Another card in my favourite colour

 

Good Morning Ladies, 

We didn't go to the supermarket until late in the day yesterday,  the weather was lovely in the morning so we went to the beach, the sea was so rough that going in wasn't an option, in fact the Beach Bar/Bistro had put huge builders bags of sand as a defence along the beach in front of their set up, there was a roped off walkway to get past the bar to the rest of the beach which was about five feet wide,  as we walked onto the beach, we walked towards the bar (as we usually go the other side as the beach is quieter) but the sea had totally washed away the entire walkway, the builders bags are nowhere near the bar, one of them has been totally washed away, if the storm that they havd forecast tonight does the same damage I imagine the metal containers that the bar is constructed in will be afloat!!  We did think that they would have been shoring up the defences today but they seemed oblivious!  Stay tuned for the next update...

Janet, we will be thinking of Jim today, I'm sure it will be as successful as the other eye.  Paul's eyes are perfect for seeing distance,  they put corrective lens in for his prescription, they did offer him the option of having a varifocal lens so that he wouldn't need a prescription for close up, but as soon as he was told that it was an extra £1000 per eye, he quickly declined.  He begrudged paying £2000 each eye to begin with, but with the benefit of hindsight had we not have gone private he may still be waiting as the ended up even taking over the private hospital for Covid patients.  There is no price too high when it comes to your eyesight.  Give Jim our love and let him know he is in our thoughts. I can't believe we have another Octagenerian in our Blog Family, that has to be 3 if not 4. !! Are you having a party? XXX

Today's card is one I actually made for the Embossing folder challenge,  I embossed a piece of Just Jade card with the 'Macrame ' embossing folder from Stampin Up,  instead of just adding it flat I sliced it up into different widths and pieced it back together on the card base, adding foam pads to raise the background up for extra interest.  I fussy cut the plant pots out of the 'Bloom Where You Grow' Dsp and added some colour to the edges to disguise the cut lines, the sentiment is from the matching stamp set.  A quick and simple card that looks really effective. 

I will finish here as we need to get ready to go shopping,  the big supermarkets here are amazing to walk around,  their fish counters are incredible,  everything is so fresh, it doesn't smell at all, I can hardly believe there are that many varieties of fish, I will try and take a photo.  The bakery is somewhere very dangerous too!!! 😳 

I hope you all enjoy this last day of August, our weather is expected to be unsettled today, so we may stay in bed past 7am for the first time this holiday!! 

Love and hugs to you all,

Sandra  

xxxxxx

My first Favourite Colour Challenge card

 

Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

After receiving the most devastating news about my dearest friend Danielle on Saturday I had the longest night, every time I closed my eyes different memories flooded my mind, I ended up just watching her YouTube videos so that I could hear her voice, more importantly hear her voice without pain.  So yesterday we just spent the day taking it easy, I was physically and mentally exhausted.  My only comfort comes from knowing that she is no longer suffering.  Heaven has welcomed the most beautiful Angel 😇.  

Janet,  is it Jim's second op tomorrow? If so I pray all goes smoothly,  Paul sends his thoughts too, he says J will be delighted with the results xxx

Todays card is most simple design but I love it, it really shows that lovely embossing folder off beautifully,  it gives the paper a really expensive look.

Now I can't remember which green card I used but I am pretty sure it was 'Just Jade', firstly I die cut one of the leaf sprigs from 'Forever Flourishing' die set' from the centre of the piece of card,  I  then ran it through the machine with the 'Tasteful Textures' embossing folder, I think this folder is one of my favourites, I love the texture it gives. I trimmed it to 4 inch by 5 3/8 inch and adhered it to a white card base measure 4 1/8  X  5  1/2 inch. I die cut the same lead sprig out of white card and pieced it back into the Green aperture, then added a different sprig that I also cut in Just Jade over the top, adding a tiny white seam binding ribbon bow. To finish the card I added a simple sentiment that I trimmed using a banner punch. 

I hope you like it my lovelies. 

Not much planned today,  I think we are going shopping at some point, to top up on essentials, we are hoping to find a better selection of ice creams at one of the bigger supermarkets,  we need loo rolls, Paul needs some trail mix to add to his greek yoghurt and honey ( he has this every morning after his cereal). I also wanted some more nuts and dried fruit to add to our muesli (don't we lead an exciting life)!!?!! Apart from going out for dinner on Saturday night we haven't left the site since we arrived so it will be nice to get outvand about. 

