Sunday Snippets - all dressed for the heat wave!

It's a reshowing of a card I made back in July 2012 - 14 years ago almost to the day. Just right for the temperatures we're melting under:

I do love the way the little Hula Kiddo's hips are working away :) A bit like me trying to get my balance at times! It's another card that I had a load of fun making way back then - those little striped flip flops are just sooo cute.

I used:

 - 6" x 6" square cream card stock

- Stampendous cling stamp called 'Hula Kiddo', coloured with Pro Markers, including the background (I even tried to match the hibiscus flowers to the backing paper, although I've never seen a blue hibiscus in real life) 

- plain backing card from the snippets folder and the papers are snippets from the Bo Bunny 'Barefoot and Bliss' paper pack 

- a snippet of yellow self adhesive ribbon from the ribbon box. Confession, I added it as the finished card looked out of balance - the horizontal strip of paper and the image were placed too low by yours truly

- orange/yellow flower came from a friend and the brad was my own. Those dinky and totally adorable little flip flops are buttons, in a pack of five pairs from Hobbycraft, but I've spotted them on e-Bay as well - just with the shanks snipped off the back and stuck on using the glue gun.

This card was made so long ago that I imagine few, if any, of the products are even available now! But I didn't want to pay the extortionate rates that Dudley decided he should charge me for writing another blog post! So here I am, winging it as they say!

Dudley Pupdate: Speaking of himself, although he doesn't like a bath or even the sight of a paddling pool - he does have an Achilles Heel we've discovered! He loves being sprayed with a hand held spray of cool water and now goes so far, in this blistering heat, to let it be known that it's time for another good spray down in the garden before he retires to the shower room to cool right down. His usual flowing silky hair is very curly, as if he needs a decent blow dry. 

My arm is improving, albeit too slowly for impatient me! Thank you so much for your lovely wishes and cards. Dudley's 8th Birthday is looming, on 22nd July, the same day as a good friend and close neighbour will be 60. It's a target to aim for, having a go at making two cards - they might be simple but it would be a start back into doing a bit of crafting. 

As always, I'm SO grateful for Sarn's massively helpful support.  I just turn a blind eye to the mischief and mayhem! A small price to pay.

Love from Dudley Dog and myself, 

 

Sunday Snippets - Dudley calling

Helloo peeps!  It's Dudley Dog, just to let you know that Mom is still on the mend. She can type slowly and it's improving - but mouse work is tricky. And crafting is out for the moment

Meanwhile, my wonderful Auntie Sarn is running the show over in the Playground - AND she has treats for me too, I just know it! Happy Days for me I think, double rations!

Lots of love and woofs

Dudley xxx

And, a weak wave from  - I'll be back ASAP! 

Sunday Snippets - Have a great day

My snippets card for this week is very simple:

I used: 

- 4" x 4" Silkweave 'pale ivory linen' card snippet 

- the image is a Penny Black Stickeroo, from their 'Gentle Blooms' sheet

- backed the image with a black square - trimmed down from a snippet

- glued the image panel onto the card front 

- added a simple sentiment from a Clarity Assorted Sentiments set of stickers

- quick and easy! 

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

- Allsorts Challenge #847 HERE  - under 'In the Garden'

Dudley Pupdate: The other day I had a routine dental appointment so Len took me there, and later collected me - with Dudley riding shotgun 'harnessed and secured' in the back of the car. He 'sang' all the way there and for Len 'exclusively' when returning home, and even did an encore when coming back later to collect me. Opening the back windows a few inches does help him as he's such a curious little guy and also loves to be able to smell and feel the fresh air rushing past.

However, on the way back home, after hugs and licky greetings, he just flopped down and dozed off. Happy in the knowledge that his 'tribe' were together again and we were heading back to his favourite place!  

The results from Sarn's Challenge #529 are now published in the Snippets Playground HERE. Three perfect picks and one lucky prize winner - what's not to like?

Love from Dudley and yours truly

Sunday Snippets - missing in action

Hi folks

A very short post from me this week - and sadly, no snippets card either. Sarn has sorted out my results post over in the Snippets playground - huge thanks Sarn. xx

I hope to be back playing as soon as possible, as soon as I'm more recovered from a fall. Right hand in particular being out of action is a slight drawback ....... understatement of the year!

Dudley is fine and is never far from my side needless to say!

