Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #375

Hi there folks - here's hoping everyone is safe and managing to cope in the current lock down all over the World.  It's been OK here, we're managing to get on line grocery orders fulfilled and thankfully Dudley has only ever needed one walk per day. The rest of his exercise has always been plenty of playtime in the house or garden when he wants it.

It seems that the worst of the panic buying is over, although I did have a wry smile at a photo someone posted on Facebook - bare shelves in the home hair colouring section of a supermarket!

Speaking of hair, I still haven't clipped Dudley - a few of you have been wondering. It's going to be a two-person job and meanwhile I'm keeping his face trimmed until the inevitable - which will be soon I imagine lest it grows too long. 

In general people around here are keeping to the self-isolation 'rules'. But, you always get exceptions of course. I really don't know which part of ONE exercise per day they don't understand ........ and this is only the end of the second week. However, it seems there is no cure for stupid and I guess it's no good stressing over those with intentions of being prime candidates for the Darwin award - so long as they don't infect others along the way, which unfortunately is very possible.

I became quite concerned about our lovely Alice of ScrAPamondo in Italy - she hadn't posted since mid-February. However, I had a lovely long email from her this morning (Saturday) letting me know that all is well. She's a teacher as most of you will know and has been even busier than when the schools were open - with on line school work. She may have already emailed some of you but I just wanted to update you as Italy is having such a tough time right now. We all send our love to you Alice - and also to Kate in Spain who's in the thick of it as well, she's also fine thank goodness.

OK, enough about Coronavirus, it is what it is and hopefully we'll get through this in one piece!

Here's my snippets card for this fortnight, a bit of a different one for me - and it also includes a matching envelope, which is totally different for me:

I used:

- 5.5" x 4.25" white card blank, side opening

- snippet of green striped paper (by SU) from the snippets folder, slightly trimmed to cover the card front leaving a narrow margin of white - then glued in place

- snippet of plain white card and the large stamp from Concord & 9th's 'Woven Plaid Background' stamp set - stamped using SU's 'Tangelo Twist' ink pad and a Misti

- trimmed the stamped panel to quarter of an inch smaller all round than the green layer and glued it in place

- stamped 'Hello You' onto a snippet of white card, using a stamp from Woodware's 'Celebrating You' set of stamps and Memento 'Tuxedo Black ink

- punched the sentiment out using SU's 'Decorative Label' punch then popped it onto the card front using thin sticky pads

- the envelope is a USA branded one (bought through Amazon) to fit USA A2 cards. It has a straight flap at the back, rather than our more usual UK 'pointed' flaps

- so I used the second stamp in the Woodware set, which is a 1" wide strip and the same 'Tangelo Twist' ink to stamp a border across the envelope flap edge. Little tip, I was using the Misti and to stamp with the envelope closed I just popped a scrap of paper underneath the flap before stamping - so that the plaid pattern was right up to the edge and any slight overhang didn't impinge on the rest of the back of the envelope

- then spotted a narrow strip of the green striped paper lying on the desk and added that across the flap, trimmed it down from the back - and called the job done!

Excuse the slightly washed out colours - the black is a really solid jet black in real life. I took the photo in sunshine here!

I loved making this card and matching envelope - and it was quick as well as easy. I must confess to spoiling my first attempt at stamping the large plaid panel for the card front. I stamped it once then as a couple of spots were a bit pale/spotty (operator error totally) I re-inked the stamp and added more ink, far too much, then applied too much pressure when stamping as well. The resulting plaid pattern was quite thick and I'd begun to lose the fine white lines in the pattern. So, I flipped the snippet of card over and re-stamped on the back - totally successfully.

I might make a run of them to include with prizes, if my mojo ever properly returns. And of course, they would be great for Christmas - how about a black or grey plaid background topped with a die cut poinsettia for example? And you can also use the 1" wide strip stamp to add a lovely edge down the spine side of a card as another idea. This is yet another stamp set I've had for ages, along with the sentiment set - totally unused.

Which means I can enter this into a challenge which the lovely Darnell used to run and has resurrected, with the help of our sweet friend Loll - yup, it's 'the return of NBUS' where you can join in to play along right HERE. I always quietly mourned the closing down of NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) as it really encouraged me to rummage through the 'holding' box I pop my new goodies into and to use them much sooner than I would otherwise have done. However, be warned, it also facilitated/encouraged me to buy even more new stuff after seeing all the entries!

I know that a good few of you are already playing along already. Of course a lot of people seem to have taken the opportunity to tidy and or re-organise their craft stuff or are producing more beautiful makes than ever - but I certainly fall into neither category and am very grateful for the kick start!

And here is the prize for this fortnight:

Concord & 9th's 'Woven Plaid Background' stamp set plus a Woodware 'Celebrating You' set of sentiment stamps (which includes a cute little heart image as well).

As always, the Snippets Challenge will run for two weeks and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 18th April. The gates will open again at midnight UK time on the same day.

It's a maximum of ONE entry, please say in a comment if you wish to play and be a possible winner of the prize. Please also link back to the Playground in your blog post to be eligible for the draw.

Remember, if you link into the Playground and don't say clearly that you want to be in the draw in a comment on here, then you will be bypassed if your name comes out of Mr Linky. I'm sure you all know I ask for a positive 'yes' on the blog post itself - just in case you're only playing for fun - otherwise I don't add you to my little list.

I'm still struggling with commenting as punctually as I ought to in the Playground at the moment, plus I owe many of you emails. Huge apologies and I'll be there ASAP, I promise! It's as if my 'get up and go' has 'got up and gone'- which is not good at all.

Instead of crafting I've turned to doing more elaborate meals a lot of the time and some baking as well. Crafting would be better for the waist line though :)

Stay safe my lovely friends.

Lots of love from us all - Parsnip, Dudley and of course me,