I hope that you all have a lovely day,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra 

xxxxxxx

Your Challenge Cards

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

Thank you so much for your lovely birthday wishes and gorgeous cards.  I am so excited to have the ones at home to look forward too, its like having my birthday all over again xxx

I hope that you are having a lovely Sunday morning, we are having a slow relaxing day today,  the see was super rough yesterday so we didn't bother going to the beach, it was nice to have a day off.  It's fun too watch all the Kite Surfers and giggle as the novices have their first go at surfing,  its great entertainment!   I am struggling to understand why anyone would want to wear Bikini bottoms that are 90% up the crack of your bum!!  We have seen some sights I can tell you, it makes my eyes water thinking of the combination of rough sand and thong bikinis!!  I think we are old fashioned in our family and like our bums covered up!! 

Another sight that kind of made me smile but also sad at the same was two little girls, the were so cute, I would say 4 years old at most, they were playing together so happily, they both had a stick in their hand that they were using as  cigarette,  they blew out the smoke and flicked the ash and everything,  I had tears rolling down my cheeks,  they were so funny, I guess its a normal thing in Europe though.  

Now lets

Sonia

Sonia's Description:

Card 1:

I’ve used a Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades embossing folder and inked Spun Sugar distress ink over it. Tim Holtz butterfly cut out of Kraft card. The sentiments are from The Stamp Market.

Card 2:

I took inspiration for this card from Pinterest. The snowflakes are Memory Box and the sentiment from LOTV.

Sonia I love your Embossed Challenge cards, that deep emboss on your first card is stunning,  you did right to keep the embellishments simple to alliw that stunning background to shine. Your second card is perfectly Clean and simple,  such an elegant Christmas card. Thank you so much for taking part XXX 

Karen

Karen's Description:

Here’s 2 cc They’re a bit OKish I suppose 

My mojo has gone walk about 

Christmas card is a bargain bucket folder with SueW sentiment triple stacked and a Tim Holtz lace die

The birthday card is another bargain bucket folder with Sue W make a cake die and a Julie Hickey banner

2 Fantastic cards from Karen for this weeks Embossed Challenge.  I think the embossing on your first card is so beautiful Karen,  so much more than 'OKish', Clean, Simple & perfect!! 

I really do like those 'wordy' embossing folders,  they do most of the work , the addition of the cake and sentiment banner is perfect, nothing more needed!  Thank you so much for taking part in this weeks challenge XXX 

Janet

Janet's Description:

My first two cards are made using CRAFTERS COMPANION EFOLDER 'ORNATE LACE'. The card/decorations are all from my never ending stash drawer. I have to confess that out of all the Efolders in this set this particular one really is my favourite.

My third card this week was made again using CRAFTERS COMPANION EFOLDER but this time REGENCY SWIRLS. I decorated the base using PENTART CHALK PAINT-MINT GREEN' and STAMPERIA DIE CUTS FROM THE 'ATELIER des ARTS' set.

3 Lovely Embossed cards from Janet for this weeks Challenge,  the first two made using one of my favourite Crafters Companion Embossing folders, it looks so beautiful on either Pearl or metallic card, I love that you have left the embellishment simple to allow the embossing to stand out as main feature.

I love the mixed media style of your third card too , the colour is lovely too. Thank you so much for taking part XXX 

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

Here is my card for this weeks challenge.

It’s an old Anna griffin folder and the cartouche is from stamping up.

Such a pretty card Lilian,  I love the intricate details of that beautiful, scalloped edge Embossing folder, Anna Griffin makes some absolutely gorgeous craft products, I have always wanted some of her sentiment stamps!  Those beautiful labels make a lovely finishing touch to a card.  Thank you so much for taking part in this weeks challenge XXX

Brenda

Brenda's Description:

The embossed part had been sitting in my PHd box for ages, I used a hint of green on the EF. Mounted it on Old Olive card and cut one of Sue W. New dies for the focal point and used a sentiment that fits without taking over.

Wow Brenda I absolutely ❤ 😍 love this card, its my favourite colour, that SW die looks amazing die cut in green, it also works so well with that lovely embossed background,  thank you so much for taking part in this weeks challenge XXX 

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

Ladies thank you so very much for taking part in this weeks challenge, I really enjoyed trying new techniques with Embossing folders.   You have all made some stunning cards too. 

Enjoy the rest of the day my lovelies,

Love & hugs to all,

Sandra 

xxxxxx 

Mixed Up Saturday

Good Saturday Morning Ladies,

I hope today finds you well, relaxed after getting housework done and ready for the weekend.  

