Tuesday 31 March 2015
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - Tag, You're It...
This is what I made:
I used:
- A6 white card blank
- a snippet of SU's 'Smoky Slate' card stock for the first layer on the card
- Teresa Collins 'Sweet Afternoon' patterned paper for the next layer
- a snippet of white card, die cut using a label die from the Marianne Creatables LR0154 set
- the sentiment was stamped using SU's 'Smoky Slate' and stamps from the Winnie and Wilfred 'The Big, the Bold and the Happy' set - I adore these stamps!
- then added leaves, punched from a snippet of SU's 'Pistachio Pudding' card stock using Martha Stewart 'Leaf Frond' punch
- topped with flowers, which were die cut using the little flower die which comes with the Marianne Creatables LR0154 set and leftover piece of the Teresa Collins paper
- final touch, little clear pink domes as the flower centres and a snippet of organza ribbon through the top of the label
- once the tag was finished it was just a question of adding it to the card using thin sticky pads
Really obvious tip for today I suspect, when adding the flowers I stuck three straight onto the tag with glue and then the next two were popped on with little pieces of thin sticky pad just to add dimension.
Hope to see you playing along with us! This card uses the same colours as my last Cuttlebug DT card (white, pink, grey and green) - mental note to ring the changes for the next fortnightly challenge!
Di
x
Sunday 29 March 2015
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 170
My snippets card this week is also my second entry into Darnell's NBUS Challenge, where you have to use something for the first time. There are really generous prizes to be won and you have until 31st March to nip in with up to three entries.


Just look what you can make with a variety of punches and some snippets! Kim brought this fabulous butterfly card to share with us.


This coming week's prize is linked to my snippets make for today:
Maximum of three entries and please say 'Yes please' (or similar) in a comment if you wish to play and be a possible winner of the prize. If you only fancy one or other of the items in the prize then just say so - I could then do a second draw for the other part, but the two items are up for grabs as one prize!
Mr Linky is below - do please let me know if you have any problems linking, it's easy for me to sort out so don't struggle on alone :)
Di and of course, Parsnip!
x
Friday 27 March 2015
Rudolph Day - March 2015

I used:
- 5" x 5" square white card blank
- a 'frame' made using SU's 'Tempting Turquoise' and 'Perfect Plum' card stock
- white card stock for the background, embossed using the 'Snowflake Background' embossing folder by Darice
- then used one stamp from SU's 'Festival of Trees' set and stamped three trees using SU's ink pads ('Tempting Turquoise', 'Melon Mambo' and 'Perfect Plum') and then punched them out using the matching SU punch
- the sentiment was stamped using 'Melon Mambo' and a sentiment from Personal Impressions' 'Many Greetings' set - before being die cut using a Spellbinders pennant die
It was a first outing for the 'Festival of Trees' stamp set, so I'm taking this over to Darnell's NBUS challenge #4 too :) Over 800 followers over there now - go Darnell!!

Di
x
Wednesday 25 March 2015
Pop up box card
However, I've promised to go round for a play afternoon and show her how to make a pop-up box card, trust me, her patience can be
- an A4 sized sheet of black card stock (the resulting finished and 'folded flat for posting' card ends up at just about an inch shorter than A5 size)
- papers from Papermania's 'Elegance' paper pack
- embellishments are also by Papermania, and are also from the 'Elegance' range
-and just a few amber coloured gems added for some sparkle
Now to show friend how to make one, without her toys flying out of the window - wish me luck!
Di
x
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Less is More - Week 216 - CASE a DT card

Am also entering this into the current Penny Black Saturday Challenge for March - 'Spring Blooms'. As well as the current Uniko Studio Challenge #19, which is Anything Goes.
Sunday 22 March 2015
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 169
My snippets card for this week is also for Merry Monday's latest challenge (#150) which is 'Gifts!'

