Tuesday 30 April 2013

A Grand Day Out :)

Yesterday, Julia, Jan and I met up with Brenda B (of WOYWW, Rudolph Day and of course the Snippets Playground fame) and her hubby who are over from Michigan at the moment. We also met Brenda's Mum ( one lady who everyone would love to have as a Mum, perhaps we can adopt her for the Playground), mooched around Salisbury and had a lovely day  ............. this is just one piccie of many taken so kindly by Andrew:
Left to right are Julia, Jan, Brenda and moi. My bag says 'Fassion City' sic, not Passion City as 'she who shall remain nameless' thought!

The problem for me was what to 'make and take for Brenda' that was light and non-crushable for the purposes of packing at the end of their holiday. I opted for magnetic 'Flip over the Page' bookmarks - no surprise there really as I love making these:
I used cream card for Brenda's and kept all the bookmarks very simple (not being able to sit and craft for much time in one spell), different stamps and inks. So as not to leave Andrew out, I made four bookmarks for Brenda plus two (using Kraft card) for Andrew. This is a close up of one of Andrews:
 And a sideways view so you can see the magnet and how it works:
Has anyone noticed the super stamp I used on top of the stamped seahorse? I think it's stunning and so realistic but you'll have to wait for the Snippets Playground and my snippets card (sometime soon) to find out more - oooer, I'm so, so bad!

Then I made a couple of envelopes, with Papermania magnetic closing studs:

Andrew's envelope was green and not pink I hasten to add :)

A lovely day with good friends, WHAT more can you ask?

Di
x

Monday 29 April 2013

Less is More and Addicted to CAS

This week's challenge over at Less is More is a sketch, which you have to keep in the same orientation so no turning it on its side. What?! I generally have enough trouble following a sketch full stop, without doing 'fancy turn it on its side stuff':

And this is the sketch:
 
I used:

- 6" x 6" square cream card stock

- a Penny Black Stickeroo from the 'Moments' sheet

- a snippet of SU's 'Always Artichoke' card to layer the Stickeroo onto

- a gold foiled sentiment banner from whence I know not where, possibly Ally Pally a few years ago. It started out white so I coloured it with a 'Buttercup' Pro Marker. Its a great way to liven up those banners, sentiments and labels that I bet lots of us have tucked away - but one word of warning, if you get too enthusiastic and go over the label too much, the foiling reacts to the alcohol ink and will lift/rub thin. Ask me how I know that, sigh. Best to have a spare one to do little stripes of colour on first if you're trying to get a particular match as I was - I wanted to pick out the yellowy shade at the top of the image. Got there in the end but I bet the photo will totally kill my efforts at a perfect match anyhow :(

Also, over at Addicted to CAS, the current code word is 'Flower'. So I'd like to join in and play there as well please :)

Quick post today - me, my back and Mr Nurofen are out playing today - yay!

Di
x

Sunday 28 April 2013

Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 70

Crumbs, we're up to week 70 since I took the Playground keys over from Jules - hard to believe how the time has flown by - and long may it continue flourish as well.

My snippets card for this week was made using a new technique to me - it's a 'Joy Fold' card, as shown in this month's Quick Cards Made Easy magazine, inspired by and following an article written by no other than our Patron and Playground founder Jules :) It's almost like two cards with the smaller one acting as a fold over the main card and it's a great way to use up snippets - if you can't find a copy of the magazine there are lots of tutorials on the internet. Here's just one if you want to have a play:


Closed.
And open.

I used:

-  5.5" x 5.5" square white card stock with the front half sliced off vertically down the centre

- 4" x 4" square white card stock - left intact, and made up so that the fold is on the right hand side

- LOTV pre-coloured Wedding image from their Cute Squares, now discontinued which is a real shame as they were such a useful size

- papers from Wild Rose Studio's 'Wedding Bells' paper pack. Some of these were snippets :)

- snippets of light grey and pinky mauve Core'dinations card

- the pinky mauve hearts border was punched using Martha Stewart's 'Lace Heart' edge punch

- inside the 'smaller card fold' I added a die cut heart, using the pinky mauve card and a Marianne Creatables LR0159 heart die - any message can be written on the inside flap of the smaller card as I left it blank

- the final touches were a pinky mauve corner, die cut using one of my favourite Whimsy corners dies - and a little heart between the two doves, salvaged from the punched out border

Sigh, I wrote all of this on a scrap of paper as I was making the card - then promptly lost the piece of paper, after putting everything away I'd used! I just bet that bit of paper will turn up in the snippets folder sometime in the future - although I've checked the relevant colour slots so it must be well hidden.

