Long Sunday Snippets Post, so grab a cuppa!

Hi Playmates!

I'm hosting a new challenge over at the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND for the next fortnight. So why not use up some snippets on your homework, then come over to the Playground for a 'show and tell' via Mr Linky.

I made a little journal to share with you - which you can WIN as part of the Snippets Playground prize - along with a “pre-loved” Stampin' Up! stamp set. We normally offer you brand new prizes, but to help make our pocket money go further, Di and I have taken the decision to occasionally offer pre-loved items that are in “as new” condition.

The journal measures 3.75" wide and 4.5" high. Below are photo's of each page.

Journal cover

Pages 1 & 2 (with pockets and tags)

Pages 3 & 4 (with pocket & ephemera as well as a band to hold things)

Pages 5 & 6 (with a band to hold tags &
a little envelope pocket with a velcro dot closure)

Pages 7 & 8 (space to write on the left and
another couple of pockets with ephemera on the right)

Pages 9 & 10 (with a flap and a pocket)

Pages 11 & 12 (spaces to write or add ephemera)

Pages 13 & 14 (pocket and writing space)

Pages 15 & 16 (lift up flap and writing space)

Pages 17 & 18 (pocket with tags & space to write)

Presented in a custom-made box

I had a lot of fun making this journal with snippets of Craft O'Clock's Warm Breeze papers and some recycled brown paper. I hope whoever wins the journal enjoys using it or gifting it.

Garden Faerie

Hi there!

I took advantage of the ALLSORTS birthday discount (last month), and treated myself to a couple of AALL & Create dies. This one is Roadway Vistas Set #78. 

Here's the first thing I made with it . . . but no doubt there will be lots more as it's a pretty versatile die set. 

MATERIALS:

• AALL & Create Roadway Vistas die used for the frame and centre panel.
• IndigoBlu Garden Faerie stamped onto copy paper, fussy cut and stuck onto the main panel. Extra stamping and cutting for a second pair of wings. The wings have Wink of Stella painted on.
• Distress Oxides: Shabby Shutters; Iced Spruce and Peacock Feathers for all inking and stencilling of the background.
• Derwent Inktense pencils used to colour the faerie. 
• Versafine Onyx Black used with the circles stamps from Funky Fossil's Tall Grass stamp set. Sprinkled with clear EP and heat set. 

I was undecided whether to add a cardboard stand to the back of this, or mount it onto a card front. In the end, I chose the card option - see below. I added some more bubbles to the card to coordinate!

As the focal stamp is called "Garden Faerie" - I thought I'd enter the current ALLSORTS CHALLENGE #851 where Brenda has chosen the theme of ANYTHING FROM THE GARDEN. Brenda has fairies playing at the bottom of her wonderful garden . . . so am hoping this will comply with the theme . . . but if that’s stretching things too far, it can always be entered under the Anything Goes option.

Delighted to have been a Top 7 Pick with this fairy card over at Allsorts:

Sunday Snippets - Hello Friend ATC

Hi Playmates!

For my homework this week, I made a floral ATC. 

The inner purple/pink flower was one of the left over snippets from those cut in THIS POST.

Snippets for die cutting the flower and
stamping the sentiment 

Details:

• MFT sentiment from the "Friends Like Us" set, stamped onto the white snippet in the picture.
• Background created using pink and purple ink, and a stamp from the SU Artistically Inked set
• Book text by Florileges Design stamp ref: FG317034
• Marianne Designs' Daisy flower dies used on the white snippet in the picture
• Purple paper snippet from Studio Light Unicolour Paper pad

I would like to enter this ATC into the current TAG ALONG & ATCs CHALLENGE where the theme is ADD SOME TEXT.

I have published RESULTS from the previous challenge, so please hop over to the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND to admire the top picks and discover which lucky playmate won the prize. There's still nearly a week left to play in the current challenge if you haven't already done so.

Turning Ugly Journal Pages into Card Swans!

Ever made an UGLY journal page and wondered what to do with it? It's such a shame when, after you've had all the FUN of creating it, you stand back, look at it and think: "Well, that’s hideous, I'll have to gesso over that hot mess."  

But not necessarily . . . I WAS going to blot out this page with white gesso . . . but then had second thoughts. I tore it out of my journal and used it to die cut pretty flowers with instead . . . then set about making some cards from the results.

