Gina's Thank You card

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies,  

Well a bit of a change in the weather for the start of the week,  the difference in temperature was really evident yesterday,  I needed my cardi on in the garden🤣😂

We managed to get all of the Alpines in that we got last weekend,  they look just like the ones we bought last year, a little small and pathetic looking but 1 year on....

So hopefully this time next year we will have lots of ground cover and pretty flowers.  Paul had quite a job as the bank is made up of tons of cotswold stones, you have to move it aside to get to the heavy clay soil, so Paul added lots of compost too. 

Today I am sharing the lovely Thank you card that Our Gina made for Karen.  

Gina used the Waffle Flower Postage die to create the card, adding both stamped images, die cuts and pretty papers to embellish the card. It's a lovely card Gina, thank you so much for allowing me to share it, thank you to Karen for taking the photo too XXX

I hope that you all have a good start to the week, 

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx

Your Colour Cards

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

It's my favourite day of the week,  I absolutely love sharing your cards.😍

We had a fun day yesterday, we were up and out early,  we went to the local  Cricket club to look at their monthly market.   It felt a bit like Castle Eaton at first where it feels like everyone is looking at you as you are the only stranger in the room,  we were asked if we were tourists,  so we explained that we have lived in the village for almost two years. We soon got talking to the lady on the 'Bric a Brac' table,  as I was looking for bud vases for Becca's wedding reception, we then noticed the plant table, where we picked up some Chinese Money plants and some alpines for the garden, only £1 each, luckily the plant table was next the Cake table, there was a lovely Coffee walnut cake that just happened to land in our box!! 😍 I am so dubious about buying handmade cakes at these kind of events, I hope whoever made it had a clean kitchen 🙄🤭

Let's look at your cards....

Karen 

Karen's Description:

Here’s my challenge card for this week

Totally out of my comfort zone with colours- similar to one of those blends on that sheet Was inspired by a photo I took of a card that was on Create & Craft by Janet or Abs.

What an amazing card Karen, I love the colours you have used, that hint of purple in the background really enhances the purple in the butterfly.  

Thank you so much for supporting the challenge Karen XXX 

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

Here is my card for this week.

Background: blend of three colours.

Tattered Rose

Old Paper.  Both oxide distress ink.

Powder pink.   Stamping up.

Next stamped in ground espresso permanent ink, 

Embossed in clear.

Punch three spots to show the colours used.

Oh I love this card Lilian,  the colours you have chosen are so delicate,  you have blended them perfectly too.  That stamp is so versatile isn't it. 

Thank you so much for taking part in the Challenge XXX 

Maria 

Maria's Description:

Hi, it's that time of the week again 😊. Wasn't sure if I made it right but here are two I got together.

I already had this piece of card with green and yellow together. Used an embossing folder to make a frame and then found this little duckling or is it a 🐥 ? Anyway I stamped it on and the sentiment that was with it.

The next one I used more orange and brown hues together. Tim's Dried Marigold, Vintage Photo and a bit of Marmalade 🤭 

Two lovely cards Maria, both have lovely colour ways. I also love the dies you used on your first card.  How adorable is that little duck/chick 😍 

Thank you so much for two beautiful cards my lovely XXX 

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I hope that you all have a lovely Sunday, 

Love & Hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx 

Mixed Up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies,  

I hope that you all get to enjoy some lovely Spring Sunshine today, we have done all shopping so we get the weekend to enjoy the sun and the garden.  I was tempted to plant out some petunias yesterday but luckily before I started Paul told me that he had to scrape ice (albeit thin) off of the car windscreen yesterday morning,  so I'll be sensible and wait a couple of weeks  

Karen

Karen's Description:

I enjoyed doing the pink and lilac monster and so have done a blue/turquoise one 

I have never done two the same monsters before Loved how these turned out

Oh Karen what a gorgeous pair of Monsters 😍, although monsters seems a bit harsh as the are so adorable, I love how you got the pattern to create the swirls on their feet.  Their droopy ears remind me of Dobby from Harry Potter.  Whoever gets to adopt one of these will have a huge smile on their face.  XXX 

Gina 

Our Gina got a great bargain, its clear to see why she was so excited 😊.......

Gina's Description:

You got a good deal there, the wooden display racks would have cost a good bit, you have those great sewing themed dies, some lovely sentiment stamps,  the die cleaner brush and embellishments too, there is no greater feeling than getting a good bargain is there?!  

Thank you for sharing your happy shopping with us XXX

Becca has asked me to go have a Charity shopping day with her next week, we are looking for little bud vases and old/vintage picture frames for her wedding reception,  the bud vases are for the tables, the picture frames are for a feature called "Our Love Story"  she wants photos of my parents, Paul's parents on their wedding day,  Paul's parents too, then the same from Adams family, including Paul and I and Bob & Bev (Adam's Parents), I think this a lovely idea .

