Sweet Stampin' - Bingo Board

Happy Easter! It's time for our new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this week we have a bingo board for you to play with. You need to pick a line, whether that's vertically, horizontally or diagonally. I picked sentiment, flower and cute for my card.

I bought this cute stamp set last weekend at my copic colouring class. If you own any copics, then I highly recommend you take Faye's class. I learnt lots and Faye is a great teacher and gives great hugs too! 

I love guinea pigs and owned two, but discovered I was allergic to them and came out in a rash when I handled them, so didn't get any more. I do miss the way they would start wheeking expectantly the minute they heard the key in the back door! My neighbour three doors down used to hear them too! So, I couldn't resist this Gerda Steiner Wheek Wheek Wheek stamp set. I stamped the elements in memento and coloured them in with my copics and cut them out. I also stamped some flowers from one of the very early Hunkydory stamp sets and did the same. I stamped one of the sentiments from the set on a dinky 4x4 card base and then glued the elements in place. Guinea pigs never stop eating and so I decided to stand him in a load of leaves and pop some on his head as my piggies (Treacle and Marmite) often ended up with veggies on their head as the rummaged for the best bits.

As ever, I can't wait to see your creations, you've got a week to join in and remember you need to use stamping somewhere on your card. 

Apologies if I haven't visited you recently, my chest infection really wiped me out and having a busy weekend and being back at work really hasn't helped. Thank goodness for a long weekend to recover. I hope you all have a fabulous Easter x

Richard Garay - Gold and Silver Full Bloom dies.

I thought I'd share the card I made for my Mum's birthday today. Given that time was short and I was still fighting off the lurgy I CASE'd the card on the back of the packaging of the Richard Garay Silver & Gold Full Bloom die set. 

I die cut the elements using various off cuts of matt and gloss silver and gold mirricard. The 80 was purchased at my local craft shop and was a quick way to add the birthday element as well as satisfying my Mum's love of bling. A few sequins finished the card. 

I've spent this week recouperating from my chest infection and so still haven't had any chance to craft or catch up. I'm off to the lovely Faye's copic colouring classes in Warrington this weekend so need to be recovered by then. Hope you're keeping warm and well, wherever you are x

Clearly Besotted - One in a Million

Monday again and it's getting closer to the Easter break, thank goodness! Hubby and I made it up to my parents yesterday and had a lovely family meal with my sister and family to celebrate Mum's 80th Birthday. I was able to give Mum her belated Mothers Day card too. 

Supplies

6x6 card base

Clearly Besotted One in a Million

Fineliner pen

Rare Earth A4 Floral Background  - butterflies 

Dreamees Dinky Inkies to colour

Windsor & Newton Iridescent medium to sparkle the butterflies.

Nuvo drops for the flower centres.

Sweet Stampin' - Use your paper scraps

Saturday again, time really is flying by isn't it? That means it's time for our new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this week, we want you to "Use Your Paper Scraps".
I'll fill you in with the boring details of why I haven't posted or visited you all in a minute, so you can tootle off early if you prefer. I used some paper scraps (I think they were Scrapberry papers) that were left over from a workshop I did with the fabulous Hels Sheridan last weekend. I trimmed the scraps down with my guillotine to create a greater variation in sizes and then added them with walnut stain distress ink using a bit of cut n dry foam. I then stuck them onto a 6x6 card overlapping them in places. I added some more walnut stain round the edge of the card, although I was a bit heavy handed in places!
I found a reasonable sized scrap of card and stamped the LOTV sentiment in black archival ink and again added the walnut to the edges. I added this to the card with 1mm deep foam tape. I had a rummage in my bit box and found some paper flowers (I think from a Craftwork Card kit) which were roughly the right colours. To tie them in I applied a little of the walnut ink yo the edges of the petals and glued them to the card with some pearls for centres. Simples. I did think that maybe I should have stamped the sentiment in a dark brown rather than black, but hey ho!

So, why have I been absent in blogland? Life has rather got in the way. Work has been hectic and last Friday I pulled into the car park at work at lunchtime, using my pass to enter. Drove in and pressed up on my driver's electric and zilch happened. To cut a long story short, the window was stuck fully open and I couldn't get a garage to sort it that afternoon and I couldn't leave the car unsecured. Thank goodness for mobile phones! Eventually, we came up with a plan - as I needed my car over the weekend and for work. I drove the 60 miles up to my parents (50 miles of it up the M6!) with the window down, a thick cardigan and fleece on, gloves (thank goodness for grips on my gloves so I could drive in them) and two scarves wrapped round my neck and head. At least it wasn't raining! I then left my car up there and borrowed my Mum's car for the week whilst mine was repaired. I was supposed to meet Hels and Pauline (Wheeler) for dinner that night, but was shattered and so had to cancel it. Not impressed when they posted photos of their rhubarb gin drinking, I should have been there (on non-alcoholic drinks) too! 

