Coffee gets me Kracken..

Hey,

Even though I am in a crafty no spend zone, that doesn't mean I don't have new shiny things to play with!!

This is WHY I am in a no spend zone LOL.

JT and I did our annual Black Friday $20 challenge, which over the years has crept up to be way more than $20, but whatever we are besties, so it's all cool.

This year among other things, I got these 3 really cool dies / die sets from JT.

I knew that I had to pair that splash / splotch die with an awesome Rabbit Hole Designs set that my friend Jen sent me for my birthday, that I hadn't got round to using yet.

Don't they work well together! I love that Caffeinated Octopus. And it was really easy to make, just die-cut the splotch, stamp the x2 sentiments where I wanted them to be and then, stamp, colour and die-cut the Octopus. I popped him up using foam tape.

I used the Caffeinated Reindeer to make Lisette's Christmas card last year. They are SO fun.

Love it when I get to combine things to make fun cards.

Cx

Welcome to 2019 and a Playdate...

Hey,

Welcome to 2019!

I hope you had a great end to 2018.

Whilst JT and I were on Christmas break, we managed a pretty epic playdate. We pretty much used most of the Black Friday challenge NBUS and any other NBUS we had lying around.

I'm super pleased with my output..

The main photo are some of my Christmas thank you cards. I used new Lil Inker monsters (Monsters Ink) and a new spiral die by Sizzix that JT gave me as part of our annual $20 challenge.

I love these, they look really good and were super simple to make.

Next up some Tim Holtz magic.. this set comes with the man stamp and the harlequin stencil... a super quick way to make some male oriented cards.

Two randoms - the cake is a CASE of my own card because I love it and the fish card I made because I got these Hero Arts stamps on super bargain sale and I wanted to have a play. The background behind the aperture was stamped using Neat and Tangled stamps.

Last up is a card that I hadn't finished yet (it is now finished and posted and I didn't take a photo..) I have wanted this Unicorn Dreams set by Pink Fresh Studio for ages and finally got it in their BF sale. The flower stamp is by Christine Adolf.

A super productive day and it has given me lots of ideas for the new year..

Back to work tomorrow after a 10 day break - ugh.

Cx

CAS(E) this sketch: Sparkle!..

Hey,

Happy Sunday to you!

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

I am very happy as we got bonus football yesterday.

Having been away from my desk for over 10 days, I thought it would be nice to play along with a challenge or two to ease me back in.

I loved the sketch over at CAS(E) this sketch -

It immediately sparked an idea.

As you know JT and I do a Black Friday $20 challenge.. well many years later we are over the $20 tag and spend whatever we want (within reason) but we still add some 'rules' this year it was stars, stripes, fancy brand and florals.

JT bought me this awesome set by Sizzix and I thought it would be perfect for this sketch.

I started by die-cutting the white panel using a stitched rectangle die and then I added strips of glittery washi tape. I stamped the stars from the set using Dew Drop Galaxy Gold ink (my fave gold ink) and then I added a little stitched border - from an ancient Bo Bunny set.

Sadly, the top left stars haven't photographed that well...but that is always the downside of gold ink!

I stamped the main sentiment from the set onto black card using embossing ink and then dusted gold Pearl Ex over it (my new obsession) and then die-cut it out, using the die that comes with the set.

I LOVE IT!!! It was such a random thought it my head that actually came out perfectly. Yay!

Cx

Camera Background..

Hey,

So every year JT and I do the annual $20 challenge.

We do it around Black Friday and you have to spend $20 on crafty things for the other one. You also have to have one ridiculous bargain item and then add themes, but you are not limited by the themes.

This year the themes were stars, stripes and Margate inspired.

I did a pretty good job with JT's haul, Studio Calico had the most ridiculous sale ever, so I went crazy there for both of us. The haul I got from JT is pretty impressive and I am slowly working my way through it.

JT bought me this awesome camera stamp, she was right I do have a few camera stamps, but I love the detail on this one.

I thought it would be fun to make a background using the stamps and pigment inks. I chose pigment inks because you get a much more vibrant colour.

Fun right?

I have only made 1 card out of this background so far, I decided to keep the other piece for another time.

To make this card, I die-cut the background using a stitched square die, I stamped the 'you're' using an MFT label maker stamp and the die-cut 'awesome' is by Neat & Tangled.

The background works so well on this mini kraft background, I'm feeling very pleased!

Cx

Catch the Bug: Anything Goes...with Coffee..

Hey,

Happy Friday!

So first full week off completed. I have been the vision of housewifery!! Cooking, laundry, meal planning. Honestly this is more exhausting than working!

I've also managed a fair amount of gym time and yesterday Wendel decided to torture me by making me do Bulgarian split squats WHILST I was doing rope slams. There were tears.

Bulgarian Split Squat

I am just posting this in time, so I can play along with the first Bugaboo challenge of 2018, it is Anything Goes. I thought it would be only fitting to play along as JT gave me the awesome stamp on my card by Bugaboo as part of our annual $20 challenge.

Unusually for me, I used the sentiment that came with the stamp, it is too perfect to replace and why don't real coffee cups come in this size?

