Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 110

Where did last week go then? It only seems five minutes since I last did a snippets write up :( But still, it does mean that we're a week closer to Summer.

First things first - I finally made a grab button for the Playground - wahoo!! It's on the sidebar at the right hand side and the code to take it is underneath. I'd love you to take the button and thank you soooo much to all of you lovely playmates who hopped right in yesterday and grabbed it, I was amazed and very touched, mwah!! :)

Anyhow, here's my snippets card for today:

I used:

- 7" x 5" white card blank

- snippets of white, green and red card from the snippets folder

- Sizzix embossing folder called 'Corner, Flower Vine'

- Spellbinders Shapeabilities Die D-Lites 'Poppy Patch' die - cut from green and then red card with the poppy heads snipped off the red die cut and added on top of the green die cut. Fiddly but worth it :)

- sentiment is a pre-loved one by SU, stamped using SU 'Real Red' and then punched with SU's 'Curly Label' punch before being popped onto the card with thin sticky pads just to add a bit of dimension

The poppies die is fabulous, but it's also very delicate so I reckon you could tear the stems if you have to 'encourage' the die and card to part company. I used waxed paper between the die and the red and green card snippets and it worked like a dream.

Right, straight into this weeks picks - which get more and more difficult to choose. I do try to play fair and rotate whose work I pick, but often there are makes that just can't be left out - am not quite at the sticking a pin in the screen stage just yet :) However, I just checked my list that I keep as the week progresses and there are 20 picks! So, am going to have to just pick a handful - but it shows that, as well as ALL your snippets makes being brilliant, you do seem to be going from strength to strength. Well done to every single one of you lovely little playmates.

So here goes:

This is just so clever, made by Liz - even the little ball of wool has a perfect wrapper round it!

Sam made a few of these fantastic tulip cards - they really are beautiful.

Isn't this Christmas card, made by Mo, absolutely divine?  What a stunner!!

Now here's a different use of snippets, a coffee jar cleverly decorated by Jenny and topped with snippets flowers - it's delightful!

A great retirement card by Carol L, such a clever idea to put the stop sign across the timepiece!

I just fell in love with this adorable card by Princess Judy (aka PJ) - loads of snippets used and isn't that the sweetest little frog?

This card by Julie C is a brilliant example of a flip card - and a reminder to me to step outta the sand pit box more often and make differently shaped cards.

And this lovely card made by Squirrel absolutely had to be shown here - not only is it perfect use of snippets but it means we end with a veritable rainbow of colours!

So, as I said, every entry deserves to be shown - and of course you can hop back to last weeks Mr linky and go check out if you haven't done so already! The thumbnails certainly will draw you in - I think that was a good move a while back once the Playground filled up with more and more playmates.

And please can you welcome a new playmate, Liz W, who brought this pair of lovely Christmas cards - hope you came back again Liz!

Here goes for the winner of the 'Hot Pants' Penny Black stamp and Tim Holtz Craft Pick tool:

 Jules

Most of you will know that Jules started off the Snippets Playground and I don't think she's missed a week (well maybe one or two) since I took over from her two years ago. And when her name finally popped up today I was extra delighted as Jules LOVES Penny Black stamps (particularly hedgies) and always has a heart somewhere on her fabulous cards. Those heart covered little pants seem to fit the bill perfectly :) I call this serendipity - couldn't be a better choice by Mr Random number thingy. I have checked your blog Jules and don't think you already have this little cutie - and with all the wedding stationery you make I bet another pokey tool will also be handy! Just drop me an email to confirm I'm right and the stamp and TH pokey tool will be in the post to you ASAP. Well done - it took some time for your name to pop up but hopefully it was worth waiting for :)

And this coming week's prize is:

A 'Poppy Patch' die, the same as the one I used today - very kindly donated by Viv, thank you so much honey! And, to go with it I'll include a little packet of 25 pre-cut wax paper sheets (5.5" square) - if you'd like them to try out.

The snippets challenge will run for one week and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 8th February and will open again at midnight UK time on the same day. Maximum of three entries and please say 'No thank you' in a comment if you wish to still play but not be the winner of the prize.

Please NEVER be afraid to say you're just playing for fun - it doesn't offend me at all, and the Playground is first and foremost for us to have fun, the prizes are just a thank you for playing :)

Mr Linky is below - please let me know if you have any problems linking, I can sort it out for you quite quickly and am always happy to do so.

Have a great week, keep hanging onto your hats in the UK today as more gales are forecast YET again,  and hope to see you in the Playground.

