Uniquely Creative - Merry Christmas to Roo

 Hi everyone! The rain has finally cleared today and I've just been outside dead heading all my roses. Such a lovely thing to do after dinner as the smell of the flowers is heavenly. Hopefully I can get a whole day of gardening done tomorrow as I can hear the weeds growing from here!

We have a new Mini Stamp and Colour kit this month at Uniquely Creative 'Aussie Christmas 2'. The Australian themed stamps are so popular (especially with the company being from Aussie) and the kit has already sold out. However you are still able to get your hands on the individual parts of the kit.

When I saw the stamp set I immediately fell in love with the kangaroo (he looks so happy) and wanted to try out the new wreath die:

My Mum is Australian and has already grabbed this card and all the others I made from the kit to send to her family for Christmas!

I stamped the kangaroo from the kit stamp set 'Aussie Christmas 2' on white CS with Gina K Amalgam Black ink, coloured with Altenew Artist Markers and then used the matching 'Aussie Christmas 2 Fussy Cutting Dies' .

A piece of patterned paper from the kit was adhered to the card front and I also cut a panel of red CS. I die-cut the 'Star Wreath Die' from it and also from some Craft Smith gold CS. I inlaid the gold wreath into the red panel, using washi tape behind it, to hold it in place. I then added lots of foam tape and popped it on the card front. 

I used a double-layer of foam tape to put the kangaroo in the middle. The sentiment was white heat embossed on a strip of the same red CS, backed with the same gold CS and put on foam tape, along with some 'Gold Rhinestones'. 

I'll link this card to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'. This is my second entry.

Time to get my pj's on and set myself up on my bed with my iPad. I'm near the end of Season 12 of Law and Order (have just watched all of Season's 10 and 11). Its amazing that even though Season 12 was made in 2001 I still remember a lot of the episodes. Funny how I can remember those but can't remember where I parked my car when I go to the supermarket??? The joys of getting old!

Take care

Shona

 

Reminder: TIME OUT Challenge #175

 Hello there!! Its another rainy day here and I've just checked my strawberry patch. My plants are a couple of years old and they were fantastic the last few years but this year they have been attacked by whitefly and something is causing them to go soggy and rot before they are even red. It would seem to be all the rain we've had along with the hot weather that's caused this which is really disappointing. So looks like this is another 2020 sucky moment. Will this year ever end??!!

On to happier things, we have a really cool theme for you at TIME OUT, its all about 'Quick' which could be a quick card, quick thinking or maybe a quick craft purchase.....lots of possibilities!!

We are very excited to have Catherine Pooler as the Sponsor of this challenge and she is giving the winner a $25 gift voucher to her store. She was also very generous with our Design Team, gifting us products to use. Thanks so much Catherine!!

For my card I was sent the cutest stamp set that had me immediately thinking about my own dog and what she does around 'walk' time:

 My Golden Retriever 'Bella' knows exactly what routine I go thru when its time to take her for a walk. If none of the doors of the house are open she runs around the house, looking through the windows/doors to try and spot where I am. If she can see I'm in my bedroom putting on my walking shoes, she stands up on her back legs, paws on the windowsill and watches me while making a crying noise. Can you tell this is her favourite time of the day??!!!

I started by stamping the dog images from Catherine Pooler 'Peeking Pets' stamp set on white CS. I used my Altenew Markers to colour in the grey doggie and then used the 'Peeking Pets Dies'  to cut them out.

I wanted to create windows for these little dogs to look through. Luckily Catherine had also sent me the 'Essentials Slimline Die' which included a rectangle window die. I die-cut the slimline card base from white CS and adhered to the card front. I then cut a rectangle of white CS that would fit within the detailed edging and die-cut the windows. I used a pencil to mark where the windows would sit and blended Distress Inks 'Picked Raspberry' and 'Spiced Marmalade' on the slimline panel. I also stamped the paw prints (from the Peeking stamp set) as if the dogs were running around to look in the windows. 

