Thank you Birdie

Welcome

Still waiting to hear that last month's swap card has arrived.... the national post office is trying to take itself out of business with high prices and appalling service...   Enough

I attended a family function recently, and the serviettes used were the same as some I had on hand, so I sent a Thank You card made with one from my stash - I didn't have to snaffle this one :)

I mounted the serviette/napkin onto white card, wrapped the red ribbon around it and added it to the red layer to frame it.  The sentiment stamp was a magazine freebie and stamped beautifully, and was die cut and layered over red before being added to the card, with a wee tad of ribbon at the bottom of the words.

This was all mounted onto a white base.

I added the red ribbon to the inside panel, but unfortunately the photo was blurry. 

The envelope was decorated with two layers of washi tape.

I am linking this to:

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #334 - Lots and lots of colours (or Anything Goes)

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2640 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #772 + 773 - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #2780 -Anything Goes or Autumn Foliage

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use Patterned Paper

The Paper Funday Challenge #92 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting

Washi, Napkin and Flowers

Welcome

I was waiting for a particular card to arrive to be able to post again this month, as I am still waiting for notification of it's arrival, I will instead post this card!

It was made for a garden lover, but the illustrated panel started life as a napkin

The napkin was adhered to white card, and then the dark coloured strips were added to the existing design using an extremely narrow washi tape.

A simple birthday greeting, embossed using dark blue ep on light blue card. 

A narrow border of gold card was added at the base before it was adhered with foam strips.

This panel was then mounted on a layer of gold card over the dark blue base.

I loved how this turned out, and the recipient enjoyed it too.

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #770 + 771  - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge # 2639  - Anything Goes

Creative Knockouts Challenge #579 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge - Monochromatic

'Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #286 - Anything Goes

We Love 2 Create Challenge 9 - Anything Mixed Media

Father's Day - part 2

Welcome

Here's the other card I made that rushed afternoon!

I started playing with a dye re-inker, a T.H stain and a mica spray, dabbed, dropped and sprayed onto my glass work surface, then a light spritz with water, and I smooshed some TH tissue paper through it, and then some card to mop up....  I was quite surprised to later find that the tissue was not transparent.

The result was this wonderful grungy but glimmery piece.

I was wondering what to put with it, when I recalled I had this (CUTplorations) mug die, (used once in many years) and then found the coffee sentiment (in the matching STAMPloration set - which I have owned for years and never used) - as the recipient loves his coffee, this was perfect.  The father's day sentiment is a magazine freebie from years ago

The inside was finished with this faux marble tape, as was the envelope.

I am linking this to:

First Cup Challenge #18 - Any beverage

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2637 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #768 + 769 - Anything Goes

A Cut Above September Challenge #20 - Use a Die

Neglected Stuff September '26 Challenge - Use neglected supplies

The mug die, the coffee stamp and the tissue paper are all hoarded lovingly stored products

NBUS Challenge #90 - Anything previously unused

The tissue paper and the coffee sentiment

STAMPlorations Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge

Thank you for visiting - I have yet to have my reading list restored, 6 days on....

Issues

Welcome

Just a note to those whom I regularly visit - blogger has not refreshed my "reading List" for over 24 hours, so I cannot find any new posts to comment on.

I will be back when blogger behaves again

Father's Day - part 1

Welcome

Here Down Under, we observe Father's Day on the first Sunday in September - which was yesterday.

I live with family, and they are masters of the 'last minute rush' , so Saturday afternoon I was asked for cards.... I made two, and this one was for my DD to give to her DH

I had just come across this piece of grey green pearlised card in my stash, so started with that - and embossed it with a very old Creative Memories folder

I decided that deep green would be the card base, and I used snippets of that green from my stash to silver emboss the sentiment and image on - both are freebies from old magazines

I cut the embossed panels with square dies, and then a silver matting layer with a die one size up.  Adhered these to the embossed panel, then when I went to adhere the main panel to the base, decided to add a sliver of silver  behind the opposite corners... 

