So Glad Card

This card is made out of the following Stampin' Up products:

• Seaside embossing Folder (card background)
• Scalloped Tag Topper
• Love You Lots stamp set (ladybirds)
• Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set (sentiments)

Floral Birdcage Tag

I stamped the birdcage in black, masking it when I used a green Stazon ink for the background (Prima stamp). I used a purple Promarker for the background colour.

Grandparents Card

I made this Grandparents card using an Inkwell stamp, using A Promarker for colour.

Secret Garden Floral Birthday Card

Using up some of the floral blooms that I had previously die cut for another project, I created this card.

The stamped flowers are from the Stampin' Up Secret Garden stamp set and the secret garden framelits. They're coloured with Promarkers.  I used the Stampin' Up "Seaside" embossing file for the background.

Engagement Card

I'm still not happy about the card I made yesterday, so I've made another today. Although I like the design, there are a couple of things I am not happy about so I may re-make it.  For this card I used the Stampin' Up Detailed Floral Thinlit Dies. The sentiment is by Rubbadubbadoo.

Congratulations Card

I had some exciting news today which meant a congratulations card was needed. I made this, but I have my reservations about it not being special enough, it seems a little clinical to me.  So I've decided I'll leave it a day or so and see how I feel about it then.

For this card I used Stampin' Up Floral Phrases and Detailed Floral Thinlit Dies.

Merry Christmas Thoughtful Branches Card

I made this card using a die from the Stampin' Up Beautiful Branches set (for the tree). The landscape section is a die from Swirly Scribbles Thinlit set. The sentiment used us from the Good Greetings stamp set.

Heart Tree Card

Today I've been playing with a new Stampin' Up set called "Thoughtful Branches". It's a set of 23 stamps and there is also a matching die set called "Beautiful Branches".

The sentiment came from another Stampin' Up set called "Petite Pairs".

Hello Secret Garden Card

Yesterday Postie kindly delivered an eBay bargain. A Stampin' Up Secret Garden stamp & framelits set. I couldn't wait to get creative and made this card.

I started by cutting a circle in yellow card stock. I then embossed (the non circle bit) using the Stampin' Up "Brick Wall" folder.

I stamped the flower images, using Promarkers to colour them. I ran the large flower through a dotty embossing folder to provide a bit of interest.

For the sentiment, I used Sale-A-Bration "Hello" stamp set and added it to the white circle area of the card. I played with the positioning of the flowers a fair bit, till I was happy with them. I then glued them down, with the exception of a couple which I used foam pads to add dimension to the display.

Seaside Summer Tag

I came across some stamps I've had for about 10 years, so played with one & made this tag. The stamp is part of a set by Rubbadubbadoo. I've used water colour pencils on this.

Miracles Happen Baby Card

Playing with a stamp, this card evolved.

The elephant is from a Stampin' Up set called "Love You Lots". I used water colour pencils for colour.

Celebrate Your Day Card

Another sleepless night, so I made a card.

I used the Stampin' Up Sale-A-Bration Big Day set for the sentiment and the Triple Triangle punch to create the double ended banner. I like that this card has a patchwork feel about it.

Swirly Bird, Just A Note Card

I played with the Stampin' Up "Swirly Bird" set of stamps this afternoon. I think this could be a very versatile set, being used lots in the future.

I used the swirl for the background of this card. The branch and bird were also from the same set. I had a small leaf punch which was just the right size. I then punched some flowers to match the matting.

A Card For Carly

I try to make my special occasion cards well in advance, as I hate the feeling of creating under pressure - that's why I'd be rubbish at making cards to sell.

I made this card for Carly (my nearly Daughter-in-law) who has her birthday in late August.

I purchased the bilingy letter "C" from The Range, some months ago for this card.  I started off using a Stampin' Up Embissing folder (called modern mosaic) for the background. Then embossed a 2" dotty square of white paper for the bling to sit on.  I used the Stampin' Up Triple Triangle punch to make the banner.