Di (and a wave from Parsnip)
x 

Snippets Playground Grab Button

Are you there Darnell? If so then I hope you like the grab button, right hand side bar of the blog - showing the snippets playground keys that Jules gave me two years ago. I know, it was on my to-do list for all that time!

Took me ages to figure out, apparently a lot of how-to's on the web are out of date due to changes in Blogger. BUT, it's now there - with the code underneath for anyone who wants it :) Parsnip was a fat lot of help, he went to have a lie down whilst I struggled - might just go and join him!

My Saturday Supper recipe is below folks!

Di
x

Saturday Supper - Chicken, mushroom and tarragon pies

Gosh, it seems like ages since I posted a recipe but truly, you must try this one - it's gorgeous. I made it the other day and have to say that the 'pies' are more like quite big pasties:

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Chicken, mushroom and tarragon pies

1 tbsp olive oil
250g mushrooms, sliced
200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dried tarragon
500g puff pastry
4 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 250g mushrooms, sliced, for about 5 mins, until golden.

Add 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped, 1 tbsp white wine (or cider) vinegar, 1 tsp dried tarragon and season.

Sauté until all the liquid has evaporated, the chicken is cooked through and no pink meat remains. Cool.

Roll 500g puff pastry into a square and cut out 8 rectangles. Divide the chicken between 4 of them then top each with 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Brush the edges of the pastry with water (or beaten egg), top with another pastry rectangle and seal using a fork. Trim any excess pastry and cut slits in the top to let the steam out.

Bake on a lined, heated (or non-stick) baking tray for 20 mins or until golden and puffed. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

Things I do: First of all, do remember to make the filling a little bit in advance to give it time to cool. I used normal chicken breasts and just chopped them with a pair of scissors (kept just for cooking I hasten to add) - into pieces about half an inch square or slightly larger. I used chestnut mushrooms, purely as I think they have an edge on flavour and used a heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche per pasty so they stayed nice and moist.

Ahem, I left my two-legged mouse in charge of stirring the chicken mixture as it cooked. Didn't notice until it was time to divide the chicken mixture between the ready made frozen and defrosted pastry sheets that he'd sneaked a sprinkling of minced garlic into the pan when I wasn't looking, scallywag! However, it tasted gorgeous anyhow.

Served with new potatoes and fresh baby vegetables, although the recipe suggests a green salad. We had two left and had those the following evening with chips and baked beans - naughty but nice.  Although you can freeze and then reheat thoroughly - not much chance of that here though!

Enjoy!

Di
x

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 500g puff pastry
• 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 250g mushrooms, sliced, for about 5 mins, until golden.
2. Add 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried tarragon and season.
3. Sauté until all the liquid has evaporated, the chicken is cooked through and no pink meat remains. Cool.
4. Roll 500g puff pastry into a square and cut out 8 rectangles. Divide the chicken between 4 of them then top each with 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.
5. Brush the edges of the pastry with water (or beaten egg), top with another pastry rectangle and seal using a fork. Trim any excess pastry and cut slits in the top to let the steam out.
6. Bake on a lined, heated baking tray for 20 mins or until golden and puffed. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 500g puff pastry
• 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 250g mushrooms, sliced, for about 5 mins, until golden.
2. Add 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried tarragon and season.
3. Sauté until all the liquid has evaporated, the chicken is cooked through and no pink meat remains. Cool.
4. Roll 500g puff pastry into a square and cut out 8 rectangles. Divide the chicken between 4 of them then top each with 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.
5. Brush the edges of the pastry with water (or beaten egg), top with another pastry rectangle and seal using a fork. Trim any excess pastry and cut slits in the top to let the steam out.
6. Bake on a lined, heated baking tray for 20 mins or until golden and puffed. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 500g puff pastry
• 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 250g mushrooms, sliced, for about 5 mins, until golden.
2. Add 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried tarragon and season.
3. Sauté until all the liquid has evaporated, the chicken is cooked through and no pink meat remains. Cool.
4. Roll 500g puff pastry into a square and cut out 8 rectangles. Divide the chicken between 4 of them then top each with 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.
5. Brush the edges of the pastry with water (or beaten egg), top with another pastry rectangle and seal using a fork. Trim any excess pastry and cut slits in the top to let the steam out.
6. Bake on a lined, heated baking tray for 20 mins or until golden and puffed. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 500g puff pastry
• 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté 250g mushrooms, sliced, for about 5 mins, until golden.
2. Add 200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried tarragon and season.
3. Sauté until all the liquid has evaporated, the chicken is cooked through and no pink meat remains. Cool.
4. Roll 500g puff pastry into a square and cut out 8 rectangles. Divide the chicken between 4 of them then top each with 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.
5. Brush the edges of the pastry with water (or beaten egg), top with another pastry rectangle and seal using a fork. Trim any excess pastry and cut slits in the top to let the steam out.
6. Bake on a lined, heated baking tray for 20 mins or until golden and puffed. Serve with mixed leaf salad.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

 

illets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

1 tbsp olive oil

250g mushrooms, sliced

200g chicken breast mini fillets, chopped

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried tarragon

500g puff pastry

1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche.

