Last Christmas cards

Yeoooooo!  That's me done with work now till 4 January 😁. Tackled Tesco's this morning 😁 (it was a madhouse even at 9am!).  Presents are all delivered 😁  Just need to sort my hair out in the morning to hide the greys, a bit of Xmas cleaning, give myself a wee manicure and that's me done and ready!!  

These last 2 cards are for a couple of my neighbours - makes a change not to be sitting making Greg's but Dotty Jo's Christmas Kickstart challenge sorted that a couple of months ago 😉  I've used my MFT doggies for both these..

Layout inspired by MFT sketch#573

As You Like It - favourite sentiment - I much prefer Merry or Happy Christmas over Happy Holidays.  I'd love to get a set of "Merry Christmas" stamps just in different fonts and sizes - most of my Xmas sentiments have never seen ink so they're a bit of a waste of money!

Your Next Stamp #174 - pets

This card has turned out to be one of my favourites!  I love how it almost looks like he's trying to catch those falling sweeties!

Christmas Kickstart #57 - anything Christmas

CAS Colours and Sketches #450 - free voice of sketch - I flipped #402

Tuesday Morning Sketches - annual anything goes

Snowy pup

 Hi all!  I'm still Christmas card making, this one's for the post tomorrow so hopefully it makes it on time!  I'm forever making cards for the MFT sketch and then missing the deadline, so I'm posting this now, though I would have preferred it to have already been mailed. Ah well.  

Not cold enough here yet for snow but the weather forecast this evening said there might be a chance of it on Christmas Day, we'll see.  It will be interesting to watch how Molly reacts, our wee Ruby absolutely ADORED it!

MFT Wednesday sketch #572

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge #418 - Di has her AMAZING Christmas draw on the go - if you haven't already entered all you need to do is make a card with some leftovers (I used some snippets to cut my snowflakes) 

Your Next Stamp #174 - pets

Stamping Sensations December - stamp a theme - I've gone for the easy one of Christmas

Mum's Birthday card

 Hi All!  Well not long now to the Christmas break, thank goodness!  I've had a busy old time recently, haven't shared any cards as I've been mostly making duplicates of stuff I've already blogged.  This one however was a special one for Mum's birthday.  She loves her rose garden so I got this Penny Black stamp a while back and this is its first inking. It took a few evenings to colour but I love how it turned out 😁

In case I'm not back before next week, I wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year xx   

I 100% intend to be a better blogger in 2022 than I have these past 2 years and especially more recently!  Fingers crossed lol

 Time Out #203 - inspiration - my mum's roses inspired this one!

Word Art Wednesday#521/522 - anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - bling it on

Penny black Saturday December anything goes

And what's Miss Molly up to?  Helping tidy up after an afternoon of present wrapping... Or should that be making a bit of a mess.  As usual.  😉

Christmas and more Christmas

 Hi all!  Happy Sunday!  A cold one for us, our car windscreen was already frozen by 5pm.  I was up bright and early this morning to get my booster vaccine at a walk in clinic in town , thankfully it was dry and bright so I didn't mind the wait at all.  My arm is absolutely aching this evening, but I'm glad to get it done in plenty of time for Christmas. 

I'm in full Christmas card production, making several copies of each so I don't have much to share with you.

MFT Christmas stamps are hard to beat and this sELFie set is a nice easy one to colour while watching telly.  My little blue snowflake was cut from a little snip of blue sparkly card that I was using for my next card and found a home on this one.  

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge#417 - it's a Ruby's Memory challenge so I'd love it if you played along - there are two fabulous sets of prizes up for grabs and all you have to do is use a scrap of paper or card to get into the draw

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Christmas

Fab'n Funky #541 - Christmas

More MFT critters on this one.  I think I'll cut an additional sentiment in this blue sparkly card so it matches my snowflakes

As You Like It - favourite Christmas embellishments - mine are these oldie snowflake dies that I think came from Paper Smooches and they make their way onto my Christmas cards every year 

Layout from MFT Wednesday sketch #570

Crafty Calendar December - Christmas

And what's Miss Molly up to? We gave her a bit of a carrot thinking she might eat it.  Ha! It was obviously more fun just to shred it over the entire kitchen floor,  but at least it kept her amused for 10 minutes.  And gave me 10 minutes exercise cleaning it all up 😉

More Christmas cards

 Hi All!  I am so behind in my Christmas cards and running out of time, I reckon I might be buying a pack of cards!! But hey ho, Im not going to stress about it.  So I've a couple of cards this evening using my MFT set which is great for CAS cards...