After putting the window panel on foam tape, I stamped and die-cut some hats for the dogs and glued them on. They were then put in the windows on foam tape. To add a bit of interest to the background I dotted some water and removed with tissue and added Wink of Stella to the hats. To finish off I stamped the sentiment (from Catherine Pooler 'Bloomin Happy') using CP inks 'Orange Twist' and 'Party Dress'. I fussy cut it out, backed with some black CS and put on foam tape, along with some Studio Katia pearls.

I'm going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge 'Anything Goes'.

 

You have until Wednesday 2nd December to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge. And if your needing some 'quick' ideas, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you. Can't wait to see your creations in the Gallery!

Take care

Shona

 
 

Funky Fossil Designs - Let the Magic Happen....

 Well, its raining again!! I don't know whats happening with the weather of late but its rained on a Wednesday 4 weeks in a row. Although the last two days have been pretty hard work so I'm glad to have a little rest to try out a cookie recipe and make more Christmas cards but its getting rather frustrating. Especially when I need to try and fit everyone in before Christmas Day....

I wanted to share this card with you using one of the new stamp sets from Funky Fossil Designs and also an experiment I did with some embossing powder that turned out really well:

 So glad I was able to capture the sparkle of the embossing powder, usually I have to get 'up close and personal' so you can see it.

I started by stamping the word image from the new 'Musings A5 Stamp set' using my MISTI and blue inks from Catherine Pooler and Waffle Flower. I adhered a panel of turquoise CS to the card front and then put the stamped panel on a piece of white foam.

I stamped the 'yoga pose' from the 'Serenity A6 Stamp set' on white CS using Versafine Onyx ink. I did it 4x to get really good coverage and then tried something new. I sprinkled over some WOW! Clear Sparkle Embossing Powder, used my heat gun and was so excited with the result. It seems to have a turquoise sparkle to it, so I'm not sure if its picking up on the ink colours I used around it. Will try it again but maybe on pink next time to see what that does.

I fussy cut the yoga image and put it on foam tape, along with the white heat embossed sentiment (from the same 'Musings' set) and glued on some sequins from Neat and Tangled.

I have a few jobs to do in town but I don't really have the enthusiasm to go running around in the pouring rain. I need to take Phoebe to an appointment at 1.30pm so might wait till then and potter inside in the mean time. There is always something to clean (like my kitchen floor) so I'm sure I'll keep myself busy.

Take care

Shona

 

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - Girl Friday post for November #2

 Hi everyone!! The weekend has finally arrived for us here in New Zealand and I couldn't be happier. I've got weeds coming out my ears and people begging me to fit them in where I have no time left. Its nice to be popular but I find it quite stressful as I don't like letting people down...maybe 2021 will be my year of 'saying no' but doubt it, been trying to do that for years....

One of the millions of jobs I have to do this weekend is go thru all my Christmas lights for outside the house. I usually put them up on December 1st and that date is rushing towards me like a bull in Pamploma but so is Christmas itself. I decided this week to do something about my lack of Christmas cards and came up with a quick and easy idea using products from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps:

You should have seen the mess I made creating these, I had white paint EVERYWHERE: curtains, tables, chairs, paint set, clothes, carpet....need to start flicking paint outside from now on....

I wanted cards that I could create quickly but still have a bit of 'flair'. I love the Flakey A2 Panel Die and thought I could make two cards instead of one using it. I die-cut it twice from white CS and then cut across, making sure I didn't cut off the large circle snowflake. I added panels of coloured CS to each of the card bases and then arrange them together on a table. Using some Gansai Tambi white paint, I flicked them all at once with a round brush.

Once they had dried I glued on the snowflake border with Gina K Connect Glue. The sentiments (from 'Snowy Sayings') was stamped in similar coloured ink on white CS strips and backed with CS in a similar but darker/lighter shade. These were put on foam tape and then I added some sequins and jewels from Pretty Pink Posh.

