Ink.  Rosie has her nose in the biscuit dish, some things don't change.

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Sneak Peek 1

Guess what?!

There is another new stamp release from Lili of The Valley at the end of the month!  Whoop whoop!

You will be getting Part 1 of the Christmas release, AND a whole new batch of Fairies, in fact a whole year's worth, and I cannot begin to tell you how cute they all are.

As a member of the Design Collective, I was lucky enough to be assigned a Fairy to showcase for you, and here she is

This is November Fairy - isn't she just darling?

I have painted her with my beloved Distress Inks (ReInkers) with a smidge of Polychromos for her hair

Her wings have A Wink Of Stella which the camera hasn't picked up but which looks so pretty shimmering in sunlight so you will just have to trust me on that one

The papers, which made me think of fireworks, are all First Edition New Bloom

The sentiment is from LOTV Set 23 Girlie Banners, which I trimmed down to remove the curls

Stitched stars are from Memory Box, and the smaller stars are an X-Cut punch

My fellow DC pals have the other 11 Fairies to share with you, and some have the Christmas stamps, so there will be loads of sneak peeks for you to look out for over the next 10 days before the release.  Perfect amount of time for you to decide which ones to buy - it's going to be hard to choose, I promise.

Hugs to all

Squirrel (LOTV DC)

xx

Beach Baby

If I had a choice today, this is what I would like to be doing

Yes, the squinty, one-eyed, wonky photographer is back in town!

Stamp is CC Designs Roberto's Rascals - Beach Babe Twila

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers) and Polychromos Pencils

Papers are a mixture of Dovecraft and First Edition

Sentiment is Paper Smooches

Doodling by Squirrel

Who knows, I might even get the chance to do this next week!

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

Sneaky Peeky folks!

There will soon be a lovely new batch of rubber released by Lili Of The Valley, and you don't have too long to wait - just long enough to put some pennies to one side because, believe me, you are going to want ALL of these.

As a member of the Design Collective I was asked to showcase this beauty:

Oh my, so love this stamp!

This one is called Summer Bunches - there will be other delicious flowers in the release too

It screamed sunflowers at me, but those blooms could be any colour scheme you wanted

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers are First Edition: Boho Chic

Sentiment: LOTV Vintage Labels - Just To Say Set 27

Memory Box bamboo die, and Cheery Lynn butterfly die

Pebbles Inc yellow Candy Dots, and small pearls from my stash

Keep an eye out for other sneaky peeks from my very talented teamies, there is going to be so much to make you drool and covet!

Hugs to all for a sunshine day

Squirrel xx

Art Challenge

Is anyone else watching The Great Art Challenge on Sunday evenings?  Is it just me that is getting really cross about who leaves the show at the end of each episode?  Right at the beginning of each show, one of the judges says "my husband calls me Miss Blunt".  I think he needs to change that to "Miss Downright Rude".  Some of the comments she made in the last show were quite nasty.  Yes, I know she is a professional artist but I have been looking at her work and, sorry love, but it ain't all that! 

Art is strange, so subjective, what appeals to one person does not appeal to the next, so it is really difficult to judge, however ...... one of the two ladies asked to leave was so much stronger than one of the ladies who has been left in.   In previous weeks, people have left who I felt were better than this one particular lady who seems to survive, no matter what.  She was criticized this week for poor perspective,  poor drawing skills and poor colour choices, yet she is still in the competition.  Beggars belief.

And breathe.

Anyhoo, here is a little something that I knocked up at the weekend and it is back to my default CAS mode:

So, this is Bunch of Balloons from Wild Rose Studio

Painted with Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment is Clearly Besotted

Matting layer is First Edition - think it is Desert Blooms

Hugs to all

Squirrel xx

PS.  Can someone please teach my beloved that there is an enormous and important difference between lowercase and uppercase - especially when he writes his desktop password in the wrong one.  I feel that when it comes to computers at the moment, I may be a Squirrel on the edge!