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.

05 July 2026

Summertime 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 Anesha

 
 
Wanting to find Summertime in my stamps, meant a search, and I was happy to find this fun image. I stamped it onto linen card and coloured the image with DI's. I then used a stencil to add clouds and coloured more around the water splashes, next was the grass. I wanted to add more, I found these birds, and the sentiments, that came with the image stamp. 
 
I suppose it sounds silly to say "summer is in the air, enjoy the day," but, here in the UK, we usually have a wonderful summer day, then rain the next. At least that was what it was when I made this card. I thought it may be a giggle. 
 
Next I added a stamped flower and found a die sun, I added two layers of it, coloured with slightly different yellows, I also added 3D glaze to it. The image layer was then layered onto summer floral paper to tie in with the colours I used. After it was made I added more white onto the water with Posca pen. 
 
I hope you are having plenty of Summer days, not with the record highs we've had, they were a little too much for us Brits, with the high humidity we have.  
 
image and sentiment stamps -House Mouse, Water Fun
inks - Distress Inks
stencil - Funky Fossil 
bird stamp and sun die - Magazine Freebie SCP Spring Scenes
digital paper -  Magazine freebie SCP Crafters Companion Tropical Summer Papers
 
 
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.
 
 
I'm entering my card into 
 Try it on Tuesday Challenge, I think my mices will fit in the Challenge. 
  

 
 
 
 

01 July 2026

Running Man TMR Hobbies

 Hi Everyone, my DT post today is for 
What a wide subject ay? My card is for running. So many of the family love running for miles and hubby's great nephew is a marathon runner, definitely a huge hobby for him, after his teacher work. So I brought an image out of the dark and made this for him.
 
My mind is certainly in slow motion, so I decided to use a sketch for help, but turned it upside down. I chose this one from the Outlawz, from June 2022, but the file name is Nov.27?  
I went looking for digi papers, and found these, I picked them to make the sketch and colours, no Idea why I chose these colours? 
 
Anyhow, I print and cut them out, and inked around the edge of each with black ink. They were then attached to the base paper, as per the sketch and placed onto the base card.  The runner was printed out and was die cut, then coloured with DI's to match the papers, I decided to colour just him and leave the background as is. 
 
He was placed onto the layered papers with 3D pads and so was the button. I stamped the sneakers and coloured them with the same colours as the runner. It all sounds so simple, but I spent an absolute age on this card. I hope the nephew likes it. 
 
sketch - Outlawz 
Runner image - Create with TLC
inks - Distress Inks
background paper & arrow paper - KimB Designs at Digital Press
foreground paper and stripe strip - luv ewe designs at Gingerscraps
 button - yayeah kit, Two Peas In A Bucket
die - Nested Rectangles Card Making Magic 
sneakers stamp - Magazine Freebie (old) SCP
 
 
What Male hobbies have the men around you got?
Why not enter them into TMR Challenge,
  don't forget to add the badge, it's a requirement our winners and honourable mentions.

Lion King 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 birthday card list and saw I had to make one for our neighbour. He has been an absolute gem for me since my loss, mowing my front lawn and putting out and getting in my rubbish/garbage bins. 
 
I chose this lion as my neighbour is a Leo, I printed a base for him with the title. I stamped him onto the printed title piece and proceeded to colour him with DI's, I also added some sky and grass, now what do I do?
 
I then thought, he's the king of the jungle, so I went and had a search of paper and digi paper to suit with a crown on it, nope, couldn't find any. So into Photoshop and made my own pattern, with an image I had on file. I printed it out, my brain in slow motion, now what, then I remembered I had an cut file with crowns on it. It wasn't enough for me, so I added a Leo sign and word, then attached them to the crown and text. I cut it out twice with red pearlised paper then backed it with a die cut circle of gold card. 
 
I backed the crown paper and the lion, with red card and then placed them onto the base card. Done, what a struggle. I hope he likes it. 
Lion - Stamp Addicts
inks - Distress Inks
crown image - Creative Market
happy birthday crown/text -  Creativefabrica
gold card - stash 
 Silhouette
Photoshop 
 
 
What critter are you going to make? 
I hope to see you in the Challenge. 

18 June 2026

Sports & Hobbies WLSC

 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 Anesha

 
 
As I said in my previous WLSC post, I have just one set of stamps for sports and as I hadn't used some sets, I decided to go with them. However, I have used this set before, here
 
I decided to use kraft card, something I haven't used in an age.  I stamped the dart board, then die cut it, with a larger die cut in black card. I temporally placed them in the centre of the layer card, which had been to cut to add onto the base layer. I haven't a circle stamping platform, so tried to add the darts as evenly as possible, I haven't been too successful, but I don't think the men notice, I hope not. 
 
