Newton's Nook Summer Challenge - June Week 3 - Floaty Goat

 

Hi,

I have been trying to play along with the Newton's Nook challenge this year and have failed miserably!

I finally found some space to join the June challenge - yay!

I love the water and I knew I wanted my card to be water-focused. I had totally forgotten about the amazing Floaty Goat stamp and it was perfect for this challenge.

I added some smooshed ink for water and clouds using a cloud stencil. The little water splashes are also from the stamp set, but my sentiment is from a different set.

I love this card, can't wait to send it to my BFF.

Cx

2024 Hops: Summer Soiree Part Two...

Hey,

Here is the 5th post in my blog hop series and part two of Summer Soiree.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing the final 5 cards I made for the Summer Soiree hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed one week.

Themes for these cards are Winter in July, don't bug me, hello sunshine, Summer roadtrips, Summer food & drink and Rainbows. My cards are in the correct order, Winter in July is the main photo.

I actually CASE'd my own card for Christmas in July, as I loved it so much. Rainbows were my theme choice and I finally got to use this gorgeous die by Sizzix & Jen Long.

Cx

2024 Hops: Summer Soiree Part One..

Hey,

Here is the 4th post in my blog hop series.

Kelly Santi organises all of the hops. This year I have done 6 hops with Kelly and the gang -

• Ring in the New Year
• Spring Hop
• Sunshine Awareness mini hop
• Shark Week 2024 mini hop
• Summer Soiree
• Fall Friends

In this post I am showing half the cards from the Summer Soiree hop. We did 12 weeks with this one! I missed one week.

Themes for the first 6 cards - Polka Dots, Great Outdoors, BBQ/4th July, Summer Beach Reads and Gardening (I made x2 cards for this one. My cards are shown in order, the main photo is Polka Dots.

These are so summery and I got to use some very old stamps from my stash for Great Outdoors, BBQ/4th July, Summer Beach Reads, and Gardening (Hello).

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #229 Tic-Tac-Toe...

Hey,

Welcome to another awesome Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we have a tic-tac-toe board, everyone's fave!

I went with the middle vertical row. Stencil-Summer-Green.

I used the fun palm tree stencil by Carta Bella that I have had since 2017 to create my background (sorry it was hard to photograph!). The cute little flip-flop stamp / scalloped piece is by Pretty Pink Posh and was part of Ellen Hutson's 'Summer of Stamping' in 2021. I love this set, it is so fun to colour. I used green to colour the towel and the flip-flops and I added a little smudge of yellow ink to the edge of the scallop. Final touch was the fun sentiment, by Simon Says Stamp from their 'Flip Flop Season' set that I have had since 2015.

I love this summery card, it is too cute!

Which row will you choose? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends June 28.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #209 - It's Summer...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

Later today I am going on an adventure! I am riding the train from Tampa to NYC - I hate to fly and I really wanted to give this a go. Wish me luck, I know I am nuts, but I am super excited anyway!

Time for you to pull out those fun summer stamps for our current theme.

Recently while I have been working on my Retro Rubber cards, I remembered about all the awesome stamp sets I got in March 2022 from the SCT crop & create classes I did.

This awesome set I used for the background is by LDRS 'Just a Note'. I stamped all the fruit using Distress Oxides. I die-cut a red circle to hold my sentiment, which is by Pink Fresh Studio from their 'So Sweet' set that I have had since 2017. 

It came together so well and every time I see it I smile.

What summery delights will you dig up from your archive? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT has made.

Challenge ends June 30th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #160 Summer Breeze...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

This time we want to see your Summer inspired cards.

I am 100% a Summer girl, I hate being cold.

I dug a fave Summer stamp set out of the archives. 'Flip Flop Season' by Simon Says Stamp, I have had it since 2015.

I love to create backgrounds using imagery or smaller stamps from sets, this time, I added a little twist, by only stamping the flip-flops on half of the white panel. I added some glitter gel pen to the straps. I also blended a bit of Kitsch Flamingo Distress oxide around the edges.

The sentiment is also from the set and was die-cut using a MFT stitched, sentiment strip die.

Love a fun Summer card and life is indeed better in flip-flops.

Show us your interpretation of the theme and pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends June 18.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, that is part of the fun of our challenge and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

ATC Swap Fun...

 

Hey,

And welcome to June FINALLY.

It was a super busy May for me, work wise and personally. 

I have loved getting back out into NYC, as things open and my friends become accessible again!

My little Craftgang and I started doing a ATC swap this year.

The first theme was Beach.

And as I am heading to the beach this week and the ATC's have all arrived, I thought I would share the ones that I made.

I had such a fun time making them. 

I smooched a large piece of watercolour paper to create the background for the ATC and then cut them to size. I then blended in a bit of yellow for the 'sand'.

The stamps were perfect and are by Hero Arts 'Beach Please' I added a teeny tiny Lil Inker Sun die.

They came out so well.

Here they all are together. 

Clockwise top left, Lisette, Me, Cheiron, Tiffany

Love it when we get to make fun things for no reason.

Have a great weekend. Hubby is in the UK - WHOOP, finally we can go home, I am here with Clint Catwood, having a fun solo week off.

Cx

Retro Rubber Challenge #136 Summer Theme...

Hey,

Welcome to another fun Retro Rubber challenge.

We have a fun summer theme for you this time!

I loved this theme, as it meant I got to break out one of my all-time fave stamp sets! This set always reminds me of trips to the fishmonger with my Nana when I was little to choose a Crab and I would say to her that the Crabs were smiling at me.

I masked off a circle and used the awesome Palm Tree stencil by GRS Stencils with some Twisted Citron Distress ink to create a little backdrop for my Crab.