I added silver polka dot washi tape to the inside panel and also the envelope

DD was very happy with this.  

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #768 + 769 - Anything Goes

Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge (8/2026) - Anything Goes option taken

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #285 - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping September Challenge - Anything Goes option taken

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Use a Die Cut

Pixie Snippets Playground Challenge #540 - Anything Goes using snippets

Snippets used were the pieces used for the embossing - from my  box of bits

Thank you for visiting

Cards for Gamers

Welcome

I don't generally make more than one card of any one design, but I was running short of time and mojo, and had cards to make for two gaming obsessed boys, so this was the result.

I found the image on google images and printed it off - got my sizing a bit small the first time through, so trimmed it with a white border, gave the card a background of (Uniko) circles stamped in Delicata Golden Glitz ink, swiped the ink around the panel, 

embossed the sentiment in glitter gold EP and assembled and called it done.

The inside panel was decorated with the same washi tape as I used on the envelope.

The second image was printed a bit larger, mounted over some handmade orange paper that has been in my stash forever a long time.  The sentiment was embossed in orange EP (A NBUS Brutus Monroe stamp) and the strip mounted on foam dots for dimension

A close up of the textured paper

The inside of the card had the last scrap of the orange paper glued down one side, and I stamped a Uniko border stamp down the envelope, and coloured the dots with similar colours to those on the front of the card. 

As the cards are so similar, and have minimal stamping, I am not linking up to any challenges

Thank you for visiting

Debossed Sunflower

Welcome

Another short post - on a technique that I have never "got on with", so this month's challenge for our (N.Z) swap group was a real challenge for me!

I used the Magnificent Sunflower 3D embossing folder by Memory Box for the feature on the 

Blackout technique

After embossing the card, I flipped it over and coloured the (debossed) image with various inks, then used the direct to paper technique to fill the background, (using Catherine Pooler Queen For A Day ink).Then tried rolling the ink on - I attempted this three different times, and eventually decided the second attempt was the better one, but it was far from what I wanted.

Masking and sponging to the rescue, and a lot of inky fingers later I was 'sort of ' satisfied!!

A local childcare centre will receive the 'rejects'.

The butterfly and sentiment were very strategically placed !!  I sprayed the background with some Comic Shimmer pearlescent spray, added some clear rhinestones on the body of the butterfly, and a wee bit of red behind the main panel and under the edge of the sentiment strip, then mounted it all onto a bright yellow base.

The inside panel was decorated with a strip of the tape that was on the envelope, but the photo was not a good one, as the light reflected off the gold on it, and took it out of focus!

I am linking this to:

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge #2633 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #766 + 767 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspiration Challenge #41 - Anything Goes

Elliebelle's Garden Party Challenge #18 - Anything In or From and Garden

I Spy With My Little Eye Challenge #40 - A sunflower, or something yellow

Just Us Girls Challenge - Moodboard #837

Thank you for visiting

A Black Cat and Stitching

Welcome

I made this card for a friend who's cat is totally black - needless to say she appreciated it

The image is a Gina K one, and from memory the sentiment came from the same set... 

I started by very carefully adhering all the dies in the Memory Box stitched rectangle set together, then embossing the card with the stacked dies ... 

Our card stock is measured by the British standard, and the card is slightly longer than the dies, so this gave me a space for the sentiment.

After embossing and stamping the panel, I adhered it to the card front.

The stamping was all done in Memento Tuxedo black ink, the only addition being the black 'pearls'. 

I am linking this to: 

Allorts Challenge #856 - Embossing - heat or dry

Simply Clean and Simple August Challenge - Anything Goes opt Nature

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2632 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesdays Challenge Weeks #764 + 765 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #327 - Anything Goes

Time Out Challenge #319 - Pick 2

I picked Monochrome, Geometric, Stitching, CAS and Birthday

Thank you for visiting

Bookmarks x4

Welcome

Warning - photo heavy post - I will try to keep words to a minimum. 😀

I belong to a local Embroiderers' Guild, and recently we made a display for our national conference.  The theme for the display was 'Threads of Connection', and as we are a small guild, we chose to make some bookmarks each, in various techniques, and attach them to a background.

