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18 June 2025

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

04 June 2025

Fun Folds TMR

 Hi Everyone, my post today is for 

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. 

01 June 2025

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

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

23 May 2025

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

18 May 2025

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.

  

11 May 2025

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

07 May 2025

Under The Sea TMR

Hi Everyone, my card today is for 
The Male Room

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. 

04 May 2025

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)


01 May 2025

Bunny popped up CCC

 

    Hi Everyone, my DT card today is for -

Critter Crazy

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

As I said in my previous CCC post, I am trying to use digi images I haven't used, this is another, OK, another bunny, but he is cute isn't he? 

I first took him into Silhouette and split the image to cut the base layer, paws, and the head layer separately.  I then looked for a pretty floral Spring paper and found this one in my files. Next, the sentiment was added onto the white card to match the pretty pink of his ears and the paper. 

He was printed out, with the white layer that I had added a sentiment. Both were then cut with Silhouette. I then printed the pretty floral paper and cut it to layer the white piece. 

It all looked too plain, so I added a few die cut flowers and coloured them in markers. Of course a glaze had to be added to his nose and eyes.

rabbit topper - Miescueladivertida blogspot 2016
floral paper -  Papercraft Essentials Magazine, Floral shaker papers 2021
flower die - Tattered Lace
markers - Spectrum Noir
sentiment font - Fressia
3D glaze - Nuvo Crystal Glaze 
 
 
I'm entering the CD Sunday Challenge 157 
 
Where I was amongst the Top Three, thrilled to bits. Thank you.

24 April 2025

Relax birthday

 Hi Everyone, a card for a nieces husband, I was stumped as to what to make, I saw a card on the web, loved the idea of the sentiment, so I cased it. I went through my files to see what I could find and found this chair. It was a digital stamp already coloured black, but I changed it to blue as I had found a paper pad that could be used for it. I printed out the chair and die cut it, I printed the sentiment and die cut that, then die cut the paper. I added blue Oxide ink to the edges of the white pieces of card, then added all of them to the base card. I kept it flat for overseas post.

chair - Marisa Lerin, Pine Tree Stamps 2024
blue pad - Craft Sensations, Marble 
dies - Sue Wilson Square noble dies
ink - Distress Oxide
 
this is the insert
the verse is my own
balloons - Marisa Lerin Make a Wish 2021