Something Nautical For Friday!!

Good Morning Ladies,

As a change to something 'Floral' for Friday I thought we would have something different.  

Karen sent me this amazing pop up card a few days ago and I fell in love as soon as I saw it and couldn't wait to share it with all of you.  Karen's Nautical version is stunning but just think of the possibilities with this style of Card, you could make it for in just about any style for any Occasion.

I will add what Karen wrote below and I will try and find the link to the Jenny Maguire Tutorial that Karen got her inspiration from and leave you the link.

"I made this yesterday Not too bad for a first attempt

Jenny McGuire has a YouTube channel and to say I’m a little addicted is an understatement
It’s a shadow box card that providing you keep the embellishments flat fold completely flat for posting I need to make a card for somebody that loves boats and thought this would be a little different"

The first photo (above is the front cover, you then open it up to reveal this ………..

Such an amazing nautical scene Karen, those boat sails look real, so does all of the rope that we can see, is it a Serif image made to look 3D or have you hand made that darling little boat?

This picture shows just how flat the card folds, so depending on your embellishments you can get away with a normal stamp cost, no large letter fees!

 This shot gives you an idea of the dimension of the finished card, it just pops in to shape as you pull it from the envelope.

I can hardly believe this is your first attempt Karen, it is absolutely stunning!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share your New Card with our friends on the blog, please ladies if you do get chance to make one I would love to see them.

Thanks again Karen xxxx

Have a lovely weekend Ladies,

Love and hugs

Sandra
xxxxxx

Cheryl's Prize Winning Christmas Card

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well and those of you that are under the weather are on the mend.

Today's card is the one that our Cheryl entered into her local village Fete Craft Competition, 

it's no surprise that it Won 2nd Prize!! It's stunning!

The card has an embossed background, then a pretty red Octagonal Frame that has beautiful decorative paper behind, it looks like heart shaped wreaths, the prize winning touch is that Gorgeous floral spray, OMG Cheryl it is so stunning, beautiful rich red flowers with tiny pine cones and berries, Sue Wilson Swirly Spray and Trailing Ivy, finishing with those lovely Stick Pins.

You must have been so thrilled with your prizes Cheryl, they were so well deserved, thank you so much for allowing me to share them with everyone. xxx

Val, I hope that your leg starts to heal fast, I remember you saying about a similar thing before.  I hope that the nurse is gentle with you, it must be so sore. Hugs on their way xxx

Maria, I hope you managed to get some decent sleep, I will say that your magazine will probably still keep coming after you cancel it, I paid £5 for 3 issues back in November last year, they have never taken another penny and I am still getting the magazine, I have even called them to let them know.

I hope that your poor Dad gets sorted soon and on the road to recovery, it must be hard on your mum too.  sending huge hugs xxx

Janet, I am pleased to hear your dilemma was solved, I can 100% recommend Fernli Designs, their products are top quality and their prices so reasonable, they are local to us and we went out to their unit to collect an order, we stayed and Chatted with Lou and her lovely husband for a couple of hours, you couldn't meet nicer people and makes you want to support their little business.  I am excited to see what you buy, they will also try and help you with anything they don't sell, if you ask.

I just know you will upcycle your storage when you get it. sending hugs xxx

Pat, I am so pleased to read that Pete has made a little bit of a recovery, fingers crossed it continues, how's Doreen doing, I guess you are still visiting?  Sending hugs to you both my lovely xxx

Lilian, I do hope that you are starting to feel better my lovely, huge hugs on their way. xxx

Well I must go and get ready the day, not sure what's planned as yet, I will update you all tomorrow, yesterday was a bit of a mixed day, we had glorious sunshine up until about 3/4pm then the clouds rolled in and the heavens eventually opened, accompanied by some thunder.  We needed though as it was so muggy, making it hard to breathe (not helped by my AF).  So we ended the day with board games and lots of laughter.

Sending love and Hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Brenda's Beautiful Anniversary Card

Good Morning Ladies

I have been dying to share this card with all of you for so long, I think it is so, so beautiful.
Brenda made this stunning card for her Daughter and Son in law's Wedding Anniversary.
It has been made using Stampin Up! 'Springtime Impressions' thinlit dies, Brenda had die cut them in both white and Periwinkle Blue and very slightly offset them, which has given a stunning effect.  The finishing touches that Brenda has added are some tiny flowers down the body of the Butterfly and a pretty delicate pink rose and blue bow with a little foliage in the bottom corner.  I just know that this card will be treasured forever.
Thank you so much Brenda for allowing me to share this stunning card with everyone xxxx.