Three cards made so far . . . and plenty of
flower snippets left to play with!

Materials:

• Ugly journal page for die cutting.
• Daisy flower die by Marianne Designs
• Circle of Leaves die by Simon Says Stamp
• Outline flower die by Concord & 9th (retired)
• Sentiment on the trio of flowers card by MFT (no longer in business)

Sunday Snippets - The Cosmos is smiling on you!

Hi Playmates!

There's a new challenge to play along with over at the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND hosted by Miss Di and Dudley for the next fortnight.

Here's my homework - only one snippet used up again . . . but each one lowers the pile a little:

The left over snippet after I cut it away
from the bottom of the card.

Details:

• Hobby Art "Bee Kind" stamp set for the flowers.
• Sentiment made up of two different stamp sets: "Sending you lots of" is a Uniko stamp, "smiles" is a long retired Printworks stamp.
• Bottom edging was a snippet. I glued it to the bottom of the card and cut the remainder off with scissors.
• VFC Twilight ink used for all stamping.

I’d also like to enter this card into ALLSORTS CHALLENGE #851 where the theme is ANYTHING FROM THE GARDEN (or anything goes).

Sunday Snippets - Coneflower ATC Postcard

Hi Playmates!

I'm hosting a new challenge over at the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND for the next fortnight, so please come over and play with Miss Di, Dudley and me. There’s bound to be a game of tag on, or you can visit the treehouse and have a nice mug of hot chocolate (or something stronger). If the weather forecast is correct, we may even get the paddling pool out!

For my homework this week I used a snippet of black card and a snippet of white card to make this coneflower ATC.

ATC

Details:

• Black and white snippets of card.
• PaperArtsy Eclectica stamp set EAB48 "Coneflower Edition" for the coneflower, words and postage stamp/frank.
• StudioLight stamp set 451 for the little grungy background stamp.

I'm also taking this ATC over to the TAG ALONG & ATCs' MAY CHALLENGE where the theme is ADD SOME PINK (or anything goes). 

Delighted to be “picked” at the Tag-Along Challenge:

You're invited to Allsorts' 17th Birthday Party

I am thrilled to be one of the Guest Designers at ALLSORTS Challenge 850 while they celebrate their 17th birthday.  Go check out the Design Team’s lovely makes. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLSORTS - congrats to Brenda and her team on your longevity.

The challenge theme is ANYTHING GOES - so a nice easy one.

There are lots of lovely prizes on offer (details HERE) and you can enter up to 5 times, so why not come and join in with the Allsorts Birthday Party and you might go home with a little goody bag!n On top of all that there is a code for 15% off of Aall & Create products which is AllsortsBD17.

I got out the wonderful Studio Light triptych dies to make this shaped card, along with some vintage style stamps by Tim Holtz. I stamped the butterfly twice so I could decoupage it. If you fold one panel back on itself, this card fits inside a 6" x 6" envelope.

Materials:

• Studio Light triptych die
• Botanic Collage Stamps CMS447 by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous
• White panels matted onto SU Tip Top Taupe card
• SU Birthday stamp from a long retired set, stamped with Tip Top Taupe ink
• Lavinia Elements Mulberry ink used for the main panels

Cocktails ATC

Mojito anyone? Or a Dirty Martini with extra olives?

Here’s a little ATC that I'm taking along to the TAG-ALONG (& ATCs) CHALLENGE where the team wish you to ADD SOME PINK to your project (or use the Anything Goes option if you prefer). 

I used up a snippet of Craft O’Clock’s Warm Breeze paper and added a sentiment in green ink - simple as that! There's pink on the cherries; straw; umbrella and strawberry, so I'm entering using the theme, but there is always the anything goes option.

ATC

Details:

• White ATC blank covered with a snippet of paper from the Warm Breeze pad by Craft O'Clock
• Stamped sentiment by Stamping All Day

Monochromatic Cat Card

Hi there!

Today I have a monochromatic card to share with you. 

5” x 5” sized card

Materials:

• Penny Black cat stamp “Celebrating” 1472E.
• Cat was stamped direct to the card front and again onto a white snippet so that it could be cut out and decoupaged using foam pads.
• Coloured with a Violet Derwent Inktense pencil & a waterbrush.
• Happy Birthday sentiment by Visible Image.

