Squidgies, and facebook challenge

 

 

 

Good morning everybody, I hope you are having a lovely weekend

We’ve been enjoying some glorious weather the last couple of weeks and it’s been nice to get out in the garden. I hope it hasn’t peaked too early though, this has happened before and then we don’t get any Summer so you have to make the most of it!

My neck is finally feeling a bit better so I’ve been doing some crafting although I still can’t spend long colouring, I get engrossed and end up looking down for too long!

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I have 2 cards to share today, the first is another of the new stamps from Lili of the Valley which will be released on the 20th so not long to wait

There are some really adorable images and this one is called Ballet Shoes…

 

 

I used NitWits papers from the ‘Romance and Roses collection, the heart embossing folder is Sue Wilson (it’s my new favourite!)

The border die is Tattered Lace, the leaves are Noor design and the sentiment is Lili of the Valley

It’s a long time since I’ve put flowers on a card but this little girl is so pretty they are perfect with her; you can get the flowers as well as lots of other gorgeousness from the Ribbon Girl 

 

A final call for the May Facebook challenge as it closes tonight so just time to sneak in if you’re quick, the theme is ‘Happy Birthday’ so a nice easy one

There are some great prizes as always, you can enter and see all the details on the Facebook Page here

 

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My second card is using one of my favourite stamps from Stamping Bella; these Squidgie characters are adorable and this one is Huggy Squidgies…

 

 

The background was stamped Halftone Circles by Altenew which also includes some great sentiments and matching dies. I cut the ‘thanks’ 3 times in card and layered them together to create a dimensional embellishment

I used Pastel Dreams papers from NitWits, Spellbinders labels one with matching decorative elements, and the cute button flowers are Crafter’s Companion

I can’t wait for the latest designs from Stamping Bella and Kitty will have them in soon at My Mum’s Craft shop so keep an eye on the website

Now I’m looking at this I don’t like the heavy strip across the middle so I think I’ll be changing it. I always lay my cards out before I stick them and then inevitabley change my mind about something the minute I’ve glued it!

 

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Thanks so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave me a comment, I love to read them

Enjoy your Sunday crafters

 

 

Four Legged Friends and new LOTV

 

 

Good afternoon crafty friends

Sorry for being MIA for a while, I’d actually got myself into a nice regular posting routine this year so far. I stupidly went and got a stool that was too high so after I’d sat at my desk for a few hours I felt like I was back to square one with my neck. Luckily it seemed to correct itself which tells me that the treatment I’m having is working

I’ve been busy too, if you’ve been coming here a while you’ll know that my craft room is in the attic. Since I left work I feel guilty going up there and leaving Manny downstairs because he wants to be with me all the time. I did consider making a craft room in the conservatory but changed my mind about that. So, now Jess has moved out I’ve compromised and put a desk and some units in her room and I’ve moved some of my paper crafting things into there

It’s taken a few weeks and a lot of trial and error, you can guarantee whatever I needed it was left in the attic but I didn’t want to end up bringing everything down. There is still a lot of stuff up there (I’ve got 25 years worth of stash!) but I think I’m winning now, I’m going to use my desk in the attic for messy stuff and painting and I still have a table up there for sewing

Manny is happy with the new arrangement, he just sleeps on the bed behind me while I’m making cards. I’ll take a few pictures sometime but not yet because the attic is like a bombsite, moving things around has inevitably led to a big sort out which is very much a work in progress at the moment!

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I have 2 quite simple cards to share today…

Kitty has the cutest new stamps from My Favourite Things at My Mum’s Craft Shop… 

 

 

The set is called Four Legged Friends and is also available with an optional die set too, they are adorable

I used the Crate Paper ‘Heart Day’ papers which I’ve been using a lot recently, it’s a really useful pad

The die is Die-namics Stitched Interactive Window Trio and the banner is my new favourite because it cuts the outer frame too, I find these so hard to cut straight! Those are also by Die-namics and it’s Fishtail Flag Frames, you get 3 sizes in the pack each cutting an inner and a frame

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My second card is one of the new images from Lili of the Valley which are due to be released on the 20th…

 

I did some paper piecing on this for a change, the image is called Warming Up and the dies are all Sue Wilson

The papers are from the Country Meadow collection at NitWits

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Hope you like them, I’ll try and have a catch up on all your blogs over the weekend. Hopefully this lovely weather we’ve been having will stick around for a few more days

Have a great weekend everyone

 

 

Paper Nest Dolls…

 

 

Good afternoon lovely crafty friends, Friday again can you believe it? these weeks certainly do pass quickly

Rolo came into our house like a whirlwind and left a trail of devastation. He is such a cute little thing but blimey is it hard work, he is into everything! Manny has always been so good and eager to please even as a puppy so I’m never quite prepared when the little terror comes to stay. I could fair see Manny today thinking “thank goodness he’s gone!” He was at my Mum’s for most of the week as I told you but he’s getting old now and one day racing round was enough for him

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I have something new to share today (new to me anyway) These adorable images are Paper Nest Dolls stamps and they are exclusively available in the UK from My Mum’s Craft Shop

I used Rainy Day Emma for this first card, very sweet image and I found it easy to colour which is a bonus at the moment with my bad neck…

 

 

The sentiment is one of the stamps from the Altenew Label Love set which I’ve been using a lot recently, in fact it never leaves my desk

I used some glossy accents on the puddle and for the rain although you can’t really see it well on the picture – I love that frog!

