Dogs and/or Cats TMR

 Hi everyone, my DT card today is for 

 

 The Male Room 

 

I've only got digital images for cats or dogs, so that's what's used today. The images were edited in Photoshop, adding a sentiment, then printed and die cut it. Looking for cat images in my files, I found a shape I thought I could use. I tried cutting it with Silhouette, but it was too fine and didn't cut properly, so I made a shape similar, but with thicker lines, in the design area, and cut it out of gold mirror card.

 

I embossed the edge of the printed background then decided to add splots to the background, after seeing another blogger do the same, but now I don't know who it was, sorry. I used hickory smoke and faded jeans DO's mixed to match the images, shame they don't show up in the photo. I attached the image layer to the card and then the gold frame. 

cat & dog - Creative Fabrica

frame - my own design

sentiments - my own

inks - Distress Oxide, hickory smoke, faded jeans 

gold mirror card - The Range

 

 

I have a few nephews on the cusp of old in the next few months, so I made another. Much the same but with a different sentiment and cut to the frame to hide a cutting error. You can see the splats more on this second card.  

 

 

I hope you can join us in the challenge, and get your creative juices flowing for those difficult male cards. There are great ideas from the DT to view. 

100th Birthday Bash CCC

  Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for the -

 Critter Crazy 100th Birthday Bash 

 

A Rule change for our 100th Challenge

Your card MUST feature a Birthday Critter as the main focus 

Whether Furry, Feathered, Fantasy, Fairytale, 

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

 

And also don't forget to check in on the last day of the month again, if you are a winner or a DT-Favourite! #100's brag recognitions will have 2 extra winners! Read on for details: 

Since we have now reached the 100 challenge, we would like to thank all the participants and the followers from the bottom of our hearts for all the years, the inspirations and the kind comments. 

And 100 challenges must also be celebrated... so this month there are 3rd & 4th winners and a small rule change for the theme along with an opportunity for a prize winner visiting Becca's blog. (Use my blog link to get to my homepage and find my CCC post after 2am central time on July 1st for instructions on commenting and receiving a special prize package of animal-themed products!)

Special 3rd Winner: Entry #50 will be an extra Guest DT invite honoree in September 2025! Plus Special 4th Winner: Entry #100 will be an extra Guest DT invite honoree also for September 1st. There will be special badges available and these persons will be revealed on July 31, 2025. 

 

 

With no mojo, I was struggling to make a card, so I went through my digital stamps to see if anything jumped out to me, and this is it. I love this birthday sheep. I printed and cut, with Silhouette, 2 layers of the sheep and the sentiment, onto multi use card, then coloured it with DI's. 

I cut a piece of the same card to fit onto a 5x7inch base card, then blended the sky, and the grass, with DO's. Next, I used stencils for the grass and clouds. The clouds didn't work for me, but they are there, albeit faint, so I die cut some clouds and a sun. The sentiment was inked around the edge and then added to pink paper, can you guess this is for a female member of the family?

sheep - Bugaboo 2021, (sorely missed)

stencil, clouds and grass - Funky Fossil 

inks - Distress Inks

inks - Distress Oxide

dies - Magazine Freebies

Silhouette 

Close to Nature WLSC

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme chosen by Karen of  

Close to Nature

trees, animals, flowers

 

 

I bought this stamp recently and thought it suited the theme. However, it didn't end up as I intended. 

I used watercolour pencils on linen card. Then went off kilter and added a floral paper background, a plain background and then a punched border, and THEN added a few die cuts. I think the mess around me when decorating my craft room, caused me to over do things on this card. I found so many things I haven't used in years, I just had to use them, but it's OK and fits the brief of the challenge. It will go to one of my nieces, who loves her garden and creatures. 

stamp - House Mouse, Flower Market

pencils - Reeves Watercolour Pencils

floral paper - Make and Create, Spring Time

blue paper - Jelly Bean Crafts

border punch - Martha Stewart

flower die - Tattered Lace

butterfly die - Make and Create

 

A fabulous prize this month with a 

Glorious Bouquet, a large Tim Holtz floral stamp from Buddly Crafts

 

After a few weeks of upheaval, decorating and reorganising my room, I am back online. I've been missing commenting due to no computer to access blogs, I didn't want to use my phone in case of bugs or whatever. Anyway, here are before and after photos. Not quite all back yet, but getting there. My desk originally was under the window. 

This was in 2014

 

During with undercoat 

 

part of the spare room filled with my hoard 

 

nearly finished

Fun Folds TMR

 Hi Everyone, my post today is for 

The Male Room 

I can't believe I pondered so long in doing this card, only just making it for the challenge. With so many beautiful folds, I decided on this one. Then went on to do 4 others, 2 went into the bin, so I decided to show you the 2 I'm not too happy with, I could have done better work methinks.