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

• Allsorts Challenge 849- Monochromatic theme (closes 22nd May)
• We Love Stamping May Challenge - All Creatures Great & Small (closes 3rd June)
• Stamping Sensations - Cute Creatures theme (closes noon 3rd June - for the final time).

Sunday Snippets - The gelli print edition!

Hi Playmates!

For my homework this week, I have an A6 sized card to share. 

Everything on the card front is a snippet! I've used up gelli print snippets and a small piece of white card. The bird die is by The Works (very old) and the sentiment is a magazine cover gift from ages ago.

Left over snippets from making the card

I have published RESULTS from the previous challenge, so please hop over to the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND to admire the top picks and discover which lucky playmate won the prize. There's still nearly a week left to play in the current challenge if you haven't already done so.

Next Saturday, Brenda and her talented Design Team are celebrating Allsorts' 17th Birthday with lots of prizes from Highlight Crafts; Lavinia Stamps and Art Impressions, so make sue you come along and join in the fun! BEFORE then . . . there is a birthday discount code which can be used at AALL & CREATE up until 31st May - see details HERE.

I have been busy checking out other sunny playgrounds . . . and even found a new playmate for Dudley - complete with a Honka Duck toy to share! I sent these hol snaps to Di while I was away - to keep her amused!

Easy as A BEE C!

Sorry about the title pun on this blog post . . . couldn't resist. You should try being inside my head, it’s busy up there!

Anyhoo, I digress . . . I have a little ATC to enter into the TAG ALONG & ATCs CHALLENGE using their theme of ADD SOME PINK. There’s a lovely tag die set to be won too! You can enter tags, bookmarks or AT cards/coins.

ATC

Details:

• Gel print snippet, trimmed to 2.25" x 3.25". Black snippet of card trimmed to 2.5" x 3.5" to create ATC base.
• One of the leafy stamps from the Nature’s Gatherings Set 1 by That's Crafty Stamp was stamped onto a scrap of white copy paper, cut out and stuck on. 
• 3 Visible Image bees (die cuts kindly gifted to me). 

Sunday Snippets - A Butterfly Card

Hi Playmates!

There's a new challenge to play along with over at the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND hosted by Miss Di for the next fortnight.

Here's my homework:

A6 sized card

I've only used ONE snippet on this card (the butterfly), but I hope you'll agree it has IMPACT!

Details:

• Concord & 9th Butterfly (snippet from an art journal page I discarded)
• Funky Fossil - Geometric Flowers stencil (green ink)
• Tim Holtz THMM123 grungy letters stamp (grey ink)
• SU Gorgeous Grunge splatter stamp (purple ink)

Sunday Snippets - another Bunny card!

Hi Playmates!

Here's another bunny card. You have the chance to win a bunny die as part of the prize package over at THE SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND for the next week. 

Zigzag card

Left over snippets!

Details:

• Pink patterned paper snippets
• SU Sahara Sand snippets of card used for die cutting, matting and layering
• Zigzag shaped card created from a snippet strip of white card left over from cutting my own card bases. (Strip measured 11" x 2" and was scored & folded at 4", 8" & 9.5")
• Unbranded Bunny and flower dies, cut from Sahara Sand snippets
• Retired SU four petal flower outline die cuts used on back panel; waste leaves used to ground Bunny

Di has published RESULTS from the previous challenge, so please hop over to the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND to admire her top picks and discover which lucky playmate won the prize. 

Steampunk Zine

Following on from THIS POST . . . I made ANOTHER Steampunk Zine with some of the leftovers from the Stamperia Voyages Fantastique pack.

Front cover of my second Steampunk Zine

Pages 1 & 2

Pages 3 & 4 (with a snippet pocket on the left)

Pages 5 & 6

Front and rear covers

Details:

• A4 sheet of printer paper folded to create a Zine.
• Lots of grunge stamping added to each page, then ephemera from the Stamperia Voyages Fantastique book glued in place together with a few snippets of paper from my collection (pages 1, 3 & 4).

My first Steampunk zine can be seen HERE along with all my other Zines.

Sunday Snippets - Rabbit is back!

Hi Playmates!