I used:
- 4" x 5.25" white card blank, tent style
- snippet of white card to cover the front of the card, embossed using a Quickutz folder called 'Holiday Words' - rarely used, slap my wrists :(
- the image (Stampendous 'Gift Angel' was stamped onto a snippet of white card using Memento 'Tuxedo Black', coloured with Whispers markers and a touch of clear Wink of Stella added to the wings and also the bobble and trim on the wee angel's hat
- then I just backed the trimmed image with a snippet of SU's 'Real Red' and popped it onto the centre of the card using thin sticky pads for dimension
NB! I don't think this embossing folder is still available to buy, such a shame :(
Onto this week's picks now!


I'm stopping at three picks this week, which is really what I've said for some time would be the magic number. Needless to say, I adore every single entry you bring along so do please go to last week's Mr Linky and peek at the thumbnails if you want to see more work showing off snippets.
And here's the winner of last week's prize, the Stampin' Up set of stamps, kindly donated by Vicky:
All three items make up one prize BTW. So funny, we discovered that Jane lives not very far from me - she was tempted to open her window and throw these in my general direction :)
Maximum of three entries and please say 'Yes please' (or similar) in a comment if you wish to play and be a possible winner of the prize.
Mr Linky is below - do please let me know if you have any problems linking, it's easy for me to sort out so don't struggle on alone :)
And of course, this coming week it's Rudolph Day over at Scrappy Mo's. Begins on Wednesday and as usual will run to the end of the month. PLUS, Darnell is running another of her NBUS challenges - just make something using a never before used item. Perhaps you could make a Christmas card, using snippets as well as something NBUS !? Three challenges for the price of one :)
Di and of course, Parsnip!
x
Friday 20 March 2015
Another new home card
And so weird, I picked out a house stamp and set to making this card - only to discover I'd coloured it exactly the same as a previous card, with a red front door and also die cut using the same die set. But, the hearts coming out of the chimney are a new idea as is the sentiment ('Welcome to your new home' is just a tad too late!).
I used:
- 5" x 7" white card blank
- white backing layer, embossed using a Darice 'Argyle' embossing folder
- image stamped using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink pad and a Stamposaurus Stamp called 'Town House - small'. The image was coloured with Pro Markers and Whispers markers and then die cut using a 'Stitched Rectangle' die by Lil'inkers, then I added the three little hearts as smoke from the chimney using a teensy heart stamp from Lawn Fawn's 'Bee Mine' stamp set and SU 'Real Red' ink pad
- SU 'Real Red' card stock for the 'frame' for the image, also die cut using a 'Stitched Rectangles' die
- sentiment is LOTV from their 'General Greetings - small' set, stamped using a Brilliance 'Coffee Bean' ink pad
The three hearts are quite significant as this card will be winging it's way to a lovely young couple and their baby daughter.
The other day I got rather excited (once again to be honest!) over the Fiskars 'Compact Stamp Press' - and a few of you kindly commented and emailed me. I did subsequently find it on Amazon, shipped from the USA, but it's also in stock at Oyster Stamps (UK) for £9.99 and free p and p!! I think that's quite a bargain price, it arrived on Wednesday and am already totally in love with it :) Isn't it strange, I keep thinking that there can't be anything new left to play with in the manual tools line, and then along comes another surprise!
Snigger, the biggest surprise of all could be when the walls of this craft room suddenly explode outwards, due to the amount of schtuff in here.
Di
x
Thursday 19 March 2015
Hello Spring - I'm back in town!

