Snow Falling Mouse

I had this chap coloured and this piece of Christmas paper was for another image but when it came to using it, didn't work.

It was pretty paper and cried out to be use so I just used a stitched die rectangle from Simon Says Stamp and backed it with a sliver of navy.

The Snowflakes are Lawn Fawn and the white ones I used glitter card, must remember to get some more before next Christmas. It really was a case of step away from the card, just noticed I forgot to add a pearl to the tiny snowflake in the corner.

Really should try to make more clean and simple cards for Christmas.

Happy New Year to everyone and hope 2017 is a good one.

Catching up with Crocheting.

Crocheting update nearly all the centre squares are made for the Charlotte Cal. I've done it this way so I can crochet in the car this weekend with the grey wool. I know they won't all get done this weekend but I should have a few done.

When life turns to normal I plan to make some smaller items as well as trying to finish this afghan. I also realised the ones my daughter and myself use are not Christmas colours so will try to make a couple for us in 2017. Thinking of making the Blizzard one in red and cream.

Giraffe

I was trying to complete my DT commitments in the last few days before Christmas so I could shut down my craft room down but most of my cards turned out CAS looking.

I have no reason why I suddenly fancy using Mo's G-fa Giraffee but I printed him out specially so I could use him. I like to say the sentiment isn't sloping down but it is a bit but not as bad as my camera is making out.

Favourite crafty tools were used the Memory Box Lavish Branch and the Ek Success punches which are seriously struggling and so was I when I finished. The mini scallops is a MFT die not sure its even made now and I do have a habit of losing it regularly.

I think my sloping sentiment is a Paper Smooches one but don't hold me to that.

Hope you all had a good Christmas, I was a lucky bunny, today I will try to find homes for them.

Pink and Mint

We wish you all a Very Happy New Year and hope that 2017 is a good one for everyone!

Welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Thank you for joining us for the Make It Sparkle Challenge and we hope you will all join us again this week too.

We will be back soon with the name of the lucky winner of the $50 Voucher

This week the challenge is

 Anything Goes

This week we are showcasing Lindy's Stamp Gang Products.  You don't have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

I decided to use the Lindy's Gang Chateaux Rose and Merci Beaucoup Mint Sprays because they were pretty colours. Now the actual challenge is for Anything Goes and these Simon Says Stamp Poinsettia stamp set were on my desk and had barely been used.

So I sneaked some powder out the the Lindy's Gang sprays before I added water to colour the my poinsettias which were stamped with Memento Gray Flannel Inkpad. Even though I have the matching dies, my painting was a bit messy, so I fussy cut them.

I colour blend the Simon Says Stamps Mint and the Simon Says Stamp Cotton Candy the back ground and used them to stamp my sentiment. I them sprayed the sprays, I do recommend to try on a scrap first unlike me who went charging in there are some nasty blobs hiding under the flowers. This was not the fault of the sprays I was probably to close but it did dry and looked much better and like I said the worse bits the flowers hid.

Pearls I found in my stash but I found some on on the Simon Says Stamps website from Kraisercraft .

So now it's YOUR turn, Happy Crafting 

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ?  If so please add  #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed  8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

Light Pink Rose

It Holiday Tuesday here in the UK and I've no idea where I am. I could be at my Sisters or Hubby may have dropped me off home but just in case I've scheduled this post.

In November I had to make a very special sympathy card, I was so worried that I would get glue everywhere but it turned out perfect.

The rose is a Clearly Besotted and I chose the light pink because a website said it was for sympathy. I have no idea of where the sentiment came from but the stitched rectangle is Simon Says Stamp.

I know that this New Year's Eve when I hear the bagpipes ring in the new year I shall be raising a glass to an absent friend.x

Star Gazing

First of all I want to apologise for not doing Favourite Five this year, its been a hard year struggling with even wanting to make cards, must do better next year.

I like to say this is my final Christmas Card but I nearly didn't have enough this year, so I will continue making them I rather have too many and this little mice was already coloured up and waiting.

The papers are last years Doodlebug and I'm using an old Memory Box landscape die along with their stars. Favourite sentiment from Simon Says Stamp and so are the rectangle, circle and banners. Not forgetting the flower soft and funflock mixture for the little chaps hat.

I would like to take this moment and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a toast to absent family and friends.

Charlotte

This is my latest granny square blanket called Charlotte's Dream my finished square measures 17inches.

