Sunday Snippets - 'Peace Love and Belly Rubs'

We celebrated Dudley's 7th Birthday with him during the week - and this is the card I made from Len and myself for the little pickle:

I used:

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

- snippet of the same brand of white card for the image panel - trimmed to 5" x 3.75"

- stamped the image of puppy and parrot onto the panel using a VersaFine Clair 'Nocturne' ink pad  and coloured it using polychromos pencils before writing a 7! x onto the balloon. The stamp is from a long discontinued SU 'Bella and Friends' stamp set - SO Dudley!

- then die cut the sentiment twice using a NBUS fun die by Poppystamps called (naturally) 'Peace, Love and Belly Rubs' - using a snippet of paper from the Altenew 'Enchanting Washes' paper pack

- when time came to double layer the sentiment, it was going to be very tricky to totally line up the two layers - so I just glued one layer onto the image panel. It's such a detailed die cut but the design thankfully keeps its shape well

- then popped the fallout from the heart shapes in both die cuts above the sentiment

- glued the image panel onto a 5.25" x 4" snippet of plain toning blue card

- finally, added the completed panel to the card blank using narrow foam strips

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #76 - HERE. The sentiment die was havibg its first outing!

Allsorts Challenge #828 - HERE. Under 'Anything Goes'

Dudley Pupdate: Dudley Dog had a lovely Birthday - many thanks for the good wishes, cards and even some doggie treats! As usual he's been keeping us, mostly Len, on our toes. I slept right through the performance but during Friday night Dudley was very restless and eventually climbed on top of Len in bed and stared right into his face. Once shooed away he apparently then insisted on standing on his hind legs beside Len's bedside and tapping at him for attention. He'd just been out into the garden but off they went outside again - just in case. Eventually he settled down - and then this morning Len found one of Dudley's favourite bedtime treats laying on the top of his bedside cabinet. It seems he'd forgotten to give it to Dudley - but that little guy knew fine well it was there waiting for him!!

Very importantly, the results of Challenge #508 are now published HERE. 

Do please come and play in Sarn's current challenge over in the Snippets Playground - just scroll down - there's a lovely prize bundle! 

Love from myself and Dudley, xxx

Sunday Snippets - 'Simple Floral Bundle'

It was serendipity when I chose to make a floral card as my Sunday Snippets card - Allsorts challenge, I'm on my way!

I used: 

- 5.25" x 4.25" white card blank, side opening - odd size due to the PB die not being A2 compatible/balanced

- die cut a snippet of white card, using a die by Penny Black from the 'posted cut out' set of outline die and set it to one side

- next  used a snippet of white card and a Poppystamps die called 'Simple Floral Bundle' to die cut all the elements for the arrangement in one go - thanks to the die shapes all being on just one very neat plate. I might have spotted this being used by one of you lovely girls and rushed off to buy it not so long ago! 

- used my Zig pens to colour the die cut foliage and flowers - so quick and esy to use!

- then glued the floral bundle onto the white panel front and left it overnight to have more of a 'think'

- next day, I backed the white panel with a trimmed snippet of Tonic Matt satin effect 'Soft Amethyst' card and also set that aside

- now I knew where the sentiment needed to be stamped so I did that step using VersaFine Clair 'Morning Mist' ink and a stamp from my very elderly and much loved let of sentiment stamps by Stampendous. called 'Happy Messages'. Plus the Misti of course! I just looked at the stamps packet and it was made in 2011 - still a favourite, and I think I originally copied Sarn when she used the set

- glued the 'stamp' shaped panel onto the amethyst background 

 Finally, added the whole floral panel onto the card front, using narrow foam tape for dimension

Sorry, what few snippets were left did end up in the bin. Little tip when using a stamping platform such as the Misti to stamp something right into a corner. You can buy a set of 'corner extenders; or just use the little trick of turning your platform and the card the other way up, position your stamp (I always use a clear marked plastic grid for alignment). That  means you will be stamping in the middle of the platform and keeps you away from fighting corners!

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge #828 HERE - my entry is for the current challenge of 'Pretty Flowers' 

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #76 HERE- the Poppystamps 'Simple Floral Bundle' die was having a first outing

Dudley Pupdate: Once again, it was changeover time for Dudley's beloved Honka Duck - never easy to see his anxiety when he can't find the rancid old one - even when a new one is right beside him.However he is now fully settled with 'new' Honks and all is well in his little world. All the more so as he's discovered that the back garden door is generally left open in the current heat - and he can quietly play peek a boo around the door ........... before diving across the garden to 'meet and greet' one local bird killer cat in particular. Said cat is way too fast and appears to be in training for the pole vault event at the next Kitty Olympics - over a six foot high fence in one leap, from a crouching position AND without a pole. Impressive!! Dudley just sighs and comes back indoors to flop down and cool off ................. until the next inkling of Killer Kat! 

Dudley is seven years young on Tuesday - how time flies! We have small plans for the day depending on the weather. He will have some cheese and bacon flavoured treats, a card and a new Birthday Boy Bandana. Plus some cards from wondeful friends as well! He has a whole ton of toys, many of which he just ignores, so a new toy would possibly be like me giving my Mum a new tea towel on Mothering Sunday. I didn't KNOW and didn't stop to even think, OK?