I had a great time taking part in their workshops on Saturday and Sunday, although I'm always shattered by the end of them. Will share photos soon. I decided to have an early night on Sunday but woke up in the early hours with a dreadful cough and feeling generally grim. I phoned in sick at work and fortuitously had already booked a GP appointment for the next day for a meds review. By the time I saw my GP I was struggling to breathe, coughing was agony and I felt like death warmed up. He declared that I had an "impressive" temperature at 39.4 and prescribed antibiotics and steroid tablets. I've spent the rest of the week slowly recovering but still feel terrible, but at least I made my DT card to share today. Still got to make Mum's 80th birthday card as it was her birthday in Tuesday, but we're having a family meal on Sunday (assuming we're all well enough!). I daren't mention it, but I think my dodgy tooth is playing up again as I have a tender swelling in my neck under it - just hoping it's a lymph node from the chest infection, but not really convinced!

If you're still here, I'm very impressed and sorry for having such a long whinge! I hope you are all keeping safe, happy and well. I would say wealthy too, but let's be honest we've probably spent all our dosh on new craft stash! Have a great weekend, I hope to visit you soon x

No Crafting, Just Bunnies!

Willow has a new friend! We decided to change his name from Oscar to Herb, so we have Willowherb (wildflower buffs will get the reference)!

They got on well at the rescue and were able to come home on Saturday and we've gradually increased the space that they have. Herb will eat from my hand as long as Willow does first, and I've even managed to get a couple of nose rubs in without being boxed or growled at. He's got some amazing moult lines on his coat, which is incredibly thick and silky.

They seem to be enjoying each other's company, but I can't tell if they spent their time sat together as whenever I try to sneak a peek, Willow jumps up and runs to the door to investigate what's going on! They look ridiculously fat in the last photo but it's all fluffed up fur, honest! Wish I had that excuse! 

I shall try and get some crafting finished, I have lots of half finished cards and bits but am lacking the motivation to finish them. Must get my act together though as it's Mothers Day on Sunday and Mum's 80th birthday next week and I haven't even started those cards yet, oops. Hope you're all having a good week x

Sweet Stampin' - Sentiment Only

Saturday again, and the first one in March, time really is flying these days. I hope you're all managing to keep warm and safe in the winter weather.
As it's Saturday though, it's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this week our theme is "Sentiment Only" and so we want to see the sentiment as the focus of your card, and don't forget to include some stamping!

I used a stamp that was the members gift from the Claritystamp club years ago, before they'd even thought of Groovi and it hadn't seen ink until now. I stamped the heart several times in black archival ink on white card. I coloured them in using spectrum noir sparkle pens using colours inspired by love heart sweets. I trimmed the card down to fit on a 6x6 card blank and cut out one of the leftover hearts. I wanted to wrap some twine round the card, but only had natural twine, so I coloured it (and my fingers and the glass cutting mat) in with a black sharpie. I mounted the panel on some black card with 1mm foam tape on the base. To finish I added the cut out heart over one of the hearts with 1mm tape to add some dimension.

In other news, I'm picking up the bunnies and bringing them both home today! Their bonding has gone really well and Oscar (still deciding on a name for him) is apparently already growing on confidence being with Willow. I've really missed little Willow, although I haven't missed going out in the freezing cold to see to her and refresh her warm snugglesafes at regular intervals!

It's Been Too Long - Since I Last posted!

It's been far too long since I last blogged, I'll fill you in on the details in a minute, but first the card.

I rustled up this very quick little card (4x4) using the Hunkydory "Happy Birthday Sausage" stamp set. I stamped all the elements seperately before colouring in the dog with my zig clean colour pens. I used a spectrum noir sparkle pen for the blue and then cut out all the elements and glued them into place. I stamped one of the sentiments from the set onto the card and drew in a frame, which I coloured to match the scarf. Super quick and simple.

So, the tooth saga continues. Having settled down over the weekend, by Tuesday morning it was aching again, typically on the first day of real snow that we had. I phoned the dental helpline from work and was told that there were no appointments available in my town. Happily though, there was one that morning at a Dentist only a two minute walk from work! He decided that he needed to drill deeper than the previous dentist had done to put in some medicine to calm the nerve. It took three lots of local anaesthetic to numb the tooth, no wonder I felt woozy afterwards! I also ended up with a course of oral antibiotics. It's still quite sore, but the (very lovely) dentist warned me it would take a few days to calm down. I have to apologise for being behind on my visits, toothache and neck ache has taken its toll, but I hope to catch up with you all soon.

By Wednesday, our snow had mostly melted, despite it being -6 degrees out (no idea how that works?!) and so I took Willow to meet Oscar who will hopefully become her new companion. Oscar was handed into rescue by a lady who borrowed a male bunny to breed her rabbit. Unfortunately, when the babies were just a few days old mummy bunny died. The lady hand reared the babies and gave most of them away, but kept Oscar and his sister. Unfortunately, she seems to have just done the absolute minimum to look after them and so at 18 months old they are not used to human interaction and consequently are very scared and hutch defensive. Oscar also seems to have a congenital cataract in one eye, which is slightly smaller than his other eye. You'll be pleased to know that his sister has now found a wonderful new home and hopefully Oscar will be happy with us, I know you're dying to meet him so here is the handsome chap,

He's a bit bigger than Willow at 1.5kg, but he is (mostly) a Netherland Dwarf. Despite being fearful, once held he enjoys a good fuss and has gorgeous soft, silky fur. I'm not sure he'll be keeping the name Oscar though, anyne got any suggestions for a plant/tree/herb related names? Apparently, so far they are getting on well *crosses fingers for luck*

I hope you are all managing to stay safe and warm in this freezing weather x