I added some gloss/glitter to their noses and went over their scarves with my glitter pen so it's nice and sparkly. I would have preferred to have used some white glitter card for my die cuts but think I've used it all up.  

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - anything goes

Time Out #201 - I went with the simplicity theme

CAS on Friday #219 - winter

I might go over the red bits in this, it looks Ike it could be darker now I see the pic.

SKetch Saturday #688

Global Design Project #319 - Christmas

Your Next Stamp #173 - sparkle and shine

I treated myself to yesterday off work and managed to make a good dent in my Christmas pressie shopping, no big bargains round Belfast though!  I was so pleased to make it to the art store and buy a new pencil - I just have to share the size of the little stub I'd been using (thank goodness for pencil extenders!)

And what's Miss Molly up to?  We had school again this morning and learned Lie Down and made a start on leash training - much needed as she's a complete maggot when we go out for a walk! 

Double Christmas

Hi all!  Well we survived our first lesson at puppy school today and Molly was (mostly) a good girl and behaved herself.  Chicken is definitely the answer to everything LOL

I can hardly believe we're heading towards the end of November already, surely it's not a year since last Christmas!!!  My card stash is a bit pathetic so I need to crank up production considerably!  

This first one looks far nicer in real life but just wouldn't photograph properly.  My daylight lamp is stashed out of doggy reach and I was too lazy to go get it!

My bear is from MFT - lots of Sparkle added to the white bits of his scarf, hat and pressie.  I used some leftovers for the horizontal stripes.

LAyout from Your Next Stamp #172

As You Like It - dies or stencils - definitely dies for me, I especially LOVE my square dies, it just makes everything easier to assembly knowing they're all straight! 

Christmas Kickstart #56 - Christmas Snippets - I'm delighted to see that lovely Di from Pixies Crafty Workshop is this month's guest elf! 

Couldn't get a decent pic of this one either 😉. For some reason my sentiment looks rubbish here, you'll have to trust me they're better in real life!!  This is another MFT set, the dog is popped up on foam pads. Just remembered I haven't brushed off the excess glitter so doubtless it's all over the kitchen table now. 

Cut it Up #239 - CASE a Project - this is Andrea's beautiful card that inspired me, hers is a gazillion times better than mine!

What's Miss Molly up to?  Settling down for a snooze with a load of her toys - her ears droop when she's tired, sooooo cute!

A big Birthday

 Hi All!  Well that has been a few weeks of craziness! When Miss Molly is awake it's eyes on her 100% of the time as she doesn't know what to be at next LOL.  It's a bit easier now she's had her jabs and a couple of short walks every day help to tire the naughtiness out of her 😉. We're for Puppy School next weekend so that is sure to be interesting, hopefully we'll not end up in detention!

Meantime I've had zero mojo for card making, but I need to give myself a good boot up the derrière as I've still a load of Christmas cards and others for pressies to make.  And time is ticking on!  This one is for a friend of my Mum's, sorry for the rubbish pic...

I've used my fab die from MFT again, along with this cupcake stamp from Honey Doo Crafts (popped up on foam pads).  I added his age to the cupcake but it's a bit lost here, I think it pops a wee bit better in real life.

Addicted to Stamps #418 - birthday

Creatalicious #222 add some stars

Daisy Chain Challenge #58 Add sparkle (I added gloss/glitter to the icing and sprinkles)

And here's a wee photo of peace and quiet hahaha.  A typical pose with her head hanging out her bed sound asleep! 

Our new addition and Ryan's birthday

 Hi all!  Sorry I've been on the missing list again, I've had a bit of a tummy bug for a while, plus the addition of a new puppy means there's been no time for blogging!  So without further ado, please meet Miss Molly....