We had another lovely relaxed beach day yesterday,  I managed to get in and swim a few times too, I find it so relaxing.  

We haven't really got anything planned for today, we will see what the weather is like and decide.  We will go into Pals Old Town tonight for a walk round and then we have dinner booked for 8.30pm, which will round the day off nicely .

What are you all up to this weekend? 

Janet

Janet's Description:

My first offering for Mxd Up Sat is a:-

Bottle Carrier from June Tailor's 'Quilt as you Go' range.

The materials I used are all from my 'Scrap Bag'.

My second Offering for MUS is my latest Wash Bag and Cosmetic bag from June Tailor's 'Quilt as you Go'. The material is William Morris Design.

This kit also includes the Zips/and the wadding which has the pattern printed on it.

Janet you must be over the moon with your latest Sewing projects, they are amazing!!  The fabric you have used on your Bottle Bag is so pretty,  I love the colours.

Your Wash Bag and matching Cosmetic bag are beautiful,  I love the fabric, the patchwork pieces all compliment each other perfectly,  the little tassels are so cute,  the perfect finishing touch.  Its brilliant that the kit includes everything you need too.

Thank you so much for sharing your projects with us XXX

Ladies I saw this beautiful verse on Facebook yesterday and I couldn't resist sharing it with you. 

Dear Friend,

I don’t need you at your best when you come to my home.

I don’t care what you are wearing or what car you drove here.

I don’t care if there is food on your shirt and your hair is full of knots.

None of that matters to me.

I care about you.

I care about what’s in your heart, how afraid you are. What you worry about in the night.

I care about your deepest fears and your biggest dreams and I am there for it all.

If you mess up, I won’t judge.

That’s my promise to you.

So, don’t cancel me because your house is a mess and your cupboards are bare.

I will bring what you need with pleasure and I will listen to your problems without measure or malice. If you are on the floor, I’m picking you up, or I’m sitting own beside you.

You need never be alone down there.

And before I leave, I will have made you smile at least once.

That’s my promise to you.

So, save your best for someone else my friend because I want you just as you are.

That’s what friends are for.

Donna Ashworth

From ‘the right words’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp...

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I hope that you all have a lovely weekend,  I hope that the sun shines for you too,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra

xxxxxxx

 

Your Next Challenge

 

Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you are all well, did that week whizz by as quick for you as it did for me?!

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, the sun was shining from Sunrise to Sunset,  there wasn't a cloud in the sky, we were set up on the beach at just after 9am (8am for you) and we were swimming in the sea by 9.15am, it was so calm, it was easy for me to get in, its simply my favourite place to be, the feeling of weightlessness is bliss.  

Your Next Challenge 

I had a bit of a panic this morning as I couldn't remember what challenge I was going to set, a quick flick through the cards I had made soon reminded me though. 

So for our next Challenge I would like you to make cards or projects using Shades Of your Favourite Colour ' 

The good thing is that you can make cards for any occasion with this challenge.

So be prepared to see a lot of Green this week 🤣😂

I hope its a challenge you can enjoy, I can't wait to see your projects.

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend, 

Love and huge hugs to all of you,

Sandra                                                                                  xxxxxx 

A Throwback Embossing Technique

Good Morning Ladies, 

This week is going so fast, I can hardly believe its Friday tomorrow,  nothing much planned for us, we are just taking each day as it comes. We went down to the beach yesterday morning and stayed until about 6pm.  Everything calms down as the afternoon goes on  the beach gets quiter there is usually some quiet background music from the beach bar, the wind dropped too so it was lovely just laying there.  The sea was still a bit choppy for me to get in, we are going to take breakfast to the beach tomorrow and catch the sea while its at its most calm, early evening is generally calm too but Paul refuses to go in the water then as he says that the order of the food chain changes and the 'Big Fish' will hunt us! 🤣😂 I laughed at him as I always do and asked where he got his information.... he said that he had seen a documentary that said that a lot of shark attacks happen after sun down as sharks mistake our shadows for seals etc ( I don't know but we indulge him)!😉 

Another beach day for us, its lovely to read that you have good weather too !! 