I'm really happy with the way this card has turned out. 

Houses Tag

Today I've made a tag using stamps by "Lindsay Mason Designs", the set is called "Building Blocks", comprising of six quirky styled houses.

I used three of the designs for this tag, coloured in using Promarkers with an inked background.

Boho Chic Tag

Another of my new Stampin' Up goodies is the Boho Chic Embossing File. I've used it on this tag.

Sunshine Wishes Engagement Card

This week I received some Stampin' Up goodies.  Part of that order was the Sunshine Wishes Thinlits die set, which resulted in this engagement card I made today. (The patterned paper is by Crate Paper).

Mary's Bakewell Tart

Today I fancied challenging myself to something that I've not made before, so opted to make a Bakewell Tart.  The recipe I opted for is a Mary Berry one which I found on-line.  If it's good enough for Mary then it is good enough for me.  You can find the recipe here.

As it is so hot here today, I couldn't be bothered to make the pastry so opted for the short cut of buying in a pack of pre-made.  There was one section of the recipe I had to re-read a couple of times to be sure that I had understood it correctly and that was the lining of the pastry case with foil.  But I guess that is to accelerate the heat distribution of the baking beans.  Other than that the recipe was fine.

I had a little pastry left over so made some very ropey looking jam & lemon curd tarts - I'm sure they'll taste wonderful even though they don't look the best!

Stash Busting Hello Card

I'm continuing my attempt to use off-cuts of patterned paper, in attempt to reduce the bits and pieces in the scrap paper box.

I cut 1" wide strips of paper and created a banner effect. I die cut the stars using a Stampin' Up thinlit for the hello.

A New Home Card

I hoard my crafting supplies and my box off paper off cuts is overflowing. I made a decision that today I would only use paper from that box. This simple new home card is the results of my effort.

Penny Black "Basket Of Joy" Baby Card & Tag

This morning I have been playing with another Penny Black wood mounted stamp. This one is called "Basket Of Joy" (no.2075F).

Both the card and tag are stamped images coloured with water colour pencils and mounted on card stock.

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Sheltering Tree Favourite Card

I have a box in my craft room where I keep the cards that I've made. This means that generally there is something to hand if I need a card quickly, rather than making one specifically for an occasion.

This card, using Stampin' Up, Sheltering Tree stamp set is one of my favourites and I can't seem to let it go.

Edited to add:  A couple of hours after posting this, I heard the sad news that a friend has lost her mother.  So I have written the card and given it away.  I can always make another. A sad day x

Penny Black "Baby Hammock" Card

I like the calmness of stamping and filling in the image, so this afternoon I used a Penny Black wood mounted stamp called "Baby Hammock" (no.2073J).

Using my waster colour pencils to fill the detail. I stamped and die cut the sentiment and then mounted the image on co-ordinating card stock.

Hello Petal Tag

I had a quick play with some die cuts that I'd cut some time ago to make this tag.

The dies are "Chloe Stem" by Memory Box (no.98321). I embossed one side of the tag and stamped "Hello Petal" on the bottom left hand side. Inked some of the edges and used a silver pen to add a highlighted area to some of the die cuts.

Winter Memories Christmas Card

Today I've been playing with some possible designs for Christmas cards.

I used a stamp from the Stampin' Up Winter Memories set for the picture, using my water colour pencils to colour the image. I die cut the image, setting it onto an oval mount.  I then stamped two words, using stamps from Stampin' Up Holly Jolly Greetings set and then stuck die cut snowflakes adding a little sticky gem to the middle.

Banana & Chocolate Muffins

Today I made a batch of Banana & Chocolate Muffins - an ideal way of using up the ripe banana that nobody will eat.

The basic muffin recipe I use is really simple, I just throw in the flavours I fancy/have to hand.

