Sympathy card

Good Morning Ladies,

I think that these are the hardest cards that we have to make, mine is for Paul's cousins as Paul's Uncle the lived in Alicante sadly died last week.

He had come home to stay with his family while he had his treatment for Pancreatic cancer, he seemed to be doing Ok but he passed away in bed from heart failure.  In a way I am glad he was back here having treatment otherwise he would have been on his own in Spain when he passed as his wife died a couple not years ago from lung cancer.  Trouble is they saved everything and sold their home to move out to Spain in retirement, the bought a flat on a new housing complex near a huge brand new golf course, the shopping centre for the complex never got built, neither did half of the rest of the estate, no body bought the majority of the places so it was like an unfinished wasteland, so the amount they paid out for the place was wasted in effect, they couldn't afford to move back to UK either, then the huge golf course closed down too.  They are now stuck with trying sort out what to do with the place now, I think they will be stuck with it, as it's a Long way from the beaches or anything remotely touristy! 

The card was made using 'Hopeful Thoughts' stamp set for the pretty floral flourish, I stamped it using that  delicate flourish, I coloured it using Old Olive for the foliage and a new colour for me 'Perfect Plum' for the flowers.  Omg I love this gorgeous shade of purple! I coloured the stamp while it was on the block using my Blender pens and ink pads, it works perfectly, you just need to breathe onto the stamp before stamping.  The sentiment inside read 'Sharing in your Sorrow', which sums up how we feel perfectly.  

Pat came over yesterday and we drafted like crazy, making loads of inked backgrounds, Pat was cutting card to size, I was brayering the colours onto the embossing folders and then running it through the die cutting machine, the ink transfers onto the card, it looks great, I can't wait that to see a finished card Pat.

I hope you all have a fantastic day today,

Love and hugs,

Sandra

xxxxxx

My Challenge card

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well, gentle hugs to those that aren't feeling 100%.

Today's card is my Challenge card for this week's Tictactoe challenge.....

I used Categories: Bow/Scallop/Rectangle

I went for a very different style card for me, using darker colours, it was based on a card that I saw when I looked at this particular challenge, at first glance I thought it was for a different tictactoe grid but taking a closer look I saw the categories.  I would normally have gone for a blue butterfly or something a little more obvious, this card was a bit more of a challenge if you like, I added the butterfly because the card needed something else and the butterfly fitted perfectly.

The papers are Stampin' Up! 'Whole Lot of Lovely' Designer series papers, which I matted on to black card.

'Whole Lot of Lovely' range

I stamped my 'Happy Birthday' onto white card and then die cut using a Circle die, I then added a Scalloped circle die cut in black to the back.

Before securing the patterned card to the base card I added a piece of black ribbon, attaching it to the back of the card. I added foam tape to the back of the base layer and mounted on to a 5 x 7inch white base card.  I then tied a double bow with the same ribbon and added to the card. The finishing touches are a pretty lace butterfly, stamped in black.  The butterfly is from the Butterfly Basics stamp set, which is one of my favourites, partly because it was one of the first stamp sets that I really played with when I started on my 'stamping journey'. 

A pearl swirl placed to give the impression of a butterfly trail and 3 pearls at the top right hand side of the card are the finishing touches. 

I do hope you like it and that it gives you a little bit of inspiration for your challenge card. xx

Sue and I had a lovely day yesterday, talking more than crafting as per usual, but Sue did get a few die cuts ready for batch making her Christmas cards, maybe we will get to finish them next week.

We were also looking at rental properties in our area, goodness me the prices vary, one, rather nice humble abode was a only £30,000 a WEEK!!!  Sadly there were none that met our criteria! It was fun looking though.

Pat is coming over today, so more crafting is on the cards, I wonder what Pat will bring with her to do this week, or maybe she will come with an idea in mind for us to try from Pinterest. 

Paul has asked me to thank you all for you lovely comments yesterday, he loved reading them all xx

Brenda, I hope that you and John had a lovely day out at the Postal Museum yesterday, I bet it was really interesting, I love anything like that. xx

Congratulations to Val for achieving your target weight at Slimming Club, I hope you had a big cream cake to celebrate! xxx

Cheryl I hope that your Sewing Machine can be fixed easily, it sounds like you don't need the expense right now but these things never happen at the right time do they.  AO seem to get great reviews across the board right now, there was quite a difference between them and the council, £40 is a good start to saving for your sewing machine. xxx

Lynda, I do hope that you are feeling better my lovely, the big parcel arrived late yesterday so yours will be on its way! hope that cheers you up my lovely xxx

My Biggest  'CONGRATULATIONS' go to Margaret who has qualified as Bronze with Stampin'Up!