We have a new Challenge #511 being run by our lovely Sarn, over HERE. We did spend ages cleaning and refilling the paddling pool to beat the hosepipe bans- only to see that rain is meant to be on the way!

Love from myself and Dudley, 

Sunday Snippets - 'Happy, Joyous & Free'

It's been like living in an oven here and my snippets card took a few goes - I wanted to stamp the background but literally, no sooner did I stamp the background, the VersaFine ink dried before I could even utter the words 'embossing powder'! And so, in the interests of my sanity, you have a background paper to the rescue:

Hooray - I remembered my snippets this time!

I used:

- 5.75" x 5.75" square white card blank, side opening

- a piece  of the same card stock, trimmed to 5.5" x 5.5" for the top layer

- then used a 'The Works' (discontinued) 'oval stitched die' to cut an oval aperture into the top layer

- added a piece of patterned paper, slightly trimmed from full size. so not a snippet, behind the oval aperture using a glue pen - it's from a lovely pack called 'Sea Wave' from Amazon

- die cut the unbranded 'sailing boat' using snippets of brown, red and white card and then glued the sailing boat and sails in place

- added three white seagulls using a Gummiapan 'Seagulls' die then a glue pen - I love this set of dies!

- next came the Clarity sentiment sticker, which I particularly love. I stuck a sliver of card underneath the part of the sticker that overlapped onto the oval aperture to keep it level

- added the whole completed scenic panel to the card base using narrow strips of foam pad - finis!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges: 

- Allsorts Challenge #827 HERE - under 'Anything Goes' 

- Darnell's NBUS Challenge #76 HERE - the backing paper and sailboat were having a first outing

Dudley Pupdate: It's super hot here and we're all suffering. Len took on board an idea from one of you lovely playmates and sprayed Dudley with a fine mist from what was my ironing water spray bottle. We half thought he would freak out and the first time sent him back into the house like a whirling dervish! However, over time he's actually begun to enjoy his 'spritz sessions ' and still racing around for a short time before flopping with a huge smile in front of the closest fan! My new nickname for him - 'Little Pocket Rocket!! 

Remember, the results from Sarn's Challenge #509 are now published in the Snippets Playground HERE.

Do come and play with us in the Playground - plenty of cold drinks and ice lollies are available - it's meltingly HOT here right now! Don't be surprised if Dudley takes a flying leap into the paddling pool with you girls! He'll be naked as a Jay Bird! Oopsie, I didn't get time to knit his cossie!!

Love as always, Dudley and yours truly,

Sunday Snippets - Tiny Tag Trio

Here's my snippets card for today! It could well be a row of three bookmarks - although the dies are called 'Tiny Tags'. Duplicates of the tag dies and the sentiment die that I used are part of the prize bundle in our new Snippets Playground challenge:

I used: 

- A6 white card blank, side opening

- snippets of pale green, pink and blue card, which were die cut using dies from the Heffy Doodle' 'Tiny Tag Trio' die set (sadly Heffy Doodle are no longer trading). I cut the tags to three different lengths by usung the same die as I'd used per tag and just moving it a few stitches before carefully cutting off one tag end to suit

- added the ribbon slots using each of the three 'slots' dies which are included in the set

- then thought -'hmm, they're gonna look too plain' and so I dug out a NBUS Stampendous Andy Skinner set of background stamps called 'Industrial' plus VersaFine's Clair 'Nocturne' ink pad. I found the easiest/quickest way to use the stamps, which are thick cling rubber ones, was to lay them flat on my glass mat, face upwards, ink them and then pop the tags on top and then run over them over with a mini brayer - result! 

- then I dug out a selection of snippets of ribbon to thread through the slots and tie with very narrow black ribbon

- next, I die cut the sentiment from a single snippet of black matt card using a Creative Expressions die called 'Be Unique' and glued it in the bottom right hand corner of the card

- finally glued the tags in place - finished!

I carefully saved my snippets then promptly threw them out whilst tidying my desk! Edit! I found them late on Sunday, carefully tucked underneath my new glass cutting mat to ensure they didn't get thrown out - what a Dopey Di I am!

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

- Allsorts Challenge #827 HERE - 'Anything Goes' 

- Darnell's NBUS Challenge #76 HERE - all of the dies and the set of stamps were having a first outing

Remember, I've just kicked off a new challenge over in the Snippets Playground HERE. 

Dudley Pupdate: the intensely high temperatures for much of the week here made seeing Dudley amble from one tiled area to another so hard to watch. At one point he totally did a tummy flop whilst following me along the tiled hall and that scared me - but he was up and checking on the progress of me making his evening meal as soon as he heard food prep. sounds! 

Hope to see you on the swings and, for now at least, the scorching hot weather has cooled to a bearable temperature. Apparently the respite won't last but it's certainly very welcome right now!

Love as always, Dudley Dog and me

xxxxx