Funkie Junkie Poinsettia...

Hello there Peeps!!!

Long time no hear I know.  I have been such a bad blogger lately but I am hopefully more settled now and hope to get back into the swing of things.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and that the Easter Bunny came to visit you.

Something I always try to keep up with is my making cards ready for Christmas and I usually join in with Mo's Rudolph Day.  There is still time and so I am sneaking this one in.  I had started to make it before Christmas but didn't finish it due to circumstances so I am sharing it now....

I was making it for the Funkie Junkie Challenge but missed it.  There are so many Snippets in there too so I am taking it to the Playground.  I hear Parsnip was dressed up as an Easter Bunny too and covered in choklit.  I had better take the wet wipes!!

To make the card I first of all stamped the background with versamark and my NBUS Stampendous poinsettia stamp and sprinkled it with gold embossing powder.  I die cut some card snippets with my TH die, inked the edge with versamark and again used gold embossing powder along the edges.  I used some hessian ribbon across the card, stamped a "label" sentiment and tag before adding some snowflakes both wooden and paper.

A peg to hold the label on and hey presto card was finished ready for sending.

Thanks for calling by.  I hope to visit you all very soon.

Hugs

Hettie

Wedding Card for Alex and Steve...

Hello Friends

Just a quickie to share a card I made for friends of mine that got married recently.  We were invited to the wedding, but unfortunately due to the MIL being poorly.  We missed a fabulous day judging by the photographs we saw.  So here is their card...

This is the nearest I could get to a white on white card.  I just could not do it...needed some colour even if it was just gold.

I finally remembered to use my StickIt and die cut a new Spellbinders die as well as my SU flutterbies die.  I added some VOS gold aurora spots that I bought from QVC back in the day.  The stamp is one I always use and I used gold from Delicata.  This really is a beautiful ink and is worth tracking down if you are looking for a gold.  It took me a while to find it.  

I mounted this onto some gold holographic card before mounting it onto the card.

I did manage to use some of my Snippets up like a good little smartie so am off to the Snippets Playground to play with the mischievous bunch while Miss is out on teacher training!!! 

My lovely friend Mrs A has reminded me that I can join in with the Butterfly Challenge with this card as it has stamping and butterflies on it!!!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Happy Birthday Tracey....

Hello My Lovely Friends

I do hope you are all coping with this terrible weather we are having right now!  I drove down to Cardiff today with my friend (needed to do a reccy on my new place of work - did I tell you I have a new job?, and we popped to Ikea too!!) and the car did have a few scary moments when the wind buffeted it.  In the days when the old rear engined Skodas were the car of choice in our family, my MIL used to carry a bag of coal in the boot on days like this.  I wished I had one in my boot today!!

Anyway, enough chat, I know you wanna see what I have been up to recently!!  This card wasn't done too recently, but it is one I have not shared before.  Hope you like it...

I used my lully Penny Black poppy stamp, inked with Ranger Archival ink and then coloured in using my watercolour pencils.  Then using my TH text stamp, I made a mask of the poppy and then stamped using DI and inked around the image before mounting it onto some red card. 

This was then layered onto some left over hessian (or burlap to my US friends),  then some Papermania pp and some more red card before putting it onto the kraft card.  

Some buttons along the top and ribbon and hey presto a card was born.  

The hessian and red card were from the vast Snippets collection so I am running with my lead boots over to the Snippets Playground ready to take part in the cookery lesson and subsequent pancake race tomorrow!!  There is talk of chocolate spread, but I am an old fashioned gal who likes the lemon juice, currants and sprinkled sugar with cinnamon.  Who is with me?

Thanks for calling by.  

Hettie 

First Rudolph Day of 2016

Hello there My Friends

Gosh where did January go then? I don't know about you but I have been pretty busy this month with one thing or another and to be quite honest, I am hoping that February and the rest of 2016 will be a bit kinder to me.

So here we are at the end of January and I have two cards to share with you for the Rudolph Day over at my friend Mo's blog.

Here is the first one...

I stamped some Snippets of red card with the bauble stamps and die cut them with my Spellbinders dies.  More Snippets for the Memory Box ribbon and Penny Black sentiment, a little ribbon onto the background MME paper and a card was born.

And just for good measure, I made another card....

