Obsessed!

 It is official - I am completely obsessed with these new stamps designed by Andy Skinner.

Not one normally for waxing lyrical about stamps but I simply adore this set - so much so that I have made that many cards I don't know what to do with them!

It's hard to have a favourite but this little boy makes me feel sad and happy in equal measure - one minute I think he looks happy 😄 with his balloon, the next I think he's sad because he is by himself with just his balloon for company😢.

I know there are many who like me couldn't resist these stamps. They are nostalgic and I think a reminder of a simpler and less stressful way of life where as kids we were happy with a balloon and a day at the Beach instead of wanting expensive fancy phones or computer games!
 
So here he is having a 'wishing day'... wishing he and his balloon could float across the sea to the fair on the Pier!

My background was ink blended, the other stamps are from Card-io.

I coloured Balloon Boy and added highlights with my watercolour pencils.
Don't you just want to cuddle him and take him to the Fair?

Am linking up at
Alphabet Challenge - H is for (Summer) Holidays
Sparkles Monthly - 1 for the Boys
Crafters Cafe - A/Goes + add balloons
I Spy - Summertime Vibes

Thanks for looking today. x

Sunny Days

Another scheduled post!
The August challenge at Stamping Sensations is 'ANYTHING GOES'!!
Don't forget we are a STAMPING challenge so stamping has to be the focal point of your entry!
Another great prize on offer... pop over to the blog for the deets. Here's my share for the DT this month.

Made from scraps too so am quite pleased with myself!
Background square masked and inked with Tumbled Glass and Mermaid Lagoon DI.
The stamp is of course from SU - an old set but I really like this pic of the little man building his sandcastle.

Painted the image with Promarkers - long time since I had those out!
I fussy cut round it and  tried to blend the edges where it met the sea with a teeny dab of DI - then raised it up with foam pads.
Punched a sun out of some yellow card, stamped a couple of birds then put it into a frame cut from linen card (another left over - it wasn't big enough to make a card with!)
Added the sentiment and a couple of shells all stamped in Vintage Sepia.

Am hoping that by the time August comes, we will be having some Sunny Days - not least because I am away for the month at the National Championships!

Thanks to everyone who is still visiting me and commenting. I am really enjoying my Presidential year but am sooooo missing my craftie space and blogland. x 

Packed again!

Only a mere 460 miles this week! Life is currently settling into a bit of a routine - home Thursday night after another really nice few days (and lucky again with the weather!), Friday washing day, Saturday a chill out day watching the men's County team and today ironed and packed up ready to go for the road trip down to the South coast tomorrow!
Am not sure though if we will be as lucky with the weather for the first Celebration match of the week on Tuesday but fingers crossed. The Club members who request the Bowls England team visit put so much effort into their hospitality and it's a damn shame when the weather doesn't play nicely!

So here is Mo's Video Boy, coloured with Promarkers and made into a card for a teenager. Just a basic layout with bold colours!

The papers are from a couple of sources - the striped was from a 12 x 12 sheet previously never used and the other background paper was one of 3 sheets left in a tattered old pad where the front has well gone to the bin so no idea whose it is!
All mounted onto a piece of textured card which I thought was a real odd colour but it matches OK!
The sentiment is a stamp picked up in a bargain bucket, inked in Faded Jeans DI.
The stars were just punched out from the offcuts. Inside decorated to match.

Challenges -

CRAFT - Male
Crafters Cafe - 1 for the Boys
Mod Squad - Masculine
Stampavie & More - Boys
Sweet Stampin' - Special man
DP2 - Anything Goes w/Mo's image- Twist - For Teenz

Time for a quick mooch round blogland - please accept my apologies if I don't get round to you tonight - am home for nearly a week (bliss!!!) from Thursday so I shall be a little more frequent visitor then!
In the meantime, thanks for keeping calling in - I really DO enjoy hearing from you! Enjoy your week. xx

Summer's Day

My blogging and commenting has been sporadic lately to say the least, so if I haven't been round to you lately I promise I will do so!
I have been really busy and feel like I am constantly playing catch up - didn't work this hard when I was gainfully employed!! LOL

Anyway, before I have to go out again I have a card to share.
I made this earlier this week - locked myself away for a couple of spare hours- and as time again was short opted for a CAS style.
I inked up the background using Distress Inks in shades of blue, stamped a couple of flying birds and punched out a 'sun'.
The image is by Stampin Up and is one of a small pile previously stamped that I am currently working through.
Pained also in Distress Inks, I cut round the little boy and his sandcastle, sponging a tiny amount of blue to the edges where they meet the 'sea'.
I stuck him to the inside of a die cut square frame cut from linen textured card and then used 3d foam poads to raise him and the frame up from the background.
The shells and starfish were fussy cut after stamping and the sentiment is I think by Papermania.
Challenges -
Dream valley - Summer
Crafty Little fairies - Summer Fun
Inky Impressions - Summer Fun
Creative card Crew - Beach/sea
Addicted to Stamps - CAS
Fresh Brewed - Seaside
Cardz 4 Guys - At the Beach

It's a glorious day here - hope I can find some time later to sit out and relax in the warm sunshine!
Have a great day whatever you're doing and thanks so much for looking! x

Cold and grey day with some heavy sleet and hailstone showers thrown in just to keep me firmly in the craft room.... not that any excuse is needed.

After my relapse in printing out paper last time for the vintage boat card I went back to the 'use up the paper stash' promise and  got some blue papers - still wanting to make more boy/man cards but as I cut up paper pieces I remembered this badly neglected stamp and just had a 'sudden urge' to produce something with it!

