Your 'Things with Wings ' Challenge cards

Good Morning Ladies,

Here we are on your favourite day of the week!  I just love sharing your cards, nothing gives me greater pleasure.

I hope that you have all had a lovely weekend so far, boy did we get a soaking yesterday!! I felt a bit better yesterday so we decided  to drive over and drop Pat's cucumber plant off so that can get it planted, to make the most of the journey we popped to Morrisons to get our weekly shopping, they didn't have half the things we needed so we crossed the road and went to Aldi, got the shopping we needed, as we were leaving the store to say the heavens opened would be an understatement, we got soaked, soaked through our clothes, my hair was dripping! As soon as we got home I had a hot shower and snuggled under the duvet for an hour.  On the upside the garden looked much better for it, thank fully we didn't have the huge Hailstone storm that Karen had.

It was so lovely to see Pat, who like me has long hair, it's funny how different it makes us look, I really can't wait until we can all get together and craft again, I really miss seeing both Sue and Pat each week and we would also be organising a Watford meet up too, hopefully we can organise one for the Autumn.

Let's look at your amazing cards....

Brenda

Brenda has made a beautiful Birthday card for this weeks challenge, using a Crafters Companion Die to cut the cream card which Brenda layered over Cinnamon card, it's a beautiful card, the little pink and white flowers really lift the card. Such a beautiful, delicate creation.

Thank you so much for taking part Brenda XXX

Sonia

Another stunning card from our Sonia, for this weeks Things with Wings' Challenge, I love the combination of colours that you have used and the beautiful papers.

Sonia's Description:

'' One of our residents at work is 90 next week, so I thought I’d make a Birthday card for her, to tie in with the challenge. I’ve used papers from Anna Marie Designs and Studio Light. The butterfly sits on the Spellbinders Brillante Rondelle centre die, the border die is also from Spellbinders."

Such a gorgeous card, so kind of you to make such a special card for your client, she will absolutely love it Sonia, thank you so much for taking part XXX

Janet 

Janet  has made a lovely Dragon card, how magnificent is he! What a great card, I guess you could use if for any childs or anyone from Wales, the sky that you have created looks amazing too Janet.

Janet's second and third photos are pages that Janet has stamped and embellished for her Journal, both pages are amazing Janet, I think that because you are doing it as a gradual, ongoing project you will see a real variation in the pages as they are created as you use both new techniques and old, it's such a great idea. 

Thanks so much for taking part in the challenge again this week my lovely XXX

Michele 

Michele has shared 4 cards for our challenge this week, featuring both Christmas and Birthday cards.

Michele's 1st card was made using a Free die, I love that die cut and the paper you have used.

2nd Card was made using a Magazine Topper (free gift), I love the matching background paper.

3rd Card was made using an Ella's Design CDRom, super cute as always.

The 4th and final card was made with a topper printed from a CD Rom.

Thank you so much Michele for 4 fantastic cards XXX

Pat

Pat has shared two gorgeous cards for this weeks 'Things with wings' Challenge.

How magnificent is that Swan card?! I love it Pat, is it a Groovi image that you have built up?

I love how 3D it is, the background you have created for it is fantastic too.

Pat's second card is a beautiful Groovi card that features lots of cut work as well as lovely colouring, a gorgeous design Pat.

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

Lilian 

Lilian has used het Embroidery Machine to create this stunning Butterfly topper, such beautiful embroidery too, giving the butterfly so much detail and texture. What a genius idea, the background for this card was made using 'Washi Tape' although it looks painted me, Washi tape has clearly improved in quality since I last bought some.

Such an amazing 'Mixed Media' card Lilian, what a brilliant and very inspirational idea, thank you so much for taking part XXX

Sue

Sue has made a pretty Birthday card for this weeks 'Things with Wings' Challenge.

Sue used the Butterfly die to create an aperture, replacing the die cut butterfly into the aperture which gives both depth and great detail to the card front, Sue also used a decorative border die to create that pretty detail on the bottom of card front.  A pretty ribbon bow and the stamped sentiment finish Sue's card perfectly.

Thank you so much Sue for taking part in this weeks Challenge XXX

Maria

A beautiful Sympathy card Designed by our Maria that works perfectly for this weeks challenge.

Maria has used a gorgeous and very intricate die cut to create this card, everything about it is so delicate and pretty including that butterfly.

Thank you so much for such a beautiful card Maria XXX

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Some truly beautiful cards this weeks Ladies, thank you all so much for making and sharing your amazing cards. You are all so supportive and I really appreciate you xxxx

I hope that you all enjoy whats left of the weekend, I think it will be an 'indoors' day, I think that we should all be in our craft rooms.

Love and Hugs to all of you 

Sandra

xxxxxx

Mixed Up Saturday featuring Michele's Magazine Review

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well, we have quite the contrast in Weather to last weekend, on the up side that means that we can spend a bit of time in the craft room.

I am frustrating myself a bit, I started to feel a bit better so I thought I would go and pot some Courgette plants and some Swiss Chard, big mistake, it took me a good half hour to get back to the house, (which should take about 5 mins for me, 1 or 2 for paul and the girls)!! I know!! I know!! I am too impatient, my AF being the biggest issue, I ended up in tears, mostly of frustration, after a couple of hours rest I was feeling a littler brighter, this is going to be a bit of a journey I think! Grrrrr!