I couldn't be happier for you my lovely, its a huge achievement , you should be very proud! 

You are on your way to Bronze Elite now, hopefully we will get some new members to join 'Team Cotswold Crafter' in the New Year, when the joining package is so amazing it seems to good to be true but it isn't, is it Margaret??  xxx

Have a lovely day ladies,

  

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Danielle's Challenge Card

Good Morning Ladies,

Today's card was designed and created by the lovely Danielle, she had made it and sent it to me last Monday,  which is why I had totally forgotten about it by Saturday I think,  or maybe I am just going 'senile'!!
It is such a pretty card and fits the sketch perfectly. Danielle used Stampin'Up! 'Fresh Florals" Designer Series Paper for the background of the card, accenting the 'Powder Pink' with Silver an white, the pretty border Danielle has designed was made with a decorative border punch, topped with ribbon and some SU 'Sequin trim' in Silver.
The sentiment is from a SU stamp set called 'Colour Seasons' which was die cut using a nesting die set from the Range, to finish the card Danielle used some pretty metallic thread to wrap around the card and some pretty sparkling gemstones.
Such a stunning card Danielle, thank you so much for taking part in the Challenge and I apologise for forgetting your card XXX

So did any of you get any Craft Bargains during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals? I did't really look to be honest, well I had a brief look on those that had sent an email through, but I wasn't really tempted by anything.

We had some positive news yesterday, Paul went for his first Interview in 34 years, he was very nervous, he was told it was going to be a 'Competency Based Interview' so he spent the weekend thinking up answers for questions like "Where do you so yourself in 5 years time'' and What is your greatest weakness?", he had good answers for each of them, he was up and ready hours before his interview time, he just wanted it to be over. 
He went along and he told me that it was more like a friendly chat than an interview, luckily he has had a wide range of skills that transfer over to this new position with Airbus.
He got home and about an hour later is mobile phone rang and it was the man from the Agency that sent him the job to look at, he asked how he thought his interview went.  Paul just said he thought that it went well, it was relaxed and conversation flowed without any awkwardness, Paul then said that it would be Friday before he heard about the job.. The chap from the agency replied, "well they must have liked you as they don't need to see the other candidate, the want to know how soon you can start!!!! So I am thrilled to say that HE GOT THE JOB!!!
The relief on Paul's face bought a lump to my throat, I am so very proud of him xxx

So that's all for today, I hope you all manage to stay dry and warm,
Thanks again Danielle for the lovely challenge card,

Love and Hugs,

Sandra
xxxxxx

Your Monday Challenge!!!

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well if not I hope that this week brings better health to those of you that have been under the weather and some relief to those of you in pain. 

I decided to go for a 'Tic Tac Toe' Challenge for this week, there are so many it was a tough choice, I narrowed it down to two, I sent both to Michele to ask her opinion and we decided on this one, I hope all of you enjoy coming up with a design for it.  I did think it would mean a break from Christmas cards but I think you could use it for those too. For instance a 'Bow/Scallop/ rectangle ' could be a combination for any card, using a scalloped circle die for a Sentiments etc.  

I was 'commissioned' to make an 18th Birthday card an hour before it was needed to be boxed and out the door yesterday, the girls came home from work, had an hour to get showered and changed and as Lucy was running to the shower she asked "if I had an 18th birthday card ready", of course I don't have age specific cards in my large stash but agreed to get one made, this one was for a 'Girly girl' so I went for pink.  I will share the card with you later in the week.

As a result of my last minute card making session I didn't get my challenge card finished but I will share it with you tomorrow.

If you need any inspiration you can put 'Tictactoe challenge 003' into Pinterest or your search engine and you will get something to inspire you. 

I love seeing all of your designs for these challenges as unlike a sketch challenge your cards are all completely different. 