I had lots of fun creating this snippets card which showcases one of the items available in the prize package for Challenge #531 over at The Snippets Playground for the next fortnight.  

A6 sized card

The leftover snippets

Materials:

• Heffy Doodle Stitched Rectangle dies
• Unbranded brick wall, small flower dies from Temu
• Rabbit die available from Amazon
• White snippets (rabbit, flowers and panel), plus cardboard packaging for brick wall and matting
• Homemade cloud stencil for the sky. PaperArtsy PS107 Stencil for the flowers on the ground
• Distress Inks for background
• Coloured pencils for rabbit and flowers

Come and join in the fun over at the Snippets Playground  - all you have to do is make something with your snippets, enter using Mr Linky and leave a comment saying if you're playing for the prize or not. 

Allsorts - Anything but Square

I'm delighted to be back as Guest Designer for the next fortnight over at the ALLSORTS CHALLENGE #848 where Christine has set the theme as ANYTHING BUT SQUARE (or anything goes) - so think shaped cards if you wish to enter using the theme. There are Aall & Create goodies to be won by 2 lucky entrants - but please remember to include names/makes of products used for your project.

I had some ink left over from when I smooshed the background for THIS CARD and decided to mop it up with a small snippet of white card for later use. This meant I could make a teeny tiny card with the results.  

Card measures 3" x 2.25" when closed.

Details:

• Zigzag card blank made from a white strip of card left over from making my own card blanks. It measured 8" x 2.25 and was scored and folded at 3", 6" and 7" to make the zigzag shape.
• Leane Creatief Daisy die - cut from a small snippet of SU Misty Moonlight card, and the sentiment was mounted onto another small snippet of the same card.
• Sentiment (from a magazine cover gift) was stamped onto a white snippet of card. 
• White Julie Hickey Glossy Accent for daisy centre. 

Coneflower ATC

I recently visited my local craft shop (The Malthouse at Herstmonceux - bricks & mortar shop only, no mail order) and discovered a beautiful PaperArtsy stamp set called "Coneflowers Edition" . . . which just had to come home with me as a little present to myself!

The inky ATC snippet was ready and waiting to be used on my desk (along with a few others), so I opened up the newly acquired stamps and created an ATC.

ATC

The April theme at the Tag-Along & ATCs Challenge is Blossoms, Butterflies and Birds, (or AG) so I'm joining in using the theme. 

 Details:

• Snippet of an art journal page that had been used to mop up ink left over on stencils, cut to 2.5" x 3.5"
• Coneflower and words from the PaperArtsy Eclectica EAB49 "Coneflowers Edition" stamp set
• Distress Inks used for all colouring

Sunday Snippets - Masculine Card

Hi Playmates!

I have published RESULTS from the previous challenge, so please hop over to the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND to admire the top picks and discover which lucky playmate won the prize. There's still nearly a week left to play in Di's current challenge if you haven't already done so.

For my homework I created a masculine card for a friend of mine who has a good sense of humour.

A6 sized card

Details:

• Stamped circles by Aall & Create
• Bird & sentiment from the "So Weird" stamp set by Whimsy Stamps
• Black snippets of card for matting and layering
• Cardboard packaging behind main panel
• White snippet for focal bird panel
• Tip Top Taupe ink by SU, plus VFC Onyx Black.

Gerbera ATC

The April theme at the Tag-Along & ATCs Challenge is Blossoms, Butterflies and Birds, (or anything goes) so I made a card with a lovely big flower on it in order to join in using the theme. You have until the 28th April to join in and there's a lovely prize on offer.

ATC

Details:

• Gelli print snippet glued to ATC base (2.5" x 3.5")
• Funky Fossil Washi tape added to right hand edge
• Uniko Pure Florals Gerbera stamp (cut out with matching die), lightly coloured with watercolour pencils and a waterbrush
• Unknown sentiment heat embossed in white EP added to the top

Move Forward ATC

I have a little butterfly ATC to share with you today, so I'm joining in with the fab TAG-ALONG (& ATCs) challenge - where April's theme is BLOSSOMS, BUTTERFLIES & BIRDS (you can choose any, or all, of them to put on your tag, ATC or bookmark). 

There's a lovely prize on offer if you join in.  