With love, from Dudley and myself

xxx

Sunday Snippets - 'hello'

A few weeks ago I fell in love with a die set, showcased by Donna HERE. After searching online, and even thinking of (tedious) ways to make a similar card without a die, I did resort to an unbranded die set in the end (one is offer right now over in the Snippets Playground!) and here we go:

I used:

- white 5.75" x 4.25" card blank, tent style

- a snippet of Tonic satin effect matt mirror card in 'Black Velvet' - die cut with an unbranded 'Hexagon Cover Plate' die from Amazon (I can send you the direct link - just email me) 

- glued the black die cut to the card front - bear in mind I made two at once - following our Val's advice when she recently made her two beauties HERE 

- then I chose a couple of sheets of patterned paper from the 'Dovecraft 'Back to Basics - Monochrome' paper pack' - I do so LOVE that paper pack!

- die cut the patterned sheets of monochrome  paper and glued the infill pieces to each of the two cards - flipping between the two

- used the fall out black centres in the empty middle space on each card - glue pen again

- then die cut a snippet of Tonic pearlised 'Red Velvet' card, twice per card

using double layered Heffy Doodle 'Hello Shadow' die cuts (bought in their closing down sale, sigh) 

- die cut the 'shadows' using the same die set and a vellum snippet

- glued the sentiment layers together, glued them to the vellum and then onto the black hexagon in the centre of the card

- finished!

I'd like to enter my card(s), as they are a pair, into the following challenges:

- Darnell's NBUS challenge #66 HERE - the hexagon die set is NBUS 

- Allsorts Week #800 HERE - the theme this week is 'anything goes' Congratulations the Brenda and her team - 800 challenges - wow!

Dudley Pupdate: Oh boy, has it been WET here. One stubborn little pooch has at times had to be physically dumped into the back garden for 'ahem'. He survives and once dried off with a good towelling - and yup, he always has a fight with the towel to show it that he IS the boss - things calm down. Until the next session. It's exhausting!!

It was 'worming pill' day on Friday - do you know how far a Havanese can spit a pill he doesn't want to take? It's pretty impressive!

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

Hope to see you on the swings - weather permitting.

Love as always, Dudley Dog and me

Sunday Snippets - 'Smile'

Apparently it takes less muscles and also causes less wrinkles if you smile rather than frown! That's today's 'useless piece of information' folks!

It's been a weird week -  and time just seemed to run away - so my snippets card was made late, in next to no time  ..... once I'd found the snippets:

The leftover snippets of the black velvet and the patterned card rectangles were literally just slivers - close call!

I used: 

- 5.5" x 4.25" white card blank - right edge opening

- 5.25" x 4" snippet of 'black velvet' card stock - I save every teeny little scrap in the packet and it's never far from my reach!

- 5" x 3.75" snippet of DCWV 'Quince Blossom' card stock, saved in the back of the pad and just enough to make the patterned panel - very tactile as the white flowers are raised and almost cry out to be stroked. It's a beautiful 12" x 12" paper pad that I really should use more! I think I won it a lot of years ago from Allsorts Challenge if memory serves me correctly

- glued the two layers onto the card blank

- next was the sentiment as I let the papers do most of the work

- I used a two layer Poppy Stamps die called 'Freestyle Smile' - bought in a clearance sale a little while ago

- used a snippet of the black velvet card and a snippet of vellum, from a little oblong dish in my filing tray beside me to die cut the sentiment and shadow backing

- glued the pieces together using a glue pen

- adhered the finished sentiment panel to the card front, using Stix 2 micro dots - which worked like a dream!

- and that was it - finished!

I'd like to enter this card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #66 HERE as the Poppy Stamps 'Smile' pair of dies was having a first outing.

And, into the current Allsorts Challenge #799, under the 'Anything Goes' rule.

Dudley Pupdate: Autumn is knocking at the door - but Summer isn't yet over and we've had some very warm days. Lately, whether for coolness or to just hide away for peace and quiet, Dudley has taken to having several snoozes, day or night, in the shower room. We've had a few scary moments if I slip out of bed for a quick 'visit'! We often refer to Dudley as the silent ghost and it sure spooks you out to see a sleepy little white dog sliding past you in the middle of the night! No doubt, he will find another favourite spot before too long . I hope, it's most unnerving to say the least - he doesn't even stop to say 'Hello'!!

Very importantly, the results of Challenge #486 are now published HERE. 