We had a lovely day yesterday, we were so lucky with the weather, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so we set off to a local beach to go out on a Pedalo with a slide (not my choice) but I would go along with anything that made the family laugh as thats what gives me the greatest pleasure! I have to say the two gentlemen that ran the Pedalo business were so kind and helpful, I also have a bit of anxiety about how I will get on things like this but I shouldn't have worried, that held onto the  thing and both held my hand to help me on, making it almost effortless.  It was worth it to hear the laughing and giggling, Paul went first, he is always the Guinea Pig, closely followed by the girls.  Lewis played it safe and stayed on deck with me, I think he got a bit sea sick though as it was quite choppy because of the speedboats etc, (there is a very posh Marina there).  We dried off and went for a stroll into the town to have a browse around the 'Looky Looky' shops (as the girls call them), I tell you you can buy just about anything down that road from a Samurai Sword to a Wooden (mens bits) bottle opener!
We had some amazing chips, from a little Dutch place that we found last year, he hand cuts the chips himself and will only use 'Agria' Potatoes (Pat ), as he was telling us that in Holland they are considered the perfect potato for chips! So I will be getting some when we come home, Pat buys them in a sack from a local garden centre but we had never heard of them.
We walked a bit more and them found ourselves at an Ice Cream Parlour, Omg, so many different flavours and they all looked yummy, I had a double coconut/lime as it was my birthday, but I did share it with Paul as he finished his quickly. Lewis and the girls mooched about and bought some gifts for friends and family.
We then headed home for a cuppa and a lie down, it was soon time to get ready to go out for dinner, Paul me and the girls had a lovely steak, Lewis had a freshly made Pizza., the girls and I shared a jug of Sangria too.
All in all a lovely day.
Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes and your amazing cards, I was overwhelmed by the beautiful cards I received.
I feel truly blessed.

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra
xxxxx

My second Graceful Glass Stamp

Good Morning Ladies,

I am sharing this card with you today because it is one of my most favourite cards of my recent makes, I think it's just because of this gorgeous colour combination, it just works!

The card is made from another Graceful Glass panel that I coloured with Gorgeous Grape and a mix of Lemon Lime Twist and Granny Apple Green, both lovely shades of green, I used watercolour pencils blended with SU Blender pens to colour the Iris and its foliage, I backed the panel with whisper white card and then used Lemon Lime Twist card as my base card and added a matt of white and then Gorgeous Grape, I used Lemon Lime Twist ribbon and used the same colours to make the tag, which I stamped with a sentiment from 'Vertical Greetings'. I finished the card with some Glittered Gems.

I hope you like the colour combo as much as I do. xxx

We had a beautiful day yesterday, wall to wall sunshine, we spent the whole day on the beach, I was mostly under the umbrella as I got a little bit burnt yesterday, not sure how as I was wearing a long sleeve overshirt/cover up to and from beach and was under the umbrella while we were there, you do constantly move the umbrella though as the sun moves round.

I was able to get into the sea though, at last, a little chilly at first, our saying is 'it's fine once you're in' and it was, I was swimming/floating about for a good hour or more. Paul, Lewis and the girls went in too and on the Paddle Board, they seemed so much more confident this year, it's lovely watching them have fun together.

I think we are going to another beach today, that has pedalo things with slides on, the girls love them, so does Paul, sadly I can't do the slide but I love watching them do it. There is also a long street of the "looky looky" shops that sell holiday tat, bracelets, ash trays, sun glasses, you know the sort, every holiday resort has them.  The girls love it, there is a place that sells freshly made 'Churros' (a long fried doughnut) coated in sugar and another that sells every flavour of ice cream you can imagine.

After popping home to change we will go somewhere to eat, not sure where yet though.