ATC

Details:

• Two snippets of "Warm Breeze" paper by Craft O'Clock,
• Sentiment cut from a sheet of words that was a gift, so I don't have the details. 
• Extra butterfly fussy cut and stuck on to make an odd number of butterflies which is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 

Sunday Snippets - Going Green!

Hi Playmates!

There's a new challenge to play along with over at the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND hosted by Miss Di for the next fortnight.

For my homework this week, I used up part of a green gelli print that had been hanging around for a while, along with some white snippets.

 4" x 5" Custom made base card to fit snippet.

Remaining snippets left from making the above card.

Why not use up some of YOUR snippets then come to play in the Snippets Playground. There's usually someone around to chat to in the Treehouse, or you can join the unruly mob behind the bike sheds. Alternatively, you can play on the swings; the roundabout or the slide (and the paddling pool in the height of summer!)

Details:

• Green gel print snippet that I wanted to use up.
• White die cuts: bird branch from a retired set by The Works; sentiment Happy Birthday Poe Script by Poppy Stamps.
• Tim Holtz distressing tool used to rough-up the edges.

In the garden - with Allsorts!

I was thrilled to be asked to join ALLSORTS as a Guest Designer for the next fortnight. Gail has chosen the easy theme of IN THE GARDEN, or there's always the Anything Goes option - and there's a lovely Lavinia prize up for grabs.

 As I get frogs in my garden, it had to be another "Frog Yoga" card because I love them (the stamps that is, not frogs per se!) and the sentiments in the set are so amusing.

A6 sized card

Details:

• All stamps are from the Stampendous "Frog Yoga" set. Coloured with watercolour pencils first, then a waterbrush was used for blending.
• Snippet of white for stamping the frogs on, matted with some SU Soft Sea Foam card.

Delicate Wings ATC

I have a little butterfly ATC to share with you today. This means I can join in with one of my favourite challenges TAG-ALONG (& ATCs) - where the theme for this month is BLOSSOMS, BUTTERFLIES & BIRDS (you can choose any, or all, of those to put on your tag, ATC or bookmark). 

There's a lovely prize on offer if you join in.  

ATC

Materials:

• Butterfly - one of two featured on Aall & Create stamp set #826 "Delicate Wings". 
• The butterfly was stamped with VFC Onyx Black ink and heat embossed with clear EP. Coloured with SU Wisteria Wonder ink & a waterbrush.
• Memory Box "Zippy Dots" stencil brushed with SU Island Indigo ink.

Sunday Snippets - A Biker's Birthday

Hi there Playmates!

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter - I hope you enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend. There are plenty of chocolate eggs to be found in the Playground Easter Egg Hunt. 

Di has published RESULTS from the previous challenge, so please hop over to the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND to admire her top picks and discover which lucky playmate won the prize. There's still nearly a week left to play in the current challenge if you haven't already done so.

My homework used up some patterned paper snippets and along with some cream paper. All stamping was done with VFC Pinecone ink. I stamped the Tim Holtz clock on the patterned paper using first and second generation stamping. The bike was stamped onto a cream snippet, then cut out with scissors. 

Materials:

• Visible Image 'Ride The Wind' stamp set (for the bike and sentiment).
• Clock stamp from Stampers Anonymous Visual Artistry range, 'Life's Possibilities' (CSS 25870)
• Snippets of brown patterned paper and cream card.
• VFC Pinecone ink.

Edited to add that Faith invited me to enter this card into THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE where there is a TRANSPORT theme . . . so I'm heading over there with this card too!

Easter Bunny Mini Moo

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Here's a little Easter Mini Moo to enter into THE LITTLE THINGS challenge run by Conny and Rosi. You can enter anything that is small . . . so think ATC cards and coins, tags, bookmarks, inchies, rinchies, mini moos and Memorydex cards (sizes are explained in the Permitted Projects tab at the top of the challenge blog).

Mini Moo - 28mm x 70mm

I don't have Easter stamps, so I had to draw the little bunny from an image I saw on Pinterest, then I added the word beneath. 

Details:

• A piece of biscuit packaging was cut to 28mm x 70mm to make the Mini Moo.
• Hand drawn bunny.
• Wild Honey Distress Ink was painted around the bunny for the background.
• Posca pens were used to colour everything else.