That's my offering, and now onto yours which are much more important. As always there are some fabulous makes, in fact they all are and I'm always blown away by your inventiveness and super-skills.


How about this for a lovely splash of sunshine - made by Gilly and such a fun use of snippets.
A technique that's brilliant for using snippets, iris folding made by Kate. I know that some people say they don't have the patience but with such a stunning result I think it's well worthwhile.
Bonnie made several of these cards, and another great way to use up snippets - such impact even if you use just a few little pieces.

A fabulous piece of patchwork from Irene. After 'The Great British Sewing Bee' on TV I can see a few folk doing more sewing. And Irene threw down a challenge for me to finish off some hexagon patchwork cushion covers........I started making them over 30 years ago when Laura Ashley were in their prime first time round! Just need to search them out and I'll be there Irene :)
Of course I had to include this beauty from Mary Mac - great use of snippets plus it's pink, what's not to love?

And, I have to say, there is an absolute star of the week:
This canvas really blew me away - made by Sam (aka Hettie) as a very special Birthday gift - isn't it absolutely fabulous?!

OK, my aching back is telling me to move on, although I could keep going as every time I click on a thumbnail I think, there's another one to include! So, do please check out last week's entries.

OK, drum roll - onto the draw for the Arboscello Tree die that so many of you either had or longed for. Oh boy, I wish I had several of these to give away but there's only the one - and the winner is:

Well done Maureen, entering three times certainly did increase your chances! Do please show us what you make using the die and can you just drop me an email with your snail mail address and I'll post the die to you pronto! My email is di_wray@hotmail.com
 
Maybe this week's little prize will again be no surprise - two in one this week and it's a pack of the Wedding Bells papers I used today, plus a set of those lovely Whimsy corner dies which are so useful, not too big either - probably about 1" or so.
The Playground is open all of this coming week, will close on Saturday 4th May  at noon UK time and Mr Linky is below as usual. Just enter a snippets make into the Playground this week and I'll do a draw after the Playground closes next Saturday.
As usual I am asking for a snippets make please, maximum of three entries and please say 'No thank you' in a comment if you wish to still play but not be a winner of  the papers and die corners.

Enjoy the rest of the week! Me and Mr Nurofen are big mates once again - sigh.

Di
x

Saturday 27 April 2013

Another retirement card

This is the other retirement card I made for our friend during the week, sort of suggested by Kim (his wife) as his car is his pride and joy. I took the photo ages ago when there was retirement 'in the air'. Ha, I had to sneak round while he was abroad (minus his car) on business to take the photo - on a thankfully sunny day back in March:
It's an easel card - but I didn't have time to take more photos before handing it over.

I used:

- 6" square white easel card - ages since I made one of these too

- image taken by me and given the oil painting look by Len

- plain green card by SU, 'Wild Wasabi'

- patterned background card from We R Memory Keepers 'Travel Light' paper stack, which came free with Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine absolutely ages ago

- SU 'Basic Grey' card, embossed using Cuttlebug's 'Diamond Plate' folder. This is so not my idea, naughty me can't remember whose great blog I spotted it on but I immediately loved the effect of tyre tracks. I really must write things down more often as I do always try to give credit for ideas

- the sentiment is yet another Elzybells one, stamped with 'Wild Wasabi' - leaving plenty of room for a handwritten message to 'top and tail' it

- green card candi - by a fluke I had just the right colour and didn't need to use Pro Markers to do any matching

- four red Josy Rose nail heads

All done, and it was the day I had to make two in a rush - but I did have fun  :)

Di
x

Friday 26 April 2013

'A thorny affair' plus who won the Tim Holtz die

'A thorny affair' is the name of the Penny Black stamp I used for today's card - bought with a voucher I won from 1-2-3 Stitch, in Penny Black's Saturday Challenge for March. I've seen this stamp being beautifully used by Jules more than once and it was on my wish list for ages:

I used:

