With Hearts

Friday, thank goodness! I'm so looking forward to the weekend - to be quite honest, I'm completely cream-crackered.  Still, just a couple of weeks to go and it will be half term, so it's just a question of getting on with things until then.

Anyway, card time.  This one is for the Lovely hAnglar Only challenge - With Hearts. 

I don't often use this little hAnglar girl but I should ink her up more often as she's so sweet.  She's been coloured with Copics and cut out with a round Go Kreate die. I added some Glossy Accents to the heart she is holding and while it was still wet sprinkled it with some Glamour Dust.  It seemed to settle in the middle of the heart, which was a bit annoying, but once it dried I quite liked the effect - almost like a heart within a heart when you see it irl.  

The tag is one of the more recent Doohickeys and I love it! It's cut from two dies so you get some added dimension. And I love the pretty Basic Grey DP from the Capella pad (probably my all-time favourite).  The edges of the tag, image and DP have been inked with Walnut Stain. I used some Doodlebug rub ons and a Prima chipboard heart to decorate the tag and added my usual assortment of WOC flowers as I struggle to make a card without them!
Enjoy your evening!

Tracey xx

Red White and Green Christmas

Just a quickie... I wanted to show you my entry for this week's Lili of the Valley challenge, which is Red, Green and White.  I tend not to use primary colours very often so this was a bit of a stretch for me, but I had bought this lovely stamp from the first LotV Christmas release and thought that red and green would suit her.

She's been coloured with Copics and I've used Frosted Lace Stickles for all the glittery bits.  She's been cut out with a Nestie die, as has the red mat. The papers are years old - they might be Bella Press or Imaginisce, who knows?  They were the only ones I had in the right colours, anyway! I used a Martha Stewart punch on the corners of the white Bazzill border and topped this with some red ribbon from my stash  The flowers, as always, are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

So there you have it, nothing fancy but it's nice to have something to show you mid week. I've been working away on DT cards for Sweet Stampin' and have made cards for two more challenges which I'll try to post before Saturday. 

Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Hugs,

Tracey xx

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Flowers

It would be fair to say that I like flowers.  A lot.  And I love putting them on my cards.  In fact, I don't often make cards without a bit of a floral arrangement of some kind.  So when it was my turn to choose a theme for this week's challenge at Sweet Stampin', I didn't have to think too hard!  My adorable teamie Wedgie came up with this fabulous sketch for us to follow - I loved using it and will definitely follow this again.

I had a go at a sort-of mono effect just to make a change.  I like these K&Co papers - they're from the Julianne 6x6 pack - and because they go so well together I wanted to stick with browns and creams in my image.  The lovely hAnglar girlie has been coloured with Copics and I distressed the edges and background with some Pumice Stone ink.

The little sentiment is by Lili of the Valley and I used the Doohickey lace die again - it's probably my most used die and it cuts really well every time.  The gems are from  my stash and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The Sweeties have worked their magic with the most wonderful DT cards this week, so do hop over and join in if you can.  The sketch is optional, the flower theme is a requirement!  We've also got a DT call out, so if you're interested in being part of the happiest, friendliest, funniest and occasionally bonkers team of crafters, we'd love to see your designs.

Have a great day!

Hugs,

Tracey x

Missing You...

I've been trying to even up my work-life balance so that the life part actually gets a look-in.  Part of this process obviously has to include more time for internet stash shopping and making cards.  I haven't had too much success so far, but I am trying and have actually managed to make a card mid-week for probably the first time since we went back to school.

This was made for the Lili of the Valley challenge which is "Missing You".  I used their cute image of the boy and the girl on the swing (my brother had a tank top like that!) and coloured it with Copics.  I used Distress ink for the background but just a touch as I wanted it to be very soft. 

The DP is from the K&Co Watercolour pad again. This is fast becoming a rival to my K&Co Madeleine pad, which I absolutely lurve.  In fact the little MS butterfly was punched from a scrap of Madeleine paper.  The image has been mounted onto the silly Doohickey doily and you might just be able to see the LOTV grunge letter stamp poking on the left.

The flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts (their peachy colours are a perfect match for the peach tones in the Watercolour pad) and the sentiment was done on the computer and cut out with a circle punch.

And voilà, as they say in French France.

At school I take a small group of kids for European Studies - for a variety of reasons, they're not able to join in a language class at school.  They're a great bunch and could be best described as "lively". Those you who read the Austria/bird post will already be familiar with these little cherubs.  We are basically "travelling" around Europe and they get to choose which countries we visit.  So far they've managed to avoid every country whose native tongue happens to be a language I can speak... hmmm...