- See more at: http://images.morrisons.co.uk/Recipes-and-Ranges/Recipes/Index/C/Chicken-mushroom-and-tarragon-pies/#sthash.ZvJ9eovk.dpuf

Upcycling - agaaaaaain

The current challenge over at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge is 'trees - one or more'. Flicking through the box of saved Christmas cards from 2013, I found a very stark and striking card - black background, black trees and one single silver sparkly tree. It had been a bit creased in the post but I discarded well over half of it and salvaged enough to make this card:

 

I used:

- a red pearlescent narrow DL card

- the upcycled image, trimmed and mounted onto a piece of the very sparkly silver card I bought in Hobbycraft - and yup, it was everywhere once again :(

- the sentiment is an 'Anita's Dimensions' silver sticker. A little bit different to normal stickers/peel offs as the top part doesn't stick down so that the actual words stand up away from the card

Am also entering this card into Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for January, which is always 'anything goes'.

A super fast make, which means I just managed to hit the target of making 12 Christmas cards a month :) Cut it a bit fine - we're into February tomorrow, and it's a short month, so will have to pedal a bit faster methinks!

Di

x

Revisiting triple layer cards, without the stamping

Flicking through quite heavily patterned papers here yesterday, and prompted by the little flurry of triple stamping in Blogland (notably Karen P and Elizabeth), I decided to revisit a twist on triple stamping. This way you use patterned papers instead of actually stamping the backgrounds - I wrote how to do it in a blog post here a while back.

This was my first go yesterday:

I used:

- 6.25" x 4.25" card blank, made using SU's 'Crisp Cantaloupe' card stock

- papers from a Kaisercraft pad, free with Quick Cards Made Easy magazine called 'Sweet Pea'

- plain SU 'Pistachio Pudding' card stock

- a couple of toppers which also came free with the paper pad

- lots of cutting and sticking for the layers

BUT, as soon as it was finished, I looked long and hard, scratched my head and then slapped my forehead - really hard, several times! See what you think of the next one:

See any difference between the two - apart from needing sunshades for the second one, snort?

WHAT a Dumbo, I'd only written the measurements down wrongly on the how-to post which I mentioned in the link above! Basically, I didn't have enough of a difference in the size of the layers which meant that the patterned paper on the first card isn't as noticeable in the outer layers. However, the measurements have now been changed and the how-to passes muster if you fancy having a go - it's a great way to use up bold papers:)

For the second card I used:

- 6.25" x 4.25" white card blank

- papers from a Kate Knight 'Totally Tropical' paper pad - free with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine quite a while ago

- plain SU 'Coastal Cabana' card stock

- the flower is from the SU'Secret Garden' set, stamped using Memento 'Elderberry' ink onto a snippet of 'Coastal Cabana' card stock and then die cut using the matching SU 'Secret Garden' framelits die - just gently rounded with flower shaping tool and popped onto the card with a sticky pad

-teeny Mei Flower white pearls added to the flower, just 'cos it looked too 'flat'

Having said that about wrong measurements, I still quite like the first card so it hasn't ended up in the bin - phew.

Edit: as suggested by Karen, I'm adding this into Technique Time Tuesday's current challenge :)

Di
x

Christmas ornaments

I did make this card with one challenge firmly in mind 'Merry Monday', where you have to use an ornament or ornaments on your card. And, later I also spied that  the new challenge over at 'Jolly Holly' is to use blue and silver on your card. My blue is a very soft baby blue, even though it does veer towards pale turquoise, so I was on track!