- 6" x 6" square white card stock

- Penny Black's 'A thorny affair' stamped using Memento 'London fog' and coloured with Pro Markers plus a tickle of white Sakura Gel pen on the berries. Normally the holly leaves would be much richer and darker but I had my heart set on using the quite pale brad and backing paper. In fact, there are lighter varieties of holly 'cos we have one in the front garden - and I added a touch of Anita's Glaze to the holly berries

- red backing card by SU - it's 'Real Red' and I did the usual trick of drawing round the outside of the die I'd used to cut the image then hand cutting (Nesties Eighteen)

- the holly paper is by Wild Rose Studio, from their 'Annabelle's Christmas' paper pack

- I found a little snippet of red velvet ribbon (rescued from a Christmas gift bag) and popped that across the card - despite it being velvet the holly pattern could be seen so I put a little strip of red card across before adding the ribbon

- the embroidered brad is by Papermania from their Henbury Lane 'Poinsettia' set

- sentiment is from SU's 'Joyous Celebrations' set, stamped with SU's 'Real Red' then punched out using SU's 'Extra Large Oval' punch

- the corners were die cut from a snippet of 'Real Red' card using a Whimsy corner die, and a pearl popped onto each

This card is for a few challenges:

First of all, it's for Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge - where you must use red and green- I think I stuck to the brief OK?!

It's also for Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for April, where anything goes

And last, but by no means least, it's for Rudolph Day over at Sarn's. You have until the end of the month to join in the fun!

I did the draw for the Tim Holtz bird cage die at 11:30 last night, and the name out of the hat was Diane. Sooooo funny, at first Len thought I'd won the die back! Can you drop me an email Diane with your snail mail address and I'll post the die off to you ASAP. My email is di_wray@hotmail.com

Di
x

Thursday 25 April 2013

Another little giveaway - this is a 'sticky post'

Although it isn't in its original plastic packaging, I've never used this die - nor am I ever likely to - so it's just taking up space here:
If you'd like the chance to win a Tim Holtz 'Caged Bird' die, looking for a good home, just please leave a 'Yes please' comment and I'll do a draw before Friday morning of this week. I'll post to anywhere (except to the Moon!)

Di
x

Perfect the way you are

I just thought this image and sentiment went so well together when I was playing the other day:
I used:

- 5" x 7" white card stock

- SU 'Perfect Plum' backing card

- mauve spotty paper by Pink Petticoat, which came free with this month's Quick Cards Made Easy magazine

- image by LOTV, a pre-coloured one from their 'Fairies' Art Pad, these are brilliant for super fast images - all I did after die cutting then layering the image onto hand cute 'Perfect Plum' card was to 'tickle' her mahoosively long wings with 'Cherry Ice' Stickles

- the 'belly band', as Elizabeth calls it, was a couple of snippet strips of plum and white card, punched with Martha Stewart's 'Traditional Scallop' edge punch then run through the Cuttlebug using a 'Swiss Dots' folder, also by Cuttlebug

- bwahahaha, and then I promptly covered almost all the detail on the 'belly band' with the image and bright pink spotty ribbon! The bow is one of those folded ones I've been making a lot of lately, with a couple of 'tails' added underneath and a large mauve sparkly gem on top. Folded bows (does anyone know the proper name please?) are great for ribbon which is patterned on one side and plain on the other 'cos it takes away the rolling round the floor and wrestling trying to arrange it so only the patterned front shows

- the sentiment is by Hero Arts, from their 'Good Friends' set - stamped in SU 'Perfect Plum' and then die cut with a fancy flourish labels die

- final touch was a few bright pink gems. These days I do prefer pearls or Josy Rose nail heads but have an indecent amount of self-adhesive gems to use up here

I'm entering this card into the current 'Lili's Little Fairies' challenge, where the inspiration is this beautiful photo:
I think the mauve, white and pink qualifies :)

I bet most of us can remember trying out cosmetics and such as a child. When I was aged just turned 10 years old we moved to Singapore for three years.  For various reasons there were problems with British Forces flights on the day we were due to fly, and Mum, Dad and myself were 'bumped' onto a BOAC flight (that shows me age!). The flight took a total of FOUR days, with numerous stops and overnight stays in exotic places and extremely grand hotels - quite an experience. But, what tickled me most of all was when I went to the loo in the aeroplane for the first time - it was like walking into a cosmetics shop. Bottles and bottles of Elizabeth Arden smellies, loads of fancy soaps, talc - you name it! I was in absolute heaven.