Pat, I hope you are well, rest assured Paul didn't bring his Work laptop  he bought his Personal laptop, because he had to email instructions to the people covering his job,  so that they can fill in forms correctly!! No laws broken here, you know Paul well enough to know he would never do anything he wasn't supposed too! Sending hugs xxx

Lilian, it sounds like a nightmare down there, you and Roger stay home and safe.  Its so frustrating waiting for test results,  i had my blood test weeks ago and still heard nothing.  Hopefully it's no news is good news.  In fairness when my liver was bad they contacted me the day after my test to say i needed to be seen.  Enjoy the warm sunshine 🌞 Xxx

Sue, reading that Mum will be back home with Pops on Friday absolutely made my day yesterday, please give her a hug from me when you see her xxx

Here's how I made today's card my lovelies.....

I used a mask (HoneyDoo I think) I placed it over a piece of white card and then took ''Twisted Citron, Fossilized Amber, Dried Marigold, Peeled Paint and Peacock Feathers' Distress Oxide inks and covered the mask with them, stencilling through it but making sure the ink stayed on the mask too, I then took another piece of white paper, laid the stencil (ink side down) onto the white card and ran it through the die cutting machine, when I peeled back the mask this is what it looked like...

I fancied having a bit of sparkle so I used the Pearlywink Glitter Pearl spray to give a light spritz, I rolled my paper towel over to absorb any excess and make the Distress Oxide ink a little softer in colour. 

To make the card I used my Card Making Magic Octagonal Box die set to cut the card base and layers,

the sentiment I thought was quite 'apt' right now too, I stamped that in Dusty Concord Distress oxide ink, I stamped some of my Heartfelt Creations flower stamps and dies to cut flowers in the same colours as my background. I shaped them in the flower shaper plate and added them to my card with some extra foliage.

I hope you like my card and it helps any of you that are struggling for ideas.

Have a lovely day, I hope that you all get to enjoy some sunshine, 

Love and Hugs to all,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Gold Embossed Technique

 Good Wednesday Morning Ladies, 

I hope today finds you well, gentle hugs on their way to anyine feeling under the weather 😊 🫂 

We awoke to a thunder storm at around 6am,  it was so peaceful sitting out with a cuppa when nobody else was up. The storm soon cleared and we went for a walk around the Camp site,  on the way back we stopped to get a few bits from shop, we had forgotten kitchen roll and hand soap, of course we picked up a couple of cakes while we were there, for elevenses!!  We are just having a 'take it easy ' day today, we are going to go to the beach this afternoon.  

Today's card was made using another Embossing Technique, this time I used a SU 3D embossing Folder to emboss a piece of black card, to make the Embossing even more prominent I added Bundled Sage Distress Oxide into the background,  now I used Gilding Wax and the back of  Ranger Rub it Scrub it pad or back of Cut & Dry foam (because its a really firm surface), I dabbed it in a little wax, wiped off the excess on my glass mat and swiped lightly over all of the raised  areas, the firm pad just hits the very top of thd raised embossing,  the results are stunning. Now the tutorial I watched used a Tim Holtz Distress Crayon (Metallic) to add the gold colour. 

This technique would be great using a Snowflake embossing folder and adding silver to the snowflakes ❄ too. 

I hope you like the effects of this technique, I was surprised at how effective it was.

I hope that you all have a fantastic day 

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra                                                                                xxxxxx     

Another Embossed Challenge card

 

Good Morning Ladies, 

It's our Matt's birthday today, where have those 29 years gone?!! I hope you have a lovely day on your holiday love xxx

I hope that you are all well, it was lovely sharing our journey with you on our Blog messenger group, it made the journey go so much faster and because I was looking for interesting things to share with you it made me see more, I now also have a lot more photos than we usually take for our memories.  I will share some of them on Saturdays Blog for anyone that hasn't seen them.  

Janet, I am curious,  after years of being slightly nauseous at the sight of seeing the breakfast ritual of dipping your Croissant,  Pain au Chocolat, french bread and butter in cup of coffee, have you tried it, is it a French tradition that you and Jim have embraced??  The thought of all that flaky pastry or breadcrumbs in the bottom of my tea really turns my stomach!! 

We arrived at our site at around 4pm after stopping to do a big shop on the way in, which saves us having to go anywhere for a few days.  I will say that France felt totally safe, they are taking a lot more precautions than we are at home at the moment, they are having a lot of protests though  people are definitely not keen on Covid passports, they are compulsory everywhere though.  

Todays card is made by the same method as yesterday's , I used the same colour inks, this time I put the inked side down, so it is the raised flat top of the Hexagons that are highlighted,  I included yesterday's card so that you could see the difference.  Once again the sanding really adds to the definition of the hexagons.  I just added a simple Hello to this card, I thought that it would work for both male and female recipients. I really recommend you have a go, you can use any ink  including Oxides. 