Again I used some Snippets including the glitter paper border down the side and the vellum.  The lady was cut a long time ago when I was with my friend, and I will try and use the rest of them.  It needed a little dolling up when I finished, so added some glossy accents and sprinkled MS glitter over.  The vellum was left over from another card which I stamped the Stampenduous border stamp and embossed gold powder.  No idea where the background music paper came from, I found it in my Snippets drawer when I was clearing it out. 

Running off to my friend Mo's Rudolph Day and the Snippets Playground with my cards.  See you on the swings with Parsnip.  I need a cwtch with my fluffy friend!!

SU Happy Birthday....

Hello All

Happy New Year to you all!  Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness for 2016.

Before I start, I would just like to thank you all for your kind messages that I have received in response to my last post.   I have had some lovely messages whether it be on my blog, facebook, cards and emails.  Thank you all.

Having had a little time away from my blog, I think it is time I kick 2016 with some new posts.  

Here is the first, a card I made for a friend of mine a little while ago....

 I used my SU Blossom stamps which were punched with Archival Ink and embossed with clear embossing powder before painting them with Distress Inks and a water brush (Fossilised Amber and Abandoned Coral).

I then mounted this onto a Snippet of yellow before tying a bit of string with a TH die cut tag stamped.  I used the same Archival ink to stamp the sentiment on the card and hey presto! a card was ready to be sent off.

Just going to put my wellies and sou'wester on and splash through the puddles to the Snippets Playground for a hug with Parsnip!!  See you there!!  I have some catching up to do so please bear with me.

Hettie

One for the Hubbie...

Hello Peeps

Sorry I have not been around much the last week or so,  Hubby and  I went away for a short holibob and I have come back to a whirligig of Nativity Plays and appointments and things....Busy busy!

You remember I told you that I found some old photos of projects I have not shared?  Well this is one of them....

It is my Anniversary card for Hubby a little while ago....

Very plain and simple but he liked it.  It does what is says on the tin!!  

I took two bits of cream cardstock out of my Snippets drawer...yep, cream and white card goes in a drawer!!!!  I die cut them using a Sizzix die then taking my Stampin Up embossing folder that I was forced, yes forced to buy, and I ran one of the hearts through it, before layering them, punching holes with my faithful crop a dile and then stringing some Maya Road string round the card.  My little stamp with WV Potting Soil before attaching this piece of card onto the card base.

I am off to the Snippets Playground with this.  I understand the dress rehearsal for the Natitty Play is on Friday afternoon so I hope to see you all there in your costumes.  My Mum has washed some tea towels up ready, just gotta iron them but not before the day or they will get creased!!  Does anyone know if Parsnip and Fergus have got parts yet?  

Thanks for popping over.

Hettie

NBUS Christmas Stamp....Yippee!! and Rudolph Day

Greetings!

It is Santa's Head Elf here sharing with you a NBUS Christmas Stamp on this auspicious day.  Why auspicious?  Because it is the last Rudolph Day before the Big One!!!!  

So to kick this Rudolph Day off here is my first card....

Isn't that stamp just gorgeous!! My lovely friend from over the water sent it to me.  You know who you are.  MWAH!!  It is by Stampenduous and is called Fireside Ivy.  I actually got the inspiration to Viv and I hope I have done her card justice!

So what I did was to stamp it on a background card with Versamark and embossed it with white WOW embossing powder.  I did the same again on some vellum.  Then I took my oval die and cut out the middle of the vellum piece before placing it over the top of the background card and securing it with brads.  I then mounted the whole thing onto the card, added some faux stitching with my Sharpies white chalk pen and added some ribbon with a little stamped tag (Hero Arts stamp).

Now what do you suppose I did with the vellum centres that were cut out?  Yep, like a good little Santa Elf I cut some more ovals from plain card and tied them together to make tags for my parcels.  How is that for recycling my Snippets?

Right that is all from me.  I must get busy as the Chief Elf (i.e. the chap in the red suit) keeps going on about deadlines etc.  He is a bit tetchy right now!!

Off to share this with my buddy Mo and of course my other buddy Parsnip down at the Snippets Playground.  

Thanks for calling by.  Will pop over later once I have done my dance class.

Hettie

Funkie Junkie Christmas Jumpers...

Hello My Friends!!

It is about time I joined in with the Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas again.  I have jumped to Tag 4.  Well! I am behind so I can choose which one I want to play with next.  Jump HERE and you can see Linda's Tag.

I don't know if it is just me, but when I see these dies/stamps I always think of Christmas jumpers.  So I decided why not make some in cardstock.  