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

Love from myself and Dudley, xxx

Sunday Snippets - Penny Black Stickeroo to the rescue

It's been another one of those weeks here, where time just flies by. I suddenly realised on Friday that I needed to make a snippets card - having been focused on other cards, as well as other stuff going on here. I reached out for the little packet of Stickeroos that I keep close at hand, already mounted onto snippets of toning card - and within 30 minutes had produced this:

I used:

- 4.75" square pale ivory linen card blank - tent opening

- then die cut the Penny Black Stickeroo on its snippet backing layer of SU 'Certainly Celery' card using a Marianne Craftables 'Stitched Circle' die - CR1360. The Stickeroo is from the Penny Black 'Gentle Blooms' sheet of stickers BTW

- I then used a NBUS die from Gummiapan called 'Scalloped Pointy Border', bought a while ago in one of their sales, and cut part of the bottom of the card front away

- found a piece of deep teal blue card to pick out the colour of one of the flowers, trimmed it to 4.75" square and glued it to the inside of the card front

- finally, used thin sticky pads (and the glue stick trick) to adhere the image to the pale ivory portion of the card front - didn't add a sentiment as it's a 'general purpose' card

- finished!

I only used one snippet - the backing layer for the Penny Black Stickeroo.

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

- Darnell's NBUS challenge #61 - HERE - the Gummiapan Scalloped Pointy Border was having its first outing as well as the Marianne set of stitched circle dies. 

Dudley Pupdate: Before long, Dudley will need a bath as a slight doggy 'hum' is faintly there when you snuggle up really close to him. He has hair, not fur, therefore is less prone to 'doggy hum'. But, he's due an application of anti-flea and worming meds between his shoulder blades and we like to leave a week either side of that before any baths. So, I bought some proper 'doggy cologne' - which actually smells like baby powder, very much like his shampoo. On Friday I gave him a couple of sprays down his back to test it out and the result was hilarious. 

As a result we had wild 'zoomies' all around the house - followed by a lot of rolling and rubbing, same as after a bath! As well as some well choreographed wiggly hip moves! So funny .......... I half expected him to get up on his hind paws and launch into a John Travolta Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees 'You Should Be Dancing' routine! Never a dull moment. Check the link then imagine Dudley in John T's place! Snort. 😉

Remember, the results from Challenge #477 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.

Love as always, Dudley and yours truly,

Sunday Snippets - 'Yay!'

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Ho, ho, ho!

My snippets card below was made from some bits and pieces, found in a basket on my desk - the silver panel, the white panel and a cello bag containing the decoupage flower spray and little sparkly butterflies all popped up, shouting to be used! I then also found the white card blank in the same basket/treasure trove! Sorry, I made the card without stopping to take a photo of the snippets:

I used:

- 5.5" x 4.0" white card blank, easel style - a non standard size, which was why it was languishing unused!

- snippet of  pearlescent silver card and also one of white card, trimmed slightly to form the image panel then glued in place

- a Dufex decoupaged spray of flowers, made up eons ago, glued onto the panel using a glue pen

- the 'Yay!' sentiment is a pre-made one, silver on white from the PinkFresh 'Foiled Sentiments' pack - a lifesaver! Just glued in place using a glue pen

- three tiny sparkly butterflies which were in the cello bag with the decoupaged flower spray - glued here and there with the wings flicked up for added dimension

Dufex is probably one of the hardest things to photograph - apologies!

There's a new challenge #470 over in the Snippets Playground HERE. The theme is 'Anything BUT Christmas' - which should get you thinking a bit! AND, two special prizes from Sarn and myself!

Dudley Pupdate: Dudley has carefully watched every step of the tree and decorations going up with his usual fascination. The other day I spotted him gazing absolutely memorised at a lounge door covered in beautiful Christmas cards, slowly absorbing every detail - totally in a world of his own. Many of them are the hand made ones sent by good friends and I fully expect to find him hopped up onto my chair in the craft room searching through my basket of snippets!

Anyhow, we've bought him yet another soft toy and some doggie choccy drops from Santa! For Dudley, the real thrill is the rustling of wrapping paper if truth be told!

As usual he'll have his own little white dish of Christmas Dinner with us tomorrow.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that you find time, after the dust settles, to join in with the new Snippets Challenge.

Lots of love from Dudley and myself,

Lest we Forget

I always have my own Father very much on my mind every single Remembrance Day. He joined the British Army aged 15 and spent World War Two over in Europe, helping to recover and repair British Army tanks. He didn't speak about the War much but it had left its mark and he, along with all of our Service men and women, will always have my undying admiration and gratitude.