We had a letter on Saturday notifying of us that we have to represent ourselves in Court on 15th December, to explain why we haven't moved out, we were advised that if we don't show up they will find in favour of the Housing company, they also charge us £355 for the privilege! So we have to prepare for that, I was thinking of letting Paul go on his own but I think it may be better if we both go, I suggested that Paul remind them that they know how difficult it is to find to find a suitable adapted property, because they made us live for almost three years with me having no access to a bedroom or bathroom! We had our bed in the lounge, which with Paul working 12 hour shifts was a complete nightmare.  So they must have an idea of the problem we face.  

I hate having things like this hanging over us, I just can't think about anything else, we are usually fairly organised for Christmas by now but I can't even think about it this year, I am beginning to sound like my mother, oh dear!!

I do have some exciting news however........

Free shipping from Stampin'Up! So if there is ANYTHING you would like to order you have until 11pm tonight to order and pay NOTHING for p&p!!! 

So even if only want to order an ink pad and matching card, you can with no postage or something from the Clearance Rack its worth a quick look!!

Click link below........

My Stampin'Up! Website

Have a lovely day,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra 

XXXXX

Your Sketch Challenge Card

 My Challenge card

 The Sketch

Good Morning Ladies,

Here we are at the best day of the week again, so much inspiration in one blog post, its amazing.

The over all views are usually highest on a Sunday, so its not just your fellow blog friends that you are inspiring its 100's of others that look in on a Sunday for a bit of inspiration too. The numbers have grown over the past couple of years too so people look in specifically to look at what you have made for the challenges each week.

So enough waffling, here are your cards.........

Brenda

Brenda has made a fantastic 'Birthday' card for this weeks challenge, I love that stamped bubble background and your 'Distress Oxide' blended border.  That Happy Birthday tag is amazing Brenda.

But for me the highlight of the card is your FIRST attempt at making a 'Foamiran' flower, Brenda it's beautiful, I can honestly tell you that my first attempt along with Sue's went in the bin, as we managed to overheat them and then as I tried to stretch and shape them they split, so I put the foam back on the shelf and haven't bothered since, but seeing yours I may have another go!

Here as a brief description from Brenda.......

" I had been playing with my Oxide ink pads. Two rows of masking tape and brushed the colours across. It occurred to me that it might just work. So a bit of ribbon, sentiment, stamp bubbles and flower, this is the end result. The flower is my first attempt at making a Foamiran flower (the glue gun was a great help)"

Thank you so much Brenda for taking part this week.

XXX

 Janet

Janet, WOW, I love the vintage look of this Birthday card, there is SO much detail on your card, starting with the beautiful papers, oh Janet they are stunning, that oval die cut is so pretty and the little stones you added match perfectly, now the extra special finishing touch is that beautiful lace, topped with a narrow matching ribbon and adorned with a tiny bow and pearls.

I LOVE this card Janet, thank you so much for taking part.

XXX

 Karen

Karen, Oh what an lovely Christmas card, I love that background paper, it works perfectly with the theme of your card, what a great way of using a "recycled" Christmas card, you would never have known, to me it looks like a Kanban Topper!

Here is Karen's description...

"Here’s my challenge card

I made it with a recycled Christmas card, some paper from a cheap pad I bought at The Range, a mixture of dies for the sentiment, good old Lacy Accents from Spellbinders, an old Sizzix die and some Nuevo drops"

Thank you so much Karen for taking part in this weeks challenge.

XXX

 Lynda

Lynda, two beautiful Christmas cards from you this week, I see that you used that beautiful stamp that you bought last week on your first card, it is so pretty and you have stamped it perfectly, (which isn't easy with such a large, detailed stamp). The border and Poinsettia finish your card beautifully,

here is Lynda's description:

Your second card has a touch of the 'oh la la' with the red and black border, your fantastic flag die with your greeting on and the poinsettia are fab finishing touches.

Lynda sent me a description of how she created the cards so I have added them below.....