She's a 9 week old West Highland White Terrier and full of beans!  It's like having a wee rocket running round the house and then her batteries run out and it's snoozy time for an hour or two!  So she will be keeping us busy for sure!  Any training tips welcome!!! 

In the meantime we've had to totally puppy-proof our house!  I would always have had a box of crafty stuff, packs of card, guillotine etc sitting at my feet in the corner of the kitchen - Ruby would never have looked twice at but Molly would have a fab time trashing, so at the minute everything is everywhere out of reach of a little doggy.   

With all the fun and games my nephew's birthday card was a bit of a quick make!  (Reckon he was more concerned with the contents anyway 😉)  It's not very often I make a card using only dies and no stamping or colouring!

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge- it's a Ruby's Memory challenge and Kathy has donated some lovely Christmas goodies as a prize.  

Cardz 4 Guys #282 - any animal

Word Art Wednesday #513/514 - anything goes

Guest Designing at Christmas Kickstart

 Hi All!  I'm delighted to be guest designer over at Christmas Kickstart, run by my fabulous blogging buddy Jo!  This month's challenge is ...

Hahaha!  Or if you're not lucky enough to have a Greg 😉 you can ...

I know it's traditional for me to be sitting on Christmas Eve doing my usual panic-make for his nibs so it will be nice to look forward to a wee Bailey's and chilling out instead.  I hope you'll play along - Jo always has some nice goodies up for grabs too!  

So for Greg's card I have used this cutie from MFT along with an oldie die from Lil' Inker that I normally struggle to use.  (The black hearts to the side are actually silver)

New Home

 HI All, yes it's me again already, ans it not even 2 weeks since my last post 🤣. I've had a busy evening trying to get these cards finished for my mum's neighbour and trying to get ready for work tomorrow.  I'm back to my workplace in Belfast for the first time since last February so it will all feel very strange!!  

Anyway on to my cards... This first one was a super easy and super quick one.  The sentiment was from a never-used-newly-discovered set that I won such a long time ago, so I'm glad to get one of them inked!

I also used a new bit of kit on this.  i was very lucky to win a challenge over at Allsorts and got a voucher for Stamp Addicts - normally if I win some ££s I like to try something I wouldn't normally buy, so I treated myself to this Perfect Layers thingy.  I don't have a straight eye in my head so i think it's possibly one of the best tools I've ever used! 

AAA cards #200 - celebrate

Sweet Stampers #60 - stripes +/or dots 

CASology #396 - view - I've always fancied going up in a hot air balloon, the view must be lovely though I'm not so good with heights so maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea after all hahaha

And this second card uses an MFT Christmas set I bought aound this time last year; the sentiment is a real oldie, from one of the first LOTV sets I bought.  I stencilled in the grass and clouds bu could have been a bit more generous with my blue ink!

Retro Rubber Challenge #168 - tic-tac-toe - I used green / trees / punch

Floral Sympathies

 Hi All!  Gosh I hadn't realised it's been nearly a fortnight since my last post.  Time is whipping by so fast.  I'm back to my actual workplace for a day this week, it will be so strange!  It will be nice to see some of my workmates but I confess I am feeling a bit anxious about it... I'm not looking forward to my 2 bus journies to get there, nor setting an alarm to make sure I'm up and out the door on time!  It has been too easy just to rock up to work in my PJs 😉

Anyway I've a few sympathy cards to share this evening.  This first one uses an old fave from Taylored Expressions, I hadn't intended to make it so green but I think it turned out OK (??)

I coloured this one yesterday, so sharing it also on the Simon Says Stamp World Card Making Day post

Layout from MfT Wednesday sketch #561

Inspired By #189 - I was inspired by the metal bucket 

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge #413 - here's a wee pic of the tiny scrap cut from the end of my sentiment that was just big enough for those little die cut dots LOL...

My second card uses my old fuschia stamp from Clearly Besotted, coloured with watercolours.  I used to use my watercolour pencils all the time before I got in to my ploychromos and have kinda forgotten how to use them!  I did touch up my shadows with my pencils to darken them a bit.