Creative Stamping Magazine 

Issue 146 

I wasn't intending to buy another magazine this month but the beautiful stamps on this issue had me reaching for it before I could tell myself I didn't need it!!! 

In this first feature Vanessa shows us how 'Masking' can help you create beautiful bouquets and arrangements.  I love every card in this feature! 

Helen has picked the Birds and Butterflies out of the free stamp set and used them to make some lovely cards.  She also does a little Tutorial on creating a 'mirrored image' so you can have the birds facing each other.

This is a handy little 'Technique Dictionary '  it explains what different stamping terms mean, for example:  Blending,  Brayering to Layered stamping and Second generation stamping.  I'm pretty sure you all know what they all mean but I wish I had something like this back when I first started.

Laura shows us how we can acheive some fun looks by layering our Distress Inks.

You can use both stamps and stencils to create this technique and it works with both Distress Oxides or Distress Inks, or any water reactive ink pads you may have.  You are best using a stamp platform if you are stamping, as you ink up your card first then add water to your stamp and close the platform, allowing the water to react with the ink, you then open the platform and the and see where you have lifted the ink,  you can repeat if you want more lifted,  you then allow your card to dry and then you can ink up your stamp with your second ink choice and stamp it down onto your inked piece.  

You can zoom in on the little Tutorial above if you want to have a go.  

You can use stencils too,  you spritz water through the stencil and use a cloth or kitchen roll to lift the ink.  Then allow to dry and add your second colour through the stencil. 

I am definitely going to have a go at this. 

The cards in this feature are all made using the free downloadable papers that you get with this issue. 

I am definitely going to have a go at this "Trapped-Resist " technique.

You stamp your image, colour it and then use an embossing pen to cover the image in clear embossing ink, then add clear embossing powder and heat set, you can then add a darker colour around your image.  It looks really effective.  

Ali shares different methods of creating Apertures in your cards. The one in the vase is really fun,  with it being a shaker too. 

Jess shows how we can create some super colourful cards using dye inkpads,  she uses 'Izinks' in this feature but you could acheive the same effect with whatever dye ink pads you have. 

Sarah shares some lovely 'Clean and simple' inspiration using the stamps and papers from this issue.  

A good issue with some lovely stamps and some brilliant inspiration. 

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

Love & hugs to all of you,  

Sandra xxx 

Playing with Colour Sprays

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

Here we are at the end of another week,  we are almost mid way through April!  

Karen belated Anniversary wishes to you and Alan, I hope you both had a lovely day 🥰🍾🥂

I decided to experiment with coloured sprays yesterday,  you should have seen the mess!!  I enjoyed it though.  This tag was cream, I stamped the script in three areas,  then I inked the back of a number stencil with Vintage photo and spritzed with water, I placed it over the tag and dabbed over it with kitchen paper.  I set it to dry before I used Black Embossing paste through TH Wildflower stencil. 

I added Frosted Crystal embossing powder to the embossing paste while it was still wet and heat set it, it gives an almost 'flocked' effect, it has a rough texture that you can add crayon too or chalk, I added a little blue distress watercolour pencil to the flowers, the camera hasn't picked it up well though. 

I then got to playing with the Distress Ink stains, I used a little Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed and Antique Linen. I added some black splatters and some Black Soot around the edges.  I stamped the sentiment onto black card and added white embossing powder.   It did turn out a little darker than I hoped but its all part of experimenting.  It will be added to my Colour Inspiration journal.

I hope that you all have a fantastic Friday, 

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra xxx 

A colour wheel design card

 

Good morning Ladies, 

Just a quick one today as its currently 1am and I just realised I hadn't written today's blog post! 🙄

I have this fun Decorative paper in my stash that looks just like colour wheels and colour charts,  I thought they would be perfect for this weeks challenge.

This one is a simple colour wheel design that I die cut a circle out of to fit on my card front,  I embossed the white panel with a Stampin Up, paint effect embossing folder,  then adhered the circle of colour to the card front, I added a black mat and placed everything on a white card base, to finish the card I added a sentiment,  bow and 3 sparkle resin dots. 

I also made a card using the rest of the 6 x 6 panel that I cut the circle from!  

Lilian I am so sorry to read that you have been unwell, I hope you start to feel better soon 😘

I hope you all have a lovely day, 

Love 

Sandra xxx

Creating colour combinations

 

Good Wednesday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you are all as well as can be expected,  I also hope that you are all able to enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts,  that sunshine just makes life a little bit more enjoyable.  After baking my bread yesterday morning and rescuing Milo from another 'interaction ' with the Black & White cat that keeps visiting, they had just started fighting as Paul got to them and sent the other cat packing,  its a bold cat, as it knows that it's Milo's territory but it has no problem coming right up onto the deck to eat out cat nip plants,  which evidently frustrates our otherwise 'big softy' Milo,  Bella doesn't seem as bothered, whether it was because she didn't come face to face with the other cat, she just watched on as Milo fought off the intruder or whether its because Female cats aren't as territorial.   