"my first c card I used Sue Wilson NOBLE BORDER DIE cut with the cutting edge in the die then in black card I just used the cutting-edge &glued together. I used a red mat & glued border to the edge added SW CLOSED POINSETTIA added a pearl to centre & stamped the greeting. THE SEASON'S GREETINGS IN RED INK FROM S U JOY OF THE WORLD STAMP SET CUT OUT WITH SW FLAG DIE

"Second card TIM HOLTZ CORNER DIE no cutting-edge I MATTED RED CARD INSIDE CUT A SPELLBINDER BORDER DIE ( can't remember names ) ADDED IT TO THE EDGE CUT A POINTTSETIA ADDED A PEARL THEN STAMPED A MERRY CHRISTMAS IN RED INK CUT OUT WITH ONE OF MY CHINA DIES SANDRA hope that makes sense."

Thank you so much Lynda for taking part in this weeks challenge.

XXX

 Margaret

Margaret had to make a card for some friends in a horrible situation at her 'Boule' club, sometimes it is hard to find the right sentiment, if you don't want to put 'thinking of you'.  Luckily one of the Stampin' Up! stamp sets 'Bright Wishes' has some lovely sentiments and "Wishing you all the best" is one of them, it works when you just don't know what to say . Margaret has also used some Ann Marie Designs card with the SU Ribbon Border Punch separating the patterns.

A lovely card Margaret, thank you so much for taking part this week.

XXX

Maria

Maria has used some pretty snowflake paper with Kraft card, the combination works so well Maria,

the lovely Santa Bauble that you have coloured and added fur too makes a fab focal point, I love your pretty die cut tag and sentiment too.

Thank you so much for taking part Maria, I hope you get your Kitchen tidy before your visitors arrive.

XXX

Michele

Michele was asked to make a 90th Birthday card, this beautiful card is what she came up with,

Michele I just love that stunning stamp or topper that you have used and that pretty background paper, the hint of bright pink really lifts the whole design.  

Michele sent a brief description...

"Challenge card made! It’s the 90th Birthday Card I was asked to make-only details I got was neutral background & bright pink or purple on it with 90 on somewhere! Couldn’t make it too deep or fancy as it’s being posted to Spain."

I think you made the card exactly the way that they described, they will love it.  

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

XXX

 Val

Val, Oh I love your Christmas card, that background paper is stunning, I love that deep shade of red,

teamed with that lovely contrast paper looks amazing, that Snowflake is gorgeous, so detailed and elegant.  A truly stunning Christmas card.

Thank you so much for taking part Val.

XXX

Lilian

Lilian I found this card from a previous Challenge and it matches the sketch beautifully, just turned on its side, which is fine to do.  Lilian has used two absolutely stunning papers, a pretty floral with matching polka dot. Lilian has used a beautiful lace to separate the two papers, a Sue Wilson tag is the perfect die cut for this card and the pretty flourish works beautifully.

I love this card Lilian and hope you don't mind me sharing it again. I also hope you are well.

XXX

So ladies, there you have it, another amazing card gallery, you are all amazing, thank you so much once again.

Love and Hugs

Sandra

xxxxxxx

Mixed Up Saturday

Mixed Craft Saturday

Good Morning Ladies,

Saturdays are so fun, I love to see what everyone has been buying and what you have all been making, please ladies send me any cards that you make other than the Challenge card, not only is it nice to see them but they are great inspiration to others too.

My Photos

The first photo is of a Stamp set that I bought, Stampin'Up! 'Flurry of Wishes', I love the shape of the Snowflakes but I couldn't just stamp them on a card without wanting to have a cut out one for dimension, but I just wouldn't consider fussy cutting anything that intricate.  I then remembered about my Scan & Cut so stamped and embossed some and scanned them into the Scan &Cut and watched as it intricately cut around each Snowflake, you could choose how much of a border of white you want or have none at all !! It was much easier than I thought, so Karen your constant inspiration has worked it's magic, thank you, I have only dipped my toe in but I now have many ideas whirring around my brain! 

The following three photos are of all of the 'Swaps' that we exchange with each other whenever we go to a Stampin'Up! event,  it's amazing to see what other people make with the exact same products that you have, most of them contain some kind of treat, whether it's Chocolate, sweets or candles and Stationery.  I am going to do a video that shows them in detail, sharing their contents too. There are no builders on the weekend, so hopefully I can record uninterrupted! 

I wanted to share this Bargain  with all of you, Hobby craft have these trolleys on sale at £25, they look identical to the IKEA ones, which I can 100% recommend, I think that they will sell fast but if you can't get one online you may get one at your local store! 