These are my contributions

From Right to left...it's just the way the photos loaded...

Canvas work - in soft colours, with silver threads for highlights - they glint beautifully in the light

Both these canvas word bookmarks were designed by myself

Another canvas work - this time using a variegated thread  for one of the colours

White thread on a pricked card - the pattern came as part of a card making kit, but I gave it an alternative use...

\

And last but not least - some bobbin lace

One of my best pieces to date, as I had to let it rest for some years, due to life circumstances - I have picked it up again recently

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse at some of my other crafty endeavours

Thank you for visiting

I am linking this to 

Tag-along (and ATCs) August Challenge - Fashion or Anything Goes

Ally's Angels Challenge #108 - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #150 - Anything Goes

3-2-1 - And a Cat!!

Welcome

And a very warm welcome to my newest follower Denise Morgans, known as Dennymor on both IG and Facebook.  

I recently saw a video tutorial online by Ardyth, here, and was inspired to try it myself, just at the time that the monthly challenge for my small swap group came out, which was to use three patterned papers, a two word sentiment and one image.

This is the result!  (and the recipient loved it!)

I started with some very old patterned papers that were freebies from a magazine, that I had never used, but I chose them as the sheets were big enough for the inside of the project.

Then I found a previously unused stamp set by Unity - A Little Not Fine from their Pissy Kitty series...

The technique looks a bit like a bulky gatefold card when taken out of the envelope, and I held it shut with the piece of twine that formed kitty's bow

 

Here it is opened out, with the other two papers showing, and the two word sentiment.

I don't blame Kitty looking a bit pissy with a glittery bow draped over her face, a sparkly butterfly in her fur, and fancy brown tipping on her fur also - not how a self respecting cat wants to look!

I am linking this to:

We Love Stamping July Challenge - Summertime or Anything Goes

 Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2628 - Anything Goes 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks # 760 + 761 - Anything Goes 

Little Patch of Crafty Friends July Challenge - Anything Goes 

Love Those Pretty Papers July Challenge - Coastal, or Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #88- Always Anything Goes with NBUS stash

(The patterned papers had never been cut into before, and the stamp was also NBUS)

Thank you so much for visiting

Grungy and Steampunky

Welcome

I am determined to get a third post in this month... and by the skin of my teeth as it is the evening of the 30th here!

This card was a compilation of bits from my desk, some pieces from a collage pack I bought ??? number of years ago at a craft show, vendor no longer remembered, possibly Imagine If, and a Tim Holtz family figures (?) pack.... 

The main  background piece was a pull from some gelli printing I had previously done - I think it was called a ghost print - there was definitely gold over blue, and some textured, diecut butterflies involved in the process

I layered a half doily and the leatherette strip over that, and then the figurine, before carefully positioning the chipboard cog, which I had painted with blue and then gold paint to tie it to the background.   The flower was added on top to soften to look of the card, as it was for a woman

A few die cut silver cogs (from some very old Marianne Dies) , a pearl and some lace to finish the front.

Inside were more of the 'silver' cogs, which were cut from a 'spray box liner', so there were hints of other colours also, and some matching butterflies (punched) and more pearls 

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #758 +759 - Anything Goes

Pixies Snippets Playground #535

Lots of snippets of stuff off my desk - lace, background panel and small cogs cut from offcuts and the half doily

We Love 2 Create Challenge #4 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Allsorts Challenge #852 - Anything Goes Opt used

 'Lil patch of Crafty Friend Challenge #280 - Anything Goes

 Cup Cake Inspiration June Challenge - Anything Goes

Thank  you for visiting