We can but hope that it wasn't in vain and that, one day, peace will return to the various countries now embroiled in conflict.

Make a note on your calendars ...

Please share the news!

Sunday Snippets and the 'Fractured Card' technique

I spotted a 'new to me' technique the other day, perfect for using up a few snippets. and this was my first play, and the snippets I used:

I used:

- 5.5" x 4" white card blank, tent style

-  a snippet of black and white patterned paper, found in the back of my Studio Calico 'Snippets' paper pad - it was only 3.75 " wide, which is why my card blank is slightly narrower than a true A2 size. Trimmed the paper to 5.25" long and put it to one side

- then die cut a snippet of white card using a die from The Works 'Square Stitched' set of eight dies, one of my best bargains ever, but sadly no longer sold by them. The square measures just over 2" square BTW

- for the first time I used some Sizzix grid-lined sticky plastic in the mini Mistii to grip the square whilst I stamped the sentiment **

- stamped 'Happy Birthday' using a sentiment from Woodware's'Deco Sayings set and a VersaFine Clair 'Nocturne' ink pad onto the white square, twisted to a diamond shape

- glued the sentiment onto the piece of black and white patterned paper

- cut four quarter inch wide strips of reddish paper - from the same 'Snippets' paper pad

- then, one at a time I used a glue pen to glue them from a corner of each side of the sentiment panel, right down to the edge of the paper

- flipped the paper over and trimmed off the 'overhanging bits'

- glued the completed panel onto the card blank - finished!

** Another time I will probably stick the double sided Sizzix Sticky mat to a piece of appropriately trimmed thickish acetate to fit inside the Misti aperture. Less mess and curling IMHO. I do have the Misti Sticky mats as well - but the cost makes me shudder 

Here's the link to the best tutorial for making a 'Fractured Card' that I found on YouTube.  There are plenty around, some using mixed papers - even better for using snippets, but this one appealed to me the most, due to the clarity, speed and simplicity.

I might make a bunch of these using Christmas paper - they really are rather effective and so very easy and therapeutic to make, I made this particular card with one of Len's G. Nephews in mind. He will be 18 so I might add a die cut 18 in the lower right hand corner. Still plenty of time to decide though.

We now have our latest Challenge, run by Sarn, over in the Snippets Playground HERE - with a lovely prize made up of several goodies.

Dudley Pupdate: Not much to report about Dudley really, he's been feeling the heat lately, despite the rain and even though we've previously had higher temperatures. I think the 'muggy' atmosphere affects him much as it does us - we tend to turn into sloths! There again, perhaps he's almost ready for yet another 'puppy cut' - whisper that one! 

I thought he'd run away the other day - major panic stations - and a 'dog hunt' through the house and garden. Turns out, there he was quietly cooling off .................... tucked in between the cool porcelain toilet and the tiled walls in the shower room having a little snooze! It seems as if no place is 'off limits', once he makes his mind up. 😃 And the way he looked up, rather indignantly, when I disturbed his dream cracked me up!

Love from Dudley - and of course me,  

Sunday Snippets and a new Lattice card idea

I really like the very clever crafter Ann Melvin's YouTube channel and often watch her to pick up new ideas. This is the link to Ann's actual YouTube video showing the technique HERE - she has her own online store called 'Positively Papercraft'  HERE - well worth a visit if you're in the UK. 

And this is what I made:

I used:

- card blank measuring approx. 6" (just under 6" in fact) x 4.25" - cut later to the same size as the finished card front panel

- two absolutely identical pieces of paper from the DCWV 12" paper pad called 'Quince & Blossom'  - I cut the two layers at once to be sure they were lined up and identical - they are foiled and so very pretty

- then 'outline' die cut the pieces together, only  using the outer frame from Ann's 'Positively Papercraft 'Cracked Glass' pair of dies

- then die cut just one of the resulting background pieces again, using the inner lattice part of the 'Cracked Glass' pair of dies

- suddenly realised that the paper would be too floppy for the top layer, so I die cut just the inner part of the panel from a snippet of white card, trimmed it down then added it behind the patterned layer using a glue pen. I had to do it that way as it would have been almost impossible to die cut exactly the same panel using both the dies, the alignment needed to be perfect with no over-hang

- and at that point I pushed it to one side as I'd done four similar panels from the same paper pad and felt they would all 'sag', despite the additional strengthening die cut lattice card layer

- went back to them and layered the other lattice layers onto the backgrounds using narrow foam tape, with glue stick on top for some slide - then pushed them to one side, yet again

- still convinced they would sag - even with the additional thickness of the white card snippet underneath the lattice panel - I fairly gently added a Pink Fresh pre-foiled die cut sentiment to the lower right corner of the card using a glue pen right around the back of the sentiment and being careful not to totally press it down onto the very back layer of patterned paper

- AND, it worked! No sagging to be worried about really

Well, knock me down with a feather - what a really lovely surprise! Love the sentiment itself - so positive. And good for a teen wearing braces on their teeth!