XXX

Brenda

Brenda bought the Stampin'Up! 'Large Letter Dies' a few weeks ago and she has made Tierney and William an absolutely stunning Birthday card with them, two fantastic stepper cards, both very different, I love the girly touches on Tierney's card, I bet she leaves it out all year round.

Brenda went to the Excel craft show a couple of weeks ago and these are the goodies that fell into the shopping basket, you bought some lovely things Brenda, most of which Ciara will be excited to get her sleeves rolled and get crafting with.

I have to say in have been wanting those Tim Holtz scissors, Sue has them and they are brilliant. Lots of Christmas card making goodies there too, so you are going to be hauled up in your craft card making like crazy!

Thank you so much for sharing both your amazing cards and your shopping.

XXX

Karen

Karen sent me a photo of the shopping she bought at a craft show a couple of weeks ago, I will paste in Karen's description below.....

The other photos are all from Karen's craft weekend, a lovely array of backgrounds, all so colourful.

The bottom photo is of the cards that Karen made, I love the one with the Stag, it's gorgeous, as are all of the others, I love Card-io stamps too, I just never remember to use them! 

Karen sent a brief description with the photos, so I will share it below, you can really feel the enthusiasm as you read it, I am so pleased you had such a lovely weekend Karen.

Thank you so much for sharing your photos with us Karen, I love seeing what you have made, you should have taken stocks of rubbing alcohol with you, you could have a fortune! I'm not surprised that everyone wanted to try your techniques.

XXX

Lynda

Lynda treated herself to a couple of Sue's new die sets, these 'Industrial ' range will work perfectly with your Mixed Media projects, I saw Lisa on Hochanda using some a week or so back, she made some lovely projects with them.  

I am excited to see these used in some of your projects Lynda.

Thank you for sharing.

XXX

Michele

Michele has her Christmas Craft Fair next Saturday, so she has bought some lighting and display stand for some of her cards, I think these are a great idea Michele, they will really draw people over to your stand, I really am hoping you will have can sell out on the day! 

Thank you so much for sharing with us.

XXX

Janet

Janet has been playing with her Mixed Media craft goodies and she has created this amazing canvas, you have created a masterpiece Janet, you have layered some gorgeous lace and patterned paper to create your project.

I think your idea of framing  it is a perfect one, I would put it where you see it all the time as it is a great source of inspiration. 

Thank you so much for sharing your project with all not us. 

XXX

That's all for this week's Mixed Craft Saturday, as always you ladies have sent me some incredible projects and shopping pics, for which imam very grateful.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra 

xxxxxx

Festive Friday

Good Morning Ladies,

Here we are  at Friday again, another week gone in a flash!

As it's Friday I made a 'Festive' card, I'm slowly getting a pile put together for the Family and Friends Christmas cards I need,  hoping not to have a last minute Christmas card making frenzy when I discovered that I quite a few short. I am trying to decide whether to buy a cheapish box of cards for those that won't appreciate a handmade card or to design a simple stamped card that would be ok with a normal stamp rather than the usual large letter stamp charge because you added a pearl.

So I had a gift box idea in my head when I was thinking about this card, I love this ribbon so much I was trying to think of ways of using it as the main element on a card rather than an accent or embellishment. The shiny silver edge on this ribbon is stunning.  I started by cutting a piece of the 'Year of Cheer' foiled, Designer Papers and mounting it onto a piece of Silver mirror card, which highlights the silver foil in the paper and the ribbon, I then added the ribbon as you would if your were decorating a box, having one piece going up and down the card and the other across, at the point that they met I created a flower out of the Stampin' Up! Foil Snowflake embellishments (pictured below)

My snowflake flower

The Foil Snowflakes

Stampin' Up! Year of Cheer Suite

I cut into the flower, taking out more as the layers became smaller, I had to remove the centre too, I cut a little disc of card and added glue and as I manipulated the snowflake into shape i pressed onto the glued disk which holds it in place and gives you something to glue the layers together with too.
I finished it with a die cut snowflake and a Faceted gem.  I added this on top of the ribbon and added four loops of ribbon to create and illusion of a bow.  I decided to add the sentiment like a tag on a gift box too, so I stamped the sentiment and embossed it with silver embossing powder and die cut it with a flag die. A few tiny gems added to the centre of some of snowflakes was all that the card needed to finish the card.
What do you think???  I quite like it, something different I think.