The Crab and the sentiment are by Your Next Stamp from their Flippin' Fabulous set, that I have had since 2016. I love this Crab he is so funny and such a delight to colour.

I couldn't resist adding googly eyes to the Crab!

What Summer project will you be inspired to make? Don't forget to pop over to Retro Rubber and get inspired by the things the DT have made.

Challenge ends June 12th.

Don't forget to tell us the age of your stamp, which is part of the fun of our challenge, and please only enter 10 challenges including Retro Rubber.

Cx

Newton's Nook Inky Paws: Summer..

Hey,

Happy Friday!!

Whilst I was on vacation Newton's Nook had an awesome new release - I may or may not have bought a lot of it :)

I thought that it would be fun to play along with their current Inky Paws challenge -

I used the great Newton's Melon stamp and die on my card. Did you know that Cat's actually LOVE Watermelon?! I know weird right.

I stamped a SSS sun all over a white panel and then die-cut a little window using Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped window die.

I then mounted the panel onto a bright yellow card blank and added the sentiment and Newton.

Fun card, love a bright Summer card.

Have a great weekend, I am getting back to the gym on Saturday and then attacking the laundry mountain (sigh).

Cx

Paperless Post and a Summer Party

Hey,

I've always been a fan of Paperless Post, now I know that might seem odd, as I am a paper lover.

But I find sending invites and sometimes cards digitally super handy.

A great example of how awesomely handy this can be is I recently forgot a birthday, this Unicorn card saved my bacon and a little girl got her own email card from Auntie Claire in NYC (phew!)

My work colleagues tasked me with handling the Summer Party / Leaving do for our boss, so I thought I'd build the invites in Paperless Post.

I used their latest product - Flyer.

The image on the right is actually an animated gif, so when the invitees open it, they will see the lady drinking from the straw - clever!

It was super easy to do and I can easily see who has RSVP'ed.

Go and check out the beautiful invites, cards and flyers that you can create on Paperless Post - they have a collab with Rifle Paper Co, that makes me swoon.. AND you can even get your items printed via Paper Source if you choose to.

Cx

p.s this was a sponsored post, I got some credits to play with...

FMS: Hello Summer...

Hey,

Happy Sunday!!

I know the title of my post might seem like wishful thinking, but seriously the weather in NYC the last few days has been Spring / Summer gloriousness...

I am playing along with Freshly Made Sketches this week -

I instantly thought the Simon Says Stamp Flamingo background stamp would be perfect here. It needs to be broken up, it is a bit busy.

I think the weather inspired me to pull out the SSS Warm Weather Animals stamp set. I wanted this set for SO long, but it was a bit cost prohibitive and then Black Friday happened and I bought it for both JT and I..

I love the bear, I coloured him with Promarkers and Spectrum Noir sparkle pens.

The sentiment is stamped on a coordinating piece of card and I used a Stampin Up banner punch to finish it off.

This card makes me long for warmer weather..

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Hubby and I have been out and about in NYC this weekend, so fun to be out and about. Today I will be mainly playdating with JT.

Cx

Make 5...Umichka Challenge...Part Four...

Hey,

Happy Friday!

So I am gently hungover today following my work Summer BBQ.. and tonight I am off to the HAC Summer Ball with Lemons. Cue another hangover tomorrow.

I am currently playing along with a 5 part challenge over at Anna / Umichka's blog.

You have to use the same stamp set for each of your cards and keep the cards CAS. You can see my first card here, card two here and card three here.

Card three is totally my fave so far :)

To refresh your memories, this is the stamp set I am working with -

It's from the October 2015 SSS stamp kit.

I decided to use the big heart for card four. I was inspired by the embossed spotty panel that was sitting on my desk..

I die-cut a white panel and blended some Picked Raspberry distress ink onto the panel, before stamping the heart in Versamark and adding sparkly embossing powder.

I am pleased at how well the heat embossing looks against the pink ink.

As it's a heart I decided it should be an anniversary card..

I'm so pleased at how these cards are coming out, using one set over and over again is a  I am keeping them all together to give-away when the challenge is done.

Have a great weekend everyone, heading back to NYC tomorrow, so I am excited to be seeing Hubs, furbabies and my desk..

Cx

Simon Says..Summer Garden..

Hey,

Happy Friday to you..

I am leaving on a jetplane for London later on today, but first I wanted to join in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Summer Garden.

I liked the theme and thought it would make for a good play in my art journal.

The phrase 'Summer Garden' makes me think of my Ma's garden.

I love my Ma's garden it's a peaceful happy space and is full of flowers, shrubs, birds, animals (Squirrels, Foxes, Hedgehogs, our Cats), butterflies and is basically a reflection of my Ma's happy generous personality.

I miss Ma's garden a lot. My Dad is not a garden person and is baffled by the amount of time we spend out there!

I started my spread with five colours, yellow, peach, orange, lime green and pale blue. I layered them onto my journal and kept layering and blending until I had something I was happy with.

I used my new fave trick of a baby wipe through a stencil to add some interest to the pages.

I recently bought a Hollyhock die by Impression Obsession, because it reminded me of Ma's garden, so seemed appropriate to use here. I collaged them in, along with the big blue birdie (Ma gets lots of birds in her garden - Swifts, Sparrows, Robins, Starlings, Magpies, etc) and stamped a few flowers here and there.

I used a fave Clear Scraps stencil to create a 'sun'. I also used a Tim Holtz tracks stencil in random places on the pages.

Finally I added 'Summer is best in my Momma's Garden' because it is and I'll be in it tomorrow, drinking tea, eating cake and gossiping.

Have a great weekend.

Cx