Background dies are always that bit more pricey (for me anyway....) so I'm always excited to find a way to stretch their use. Definitely going to make a lot more of these and think all my gardening clients will like them.

If your thinking of purchasing any of the products I used today or maybe picking up something else (especially from the Clearance Section), you can use my special code to save yourself even more money!

I'm off to untangle hundreds of lights and might even start putting up my home decorations. Its been a horrible year. I love Christmas, especially decorating the house so why not celebrate early with something you love!

Take care

Shona 

Reminder: The Flower Challenge #50

 Hi there!! It has been so hot this weekend. On Friday it was so warm I ended up with my first sunburn on my shoulders and back of neck, so each time I go outside it hurts in the heat even under my t-shirt. Definitely need to travel everywhere with sunblock from now on.....

Our theme for this month at The Flower Challenge is to 'Use a Sentiment'. You could make a floral sentiment or just add a die-cut/stamped sentiment along with your floral images....its totally up to you!!

For my card I had a good idea in my head but as usual, when I came to make it I realised I hadn't thought it through properly....:

So frustrating how hard it is to capture gold, shiny CS in a photograph. I tried laying it flat, going closer etc but nothing seems to work. Here is another photo:

 

I started off by stamping the flowers from Pinkfresh Studio 'Pop Out: Hexagons' on white CS and white heat embossing. I then used a rainbow of Distress Inks to blend over each one. My idea was to inlay these pieces back into the Pinkfresh Studio 'Simple Hexagons' die-cut but suddenly realised there wasn't a single hexagon die with it and the way I had stamped them I couldn't use the large die to cut them out. Silly me!!

So I fussy cut around the floral patterns that filled the shape and used them to cut out the smaller floral images. I die-cut the hexagon panel from grey CS and also from white CS. I glued these together with Gina K Connect Glue and then to the card front. I inset four of the grey pieces along the side and then put all the floral images on foam tape.

For the sentiment (also Pinkfresh Studio 'Hello') I die-cut the shadow from white CS and the 'hello' once from Craft Smith 'Holiday Foil' in gold, and twice more from white CS. I glued these all together and then to the card front. And to finish off I added some gold pearls from Studio Katia.

You have until Wednesday 25th November to link your projects to The Flower Challenge and there are lots of projects to inspire you on the blog from the rest of the Design Team. Hope you have time to join us!!

Take care

Shona 

Teeny Tiny Christmas Cards

 Hi everyone! We are nearly half-way thru November and I need to start thinking about my Christmas lights that I use outside to decorate the house. Lots of them are solar lights and not very expensive, so need to get them out (probably have to untangle them.....ugh!) and charge them up to see if they work. 

I usually buy a few new lights each year to increase my decoration coverage so also need to decide what to cover in lights next. I'll be honest, with everything going on this year I don't have much energy for Christmas (which is very odd for me) but I also think because of this year its more important than ever to enjoy everything about it, especially making people happy, so will try to make my lights bigger than ever!

Speaking of Christmas, I don't have anywhere near enough cards to send out, so need to start cranking them out. I've had my eye on this die from Uniquely Creative 'Nordic Hearts' for ages and even though its sold out on their website, I was able to get hold of it through a New Zealand Craft Store The Ribbon Rose. I was itching to do some cross-stitch and thought that would be great for a Christmas card or two:

I went for the same colour combo with all of my cards - turquoise, red and white, with silver sentiments. These two cards use the quilt-like/nordic pattern in the middle.

These use the same dies but with the blue behind the red with the middle pattern. Just love this colour combo!!

 For these ones I stitched the hearts with red DMC cotton using three threads at a time and I also added the stitched frame behind the white hearts.

For these ones I got extra creative! I worked out how to create a red heart shape in the middle and then stitched the light turquoise thread around it. I also used light blue on one of them for a change.

 And for these final two cards I got really crazy with the designs!! For one I did vertical stitch lines of red and white. And for the other one I worked out where the middle of the heart would be and alternated with red and white stitches outward.

