A Distress ink Journal Page

 

Good Wednesday Morning Ladies,  

We had a very stormy day yesterday,   I had a bad night (Monday night) so was awake when we had a big storm at around 3am with torrential rain that seemed endless,  Paul said it half filled one of our water butts,  it was sunny early morning but the very dark clouds, thunder & Lightning 🌩 soon returned!   Fingers crossed last night was more restful.🤞  

I kept telling myself this throughout Monday night, but no amount of manifesting sleep helped.  🤣😅  These frustrating days do pass eventually,  so try and stay positive xxx

Today's journal page is one I  made on Friday I think,  I picked a piece of inked card that I had in my Bit box and trimmed it down, I stamped the butterfly & text stamp onto the background, then stamped another onto a scrap of card and added clear embossing powder,  after heat setting I fussy cut the butterfly and placed it over the stamped one,  I used a stencil to add some extra detail and Texture and then added a couple of stickers from my Arden Creative PET tape. I picked out a sentiment strip and matted onto black card and popped into my journal.  

I hope that you all have a good day, 

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx 

A simple Embossed card

 

Good Morning Ladies,  

Well summer has gone,  we had rain for most of the day yesterday,  it felt chilly too but I wasn't complaining.  

We managed to get all our hotel booking confirmations printed and put into our 'traditional' (we laugh as all our children have a special folder for holiday documents same as ours 🤣).   I like having the documents in order,  we could use the confirmation on the app but some places don't have good wifi, also Paul doesn't use his phone,  he certainly wouldn't have 'wifi' on his phone,  so he'd have to take my phone in to each hotel etc,  then he'd have trouble accessing the actual files 🙄.  This man once the had highest up do date technology at his fingertips, when he programmed aircraft,  he was constantly on courses updating his knowledge.  Now he struggles with phone technology!   His knowledge has changed to a totally different area now, no less pressure mind.  So thats why we use the old fashioned paper confirmations, which he takes into every hotel to check us in.    

I think our biggest hurdle this year will be the new EU entry registration....

This is what the Eurotunnel set up looks like,  we have to scan our face and fingerprints,  which will stay on record for 3 years,  when it's done future entries should take maybe 2 minutes more.  We are planning to arrive early as the new system caused chaos at Half term.  

Today's very good reminder, love how colourful the are.  ❤️ 

I made this simple embossed card yesterday,   it's a 3D embossing folder I have had a while.   I ran it through my Big Shot and then used the back (wrong) side of a piece of cut & dry foam,  as it has no give,  so it glides over embossed areas,  I used Ranger Pigment Ink pad,  there were a couple of spots where I got it on the background.  I then adder pearls to the larger flower centres and added a die cut sentiment and matted the piece onto a white card base.  

I am interested to know if you all buy ready done card bases or do you create your own?   For the majority of my cards I cut my card bases as I go,  the only time I don't is if they are bigger sizes.  I prefer to do it as I can make sure the bases are the same shade of white as my topper. 

I hope that you all have a good day, 

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx

Welcome June....

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

We have a new Month as well as a new Week to celebrate today,  let's Welcome June 🌞.  Funny that it's the start of Summer today and the weather isn't a patch on last week,  although this is our usual summer weather 🤣😂

I love today's reminder, both the sentiment and the artwork.  

Today's I am sharing a super quick and simple card that I made yesterday afternoon,  I have had this die in my stash for a couple if years, it was a gift from Sue.  I have sat and had a play with it a couple of times,  cutting vellum for the petals etc but I couldn't make it work,   the die fell out while I was looking for another die,  then I remembered that I'd seen a simple card made with it,  so I created my card base,  die cut a Navy mat then I die cut the flower and petals in white,  I offset each layer and finished it with a sparkle.  Then finished it with the 'For You' sentiment.  