I worry that my stitches doesn't look neat but for once the camera as gone in my favour and it doesn't look too bad. I was worried it would be too heavy but I managed this one. Only another 11 to do.
I've chosen Stylecraft Special and I buy from Wool Warehouse not just because they post out really quickly but love the net bags it comes in. I can then put my afghans in one when I give them away. I try to make one for Mum's nursing home when they have a fair, the residents love a raffle.

Season's Greetings

I finding it more difficult to use all of Mo's Winter/Christmas images there are so many I love to use. This one is called Seasons Greetings and is fairly simple to colour.

I used Echo Park I love Winter papers and the snowflakes are Lawn Fawn and to finish a bit of ribbon.

I'm trying to work out where I go the sentiment from. Found it, its Simon Says Stamp called Cute Snowflakes.

A very quick post from me, trying to get my last few cards done before I close my craftroom for Christmas.

Make it Sparkle

Hi all and welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Thank you for joining us for the Gift It Challenge and we hope you will all join us again this week too.

We would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy and Prosperous 2017!

We will be back soon with the name of the lucky winner of the $50 Voucher

This week the challenge is

Make It Sparkle 

This week we are showcasing Hero Arts Products.  You don't have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

I make sure well in advance that I have new showcasing products for Simon Says Stamp but its obvious many of you love the same things I do because there Hero Art Coffee Mugs Tags are out of stock. But you could still use a coffee cup stamp or die with a decorative stamp to make the same effect.

I use the Hero Art stamp onto red card with Versamark and used Enchanted Gold Embossing powder.
I stamped the mug on red card for the top and bottom and white card for cream topping. I didn't buy the dies so I had to fussy cut but I always use a Distress Pen Pumice Stone round the edges to hide my rubbish cutting out.

I see you love the Simon Says Stamp Poinsettia but I did use the sentiments from this set because it made stamping the sentiment easier when you can stamp with different colours and not have mask any off.

I used a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles for my sentiment and used the Simon Says Stamp Poinsettia Parade die. The pearls and gold ribbon I found in my stash but the papers are Echo Park I Love Winter.

So now it's YOUR turn, Happy Crafting 

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ?  If so please add  #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed  8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

leftovers

Everybody Art Challenge are on their Christmas Break but I do have a card made with leftovers. These papers were all that was left of this pack so I made use of them. The sentiment my favourite this year.

Fun Foam Snowflake Simon say Stamp and the coloured one Lawn Fawn and that was it just wished I made loads of these. Must do better next year maybe try to join some Christmas challenges but didn't I say that last year!

scrapbooking

Last two scrapbooking pages of 2016 and I'm still scrapping 2014, need to up my game next year. The first one is quite simple but I really think it didn't need much. I rarely get a good photo of my Son and I'm not even sure I took this one.

The papers are so old ones I'm trying to use up, the Believe and sentiment are Simon Says Stamp. The arrows I have a sheet of large arrows that I've used but kept the page with the negatives on so all I had to do was draw them using it as a template.

This was the sketch challenge at the All Day Crop but because I wasn't staying I couldn't enter it. Again left over scraps from an Echo Park boy pack. The trees are MFT and the golf cart and flag are from Memory Box, I think possibly the clouds were too but don't hold me to that.

Winter

Gosh I'm really late, I had planned to schedule yesterday, but best laid plans and all that. As you can see it didn't happen.

But I'm here now and this is my Mid Month card for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge, have a horrible feeling that this is the first time this year I've used this cute Penny Black stamp.

The papers are some Stampin Up papers that I've had for ages and I fancied a change from red and green or purple. The snowflakes could be Lawn Fawn since I've had a tidy and many of snowflakes have been put away.

I was going to stamp the sentiment directly to paper but instead I've fishtail banner hiding the cock up behind it! I really must remember to stamp before adding to the main card.

The dots of snowflakes are Liquid Pearls and the snow under his feet I used a Wink of Stella to help it glisten.

Blizzard

Finally my Blizzard Square is now finished. Since the squares are busy I have left the border simple. I had planned to block it but by the time I made all the squares or I wanted to do was to finish it so I could start on the new one Granny square afghan.

Igloo

I made this card the other week and when I realised I wasn't going to be well enough to card make I knew it would work for this months Mo's Dream Blog Hop.

The cute image is called Igloo and I purposely used it knowing it was easy to colour. The large word die is from Simon Says Stamp as is the sentiment. The tiny snowflakes are Lawn Fawn since they have been living on my desk these last few weeks.

The paper is Echo Park and I used my Fun Flock and Flowersoft mixture for the trims on the Eskimo's clothes.