All of the cards are on 3.5 x 3.5 inch card bases. And the sentiments are from Uniquely Creative 'O Christmas Tree', 'Christmas Sentiments' and 'Aussie Christmas'. I really enjoyed making these and feel the urge to do more stitching, so watch this space!!

Take care

Shona 

Uniquely Creative - Naughty or Nice Card Tutorial

 Hi there!! Its 9.30pm Friday night and its so warm, although I'm extra warm from my very sunburnt shoulders and neck from gardening today. Its supposed to be a fabulous weekend too which will be great for the big fireworks show on Saturday night.

I just wanted to let you know that I'm up on the Uniquely Creative Blog with a  tutorial for this Christmas card using the Mini Stamp and Colour Kit 'Naughty or Nice':

Lots of inlaid die-cutting which you know I love and I enjoyed the red/blue colour combo of this kit so much I've started using it on my own Christmas cards. The tutorial has lots of photos of each step and all the details of what products I used.

This month has gone so quickly, won't be long till the next Mini kit is released and I know your going to love it!!

Take care

Shona

 

Funky Fossil Designs - Joy and Peace

 Hi everyone!! I've finally made it to Friday and the last two days have been full of super hot sunshine. I think I even got my first sunburn today, which means I need to start putting on my sunblock every morning. So nice in the evening too, especially as tonight I need to dead-head my roses. They smell extra good in the still of the night.

I wanted to sneak one more card into the 2020 Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop before it finishes. My goodness there are some incredible projects linked and makes me wish even more that I actually enjoyed a cup of coffee!!

Funky Fossil Designs are one of the many Super Sponsors for the hop. It must take Amy so much time to gather info about all the Sponsors together! I shared a card using their products the other day which had a 'walking thru the snow' theme to it. This time I looking towards Christmas:

Pink and purple go together like coffee and cake (well for me cake AND cake go together too....), its such a pretty colour combo, especially for Christmas.

I started by stamping the angel from the 'Folksy Christmas' set on white CS with Gina K Amalgam Black ink, colouring with my Altenew Artist Markers and fussy cutting out. I then heat embossed the coffee cup from the same set on white CS using Ranger 'Queens Gold' embossing powder. I used Distress Ink 'Picked Raspberry' to colour the base of the cup and fussy cut out.

For the background I adhered a panel of purple CS to the card front. I then blended the same 'Picked Raspberry' ink thru the 'Snowfall'  stencil on a piece of white CS. After removing the stencil I blended with the same colour over the whole panel but without adding any more ink to the foam pad to give the snowflakes a very pale colour. I used a die from Studio Katia 'Nested Ovals' and put this on the card front with white foam.

The sentiment (from the 'Festive Phrases A5' stamp set) was heat embossed with the same gold embossing powder on white CS. I fussy cut it out, glued to some lavender CS and then fussy cut around it again to create a frame. I coloured the heart with a purple marker and added some clear Wink of Stella. The angel and cup were popped up on foam tape, as well as the sentiment. And to finish off I added some Studio Katia pearls and Wink of Stella to the halo and coffee cup lid.

Wish I'd had time to make more coffee cards but I'm happy I was able to make a few. Its such a fun idea and I always look forward to seeing everyone's creations. I might pop outside now to check my roses, I think all of my towns aphid population have congregated at my house!!

Take care

Shona

Reminder: TIME OUT Challenge #174

 Hello there!! Hope the week has been kind to you and you've got great plans at the weekend to look forward too. Max had his 14th birthday on the 6th November and is celebrating this weekend with having 3 of his friends stay over on Saturday night. There is also a huge fireworks display and carnival on that night, so the boys will go to that as well. Its been a very busy week for me so I'm just looking forward to staying still for a few moments....

 

Our theme for the current TIME OUT challenge is 'Festivals' with Optional Twist: add shimmer or glitter. Your project can have whatever type of 'festival' you like and there are so many around the world that are a local thing but not heard of by others. Its a brilliant theme!!