My snippet is well hidden, I used a left over piece of white card to back the lattice layer for added strength.

So, now I need to just make up the other three panels into cards - with a load more confidence than I had! Yay! I'd like to add this card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #50 HERE. The Positively Papercraft ' Cracked Glass' die set was having its first outing.

The results of Challenge #452 are over on the Snippets Blog for you.

Dudley Pupdate: A good friend was here the other day and Dudley fell in love with her and wanted to go home with her when she left the house, but we all know he would he would have been squealing before she left our road. He absolutely flung himself at me this morning in affection - then I realised that he thought there might be a second 'morning treat' hidden about my person! Little monkey. Mind you, on reflection, he's the same with both of us where treats are concerned - albeit with just a tad more respect for his 'Dad'!

We watched quite a bit of the Coronation - history in the making. And it rained. 

Hope you all have a lovely week. 

Much love from Di and Dudley Dog

A QUESTION

I should have added this to my blog post of yesterday - after I wrote about using hairspray to seal a piece of gilding flakes work. 

I've used my Zig pens recently and - although I love the vibrant colours - I just don't like the very flat and matt result. It's too much like the old powder paints we used at school when I was a kid. 

Hairspray very likely isn't enough and so to get round it I've used a Wink of Stella Clear Sparkle pen (it's for a Christmas card so that's fine, but it wouldn't always be the case) BUT, how wonderful would it be if you could get a gentle paint on Wink of Stella style gloss only pen. Not thick Glossy Accents, or a spray - just a brush applicator without the added sparkle to give a less matt look to work. Is there a gap in the bulging market?

Or do you know of a product - easy application, not a spray and preferably a gentle brush like Wink of Stella but with no sparkles?

That's my current quest and so far it isn't getting very far either! SOB!

Wednesday Waffle - Monica Tebbs - Part 2

Last Wednesday I wrote about Miss Monica Tebbs, who was Senior Mistress when I was at a co-ed boarding school in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

Fast forward to around 28 or so years ago, when some of the 'previous pupils' set out to form an Association, called 'The Wilhelmshaven Association' or 'TWA' for short. They undertook the mammoth task of trying to trace as many former pupils and staff as possible, not easy by any means! Over 7,500 pupils had attended the school during its 25 year 'life' in Wilhelmshaven. As well as a good few teachers, House Matrons and other staff. We had scattered to the four winds of course - Army kids are nomads and we'd spread all over the UK and the rest of the World.

The Association is still going reasonably strong and we've had reunions every two years in various UK cities - with sometimes hundreds coming along for the weekend (650 for the very first one at Newbury!). Covid didn't help of course, and more and more of us aren't willing or even able to travel the length of the country, depending on the chosen locations - and a fair few have sadly fallen off their perches and are no longer with us.

And, our Monica Tebbs used to attend Reunions for at least a couple of days/nights - right up until her final illness. We used to have the Reunions in pretty smart hotels - where the overnight room rates were more costly than nearby alternate hotels or B & B's. Those of you who joined Darnell, myself and others at the Grand Harbour in Southampton (Sarn and I have met up there with friends too) will have an idea of the sort of hotels and the room rates charged, that TWA Reunions are held in. We used that hotel as we needed a decent sized Main Function Room  and location - for between two and three hundred people for a start. And Monica was careful with her pennies so she never stayed in the Reunion hotel overnight.

On one such weekend, a pal from school days called Rod - RIP my friend (who had been the love of another school friend's life - so we were just pals, right?) and I found out that she was staying in a pretty seedy end of the chosen Reunion city and also that she was walking to and from the Reunion venue, alone and at times in the dark. So, on the more formal Saturday evening we collared Monica (as much as you dared to 'collar' such a formidable lady) - and said that that on no account was she to walk back to her hotel alone - Rod and I would go with her. Her lips were pursed as she stalked away muttering that she was being 'treated like a child'. All we had was her safety in mind of course.