I hope that you all have a great start to the week and the month, 

Love and hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx 

Our Makes from this week

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies,

We had another lovely day yesterday,  I did intend to do a couple of hours weeding with Paul, untangling the bindweed from the roses and getting us much of the root up as possible, what a bloomin job, I did a bit but my goodness that rockery area is a sun trap, I came inside had a cool down and tried again,  we got the all of the bindweed that was growing up the roses,   when we moved it the bindweed had the roses bent double where the weed had grown up and over,  the one rose is permanently misshapen,  its a clever weed it seems to entwine 4 & 5 weed strands together creating like a rope and destroy anything in their path.  Why can't plants grow like weeds?!  

Anyway I gave up and left Paul to finish and I came inside to do some crafting but lost an hour or so on Pinterest 🤣

Another great reminder,  the artwork is lovely too x

Let's look Let's have a look a what you have been creating.....

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

Hello, here is my challenge album page for this weeks challenge.

It’s Fruit land.

Found the picture on Facebook 

It’s from Kelly Lou.

It came out rather dark, I’m sure it’s the paper but couldn’t find my good paper.

What a brilliant idea for Fruit Land Lilian,  that is one that had me stumped, a long with a couple of others 😂

The image is lovely,  I did try and lighten it a little for you.  The cherries look yummy 😋   Kelly Lou has some lovely images. 

Thank you so much for taking part in the Challenge my lovely XXX 

Karen

Karen's Description :

Card 1:

This is Maria’s birthday card using scraps of card It started off being tags but wasn’t working so it evolved to strips cut on ScanNCut taped together across the back and then dry embossed

I also cut the flames on ScanNCut There’s a candle in the basic shapes

Journal page:

My version of Vintage

This was my 4th attempt I can’t seem to get vintage very well

On previous versions I’d gesso’d background, texture paste on another and splats but decided to keep it very simple 

Piece from a The Works pad

Ticket stamps from Indigo Blu and A&C #396

Absolutely brilliant use of scraps for the candles and the flames are perfect. The personalised sentiment is a lovely touch. 

Your Vintage journal page is AMAZING,  the paper is perfect and your stamped detail works perfectly, Vicki P. talks about 'building clusters' on journal pages, using bits of ephemera etc,   you have done this perfectly. 

So you are very good at vintage as it happens 😉 

Thank you so much for a lovely card and a very inspiring journal page XXX

Maria

Maria's Description:

Hiya.

I had to make my mum a card tho so this is the one.

I have used a stamp from a stamping magazine and used my watercolor pens to colour it in. A few crystals in the flowers and a frame that I embossed.

I also thought of sending my sister in law a card after everything she has gone through the last month I don't wish on anyone.

I bought this set with three types of clips and a çurvy die at the Stamperama, I think it will be fun dies to use sometimes on cards. 

I really like the clipboard style card,  those clips look so realistic too, the colour is perfect.  I think that a couple of flowers in opposite corners would add a little extra detail.   I am sure that your Sister in law would really appreciate your kindness my lovely.  

Your card for your Mum is so pretty my lovely,  your colouring has really bought those flowers to life.  Your shading has given real depth to the flowers too,  the butterflies are beautiful 😍 

Thank you so much my lovely for supporting the blog, I really appreciate you XXX

Sonia 

Sonia's Description:  

Teddy's card:   Birthday card I made for Teddy.

I decided to make a Z fold card. The image, papers and sentiment were designed by myself on ChatGPT. The number 3 die cut is from Temu 😊

Journal page:

My journal page for Tea Lovers.

I found these images on Facebook: the majority are from Free Printable Designs page created by Patricia Joyce, and others from The Gentle Pallette. 

I saved and printed them, distressed and inked edges. I fussy cut the lavender, tea cup and wax seals - which I added glossy accents to give them a shine.

Sonia your card for Teddy is so beautiful,   I think its extra special that you designed the papers yourself,  so clever!  The image is perfect with it being a 'Teddy' too.  He will love it .