Our Sponsor for this challenge is Craft Tangles and they are giving a $20 voucher for their store to the winner. How fabulous!!

When I think of festivals I immediately think of the Japanese Lantern Festival. Its held at the end of Obon which is a 3-day Buddhist festival held in late August. I've seen photos and videos which look so incredible but could I emulate the lanterns on a card:

What do you think?? I spent FOREVER trying to get the glow of the lanterns on black CS and couldn't think of any other way of doing it. If you have any ideas, please let me know!!

All of the images I used are from Ellen Hutson 'So Matcha by Julie Ebersole'. I stamped the Geisha on white CS with Gina K Amalgam Black ink, coloured with Faber Castell Polychromo pencils and fussy cut out. I then stamped 20 lanterns with Altenew 'Crimson' ink on white CS. I coloured these with the Polychromos too. I started off with two tones of yellow in the middle and then added two tones of red on the outside, blending towards the middle. I then fussy cut them all out.

After adhering a panel of black CS to the card front, I used a Couture Creations 'Circle Die' to die-cut some dark green CS. I glued it in place to become a 'hilltop' and cut off the excess. The Geisha girl was put on top with foam tape, as well as the sentiment, which was white heat embossed on black CS.

After playing with the lantern arrangement (I wanted them to sort of go up in a 'V' pattern) I blended some Distress Oxide Ink 'Squeezed Lemonade' on the black CS. This gave it a milky/glowy finish. It wasn't quite yellow enough for me, so I gently rubbed the side of a yellow Polychromo pencil over top. I kept it to just the area where the lanterns would be so it looked like the light was coming off them.

I glued some of the lanterns to the card and then others on foam tape, cutting off any overhanging pieces. I then carefully added some Wink of Stella to give them a bit of sparkle. To finish off I used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen to add some stars and glued on some gold pearls from Studio Katia.

You have until Wednesday 18th November to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge. And if your struggling with 'festival' ideas, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team created for you. Can't wait to see your festive projects in the Gallery!!

Take care

Shona

 

Funky Fossil Designs - Walking in a Winter Wonderland (with a cup of coffee...)

Hello there!! Its late at night, the house is very quiet (which is strange because Phoebe has three friends staying over) and I need to stay awake till midnight as the PS5 is being released Thursday 12th November. Max has been talking about it all year (possibly longer) and we missed out on pre-orders, so I have to be ready at midnight with my credit card to try and get one for him. I will be so disappointed if I miss out as we probably won't get another chance till next year, so please cross all your fingers and toes for me....

The 2020 Fall/Winter Coffee Lovers Blog Hop is going on right now and they are currently at 690 participants....that's fantastic and there are still a few days to go!!

Funky Fossil Designs is one of the Super Sponsors for the hop so I wanted to create a card or two with a 'coffee' theme:

 I just love these snowmen images from the 'Silly Snowmen' stamp set. One of them is holding up a present and I thought I could have him holding a cup of coffee instead as he wandered thru the snow.

I stamped the snowman on white CS with Gina K Amalgam Black ink, coloured with Altenew Artist Markers and then fussy cut out, cutting off the present. I didn't have a coffee up image that was small enough, so using a 0.3 Uni Fineline black pen I had a go at drawing some takeaway coffee cups. It took a few goes and its not perfect but I think you'll recognise it, so I cut it out and glued to his hand.

For the background I blended some Distress Ink 'Salty Ocean' very lightly over the 'Birch Forest' stencil on the card front. Using a 'Scallop Frame' die from Pretty Pink Posh, I die-cut it 3x from navy CS, glued them together and then to the card front. I popped the snowman up on foam tape, as well as the sentiment which  was white heat embossed (from the 'Festive Penguins' set) on a strip of red CS. And to finish off I glued on some pearls from Studio Katia.