I used:

- A5 card blank which is from a pile I bought ages ago, they came already edged with silver

- snippets of pale pearlescent blue card stock to die cut the bows using a Memory Box die from the 'Crisp Bows' set

- snippets of matching pale pearlescent blue patterned card to die cut the ornaments/baubles using a Memory Box die called 'Classic Ornament'. Before cutting the baubles I covered the patterned snippets with double sided adhesive and then, once cut, the top layer of film was peeled off and the bauble sprinkled with Cosmic Shimmer's Glitter Jewels 'Diamond Sprinkles'. The 'caps' for the baubles were cut from a teeny snippet of silver card

- the sentiment is silver script on a white oval, made by Craftwork Cards and layered onto an oval punched snippet of pale blue pearlescent card

- final touch was just some little clear sparkly gems on the bows and one on each bauble in the centre of the biggest snowflake

Di
x

'Chloe' Sympathy card

I made this card with a heavy heart recently, after the passing of a really wonderful 93 year-old lady who was a much loved Mum, Grandmother and Great Grandmother. One of life's treasures who will be sadly missed, we didn't knew 'Nanny' very well but she was absolutely delightful and as bright as a button. RIP.

I knew I had some lovely Memory Box die cuts (using the 'Chloe Stem' and sent to me a good while ago by a very special crafting buddy). And I'd also seen a really memorable card made by Lynne of Cards from Lynne's Loft almost a year ago which had stuck in my mind. Hope you don't mind me CASEing your beautiful card Lynne!

I used:

- 6" x 6" square white card blank

- white Centura card and papers from the 'Sweet Afternoon' pad by Teresa Collins - sent to me a while ago by another lovely blogging buddy

- a single white Chloe die cut stem

- turquoise bakers twine, wrapped round the 'topper' and tied with a bow

- pale turquoise pearls, in varying sizes, on the flower head

- sentiment by SU from the 'Sincere Salutations' set, stamped in SU's 'Baja Breeze' 

Di
x

Less is More - Sketch Time

One way to 'kick start' the old mojo is to follow a sketch - so when I spotted that it was Sketch Time over at Less is More I had a quick play:

 And here's the sketch:

 

I used:

- 7" x 5" white tent style card

- snippets of pink and white card

- the heart was die cut using a Memory Box 'Serafina Heart' die (a present from Mo last year) in white card and a matching Memory Box 'Cupid Heat' in pink for the backing

- a strip of pink card, topped with a strip of white card which has embossed lines top and bottom, used the Hougie board for those

- sentiment used a stray SU stamp (pre-loved I think) and VersaMagic 'Pink Petunia' ink pad

BTW, the card isn't barrel shaped - the light here yesterday was almost non-existent so I took this lying flat on the desk - snigger, the card silly, not ME :))

I really enjoyed making this CAS card and will be looking out for more sketches for inspiration - as well as a light box/tent at this rate.

Di
x

Pixies Snippets Playground - Week 109

Crumbs, another really busy week in the Playground with 72 entries - great to see so many of you playing along :)

My snippets card for this week is for my 'in-house critic', to be hidden away until Valentine's Day:

I used:

- 7" x 5" white card blank

- the stamped image is by Penny Black called 'hot pants', coloured with Pro Markers and Polychromos pencils blended with Sansodor. Die cut with a Nesties oval die and then pierced round the edge with my much loved Tim Holtz piercing tool (thank you Sam, I love it loads) - the piercing is made easier 'cos you just set the depth using the little ratchet mechanism for holes the same size. Then the image was mounted onto a snippet of navy card, hand cut in the usual way

- a snippet of pearlescent navy blue card for the first layer, topped with a snippet of white card which was run through the Cuttlebug using Cuttlebug's 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder. Had to do three passes, carefully moving the folder and making sure I didn't get edge lines running across the card - one row of dots did get flattened but I just gently popped those back out by using an embossing tool on the reverse

- a fish tail was cut by hand from heart patterned paper from the Forever Friends 'Best of British' paper pad, then layered onto more navy card

- the final touch was to add Glossy Accents to the balloon

No sentiment, I thought the little hedgie in his patterned 'kecks' and holding his heart shaped balloon said enough. For our non-British playmates, 'kecks' is Northern slang for trousers or underpants :) And anyhow, I'm bound to write something soppy inside the card.

I'd like to add this into into the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #120, love this sketch and had such fun following it

Penny Black and More 'Love is in the air'

Penny Black Saturday Challenge 'New' - the stamp is new

And moving swiftly on, here are my picks for this week:

I love this card, made by Elizabeth, lots of lovely little bits and pieces making for a gorgeous creation.

Another beautiful snippets card, made by Viv - a baby card to treasure for sure!

