29 August 2026

My unexpected holiday

 Hi Everyone, this is an indulgent post, letting you know what I have been doing recently. Firstly visiting my sick #3 brother who is seriously ill and four hours away from me, in Lincolnshire. The drive through the brown waterless landscape was heartbreaking to see, even seeing and smelling fire on the mountains, as I was driving. The burning smell followed me for many miles. I knew part of the route to my brothers, but had to use navigation help. Hubby and I have been to visit them all, but I wasn't driving, so it was all new to me. I used to enjoy the scenery when hubby was driving, not looking at the roads. 

Then north to his eldest daughter an hour away from him, still in Lincolnshire. Again driving through parched countryside, with in one part of the journey, a tractor working on his field, was making a fog of dust to drive through. Not a usual site in this country. It was supposed to be an overnight stop, but I was persuaded to stay another few nights, they spoilt me silly.  They showed me around their area and town, that I hadn't seen before, we only went to visit when staying with my brother and SiL. It was all so beautiful, also seeing Herons and egrets with ducks on the river flowing past their house. Then back to visit my dear brother.

These photos are from the bedroom window I stayed in.

My nieces garden, always so green, but not on this visit. 

 

A long shot of the egret and one of the ducks, the heron flew off before I got her.

No rain for a long time and as we were going out for a Pub meal, it started raining with the most vivid rainbow with my niece. It didn't last long, just enough to make us cover up and then stopped.

 

Next eastward on to Suffolk and another niece, an hour, and a half from my brother, for a few days. Not on the original plan, but as she said I was close, so I may as well. Again I was spoilt silly, and had tours around her beautiful area, and a visit to her daughter and family, which was so lovely, the children being 8, 6, and 4, who I rarely see due to the distance. The next day a five and a half hour journey home. 

These are photos of Lavenham, near Bury St Edmunds, a beautiful, very old town, where she took me and treated me to a meal in the 15th Century Inn, that I forgot to take a photo of!

The next two photos are private houses, my niece is the lady in the first one. 


This is the local Museum


My girls spoilt me rotten, and I have come back rested, my mind has finally eased off with everything going on with me. I'm so glad I did it, it was a huge journey and experience for me, driving so far. I've been away for a break that I didn't realise I needed, and I certainly didn't expect to stay away so long. 

Then 3 days after I arrived home, another niece travelled 2 hours to see me. I'm so blessed to have all 6 nieces in my life, even though they are many miles from me, they keep in touch sending such love out to me.  

Telling you about the burning mountains earlier, I took a photo from my chair of the fabulous sunset, as I thought, the night of my return home. It was actually the mountain on fire opposite us. Local photos have shown it later, and it was bigger than I thought. Thankfully put out early enough not to cause too much damage, but enough! However, there were evacuations of a nursing home and a few houses, It was set alight my some local boys, bet they had some fun doing it. grrr.

Something different from me, I hope I didn't bore you too much.

18 August 2026

Summer Blooms WLSC mid month

   Hi Everyone my DT make today is for the mid month post for 

We Love Stamping

This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme from Avril

 
 
I have absolutely no mojo, so went through my stamps and dies and found these, then went looking for paper and a stencil. All found pretty quickly, actually.
 
Then it was stamping the flowers and die cutting both the flowers and the stem. I wondered for a while about the design, and even stamped more flowers, but it just didn't look right, so I left it simple.  
 
I chose the colours of the flowers to match the paper and coloured them in DI's. Next I stencilled a brick effect, for the climbing flowers. I cut the paper and layered the stencilling and floral pattern onto plain purple paper, not usually my colours, but I have been looking at them more. 
 
I then went looking for a sentiment and forgotten I had bought a stamp set with a floral theme, whew! It was stamped and die cut and layered onto the purple paper. All were added to the base card.
 
flower stamps and die - Card Making Magic Trailing Florals
sentiment - Sissix, Born to Bloom 
inks - Distress Inks, squeezed lemonade, shabby shutters, twisted citron,
victorian velvet,wilted violet,pumice stone
stencil - Funky Fossil
floral paper - Craft Sensations Spring Time 
purple paper - Lidl 
 
  There are Two beautiful floral prizes of Penny Black stamps and stencil from Buddly Crafts (photo's not to scale). I hope you can join us with your blossoms. 

11 August 2026

50th birthday card.

Hi Everyone, my son is 50 today, and knows computers inside out, but I couldn't find an image or stamp suitable. So decided for TV instead. I can't believe it, it seems just the other day I was doing a 21st birthday card for him. Where does the time go? I went looking in my files for colour combo ideas and found this.

  

I took the digital stamp into Silhouette and cut 2 layers, plus I made the sentiment strips and cut them too. I then coloured the image with DI's.