We have an early start today as we need to be in Banbury by 9am as I have an appointment to see a back surgeon to look into the deterioration of my lower spine to see if it is my back causing the worsening pain, I have actually been through this situation about 50 times, they seem to want it to be my back instead of my hip for some reason.  Having said that my back pain has gotten a lot worse over this past couple of years so it will be good to get things looked at, I will then see a hip surgeon depending on the result, I haven't had Xrays since 2009 so I am sure that there will be some changes.
Fingers crossed for a positive outcome. 

Karen it's quite scary to think that your neighbour is still using an old fashioned Chip pan, they are an accident waiting to happen, its so easy to get distracted isn't it.  Hopefully the damage can be repaired quickly, the smell must be awful though, I was happy to read you felt well enough to return to work, take it easy though my lovely xxx

Val, I hope you had a nice lunch with your 'chatty' friend, how are you getting on with the 'top up'
Christmas cards, I am  not surprised that your cards sold out so quickly, it must be frustrating to have to making so many more when you thought you had finished.  Wow your first Christmas card before December !! that is early! xxx

Michele I was sorry to read that your Dad was involved in an accident, was he on his way to his Model Railway club when something like this happened before?  so relieved he wasn't hurt in anyway, hopefully he will have his car back in no time. xxx

Maria I hope that you are feeling brighter and less 'Sluggish' today, like you I have  very poor sleep, I very rarely get to sleep before 3am, so I can totally sympathise with you feeling tired and sluggish, pain affects you in so many different ways, when you are tired it seems so much harder to handle too.
Sending huge hugs my lovely friend.

Sue I hope you have a safe journey to Devon, I think that I will do you Chris and Bob good to get some fresh sea air! Have a lovely weekend xxx

Have a lovely day my lovelies,

Love and hugs

Sandra
xxxxxxx

  

18th Birthday card

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you all stayed safe in the strong winds last night.  We had a very loud night as the builders have left our drain down pipes unattached to the walls so they were clanging and banging in the wind,

the scaffolding was making some curious noises too, Paul did consider moving the car out onto the road during the night just in case.

Today's card was a last minute make on Tuesday night, Sophie asked me at 9.45pm If I had a card that she could give her friend for her 18th Birthday the next morning!!! 

So I re-purposed a card that I had already made and made a new topper using the 'Number Of Years' stamp set from Stampin' Up! I then die cut it using the 'Lots Of Labels' die.  I stamped the insert to match the outside of the card.

Sophie then decided that it really needed a box to make it extra special, so I added a box with matching ribbon and even found out some matching tissue paper. I looked a very special gift when it was all boxed up.  I couldn't go too fancy with the card as I was reliably informed that the recipient isn't a 'Girly Girl'!!

I had a lovely crafty day with Pat yesterday, we had a productive afternoon cutting out cards, I look forward to seeing them all made up Pat.  Pat kindly left me her Poinsettia dies so that I can get some cards made with them.  

Sue is coming over today which I am extra pleased about as Paul is out all day, I will so nice to have some company. 

I hope that you all have a lovely day,

Love and Hugs

Sandra

xxxxxx

Michele's Magical magazine die cards

Good Morning Ladies,

I do hope that you are all ok, some of you have been missing and I hope that you are all doing OK.

I am so excited to be able to share Michele's 'Die Cutting Essentials' magazine Die cards with all of you today.  It is really kind of Michele to do our Magazine Reviews each month but its even better when we are able to see the cards that Michele has made with the very things she has shared with us.

This collection of Christmas cards are absolutely amazing Michele, that die is perfect for 'batch making' cards, you have demonstrated that perfectly,

simply die cutting the two parts of the die in batches, maybe do a few each night, then get your card bases ready, maybe stamp the sentiment inside, your could sit and assemble them in front of the TV if you choose as you have done all the hard work already.  You can choose any colour combinations that you like and as you can see Michele hasn't needed to add any extra embellishments as the die is detailed enough, so this card is also brilliant for posting.

The other bonus with this set is that the outer two dies can be used all year round.