I was away for AGES, apparently Dad was just about to raise the alarm, and then I reappeared and 'sashayed' down the aisle back to where were were sitting. As I passed you could almost see the clouds of perfume billowing round me - I'd tried out EVERY single one :) Phew!

Have a nice day!

Di
x

Wednesday 24 April 2013

A Birthday card

.......for a VERY special friend:
No names - but I hope you had a lovely Birthday!

I used......a lorra stuff:

- 6" x 6" square white petal edged card

- an inverted circular scalloped Nestie to die cut the centre, which was backed with SU's 'Pink Pirouette' card

- the flowers were stamped onto SU 'Perfect Plum' card stock using VersaMark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. They were then covered with Woodware Ultra Strong sticky back adhesive sheet before being die cut - this was all using SU's 'Secret Garden' stamps and dies. Then, the sticky protection was peeled from the front of the flowers and they were dunked into teensy little microbeads - the leaves were die cut from a snippet of SU 'Certainly Celery' using the 'Secret Garden' leaves die

- at this point I laid the flowers and leaves onto the card to see how they would look and realised how bare all the plain white was. Thankfully I'd kept the scallop from the card centre so I just gently popped it back in place and did some first and second generation stamping using one of the flower stamps and 'Perfect Plum' ink all over the front of the card

- the sentiment was stamped using 'Perfect Plum' again with Hero Arts' 'Handwritten Birthday' stamp (one of the first stamps I ever bought and still a great favourite)

- pink spotty ribbon from the ribbon box, topped off with a 'sort looped bow thingy' and a big mauve pearl

- smaller mauve pearls along the petalled edge - bought from Ally Pally in the nick of time!

- a white butterfly, cut using SU's 'Beautiful Wings' Embosslit and then the indented circles on the butterfly wings were covered with more (even smaller) mauve pearls

- oh, and a plain strip of 'Pink Pirouette' card behind the petal edge, on the back part of the folded card

Trust me, I needed a lie down to recover and the place here was like a total bombsite once I'd finished. And WHY did I do the heat embossing and then cover it with micro beads?! Sigh.

The micro beads are a new lot, and really tiny - much smaller than my first lot. There's room for both to be used but the tiny ones are like jumping beans - they truly do get absolutely everywhere no matter how carefully they're handled!

Di
x

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Relaxation? Hmmmm.

I made a couple of retirement cards in a flat spin yesterday - both for the same neighbour and friend - this is one:
I used:

- 6" x 6" Kraft card stock

- image from LOTV's new Art Pad, pre-coloured, from the 'Vintage Boys' pad and die cut using Nesties Labels Eighteen, then layered onto a surround of more Kraft card done by drawing round the outside of the die and hand cutting

- papers from LOTV's 'Country Gent' paper pad

- sentiment is from the SU 'Congrats' stamp set, stamped using VersaMagic's 'Hint of Pesto' chalk ink then punched using SU's 'Modern Label'. Then I punched another 'Modern Label' from Kraft card, cut it vertically down the middle and layered it underneath the sentiment label so that a bit poked out from either side

- a couple of green Josy Rose nail heads were added to either end of the completed label

- the little finishing touch is a wooden apple embellishment, with a bite taken out (not by me though, snort!) - as if the little gardener has just lain it to one side for later :)

Phew, that was a race against time - thank you Mary H for the fact that I had the LOTV goodies to hand!

Di
x

Monday 22 April 2013

Flutter by butterfly

Sitting playing the other day, I came across a Penny Black Stickeroo that triggered off an idea. A quick rootle through my patterned papers and embossing folders confirmed my thoughts:
I wanted to use the image to go across two different backgrounds, yet for the surround to the image still to stand out.

I used:

- 5" x 7" white card stock

- Penny Black Stickeroo from the 'Mauve Twilight' sheet

- burgundy backing card, both as a full backing and also behind the image, which I'd already mounted onto a piece of white card

- patterned paper from a real little lucky dip selection, sent to me by Kay - I love playing with these papers and you never know what you're gonna find :) 

- white card embossed using a Cuttlebug 'Script' folder

Then I left it well alone!