I took a Snippet piece of white card out of my crapalanche and some NBUS stamps of hats, scarfs and mittens mounted on a block, my Versamark and red glitter embossing powder and stamped a background panel.  

Next the jumper.  I turned on my Silhouette and went to the design store to find some jumpers.  I cut two out of cardstock then cut the arms off, laid all three pieces side by side and stamped the Tim Holtz stamp and embossed it with WOW white embossing powder.  I then joined the sleeves back on with some tissue tape.  If you are wondering why I bothered to cut the sleeves off, I am also a knitter and fair isle is knitted in straight lines and then joined to the body, hence just stamping the whole jumper in one go would not look right.

When I put the jumper onto the background, I felt the background was far too "busy" but I really wanted to use it, so I stamped a sentiment on to some vellum with Versamark and WOW powder and placed it over the top of the background securing it with brads then a quick tag, well Linda's is a tag, some ribbon and a wooden embellishment, inspired by Linda's tag, finished the card off.

Oh, I said I made two jumpers so here is the second card.   

I made this a portrait style card this time.  

I really like these cards and may make a few more.  

If you want any of the Tim Holtz stamps, they are available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  

Thanks for calling by.  There is still time to join in the Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas with some fun prizes to win if you complete all 12.

Off to join in with the Snippets Playground as I did use some Snippets, just as soon as the gates have been opened.

Hettie

NBUS Someone Special's Birthday Card...

Hello there Folks!!

I have been doing some uploading of my photographs that were on my camera and came across lots of things I have not yet blogged - oops!!

So I thought I should shift my little butt (in my dreams!) and share them with you. 

Here is a card I made for the Queen of Snippets - Miss Di, for her birthday which was last month!! 

I remembered I had some Chinese backing papers which I had bought a VERY long time ago, but was keeping for "best".  So I dug them out and having cut it to size (5x7) I inked it up with my splatter stamp around the edge and embossed it with gold embossing powder.  I also then added some words to express the moment.

I then took a piece of white card and  I stamped with Versamark ink with a new flowery stamp and embossed with white embossing powder before inking the whole piece with Victorian Velvet and Tattered Rose DIs, I then used my favourite spritz n flick technique and stamped the sentiment and bee (NBUS - Graphic 45).  

  

I took my NBUS Lily Stamp from Sheena Douglass (well over a year old!) and stamped it up with Versamark and embossed it with gold embossing powder.  Once it was dry I then painted with DIs to colour it all in, fuzzy cut it out and ten using my pokey-things-with-balls-on-to-3D it and make some texture. You know what I mean!  I cut out the die (it was new when I did it).

Then all I had to do was layer it up and get it into the post for my friend.

As I had all the stuff out, I set about making another to go in my box for future use, which actually wasn't long.  

This time I used the Abandoned Coral ink.  Isn't it lovely?

I am going to link this up with Mrs Snippets herself so I shall see you all at the Snippets Playground.  Does anyone know if the ice-cream man is coming round still, or has he packed it all away until next year?

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Sympathy Card for a Friend

Hello

I had occasion to send a sympathy card to a friend who lost her brother recently.  I have a lot of envelopes which were given to me that takes cards 4.25" x 8.5" so I needed to make my own cards.

I used my NBUS Spellbinders die that my Special Friend picked up for me at a Stamp Show in US.  Isn't it just gorgeous.  The die cut at the bottom comes out of the centre.  There are two other cuts too, and I will no doubt share those with you another time. 

 

The sentiment is a stamp I picked up quite by chance on a stall in our local market, it was second hand, but just what I needed.  I used DI to stamp it.  I just love the punched details on this die set.

 

 Here is a close up of the die cut with all the detail.  The flower and butterfly die cuts were made with my Memory Box dies, the flower was from another Special Friend who gave it to me when we met up earlier this year.  You know I love it Kath!!  Again, coloured with DIs.

 

Right then, off to play in the Playground as there were lots of white snippets used on this card.  I am grateful to Miss of the Playground, who advised use of wax paper for fiddly die cuts, and boy is this a fiddly die cut!  Worth the trouble though I think!  I am also entering this into the Cuttlebug Challenge which this week is "Anything Goes".

 

Thanks for visiting.  See you on the swings!!

 

Hettie

Artistic Outpost...Two for the Men...

Hello there

 

Gosh another weekend that just whooshed past.  Is it just me or does everyone's weekends go too quick?