Your Tea Lover's Journal page is a perfect depiction of the description,   every element works perfectly,   your little cluster is lovely,   the wax seals a touch of luxury as well as a different texture.  Your composition works so well as your eye travels down the page, following the 'triangle' lay out.         It's so lovely to hear that you are enjoying crafting so much, it shows in your work.  

Thank you so much my lovely,  your card is amazing and for an inspirational journal page. XXX

************

I hope that you all have a perfect Sunday, 

Love and hugs to all of you,  

Sandra xxx

Mixed up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies, 

What are you all up to this weekend?  We are starting to get a few bits sorted for our holiday and a few garden jobs.  

As always my lovely friends,  you are all of the above and so much more.  ❤️ 

Here are some of the lovely roses that we have been blessed with this year...

These pink ones are huge, you can see Paul's hand above as a size reference 

This climbing petunia 'Tidal Wave ' is like a miracle plant,  we bought 4 plants 3 years ago and we manage to keep them going over winter and they reward us in late spring/early summer.  I love them 💗 

This rose is on the front of our decking, it is so beautiful and smells so lovely,   the flowers all very from cream through pretty peach to almost a pink tinge.  We have a bumper crop of flowers this year. 

I hope that you all have a lovely Saturday,  

My love and hugs to all, 

Sandra xxx 

A new journal page

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that like me you all got a better night sleep (Thursday night) that little breeze made such a difference with the slight drop in temperature,  I was so exhausted that I think I fell asleep within 10 minutes off getting into bed.  

I had a day on my own yesterday as both Paul and the girls were working,  Soph usually has Thursday  and Friday off but her boss asked if she would swap a day off to help him out as they are short staffed,  she did, I wish he was as flexible with her when she needs to swap a day.  She is off today but doing 6 days without a break and then only having one day to recuperate is hard,  especially after the super busy weekend in extreme heat.  Lucy's Cabin is basically a big wooden shed,  it's full of machines that cause heat to build up, the only relief they have is one fan,  she said that she got to the point that she thought she was going to pass out on Monday,  she'd had a queue constantly from 11am as everyone wanted cold drinks and ice creams.  She did call through to tell them how she was feeling and they sent someone to relieve her for 10 minutes, so she could try and cool herself down.  Thankfully it has prompted her boss into looking at getting some kind of AC unit. So her first day off she spent just totally relaxing.  

Today I am sharing a journal page I made over the weekend,  using Arden Creative  'Been There' collection.

 

I started with a piece of the 'Been There ' patterned paper.

I then added Stormy Sky, Shabby Shutters & Rustic Wilderness Oxide Sprays to add some colour.

I added some background stamping,   then added some gold embossing paste through a stencil from same collection 

I added some laser cut ephemera,  little tickets, some hessian ribbon and then some little resin stickers to finish. 

A few splatters finish the page,  there is space on this one to add a couple of small photos too.  

I hope that you all have a lovely end to your week,  

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra xxx 

Some of our throwback Silhouette cards

 

Good Morning Ladies,  

Today is 100% a rest day for me,  3 nights without sleep, sore swollen ankles and exhaustion from a full on trip to Ikea with Lucy & Becca,  my goodness that place was warm,   it was quiet though,  the other disappointment was that the ice cream machine at the exit of Ikea wasn't working,  having a cheap whippy at the end of shopping is a tradition.   It was lovely to catch up with Becca though.  We ended the day on a high though, we all went down into Bourton and had fish & chips by the river, there was a lovely breeze that made it even more enjoyable. 

Today's reminder is a different one,  but most of know that recovery/ healing isn't straightforward or 'linear' 

I thought I'd share some of our throwback silhouette cards ....

Maria

Sonia

Karen

Lilian 

My card background was made using Pigment powders. 

These cards were all from 23rd May 2021,  about 2 months before Covid Lockdown ended.  It doesn't seem like it was 5 years ago. 

I hope that you all have a great day, 

Love and hugs 

Sandra xxx