Anyway, it would appear that they've worked out that at some point during each country topic I'll bring in food for them to try from that particular corner of the world.  We're in Greece at the mo and last week I brought in olives, houmous, pitta bread etc.  Apart from a regurgitated olive situation, which wasn't too pleasant (A dinnae like it, Miss, it's hingin') this practice appears to have been a success.  However, it seems that the class are now basing their choice of future European destinations solely on what I'm likely to bring in for them to eat.  Now, no offence to anyone from Ireland, but I was quite surprised when this appeared to be the hot favourite as our next port of call.  Apart from soda bread I struggled to think of what culinary delights I could buy locally (don't let me go off on a tangent about our lack of shops) so I asked the class what it was that appealed to them so much.  "Guinness, Miss!"

And on that note, I'm off to put something red and liquid into a glass.

Hugs,

Tracey xx

Yes, it's really me!

No, it's not a figment of your imagination ... it really is me and what's more, I've made a card. Yay!  The first couple of weeks back at school have been even more busy than usual and I seem to have had 101 things to do out of school, too.  Still, at least I'm not bored!  Apologies, tho' for not being able to get round to leaving comments for everyone - must try harder!

Loads to tell you today, so before I show you my card I need to remind you to hop over to Sweet Stampin' for our Teenage Challenge.  Now for all you Kevin and Perry parents I don't mean "how challenging is your teenager?"!  We'd like to see your creations for a teenager. The Team Fi Sweeties have made some real beauties to inspire you, so do come along and play if you can.

Now for the card. I was originally, two weeks ago, trying to make something for the Lovely hAnglar Only challenge, which was Lilac and Cream.  I had some lovely paper left in the K&Co Watercolour pad but I prefered the other side, which was all flowery, glittery and not really lilac and cream.  So I printed off some papers from Pink Petticoat.  Really pretty - or they would have been, if I hadn't run out of ink. Hmmm...

Thank goodness for Tracy at Dies to Die For.  Fresh back from her hols she sent me a little parcel (OK, I admit, I've been shopping again) and in it was a little 6"x6" Magnolia paper in just the right colour.  On it went, topped with two cut outs of the silly Doily Die, some purple ribbon, my little hAnglar girl who'd been hanging around already coloured for nearly a fortnight, flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and a Lili of the Valley Sentiment.  And that was my card - done. Except for just one thing...

Those of you who enter your little hAnglar cuties in the LhO challenges will know that you need to get them in by 5pm on a Saturday.  I know this.  Unfortunately I didn't remember that I know this until 7pm tonight.

Anyway, all is not lost - I'm going to enter the card into the following challenges:-

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Stamp Something - Anything Goes (their last challenge!)

The Boy Wonder has settled into High School so well - what a relief.  He's been doing Home Eco and loving it so today he made lunch - pepperoni pizza - and it was delicious! It made up for the fact that I got soaked this morning trying to pick damsons before they blew off the tree in the gales! I've got a couple of kilos promised to a colleague who has traded me some fabulous  chanterelle mushrooms.  The rest is going into damson gin.  We don't really eat jam, the Boy Wonder and I, so I thought I'd get some nice bottles from Lakeland and give some gin as Christmas pressies.  Of course I'll need to have regular tastings for quality control and all that!

Hugs

Tracey xx

Sweet Stampin' - Anything but a Birthday

Where did the week go? I haven't made a card since forever (or so it seems) and I've really missed it.  Just work/life taking over, I'm afraid.

Anyway, we have a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and it's one you're going to love: Anything but a Birthday.  It could be Christmas, Thank You, Get Well Soon ... whatever you like.  Plus our themes this month are being combined with different sketch each week - the sketch is optional, but I've really enjoyed using them. 

We're being sponsored this month by Heather Ellis (check out her lovely digis) and this week by Tiffany Doodles.  I made two DT cards but one needs to be photographed again because I just couldn't get a decent pic.  Here's the other:

Papers are Nitwits and the image is by the one and only Mo Manning.  I didn't include a sentiment as I wanted to keep the card uncluttered.  I used the lovely pencil embellishments again (only 1 left now) - they are just gorgeous and I don't know where I'll find any more. 

I'm going to enter this in the (last!!!) Stamp Something digi Challenge - can't believe this challenge blog is closing down!

Hopefully the light will be better tomorrow and I'll be able to post my other DT card.

Have a lovely weekend!

Tracey x