As you can see I kept my card simple, just coloured the stamp using Promarkers and die-cut the panel out. I decided that the sentiment needed a little border to make it pop a bit. The backing paper is ancient, I have had it for about 7 years, it is the last piece (sob) and it worked so well here.

Have a great weekend. I'll be having a cooking break (I'm all housewifed out) and watching NFL.

Cx

$20 Challenge haul playdate..

Hey,

Last week as both JT and I were on Christmas break, we had an epic 5hr Skype playdate.

It also meant we could open the $20 Challenge BF haul we bought each other.

Here is what I got from JT -

Didn't I do well. I love it all and I am really looking forward to playing with it all a bit more this year.

All the cards today were made using the new goodies - I made two other cards, but one is a DT make, so you'll have to wait a while for that one and the other I already posted.

The main photo today used this awesome chevron die plate and as with all these bigger die-plates it was a beast to cut, but I am liking leaving parts in. I affixed it to a lime green piece of paper and added it to my card blank. The sentiment is ancient and a firm fave by Woodware. I added some coordinating enamel dots. Feels like a 'man / boy' card to me and I love it.

This card uses the great Your Next Stamp 'Silly Monsters Too' set, which I gave to JT as part of the BF haul. The gorgeous Hexagon Circle die is from JT and by Simon Says Stamp.

You get the background circle too, so I blended 3 green distress inks and die-cut the hexagon part using a shimmery green paper. I wasn't intending on a green monster, but JT preferred him to the blue one and she was right, so I went with it. I ADORE these mini square kraft card blanks and I cannot get them in the US, so JT buys them for me..

The final card uses the awesome mini Crazy Birds by Tim Holtz, this set is from Michael's and comes with bird stamps, sentiment stamps, dies and an embossing folder. I surprised JT I think with my delight at getting this set, I have been holding it and touching it for MONTHS, but was being mean about buying it..good job eh!

I created the background using a great stencil by Dutch Doobadoo, I love their stencils. I used tumbled glass distress ink through the stencil. The birds I coloured using Zigs and the sentiment is from the set. LOVE this card, it's so fun and was super easy too.

Great haul, love it all. Craft buddies that happen to be one of your besties are the best kind of friends..

Cx

Flippin' Fabulous Playdate..

Hey,

Yesterday JT and I had an epic Skype playdate..we made a lot of stuff, which I will show you next week.

We decided that it would be fun to play along with a challenge and we chose Freshly Made Sketches 

The deal was that we had to use something new from our annual Black Friday $20 challenge haul - every year we spend $20 (well..maybe more this year) on buying things for the other person that they wouldn't buy for themselves. We always set a theme, this year it was 'Loft Art Inspired' 'Animals' and 'New to me this year'.

I love everything in my haul, I'll talk about it more next week.

I decided to flip the sketch and I broke out my new Summer Stickers (Crabs, Pineapples and Flip Flops) to use with the YNS Flippin' Fabulous stamp.
I coloured the Crab using Zig brush markers and die-cut him using a stitched square die, I die-cut a piece of scrap paper that felt like Sea and added them both to my card with a tan background that JT and I agreed on, as it looked like sand.

Final touch was to add the flip flop stickers, over the ones the Crab is holding in the stamp - they look like they were meant to be there!!

Love the whole thing, every time I look at it I smile - a lot.

I love playdates.

Cx

Retro Rubber #41...Red, White and Blue Colour Challenge..

Hey,

It's time for another superb challenge over at Retro Rubber. 

As it is close to 4th of July, we are getting a bit patriotic with our theme - 

I thought I had made the perfect card for this challenge and then the next morning I came back and thought - ugh..what a mess. LOL.

So back to the drawing board, pretty pleased with the final card, even if I do say so myself!

I used a great Hampton Arts Hexagon stamp that JT gave me as part of the Thanksgiving $20 challenge in 2014 - I love this stamp and I use it a lot for mixed media makes.

I inked up the stamp (it's pretty big) in red distress ink, spritzed it with water and then laid my paper on top of the stamp. I got a pretty clean and centered impression, so decided to stick with the white border.

I punched some hexagons in Navy blue scrap paper and stapled them together to create a kind of border. I used foam tape to pop the border up a bit.

The celebrate die is so gorgeous, I wish I used it more, but celebrate is a tricky sentiment in my opinion.

It looks great here in white, it really pops against the blue hexagon border.

Your turn to show us your interpretation of the colours, but first go over to Retro Rubber and view the great makes by my teammates.

Challenge ends on July 1st. Don't forget to use a stamp a year or older and tell us about it that's part of the fun. Also, please limit your entries to 10 challenges including ours.

Thanks

Cx

Not quite a horse..

Hey,

It's been a busy week so far..I am looking forward to the weekend and some QT at my desk..

Our friends have a Horse mad Daughter, so this year I wanted to make her a card that fits her likes, but I discovered I do not have a single Horse stamp - physical or digital.

Then I remembered the awesome Unicorn stamp (by Bugaboo) that JT gave me as part of the 2015 $20 challenge..

Almost a Horse right?

I coloured the image with Promarkers and the background paper is ANCIENT..I've had it approx 5 years..