Di
x

Sunday 21 April 2013

Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 69

Crumbs, these weeks seem to be flying by - here's my snippets make, proving for once and for all that I truly do need to get out more:
I got the idea from Helen, over at 'It's All Fiddle Fart'. She really does come up with some great ideas and I've followed her blog from waaay back before this blog was even thought about. I truly do think you should go and see what she gets up to.
 A close up.
 Just in case you need proof of how I started out making this card, sleeves were rolled up all ready for action :)

I used:

- 6" x 6" square cream card stock

- another piece of the same cream card stock, layered onto a square of SU's 'Always Artichoke' card stock

- a snippet of brown card, die cut using the totally fabulous Memory Box 'Arboscello Tree' die - it's 3.2" x 3.7" in size

- seven different coloured snippets of thin card (ha, that didn't make much of a dent in the ever-expanding snippets folder), all punched out with a small Tonic punch flower punch - approximately 1cm across

- seven different colours of sparkly 3mm gems

- a big dollop of patience/OCD

I adore this die - if you Google it there are tons of way to use it. I got carried away and really covered the lovely branches but less is as good or even better. Plain white on a sympathy card, a bit of glitter for Christmas, more than one to make a little copse of trees, the list goes on. I like the idea of leaving it plain and just drawing a little line with a single heart dangling from a branch.

OK, so this week's show and tell - which seemed to stream in at the end of the week:
Bubbles has been catching fairies in jars this week :) Just so long as they're not Pixies I'm cool with that! Do go and see, and also make sure you look at her previous post of another fairy 'capture' - this one shown above even has a little light in the top of the jar!
Sandra H made this breathtakingly detailed card - I love it! So much detail and super use of snippets.
Debs made a beautiful flowerpot card, with a secret inside. It's gorgeous! And, I have right in front of me here a lovely thank you card (for the jars I found a new home for the other week) from Debs. It's a fantastic 'spinner/slider' card and I hope she shows it on her blog soon. I'll let you know if she does - how about it Debs?

And finally, Tara made this really amusing snippets card (could have been some of us last weekend girls!) - just look at the paper piecing! Great use of snippets.

I say it every week, and make no apologies either - each and every snippets make is gorgeous and I wish I had time to cover every single one. You can do your bit by going to last week's Mr Linky and having a little hop around.

And a big welcome to Max who played along for the first time this week too!

OK, drum roll - onto the draw for the lovely La Blanche stamp - and the winner is:
Scrappymo - aka Maureen


Again, it took me three goes to find someone who hadn't said no thank you.  I do know that Mo said she loved this stamp so it's going to a good home!

Maybe this week's little prize will be no surprise -yup, it's an Arboscello Tree die of your very own. Maybe I'm inflicting my own taste on you at times 'cos often when I find something I love - two fall into my shopping basket! One for me and one for the snippets toy box:

The Playground is open all of this coming week, will close on Saturday 27th April  at noon UK time and Mr Linky is below as usual. Just enter a snippets make into the Playground this week and I'll do a draw after the Playground closes next Saturday. 
 
As usual I am asking for a snippets make please, maximum of three entries and please say 'No thank you' in a comment if you wish to still play but not be a winner of  the die.

Enjoy the rest of the week! My back feels a lot better already, fingers crossed.

Di
x

Saturday 20 April 2013

Just to say 'Hello'

A really 'simples' card today:

I used:

- 4.5" x 4.5" square white card stock

- Penny Black Stickerooo and sentiment from the 'Flower Festival' sheet

- green 'crackle backing paper design' from Pink Paisley's 'Butterfly Garden Collection'

- a snippet of SU's 'Old Olive' card

Told you it was simple - job done, and not easy whilst crawling round on the floor wiv me back in spasm - I neeeeeed a reeeeally strong corset up to me armpits as it's a muscle problem, which is helped when I clutch the area whilst getting up and sitting down. Ha, wouldn't you know, an idiot a van driver parked really close to me at the supermarket today when I ran hobbled out to post letters :( And I'd picked a spot away from other idiots parkers. It was a bit like getting a winkle back into its shell! Am shouting for England right now!! 