Wednesday 18 March 2015
CHNC Challenge 220 - use some black
I used:
- 5" x 5" square white card blank
- a frame of SU's 'Real Red' card stock
-a square of white card stock, stamped using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink and a stamp from the limited edition 'Sarntangles' stamp set, a few sets are still available from Sarn over HERE, but once they're gone, they're gone.
- coloured parts of the image with a red Whispers pen as well as a gold pen
- the sentiment was stamped using SU's 'Real Red' ink and a stamp from the Personal Impressions 'Many Greetings' set
- final touch (idea unashamedly pinched from Sarn!!), a few hematite black pearls here and there
I loved making these so much, the images stamp perfectly every time - so I made three, all the same :) Tee, hee - should I earmark one to send to Sarn this coming Christmas?
And I'd also like to enter this card into Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for March - where it's always 'anything goes'.
Di
x
Tuesday 17 March 2015
Cuttlebug Mania - Freeze Frame
Our sponsor this fortnight is Digi Scrap Kits- and the artwork over there is fabulous!
So this is the card I made, using my trusty Cuttlebug:
I used:
- A6 white card blank - tent style
- a layer of SU 'Smoky Slate' card stock, topped with a layer of white card stock which had been embossed using a Couture Creations 'Compassionate' embossing folder
- to make the 'Smoky Slate' oval frame I first die cut it using a Spellbinders 'Big Scalloped Oval' die (I love the gentle curve on this set of scalloped dies) and then I die cut the centre out using a plain oval die.
- too funny though, having so carefully made the scalloped frame with two dies I realised that the sentiment needed to be stamped onto plain, non-embossed card, sigh. So, after stamping it onto plain card, I die cut it using the plain oval die. But, my frame truly is a freestanding frame - I promise! The sentiment is a discontinued SU one from their 'Sincere Salutations' set, stamped using Memento 'Gray Flannel' ink
- then added the foliage - Cheery Lynn 'Mini Fanciful Flourish' die and a snippet of green card stock
- the flowers were stamped using SU's 'Petite Petals' stamps and SU pink inks in 'Pink Pirouette', 'Pretty in Pink' and 'Regal Rose' then punched with the matching 'Petite Petals' punch. I just gently curved the petals a bit and added the flowers to the card using small pieces of thin sticky pads
- finishing touch, a Mei Flower pearl in the centre of each flower
Now it's your turn to play, as I said before, there's loads of scope!
Di
x
Sunday 15 March 2015
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 168
I used:
- 5" x 7" white card blank - tent style
- two different snippets from the DCWV 'Mariposa' paper stack, just cut to size and popped onto the card front
- to hide the join used a piece of ribbon (from Hobbycraft) with the sentiment 'thankyou X' along it - and to hide where the ribbon wraps round the card and is adhered to the inside of the card front, I just cut a slightly smaller piece of card than the front and stuck that inside
- then cut a little blue butterfly out of the last little snippet I had and just popped it onto the 'label' on the bottom part of the card.
- then went over the wings of all the butterflies with clear 'Wink of Stella'
Little tip, I knew that cutting the feelers on the blue butterfly was going to be very tricky, so I gave it my best shot and then just used a blue Whispers pen to colour the feelers once the whole thing was cut - it hides the fact that they aren't cut 100% accurately :)
Swiftly onto this week's picks:


This next part is a serious plea for you all to pray and send positive thoughts to Brenda L, who is one of our much loved playmates. The news of her husband Dwayne's illness isn't good right now and she needs all the love and support we can give please.
And now for the prize draw for last week - the lovely Penny Black 'Hide-out' stamp kindly donated by Eve. The winner is:
I do know of at least one loyal little Playmate who has been playing with us for nine months on end now, and to date just hasn't been lucky in the Random Draw. I truly wish everyone could be a winner but please be patient and keep playing!
And this coming week's prize is a lovely set of Stampin' Up stamps kindly donated by Vicky:
I do know that's it's a discontinued Hostess set, which I think makes it all the more desirable - I know that I would love to win it :) My favourite has to be the little baby's 'onesie', so cute. There are six stamps in the set, all ready for you to mount onto the supplied wooden blocks. Thank you so much Vicky!
Maximum of three entries and please say 'Yes please' (or similar) in a comment if you wish to play and be a possible winner of the prize.
Mr Linky is below - do please let me know if you have any problems linking, it's easy for me to sort out so don't struggle on alone :)
Di and of course, Parsnip!
x
Friday 13 March 2015
Merry Monday #149 {Monochromatic Blues!}