I hope that you all have a lovely day,

Love and hugs

Sandra

xxxxxx

Michele Monday Challenge 2

Good Morning Ladies,

Michele has chosen a TicTacToe challenge for you all this week, it's a fantastic one too, lots of choice and a great selection for making your Christmas cards as well as your everyday cards.
Michele has once again made two sample cards for you....
The first one is a really cute 'Twins' card, I believe that this is from a Kanban kit (maybe Hunkydory), I have it too, so does Sue I think and probably many others.
Michele's first card uses Categories: Diecut/Blue/Ribbon

Michele's second card is a lovely Christmas card, the sentiment looks like a 'Woodware' stamp that Michele has fussy cut, I love the Vellum wrapped around the card too.
Michele's second card uses Categories:  Snowflakes/Glitter/Ribbon

Two great Examples Michele, thank you so much for choosing the challenge and making the cards to inspire everyone. I am missing having my crafty stash to hand!

Have you all had a good weekend so far? What have you all got planned for Bank Holiday Monday, I hope the weather is good for whatever you choose.

We had a lovely day at the beach yesterday, the sea was still too rough for me to get in, its odd because its usually like this after a storm but we haven't had a storm.
The girls and Paul went in and Lewis and I stayed on the beach, he was wearing his contact lenses and as the sea was so rough he didn't want to risk get sea water in his eyes.  He has eyes that are super sensitive to bright light so he has to keep sunglasses on at all times bless him, it was nice to have someone to chat to on the beach though.

I look forward to seeing all of your Challenge cards and to hearing about your Bank Holiday weekend.

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra
xxxxxx

Your Challenge Cards

Good Morning Ladies,

Michele set you a great Sketch Challenge on last Monday and I was really excited to see what you all came up with, as usual you didn't disappoint...…..

Cheryl

Cheryl made two cards, following our extra Christmas card challenge, the first card is a pretty Birthday card using delicate lilac shades. Cheryl has finished the card with some lovely coordinating Embellishments.

Cheryl's second card is a lovely Christmas card, the background papers are beautiful and I love those super cute toppers.  

Thank you so much Cheryl for supporting Michele's challenge this week.

XXX

 Janet

Our Janet made two beautiful cards, again following our extra Christmas card challenge, I love the intricate die cut design of your first card Janet, using black card with the silver Mirri card behind really gives that WOW factor.

Janet has used lovely red foil on her second (Christmas) card, those individual panels are lovely Janet and make a really lovely Christmas card design.

Thanks so much for two lovely cards for Michele's challenge.

XXX

 Karen

Karen has also made two amazing cards this week, the first I love, it looks as though Karen has made a gorgeous blended Oxide Ink Background, then inked around the edge of the blended piece and mounted onto a complimentary coloured card base, three beautiful die cut butterflies embellish the card which has a sentiment that has been die cut and features a similar colour blend.

Karen's second card is a lovely Christmas card, I think that Karen has made a randomly stamped background paper that she has added shading around the edges off, (or it could be from Serif), a Creative Expressions sentiment on Navy background, the focal element is an embossed piece of card which has been embellished with three pretty Snowflakes.

Thank you so very Much Karen for taking part in this weeks Challenge.

XXX

Janet

First card: Distress oxide
Fired brick
Fossilised Amber stamp from stash

Second challenge card the panel is a die from wish with  caught in crystal
The  circles mermaid lagoon distress oxide & evergreen bough.

Third card is made with same colours as first, this time I used Stampin Up Very Vintage stamp.

Thanks so much Lynda for three amazing Challenge cards, I am loving all of the 'Caught in Crystal' cards too.

XXX

Margaret

Margaret has made a lovely Christmas card for this weeks Sketch challenge, using Stampin Up Dsp and the Bell Punch.

Thank you so much my lovely for taking part in Michele's challenge.

XXX

Maria

Maria I love this Birthday card that you have made for this weeks Challenge, that paper is such a gorgeous shade of blue and I love the embossing folder that you have used.  Your sentiment is die cut and has such a pretty font, adding that little bird was a genius touch, such a lovely challenge card.

Thank you so much for taking part.

XXX

 Val

Val has made two fabulous Challenge cards for Michele's Sketch Challenge, 

The first is a really fun Christmas card, I just love those fun Girly images, perfect for teenagers and girlfriends alike.

Val's second card is a Thank you card, made in the loveliest shade of pink, with accents of green, those little toppers are lovely Val and your layout is beautiful.

Thank you so much for taking part in Michele's challenge my lovely.

