Your Sketch Challenge cards

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies,  

I hope that you all had an enjoyable day in the sun yesterday, Paul got busy in the garden, mowing the lawn and chipping up some big branches that he pruned.  I stayed out of the sun on the deck, I spent the afternoon repotting some very neglected house plants, how they survived is anyone's guess,  you watch now that they all have new pots and fresh soil they will probably curl up and die!!  Our Aloe Vera plant I ended up splitting into 5, Peace Lily into 3 and the Kalanchoe or 'Neverdie' plant had got really leggy so I have taken lots of cuttings and fingers crossed we'll get some new babies. 

Not sure what's planned for today,  hopefully it involves relaxing 🤣!  What are you all up to today?

Your Sketch Challenge cards 

Karen

Karen's Description:

Here’s a challenge card I hope it’s not too far from the diagram.

An old Woodware stamp with a Clarity patterned paper and the sentiment is from a magazine 

Karen wasn't happy with the original version of this card as it had a smudge, so it was bound for the bin!.......

But then Karen had a brainwave and rescued it !.....

I rescued the card out of the bin and used a couple of white “spotlights” that I rescued from a previous stamping where I’d tried to do the mask technique.

I am so pleased that it got a second chance Karen,  what made you think of going for spotlight to rescue it?  Absolutely genius idea,  one that we could all use, so worth remembering 💡 

Thank you so much for taking part in this weeks challenge XXX 

Maria

Maria's Description:

2 cards for Sunday.

Thought it was time to start slowly on the Xmas cards too 🤭

Maria you are so right, I did one last week,  there are 25 weeks until Christmas or 179 days !!                I don't make nearly as many as I used to but still like a special one for you my lovely friends. 😍 

I love both of your cards,  the floral one with the little bird is so pretty.  

I love that adorable gnome/ santa, that sentiment is lovely too. 

Thank you so much for taking part my lovely XXX 

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I hope that you all have an enjoyable Sunday, 

Love & hugs to all of you,

Sandra 

xxxxxx 

Mixed up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies,

I am looking forward to a day of doing nothing today, nowhere to go, no prodding and poking or examining, which sounds like heaven!

I am delighted to update you that I had a whole night sleep, no getting to loo 4 or 5 times a night.  I am just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it wasn't a fluke or coincidence that I didn't have to get up, I was so exhausted to the point that Paul had to wake me at midnight to take my tablets!  Let's hope it lasts, the lovely lady did tell me to 'manage my expectations'!  I will keep you updated 😊 

Sue

Sue has kindly shared this cute card that she made for a family friend .......

Sue's Description:

This is for a dear friend who is a retired vicar. She has a great sense of humour and Chris was teasing her one day saying that she looked like a penguin in her vestments and ever since she has been known as Pengie.

Those penguins are so cute and the camera film die cuts are the perfect background for them, it looks as though the penguin is posing for the camera! 🤣   I bet it bought a smile to your friends face, I mean how could you not smile at such cuteness! 

Thanks so much for sharing your card with us Sue,  I have saved your other card for Mondsy as its an 'Aperture' card and perfect for the challenge.

A little look at our garden.....

These are at the front of the house, the geraniums in the pots have survived from last years pots, I put them to bed in the greenhouse in October hoping they would last and I was delighted when I saw  new leaves appearing,  geraniums remind me of my Nana,  both the look and the smell,  she had them indoors and out.                                                               The pretty daisy flower in the centre pot is a plant called 'Erigoron' we saw them at Burford garden centre (which is priced for the rich and famous 🤣🙄) they had them in all of the planters at the front of the garden centre, so I googled to find out what they were,  they look like something you would see in sand dunes on the coast, the are good ground cover plants, so I ordered some more for the rocky borders. 