And another baby card, this time made by Cathy - don't you love how the swirls make those beautiful butterflies look as if they're just about to fly right off the card :)

This card was made by Greta, using the shaving foam marbling technique for the wonderful flower. Do go and see, the post did make me giggle (you know how shaving foam will suddenly burst into life like a mini volcano) plus there's a link on how to play and have a go yourself.

More baby cards, from our Sam. Lovely use of snippets and I just love the images Sam used - how clever to use the little fairies and their washing line :) 

Tammy has been back playing with us and this gorgeous Christmas card uses lots of snippets - right down to a little piece of doily peeking out at the bottom. Lovely!

After a little absence, Jean came back to play with two amazing upcycled Christmas cards - they truly do look as if they belong on the 'best cards' shelf in a card shop! Do go and take a peek at the other one featuring a robin, it's also lovely.

And almost at the last minute, Greta came back with another card I had to show - see the red die cut sentiment (Joy) - what a clever idea to layer it onto the white one underneath!

Coo, we have a few baby and Christmas cards this week :)

And we have four new playmates this week - yay, welcome ladies! Please say hello to:

Susan(rainy) brought this absolutely fabulous Christmas card - so much lovely detail.

This fabulous brooch was made by Jenny of Jens Inky Adventures.

Patricia made this gorgeous card, loads of lovely detail right down to the little drops of dew on the roses and leaves.

This adorable stepper card was made by Teresa - love it and those huge eyes would melt a heart of stone :)

I ought to mention here that, like a few other blogging friends, I'm having problems following and also commenting on people using Google+. I'm not ignoring you girls!

Also, a couple of girls have verification turned on, which always takes more time when people are trying to comment. I've found that the safest way to stop spam is simply not to allow anonymous comments - since I did that I don't even have to moderate comments. Ha, having said that some chap did sneak through the other day offering something for sale :( But, it's the first piece of spam for months - she says, thereby unleashing a flood. Sigh.

The winner of the Woodware 'Patchwork Boat' stamp from last week is:

 Greta

Congratulations Greta - this seems to be your week! Can you please drop me an email with your address in and I'll post the stamp off to you ASAP (di_wray@hotmail.com)

And this coming week's prize, hopefully still in enough time for Valentine's Day cards is of course:

Yup, a Penny Black stamp the same as the one I used on today's card - called 'hot kecks pants' :)

Plus, a Tim Holtz 'Craft Pick' piercing tool as well - the toy box is very full here right now, to the point I can hardly get the lid on it. And that makes life fun 'cos my big expanding snippets folder, which is so full it won't close, sits on top - if that wobbles off I dread to think of having to re-sort all those snippets into colours!

The snippets challenge will run for one week and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 1st February January and will open again at midnight UK time on the same day. Maximum of three entries and please say 'No thank you' in a comment if you wish to still play but not be the winner of the prize.

Both items are one prize but can you please say if you aren't playing for either of the items in this week's prize 'cos then I could do a second draw for whatever it is the first prize winner doesn't want.

Please NEVER be afraid to say you're just playing for fun - it doesn't offend me at all, and the Playground is first and foremost for us to have fun, the prizes are just a thank you for playing :)

Mr Linky is below - please let me know if you have any problems linking, I can sort it out for you quite quickly and am always happy to do so.

Have a great week, hang onto your hats in the UK today as more gales are forecast,  and hope to see you in the Playground.

Di (and a wave from Parsnip)
x 

Sarn's Rudolph Day - January 2014

Yay, it's here again! Plus, Sarn has changed the rules a bit - you have to make (at least) TWO Christmas cards for your entry, in the same post. At first I wondered if I could manage that but it really was a bit of a walk in the park - I ended up making three very similar little cards and it really was loads easier to 'batch bake' them whilst all the ingredients were to hand :)

And here's a closer peek at one:

 I used:

- 4" x 3" card blanks, made from SU 'Sahara Sand' card stock

- a single card from Christmas 2012, which came with three different trees side by side already with a strip of red glitter across

- some red glitter card to make the 'frames' - from a big pack of assorted A6 glitter sheets, bought in Hobbycraft's sale for coppers last week. A perfect match to the already existing red glitter strips, you can't really see the join, wahoo :)

- sentiment by Personal Impressions from the 'Many Greetings' set, stamped with VersaMagic 'Hint of Pesto' and punched with SU's 'Word Window' punch

Three super fast little cards for the box - it took me a lot longer to clear up all the red sparkly bits of glitter here!

I love Sarn's new rule - and found 'batch baking' fun (unless you're making absolutely tons all the same I suspect - she says, recalling making Wedding invitations a while back). Why not join in - if you start now you'd have at least 22 Christmas cards made by the end of November. They don't have to be the same, plus Sarn now allows folk to link into as many other challenges as they like.