 

I have been pretty busy today and one of the jobs I wanted to do was to bottle up some honey.  Now in order to do this I have to break up the comb into a double filter, then let this drain into the pot before decanting into jars.  This sounds simple but it can be very sticky.  You can guarantee that when doing this, one of three things happen:-

 

1    Your nose itches.

2    You want a wee.

3    The phone rings.

 

Before I started I went to the loo and blew my nose.  Can you guess what happened as I started to cut the comb  Yep the phone rang.  It was one of those famous insurance companies - the one with a character called Brian.  I told him Hubby was in bed and I was up to my elbows in honey so couldn't talk. To say this took him by surprise was an understatement!!    He was stunned into silence.  I bet that will now go down in the excuses list!!

 

When I steam cleaned my kitchen floor, I had to do the phone receiver too!!

 

Right, onto today's post.  I recently had a few birthdays of the male species, so had to make a few men type cards.  Not my favourite type of cards. Thankfully the two men in question are not connected so I could make similar cards using my Artistic Outpost Grist Mill stamps.... 

You can see my word of the year on these, as well as the sunshine when I took the photos.

 

 

I raided the Snippets box for some of the layers so I am off over to the Snippets Playground as I hear there is choklit over there.

 

Have a great week everyone. 

 

Hugs

xx

Get Well Soon George...

Hello there

Wonderful "summer" weather we are having....NOT!!  Come on summer!! 

I was pootling around my blog and found this in my "draft" or should that be "daft" posts so thought I would share it with you.

Not much to say other than I did a little stenciling, picked some papers out of the Snippets drawer and stamped a Cockeral and coloured him in with Copics and a teeny bit of H2Os on the feathers in his tail.

A little bit of string and a heart cut from a previous card and hey presto a card for my friend George who was poorly at the time.

Off to the Snippets Playground with this.  I understand Miss is having a rest (playing hookey to you and me) and Eve is in charge this week!!  I hope she has eyes in the back of her head to keep an eye on all the mischief makers.  You know who you are!!

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie

Rudolph Day - July Already????

Hello there

 

I am baaaaack!!  Have you missed me?

 

I have decided it is about time I take a hold of my mojo and give him a stern talking to and when that did not work then a bar or two of chocolate and he decided to return and do his job!! Well, you didn't think I would miss out on Rudolph Day did you?  I cannot believe it is July already!!  I got a flurry of paperclips thrown at me today when I dared to mention that it was only four more pay days until the Big Day!!

 

So then, onto my Rudolph Day card....

 

 I was given a bunch of envelopes that are a different size to standard so I bought some card from the local Art shop in order to cut my own.

 I do wish you could see it IRL as it is brimming with Perfect Pearls shimmer.

The main image is Penny Black which stamp I bought in Absolutely Everything last year stamped with Archival Potting Soil.  I mounted this onto a Snippet of gold cardstock and then dark brown cardstock and tied with a piece of ribbon.  I stamped the Tim Holtz text stamp on the main card with Frayed Burlap and then sprinkled Perfect Pearls over before stamping again with the Tim Holtz Christmas stamp.  I mounted the PB image and added a little Poinsettia which I cut using Snippets and edged with gold embossing powder, finishing off with a little glossy accents and gold micro beads.  Another one for my box.

 

Thanks for calling by.  Off to see what has been going on down at the Snippets Playground. Also off to join Mo with the Rudolph Day of course.

 

Thanks for calling by.

 

Hettie

 

Rudolph Day - May 2015

Hello there

The best laid plans and all that.......

This past month has gone at such a pace that I completely forgot about getting cards ready for 25th of the month.  So Monday afternoon I sat down and made some cards and ruled that as many of the parts had to come out of my Christmas basket of shame.  Let me tell you this basket is overflowing with Snippets, embellishments, ribbons, and all manner of Christmas things.  It really needs to be cleared and so I have made the decision that if there is anything left in there by September then I will be giving them to my neighbour for the Brownies.  Some of the stuff is so old and it is time to get rid of.

I completed seven on Monday which I thought was good going for me, and on Tuesday evening I completed another three which means that for the first time this year I managed to complete my target of ten per month!!!  Yeay!!!!!!

So here they all are....

Using Dreamweaver stencil, stencil paste and microbeads onto black cardstock (I did this last year but never used it) I then cut around the image and mounted it with a lot of glue onto the glitter cardstock Snippet (having put it under a heavy book overnight to make the glue stick).  I wrapped silver twin, tied a Snippet of recycled ribbon and tied on two bells (from Christmas crackers) and mounted it all onto a card which came from a kit from QVC many years ago.