Not sure what our plans are for today, I will let you all know later,

Love and warm hugs to all of you,

Sandra                                                                                xxxxxx 

 Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that today finds you all well and relaxed after the weekend,  ours was spent mostly in the car, my duties were mostly DJ because having the right music to drive to is vital, it's surprising how an uplifting,  rousing tune can revive you when you are flagging at the end of a long journey! The girls and I share a Spotify account so I had to do a fair bit of 'skipping ' I mean I love a show tune but they recently discovered a show (musical) called 'The Heights' now I'm not sure if it's because I haven’t seen the show but I just don't enjoy the music, apart from that we have similar tastes, the girls have grown up listening to our choice if music so they have learnt to enjoy it, they both have a very broad taste in music, they love Cher (oddly), I believe it was after watching the musical 'Burlesque ', Soph loves a bit of Country music too, their play lists span a good 40 years of music though.  So we had quite a variety to listen too. Thankfully the car audio is amazing! My other duty was to pass food,  sweets etc to Paul and nag him to drink his water!! 

Now onto today's card, I have to say that I really enjoyed trying new techniques with embossing folders.  For this card I coloured a piece of Super Smooth Pink Frog card with Versafine Clair dye inks Verdant & Paradise (I think), I then used a 3D embossing folder and ran it through machine, after removing it from folder I lightly sanded the surface,  this left a perfect white outline to the Hexagons 

I wish I had taken  'before' photo because the difference is incredible it makes the Hexagons even more 3D, I was blown away to be honest !!

Now I wanted to leave as much of this background on show as possible, so I added a simple sentiment,  the pattern shouted Bee's to me, so I found an old SU Bee die and cut white card with it, I then decided to go for ' Bee Happy ' as my sentiment. 

Tomorrow I will show the card I made using the opposite side of this E folder, which looks quite different.  

I hope you like the technique I shared, go and have a play, you'll love it ! 

I hope that you all have a lovely day,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Your Challenge Cards

 

Good Sunday Morning Ladies, 

Hello my lovelies,  as I am writing this post we are cruising through central France, taking our time and enjoying the journey,  we just had a break at a pretty picnic area.  I felt a strange nostalgic moment yesterday at breakfast,  the couple on the next table to us had twins in highchairs, they looked like they were around 1 yr to 18 months,  the were so cute, the couple were chatty and Paul and I said that we didn't envy them their 5 hour journey, we explained that we always drove through the night when the children were little,  it was so much easier when they were all asleep in their car seats, the couple said that they hadn't considered that but thought it made sense, Paul  and I were talking about it later saying that there was nothing relaxing about holidaying with little ones, especially if they outnumber you, especially around pools and on the beach.  Paul used to take Matt and Becca and had the girls to entertain, we were as exhausted as the babies come bed time!  They were fun times though, it got us really thinking about how different this holiday will be!  We are currently about 2 hours from our hotel, this one is somewhere totally new to us, it's a lovely looking  'Boutique hotel '.  Our usual hotel that we have stayed at for past 4 holidays closed down,  we were booked with them but they emailed to cancel, I imagine it's just to quiet for them to be financially viable, especially after last year.  I will let you all know tomorrow what we think of this new one. 

Now let's look at your fantastic TicTacToe Challenge cards........

Karen 

Karen's Description:

"Here’s a cc

Birthday- bling-gold

Inspired by Tracy Evans The bling is gold dots and the gold is gilding flakes

It’s for a very special friend whose favourite colour is green. 

Karen I am really loving your Tracy Evans inspired cards,  I can tell that you add your own little touches to make it your design too. For me this one is extra special as it features my favourite colour 😍.   THAT SPECIAL FRIEND IS VERY LUCKY 😍

Infact the background that you have created looks very much like SU's sell out papers that I used recently (the one that looked like alcohol inks background in green and gold). You have created what looks like many layers of detail and interest.  Thank you so much for a stunning Challenge  card XXX

Sonia 

Sonia's Description:

'I’ve used. LOTV image from one of the art pads. The papers are ones I found on the web and downloaded for free - they’re so pretty for a freebie. The sentiment is from LOTV. The scalloped border is a tonic studio’s punch, and the little heart on sentiment is also a punch. The flowers are Becca Feeken, Amazing Paper Grace.

Categories - flowers/die cut shape/punch.