Now you should have arrived from my lovely team-mate Gaynor and you need to Hop Skip and Jump over to another lovely team-mate Daria.

If you get total lost check out the Dream Team Blog where you will find the whole Blog Hop Run.

James the Christmas Bear

Not a good start this morning, the main PC keyboard isn't working and using windows10 I need a password to get in, this would be fine if the keyboard worked so I'm attempting to do this on a mini pad. I also know blogger doesn't like apple, fingers crossed this works.

This is the last 2016 challenge on Everybody Art Challenge and we are using doilies or in my case one doily.  I'm also using a scrap of patterned paper left over, do love the wooden effect.

The snowflakes are from Simon says Stamp and the sweet bear image is LOTV which I brought the digital which is brilliant for me, less stamping. 

Scrapbooking

I finally got round to photo the latest layouts I have done these two are about Mason's first Birthday. The papers are a mixture of Echo Park's boys collection packs over the last few years. Yes I keep all the scraps ideal for making stars.

A couple of Hedgies

My poor blog is suffering, a sad reflection that I'm struggling with Card Making. Tiredness and missing mojo is having an effect.

But I did manage a couple of really quick Penny Black Christmas Cards. This Hedgie stamp doesn't have many parts to layer. So I used a Simon Say Stamp Stiched die and a Nestabilities to make the red mat round it.

Stitched Rectangle die for the Doodlebug Christmas paper from last year or maybe the year before. Foam Snowflakes which I think I used the the Lawn Fawn ones simply because they were on hand.

Favourite sentiment from Simon Says Stamp and the stitched fishtail banner from Simon too just fits the sentiment.

This time I used a Stitched Square die with the odd strips to make my patterned squares but used a cutter for the mats, the square dies all seemed far too big.

I've now given up making Christmas cards, there's one on my craft desk to finish and thats it.

  

Hi all and welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Thank you for joining us for the Anything Goes Challenge and we hope you will all join us again this week too.

This week the challenge is

Ice Inspiration

and the lovely Jenn Shurkus has made us this gorgeous mood board to give us some inspiration!  

This week we are showcasing My Favorite Things Products.  You don't have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

If you need inspiration for Christmas cards look no farther than the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Inspiration Board. I saw Ice and My Favourite Things and decided it was time to use Snow Capped Mountains die and their Mountain Range die.

I also used Simon Says Stamp Hills and Slopes and yes that is the Simon Says Stamps Christmas Toys sentiment.

Then I used my favourite technique that works so well with My Favourite Thing Pure Innocence, Paper Pieceing. I've used the Ice Skater apologies that its out of stock but this technique works well with most Pure Innocence stamps. The papers are Doodlebug Polar Pals, do love the nontraditional colours.

Back to my craftroom I'm short of Christmas cards, luckily these will be hand delivered so they can be as lumpy as I want.

Snowflake Tag

I needed to make a tag for the Everybody Art Challenge, I rarely make tags unless forced so I decided to make one to match the Christmas paper I've brought.

My wrapping is silver foil with white snowflakes so that was my inspiration and it doesn't look much but I did make ten of them.

I found the largest die of a snowflake I owe which is the Simon Says Stamp Funky Snowflake which is three inches wide. I then used a stitched circle die which in my case was Simon says Stamp and cut two for each Snowflake and sandwiched the Snowflake in between.

I then gathered all my snowflake dies together, yes it quite obvious I really don't need anymore! Out of them all I found one that fitted into my circle, another Simon Says Stamp Snowflake called Maryanne. A sticky back gem and a bit of silver thread to finish. Although making a hole into one the snowflake branch was a bit tricky so I made a slit with a sharp craft knife, my ten snowflakes turned into nine.

Here'e the reverse to show there is plenty of room to write on.

Finally my two very busy weekends have ended with a visit to BIL with my two adult children in tow. Feeling a bit fatigue and fragile but still have some Christmas card to make and few other things to sort out.

Skating Hedgies

Scary but this is the last challenge on Penny Black Saturday Challenge, well this year anyway.  Our last challenge of the year is Winter/Christmas.

I've used my skating Hedgies, they fairly new so haven't been used enough but do feel if you made a school report about my cards it would say Could do Better. Luckily my Hedgies are cute and so is the Doodblebug paper.

I added a fence before layering my Hedgies, does make it tricky to match with my base image since most of it is hidden but got there in the end.