To make the card more Horse related..I made a detachable rosette that she can wear.

Super simple to make, cut 2 felt circles, cut 2 pennants, attach the pennants to the inside of one of the circles, use fabric glue to stick together. Add sentiment circle and a safety pin at the back, affix to the card using foam tape - voila! Pennant.

I hope she likes it..

Cx

Happy Times...

Hi,

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving however you spent it.

We had so much fun with JT's parents and godparents..it was an absolute blast (great company) and the food was simply amazing.

My collage show us all on Thanksgiving morning in our pjs, the dinner table - looking gorgeous, Sally and Gregory (the most amazing chef ever!) with the beautiful and tasty Turkey, the mini doughnuts I made and finally Sally and I out having some girl-time.

I managed to do a fair amount of Black Friday online and actual shopping, in the rare eating and drinking pauses. Some of my bargains were awesome!! I also finished off the Annual $20 challenge that JT and I play..

We also made it to the casino and I won a fair bit of money, so I got a new handbag..it's almost as bad as my craft obsession..

Hubby and I are home now and we are going to have a quiet Sunday in the house before we go back to work on Monday.

I am very thankful for the amazing time that I got to spend with my Hubby and these amazing friends - thank you JT for sharing.

Cx

Postage stamp thanks..

Hey,

Happy Sunday to you.

Hubby and I are still in DC - more about that tomorrow.

Whilst Hubby was in the UK, I took 3 days off, so had a super long weekend. Which meant I got some serious time at my desk :)

JT bought me these great Spellbinders dies last year - as part of our usual $20 challenge.

I haven't used them a great deal and as I was off, I decided to have a play with them and a set of Papermania stamps I bought last year, that co-ordinate beautifully with the dies.

First I inked up the stamp with Black Soot and Festive Berries distress inks, spritzed it with water and stamped onto mixed media paper. I then dried it with my heat tool.

I like the effect that you get, you can kind of make out the detail of the stamp, but its also a bit grungy.

I used one of the smaller dies from the set to die-cut the stamped image and then the next size up for the red background piece.

The thanks die is by Lawn Fawn.

I made 2 of these cards, you can see that the spritzing and drying means you get a slightly different look each time..

Super simple cards, that use a fun technique and some of my stash that has been a bit neglected.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Cx

$20 Challenge...

Hey,

So as some of you know JT and I love to play $20 challenge.

Not familiar with $20 challenge? Well, the rules are very simple. 

You can spend $20 on craft stash for the other person we have to buy each other $20 of craft goodies - ideally you should choose things that you think the other person might like and might not buy. Finally you agree some parameters - we did stars, spots, stripes and dies this time. Bargains are also a big part of the challenge.

I have already received mine from JT - hers is going in the post, as I have been waiting for an item to arrive..

So what did I get?

What didn't I get more like!! Stamps, ribbon, stickers, journaling cards that can be used as stencils and a die set!. Love the little notes and I can't wait to have a proper play with it all.

Amazing right!

Great choices from JT - especially the treat Dinosaur stamps - I LOVE Dinosaurs!!

Cx

Three stars...

Hi,

No WOYWW for me this week - I got in from Yoga at 10.30pm last night and was just too tired to write my post..

I haven't really been doing that many challenges lately..although you wouldn't believe that as I am entering 4 this week.

Since March, I have made myself only do the ones that I simply can't resist.

Retro Sketches is one of my fave challenge blogs and the current sketch #118 sparked an idea.

I am so pleased with my card, it feels really CAS - which I am a big fan of, but can't always manage..

The washi tape was a gift from JT as part of our $20 challenge last Thanksgiving. The hello die is new and by Technique Tuesday, it was part of the bonus shopping spree. I punched the stars from the same paper as the hello, using a EK Success mini punch.

I thought I should share something that made me smile whilst making this card. The white background paper is actually an old notecard. I had personalised stationery when we lived in London and as I am a paper fiend, I realised that the stock I'd chosen was perfect for cardmaking..waste not want not! I have been using them for months now and they are starting to run low..

I think I am going to send this card to my friend Steph, she is due a little note from me and the colours remind me of her.

Cx

New York, New York....

Hello!

Well, Hubby and I had lots of fun in NYC, hanging out, watching bball, eating food, getting drunk, doing a small bit of sight seeing and shopping.

The shopping part was much fun and I particularly enjoyed my visit to Michael's - I bought a lot of new items for my stash. The best part was the purchasing of items for the $20 craft challenge that JT and I did - I will show you later in the week, what I made with her purchases for me.

I thought quite a bit about what would be good for JT and ended up buying her lots of papers (as I knew she had a limited weight allowance), inks, stamps, a Martha Stewart glue pen (the best there is) and a few other random goodies. She was very pleased and I think she'll be blogging about what she has made with them later on in the week too.

I am looking forward to doing the craft challenge again, it was fun and made me focus in the store!

Lots of things have happened upon our return, some good, some bad, but I'll tell you more about that in a couple of weeks.

Today's main picture was taken by me on the Brooklyn Bridge during our walk across it on a very sunny Saturday morning.

Cx