I've got another coffee card to share with you but will do that tomorrow. I'm going to put on my pjs and hop into bed with my iPad to watch Season 11 of Law and Order. It took me a few weeks to get thru Season 10 but I'm loving it as much as I did back in the 90's, and I even remember some of the episodes!!

Take care

Shona 

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps - Girl Friday post #1 for November

 Hi there everyone! I'm still on a high after the election results, so excited for next year when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the wheel back for the USA, and drive towards a kinder future. I live in New Zealand but have always loved America and its people, so I'm over the moon for them.

I wanted to let you know that I'm up on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog with a tutorial for this card:

The 2020 Coffee Lovers Fall/Winter Blog Hop is on right now and CAS-ual Fridays Stamps is one of the 'Super Sponsors', so our cards on the blog this week are all 'coffee-themed'.

Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you have a chance to create some cards for the hop and I'll see you back here very soon.

Take care

Shona

 

Uniquely Creative - Jolly Holidays to you and yours

 Hi everyone!! As I'm typing this I can't stop smiling and keep crying with tears of joy...Jo Biden and Kamala Harris have won the election!!! I'm over the moon for the USA, the nightmare is over and the country can now start to heal and come together again after being ripped apart over the past four years. Even though I live in New Zealand, I've watched in horror (as has the rest of the world) as the President turned everyone against each other. I feel so much relief and joy, its like an early Christmas present to the world!!!

Speaking of Christmas I've got another card for you using the new Uniquely Creative 'Naughty or Nice' Mini Stamp and Colour Kit. For this card I used a laser-cut wood piece, which is something I've always been intimidated by but just love the shape of this one, so gave it a go:

I just love this image of Santa riding around on Rudolph, its so cute and fun, just what Christmas should be.

I stamped the image from the 'Naughty or Nice' stamp set (included in the kit or can be purchased separately) using Gina K Amalgam Black ink. After colouring with Altenew Artist Markers I used the 'Naughty or Nice Fussy Cutting Die' (which can be purchased separately) to cut it out.

For the background I cut a piece of patterned paper from the kit and popped it up on a piece of white foam on the card front. Using some Acrylic white paint, I painted the laser-cut snowflakes, doing around 4 coats to get the coverage as opaque as possible. Once it had dried I then covered it using the 'Clear Sparkle Brush'  to add some shimmer and then glued it to the card with Gina K Connect Glue.

To finish off I added the coloured image on foam tape, as well as the sentiment from the kit sentiment sheet. And put some 'Silver Rhinestones' in the middle of the snowflakes for even more shine.

I'm going back to watch some more of the celebrations from the USA on tv, wishing I could be there with them all. Looking forward to Jo Bidens speech soon and will be very interesting to see if Mr Trump will have anything to say.

Take care

Shona 

The Flower Challenge #50

 Hello there!! Another month has whizzed on by. This year may have sucked but its still gone ultra fast. I can't believe its only around 7 weeks till Christmas, I'm so not ready....

I am however ready for our new theme at The Flower Challenge this month. Its all about 'Using a sentiment'. There are so many ways you could do this so I can't wait to see what you do. I actually had an idea all sorted in my head for this card but somehow ended up in a completely different direction:

 I was actually going to create a card where it was 'all sentiment' but ended up with one that hardly has one. Might use that idea for my reminder card....

I started by stamping the image from Studio Katia 'Flourishing Note' with Gina K Amalgam Black ink on white CS, colouring with Altenew Artist Markers and fussy cutting out. To pick up on the turquoise flower I used a similar shade of CS to cover the square card base. 

Dry embossing is something I don't do very often. I find it very hard to get the right amount of pressure with my Cuttlebug and most of the time it cuts thru but I decided to persevere with spare bits of cardboard to find the right fit. I used the Studio Katia 'Stitched Creative Nested Squares' largest die on some white CS and then dry embossed the smaller one in the middle. This was put on a piece of white foam in the middle of the card and the floral image put on foam tape. 