I then coloured them with markers, fixed the dart board in place, stamped the sentiments from the dart set, then cut them by hand and added them at an angle onto the card. Next I added a red pearlised layer to brighten the card a bit and placed the layers onto the base card.  
  
sport stamps - Creative Stamping Magazine #56
stamps are by Joanna Sheen
markers - Spectrum Noir
red pearlised paper - years old
black card - The Range
 
 
I hope to see your Sport or Hobby cards at We Love Stamping 

We are looking forward to seeing what sports and hobbies you enjoy, or as always theres the anything goes option, we love to see all your entries. Please remember there must be stamping on the front of your entry as well as brief details of the stamps/products used to be eligible.

07 June 2026

Sports & Hobbies WLSC

  Hi Everyone my DT make today is for

We Love Stamping

This month, we would love to see your cards with the theme chosen by Anesha. 

 I have very few sports stamps, in fact just one set, I've had for years. I've not used this set of images, so decided to follow a sketch and case a card that was shown on the back of the stamps package.
I firstly stamped the pins, I was going to write the Happy onto the pins, but I'm a bit shaky of late, so decided to see if my Silhouette could cut, out of card, 5mm x 7mm letters. It did, incredible really, I'm always impressed how good it is. I added them to the pins. 
 
Next I die cut the circle for them and die cut a paper from a pad for the larger circle, with the same colours, that I had decided on. 
 
For the background I stamped the ball over the card and die cut it to fit the base card, it was added to it.
 
Next the circles were glued together, and edged with the ball layer. The pins were added, one sideways, as if it was hit by the ball. I then added a die cut orange piece of card and stamped the birthday on it. Adding the ball. 
 
 sport stamps - Creative Stamping Magazine #56
stamps are by Joanna Sheen
inks - Distress inks
coloured paper - Craft Sensation Happy Colours The Range 
circle dies - Tonic pin dot
orange card die - Card Making Magic 
Silhouette
 
 
I hope to see your Sport or Hobby cards at We Love Stamping

03 June 2026

Charcoal Chuck TMR

 Hi Everyone, my DT card for today is for 

 

So many things I could have done with the subject, but it seems I'm on a run with a Dr Digi images. I love this image and as my Nephew in Law, is a great BBQ King it was made for him, he really does delicious things with the BBQ, so it's perfect for his birthday. 

I started with the background, pretty simple, I stencilled the clouds and grass and cut to size with a die. I then took the image into Silhouette and print and cut him 3 times for depth.  Next was to colour him with DI's. I really am no artist. The stencilled layer was added to the base card and then Chuck was added. I also print and cut the sentiment 3 times, it was a copy of the words I had in my files, that wouldn't fit, and it was layered onto the card. Quite simple, but that's my mind set atm. 

image - Dr Digi, Charcoal Chuck
inks - Distress Inks
Silhouette
stencil - Funky Fossil
die - Sue Wilson Noble square
sentiment copy words - Lettering Delights 
font -  Almond Slices
 
 
What is your outdoor subject?  See you at The Male Room
 
I was thrilled to be Card of the Week at Dr Digi. 

01 June 2026

CCC Bird Day Tweetings

    Hi Everyone, my DT make today is for -

Critter Crazy

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

I had already stamped and coloured a bird, the tree branches and the bird house, a few months ago, but didn't know what to do with them. Then in a panic to get this post done, I decided to use them, but to add another bird, it was pot luck on colouring it to match the first one, but it was OK in the end, I think?
 
I embossed a leaf background from a leaf die, but decided to only colour the flowers in it. I die cut it, as per the sketch I had to use for inspiration. Next I added the tree house and branches and the birds, I didn't have what I wanted in a sentiment stamp, so printed one out and die cut it. 
 
I wanted to add paper, as per the sketch, and found this bird paper in my files a freebie from my subscription magazine, and it even had blue tits on it. I printed it, cut it to size and pasted it onto the base card. Then added the circle design. 
 
The sentiment was added with 3D pads. Thank goodness for sketch inspiration sometimes. 
This is the sketch I used -  
birds and birdhouse - SCP #187 RSBP Magazine Freebie Garden Birds
inks - Distress Inks
embossed die - Tattered Lace (old)
sentiment - computer generated
sentiment die - Card Making Magic, Rectangular Nested Set 
paper - SCP #226 Magazine Freebie
 
 What Critter will you use for the Challenge?