250g (9 oz) Plain Flour
150g (5oz) Caster Sugar
3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

225ml (8 fl oz) Semi-skimmed Milk
4 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 Egg

Additional flavour ingredients as required

Preheat the oven to 200 C/Gas 4
Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Stir, then make a well in the middle.
In another bowl beat the egg and add the remaining wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the well in the dry bowl and quickly mix the two together with a fork (but don't beat).  Then add the flavours (in my case it was one ripe mashed banana and approx 100g of dark chocolate broken into small chunks) and stir.  Divide into muffin paper cases/tin.  Bake for 20-25 minutes till golden brown. 

Other possible flavours I've used are:

Coffee & Chocolate
Date
Blueberry
Apple & Cinnamon

This recipe can also be made into a savoury muffin by putting half the sugar in and adding grated cheese & chives or perhaps cooked bacon & onions.

Dressmaker Tag

Due to my interest in sewing, people often ask if I do clothing alterations. My reply is no, I sew for pleasure. They often state there is money to be made from alterations but like many crafts, people expect you to work for peanuts instead of a decent hourly rate.

With this in mind, I created this tag. The words are part of a Paperartsy set. The thread reels are by Hero Arts. The background is an off-cut of scrapbook paper with a tape measure pattern

The Tree At Dawn Tag

Being fortunate to live in such a beautiful area of outstanding natural beauty, I often see stunning colours at dawn & dusk.

This tag is inspired by the colours of dawn, replicated using Panpastels for the background.

The tree is from the "Lovely As A Tree", Stampin' Up set of stamps, coloured using my watercolour pencils.

Pineapple Tag

Every once in a while I purchase a crafting mag.

In the supermarket this morning, I spotted Papercraft Essentials magazine. 

It had a free gift to entice me. A set of pineapple stamps, an embossing folder strip and two dies to cut the pineapple shape.

On the front of the magazine they mention two words "Inspiring Ideas".  Having flicked through the pages I found this a little misleading. Without blowing my own trumpet, the majority of the projects are for entry level crafters. There was nothing to stretch my abilities.  

I have however used the free gift to make this pineapple tag. A Panpastel coloured background with the small pineapple image stamped randomly. I used the embossing folder for the left hand side of the tag. I then stamped and die cut the large pineapple. I then coloured in the pineapple using my watercolour pencils. 

Frostyville Reindeer Christmas Card

With my mind back on Christmas again, I played with the Cricut machine and cut some prancing reindeers. I then used the Big Shot to cut the Frostyville border strip (Memorybox no.98146).

I stamped a small seasonal sentiment and die cut it to an oval shape, then added a few bling crystals.

A Floral Tag

This morning, I came across a die cut oval shape in my scrap box. A tag developed from that point using paper flowers, punched leaves & a heart positioned on an embossed background.

Small Stamp Storage Solution

It seems to me, that no matter how organised I think that I am, there are always some crafting materials that are more difficult to store in a tidy & easily accessible way.

The last couple of weeks, I have been on a mission to tidily store my small clear & red rubber stamps. You know the ones with the text on, that it's hard to decipher what they say till you've actually used the stamp, made worse as the original wrapper ripped the first time you opened the pack so sometimes you're absolutely clueless to what it says!

I have used business/trading card clear pocket punched sheets. (You can get them from eBay or office supply shops).  I stamp the image onto a piece of card which is slightly smaller than the pocket. Then slip the card and the matching stamp into the pocket. I have bound my punched pockets with book rings so that I can flip through the pages and access the stamps I need with ease. They then live on a shelf above my craft table.  This system works for me. I hope you find it useful

The Cat Tag

It's another morning of rain, so I'm glad I don't need to venture further than the craft table today.

This morning I created another tag. I used shaded Panpastels for the background and a "Little Claire Designs" stamp called "Swirly Whirly Cats". I used a Stampin' Up die for the word "peace". On both the cats and the word, I used a Sakura Gelly Roll Pen (clear star), to lift the black.

New Home Card

Today I've made a couple of cards. One for my Hubby for his birthday, that I won't put on here yet, in case he should see it. The other is a New Home Card.