 
Di
x

Friday 19 April 2013

Belated Birthday wishes

Sigh, with so much going on here, a little chap's Birthday totally passed me by - this is the card I made, then ran out to post:
I used:

- 6" x 6" square white card stock

- another discontinued 'Cute Squares' pre-coloured image by LOTV, die cut using a Nestie and backed with a larger sized one die cut from one of the last snippets of the icy blue card I love so much

- backing paper is from LOTV's 'Country Gent' paper pad. Wow, I adore this pad, and it goes brilliantly with LOTV's 'Vintage Boys' Art Pad (thank you so much Mary H!! xx)

- sentiment stamp by Elzybells, stamped with Memento 'Peanut Brittle' onto more icy blue card then trimmed into a little banner

- three white Card Candi dots, coloured with blue Pro Marker - a perfect match in real life but looking a bit washed out in the photo, harrumph :(

But, the good news is that the pipework is fixed and in the end (I hope it's the end!) the work was done from upstairs - negating the need to rip huge chunks of ceiling out. Happy bunny hops here right now :)

Di
x

Thursday 18 April 2013

Using up little free die cuts

Whenever Tracy from 'Dies to Die For' sends out an order, she encloses a few little die cuts. These were so lovely (the bird cage and leaves) I used them almost straight away:
I used:

- 5" x 7" white card stock

- SU 'Always Artichoke' card stock - a pretty close match to the leafy spray

- white card, embossed using Crafts-Too's 'Scrollwork Frame' folder

- pretty pink cage sent by Tracy, and I added a strip of tiny pearls across

- pearlescent green leaf spray, also from Tracy

- flower and a pale pink pearl from my own goodies

I love the little cage, it's really petite and very pretty.  It reminds me of a birdcage I had in a previous existence when I had a budgie - the cage hung from the ceiling on a chain and was 'tres smart' - and, as Perky just came and went in and out of his cage as he fancied (he flew free most of the time), we could get away with a round cage rather like this one. He was the only budgie I've ever met who would hop into his cage and pull the door to behind him with his beak when he wanted to be covered up for the night! A real little character :)

Di
x

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Less is More - a touch of the Orient

Whilst waiting for 'Houdini the disappearing plumber' to arrive yesterday, I put my thinking cap on for the current Challenge over at 'Less is More' - which is to base your card on a film, and it's one layer as well this week. See if you can guess the film:
I used:

- A5 white card stock

- image printed directly onto the card from Clipart, I thought the shadow was hauntingly beautiful

- the sun was made by making a mask using a SU circular punch, Adirondack 'Mountain Rose' ink pad and a makeup sponge (a duster brush would have worked fine but I wanted to try a wedge shaped sponge as shown on Barbara Gray's demonstrations)

- the grasses are second generation stamping using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' - I tried every grey ink pad I have and this came the closest to what I wanted. The stamp came from The English Stamp Company's 'Oriental Clear Stamps - Set 3'

- the Japanese script came from the same stamp set, and I used Memento 'Tuxedo Black'

- final touch, a line drawn using a Whispers pen to pick up the peach colour of the sun

Ha, the place was like a bombsite with sample stampings, post-its and goodness knows what when I'd finished. There was a lot of pre-planning going on.

And the film? One of my very favourites .....'Memoirs of a Geisha' ..... based on the book (which I also love) by Arthur Golden.


I thought the Japanese script on the finished card was a subtle - or not so subtle - link to the 'memoires part' of the film title, but for all I know it could really read 'Sushi and chips all round please'!

'Houdini' is now due to be here first thing on Thursday morning - British Gas and their so-called 'Full Homecare Cover' are so not impressing me right now. Mind you, I think the supervisor I eventually insisted on speaking to might just have had a secret smile when I threatened to 'get up the ladders with the blow torch myself - after divesting myself of wellies and water wings'! Thankfully we're not at that stage just YET, it's still a manageable drip through a 3" square hole cut in the ceiling by Len - well over a week ago now :) Don't hold your breath!