Allsorts #644 - I lOVE... colouring is most of the fun of card making and I love the effects dies can add to a simple card

AAA Cards #200 - Clean and simple

Smooched roses

 Hi all!  I can't believe how much Autumn has arrived!  The evenings are so dark already and I had my cosy coat on for our walk this evening.  Nice to get home and put the heat on ... though the way prices are on the hike I might soon be putting on an extra sweater instead!!

Anyway I've a wee floral card this evening.  I smooched (?) my background using some watercolours via a piece of acetate and then added some extra splatters.  My roses is an oldie from Clearly Besotted but it rarely gets an inking - I think because I colour each of those little petals individually and there's no joy in it! 

As you like it - round corners or straight edges - I'm definitely a straight edge type girl, but one of these days I'm going to make a circular card and surprise myself ;)

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge #412 - this strip of purple has been knocking round my table for a couple of weeks so it was good to get it used up

Birthday Bear

 Hi all!  Just a quickie post from me tonight ... I've my PJs on, crisps by my side and a cuppa brewing ...ready for the start of Strictly ... That's my Saturday sorted for the next few months 😉

I've a wee Penny Black card this evening - I'm an absolute sucker for a cute stamp so theirs is always a favourite.  Coloured with polychromos and sparkle added to his bauble and the ribbon; sentiment heat embossed

Penny Black Saturday September challenge - anything goes, optional embossing

Layout from CAS on Friday #214

Allsorts #642 - any real creature

Your Next Stamp #168 - Party on

An almost Two-fer!

 Hi all!  I've 2 cards this evening to share, kinda the same but different.  These are for a couple of international volunteers in work whose year with us is up now.  Thus the full Irish colour theme and sparkly shamrocks!!!

Last time I was in the craft shop I bought the wrong cardstock and ended up with this linen effect stuff which is impossible to colour with pencils.  I remembered about my watercolour card for the next card, but ran out of time to do a remake on this one.  My green stitched die cut was a remnant from a previous faffing session but turned out to be perfect for this one 😉

I often use this alpha set from MFT to personalise cards but those R's really annoy me!  I almost abandoned putting Barbara's name on it, but I already had Eva's name on hers so just had to go for it!

Word Art Wednesday #509-510 - anything goes 

Simon Says Stamp Monday- fun with stencils (for the grass and clouds on the first card)

Daisy Chain Challenge#56 - Wildlife

Rainbow Warrior

 HI all!  Sunday evening already, how quickly the weeks whip in.  I can hardly believe how quickly the evenings are darkening, I don't think I'm ready to see them yet!!  We had a good dry weekend so got out to get the weeds tackled before the weather changes, lawn moved and summer baskets emptied, so we're looking nice and tidy at the minute.

Anyway I've a wee fun card this eve, I love to colour this dude from Tracey Hey.  I've popped his head up on foam pads and added some highlights of gloss and glitter.  I've also used some gold lines from my neverending sticker stash and the top coloured panels are from my scraps pile.

 Layout and rainbow theme from Inspired By #186

Time Out#196 - Brave

Pixies Snippets Playground challenge #411 - it's a Ruby's Memory challenge and there's a fab prize up for grabs which is perfect for your Halloween cards.  It's easy to play along, just use up some of your scrap papers and join in the fun! 😃

Simon Says Stamp Monday- Stamp it

Blooming Birthday

 Hi all!  I can't believe it's September already, the summer absolutely flew in.  Mind you this past 18 months have flown too, it's odd when you think back to life pre-Covid and how much things have changed!  You wonder when things will get back to 'normal'!

Anyway, I've a wee quickie this evening.  I confess I've been shopping in an effort to kick start the old mojo, and I'm loving this Bloom set from Reverse Confetti.  I reckon this could become one of my go-to sets for sympathy cards.  I stamped the middle flower twice and glued the centre down and popped little foam pads under the petals to give some dimension.  I had a scrap of purple left over so punched a couple of butterflies and added another couple on the inside.   I like how this turned out 😃

Seize the Birthday #222 - birthday + pastels

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday- stamp it

Through the craftroom door - anything goes

Pixies Snippets Playground #410