Anyhow, Monica then began a game of cat and mouse with Rod and myself by taking great delight in 'working the room' and speaking to as many different people as possible - always with us loitering nearby. I even followed her to the ladies at one point and hid behind a pillar in the hallway to make sure she didn't make a run for it. As the evening wore on we noticed signs that Monica was preparing to leave - the handbag was firmly over her arm and she was going to try and race us to the exit. To do that, she had to pass our table so both Rod and I positioned ourselves ready to bring her down in a tackle - metaphorically speaking.

However, she turned the tables on us as she approached - by pronouncing very loudly that we were 'not to bother her and that she had a perfectly good pair of legs of her own'. Heads at the other tables turned and stared when Monica's familiar 'schoolmarm voice' rang out loud and clear.

And that's when I to this day think a red fog of insanity descended upon Rod because, quick as a flash and certainly before engaging his brain before his mouth he replied - 'Miss Tebbs - we are just going to accompany you. Not give you a piggyback ride to the hotel!'.

OMG, to this day I swear that you could have heard a pin drop and the sound of horrified gasps of ex-pupils, my eyes were out on stalks in sheer terror and Rod blushed bright red as if we were back at school, as pals, trying to set up the 6th Form Social Club, (OMG, another memory coming!). We stood there like a couple of naughty kids - waiting for the eruption. And waiting....................

............... And you know what we got? Monica with her eyes twinkling, trying to suppress an outbreak of the giggles as she practically squeaked 'Alright then, you two win, this time. But, I want 100 lines from both of you for insubordination!'.

We walked with Monica in the centre, back to her hotel arm in arm, one on either side and it was such a precious time. She bade us a formal goodnight at the front door of her chosen lodgings and sent us off back into the night with the words 'Mind you two, behave'. ☺

They certainly broke the mould when they created dear Monica!

PS. One of our earliest Reunions was back in Wilhelmshaven - and much of the school was still standing, unoccupied but made accessible for us. We had such fun and more than a few adventures - to be retold in a further 'Wednesday Waffle' - or perhaps even more than one. 

I spent most of that long weekend in tears - some of it was pure emotion but a lot was due to the endless laughter and crazy things that seemed to happen, almost 'on cue'. And yes, there was a hockey match - men versus the ladies - and we terrified as well as beat them!

And of course, our Monica was there, still very spritely in those early days.

I hope my love and tenderness for past times isn't in any way a problem for you. I've always written true tales from my heart and will do so when I can. Come back if you wish - you will be so welcome. xx

Far out!

It's been a week since I posted on here, for various reasons. I began this card hoping to join in with the Allsorts Challenge for a 'girlie' card but didn't finish it in time for the closing deadline. However, I would like to enter it into the current Allsorts Challenge #683, choosing the option of 'Anything Goes':

I used:

- a UK sized DL white card blank - side opening

- a sheet of patterned paper from the wonderful Whimsy Stamps 'Taffy' slimline paper pack which just had a little trimmed from both ends. It's such a psychedelic pack of papers! Or did I just dream that? ☺

- the image is from a lovely (discontinued) stamp set by MFT called 'Far Out', can't even find any images of it on the internet

- stamped the image and sentiments onto pieces/snippets of white card using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink pad

- fussy cut the image using tiny embroidery Fiskars scissors, reserved purely for use on paper

- coloured the image using Polychromos pencils - to pick out the background paper colours

- glued the panel of psychedelic paper onto the card front

- then (sigh) decided that the image would be swamped if placed directly onto the vibrant background. So, I die cut a white snippets backing using two dies from the Spellbinders 'Hemstitch Rectangles Venise Lace' set of dies ** then glued the image onto it (a waste of that fussy cutting!)

- snipped up the sentiment words using scissors

- then glued the  image to the panel, image panel to the card front and then the snipped up words

- finished!

Despite the Whimsy slimline papers being a little on the tall and narrow side, they are all so lovely! This pack especially is reminiscent of the days of LSD etc.Not that I ever ventured, a little before my time I promise, but we've all seen enough films about the visual effects of 'dabbling'.

And as so often happens, it's brighter in real life too - the light was streaming onto wherever I tried when I took the above photo.

** The rectangular hemstitched dies I used for the white panel came from my own duplicate set of the Spellbinders die set, forming part of this current challenge's prize. Well worth playing and still plenty of time to hop over and enter!

As the MFT stamps set, the Whimsy papers AND the set of hemstitch dies were having their very fist outing, I'd like to enter my card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #40 HERE.