Di
x

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Fluffy little robins

I adore robins, they're perky, bright little birds - but the dark side is that they will fight to the death over territory. These two seem happy together though:
I used:

- 5" x 7" red card stock, already embossed in gold round the edge with 'Seasons Greetings' (bought from Craft Creations centuries ago) and chosen as I didn't want to spoil the image with a sentiment

- an upcycled Christmas card from 2012, just cut down to suit

- gold mirri card

All done, and I used one of my purchases from Ally Pally, a new XCut guillotine. Got it from Crafty Devils and am super-delighted with it :) OK, so the Woodware trimmer has been spared as the interchangeable blades are great for fancy edges - but I could weep at waiting so long before buying a decent guillotine for such straight edges with no wobbles or slight curves! I put off for so long as I feared for my fingers if the truth be known :(

Oh, and earlier today Len spotted the photo of the Playground outing on yesterday's snippets post. His comment? 'Crumbs, looks like the St. Trinian's Mob on an outing'. I grabbed me lacrosse stick and chased him round the garden three times threatening exactly where it would end up what could happen if I caught him - man, he can really run too!! :)

This card is for the current challenge over at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge where the theme is 'Wonderful Wings'. It's also for Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra, for April, where the theme is always 'Anything Goes'.

I suspect I might have two entries this week for 'Wonderful Wings' as am likely to be stuck in the craft room most of today while the leak is sorted out in the kitchen. Sigh, unless I bring the ironing board up here - am not suggesting that one, me not totally stupid!

Di
x

Monday 15 April 2013

Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 68

I did sit chuckling yesterday whilst making this card - as five of us were missing from the Playground on Saturday, this could well have been the scene if you called in to play, one lonesome little soul with her dog:
 I used:

- 5" x 7" white card stock

- a pre-coloured LOTV image - it came from a pack of 'Cute Squares', which I see they don't make any longer - although they do now sell what they call 'Art Pads', with pre-coloured images that are on postcard sized card

- snippets of SU 'Wisteria Wonder' card stock, and patterned paper from the snippets folder

- Martha Stewart 'Traditional Scallop' punch

- snippet of mauve organza ribbon

- small white pearls

- sentiment by Penny Black, called 'Friends Matter', stamped in Brilliance 'Pearlescent Lavender'.........a very appropriate sentiment too

- two silk hydrangea flowers, held together with a little dragonfly brad

And this is us at Alexandra Palace, having a break after lunch :

Left to right, Rach, Sarn, yours truly like a thorn between the roses, and Sam with Fergus - who travels everywhere with Sam! And Sarn's lovely step-mum, Julie, was behind the camera.

We had a great time and walked our feet off! 

And the tenacity of crafters amazes me no end - I last saw Rach and Sam lugging fabulous large  absolutely HUGE and heavy Tonic glass work mats and Sarn with two enormous and very heavy packs of super-bargain white card (the bargain of the show I agree) for stamping......along with all their other purchases........in the direction of bus, Tube and rail transportation. Never let it be said that your playmates aren't a tough little bunch!

OK, so what's to show from the Playground last week then:

 
This snippets card, made by Maureen, is beautiful. And I thought you'd like to see how taking a flower and really giving it a good makeover has totally transformed it into such a fabulous bloom.
I totally love this card, made by Carol, I think we're all into using up snippets and hexagons right now and it's lovely!
Sigh, I can't get this delightful and very intricate card by Mary H to enlarge, it looks blurred here so to see the real thing, with all the detail of how Mary made it, do hop over to her blog.

And to totally blow your socks off:
THE most exquisite fan, made by Bubbles - this is only the front, if you haven't already been to see you've missed a treat!

That's just a few I've picked, each and every make you brought was gorgeous, as always.

Now it's time for the draw for the dragonflies embossing folder and the stamps:

And the winner this week is:
ELIZABETH

  
That's quite funny as Elizabeth's comment referred to froggy's swim shorts as 'dookers' - a Scottish term, which is a perfect description!!

And, this next week's prize is:
It's a gorgeous La Blanche stamp, measuring approx. 4" x 5.5". They come mounted on half inch thick foam and the detail is quite amazing. I searched for some information on this lovely stamp and it's called 'Good Friends' - and one of the best cards I found had the image just stamped in sepia with a little touch of red on the flower - a real impact!

The Playground is open all of this coming week, will close on Saturday 20th April  at noon UK time and Mr Linky is below as usual. Just enter a snippets make into the Playground this week and I'll do a draw after the Playground closes next Saturday. 
 
As usual I am asking for a snippets make please, maximum of three entries and please say 'No thank you' in a comment if you wish to still play but not be a winner of  the stamp.

Enjoy the rest of the week! I'm still in recovery :)

Di
x