Stags & Reindeer at Christmas

Again, many of the Christmas cards I am making for 2018 feature a stag or reindeer on them - some cute and others realistic!

I just can't resist making them, especially as I have so many deer stamps, toppers and dies in my stash!

A Very Strange Commission!

I am often asked to to make special birthday, retirement or birth congratulations cards for the people I work with  - but this one is the weirdest yet!

I've been asked to make a card featuring a Highland Cow wearing a mini skirt for a lady who is retiring - no idea why!

If you have seen any Highland Cattle, you will know that it is highly unlikely that any would wear a skirt - let along a mini skirt, so this is the best I could come up with.

A Commission and Recycling

I recently got a commission to make a card for someones first Grandson - this will be winging its way to Romania soon!

Like many people, I have now started making my Christmas cards. These two have both got parts of last years cards recycled in them!

Two of a Kind

I bought this oval lace die set from AliExpress  - a great source a cheap dies direct from the manufacturer!

It cost $3.06 including postage, a weird amount I know! I have bought several dies, ranging from $1.50 upwards, don't think I have paid more than $4 for any of them.

I paired it with a different white embossed background for this wedding card 

I also bought these balloon and cloud dies, which has been used on several cards so far!

Something old ... something new ....

I just love it when a crafting mag plops through the letterbox. I can't wait to try out the ideas and freebies that come with it, and, well my craft room is one of the coolest places in the house at the moment!

Yesterday issue 180 of Simply Cards & Papercraft mag arrived with a Songbird Blossoms stamping die & embossing folder set

So I dug out these old pots of Brushos and made some backgrounds for the cards

Images stamped with Tuxedo Black Momento ink and set off with black mat and layering with little diamante for the birds eyes

I then tried the embossing folder on bright orange card and highlighted it with Versamagic Sahara Sand chalk ink. Such an enjoyable evening!

Suffolk Day 2018

Today is not only the longest day of the year, but also Suffolk Day where we celebrate all the wonderful places that make up my home county

For those of you who have never been here - it is an amazing county with unspoilt coastlines and countrysides, there you can step back in time to Medieval villages such as Lavenham, where they filmed Harry Potters 'Godrics Hollow'. Or visit a traditional seaside town, Felixstowe, with its newly refurbished Pier and Gardens.

At Shotley you can watch the UK's busiest container port, with huge ships unloading all the time, then nip across to Harwich on the Ferry.

Bury St Edmunds has the lovely Cathedral and abbey gardens, for a relaxing stroll around

And Ipswich, my birthplace, has some fabulous shops and restaurants, and the Waterfront - this is the statute of Cardinal Wolsey when it was Yarn Bombed! There you can also pick up a boat trip down the rive and pass under the stunning Orwell Bridge. The amazing Christchurch Mansion is free to visit and the surrounding Christchurch park is huge. If you are lucky, you might spot Mabel the owl in one of the old oak trees there.

I'm going to be spending the day in Sudbury, where they are launching a new Vision for the future of the town.

If I have tempted you to come here, there is far more information on the Visit Suffolk website.

3 Pink Elephants

I've had a pack of 3 glittered pink elephants with felt ears in my stash for ages, so thought it was about time I used them up - so have made 3 different birth congratulation cards

Each one is in a different style, size and layout,

But I think they are all quite cute!

Masculine Makes

Men are always so difficult to not only make cards for, but also to find the right presents for.

Here's a few cards that could be suitable for men - no flowers, butterflies or pretty accessories on these!

There ones are all left blank inside, so could be used for a variety of occasions.

Sorry - More Cats!

Following on from my last post, I'm afraid here are more cards featuring our feline friends!

I couldn't resist the 'Paws for Thought' topper pad by Hunkydory that I found in The Range yesterday - I just had to have all those cute fluffy cats and kittens!!

Cats, Cats & An Otter!

As a cat owner (or should I say slave), I love making cards with cats on then!

I especially like black or black & white cats, like my own

But just for a change, this last card features an otter!

Sports Mad .....

I'm a great fan of the themed set of stamps that come with Creative Stamping Magazine and this months are a cracker!

So many different sports are featured - including darts, snooker, badminton, hockey and 10 pin bowling

I couldn't wait to have a play with them, when I got them this morning!

Could prove very useful for those pesky Men's and teenager Birthday Cards!

Loads of Llamas

I've had these llama and cactus background papers for a year ( from April 2017 issue of Making Cards) and when I saw a sheet of cute Llama and cactus stickers this morning, I though they would be a great way of using them up!

They were only 99p in The Range and come in bright zingy colours!

So, another small dent in the stash made!

First 'Coffee Break' makes

These were quite fun and easy to make, the dies cut well and I like the shadow stamps to fill in the colour

I decided on a clean, retro look for the cards - bit different from my usual  vintage flowers and butterflies style!

Another Competition win ....

This time from Creative Stamping Magazine, one of my favourites! It is a Die-Namics stamp and die cutting set from the My Favorite Things range called Coffee Break and featuring Coffee pots, mugs and cups

Plus it has these great sayings such as 'You Deserve A Break' and 'Coffee is Always a Good Idea'

A Gossip or Pod of ...... Mermaids

The internet is not sure what you call a group of Mermaids - could it be a gossip, a pod or even a splash? Regardless, I have still been making more mermaid cards with the free Sheena Douglass stamp I got a while ago

They have proved very popular and have sold well!

I try to make each one different, using a variety of stamps, backgrounds and embellishments

Sometimes she has blond hair, others brown or red, but I always paint the mermaids tail with green & blue cosmic shimmer to make it stand out!

Even More Fairy Cards!

Thanks to the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma, I have had time in the evenings to make even more birthday cards with my Fairie Dust winnings!

The pastel colour scheme is so pretty, with so many different elements to play with. I should be able to make dozens and dozens of cards with them all.

A Sprinkling of Fairie Dust

Yes, I couldn't wait to make more cards with the lush pack of goodies I won yesterday

I love the sweet vintage look to the collection