My first card is a Double Z fold, a super card designed by my blog friend Shirley, I didn't do her justice on this card. The tools and sentiment with white card, and the grass with the green of the base card, were cut with my Silhouette, the background paper was cut to size and then stencilled with DO, and added to the green background. 

The tools, shelves, and sentiment were coloured with DI's, when dry, the shelves were added, and the tools placed onto them, held with the bracket piece. Then the ladder, the gloves, the grass layer with the sentiment were arranged.

double Z fold Card - Shirley's Cards 

stencil - Funky Fossil brick, coloured with Distress Oxide hickory smoke

ink - Distress Ink (lots)

card - white 300gsm Craft Card Hobbycraft 

green card - Lidl

Silhouette

My second was a template from Craftworld, a Z fold, which I transferred into Silhouette, I cut the shape, then folded it and added the printed shapes and the rabbit centre. I really don't know where my mind has been on these folds, with so many other shapes I could have done. I spent a long while looking on the web to be able to do something different, it just didn't happen - sorry.

images - Creative Fabrika

Go see what the DT have done, they are amazing.

  Great ideas for the men in your life. 

Close to Nature WLSC

 Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme chosen by Karen of  

Close to Nature

trees, animals, flowers

 

 

A lovely theme, don't you think? I have had this stamp, a long while and thought it perfect for this subject. A dragonfly. 

My mind went off on a tangent and I thought of stamping on acetate, I have had the heat acetate for many years and had a hunt, where I thought it was, and thankfully it was. I stamped and heat embossed in gold, then cut around it. 

The first step complete, what do I do next, you may know by now I am not a planner with my cards, I just go with the flow, so to speak. I thought of the colours of a dragonfly, so added DO ink to my glass mat, sprayed with water and placed my card onto it, I was thrilled with the result of just one pressing. 

I wasn't too keen on the sentiments with the stamp, so went looking for a simple one and came across this, it was stamped with Stazon. Then the card was cut with a die, the dragonfly was glued onto it and was 3D'd to the card base. 

heat acetate - Hobbycraft

stamp - Imala, Be Brave

sentiment - magazine freebie

inks - Distress Oxide chipped sapphire, lucky clover twisted citron

die - Card Making Magic 

 

you can see the shine of the acetate here

 

A fabulous prize this month with a 

Glorious Bouquet, a large Tim Holtz floral stamp from Buddly Crafts

 

Oh my Gostrich CCC

 Hi Everyone, my DT card today 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.

 

I had a card to make for my GGNiece, who is 3, her Mum gets them to make cards for us, so I thought I would colour it as if she had. I used fineliners that I bought on a whim a few months ago, and this is the first time I have used them. 

I stamped and die cut the ostriches, I had a tiny cupcake stamp and cake in my stash, they were stamped and fussy cut. I had to add feathers too, so cut a line under the wing feathers and inserted them there, then added one on the tail too, I had to cut them down, but I think they worked OK. I also added wobbly eyes. I then die cut a 3 twice, and attached it to the cake. 

Next the background was blended on the cut layer and I corner punch to round the top corners. The sentiment was stamped on the bottom. Then all the images and number were added. 

Ostriches and dies - My Favourite Things, Oh My Gostrich

cakes and sentiment stamps - gift from SiL, no name on stamps

 fineliner pens- B&M Store 

feathers - The Range

Garden and new windows

Hi Everyone, just a quickie from me at the end of another busy day. We have had new windows fitted, which meant every room upended, we've started painting the house, at least hubby has had his hands full, with me doing as much as I can. The kitchen is nice and fresh again.

Next is my craft room, BUT it means a good clear out before I begin, not only that, but the room is being reorganised with new placement of my desk and computer. At the moment I can only use my computer for part of the day, and it's going to get worse in the coming week or two.

Not only that, but we have to have a builder to renew a lintel, we don't know if he will have problems and the room will have walls down, even the window undone after it's new installation. The lintel was found rotten by the window installers. Things all happen at once, don't they? It's the flat window lintel that has to be replaced.

This is my way of apologising for no comments, I've managed to do my DT work, but even that has been difficult. I'll do as much as I can to keep in touch with you all.

Anyhow, I promised you photos of our garden, which were taken last week. The lawn is brown due to no rain, I can't believe I just said that! I’m in Wales famous for its rainfall. hahaha. We did have some overnight, but certainly not enough. However, I'm loving the dry weather and the sun. It's supposed to be raining over the weekend, so perhaps the lawn will look green again?

2 foxgloves that have self seeded, such beautiful flowers.