These pretty papers are from a Tonic pad and I used my favourite memory Box clouds put through a dotty embossing folder for a bit of texture

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This second one is Hugs & Kisses Emma…

 

…and this image goes perfectly with the Crate Paper ‘Heart Day’ papers. The sentiment is from the pad too

I just noticed that I forgot to colour the string on her bunting – oops!

Take a look at the other designs in the range, and don’t forget if you are in the UK you can’t get them anywhere else at the moment

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I’ll be round having a blog catch up over the next couple of days and see what you’ve all been up to

Have a fantastic weekend everyone

 

 

 

 

Creative Girls…

 

 

Good morning crafters, hope you are all well and that you’ve had a nice week

I can’t wait for the weekend because I’m going on a workshop with the fabulous Kassa Hayselden. I’m still new to Mixed Media and Kassa does the most amazing things with paint and colour so I’m a bit nervous in case I get in a muddle but I can’t wait to learn the techniques she uses

This is what we’re making on Saturday…

and this is Sunday’s project….

 

how exciting, I’ll be sure to fill you in next week!!

 

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Meanwhile back to cards and I have a couple to share using a new Stamping Bella Creative Girls stamp called Until Olive

 

 

I love these images, they’re just a bit different and perfect for those hard teens who have grown out of cute

This was the first version using one of the included sentiments and a printed greeting …

 

 

Then I changed my mind and added another printed circle to personalise it…

 

 

The scrummy papers are from a Carta Bella pad called Flora and I coloured the image with Copics to match

I finished it with some die cut clouds and hearts

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You can get everything from My Mum’s Craft Shop. There are new arrivals coming in all the time so be sure to have a browse through the latest releases. If anything is out of stock just drop Kitty an email and she’d be happy to add it to the next order for you

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That’s it from me, wish me luck on my Mixed Media adventure!

…and have a lovely weekend everyone

 

My Birthday, and Stamping Bella…

 

 

 

Good evening everyone, a quick post from me while I’m watching (and enjoying) Broadchurch

It’s my Birthday today so Keith took the day off and we went to the seaside with Manny. It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely walk on the beach then a meal on the way home

 

 

 

 

We usually go to the East Coast but this is Redcar which is North East and a bit further up. It’s about an hour and a half drive for us but I’d love to live nearer the Coast. Manny doesn’t run much now with his poorly legs but he loves going to the beach so we take him a couple of time a year. He races about and burrows in the sand and chases waves. He’ll be limping tomorrow but I’m sure he’d say it was worth it he had such a lovely time

 

Last night we went to the restaurant where Joe works and he treated us to a meal…  and he’d had a special dessert made for me. It was a lovely surprise, he never pays for anything!

 

 

Tomorrow Jess is coming for tea with her boyfriend and my Mum is coming too so all in all I’ve had a great Birthday

 

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My card today is for My Mum’s Craft Shop and I’ve used a stamp from one of my favourite companies Stamping Bella. I adore their ‘Tiny Townies’ and don’t use them nearly enough. They have some new ‘Squidgies’ and ‘Creative Girls’ which are a bit different and they just came into stock - I can’t wait to get them!

This is one of the closeups range called ‘In Love’…

 

 

I made an absolute pigs ear of colouring his hair, I’ve always struggled with hair and the more I tried to correct it the worse it got. I was trying to add strokes with a fine nib but it was so saturated it was just soaking in. Stupidly I did that bit last otherwise I would have redone it all…  just don’t look too closely at that section!

The papers are from a pad called ‘Heart Day’ by Crate Paper which is lovely. The heart border is Memory Box and I printed the sentiment

 

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You can click on the product names to take you to them on the My Mum’s Craft Shop website, there are lots of new arrivals and there is some great stuff. If you want an item that is out of stock just email and Kitty is happy to add it to her next order for you

 

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Thanks so much for all your comments, I love to read them and will return the visit

 

Have a lovely week everyone

 

Bonding Time…

 

 

Good morning crafty friends, thanks for stopping by

Friday again already, can you believe it! We have had a few nice days this week so hopefully Spring is on the way. My neck is improving I think but it is slow (and expensive) progress. I’m itching to get out in the garden and do some tidying up but can’t at the moment so it will have to wait

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I have news, I’ve joined Kitty and the DT over at My Mum’s Craft Shop. I’ve known Kitty for many years from when she was on the Lili of the Valley DT and she sells some fabulous goodies in her online store

I’ve been stamping for over 20 years and have seen so many new products come and go in all those years that it has to be something very special to get me excited. As soon as I saw the Dreamerland Crafts stamp range I loved them all, they are so cute!

I’ve chosen one called ‘Bonding Time’ for my first make and I think you’ll be seeing more of these from me. The characters are adorable, they are just a bit different from everything else that’s around which is quite an achievement at the moment in the saturated stamp market

 

 

As you know I’m a huge fan of patterned papers – the prettier the better! These are from a Carta Bella pad called ‘Flora’. There are always a couple of sheets that you’re not so keen on in the collections so I love that these are double sided and I’ll be using every single one, they are really lovely

The sentiment is also from the pad which is very handy, I just added the paw print with a Memory Box die

I also used Lil’ Inkers sun, Memory Box puffy clouds and Joy Crafts grass dies

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Do have a peek at My Mum’s Craft shop, the Spring stock from all your favourite brands just arrived and there is also a blog here with loads of inspiration for using the products from the team

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That’s it from me, thanks so much for all your lovely comments

Have a great weekend everyone