Sunday Snippets - Kitty Claws card

I made this snippets card from literally bits and pieces found easily to hand on my desk, no scrabbling around lifting heavy stuff just yet:

 

I used:

- 5.25" x 4" pale ivory linen card blank, side opening

- a snippet of pale ivory linen card, flipped to the flat reverse and stamped using a Stampendous 'Kitty Claws' stamp and a VersaFine Clair 'Morning Mist' ink pad

- the coloured snippets were already selected so I coloured the image using Polychromos pencils to perfectly match the green and rust coloured snippets - not that the camera confirms that of course!

- a snippet of sparkly rust coloured card was trimmed to form a narrow border and glued behind the trimmed image panel

- then a snippet of Tonic 'Inca Gold' iridescent mirror card was trimmed to add a narrow border behind the rust sparkly card layer, and glued in place (I favour Tonic 'Inca Gold' iridescent mirror card these days as it's such a pure colour and not at all garish as some gold mirror card can be) 

- trimmed a snippet of slightly corrugated green card (sent by a lovely blogger from The Netherlands) to just quarter of an inch smaller than the card front, ran a matching green 'Whispers' brush pen around the white edges and put it to one side the dry

- next trimmed another snippet of Tonic 'Inca Gold' card to just a tiny bit bigger than the green layer

- glued the green panel onto the gold one and then glued them onto the card front

- finally, added the small ;framed' image panel onto the card front, using thin sticky foam tape and a glue stick

- didn't add a sentiment - finished!

Apologies, I did use a lot of snippets but the leftovers were generally so tiny I didn't take a photo of them. I did add a touch of clear 'Wink of Stella' to Kitty's pompom after the photo was taken BTW.

I'd like to enter this card into:

May's 'Rudolph Days' Challenge HERE. 

The current 'Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge' HERE  is celebrating the 100th Challenge and remembering dear Ike, founder of the challenge, who left us in 2022.

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #62 HERE, the 'Kitty Claws' stamp was having its first outing

Dudley Pupdate: I've often said what a pickle Dudley is on car journeys - hollering for England non-stop. Earlier on in the week I had a post-op check-up on the first eye, which is progressing well. That exercise entails Len dropping me off, going back home and then doing it in reverse once I phone to let him know I'm ready to leave. Luckily, we don't live too far from the Clinic. So that's four car trips for Dudley per appointment - 24 trips in total by the end of this, if all goes as planned. 

Miracle of miracles, on the final two trips on Wednesday - there was hardly a peep out of Dudley. In fact, once he'd greeted me with his tail wagging like a windmill for the final drive home he curled up in his doggie booster box and went to sleep! We think that Sarn's theory that he's finally learning that whenever we go out in the car he always comes back home is spot-on! 

Sarn has just kicked off a new challenge over in the Snippets Playground HERE  Hope to see you on the swings - we have mixed weather so bring your shorts .......... as well as your wellies!

Love as always, Dudley Dog and me,

Sunday Snippets - all I see is magic

A fairly quick card from me, using a couple of NBUS items: 

Just a couple of snippets left, the outline from the stamp die (close call there!) and a piece of the green backing card

I used:

- 5.5" x 4" pale ivory linen card blank - tent style

- first step was to use a snippet of pale ivory linen card to die cut the stamp outline - using a die from Penny Black's 'posted cut out' set of dies

- then trimmed the Penny Black 'Masterpieces Made Easy' panel, from the 'take me away' set down to 3.25" x 2.25" to fit neatly inside the stamp serrations outline, and glued it in place

- stamped the post mark onto the image panel using a stamp from the matching Penny Black 'posted' set of stamps and a VersaFine Clair 'Morning Mist' ink pad

- at that point I could work out where to stamp the sentiment, using a VersaFine Clair 'Morning Mist' ink and a stamp from the Funky Fossil 'Making Memories' set of stamps (part of the current Snippets Challenge prize)

- then mounted the 'stamp' panel onto a rectangle snippet of toning green card, measuring 4" x 3", using thin foam strips and the 'glue stick trick'

- finally, glued the front panel onto the card front - and called it done!

I used a few snippets. The pale ivory linen card base is not strictly a recognised size, but it works for me as it's left over after cutting a tent style A2 sized card AND saves on A4 card wastage too. The pale ivory linen card for the stamp shaped outline was a snippet - as was the green backing card.