So, these cards are for:

Rudolph Day over at Sarn's

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for January where it's always anything goes.

And that makes a total of 10 in the box here already :)

Di
x

If the shoes fits

.............then wear it. I can't see me tottering round in a pair of shoes like this, although there was such a time when the higher the heels the more you felt you could stand up for yourself in the office :) It's another card made for a friend's Birthday next month so the New Year resolution to stay ahead of the game is still in my mind - so far!

I used:

- 6" x 6" square black card blank

- butterfly backing paper from First Edition's 'Noir et Chic' paper pad

- plain black and cream card

- all stamps are from SU's 'Fabulous You' set, stamped in Memento 'Tuxedo Black'

- the shoe was going to be left plain but my 'in-house critic' thought the card looked too sombre, so I coloured the shoe and butterflies with Whispers pens - with heart in mouth as the card was all finished by then! Then I added some black gems to add a bit of dimension to the shoe and the butterflies

- the sentiment was popped onto a black die cut, I used a Spellbinders Fancy Tag 2 die

The layout (ie. putting the shoe into a triangle) is similar to one I found on the internet - but of course now I can't find it again to give credit where it's due :(

I thought the shoe looked OK without any colouring and am absolutely certain it would look divine stamped in other colours or embossed in gold or silver, maybe on a Wedding card.

More food for thought!

Di
x

Shades of blue

Over at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge the theme for this week is 'shades of blue':

I used:

- white DL card blank

- the upcycled front of a Christmas card, from 2012, (who says I'm a hoarder)

- a snippet of backing paper from LOTV's 'Frosty Christmas' paper pad

- snippets of navy blue pearlescent card, punched with Martha Stewart 'Traditional Scallop' edge punch

- a clear gem at the centre of the star and smaller ones along the scalloped edging

- no sentiment, I think this beautiful upcycled card front, for which I take absolutely no credit, says it all

Am also entering this into Crafthazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra for January where it's always 'anything goes'.

Di
x

Just mucking around

I decided to have a play with some stamps that I bought at the NEC last November - they had been languishing, still in their unopened packets, due to various other things going on here.

I turned to my buddy Sarn's fabulous work for inspiration - see here and here for some of Sarn's examples. My result certainly isn't anywhere near as balanced and eye pleasing as Sarn's are, but here's one I made anyhow:

I used:

- 6" x 6" square cream card blank

- SU's 'Old Olive' backing card

- SU's ' So Saffron' backing card

- Kaisercraft's 'Grunge' stamp, stamped using SU's 'Pumpkin Pie'

- Visible Image's 'Ink Splats' set, stamped using Memento 'Gray Flannel', although it looks dark blue in the piccie :(

- the lid of a fat glue pen for the circles, using SU's 'Old Olive'

- sentiment is from the Creative Expressions set called ''Art Phrases', stamped using SU's  'Old Olive'

Had a lot of fun, but Sarn (and Andy Warhol fans) don't need to hold their breath! :)

Di
x

Love Grafitti

I made this card for a couple of challenges - Penny Black and More 'Love is in the air' and Penny Black Saturday Challenge 'New' - the adorable stamp is new, from Santa:

I was inspired by Sue's great use of hexagons, shown on her blog here - and her card was one of my Playground Picks on Sunday. So, instead of doing my all too often used 'backing paper across the whole card' theme, I played with hexagons :)

I used:

- 6" x 6" square tent style card, using SU's 'So Saffron' card stock

- the image is by Penny Black, called 'Love Grafitti', coloured with Pro Markers and Polychromos pencils, blended with Sansodor

- the image was die cut using a Spellbinders Nestie from the hexagon set, and layered onto a snippet of dark blue pearlescent card, hand cut in the usual way by drawing round the outside of the die to keep a narrow border

- the panel of hexagons was made with a snippet of dark blue card, a snippet of white card and snippets of paper from the Forever Friends 'Best of British' paper pad - die cut with a smaller die from the same hexagon set as the image

- right hand corners were cut on a slant and then some red Josy Rose nail heads added

Grinning here, that's about the amount of fence still standing/undamaged in the Playground :) Needless to say, it's going to be weeks before a new one can be erected - the local fencing contractors are quids in right now!

This card is also for Cuttlebug Mania's challenge which is 'All you need is love' - I used my Cuttlebug and a hexagonal set of Spellbinders Nesties. 

Di
x