Dudley 'Pupdate'. A quiet week on the 'trouble' front for Dudley with no news of mischief - either he's hiding it or we're getting used to it! When he was not 100% toilet trained he did sometimes hide a little 'poop' in the dining room, nice choice of room - so nothing would really surprise me. The hedgies are out and about every evening, and they fascinate him - he never touches them but they do get a good sniff! He's four years old later on in July - how did that happen, where did time go? He had a bath yesterday so we all got a good soaking - right now he's really white and fluffy, still with those pretty peach tinged ears. And, they're growing back nicely since Len had to give them a serious trim a while back.

Birthday thank you!

Just a quick post to say a massive thank you to all of you who sent such lovely cards and kind gifts for my Birthday! I'm enjoying the day and will email or message you all individually during this coming week. 

PS - Yes Carol L, your card did arrive in time!

Much love

I'm still here!

Just a little note to apologise for not being around to do any commenting at all on the current challenge #391. Bad me.

I suddenly got super panicky - busy finishing off my handmade cards (inserts!) and writing Christmas cards for Overseas and am now embarking on the UK ones although not so urgent - phew. I decided to use Click and Drop online postage for all Overseas cards and spent most of yesterday setting up an (only Overseas so far) address book. Well worth it over time I would think - but grindingly slow to do the initial work, and also double checking you've got it right! A couple of people ended up in there more than once, at least my treble checking caught them!

The latest prizes, and also a package or two I've promised to send, have been put on a back burner - more apologies I'm afraid, but I know you've all said you will wait a bit. I just need to set the time aside to package, weight etc..

All of this means that I can concentrate on my Sunday Snippets sample and the next Challenge #392 post, which has to go ahead this coming Sunday to keep 'the schedule' right for the Grand Christmas Draw over the Christmas and New Year holidays. 

I'll get there but didn't want you to think I was being rude.

In addition to juggling online grocery deliveries in the weeks before Christmas (WHO ordered all the Brussels sprouts from Ocado then?), loads of other things seem to have popped up.

So I do apologise - tomorrow (today, when and if, you read this) I must bake some fresh treats for Dudley Dog as we're about to run out of them and he might run away from home ☺. I have two easy recipes I'm dithering over - might need to flip a coin to choose which one to try this time!

Then I should surface enough to do some hopping around commenting.

Stay safe and also stay calm! I wish I could do the 'calm' bit!

Snippets Playground prizes - update

Today I took another little drive out to 'the large and secluded Post Box'. So now all Overseas prizes are on their way to winners. And your UK winner's latest prize is en route as well Kath!

I was so lucky to be given a good few high denomination stamps by a very dear friend, and after much weighing and calculation, each package is properly paid for using those plus a mix of every day stamps I had to hand, Customs declaration labels, Airmail stickers, return/sender labels completed and attached etc. etc.

If this continues then I'll do the posting bit by bit as each challenge ends, as I used to do, possibly using Royal Mail online postal services as recommended by Kath - so long as I keep on top of it. Mind you, their website was very helpful when I was calculating postage using sizes, weights and a selection of stamps. Thanks goodness for my teeny little Salter postal scales :)

It's such a huge relief to have posted everything. Do please drop me a quick email - even just saying 'arrived' - when your package gets there.

Enjoy!

UK Snippets Playground prizes

Today I took  little drive out to where I know of a large and secluded Post Box. So all UK prizes to date are on their way to winners. That's Kathy K, April, Chris Smith and Jackie T. Posted First Class so they should be with you soon - many thanks to Sainsbury's, who will deliver stamps along with your groceries!

Still mulling over what to do about the Overseas prizes - there is a way of using Royal Mail on line to do the postage but my initial play wasn't too reassuring. It seems to be a very tedious process, so for now, my plan is to wait a while longer.

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #378

And another week in lock down flies past. Things have been slightly eased in England - which, needless to say, seems to be a signal for a few people to push the boundaries, and their luck, further than they should. Parents are letting their kids out unsupervised, non-family members are calling on people and social distancing is often being ignored even when people are out walking, queuing, going around supermarkets etc. Human nature working against humans in many cases - or just lack of basic common sense.At this rate we might well see a second 'peak'. Rant over - let's move onto happy things!

Here's my snippets card for this fortnight, trying a technique I've wanted to play with for ages:

I used:

- 5.25" x 4" white card blank, side opening

- a snippet of  white card sized at 5.25" x 4", covered with 'medium sticky' double sided adhesive sheet

- a selection of quarter inch wide strips cut from snippets tucked in the back of Studio Calico's 'Snippets Collection' 6" x 6"paper pad - in six different colours/patterns.