 XXX

Michele thank you so much for a fantastic challenge, I know that you will be blown away by the amount of amazing cards that our friends have made for this sketch. xxxx

Ladies you will love Michele's second challenge too !! 

We had a quiet day by the pool yesterday as it was very cloudy, we did go out to a local market in the morning too. It's just nice to all be relaxing though.  I am looking forward to getting in the sea though, it has been too rough up until now though, fingers crossed for calmer seas.

Have a lovely Sunday and rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Mixed Craft Saturday

Good Morning Ladies,

Its Saturday so you know what that means.....It's Mixed Craft day, I know that you have all been waiting to see Cheryl's First Prize winning Wreath, it's absolutely stunning and I'm not at all surprised that it was awarded first prize.  You can see that you have put so much work into making it, with the beautiful ribbon, lace, little appliques and beautiful Ivory flowers, you have outdone yourself Cheryl, this has to be one of your best.

Thank you so much for Sharing it with all of us. xxx

Danni

Danni has been super busy with her different crafts and luckily she has shared some of them with us, 

First up is an amazing Gift Box that contains those super cute Mickey & Minnie gift tags, Dannii has done a tutorial for these on her YouTube channel, I think that these would be great for selling at craft fairs etc....

Dannii's Tag Tutorial

Danni's second project is one of the nicest Diamond Pictures I have seen, I love how all the white diamonds make it look like the unicorn is sparkling.  I bet Layla absolutely loves this picture Danielle.

Thank you so much for sharing your crafts with us. XXX

Karen

Karen has shared the shopping that she bought from her trip to Stamperama with Maria and Nicki last Sunday. You bought some lovely things Karen, I love that you are buying stamps now too, so many of our ladies have made that transition from Dies to stamps, I love it as I think you can be so much more creative. You got some lovely Oxide ink colours too, I really want some of the new colour, so I will be looking out for them at Ally Pally.

I will add Karen's description of her shopping below....

"Here’s a photo of my buys at Stamperama
There was a lovely stall called A Crafty Place They do not have a shop Only online and shows They have promised to keep prices the same for Ally Pally They were cheaper than iconuk
Yes I’ve relented and along with the others have bought JL’s Poinsettia die and stamps!
Managed to get 5 Distress Oxides for £20"

Your Oxides were a really good price Karen, I bought my last collection from Joanna Sheen as it worked out cheaper to get them all together, I think I will look for them at AP this time though.

Thanks for sharing your shopping my lovely. xxx

 Nicki

Karen sent me a photo of these lovely little 'Thank you' cards that the lovely Nicki made, I love bright, vibrant colours and the fact that the zigzag background is embossed. That cute little heart above the 'thanks' is such a lovely touch too.  

Karen sent me a description so I will add it below:

"Here are some cards from young Nicki who also went to Stamperama What is so nice about this card is the detail she has put in
So the sentiment is one she bought yesterday and had heat embossed it with black glitter embossing powder
She has inked the background through a stencil and also the heart with Distress Oxides I have her permission to send them to you"

Such lovely cards Nicki thanks for sharing them with us, I love your cards xxx

That's it for another week My Lovelies, I have a Magazine Review from Michele for next Saturday, I will also gladly share any shopping of crafts you have too.

Have a lovely weekend

Love and Hugs,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Something shiny for friday!!

Good Morning Ladies,

I hope that you are all well and looking forward to the weekend, what do you all have planned for the Bank holiday?

It's our eldest Matt's Birthday today, he has travelled down to stay for the weekend at Dorset Steam Fair, it's his tradition, he has gone every year for goodness knows how many years, it works perfectly for his birthday this year though, I think its a big anniversary one too so will be extra special.  Matt was delighted when he found out that the 'Wurzels' are performing tonight, he loves them, so the fact that he will see them live for his birthday is an extra special treat. I hope he has an amazing weekend.