The thinking is that the UTI that I had in April never cleared up fully, despite the strong antibiotics, so it has been multiplying and travelled to my kidneys.  I think that there is a lesson to be learned here, I didn't feel that I fully recovered from the UTI but the most painful symptoms subsided, I also take extremely strong painkillers that mask a lot of pain, I thought that the extra back ache was down to helping Paul in the garden! 

The trouble is at the moment you feel like you are 'pestering' your GP (if you can get past the receptionist that is) although ours are ok, I just phoned and got a phone consultation on Tuesday, the phone call came at around 5.15pm, after a few minutes she asked if I could go for a 'face to face' consultation, it's a good job I did as I had bought some Urine Test Strips, (medical grade) as she had asked me to frequently  check for blood in my sample, I had tested as per the exact instructions and it showed no Leukocytes or Blood, which I was relieved about.  I took my strips with me to the appointment, (she asked me to take a sample) as I thought I could get her to check my strips, she thought it was a good idea and tested my sample with both her strips and mine, as before mine showed no blood or leukocytes, hers however showed that there was a significant amount of blood and leukocytes present!  How bad is that, I got her to check the package to make sure I have bought the right thing (I had), I think it shocked her, I may have been testing myself and thinking all was good, 

We are going to retest everything in a few weeks.  

Please don't put off making an appointment with your GP if you are worrying about something, I kept apologising when I was there and she reassured me that she would much rather discuss a case over the phone and act accordingly rather than a patient waiting until something becomes established and is harder to treat. 

Now on to brighter things, firstly have a good read of that Poem above, it is VERY accurate, funny too, I think that the journey has been the same for all of us!

Thanks Michele for sharing it with us XXX

Michele's Magazine Review 

Hi Ladies, 

Simply Cards & Papercraft has 2 great free gifts this month. A coordinating set of stamps, Dies & an Embossing Folder

Here’s some ideas of what’s inside the magazine.

First feature using the free gift .

More ideas using the free gifts.

Some inspiration for Men’s Cards.

What a stunning fancy fold-these Cards would certainly stand out from the rest!

Some inspiration using floral Dies, you could easily swap ones you already have in your stash.

Part two.

Aren’t these stamps just stunning??

That’s all for this week, no review next week as no new magazine out.

Happy Crafting
Love Michele

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Thanks Michele for another fantastic review, some lovely inspiration shown. Daisy B stamps are lovely,  Sue and I got to stand and watch one of the Sisters making a card at Stamperama, their products are lovely and very reasonably priced. 

I am sorry that there won't be a Review next week, but totally understand,  I haven't teceived any of my magazines for a while, the publishers are no different to any other business. 

I really fo appreciate your reviews, you have certainly created some good sales for the different magazines over the years!  Hopefully they will resume soon XXX 

Any suggestions for replacing the Review temporarily??  I have a couple of ideas.

Maria shared a photo of some friends that she met last weekend on one of her walks, they look so healthy and happy, what a lovely sight.

Maria said that the city in the  background is Milton Keynes. 

Thank you so much Maria,  I love to see the things that make you all smile xxx

Have a lovely weekend Ladies, 

Take great care and stay safe,

Love and the HUGEST hugs to all of you ,

Sandra

xxxxxx 

Your Next Challenge

Good Morning Ladies, 

I am pleased to report that I started to feel a bit brighter yesterday afternoon, I felt the urge to craft which i haven't done for a good week, I sat and moved things around a bit but didn't get anything made, I got the bits together to do a few more pages to my Accordion book. 

Your Next Challenge 

I thought we could do a TicTacToe Challenge this week, I think that they are something we can all use to fit any cards that we need to make.

I liked this one because it had a couple of different categories, we don't always see purple as a colour choice and fun fold gives us lots of options, from stepper cards to aperture cards, twist and pop and anything in between.

I was unsure about 'Paper Piercing' so I am making the executive decision to say you can do 'Paper Piecing'  (like Karen did on her Robin card). If you want to. 

I am really excited to see what you all design x

I am really looking forward to a relaxing weekend, Paul is getting up at about 4.30 am on early shifts, I always wake to see him off, so it will be nice to slerp a little later, I can't believe how loud the 'Dawn Chorus ' is here, it starts at around 3.30am  which wakes the cats too, I do love to hear it though and I would love to know which song belongs to which bird!!

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, 

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra

xxxxxx 

Karen's 2nd 'Things With Wings' card

Good Morning Ladies, 

It was a much cooler day here yesterday, we had drizzle and rain showers pretty much all day, Lucy took me to take my 'fresh sample' to the surgery, it was pouring when we went.  Oddly it's like rhe garden breathes a sigh of relief when it rains, you can almost see plants coming to life.

Except our lawn, parts of it are looking dead, I mentioned it to a neighbour and apparently around here they have a huge problem with 'Leatherjackets' which are Crane fly (or Daddy Long Legs as we call them) larvae,  the eat the lawn, the only effective treatment is 'Nematodes' that you can buy and water in to the grass, they work for your plants and  vegetables too.  