Snowflakes are Simon Says Stamps Stitched Snowflakes and the sentiment is a very old one its a clear one whose packaging as long since disappeared. The punches are Stampin Up ones still going strong.

Can you believe I haven't made a card at all this week, crashed and burned after my busy long weekend which was expected hope to get in there next week at some point once I get over this weekend another busy one.

For Jake

There's a new Anything Goes Challenge on DP2 Challenge rather than go for a Christmas image I needed a card for my Great Nephew and Mo has some great boy images. This time I used Simon since my nephew is growing up so fast.

But boys/men cards are notoriously awkward to make, add not having much time meant once again down the CAS path. So I had some scraps that I made into fishtail banners ( my stitched fishtail banners from Simon Says Stamp hadn't arrive at this point) and added some faux stitching.

The sentiment is an old Stampin Up one and since I had added the faux stitching to the banners I continued round the card.

Clean and Simple

Hi all and welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Thank you for joining us for the Christmas To Die For Challenge and we hope you will all join us again this week too.

We will be back soon with the name of the lucky winner of the $50 Voucher

This week the challenge is

Anything Goes

This week we are showcasing Concord & 9th Products.  You don't have to use them for the challenge but if you have them we would love to see them used.

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

When choosing products for our DT card I always try to get something that I know I would use again. This Mistletoe die from Concord and 9th I knew would be a good addition to my craft room.

 Initially my first thought was to colour the die cut which would be very unusual for me to do. Time was against me and I went for the striking red and white that also looked elegant too.

I actually cut twice and cut some 3D Foam to fit the slim and wasn't that brilliant matching up but it did look more natural. My mistletoe berries I used Ranger White Opal Liquid Pearls since there was quite a few berries.

Although there is bow on the main die you get a separate bow which you could cut out in a different colour but since only red would suit my card and it would disappeared into the red backing card I made it in white.

All that was left was a fabulous sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Christmas Toys and it had to be stamped in Versamark and WOW White embossing powder. I did use a dust buddy first before stamping it helps the white powder not sticking where it shouldn't.

So now it's YOUR turn, Happy Crafting 

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ?  If so please add  #ssswchallenge to your challenge entry uploads so we can see them on there too.

You have until Wed  8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in

I in the middle of two busy weekends, last weekend started on Friday to the Historic Docks Victorian Christmas Fair, Saturday I had a crop, Sunday I took it easy and on Monday I went to the Making of Harry Potter in the Snow. I'm having a week of card making and taking it easy ready for the another busy weekend and then life turns to normal till Christmas I hope.

Packaging

The new challenge on Everybody Art Challenge is for packaging wasn't quite sure what that meant but I hunted down for my Sizzix Matchbox die and made three boxes.

Found some gold ribbon to hold them together. Rather than a gold bow I found my Creative Expression Ivy die to cut out Ivy so it could drape over the sides. In a different green I used a Holly die, I think possibly my holly could be Paper Smooches, its not Memory Box because the ones I have, have faux stitching.
To finish I some red berries pearls.

I was really pleased how it turned but its tiny and rather than put a present in the boxes it would be ideal to hang on the tree.

RSVP

My daughter wanted to send her friend an RSVP for her wedding even though the bride already had a yes on her answer list. DD wanted bunnies on the card they were even on the wedding invitation.

To start with I tried to think of a rabbit stamp without Easter eggs, when I realised I had the long stamp with five bunnies in flower pot and two of the bunnies were looking at each other and the idea for my card came to me.

Yes that is a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle and the grass is MFT with some brought flowers from Hobbycraft but did speed things up a bit. I cut the bunnies and once I had cut the letters from a Memory Box Alphabet die I worked out where they would be placed. Really pleased how it turned out.

He Still Got It

I need a couple cards one for man and one for a boy, both had to be made specially since I had use all my male cards in bag. Add the fact I've been busy and will continue to busy for a couple of weeks means CAS card.

I used the brilliant He's Still Got It from Mo Manning, I like the fact my card can be pants but Mo's images always saves my card.

The papers are Doodlebug and my fishtail banners are made using a square punch. The little dots are made with 1/4 inch punch and embossed to give a rounded look. The sentiment was stamped using a Paper Smooches stamp, love the fun font they use.

I must try and remember to schedule my PB post, I'm going to a Victorian Christmas Market at the Historic Dockyards at Postmouth on Friday. Have an all day crop on Saturday but possibly won't be all day for me. Monday sees me going up the M25 to Harry Potter World. The rest of the week will be simple that resting because next weekend I'm going up North to see my BiL.