House Mouse

 Hi Everyone,I've been missing in action again - sorry. All due to a snap decision to go to my brother & SiL for a few days. It's the first time in nearly 5 years we have been away, and we spoilt rotten by them, also the temperatures were up to 27C and lovely blue skies, making it even more enjoyable, we came home to rain, but that's OK. The garden needs it!

Anyhow, my card today is from a disc I have had for a long time, "A Very Mice Colouring Book" Vol 1. The image is 021, but I will call it Mice on Lavender. I followed a sketch for this one from Dawny P for Paperchase Weekly. 

  

 

I chose lavender digital papers and arranged them according to the sketch on black paper. I coloured the image with DI's and also edged the image with ink. A straightforward and simple card, but I'm pleased with it. I haven't added a sentiment as I thought it may spoil it? There will be a greeting inside though.

 Mice - House Mouse Designs   

dp's - Sekada Designs / Julie C Designs

inks - Distress Inks

gems stash

http://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/ 

 

chuffed to have been selected to be in the Top 3

 

 

Dragonflies

 Hi Everyone, I think all my 'puter problems have gone away, my son went into settings the other night and the next thing I know I can comment on everyone's blog, so it wasn't Blogger or Google at all, perhaps I should apologise to them? I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to catch up with all your posts, but I promise to scroll through and see as many as I can, just not commenting on each one. Thank you for all your comments and advice, I appreciate your support

Anyhow, I think you have had enough of me going on about my 'puter problems, so I'll show you another card I did without my 'puter.

 I've had this Dragonfly in my stash a long time and when I go through my stamps, I think, I'll use that and then go on to something else, so at last I've used it. It also brought to mind that I was going through the web not long ago, after seeing a few Dragonflies on a visit to my brother and SiL and came across this symbolism of a Dragonfly -

A dragonfly symbol represents change and transformation. It is a reminder for you to shed more light and joy in your life. It tells you not to remain in the dark or the shadows. 

I thought it very apt after what's been happening to me this last week or more.

I had a scrap of this paper left after another project and decided to use it with a case of a card I saw in my magazine (which included the stamp) card ideas. Of course now I can't find it to link it! I stamped, using inks to match the paper, the panel and the dragonflies and embossed them with clear embossing powder. I layered the panel on card to match the paper and found ribbon to match it all. Not only that, but I stamped the sentiment in the same ink as the dragonflies.

Dragonfly and sentiment - Magazine freebies Simply Cards & Papercraft

sentiment panel stamp - Chocolate Baroque

ink - (very old) Whisper Archival ink

paper - Craft Sensations

card - Dovecraft

ribbon - stash

Is it me? Or is the font very small on here and on other posts. I have tried changing the font and the size to make it larger, nothing seems to work, is this Blogger? Or me again? 

I have just checked in Preview and this is large, why isn't my blog post? OH! Flipping Eck, here we go again!

Paper Dragonfly Challenge #6 Garden - flowers?

Dragonfly Dreams June Challenge Outdoors

Crafty Animals Challenge #62

Old Goat

 Hi Everyone my card today is for the challenge at QKR. Our challenge is on the 1st and 15th of every month, so you have 2 chances every month to enter the challenge.

http://qkrstampede.blogspot.com/

We will select two winners each of the weeks 

1 using QKR Stampede  or Eureka Stamps image

 and 1 using any image!

Anything Goes every 1st & 15th of the month

  

 I've  have  had this wonderful goat a while and thought it about time I used him,  I printed out the digital paper and added it to a dark blue card background, then took the frame, the goat and the sentiment into my Cameo cutting one goat on a base layer and 3 more layers to give him weight and texture on the card.

 

I coloured the background of the base layer of goat and coloured the top layer (goat only) with Distress inks matching the paper. The frame and sentiment were cut twice and added to the card with 3D pads. I added 3D glaze to his eyes and sparkle pen to his buttons, shame you can't see it here.

image - Old Goat  QKR Stampede

sentiment - QKR Stampede

dp - Autumn Blue - Create with TLC

frame -  khartley justanote frame

 

Hello

 Hello Everyone, Well! What a time I have had, quite a few things working differently, my printer wouldn't print and shut down Photoshop each time I tried to print! etc etc etc. I have to get used to lots of different ways of working, I'm not sure if it's Win 11 or just things have not transferred to this PC as they should have. Anyway, it's all good fun! I don't think. I just have to keep trying, but I do feel like a newbie to computers in some sense and it's driving me silly, I'm too old for all this! I also have to check my spelling carefully as it's correcting me as if I am a touch typist with words above the word I'm typing! I prefer a red line underneath to let me know it's wrong. It must be in the settings and I thought I had ticked it, BUT! OK I will stop moaning and just carry on.

Anyhow, in between pulling my hair out and getting used to things working differently, I shall start to get around to you lovely ladies. I may not be as regular as I tried to be before, but forgive me for a while? Bless you for your support. 

Here is another card I did while without my 'puter. 