I like the whimsy style of this card. The stamp is by "Little Claire Designs" and is called "Birdhouse Garland". I used my water colour pencils to colour the image and then used two Stampin' Up punches to create the scalloped edged oval, stamping the word "home" in the middle.

Rainy Day Baking

It's still raining. The builders arrived but were not able to progress with the build of the craft room because of the weather, so they have gone home for the day.

The cake tin was empty, so I made a Victoria Sponge Cake and a slab of Very Chocolatey Brownies. The brownie recipe is one that I found on line, you can view the recipe here. It's an amazing recipe. The brownie has both a crisp and moistness and is absolutely yummy.

Funny how smells trigger memories. I love the smell of the house when I'm baking as it reminds me of my childhood.

A Rainy Tag Day

I woke early again this morning, but this time to the sound of rain on the window.

As inspiration I dug out a box of stamps that I've not opened for ages. It was like meeting old friends and I quickly got to work using them.

The background is a blend of Panpastels.  The raindrops are a stamp by "Designs By Ryn".  The fish are from a set by "Unity Stamp " called "Fishy Philosophy".

Unfortunately, I can't remember any of the manufacturers of the stamps I have used on the tag below.

Top 0' The Morning Tag

Further playing with tags this afternoon resulted in this tag. For some reason (possibly the shade of green) it makes me feel that it has an Irish vibe to it.

The background is a Hexagon Script  produced by Creative Expressions.  I can't remember who produced the face & hat. I know it came on red rubber & I had to put them on EZ Mount some years ago.  The two banner stamps are from a Stampin' Up set called "Perfect Penants".

Big Shot Die Cut Card

I woke early this morning so found myself in the craft room at 4:30! I decided to do some die cutting using the Big Shot. I've had the Sizzix Serif Essentials alphabet set for a while and never used it, so started with that and then cut some scrolls.

I used the Cuttlebug to emboss the lettersadhered to a Bo Bunny Double-dot background paper. I quite like the whit on white look.

Cards, Tags & Sewing Bee

Yesterday afternoon, I had a little paper crafting session and made a birthday card for a male. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out, as it will be suitable for teens or a more mature male. I'm still no further forward with making a birthday card for Hubby!

Some time ago, I rescued an old Welsh hymn book that was going to be thrown away. I didn't have any specific ideas on how I would use it, but decided to use one of the pages on a tag. 

Last night the final of The Great British Sewing Bee 2016 was aired on TV. Due to other commitments, I wasn't able to watch it at the time & was disappointed that some "kind" person felt the need to state the winner in a one sentence post on Facebook. I will watch the final episode later today, but it won't be the same knowing who the winner was.

Edited to add:  I've now watched the final episode.  It was a close thing with all three contestants.  They all had issues with their creations and excelled in other areas.  I applaud all three finalists for their makes in such a small timescale.  I for one, would not be able to do it in the time they were given.  I suspect Monday evenings may become a bit of a void for a few weeks now that The Bee has come to an end for this year.

Flapjacks and Cards

Today I thought I'd better think about making a card for my Hubby, who has his  birthday next week. It started off well, but it evolved into a less personal card than I want to give him, so it's back to the drawing board for me. This is the card that I decided wasn't right.

The builders were here before 8:30 this morning, so as the cake tin is empty, thought I'd better make something quick. After checking the ingredients in the pantry, I went for flapjacks. This recipe rarely disappoints...

115g Butter

70g Brown Sugar

5 tablespoons Syrup

180g Porridge Oats

Grease a 20.5 cm square tin & Preheat oven to 150 C / 300 F

Place butter sugar and syrup in a medium-large saucepan and heat till the ingredients have melted. Stir in the oats.  Once the oats are coated, tip the mix into the prepared tin, flatening down the surface with the back of a spoon.

Bake for approx 20 minutes till the edges are brown and slightly crunchy.  At this stage I score the flapjack into portions then leave to cool.  Once fully cooled remove from the tin. These should keep for several days in an airtight container.  I can't actually tell you how long as they don't hang around for very long in our house!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday xxx