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

- Darnell's NBUS challenge #62 - HERE - the Penny Black die set and the matching stamp set were having their first outing.

- Allsorts Challenge # 781 .... see more below!

The Allsorts Challenge are celebrating their 15th Birthday this week! Lots of lovely prizes to be won as well - do please join in with the fun. Brenda and her team are amazing and your support would be lovely! 

Dudley Pupdate: Dudley forgot himself and did a little puddle on Friday when Len returned after a short trip out. Basically over excitement at seeing that his Dad hadn't run away ..... for all of 30 minutes! He wasn't chastised at all - but he sure knew he'd broken a house rule and sat to one side as Len cleaned up, with his head bowed in shame, whilst I had to resist picking him up to comfort him, not allowed anyhow for the time being.

It's been a stressful week for him with me having my first cataract surgery 10 days or so ago (hence the sentiment I used on today's card) as he still hates travelling in the car to and from the Hampshire Clinic treating me.

Me? Doing really great - one down and the other one to be replaced at the end of May! What a fantastic difference already! Who turned on the bright light and opened the yellow net curtain? Happy Bunny so far. 

Remember, the results from Challenge #479 are now published in the Snippets Playground HERE. 

Hope to see you on the swings for the current challenge too as that runs for almost another week.

AND, my card today used another one of the Funky Fossil sentiment stamps in the current Challenge #480 prize bundle. I really love this sentiment, obviously! 

Love as always, Dudley and yours truly,

Sunday Snippets - every picture tells a story

I pulled out a snippet of navy blue pearlescent card and a few snippets of 'Pale Ivory' linen effect card to make my snippets card for today:

Very sorry, no photo of the snippets this time - they were rather unexciting and had been disposed of before I thought to take a photo!

I used:

- 5.5" x 4" pale ivory linen effect card blank, tent style

- snippets of the same pale ivory card as well as snippets of Tonic's 'Navy Dazzle' card stock for the remainder of the card

- used a NBUS set of Waffle Flower dies called 'Wooden Frame' to die cut and emboss the main rectangle as well as the oval frame from navy blue card snippets - set those aside for now

- dry embossed a snippet of pale ivory linen effect card using Cuttlebug's 'Script' folder, trimmed it to fit to the back of the navy rectangular frame and adhered it in place, before setting it to one side again

- out came the Misti and I stamped the flower and the bee, using VersaFine Clair 'Morning Mist' ink - on the reverse side of the pale ivory card (no linen effect on the reverse, which is handy). The stamps are from a NBUS set of stamps by Hobby Art, called 'Happiness Blooms'

- then stamped the sentiment in readiness, using the same 'Morning Mist' ink pad and a stamp from the fabulous Funky Fossil 'Making Memories' set of stamps - NBUS and set to be a favourite here - on the reverse side of the pale ivory card again

- die cut the sentiment using the oval frame die from the 'Wooden Frame' set of dies - so that the piece would sit perfectly in the oval frame aperture. I did need to cut a smaller oval by hand to back the piece, for adhesion and stability

- coloured the stamped flower and bee using Polychromos pencils and Sansodor blending solution. The bees wings are the palest blue, winked with clear Stella, pretty!

- trimmed the flower and the bee images using tiny Fiskars scissors to leave a narrow white outline 

- at that point I added the rectangular frame to the card front, using thin strips of foam tape and the glue stick trick

- next popped the flower in place, using mini glue dots, to cope with the embossing -  then the bee using a small piece of thin foam pad

- then came the stamped sentiment oval - added using thin strips of foam tape below the rectangular frame and a glue pen for the top portion to keep it all level

- final touch - some tiny Memory Box clear Fairy Drops! I love these!

The card is slightly under USA A2 size as I decided, before assembling it, to trim the A2 card by one quarter inch from one side - glad I did that for better balance!

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

- Darnell's NBUS challenge #62 - HERE . The two stamp sets and the set of frame dies are all NBUS. 

Dudley Pupdate: Arnie is still his doggie bestie! They met up on Wednesday as Arnie was on his way home and Dudley was just setting off for a walk. The non-stop hugging and dancing was such a delight to watch. It went on until they both flopped down on our driveway, totally worn out!  