Aww Sonia I absolutely ❤ love this 'Lilli Of The Valley' image,  such an adorable little couple too. As with all of your cards,  the design and attention to detail are perfect, I actually thought that you had used an Anne Marie Designs Backing paper, her latest release has a lot of the whitewash wood effect papers.  Becca Feeken’s (Spellbinders) dies are all so lovely, the flowers you have used from her line are simply beautiful and work beautifully with your design.  Thank you so much Sonia for supporting this weeks challenge. Enjoy the rest of your weekend of celebration James birthday XXX

Lilian 

Lilian's Description:

This is my card for this week, sorry it’s a bit late, I used bling, paper and flowers, hope that’s right. Flower stamp is one which came for a online project, I have enhanced the paper with stamps and perfect pearls. First card I have made for weeks, you should see the mess."

Oh I love this card Lilian 😍,  the flower is just so bold and beautiful,  I love how you have coloured it too, the perfect pearls give such a lovely shimmer.  The combination of stamped foliage and Die cut foliage gives a real sense of depth.  The genius part of this card is the clever use of a lattice die cut to create the effect of the flower being in a vase or pot.

Thank you so very much my lovely, such a lovely card XXX

Brenda 

Brenda's Description: oh

"My categories are embossing/ribbon/punch ( I used my small SU flower."

oh Brenda what a beautiful card, Simple in Design but stunning, the ribbon is such a pretty colour and matches the flowers perfectly, I absolutely love that embossing folder, it really needs very little to embellish it as it is beautiful just as it is. I bet it would look pretty with some colour added into the folder too, to highlight those pretty flowers.  You could maybe use this folder for next weeks  challenge too.  Thank you so much for supporting this weeks TicTacToe Challenge XXX

Janet 

Janet's Description: 

"My first CC for this week was made using the Backing Card printed by 'Dolly Dimples'. The Apron I cut from a Designer Pad I have had for years and is decorated with gold Peel Offs.

I used BIRTHDAY/GOLD/DESIGN CARD(paper) from the TTT grid.

My second CC this week is of course made using 'Tonic Die Cuts' and Glitter Card. The Ribbon etc are from my stash.

I used BIRTHDAY/GOLD/RIBBON/BLING/DIE CUT from the TTT grid.

Two lovely cards from Our Janet for our TicTacToe Challenge,  the cards couldn't be more different, which shows how versatile this challenge can be

Your first card is lovely, I love the vintage script paper you have used and the ribbons compliment it perfectly. 

Your 2nd card is beautiful, I really love the Tonic ribbon cards,  weaving that pretty ribbon gives a real touch of class to the card. 

Thank you so much Janet for supporting this weeks challenge XXX 

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Thank you all so very much for making time to take part in this weeks challenge, as always I want you all to know that I really do appreciate it ! ❤😍

Enjoy what's left of your weekend Ladies,

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Mixed Up Saturday

 

Good Saturday Morning Ladies, 

I hope that you are all well and are ready for a relaxing weekend. We will mostly be in the car this weekend,  luckily I have the best company! 

I will update you along the way with some pics too!

How true is today's quote, I have used many embellishments to hide little accidents! 

Karen's Waddesdon Manor Highlights

These chairs reminded me of Charlie and that the backs look like buckets

Look at that ceramic pot too The flowers may have been punched/cut but to then to have to stick that many onto the pot!

Karen has kindly shared some of the Highlights from her trip to Waddesdon Manor. 

Obviously the chandelier,  it's stunning and one of the things that stayed in my mind from our visit a good 10 years ago.  Here is Some information about it:  

This chandelier is made of broken porcelain and cutlery and was commissioned for the Blue Dining Room in 2003. Its energy and irreverence make it particularly popular with visitors. Its appearance is the result of both accident and design. Maurer and his manufacturing team dropped the ceramics on the floor or smashed them with a hammer, further broke or smoothed some pieces, and then arranged and mounted them, with cutlery, onto the metal armature and light source.

Those chairs are so lovely, so different too. So unusual in style. 

Now only a crafter can appreciate the work that went into that vase, just look at all those individual flowers. 

I wonder how much that bottle of Wine is worth, especially with Diana's autograph on!  Their Wine cellars are just something else.  I have had the privilege (? Not sure I would have classed it as that but hey) to taste a couple of different wines from Rotheschild Wine Estate, Chateau Lafite & Chateau Mouton, when I worked in a fancy Wine Merchant in Colchester, I'm pleased that we were allowed to spit it out!!  Clearly my palette wasn't 'refined' enough!  I am no Wine snob, but I was proper amazed by the sheer size of their wine cellars.  