Thank you Michele for inspiring us all once again. xxx

Die-Cutting Essentials issue 29

Above is the link that will take you to Craftstash  who still have this back issue on sale at £9.99,

hope it helps.They have also got some fantastic deals on magazines, some start at £1.50, covering everything from stamping and die-cutting to knitting and crocheting, so well worth look.

Thankfully Paul is home today, so the endless onslaught of builders and their very loud power tools won't seem as bad, Paul is like my safety blanket, I know that sounds soft but its true, when he is around everything seems calmer.

I am hoping to see Pat later today for some crafting, then Sue tomorrow, which is great as Paul is working again. 

I hope that you all have a fantastic day and that those of you that have been in pain or unwell are feeling better,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Val's challenge card

Good Morning Ladies,

Today I am so happy to be able to share Val's fantastic Tic Tac Toe challenge card with all of you.  

Val chose the Categories: Stamped Background/Die Cut/Circles

to create her Challenge card. 

The background was stamped using 'Timeless Textures' Stampin'Up stamp set, Val has then Die cut a 'Happy Birthday'

and added it on an angle on the top of her card, then finished the design off with a few matching gem stones.

A fantastic unisex birthday card Val, thank you so much for taking part XXX

Well I have got the soapbox out from under the stairs and dusted it off, you ladies haven't used it in a while!  

But boy am I going to put it to use today........

So, Paul took up the chance of another days work yesterday so I was going to keep my mind busy by filming a couple of tutorials for my YouTube channel, one for the pop up box from last week and the bags from Saturday, so I got all prepared the night before, cleared my desk, got Paul to help me set up the camera etc.  Paul and the girls left at about 7:45am, I decided to have another hour in bed as I didn't get to sleep until 3:40 am.  

I was woken about 15 minutes later to the sound of a chainsaw, a really loud one at that, I instantly felt sick, got up grabbed my dressing gown (,luckily) and headed to look out of the windokw, I pulled back the curtains and saw two pairs of legs, they were on a low scaffolding, I quickly shut the curtains again and headed to kitchen, yes you guessed it another pair of legs, I abandoned the idea of tea went to walk through my craft room to use my bathroom and they were there too! I have never tried to use the loo so quietly in my life!  By this time my heart was racing, I went back to my bedroom to try and calm down. We once again had no idea that they were coming to work on our home today. 

I managed to peek out at lunch time to discover that they had cut down every Bush and shrub around the wall of the whole property, right down to the soil!!  I went into kitchen while ft he coast was clear and made myself a cuppa and something to eat, planning to go into craftroom afterwards, but sadly it wasn't meant to be, those pesky workmen were back in front of my craft room window, shouting over each other, the only word of English language I heard was a 4 letter word beginning with 'F' 

Strange that they know that but not please and thank you!

So I could do no filming, in fact I couldn't sit in there at all.

I am praying that they have moved on tomorrow.

Soapbox returned, rant over!! 

I hope that today is brighter than yesterday and that you all have a lovely day.

Love and hugs

Sandra

Xxxxxx

Monday Sketch Challenge

Good Morning Ladies,

I have decided to go for a good old sketch this week, they take all of the thinking out of card making which for me right now is a bonus, I'm having trouble staying focused, I've no idea why😉😉

I thought that the layout of this sketch would work well for pretty much every kind of card too, I liked how it looked too.

I decided to make a Christmas card for my challenge card this week, I have been hoarding this paper for a few weeks now waiting for the 'right' project, once I ran a few ideas through my mind I knew this was the one!

The paper is from SU 'Merry Little Christmas' designer series paper collection, the sentiment is from "Snowflake Sentiments" the border die is 'Swirly Snowflake' thinlits. 

I stamped my sentiment and die cut it using the 'Lots of Labels' dies, I then cut a black label to make it stand out from the background. I die cut the border in Whisper White and added the detail layer in black, I added a piece of the Striped black and white wired ribbon, then a piece of Whisper White ribbon with Silver edge, which I topped with a bow, I trimmed the bow with a black Snowflake that I made shiny by pressing it into Versamark and adding clear Embossing Powder. 

All of this I mounted onto a white base card with a mat of black and Whisper White card. I finished the card with some little black gem stones.

I can't wait to see what you all make xx

Paul is out all day again today so I will begin my craft room, trying to summon some inspiration!

What are you all up to this week?

Have a fantastic day,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra

xxxxxx