I couldn't get all the garden in, but it's most of it

 

 

this is the left side of the garden

 

 

this is the top left, with the potatoes and runner beans coming on well

Mid month Four Legged Friends WLSC

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme chosen by Pinky of  

Four Legged Friends

  

 

 A fun card today, based on a sketch, a change for me. I stamped the goat and the sentiment, coloured it with DI's, cut it out and inked around the edge of the goat and the card. I went looking for some paper to match, I should have chosen the paper first, but I was lucky to find some in my stash. It was cut it out, and then went looking in my Silhouette files for a border and found this one, that I cut down to fit. I cut it out of matching plainish paper, it's got little dots in it. They were all attached to the base card matching the sketch. Then I decided to add 3D gloss to the horns and eyes. A quick and quite simple card. 

sketch - Bugaboo 2015

  

stamp and sentiment - Art Impressions, Old Goat set

inks - Distress Inks, lots

paper - Craft Sensations, Happy Colours

3D gloss - Nuvo Crystal Glaze

border SVG - ZigZag ruffle border ID#11382
Loni Stevens, Silhouette Design Store

 

I hope you'll join us with your 4 legged friends. Beautiful Lavinia stamps are offered for the Winners.

 

Two prizes of Lavinia Stamps and stencil (photos not to scale). Please note, we (Lavinia) cannot provide exchanges/replacements/refunds for any products received through this third-party giveaway.

  

Lawn Mower or Robot

 

Hi Everyone, a card I forgot to post. Hubby had his 82nd birthday in April and this is what I made for him. We have a large lawn, and it's getting too much for him, although as stubborn as he is, he will insist on doing it himself. I have this image in my files and thought it on topic, as we have been talking about the lawn and his fitness to do it.

All the details in this card are old! The image is from Birds Cards, I took it into my Silhouette with the grass and the sentiment and cut them out. I coloured the mower image in markers. 

I went looking in my files for sky papers and came across this from Crafters Companion magazine downloads in 2017, again, I found the grass from Photoshop Creative files 2014, the cut grass in front of the mower is by Birds Cards 2010.

They were all put together onto a 5 x 14 inch card. Hubby appreciated the joke.

 

 

this is the insert

Under The Sea TMR

Hi Everyone, my card today is for 

I've gone overboard, literally with my card today, so many items on it, not like me at all, but I had to do it!

Anyhow, I started with embossing the shell images, then I decided to colour it, back it went into the ef after I added ink to the plain side. I then thought of sand, so blended some sand colour around the centre.  It was then I had a look at my dies and found the perfect ones, rather than use one or two, I used the lot. They were coloured with DI's. Next I looked through my paper pads and found one that looked like it was under the sea, I used that as the background. 

 I added all the die shapes, putting some at the back of the embossing folder. They were then added to the "sea" layer and all added to the base card. I couldn't find my stamp sea sentiments, why do they disappear like that? I did have some digital sea sayings, but they wouldn't fit into the space, so I added a digital birthday sentiment, printed and layered 3 times and 3D'd onto the card. A busy card, but as I said, for some reason I had to.

embossing folder - Creative Craft Products, magazine freebie

ef ink - Distress Oxide uncharted mariner 

dies - I think they are Cut & Make, no packing

die inks - Distress Inks, lots of colours

birthday sentiment - Crafters Companion, mag freebie  

 

 

I hope to see you at The Male Room, great inspiration for those men out there, if you're having trouble making a card for them. 

Four Legged Friends WLSC

Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for We Love Stamping. This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme chosen by Pinky of  

Four Legged Friends

  

 A wonderful theme, don't you think? I had to go with bears, as I love this stamp, it's for a friend who loves her washing on the line, blowing in the wind, as I do. Anyhow, I stamped the image and coloured it with DI's, I then cut a "sun" with a flower die twice, it was too big, so I cut each ray, then coloured it with DI's. Next, I die cut the word out of yellow card. 

The image was added to the same yellow card and added to the card base. Then with the sun, and the bears eyes and noses, each was glossed.  When dried, they were added with the stamped and layered sentiment onto the card. 

stamp - Stampendous Laundry Line, House Mouse

inks - Distress Inks list with photo below 

sun die - Craft Making Magic 5 x 7 card & box die set

sunshine die - Crafters Companion

yellow card - Lidl

sentiment Crafters Companion

there were too many colours to write, so took a photo instead.

 

 

this shows the shine with the gloss

 

 I hope to see you at our challenge, where there are wonderful prizes, which are -

Two prizes of Lavinia Stamps and stencil (photos not to scale). Please note, we (Lavinia) cannot provide exchanges/replacements/refunds for any products received through this third-party giveaway.

 

 

  

 

 

 I'm entering this card into

House Mouse Challenge ATG or add a ribbon - ATG

Cut it Up Challenge #329. Have to use a diecut (sun and sentiment)