Mind you, Dudley ended up in Len's bad books on Saturday - little scamp managed to find a hedgie 'calling card' in the back garden and was in ecstasy, rubbing all over it right down one side! Len was pretty cross, didn't take any prisoners and just cut away the offending patch of hair! From a recently shorn Dudley as well! I daren't even take a look. I suspect he (Dudley of course) is headed for a bath ............ anytime now!

Remember, I've just kicked off a new challenge over in the Snippets Playground HERE. Hope to see you on the swings, goodness knows what Sarn has in her satchel this week! If it chinks and sounds like a bottle of hooch - I'm confiscating it! 

Love as always, Dudley Dog and me

Sunday Snippets - Christmas wine anyone?

Hooray, we've had a few sunny days here - and not before time either.

Whilst idly browsing online around unbranded dies, I came across such a fun wine glass die set. This is how I used it for my snippets card today:

Left over snippets, fished out of the waste bin! Amazing how the light above the top of the pile washed out the red of the rich Tonic card to almost pink!

I used:

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

- for the main outside frame I used Tonic's mirror 'Inca Gold' card, trimmed to 5.25" x 4" - and set it to one side for now. Resist the temptation to always build up a card directly, layer by layer, onto a card front - far better to build up most or all of the front panel and then glue it together in the proper order - simple advice I was given when first card making and, for me, it always works best! 

- then trimmed a Kaisercraft 'Blue Bay' wooden planks effect piece of 6" x 6" paper to 5" x 3.75" - and set it to one side 

- obviously, I already had the snippets I wanted to use out on the desk before selecting the two layers to form the backing frame so out came the Altenew Blossom Mini die cutter and off I went!

- first of all used a snippet of Tonic's iridescent  'Firestone Red' to die cut the wine glass. The die set is unbranded but I've never seen it before under licence - fingers crossed! The wine glass die is actually shaped slightly 'on the wonk' so it isn't anyone's eyes - perhaps Santa already had a tipple!

- then spent a quiet hour or so half watching You Tube whilst cutting out the belt and buttons (Tonic Black Velvet), buckle (Tonic Mirror 'Inca Gold') - and what I assume is Santa's beard from plain white card - ALL of them were snippets. In fact, I double layered them all for dimension - being a bit soft in the head!

- fully assembled the Santa wine glass and put it to one side

- glued the gold and wooden planks backing layers together using Collall All Purpose glue, then added the made up Santa wine glass, for that I used a glue pen

- adhered the panel onto the card blank using  thin foam stripe and the glue stick trick

- die cut the sentiment using a Creative Expressions die set - 'Lisa Horton's Borderline Ho Ho Ho'. I like this little die set but it IS tricky to line up and cut properly IMHO. Sadly I find that with a few of Lisa's designs

- for the sentiment I used snippets of Tonic 'Inca Gold' and also parchment paper

 - gluing them together as I went

- glued the 'Ho Ho Ho' sentiment across the stem of the glass using a mix of glue pen as well as mini glue dots at either end of the sentiment strip to both raise it and also beI invisible

- finished!

I'd like to enter this card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #62 HERE- the die sets were both having their first outing.

And, into the current Allsorts Challenge, under the 'Anything Goes' rule.  Allsorts are celebrating their 15th Birthday on 18th May - with lots of lovely prizes too!

Dudley Pupdate: During the week, I was sitting on our bed, folding some laundry, ably assisted by Dudley of course. Suddenly there was a little scuffle against the bedroom window and there sat a rather pretty little pigeon on the outside window ledge. Dudley immediately woofed 'Go away you interloper' at the bird. It blinked and settled down. Nonplussed at his lack of 'authority' - Dudley trotted over to the window. popped his paws up on the wall and stretched as high as he could - to give a few more 'Go away' woofs. The bird stayed settled down. 😂 So Dudley shrugged then decided to join it, curled up at my feet and had forty winks!

Since then, Len has given Dudley a really good trim - he looks like a newborn lamb! But. he took it all in his stride, if you ignore the few 'Dudley doing the Egyptian sand dance' moves around the grooming table. 

Very importantly, the results of Challenge #478 are now published HERE . 

Do please come and play in Sarn's current challenge over in the Snippets Playground! Just scroll down.

Love from myself and Dudley, xxx