It seems as though there is always something waiting to eat your produce before you can.!!

I am sharing Karen's 2nd 'Things With Things' Challenge card today.  I love the mix of the older die cut that Karen has with the modern font for the sentiment.

Karen's Description:

"I’ve used a Sue Wilson Striplet Flights If Fancy

I took inspiration from Jackie Trinder who cut it out twice and trimmed off just the butterflies The die set comes with separate butterflies which I have cut out in vellum and stuck those in top of the Striplet but used the trimmed butterflies to give them s border

The sentiment is from the Elegant Daisy set"

Karen I love your card, thank you so much for helping me out. I am also so pleased that you got to spend time with your Grandsons XXX

I would like to thank you all for your kind words, I had another rough day yesterday but frustratingly I couldn't start my antibiotics until early morning yesterday as I had to give a fresh sample to be sent away for analysis, it had to be a sample taken before starting my antibiotics. So hopefully I will start feeling better today, I tried to walk up the garden to see what Paul was up to but I struggled to get past the back door, I just feel exhausted. Fingers crossed the antibiotics kick in soon! 

I hope that you all stay safe and well 

Love and hugs to all of you, 

Sandra

xxxxxx

Karen's 'Things with Wings' Challenge card

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you all managed another day in the garden, we are forecast rain and cooler temperatures from today, which is sad really as it means that just as families were able to get together to spend some quality time the weather made that hard to achieve, hopefully the sun will reappear soon as it makes 'Lockdown' so much easier when you are out in the garden.

I briefly  explained in our Messenger Group that I ended up having to call the GP yesterday as I was feeling much worse and it turned out that I have a Kidney infection, I have been given some antibiotics and advised to rest until I feel better, frustratingly being unwell seems to really affect my AF, particularly at night, I just feel exhausted right now both mentally and physically. 

Thankfully I have an absolutely amazing Blog Family made up of the most amazing friends that anyone could wish for and  now I get to share some of their amazing work with all of you.

Today's card is Karen's 'Things With Wings' Challenge card, it also looks like Christmas card season has begun!! I love the 'Stained Glass' look of Karen's card, the colours are perfect,  I do like the 'traditional' Christmas card colours.

Karen's Description:

" Here’s a cc
A paper pieces SW Stained glass window die
The robin has 2 shades of brown but doesn’t show up on photo
I have put a Merry Christmas die cut inside"

Thank you so much Karen for allowing me to share your Challenge card today XXX

Thats all from me today my lovely friends,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Brenda's Beautiful Die Cut Card

Good Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you are enjoying what could be the last few hot, sunny days, if the weather forecast is right, dropping 10 degrees in some places.  In some ways it's a relief as it might make the people that consistently break Social Distancing rules by crowding onto parks and beaches, the downside will be that those of us that can Socially Distance sensibly with our families and friends won't be able to do so as the rules are for outside only (which I agree with), I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing my Mum and also Sue & Pat,  this is the longest we have gone without seeing each other in more than 5 years! I really miss our weekly crafting sessions, you don't realise how many things you take for granted until they are taken away.

Today I am literally buzzing with excitement to show you this stunning card that Our Brenda designed, it features a beautifully intricate die cut, the  die is one of Crafters Companions dies.

Brenda has created a frame for the card and added a beautiful,  delicate lace around the edges.

The centre features an ornate die cut cross and the card is perfectly embellished with a pretty ribbon bow topped with a flower that matches the rest of the card perfectly, the greeting and 3 tiny diamante in the bottom corner. 

Brenda thank you so much for sharing your exquisite card with us. XXX

Here's hoping for one more day in the garden before the weather changes,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra 

xxxxxx

Clean and Simple Challenge Card

Good Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you all had a lovely weekend,  the weather was perfect for gardening,  not so perfect for getting any crafting done though, it's so hard to sit in your stifling craft room rather than be out in the sunshine.  We did have a bit more of a breeze yesterday which made it more bearable. 

I thought I would have a go at a 'Clean & Simple' style card for my first 'Things With Wings ' card. 

I die cut a 5 1/2 inch square base card,  then cut a mat about 1/2 inch smaller, both cut with Creative Expressions Pierced Squares.  As I was cutting the smaller piece I placed one of the butterflies from Sara Davies Vintage Collection 'Kaleidoscope of Butterflies ', I liked the delicate detail of this particular butterfly. 

To add some colour behind the die cut I used a small piece of paper from the Clarity 'Indian Summer ' 8 x 8 Designer paper pad, making sure the piece covered the aperture and adhering into place, i then popped foam pads over the whole die cut square and adhered it go the base card. 

To finish the card I replaced the butterfly into it's die cut aperture and added glue to fix it, I added another die  cut  butterfly on top so that I could lift the wings.  I popped a diamante on it's head, gently lifted the wings and added the die cut 'With Love' to finish the card, I die cut the sentiment in white to keep the design as simple as possible. 

I hope you like it and it inspires you a little. 

I hope that you all have a lovely day, however you are spending it.

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra

xxxxxxx