While cleaning out, I found a number of cards with a 3 fold and with apertures for the front, I think I had them when I first started card making, maybe in the early 90's. I decided to use one of them but not fill the centre. I stamped and embossed a few flowers and the sentiment placing them around the aperture and placing the sentiment inside it. I also added a silver glitter pen to the debossed line around the aperture. I coloured the sentiment background to match the flowers. I thought I would splatter a little silver paint,  which became more than I wanted. It's not a bin job though I don't think.

stamps - Modern Anemone Altenew 

inks - Distress Inks

 I keep trying to comment on blogs and get this -

To leave a comment, click the button below to sign in with Google. Unable to sign in to comment. Please check your browser configurations to allow sign-in. Learn more. 

 I am signed in to Google, but it still won't allow me to comment on ANY Blog!

I don't see Anonymous or anything else, anyone else getting problems? OR have advice? The web doesn't seem that helpful or I'm looking at the wrong information!

Did you miss me?

 Hi Everyone, I have had my computer die on me, it was 9 years old and it has been faithful friend. I ordered it and after waiting a week for a new one with all bells and whistles and Windows 11! I am back on line, however I have quite a bit still to do to make it feel like mine, so won't be around until next week, hopefully earlier? There is a difference to seeing files etc to get used to and I did have a program? or a fix? for me to see my Photoshop files as thumbnails, but now I only see the logo and name of my files grrrr. There are a few things like this to tackle, so I hope you will understand my lack of visits.

A new printer and computer in a couple of months? Thankfully I had had another new thing needed!!! within the same time frame, a drive for my old computer, which thankfully is able to be used in the new 'puter and because of this I have all my files. I think my Guardian Angel thinks I'm made of money? but did save me stress with not losing my files. My son has spent a few hours or more on getting it all up and running for me, now all I have to do is tweek things a little to suit me. At least that's the 3 things they say will go wrong if one goes?

Thank you all for your continuing comments. I really appreciate them all.

This lack of computer did in fact do me a favour, as I did a few stamped cards that made me think differently. I also did a clean up in my craft room, still a little way to go, but the worst is done - except for my ribbon drawers, ugh! 

This is one of the cards, done in a rush and delivered before I realised I had forgotten to take the upright of the card duh! I was trying to show you the shine I had. I mixed gold watercolour paint with the watercolour ink to get a shine and then added little dashes of the gold paint on it's own on the background. I diecut the image and added it to some blue card I found during my sorting. that was just the right size with a bit of straight cutting,  The cross and sentiment were cut from the offcut of the main image.

stamp - Mosaic Flower Chocolate Baroque 

ink - Distress ink

gold ink - Kuretake Starry Colours (bought after I saw what Greta did on her cards)

pin dies - Card Making Magic

cross die - Cut it and Make

insert sentiment - Magazine freebie

  

  

 this shows how shiny it was

 

 

this is the insert, a piece of the blue card with the gold paint used as edging.

 

It's also our 56th Anniversary today and hubby has surprised me with a meal out tonight, he said after all the stress this week with the 'puter and a couple of other things, he and I need to relax and concentrate on us for a change. Isn't he a darling? We don't usually celebrate "ordinary" Anniversaries, so this makes a nice change. I also had the most beauitful card with a beautiful verse, something else we don't do. I felt awful as I didn't do one for him! I'll have to make it up somehow?

Anyhow, apologies for a long post enjoy your weekend. I hope to visit asap

 

Masculine 90th birthday

 Hi Everyone, a card today made for someone who lives in the small village, where I was born and bred, he was the son of a local farmer, hence the reference to soil, he is still very active and certainly doesn't look his age. I knew I had "Ted" in my files so went to find him, I took him into my Cameo, as always, and cut 3 layers of him and also the background which I cut into a circle with the sentiment I had added. 

I die cut the larger circle and a small circle in brown card I have in my stash, after measuring both to ensure they fitted the background and the die cut number. I coloured the image and background with DI's and attached the background to the larger brown circle. I attached all layers of "Ted" and attached him to the background. I thought a touch of a flower helped.

image - Ted and his Shed Dr Digi 

inks - Distress Inks 

dies - Tonic pindot

90 dies - could be First Edition?

hollyhock die - AliExpress, coloured with Spectrum Noir markers

sentiment - saw on the web 

gold card - Stash

 

Whoop whoop, I had Dr Digi card of the week for this card.

Celebration

Our house has Union Jack Flags festooned to celebrate the The Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years of our monarch's reign. Queen Elizabeth II will be the first British monarch to reach the milestone. Be prepared for LOTS of piccies.

I had this wonderful poem from Gill Reed I decided to "pomp" it up for the occasion and thought it perfect to celebrate the occasion this weekend. 

Why this weekend you ask? Her Majesty's acceded the throne in February and June will be the culmination of the Celebrations. The Trooping of the Colour and HM Official Birthday is also celebrated in June. 