Next I cut a square of brown textured card and placed the words strip, after layering both layers together. Next was the corner image, which I also found in my files, but, changed the wallpaper to tie in with the colours of the image. I added two more layers onto the 50, and then added 3D glaze to make his age stand out.

image - Karen's Doodles 2010
inks - Distress Inks = dried marigold,shabby shutters,aged mahogany,
tea dye,rusty hinge, black soot,hickory smoke,festive berries,
spiced marmalade,tattered rose.
wallpaper -  Gina Jones sweaters and hot cocoa pattern papers 2019
corner image - corner background 2008, don't know the designer
fonts -  Adventure for the words and ArabBru for the 50
3D glaze - Glossy Accents 
 Silhouette
 

05 August 2026

Jobs or Professions TMR

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for  

https://themaleroomchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

My GNephew is a newly qualified Pharmacist and has just got his first real job in a GP Practice, he is so excited. He has worked in a Pharmacy since he is 16, off and on, between school and University, for experience, we are so proud of him. I decided to send him this card to congratulate him on his achievement.

I chose this image as it seemed just right for his job, then went searching for a background, pharmacy related, I found this on the web and think with the quirky image it suits. 

I took the image into Silhouette and print and cut it with a 1mm border twice. I also cut the background and the sentiments, after finding the font for the pharmacist word.

Next I coloured him in colours to match the background. My colouring could have been better. Anyway, after colouring and adding 3D gloss to the specs, I added the background layer onto navy card, then onto the card base.

Then I added the image with 3D pads and placed the sentiment and the pharmacist word, which I placed with 3D pads. 

image -  Dr Digi, Prof Dummkopf
inks - Distress inks, evergreen bough,antique linen,dried marigold,tattered lace,
walnut stain,wilted violet,picked raspberry,lost shadow,black soot,chipped sapphire
backgound - freefunart apothecary Pixabay
pharmarcy font -  ChesterfieldAntD
3d Gloss - Glossy Accents 
navy card - stash 
 
What jobs/profession can you do for the The Male Room Challenge

02 August 2026

Summer Blooms WLSC

   Hi Everyone my DT make today is for 

We Love Stamping

This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme from Avril

 
It was difficult choosing which "blooms" to use, in the end I chose these, which I thought could have plenty of colour in them. I stamped the flowers, and what better for Summer than a post card, so I then placed the embossing folder where I wanted it and embossed. I went over it with Stazon ink lightly. Next was to colour the flowers, using DI's and cut on the edge of the postcard shape. I found a sentiment stamp that I thought suited the postcard.
 
I went to place it onto the base card, and thought it too plain, so I stamped onto the base card and simply coloured the corner flowers. I edged the card with ink, then, using 3D pads, placed the postcard onto it. 
 
stamps -  Magazine freebies SCP #230
post card embossing folder - Crafters Companion 
 inks - Distress Inks & Stazon
 
 
 



Two prizes of Penny Black stamps and stencil from Buddly Crafts (photo's not to scale).

01 August 2026

Summer cat CCC

  Hi Everyone, my DT make today is for -

Critter Crazy #112

Whether Furry, Feathered, Fantasy, Fairytale, 
Scaly, or Insect, there must be a critter.

I was going through my digi stamps the other day and found this lovely image, so I took it into Silhouette and print cut 3 images. I coloured it in DI's, a yellow cat? well it's a Summer cat! It should have been more mustardy, but I took it as it was as it seemed a happy cat, then as normal, with no plan, what do I do next?
 
I went looking for a sketch and found this simple one that looked like it could work.
Off to my dies for an oval and cut them out. I coloured the background on the background oval and placed them together onto the card. Then put all 3 layers of the images together and placed them onto the die cuts.
 
I found these sentiments that I thought were suitable with the image. They were stamped and die cut and added to the base card. Not following the sketch, but I think it worked? I have a recipient for it, so it's on its way. 
 
image - Cat & Mouse Karen's Doodles 2011
inks - Distress Inks as below
dies - Tonic 
sentiments and dies - Julie Hickey

 

I hope to see your Critter over on the challenge.
 
I'm entering my card to the CD Sunday Plus Challenge 

18 July 2026

Summertime WLSC mid-month

  Hi Everyone my DT make today is for the mid month post for 

We Love Stamping

This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme from Lynn

 
 
On another rainy day to make my Summertime  card. I found these images and dies that I haven't used before, and thought a little girl in a summer dress on the swings, yep! I'll go with that, and after all the heat, it would be nice to relax. 
 
I die cut the arch from wood grain paper for the swing to hang from, then stamped all the images and die cut them. They were then coloured with DI's. 
 
I coloured the background and added some grass underneath the swing. They were all then attached to the main layer with 3D pads. To bring the colours together I chose the colour of the dress to add a paper layer, and added the main layer to it, which was then attached to the main card.  
 
The sentiment was computer generated in brown to match the arch, then die cut and added to the main card.  
 
I could have added more, but I like the simple, and in a way relaxed layout.
 
stamps and dies - Crafters Companion "Simple Pleasures"
sentiment die - Card Making Magic Rectangle Nested
inks - Distress inks
background paper - stash
  
 
 
Our prizes this month are   
 2 prizes of Lavinia stamps and watercolours (photos not to scale).  
Please note, we (Lavinia) cannot provide exchanges/replacements/refunds for any products received through this third-party giveaway.