Thank you so much Karen for sharing the special parts of your day.  XXX 

That's all for today Ladies,  I hope that you all have a lovely weekend. 

Sending Love and hugs to you all,

Sandra

xxxxxx

Your Next Challenge

 Good Friday Morning Ladies, 

Well the day is upon us,  lots to do before we leave,  it's funny because I have this thing about leaving the house super clean before we leave so that it's nice a fresh to come back to,  bleached kitchen & bathrooms, fresh bedding you get the picture. There seems little point as the girls are staying behind and I'm pretty sure the house won't look like i leave it when we return, they are pretty good but they don't have the same attention to detail. So we will leave it clean and tidy and hope for the best.  

Your Next Challenge 

I thought that we would revisit Embossing for our next Challenge,  I don't think we have done it for a while either.  It's something we can use for Christmas or Birthday so a versatile challenge too.  I tried a new technique for this challenge too that I am looking forward to sharing with you next week. I hope that you enjoy the challenge, I am looking forward to seeing your cards. 

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend,  

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra                                                                                  xxxxxx 

Throwback Thursday Card for TicTacToe

 

Good Morning Ladies,

Where has this week disappeared to?  Paul has been putting in extra hours as has nobody to take over his job while he is away, he basically manages what in layman's terms in MOT's for the whole fleet of  planes, they are very time critical, if their certificate expires then the aircraft is grounded, as you can imagine there has been a lot of extra flights this past week and will be for a while, the demands for the planes have to be met, so there is a lot of pressure on him to get everything done as quick as possible, he will schedule the 'test' then wait for the report, organise all necessary work to be done to make sure that the aircraft gets its 'Air Worthiness' certificate.  He was planning on taking his work laptop with him as there is one plane scheduled in next week, they offered to pay him a call out fee to get the work done, but the laptop he was given does not meet the security requirements to take it out of the country so that not an option, so he is breaking his neck trying to get as prepared as he can. Thankfully a few of the Managers had said to him, just go on holiday and enjoy the break, you can't do this job 52 weeks a year, which is true and this is the first time he has taken leave since January so he is overdue a break.  I want him to be able to relax. 

Hopefully we should get the car packed today, so that we can leave when Paul get's in tomorrow afternoon. (fingers crossed). 

Today's card is 'Spotlight' cards that we all made as part of a weekly challenge back in 2019 .

I used a topper from one of the 'Lilli Of the Valley' art pads from many years ago, I have always loved the images, I just used to stroke them and put them back in the box!

I teamed this one with this gorgeous pink from SU which matches perfectly, I kept it simple with embellishments as I think the image is pretty enough without any further fuss.  I used a punch for both the sentiment and the 'spotlight'.

Categories:  Punch/Flowers/Ribbon

Janet, so pleased to hear that Jim has his appointment through, we had to do the isolating thing for Paul's surgeries too, he went and had a Corona test and we isolated from then to operation day.  He will be amazed at the difference.  Paul does have to wear glasses for reading now though, I think that is a common thing with cataract surgery, he also finds that things get clearer if he moves them further away, your instinct is to move it closer. XXX

Pat, glad you got out for your walks, how is Doreen getting on? XXX

Maria, I hope you have a lovely time in Colchester, it will be nice to get away XXX

Karen, I hope you and Alan had fun at your Bowls Coaching, you will be a natural in no time, it's lovely that you have another hobby that you both enjoy together. XXX

I hope that you all have a lovely day, 

Love and hugs to you all,

Sandra                                                                                                                                                          xxxxxx

Another Hot Pink TicTacToe Card

 

Good Morning Ladies,

It hardly seems possible that we are leaving the day after tomorrow, the week has just flown.  Lucy took me out yesterday afternoon to try and find some more Shorts and t shirts as mine are all a bit too big, it was a big old waste of time, everywhere has their Autumn/Winter clothes in now, we tried about 5 different places including M&S and Next, M&S had a sale on but it was like a jumble sale and although I was desperate to find something I wasn't that desperate that I was prepared to go elbows deep with a crowd of savage bargain hunters!  So I am going to try and find a narrow belt that might hold up some of my shorts! I can live with a baggy t shirt!  