 This week my cards for the Craft Club, I felt, had to include a Royal connection and luckily my subscription magazine Simpy Cards & Papercraft included papers that were just perfect for this. So I printed one of the papers and the sentiment and cut 3 layers for the sentiment and the Guard house and a Guard for them to layer and add to the paper. It's very simple as that is all they can do.  For their second card, I printed out a digital stamp and shapes for them to colour and add to the card and again cut them a sentiment in layers. I'm happy to report they really liked this weeks offering. Here are the sample cards for them to follow.

 

 this card was inspired by a photo of a card and digital stamp by

 Faith Skrdla, sadly no longer with us.

this was printed and coloured with Distress Inks,

 the flower shape and sentiment was cut in Cameo.

I am including the Coronation in this post, however that didn't happen until 2nd June 1953. I remember sitting in my Grandparents house watching the Coronation Ceremony on a 9inch TV screen, the whole of my father's family of 11 boys, their wives and children squashed into the "front room" to watch this wonderful event. I feel part of history saying that!

This also reminded me of when my Mother bought this "book" for us. I treasure it and I was (and still am) fascinated with all of our history and looked forward to the Ceremony. I have been a Royalist from then. I know it's not "woke" to say that, but that's me.

Anyhow here are piccies from the "book" in page order.

this is a pop up page

Tag card TMR

 Hi Everyone my one of 3 DT cards today, I hope you will be able to visit each one, this is for 

  

The Male Room Challenge  

 

I knew I had a tag in with my files and went off to find it. I used my digital die cutting machine to cut it out, then went to find some beer images and stamps. This time I was fortunate and found images and stamps. I used the beer glass stamp to stamp and clear emboss over the background. I printed and digital die cut the images and with a sentiment I generated, I added a shadow cut base.  Then using the stamps I stamped and embossed in gold. I felt they needed a shadow base, I'm useless at fussy cutting, but I hope the recipient won't notice they are not done like a die cut, apart from the sentiment with my die cutting machine and the circle which was die cut. I have just noticed you can't see what is inside the circle, I stamped "Cheers". All were then attached to the Tag card and some bakers twine added to each tag.

 

tag card - Shirley's Cards 

stamps - magazine freebies

circle die - Tonic

images -  Marisa Lerin - Digital Scrapbook (Pixelscrapper)

bakers twine, Kraft card - stash

I hope I'll see you at the Challenge. 

Moving along with the times challenge #43

OLD Lady? QKR

 Hi Everyone I have 3 DT cards for today, I hope you will be able to visit each one.

This is for the challenge at QKR. Our challenge is on the 1st and 15th of every month, so you have 2 chances every month to enter the challenge.

http://qkrstampede.blogspot.com/

We will select two winners each of the weeks 

1 using QKR Stampede  or Eureka Stamps image

 and 1 using any image!

Anything Goes every 1st & 15th of the month

 

This lady had me chuckling as I coloured her, I fully agree with the sentiment also. I decided to follow a sketch for a change. I have changed it slightly.

 Anyhow, the first thing I do, with most of my cards, is take the image into my digital die cutting machine to print and cut the image, shapes and sentiment. I used one of the layers of my old woman as a mask and shaded around the image. I had digitally paper pieced her bra top, I glued them together, including the one I used as a mask! I then ink shaded the shadow layer of the sentiment and glue them together. 

 

 

It was then painting the image, I used DI's for her trousers, shoes, curlers  and scarf and then used water colour pencils for her skin, I find I can get better shadows using pencils. (I am definitely NOT a colourist and hope for the best on each image!) After she was painted I added her bra. I then added the background to some coloured card, placed a tassel around the check cut shape, I thought it looked like a curtain?

 

 I 3D'd the image onto the image on the background. I then added glaze to her specs and her nails, well she had to have shiny nails didn't she? Some glitter to the flower on her shoes and the card was complete. Shame you can't see the shine of her specs and the flowers on her shoes.

image - Old Lady QKR Stampede

Distress inks - worn lipstick, evergreen bough, wild honey, tumbled glass

watercolour pencils - Nuvo

glaze - Nuvo Crystal Glaze 

glitter - Stickles

tassel - stash

coloured card - Dovecraft

Silhouette Cameo

  

Dog note holder CCC

   Hi Everyone, I have 3 DT cards today, I hope you will be able to visit each of them, this is for -

Critter Crazy

Anything Goes but they MUST feature a critter as the main focus

Whether Furry, Feathered, Fantasy, Fairytale, 

Scaly, or Insect, there must be a critter...

 

In a sort of mojo blank, I decided to do a digital die Dog Sticky Notepad Holder. I cut all the pieces from dark brown, black, light brown and white card. I used markers to colour his tongue. I inked a circle stencil to his nose and used the same ink to add a little colour around his nose then glued all the pieces together. As soon as my son saw it, he nabbed it "as it's cool and cute!"  This little project makes me smile, I hope he makes you smile too.

dog note holder - Simply Crafty SVG's

stencil - Julie Hickey

marker - Spectrum Noir PL2

ink - Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy  

Silhouette Cameo