Chipboard from chit pads used in work using Tim Holtz die borrowed from buddy and inked with Festive Berries DI, brushed with Kiwi Perfect Pearls and then stamped with Tim Holtz flourish stamp.  Snippets of patterned papers and Poinsettia cut from TH die with brad in the centre.  All mounted onto card, some faux stitching and another completed.

The background piece was made as a mock up for a Christmas Album two years ago.  I chopped it up to make this panel.  Susan Wilson (NBUS) die cut with Snippets and layered.  Some ribbon to tie a double bow.  Hero Arts stamp for the sentiment and mounted on a Snippet and pearls added.  No 2 completed.

Background paper Bo Bunny and just enough to paper two cards.  Punched the corner with Martha Stewart punch and added some faux stitching.  The Trees were stamped with Stampin Up stamp (NBUS yet had it for ages) and then punched.  The trunks and pot were from the same set.  Embossed with clear embossing powder.  Sentiment stamp is TH.  XCut die cuts, again from Snippets. All stamping is Pine Needles DI. Added some shimmery die cut stars (SSS) and a teeny bow.

Same details as above, but I chomped the corners with Memory Keepers chomper.

 

This background piece is soooo old I am not sure it was even this century when I bought it!  I found a piece of kraft card looking lonely so I cut it in half, chomped the corners and punched a hole using my SU 1/2" punch.  I took another Snippet and punched a 3/4" punch and made a hole ring thingie.  Stamped a TH stamp and then ran it through the B/S with an embossing folder.  Die cut some stars with a K&Co Snippet added it on then added schtickles.  The rosette was taken off one of my Tags and I added another punched circle.  I took my TH chit chat stickers, ribbon and another for the tin.

 

Similar to the last one, only I used a different Snippet. 

And now for the recycling of my Christmas Tags. I used a freebie piece for the background (I think it is Docrafts), chomped the corners and then added the Tag, having first of all added a TH word card underneath.  I took the original paper bow off as it had got bashed in the basket and replaced it with a punchboard bow with a button in the centre. 

 

 

I tried putting this tag onto a background piece but nothing worked.  Whatever I used didn't work so I just plonked it onto the kraft card, chomped the corners and added faux stitching.

And last but not least here is my last card for today.  Thanks for sticking with me so far.  Another I made for the Funkie Junkie Tags Challenge.  This is pretty heavy so it will be a hand-delivered to the recipient.  Only thing I have added is a Snowflake die cut from the Snippets basket and a word card from Tim Holtz.

 

I thought I would share a photo of my lickle Dobby.  Does he look comfy or what?  Bless him.  Some of you may know he has been poorly having had a fall down our stairs, but he is slowly getting better and in the last few days he has been more of his usual self.  Only thing is we now have to carry him down the stairs to save him straining his shoulder joints.

 

Right then.  That is it from me.  Thank you for sticking with me.  Off to join Mo at the Rudolph Day Challenge, Miss Di at the Snippets Playground (Miss is away at the moment on a school reunion so I am guessing there is some mischief going on behind the bike shed with the usual suspects), Cuttlebug Mania as there is plenty of bling on these, and I am joining Hazel at Hazelnuts.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Hettie

Happy Birthday to Two Special People

Hello There

 

Well, that weekend went whoosh ...and then it was gone!!  Had an exciting one too as I went to the WOYWW Crop on Saturday.  I will share photos with you on Wednesday.  On Sunday I played Apprentice Beekeeper and pulled off our first small batch of honey for 2015!!

 

Tonight I want to share with you some cards I made last month for two Special People who had birthdays last month within a week of each other.  I used my very new Lavinia Snail stamp.  Well, I was ordering a stamp for one of my Special Friends, so I may as well as take advantage of justifying the postage!!

 

 

The star paper is some from Crate Paper which has been in my stash for several years. 

 

The images were all stamped using Potting Shed Archival ink and I used a selection of DIs including Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain.

 

Also NBUS were the sentiment cards which I bought last year on my USA trip.  I have been hanging on to them so I thought it was about time they were used.

 

The little stars were made using my Simon says Stamp die and dark brown card used for matting were all from my Snippets box.

 

I had fun making these and I do love the snail image.

 

As I used some Snippets I shall be popping down the Snippets Playground to see what my fellow playmates have been up to.

 

Thanks for calling by.

 

Hettie

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