Lucy and I left after we had checked Milo over, we went to the Garden centre as Soph needed some soil for potting up her Terrarium jar, I got some 'succulent compost' to pot up some 'succulent plants thatvI have had since last autumn,  I have been looking for a shallow terracotta bowl big enough to put them all in,  while we were at the other garden centre on Saturday they had terracotta pots and the perfect sized bowl on 50% price reduction, so I put one in my basket!!  So today's job will be planting all of the succulents in their new bowl.  I bought some decorative stones to go on top but I am also going to add some if the little shells that we collect on holiday.  I will share a photo when I have finished. 

Today I apologise for not sharing an actual card or finished project.  I have been working on my Colour Combination inspiration journal.  I am hoping that by sharing some of the colour combinations I have done in both Distress Ink and Oxide.  Some of the combinations look better in oxide inks as the blending makes the colours appear softer.  I am only just getting started,  I am looking forward trying some of the combinations on actual cards. I spritzed all of the blends with water too as I would do that if I was creating a background.

I have been really surprised by some of the colour groups and how much I like them.  Are there any of these combinations that surprised you, or that you like?  

I am thinking of photographing flowers that have interesting colour patterns to add to my colour journal too. 

I hope that you all have a good day, 

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx

The Oxide version of Fridays colourful card

Good Morning Ladies,  

I had a quiet day yesterday, everyone was out at work, so the house was eerily quiet,  it's these days I find myself talking to the cats 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ 🤣😂,  Milo is always very 'vocal' when Paul isn't here, he clearly misses him too 🤣

I made a loaf of bread that I will bake today and then sat and did some work on my Colour Inspiration journal, I did a few blends that I  genuinely wouldn't have thought of putting together and I was quite surprised at how much I liked them.  I did them in Distress inks and oxides.

Karen I was so sorry to read about your Bowls club break in,  there are some real low lives about!!   We were chatting to the Lady in Aldi about shop lifting (as she checked our bags).  She was saying that it's a lot more common than you imagine,  she went on to say that if it was people stealing because they couldn't afford to eat they would be more understanding,  but it isn't, it's people stealing high ticket items,  joints of meat, alcohol, tools etc.            In your case those trophies are only valuable to the people that  won them, I guess they thought that they may be silver.  I hope it doesn't mean the club will have to close.

Today I am sharing the other card that I made on Friday,  comparing the difference between Distress inks and Oxides.  

I love both colourways but I personally prefer the brighter colour of the Distress inks, Oxides do have their place, especially if you are using them for projects that require a softer colour way.   I have definitely used Oxides more recently with the Tracey Evans projects,  they definitely blend much easier with them having the creamier texture.

Which do you prefer??? 

I hope that you all have a good day,  Lucy is off today so we will pop out somewhere,  we also have someone coming later to change our 'out dated' (apparently) electric Meter to a 'Smart Meter', Paul is going to be a nightmare with the bloody thing!  🤣😂

Love & hugs to all of you,

Sandra xxx 

A Pretty in Pink card

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you all got to enjoy a lovely afternoon in the Sun yesterday,  it was so warm in the sun on our deck that we had to get the parasol out for a bit of shade.  It was so lovely being able to sit outside for lunch and a cuppa and a cake late afternoon.  I repotted my blueberry bushs as they didn't do much last year,  luckily we had some ericaceous compost already,  we did get some rose compost on  Saturday as my Pearl wedding anniversary rose is looking very sorry for itself,  so fingers crossed some new soil will give it a boost.  I sowed Sweetcorn and Runner beans too, potted on my summer squash as they have grown so fast.  Its exciting seeing all the seeds we sowed already have germinated and are ready to pot on (a job for another day though as I was done !!  I didn’t think my poor legs were going to carry me back in the house, I will add that I did most of the potting sat in my sun chair!!  Sadly for most of us our bodies don't hesitate in letting us know if its had enough!  

Today I am sharing the card that I made for Sonia,  congratulating her on the arrival of her beautiful Granddaughter.  I had a great time getting all of my ribbons and laces put, deciding what to use, my desk looked like an explosion of all things pretty and pink !  I remembered that I had the pram die in a bundle that I bought ages ago, so I dug that out and used that as the centre piece of the card,  I was going to go for a white card with pink lace but our printer would not print the exact pink that I wanted so I swapped put for pink with white lace, the little flowers along the centre band were all white so I lightly touched the centres of the with a StampinUp alcohol pen.  My seam binding ribbon collection was a wrinkly mess ( some of the wrinklage is intentional for 'grunge' purposes)  so instead of having to wait for Paul to set the ironing board up for me I simply switched on my hair straighteners and after 1 quick pass the ribbon was lovely and smooth, I finished the bow with one of the flowers from the border, so that everything tied together nicely.   I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed going back to the larger card with all of the ribbons and bows!   However I was equally as happy getting my fingers messy making inky blends for my little inspiration book. 🤣😂

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

Love and hugs to all of you lovely friends,

Sandra xxx