Mixed Up Saturday

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies,

What are you all up to this weekend?  The weather is forecast to be pleasant which is a bonus.  We have the village Fête today,  tomorrow we have to make sure that every single Electric Socket is accessible as the electrician is coming Monday to check every one to make sure its wired correctly as there is something wrong on one if the ring mains apparently,  oh and all of our smoke detectors are years out of date, so he is replacing those (at long last).  Other than that there is the usual gardening jobs.  We haven't had any of the village plant sales this year, which we have really missed for picking up bargain bedding plants and herbs etc, apparently the bad weather at the start of the year meant that the plants didn't grow, I don't remember the weather being that bad but I guess it must have been.  We did buy some geraniums from Aldi last year and they were lovely. 

The photos above are from are trip to London, I really wanted a photograph of the Mall with all of the flags , so Paul dodged the traffic to get the shot!  The second photo is of our Creme Brulee Crepes from Boolay in the Seven Dials Market by Covent garden,  oh my they were so delicious 😋!  I will be making that a tradition! 

Diecutting Essentials Issue 103

Issue 103 of Diecutting Essentials has 'Fruity' themed free gifts this month, the dies are Strawberry plants, the leaves, flowers & fruit.  The bonus stamp set is very 'Berry ' themed too. 

This first feature focuses on using your dies  the cards are all very sweet but not my cup of tea to be honest.  The free papers are pretty and the dotty and gingham papers could be used for any themed card.  There are some fun techniques too.

Technique Showcase:  This month the technique is all about making your sentiments stand out more by Ombre shading the background, the cards all look really effective and would make great cards for men & boys of all age.

 Back to Basics:  Die-cut Gatefold cards, you can use any die that has a shaped outline.  I love both of these inspiration cards.  These would be perfect for this weeks Challenge too. 

Expert Guide:  This months expert guide focuses on Wax Resist.   I must say that I absolutely love some of these backgrounds , the 'Wax Resist' was created using a White Oil Pastel crayon.  I'm sure there are other things you could use if you didn't have a White Oil Pastel,  however these backgrounds are that nice it might be worth investing in one.  I looked on Amazon and you can buy just white back and split the cost or mixed colours go for about £7.  I don't mind buying the all white pack and sharing them.

Sandra Rayner has used the dies to make so many lovely Strawberry themed creations, perfect for a summer picnic, she has a very creative mind.

Jessica has used the dies to make some absolutely gorgeous cards, some of those strawberries look so deliscious 😋,  especially that basket of strawberries! 

Skills Booster:  Get your circle dies out!!  Look at the variety of projects Maria has created,  again some of them are perfect for our Fancy Fold challenge.  

This is how to make those rolled roses!  

Now I know you are going to be disappointed but I didn't include the feature : "A day in the life of Stephanie Weightman", I thought that it might just be the thing thst made you go and buy the issue, so I didn’t want to spoil it for you 😉😜🤣😂

That's it for this review, if you like strawberries then you'll love this issue. 

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, 

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra

xxxxxx