Today's card is one of Our Lynda's, don't you just love that shimmery background?! it looks like a Mermaid's tail !
Lynda made this card by die cutting a Clarity Die in Black card and layering it over a piece of Green Shimmery paper, she has then made a frame to finish the card.
It looks so dramatic Lynda, I love that die,  you could use it with so many different backgrounds.
Thank you so much for making the card for me to share with everyone while I was on holiday. xxx

We picked up Lucy, Sophie & Lewis from the airport and then took them food shopping with us, costly experience that was, we had a fair amount of 'unhealthy' shopping too, hopefully they will balance it out with all of the lovely local fresh fruit, we buy so much as its so inexpensive and tastes so good, I could eat their peaches and greengages all day long.  We usually take lots of fruit in the coolbag to the beach as its quite refreshing to eat, Watermelon is a particular favourite, we take a huge plastic tub full. I think its always a bit harder when you take somebody else on holiday with you, I have tried to bring all of Lewis's favourite food, so fingers crossed he won't go hungry, there is always the bakery on site that has everything from baguette to doughnuts and everything in between.
Well I had better go and get breakfast organised,

I hope that you all have a lovely holiday weekend and that the weather is good.

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra
xxxxx

Michele's Card Tutorial

Michele's original card

Good Morning Ladies,

I know how much you all loved this amazing card that Michele shared with us for Mixed Craft Saturday a couple of weeks ago, I am so pleased to share with you the Tutorial for this card that Michele has done in step by step fashion.

Hi Ladies,

Here’s how I made the fancy fold card from 12x12 thin card.

Use a plain piece of 12 x 12 thin card for the base & some patterned papers

I used the papers below for the inside of the card as they’re patterned on both sides.

Score the plain card at 6 inches as shown for the base card.

Cut one square out & keep it to use later.

On the reverse side of a piece of 6 x6 paper, mark as shown and use a craft knife to cut the X in the centre.

When you turn your paper over you need to fold back the 4 triangular flaps.

Fold the points on the flaps back in, towards the centre of the square.

This is the piece glued down. I glued the tiny points down but used 1mm foam pads on the larger part-as shown to give a bit of interest so it’s not all flat.

On the 2nd square I cut a piece out in the centre to make room for a tag. Using double sided tape I stuck down the 3 edges & added a decorative trim. The tag is a piece of embossed Kraft card from my stash.

The 3rd  Square has 2 panels of paper-one full size and one trimmed to allow the base paper to be seen. The corner was folded & glued.

I trimmed the 6x 6 paper I used on all the panels slightly to allow room for folding.

This is the card assembled & I’ve added some Diecut Poinsettias. …….

I Hope this makes sense to everyone, if you get stuck then just ask me to explain it again.

Michele

Thank you so much Michele for an fantastic tutorial, I can't wait to have a go when I get home, I look

forward to seeing everyone's version of this card.

Have a lovely day ladies,

Love and hugs

Sandra

xxxxxx

Pat's Stunning Groovi Card

Good Morning Ladies,

I am writing today's post from our hotel in Orleans (not far from Paris), I was very glad to get here as we went into Paris a different way and it totally threw us, it must have been different because we went a different route from the Eurotunnel exit than we usually take from the ferry port. 

We usually go past Charles De Gaulle airport and round towards another airport called Orly, this time we didn't go in part Charles De Gaulle, all was going well until satnav directed us through to a toll that had a height limit of 2m, which we exceed with the roofbox, we followed an alternative route for lorries etc but that threw the bloomin sat nav and it sent us round in a circle, after about a 40 min detour we finally were heading in the right direction, ooh my anxiety!! 

We were so pleased when we finally got to the hotel and relaxed!

Janet we have used the toll tag for the past 4 years, we just had to order a new one as ours played up  a bit last year, probably the battery I would imagine.  I agree with you though, they are a a great invention and save so much time and effort, no more trying to get the car close enough to the machine so that us vertically challenged people can reach the ticket is just one benefit! 😄😄

Today's card is one that Pat made at one of her Groovi sessions over in Abingdon, I think that this card is absolutely stunning Pat, so intricate and detailed, it looks like it has taken you hours and hours.  The lady that runs the group cuts these lovely frames on her Silhouette Cutting machine and then designs the groovi patterns to fit the frame, such a clever idea.

I love those 4 small frames with the flowers in the centre, the little gemstones bring the card to life.

the flower that you have finished the card with in the centre is so lovely Pat, you must be absolutely thrilled with this card.

Thank you so much for sharing it with us. xxxx

Well I must go and get a shower, I will catch up with all of you in a few hours,

Love and hugs to all

Sandra

xxxxxx

Ps Cheryl the amount you raised for Cardiomyopathy is amazing, you should be so proud! xxxx