26 May 2026

Food or Drink TMR

Hi Everyone, my DT post today a second card for
 
Food or Drink, now that is a great challenge for me, but I have managed to do two for the challenge this month, I couldn't decide which to do, so did both. Birthday cake is food, isn't it?  
After a lot of thinking, I looked through some sketches and decided on this simple sketch. 
Now for colours, for this I went through my digital papers and this spotty multicolour popped out, I made a banner shape and coloured it in light yellow and added the sentiment. I decided to make the green the main colour, no idea why! I hadn't used watercolour pencils in an age, so decided as the main features were quite small, I would use them. They were all taken into Silhouette and print and cut, the image twice with a 1mm border, as in a die. 
 
The sentiment banner was edged with a DI, so was the spotty paper. They were added to the card. I then decided to add 3D glaze to the image as it looked dull. Then thought to add some stars to make it more celebratory, to which I also added 3D glaze. Card done. Shame you can't see the shine with the glaze.
 
 digital stamp - Dr Digi, Connie Confectionery 
inks - watercolour pencils, Reeves - Distress Ink, twisted citron 
paper -  Just So Scrappy, School Rules paper #3 2011
3D glaze - Nuvo Crystal Glaze
Silhouette
star dies - CraftAddictions UK 
font - The Blue Cabin 
 

What will your Food or Drink be for the Challenge?

25 May 2026

Masters Degree

My great niece has got her Masters in Learning Difficulties, she did it with 3 children in tow and a full time Senior Lecturer job at Cambridge University, a wonderful achievement for her. She has so many awards, she really is amazing. I made a card with a star paper background and a black frame with a girl holding her certificate. Then I forgot to take a photo of it. DUH!

Here is a mock up, I had also added stars to the frame, so mad with myself. I thought she deserved acknowledgement so posted this.

18 May 2026

Birthday Puss WLSC

     Hi Everyone my DT make today is for

We Love Stamping

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

 

A new stamp set to make this card. I saw a sentiment on a card, that I liked, it came with other animal stamps, so off to use the animals and didn't use the sentiment, what am I like? 

Anyhow, I stamped the animals, coloured them with DI's, to match the digital paper I chose, and die cut them to fit the card. Next to find a sketch for inspiration for me to fit it to. I know, I should have started with a sketch. I found one, and played with it. Now I can't find it to let you know which it was. 

I cut the scallop border with my Silhouette. I'm not fussy on fussy cutting! The border was attached to the paper, then die cut to fit the card layer, which I had die cut previously. I stamped the sentiment, then the animal layer was added using 3D pads. 

stamps - Penny Black, Bubbly
sentiment stamp - Magazine freebie, SCP#216 
paper and border - Cherished Mini kit, Wishing Well Creations (2015)
inks - Distress Inks, mustard seed, bundled sage, festive berries,peacock feathers, evergreen bough,squeezed lemonade,tattered rose,shabby shutters  
 
 
 
Our prizes this month are
Three wonderful fun stamps from  

12 May 2026

French Alps Engagement

Hi Everyone, my card today was for our G Nephews' engagement. A shock to everyone including his Fiancé. They have been living together for about 5 years, but when asked when they were getting married, always just looked at each other and smiled. We are all thrilled, it's such happy news. 

They were engaged on holiday in the French Alps, so that's my theme. I went looking for mountains in my files and found this beauty, it was on a background paper, but I isolated and copied the single mountain to use.

Next I looked for snow and decided on this, then what do I do with the French part? I went looking for an image of the French flag on the web, and this heart was amongst them, how lucky was that, of course I had to use it. Then found the blue sky paper as the background.

I took everything into Silhouette and print and cut everything, to size for the 8 x 8 inch card. I cut the heart, then added a layer for the background to the sentiment layer. The mountain was cut with an outline of white, and another outline of silver card to enhance it. The snow layer was next. The fab couple, again in my files, was cut twice from navy card and both layered onto silver card. I used it here too.

I thought it needed something else, so added different size die cut hearts, off cuts from a whole die.  I'm glad to say they loved it, and the fact it was just as it happened, they said. AW!

mountain -  The Hungry jpeg, Indigo woodland pattern paper 2022
snow image - Hugware image, In the meadow 2005
blue sky paper - Hugware, Earthscapes, mountain sky 2005
French Flag heart - Freepik
couple - Freepick, 2016  
Silhouette
die - red Hearts, Tattered lace, years old 

 
this shows the silver outline around the couple and the mountains. 
 
 
 
I came across a challenge I haven't visited in an age and decided to add to it.