Trouble with 'sudden urges' is that they then tend to throw you completely off track and things don't come together as you think they should!!!
Never mind - am sure there must be someone out there who likes the idea of a small child wearing a bucket on it's head!

 I have been struggling a bit with layouts over the last couple of days so this time I used a sketch from the challenge over at Freshly Brewed this month.

Image stamped onto linen textured card and coloured with promarkers. Distress Inks Stormy Sky and Mustard Seed sponged round the edges before matting onto dark blue card.

A bit of string and a couple of card candies along with a free digi sentiment from TLC to finish.

AND - because I am being very good I used up ALL the offcuts of the paper on the inside! 3 more sheets  gone - but it is a pity that 3 sheets doesn't amount to very much when you must have about 3 million!!! LOL
Other Challenges-
Cutie Pie - Cute and Blue
Digi Makeover - Blue
My Craft Spot - Polka Dots
Clear it Out - Blues
Craft Your Passion - Spots and Stripes

Hope you're warm and dry! Have a great day. x

Cutie

Quick post from me to share a commissioned New Baby card.
And also to apologise if I don't get round to visiting you over the next 2 weeks - cos today is the day we leave this wet and windy weather and fly off to HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!
Will try and pop in from time to time, as am sure I'll be wanting a little bit of shade at some time in between the drinks with umbrellas in and sleeping on the hammock!!

This image just makes me smile every time I see it - I am in NO way maternal but there's something about the 'folds' in baby's skins isn't there - squidgy hands and feet!!

Coloured with promarkers and cut out with the Radiant Rectangles dies, layered onto blue cardstock before assembling onto spotty and striped background papers.

All the dies were cut from pearl white card and as usual cut some corners with what has to be my most used die set!
Lace and ribbon rose trim from my stash.

The sentiment was computer generated and I added a few pearls (as always!!) and followed the theme into the inside, using the same papers.

Challenges -
ABC - V for Very Cute

Clear it Out - Boys/Dies
Just Inspirational - Die Cuts
Oldie but a Goodie - Dies
Cutie Pie - Cute for Boys

Well that's me done - some posts for my DT scheduled whilst I'm away so fingers crossed Mr Blogger behaves and loads them for me!
See you in a couple of weeks! xx

Scribbles!

The rain today gave me the perfect excuse to sit and start on a small order of cards -as if I needed an excuse after having being deprived for so long.....

Monty is the great grandson of one of the ladies at the Club -and having bought this Mo Manning image a while ago - simply because I liked it!- I thought I would use it. As I am not 'child friendly' at all, I hope it isn't 'too old' for a 3 year old!

I imported the image into a graphics program and then added what I hope are kiddie type letters for the greeting.

Printed out and coloured with Promarkers - and I confess I really enjoyed colouring this little man - his facial expression is priceless!
I mounted him onto some blue cardstock.
The backing papers are from the Nitwits 'By the Sea' and 'Land Ho' collections and the two small tabs secured with brads on the left were added as I thought it looked a bit 'plain'!
I don't possess a Cricut or similar machine, nor do I have any alphabet/number dies so the number was hand cut - (Not perfect but passable!)
The two 'crayons' are from the button stash and the inside is decorated with the same papers.

Challenges -
Red Carpet Studio - Going Digital
My Time to Craft - Spots and Stripes
Fashionista -  Birthday
The Cupboard Trilogy - Birthday
Crafting Cafe - Here Come the Boys
Sweet Pea Stampers - For a Child
Gem of a Challenge - Male Birthday

Thanks for visiting - happy crafting! x

Castles in the Sand

I made this card for a challenge then forgot to post it! Fortunately for me some of the other challenges are still going!

The image is another one which I just love by Stampin Up - really wish I could get hold of these whimsical sets at a reasonable price - but the p and p is real extortionate and makes the cost of the stamps ridiculously expensive. Never mind..... at least I got to make some cards with the stamped images I did whilst at the craft meet.

This image of the little boy playing in the sand just evokes so many memories of rare holidays playing on the beach when I was a little girl and my Dad building sandcastles for me and allowing me to 'bury' him in the sand. Armed with my bucket we'd go fishing for crabs and collecting shells - even if the sun refused to come out we'd go onto the beach cos that's what you did when you were on your holidays at the seaside!

I coloured with watercolours and promarkers and since taking the pic I've added a wee bit of sparkle onto the starfish. Papers are by Basic Grey and DCWV and I used a Martha Stewart punch, then added a bit of 'rope' and 3 eyelet 'portholes' to finish the card.

Several challenges -

Cards 4 Men - Long Summer Days

Crafty Emma's Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Corrosive Challenge - One for the Guys

Dutch Dare - Vintage Summer

Charisma Cardz - Inspired by a Song (and mine is Castles in the Sand by The Philosopher Kings - go here to listen!)

Distressed .....

no, not me! The challenge at Paper Sundaes is to use some form of distressing on your card so carrying on with making cards for the charity box I made this boy card.

The image was a freebie from Dustin Pike. I don't have a lot of experience with kids stuff, particularly for boys so hope this is a suitable card!

I coloured 'Sir Knight' with promarkers, sponged the white base card around him with 'Shabby Shutters' distress ink (doesn't show up too well on this pic, but trust me, it's on there!) and punched out 'half a daisy' with the newly acquired Martha Stewart punch and glued it onto the top right hand side.

The background papers are from a Christmas stack from HOTP and I used 3 small green mosaic tiles on the left hand side.

I have also submitted this for the challenge over at Cards for Men, which this week had set the theme of 'green'. I'm hoping that 'jolly green dragon' is green enough!