Who Want's A Hairless Cat!

 Good morning and a very happy Monday! I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas and haven't eaten and drunk toooo too much. I must admit that for me the best parts of retirement are sunny Summer days at home and a lovely long Christmas. I know this year has been a strange one to say the least, and I certainly won't be sorry to see the end of it, but I'm sure 2021 will be much better.

Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my Katzelkraft/Carmen's Veranda card.

I started by making my background with some distress inks and my new Lavinia stencil. Then I stamped the Katzelkraft stamps in the same colours.

Then it was just a case of stamping out my main images. Don't you just love Enervy!

This Carmen's Veranda sentiment just cracks me up! I know Enervy is a dog but he kind of looks like a hairless cat! As always, everything can be found here in Dot's store.

And that is it from me for 2020. I would just like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year! Take care, and thanks so much for looking x

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

 Good morning and a very happy Saturday. All the snow from yesterday has gone now, but it was so pretty at the time! Today we should have been traveling up to the Lake District for our annual Christmas week away but the Tier 3 restrictions have put paid to that. Never mind, I've put so much weight on during lockdown I don't think I could have gone out anyway, 'cos PJ's are frowned upon in public.

Today I'm back over at Country View Crafts with my second Anything Goes Christmas piece.

Again, this was the first time I'd used these Tim Holtz dies. Oh my goodness, I love the Santa, but what a faff to put together, not for the faint-hearted (or madly impatient and very short-sighted). I should just carry on cutting and make a few in advance for next year (who am I kidding, I'll put them away and leave 'till the last minute as always)

So my work in progress photo is actually just a pile of bits! What this doesn't show is that actually, Santa is in two halves! That really is not how you should treat the big guy in red (other Santa colours are available)

I hope you're already joining in with our challenge, and if not, put on your Christmas music, Santa hat and get creating!

Have a very happy week, and thanks so much for looking x

And We'll All Be Merry And Bright

 Good morning, a very happy Tuesday, and welcome to December! Hurrah this year is nearly over lol but the best bit is still to come! Our new challenge over at Country View Crafts is 'Anything Goes Christmas', so for all of you Bah Humbuggers out there it's time to get into the Christmas groove!

I think I got these dies after Christmas last year so this is their first spin out. Once you get into them these Colourise dies aren't too bad to put together, but some of the smaller pieces are so tiny I just didn't bother - life's too short at the moment!

There's not much to say really, I cut all the bits and pieces out, lost some, cut them out again, found them....then I assembled them all. The hardest part was remembering which side of the paper went up or down as I've got a new die cutting machine and the sandwich is upside down to what I'm used to. Plus I have to get up and walk to it, it's not perched on the desk under the rubble at the side of me!

I don't normally duplicate cards but I'll be making another one of these. It's not as if the recipients will be meeting this Christmas! It's always so much easier and way quicker the second time around but I lose the will to live if I try batch making. 

So please put your grinch to one side and join in with our fun Christmas challenge. Take care, and have a very happy month xx

A Little Fragile

 Good morning and a very happy Monday. Wow, hasn't the weather changed, it's got much cooler on our morning walks over the last few days, but at least it means that I wear my gloves and scarf rather than make Neil carry them!

Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with a journal page.

I'm so happy that Dot has started to stock Dina Wakley stamps as she is one of my favourite designers. I love her paints, stencils, and stamps, the whole shebang! 

I started by making my background (as you do) on a page in my large Art By Marlene journal. There are no step by step photo's 'cos I just tend to go for it when I'm working with my Dina stash. I did try to keep a bit of white space - actually, this is loads for me!

This is what I used to make the background.

And this is my Dina stash. Lonely Girl, and the script are two of my very favourite stamps, and no, I don't clean the stencils lol.

And we are all done! This was such fun to make, and I hope you like it. Dot has got Dina's new stamps (mine are very old) here in the store together with lots of other goodies.

Take care, have a very happy day, and thanks so much for looking x

Made To Stand Out

 Good morning and a very happy Wednesday. Today I'm over at the Ink Art Designs Stamping Playground with my first project for this month.

A little while ago I got the Art By Marlene accordion journal and promptly put it away unopened, so now was the time to get it out again!

This is it opened out, it's sooooo long! Each section is about 6x4.

So it was out with my Oxides....

and oxide sprays.... (yep mostly unused 'till now lol)

and my Art By Marlene stencils (definitely very well used)

and this is what I ended up with.