- there are lots of videos showing how to make a herringbone panel - this one is my favourite. I used adhesive sheet instead of a tape runner - either would work fine

- spent a very contented time adding the strips to the sticky panel - it struck me that this would be a great craft project to take on holiday (hollow laugh), to make up a load of backgrounds. All you'd need is panels of plain card covered in adhesive paper, with the protective layer left on until needed of course, and a whole load of quarter inch strips of snippets (perhaps kept in separate cello bags for each 'set' of paper strips you wish to use - I think papers from the same pad would generally work well for this pattern - gonna tackle my LOTV Christmas snippets next, plus small scissors. Not recommended for a breezy beach though - beach, what flipping beach?

- the next step, once the herringbone was completed, was to snip off the overhanging ends of the strips - I'd done this after a fashion as I went along so as not to waste any small pieces but trimming the remaining ends from the back of the card panel evens it all up

- then I was faced with a panel which wasn't exactly equal on opposing sides where the chevrons finished - it's the nature of the beast and the video I linked to above accepts this as part of the process

- so I carefully trimmed the herringbone panel, a little bit at a time and ended up with a piece measuring 3.5" x 4.75" - which still kept the A2 card balance/proportions and evened up the pattern edges so they were nice and balanced (OCD again!)

- then layered the herringbone panel onto very slightly larger rectangles of yellow and red paper, from the same paper pad, to add narrow frames

- at this point, it had too wide a white border for my liking when placed on a 5.5" x 4.25" card blank- so I lopped quarter of an inch from the top as well as the opening side of the card blank

- glued the three layers onto the card front, using Collall All Purpose Glue

- then I stamped the sentiment using a NBUS sentiment from Lil'Inker's 'Just Sayin' stamp set - onto a snippet of white card, using the Misti and a Versafine Clair 'Nocturne' ink pad

- trimmed the sentiment rectangle and then 'ticked' which box I wanted to use before layered it onto a background/frame of the same yellow and red paper I'd used for the herringbone rectangle frame. All too often I've ruined something right at the 'last knockings' so I always try to think in terms of 'damage limitation'

- added the sentiment rectangle to the card front, using thin sticky pads to add a little bit of dimension

I loved making this card, especially the herringbone background. It's the selection and slicing of the papers I found to be more onerous - actually building up the herringbone itself is very satisfying!

Am loving the Lil'inkers sentiments set of stamps, most are slightly sassy and I'll use every single one of the stamps at some point

And I can enter this card into our lovely Darnell's NBUS Challenge #14 HERE, due to using the fun Lil'Inkers set of sentiment stamps for the first time. It was a second outing for the Clair ink pad but more details of that this coming week as I sort of flipped my posts around a bit. I do encourage you to join in with Darnell's challenge if you haven't done so already - now is an ideal time to crack open some Never Before Used Schtuff and this current challenge runs to the end of May.

And here is the prize for this fortnight:

It's 2,000 quarter inch wide paper strips! Joke - tee, hee. In fact, it's a set of Lil'Inker sentiment stamps the same as the one I used today - called 'Just Sayin'. As I mentioned previously, Lil'Inker have closed their business, sigh, but I got my paws on these before they become as rare as hens' teeth.

As always, the Snippets Challenge will run for two weeks and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 30th May. 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.

No photo of Dudley as I type this on Saturday morning - he's back from his walk and is flat out fast asleep under my desk.

But there have been some developments on the grooming front. Remember that I said that Dudley was sitting up nicely like a bunny rabbit when I groom him and I was beginning to wonder if it was him being helpful or just employing evasive tactics by sitting on his tail and rear end?

Sigh, I think it might be the latter as he's taken to playing hide and seek when we approach '4pm grooming time'. Initially he was hiding under my big corner desk, pressing himself further and further back so that Len has to crawl in to get him out. Next, he ran and hid in one of his cosy beds in our bedroom, curled up pretending to be asleep - if he couldn't see us then perhaps he thought we couldn't see him either. Then he got extra sneaky and we had to really hunt for him - he'd only gone and hopped into his cage which lives behind a door in the lounge! It's so hard not to giggle when he finds somewhere new to hide away - there's never a dull moment with him that's for sure!

Stay safe my lovely friends.

Lots of love from us all - Parsnip, Dudley 'aka The Invisible Man' and of course me,