 Today's card was made using the flowers that I shaped in the Heartfelt Creations Flower shaping Mold.  I had used an offcut of Berry Burst card to see if the tool would work with different weights of card, non of the flowers that I have used for this card are a selection of random punches and dies, as I was also wanting to see if the Mold only worked with the dies that came with it, as you can see if works with any flower die cut or punch, The large flower is the Stampin Up Petal Punch, the smaller ones are a combination of the Stampin Up Petite Petal Punch and Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Thinlits.
The card it self is made using Stampin Up Berry Burst card and Matching Designer series paper, that I embossed and then layered up.  I used a Joanna Sheen Lace die and the other side of the DSP for the lace die cut, then I added a Leafy Swirl, die cut in Old Olive, the leaves are die cut from the same colour paper, I coated most things with Wink of Stella Glitter, which gives the leaves a realistic looking sheen, I arranged the flowers with the leaves and some little pink stamens.  To finish the card I stamped the Happy Birthday from Teeny Tiny Sentiments, I used the matching punch to cut the sentiment and added it to the card.
I am quite happy with how it turned out, I hope you like it too!

Categories:  Embossing Folder/Flowers/Birthday

I am hoping to get some more cards made today, otherwise there will be a lot of 'throwback cards'!

Lilian, I hope you are feeling much better my lovely, sending gentle hugs XXX

Lynda,  This will always be your home my lovely, you have supported me from the start and I am so grateful for that, you will be back crafting soon my lovely XXX

Love and Hugs on their way to all of you,

Sandra                                                                                                                                                          xxxxxx

 Good morning Ladies, 

Well yesterday was a blur,  the day just flew by,  we wete up early too to celebrate with Paul, he went in to work at lunchtime, I then went into my craft room to get some cards done to cover the days I'm away,  although I got a bit carried away making embossed backgrounds, trying a couple of different technique, I was really enjoying myself to the point that I got carried away, I looked at the time and it was after 5pm, I was going to bake  cake for Paul with the girls but ran out of time,  luckily both Becca and Sophie bought him cakes 🎂! 

Today's card is made using Categories:  Die Cuts/ Embossing Folder/Bling

I used Tasteful Textiles Embossing Folder for the background, then a die cut rectangle cut with Ornate Layers die set,  I then used Forever Fern stamp set,  using Navy, Misty Moonlight and Grey inks to stamp them out, die cutting with matching dies.   I arranged them over the ornate label and added the sentiment. The finishing touches are the Diamante adorned Flowers that I arranged around the sentiment strip. 

I hope you like my card,  I have to say I love the colour combination. 

Have a lovely day ladies,

Sandra                                                                                xxxxxx 

Wedding Card TicTacToe Challenge card

Good Monday Morning Ladies, 

Here we are ar the start of another week,a very special day today as its Paul's Birthday 🎂 🥳.  He is working on lates, we are hopefully going out for dinner this evening, Matt Becca and girls are coming too.  Paul never wants anything for his birthday,  so it's always a bit of a trial trying to come up with ideas.  Hopefully this year he will enjoy his birthday a bit more than last when he spent the day with his head down following his emergency eye surgery!!  Having Paul in my life is a gift I am truly thankful for every day, I would literally do anything to make him happy 😊 😍

Janet what a treasure to find in your Dad's art things, something that you have the pleasure in using in your 'works of art' today.  Do you have any of your Father's Ink drawings ? I would love to see some?. xxx

Lynda  your comment made me feel sad yesterday,  you will always be part of our Blog Family, we all understand why you can't craft just now, there is no hurry ( but i can't wait to share your cards again). Sending huge hugs my lovely friend ❤ 

Pat  I hope that you managed an hour or so at the Canal, we had a couple of small,  light rain showers but they soon passed.  xxx

Today's card is a Wedding Card that Becca asked me to make for her friends that are getting married this coming weekend,  it has been rescheduled twice, so I bet they can't wait.   I made the cards using the same colours that I used for the 'Save The Date cards' that I made them a couple years ago. 

I used two different SU Embossing Folders for the background,  then added a piece of pale lemon lace along the seam. I tied a double bow with the lace too and popped it in the centre and adorned it with same lemon roses as i used on their Save the date cards.  I layered dies SU Detailed Bands dies to hold the sentiment,  adding a touch of Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide to edges to continue with yellow theme and to highlight the ornate die cut. To personalise the card I printed their names and die cut them in little hearts, adding a touch of same ink to highlight. To finish the card I added some tiny diamantés that I touched with Yellow alcohol marker. 

I made a box for that extra special touch, using the same elements to decorate.  

The categories used: Embossing Folder/Die cut/ Flowers.

I hope that you all have a lovely day, gentle hugs to those that need one,

Love and Big Squishy Hugs to all,

Sandra 

xxxxxx