It was far too big to tackle all in one go, so I decided to just work on the first two pages.

If I only get one stamp set out I always end up getting more, so I got a few out to start with (and only used 1 of course!!)

Lots of stamping and some cut-outs from the ABM collage papers. I've gone over the fold to connect the pages with my cartwheeling girl, but have as little as possible on the fold so it still folds and closes nicely.

There's a huge range of Art By Marlene goodies here in Dot's store, so pop on over to take a look.

Have a fab week, take care, and thanks so much for looking xx

 

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

 Good morning and a very happy Thursday. Welcome back to lockdown! I'm back today over at the Country View Crafts Challenge Blog with my second Anything But A Card piece, and again I've made (started) a memory book in its own stand.

Again I've used lots and lots of Stamperia papers, this time the wonderful Alice in both 12x12 and 8x8. I've followed an online class from the lovely Clare Charvill and this has been one of my favourite projects 'cos it's a large album - about 9.5 inches by 7.5 (when it's opened up it's 3 times that size) and it will take lots of photos in real sizes 6x4 and 7x5.

This is the front, it has a staggered opening with 2 hinges, and it's held together by the slip over band.

And this is the back. Such a pretty paper and I've carried this on over around the sides too. The album takes 2 sets of 12x12 papers, so I've used this one for the stand too.

You can move the slider to one side or remove it completely to open the album.

This is the first page.

There are six pocket pages three on each hinge and each has a flap for more photos.

Each page takes quite a lot of paper and by the end I was using every scrap including the covers, so there are quite a few Frankenpages! The 12x12 and the 8x8 work beautifully together so there's lots of mixing and matching.

These photo matts are 6.5 x 4.5 so will take standard sized photos.

And these are 7.5x 5.5 so will take nice large photos. These are the front and back of the same piece of 12x12, but luckily I have 2 packs so I don't have to choose!

Each page is also a pocket so there are six inserts, also with pockets, and these are about 7x8.25. The 8x8 papers fit perfectly, so you can see how easy it was to run through the paper packs!

And this is where they go!

Even though all of my pages are in my album is nowhere near finished. I think while ever there is a scrap of paper left you could find somewhere to use it!

And there's all this! Stamperia Chipboard is the best! I want to take my time choosing just the right pieces for the pages.

Here are a couple of very bad video's showing the pages. I tried to take it in one but Blogger wouldn't let me and I have no idea how to change things!

OMG please excuse my painting top, this wasn't meant to be in shot, I'll have words with Spielberg (Neil) later 🤣🤣

I hope you like my album, I can't decide yet if I'm keeping it or if it's going to be a Christmas prezzie - I'm not sure that I could bare to give it away lol.

Please join in with our challenge - remember anything but a card, how simple is that! Take care and just keep hanging in there xx

Anything But A Card For Country View Crafts

Good morning and a very happy Sunday. I hope you all had a great and spooky Halloween. Well although it sometimes feels that this year has lasted a decade so far, it also seems to be going really quickly and we are now into November! Of course, a new month means a new challenge at Country View Crafts, and this month it's Anything But A Card. Right at the start of lockdown (about 20 years ago), I started doing Clare Charvill's facebook classes to make memory books, and this is one that I've finally finished! 

I've used the beautiful Stamperia Imagine papers throughout. It was so hard to cut them up but I'm really happy how they look and at least I'll get to see them. There are a lot more photos

 now so grab a coffee and here we go!

It's quite a large album at 9 inches by 7, and the ribbon holds it all together.

I just love this image so she had to go on the front cover. I also bought lots of paper flowers but I'm not going to add them. They look lovely but add too much dimension and I think they would just get crushed so I added Glossy Accents in places instead.

I've chosen another of my favourite sheets for my back cover. The ribbon slides through the holder to make it easier to tie up.

This is the first page. I've taken all the tags etc out so that you can see the beautiful papers. I've not put any photo's in yet but there's room for lots.

There are flaps for more additions.

This is the back page showing the pocket for a booklet.

There are booklets to hold photos to fit in the front and back inside pockets.

and lots of tags, envelopes, and photo matts.

I made a video of the book with the booklets and tags in place, but new Blogger won't let me add it, so here's a few more photos instead.

So I re-made my video, it's very short, and sideways??? but hopefully it will work so fingers crossed.

It's going to be really hard choosing photographs to go inside but I'm determined to use it.

So please join in with us with  'Anything but a card' this month.

Take care and thanks so much for looking x