PS, Just spotted that this card is also eligible for the Winter Wonderland challenge, which is 'Blue Christmas'!
Wednesday 11 March 2015
Less is More - Week 214 - Yellow and Green Colour Challenge
I moved more towards Summer with this card:
I used:
- A6 white card blank
- snippets of SU green card stock (Old Olive) for matting and layering
- white card stock, one has the stamped image on which is from SU's Sale-a-bration 'A Happy Thing' stamp set. Stamped using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink and then coloured with just four different Pro Markers before being die cut using a Lil'Inkers 'Stitched Rectangle' die
- the sentiment was originally going to be 'When life hands you lemons - make lemonade' - but I quite like this version! Just produced on my laptop using the 'Purisa' font and then printed onto white card
I'm gonna say it, so get your groans in right now - 'easy-peasy, lemon squeezy' :)
Di
x
Tuesday 10 March 2015
Cuttlebug Mania is 2!
I used:
- white DL card blank
- a slightly smaller backing of turquoise card stock
- a smaller again piece of white card stock, which I die cut using the Memory Box 'Wild Blooms' die and then backed with a little piece of adhesive sheet so that the apertures were then backed with a film of sticky before adhering it to the card front
- using the 'Wild Blooms' die, I then cut the stems and then the bloom heads from snippets of green and pearlescent turquoise card stock. Then, very carefully and trying not to mix the little pieces up, I popped them into the apertures. Little tip here, if you try this 'inlay technique' with a die that cuts a lot of small pieces - do try to keep the pieces held in the die as you work. Then you have a fighting chance of knowing where each piece fits :)
- the sentiment is actually one I found online, just resized then printed so I could punch it using my SU 1 3/8 inch circle punch and then pop it onto a SU 1 3/4 inch scalloped circle. punched from more of the pearlescent turquoise snippet
- final touch, a few green and turquoise 'sequins', die cut using the Die-Namics (MFT) 'Sequins' die set
So there you have it, my offering for Cuttlebug Mania's 2nd Birthday. Why not come and play as well?
Di
x
Sunday 8 March 2015
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 167
I used:
- A6 white card blank, tent style
- a piece of DP from BoBunny's 'Barefoot and Bliss' paper pad
- the orange card had been coloured (much too heavily!) with Brushos and then sprayed with Perfect Pearls 'Heirloom Gold'. I just ran it through the Cuttlebug using SU's 'Honeycomb' embossing folder and snipped a few outer hexagons away
- the small turquoise hexagons came from another snippet of Brusho'ed card, again run through the Cuttlebug using the 'Honeycomb' folder and this time I just snipped out half a dozen of the hexagons to stick here and there on top of the embossed orange piece of card
- also held a turquoise piece back when doing the embossing and just die cut that with a solid Memory Box butterfly die called 'Isabella', then topped it with a lacy white matching butterfly which was cut using Memory Box's 'Pippi' die
- finally popped three little turquoise gems onto the butterfly's body
Snigger, Len saw this and said 'If that's a honeycomb, shouldn't the insect really be a bee?'. Good point!
I need to knuckle down again with the Brushos and get the 'teensy little sprinkle' technique worked on too :(
Righty-ho - onto this week's picks:


Oh gosh, that's four picks and there are still so many others I could show - but not enough time I'm afraid. Although - just feast your eyes on this final card:

Moving swiftly onto the draw for the 'Flowering Spring' embossing folder - the winner is:
And, totally unrelated to my snippets card, here's the prize for this coming week - kindly donated by Eve:
I think this is such a darling Penny Black stamp (called 'Hide-out') - and if memory serves me right it was an accidental duplicate purchase by Eve. Luckily for us I say!
I haven't mentioned our own little Playground hedgie recently. He tailed off on his visits to feed about five weeks ago now - and then he quit calling altogether. Until the weather warms up a bit more we don't know if he went into a very late semi-hibernation or what. And we daren't check the hedgie shelter just in case he's fast asleep in there. It's a case of 'watch this space' for now.
Maximum of three entries and please say 'Yes please' (or similar) in a comment if you wish to play and be a possible winner of the prize.
Mr Linky is below - do please let me know if you have any problems linking, it's easy for me to sort out so don't struggle on alone :)
Di and of course, Parsnip!
x