How perfect is my first Dahlia?  Omg I absolutely love it, it is just so beautiful,  it amazes me how these stunning flowers come to be, it looks like it has been meticulously designed, the colour is divine too, I bought 6 bulbs or tubers that all colour coordinate but the others aren't near blooming yet, I am patiently waiting, my first place to visit in the,  morning is to see if they have bloomed. 

This is another new venture this year,inspired by Lyn next door,  they are climbing petunias, I had to order them online, I really had to search too, these are a beautiful pink, they need support from the very bottom though as the don't put out the little tendrils that climbers usually have, I have them in that big tub centre back in first photo too with my sweet peas, I can't wait to see them established.  

This beautiful rambling rose is called 'The Fairy' I believe,  it has thousands of little roses all over it, it was still flowering when we moved in last September too. 

This beautifully fragranced rose grows up the front of the deck. It like all the roses needed some 'tlc' when we moved in as the previous people weren't interested in the garden at all. 

These are all the roses in the large stoney border on the left hand side as you look up at the house from the garden,  there are 6 different roses, some of which have the most incredible fragrance. The large pink rose is enormous almost size of a dinner plate!  

In the last picture is a plant that has only just flowered it's called American Cranesbill or Geranium Psilostemon. Such a lovely surprise, it definitely pats to wait a year in a new garden to see what appears!  

Thank you for walking in the garden with me xx

I hope that you all have a lovely day,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra xxxxxx 

New Challenge

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

Grab a brew, it's a long one....

Well I know I say it most weeks but goodness me this week has flown,  it's been a busy week, Paul has been in the office for most of if, then I have  had appointments to think about,  today is no exception,  Soph & I are at Opticians this morning then Paul will take me Gloucester Hospital for my Liver Fibrosis Scan, its at 3.45pm. I cannot eat or drink for 3 hours before the scan,  so I will definitely be taking a packed lunch for straight after the scan, it's more the  not being able to drink that's a challenge as I have was advised to drink at least 2 litres of water a day by my Consultant Urologist.  I think I am most apprehensive about this scan as I know that there is a problem with my liver, both from previous scans and blood test results, had the new GP had the sense to check back through my blood test results for the past few years it would probably have gone on longer,  she was shocked that I had never been referred for a FIB4 Liver scan given the blood test results had consistently been a good bit above the highest level for last 3 years at least.  Lets hope that whatever the findings are its something that can be treated. 

My bladder treatment went ok after a minor hiccup regarding level of blood in my urine, I explained that every sample I have had tested has had blood in it due to the inflammation and my bladder was really inflamed through Wednesday night, although I'm not sure why.  Anyway after consulting a Dr it eventually went ahead, the procedure itself isn't too bad  they insert a catheter and have a syringe filled wire the 'cocktail' that they slowly put in,  I then had to 'hold onto'  the medication for up to 3 hours if possible,  which I expected would be tricky but it really wasn't,  I  am hoping and praying that it was down to the effect of the medication,  wouldn't it be fantastic if it had an effect straight away?!  It was an odd sensation having the feeling of a full bladder but no feeling of needing to 'go' !! 

I have the treatment weekly for 4 weeks them fortnightly fot a couple more and then it goes to Monthly right up to Christmas, then I will have a meeting with Consultant to check progress, if necessary it can just be continuous until no symptoms remain. 

Its basically a cocktail of drugs, one of which is Hyaluronic Acid, they work together to recreate the protective lining of the  bladder, this coating called 'Glycosamimoglycan', mine will have been eroded away by the many UTi's I have had over the last years, which leaves the bladder totally unprotected  from the very acidic urine it holds.  It was fascinating learning about it yesterday.  The treatment is called  iAluRil'

Our Next Challenge 

I really felt like I needed a change of challenge topic, so I looked at July 2020 and it the first challenge I saw was aperture cards!  

I want to simplify it though so our Challenge will be  'Aperture & Faux Aperture' cards.

This means you can choose whether to actually cut an aperture in your card OR give the 'effect' of an aperture like some of the cards above.  Even a background die that cuts into the card front will count. ( I have a few of these that I haven't used in ages). 

I hope you enjoy this challenge,  its certainly one that we haven’t done in along time. 

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I hope that you all enjoy this last weekend of June,

Love & Hugs to all, 

Sandra

xxxxxx

Pretty Pink Dahlia

 

Good Morning Ladies,

Well today I start the long awaited Bladder Instillation treatment, I have to say I am very apprehensive about it, I know that the Cystoscopy made my bladder flare up quite badly,  so I am expecting this to do the same.  Although the liquid the put in your bladder contains Lidocaine which is numbing I believe so maybe that will help.  This treatment runs for 3 months I believe,  starting weekly, then fortnightly and then monthly.  I am at the point that I would try pretty much anything!  So fingers crossed 🤞 it works xx

I made todays card yesterday, it was so warm in my craft room that I just wanted to do something quick  to put together. 

I started with a white card base, then a mat of Berry Burst card, I then embossed a piece of card to give the white background some interest, the main focus if the card is the pretty dahlia,  I stamped the background colour Berry Burst, allowed that  to dry and then stamped the detail layer in Versamark ink and added White embossing powder and heat set.  I gives a more subtle effect than adding the detail layer in a darker shade.  

To finish the card I stamped the sentiment in matching ink and cut with a flag tail label die, I added foam pads and popped a matching bow at the end. 

I hope that you all have a cooler and more comfortable day,

Love & Hugs to all,

Sandra xxx

A lovely card from Our Janet

 

Good Wednesday Morning Ladies, 

Oh what I'd give to be beside the seaside right now, just for the breeze!  Lucy and I popped into Witney yesterday afternoon for a spot of lunch and to get a few bits of shopping, the atmosphere in town centre was lovely with everyone sitting outside cafés enjoying the sun.  We opted to have our lunch inside in the cool air conditioned air. 

I received this lovely card from our Janet yesterday with a little catch up note inside,  it was so lovely to hear from you Janet, I'm so pleased that you made it to Knit & Natter and that you have been out on your scooter.  Your confidence will grow each time you go out on it, I hope you come to enjoy the freedom it gives you.  Thank you so much for the absolutely gorgeous card my lovely XXX

I hope that you all manage to stay cool and enjoy the sunshine,

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx 

My first card for the new sketch

 

Good Morning my lovelies, 

I am sat here with fingers crossed that today isn't as humid as yesterday,  I had a shower to try and cool of yesterday and was hot & sticky again within minutes!  

Today's card is my first attempt at the new sketch,  thankfully this one is a lot easier to work with, you have a lot more options, quite a simple layout too, I used some of my very old My Mind’s Eye papers, inspired by Sonia using some the other day,  I think we all need a memory boost to get us to use the stash we have hidden in cupboards!  

I hope that you all have a good day, 

Love & Hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx

A Brilliant card by Karen

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies

I hope that you all had a lovely relaxed weekend, we were  blessed with some decent weather, yesterday was warm despite it being a cloudy day,   we really didn't do anything much other than pot up the last oc the bedding plants and then decided where to place all the pots.  

Today's absolutely brilliant card is one of our Karen's Serif creations.....

Karen's Description:

Alan had a card exactly like this for his birthday I thought it was brilliant So I have literally copied it using a Serif background I have saved it to refer back to.

The texture of that background is incredible,  it looks like fabric, the colour is perfect too, being a dark shade really makes those white letters pop! 

This would be perfect for the awkward birthdays like teenage boys, men, my girls would find it funny too in fact Lucy's father's day card was similar in style....

Thanks so much for allowing me to share your fantastic card idea Karen, it is brilliant! xxx

I hope that you all have a great start to your week,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra xxx 

 

Your Sketch Challenge cards

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

Your TicTacToe Challenge cards 

Sonia

Sonia's Description:

Good luck card for James when he starts his new job.

I used My Mind’s Eye papers. The sentiment is from Stampin Up.

Lovely card for James, the sketch worked perfectly for this card.  Those MME papers are lovely, I have quite a few of their 6x6 paper pads, I've had them years,  thankfully they don't seem to date!! 

Thank you so much for supporting this weeks challenge XXX 

Karen

Karen's Description,:

Here’s a challenge card

It’s for my cousin’s wife She is from New Zealand and it’s her birthday next week She has just received her British citizenship.  The papers are from a serif digikit. 

Now you just couldn't buy a card that personalised,  its perfect, I love all the little details, the cupcake looks like its been stitched!  I just know that when she opens your card her face will light up, it will bring a huge smile!  You absolutely nailed it Karen, thank you so much for supporting the challenge XXX

Maria

Maria's Description:

I Thought I would try for a different colour scheme. Have had this book with brown and cream for years  but hardly used it  . Embossed one piece and stamped the other. Used dies for the rest. 

I'm quite happy with it myself and going to put it away now until Glenn's birthday August. 

Oh Wow Maria, your card is Amazing, I absolutely love the colour palette you have used.  Every element works perfectly from the embossed background piece to the feather embellishment.       Thank you so much for taking part in this weeks challenge my lovely XXX 

Lilian 

Lilian's Description: 

Hi, this is my card for this week’s challenge, probably not quite following the sketch, did my best.

Used more of my cut aparts, and my paper from stamping up with some industrial papers. 

Lilian your card is so lovely,  those 'cut aparts' are such a useful addition to your craft stash,  can I ask which company they are from please?? 

I love how you have mixed the soft, delicate floral image against the industrial  background, they compliment each other perfectly! 

Thank you so much for taking part my lovely   I do hope that some of your pain & discomfort eases soon XXX

Sue

Sue has used a selection of papers from her stash for this Christmas card, I do love the music paper and that pretty wide gold ribbon in the background,  a great idea using that as one of the layers. 

Thanks so much Sue for supporting this weeks challenge XXX 

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Thanks once again Ladies, your support means so much ❤️ 

I hope that you all have a lovely Sunday, 

Love & hugs to all,

Sandra xxxx

Sue's

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies, 

First thing today I would like to say to our Lovely friend Gina "You've got this' my lovely 🥰                We are all holding your hand as you navigate this next few months, if you feel lousy and want to moan and complain,  then do just that, there isn't one person in our lovely Blog family that hasn't a trauma or situation that has been made easier by chatting with friends 😘❤

Paul has had an exceptionally busy few weeks, so we are planning to relax out in the garden this weekend rsthet than working in it !! 

Sue has made a lovely Christmas card using our TicTacToe Challenge grid,  it has worked out so well, you must be pleased with it ?!   There are only 27 more Fridays until Christmas so its good to get a head start 🤣😂  I love that you have used Music sheets as a layer,   perfect for the season of Carols.

Thank you so much for taking part Sue and allowing me to show your card today. 

I hope that you all have a great weekend, 

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra xxx

A New Sketch for Next week

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

Phew what a scorcher!!  It's been a while since we have been able to say that 🤣😂.   I must say that as I have aged I find the 24°C a bit too much to deal with unless I am sat on the beach on holiday with the sea breeze taking the edge off the heat.  Also we have Air conditioning on holiday which makes a difference to being able to sleep at night.  We have a fan on in our bedroom but my goodness it dries you out.  The downside of this warmer spell is that we will have to turn the Aga off as it makes the kitchen way too hot. 

I thought I would change the Sketch for this coming week as I found the existing one slightly more complicated to make a variety of cards with.  So I wanted one that you could use with any style of card, using anything from papers to stamps or dies. I enjoyed making the three cards that I did but I would struggle to make many more for next week, so I thought that If I was struggling you would be too.   This design is much simpler and remember you can change the circle to any shape you like. 

I hope that you all enjoy the sunshine, 

Love & hugs to all,

Sandra xxx