To finish off I white heat embossed the sentiment (from Studio Katia 'Floral Wreath') on a strip of black CS and put it on foam tape, along with pearls (also from Studio Katia).

You have until Wednesday 25th November to link your projects to The Flower Challenge and if your needing any ideas, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team and our talented Guest Designer Enna of @ritzyhag on Instagram have created for you. Can't wait to see what designs you come up with!!

Take care

Shona

 

Rosies Studio - To an Awesome Girl....

 Well, its STILL raining so after dropping the kids at school I'm home trying to sort thru all my laundry (we don't own a drier) and even though its quite warm I still have the fire on to help dry everything. Can just hear all the weeds outside giggling away to themselves at having another day of freedom before I rip them from their spots among my flowers.....

I have another card for you today that I finished a week ago but still hadn't gotten round to posting. This is another one of those 'not clean and simple' styles that was really fun to make. Maybe my style is changing.....:

This card uses products from Rosie's Studio which is a brand in New Zealand but not sure if they are an NZ or Australian company. They make fantastic papercraft products that are so well priced and each release just gets better and better....

Unfortunately this stamp set doesn't have a name but has two other cute girl images on it. I stamped it with Gina K Amalgam black ink on white CS and coloured with my Faber Castell Classic Pencils. I then painstakingly fussy cut them out.

I wanted my little 'french girl' to be in the street, so after blending some 'Salty Ocean' Distress Ink at the top of the card front, I glued a strip of grey CS along the bottom for the footpath. I used a piece of paper from the 'Stillwater' pad, fussy cutting along some of the houses and adhering to the card. The girl was popped up on foam tape, along with some white heat embossed sentiments (from the same stamp set) and some Pretty Pink Posh sequins. I also added some Glossy Accents to her glasses to give them some shine.

I'm going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'. This is my fifth and final entry.

I'm feeling very nervous about watching the election results today. I know that's strange because I live in New Zealand but very worried that Donald will get back in and if not what that will entail. Thinking of you all today in the USA and hope you get your country back in one piece!

Take care

Shona

Funky Fossil Designs - She is Fierce

Hi there, this is my second blog post for today which is rather unusual. All this rain we've had recently has certainly given me a bit more time to play in my craft area than normal. I could be doing a lot more housework but who wants to be doing that all day??

We recently had a New Release of five new stamp sets at Funky Fossil Designs and its been so fabulous to see how much you've loved them. I wanted to try combining the new 'Doodle Borders' set with one of my favourites and get away from a 'clean and simple' design:

I don't use purple on my cards very often but loved how the girls ombre hair turned out, so I just had to carry on with the purple scene.

I stamped the girl from the 'She is Fierce' stamp set on white CS with Gina K Amalgam Black ink. I used Altenew Artist Markers to colour her in and then fussy cut her out.

On a panel of white CS I stamped the wavy lines from the 'Doodle Borders' stamp set with the same Gina K ink, creating a frame. These were also coloured with the Altenew Markers and I also added some details with a Sakura Gelly Roll white pen. The image of the girl didn't look quite right inside the frame on her own, so stamped the floral image from her stamp set with Altenew 'Deep Iris' ink and then put her on some foam tape. The sentiment (from the same set as the girl) was white heat embossed on a strip of black CS, backed with some lavender CS and put on foam tape, along with some 'Amethyst' pearls from Studio Katia.

I'm going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'. This is my 4th entry.

Time to go put my pj's on and might read some magazines. I actually got a book from the library at the weekend by Jodi Picoult. I have a lot of her earlier books but haven't read any of the recent ones. Decided it might be better for me to read some nights instead of going on YouTube before going to sleep. I find so many interesting things to watch, my 20 mins suddenly turns into 2hrs and its now 1am. And of course then I can't go to sleep, so hopefully a book is a little more relaxing....

Take care

Shona

 
 

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge - Entry #3

 Hi everyone, hope your day has been a lot drier than mine!! It has poured with rain all the past two days, which is good because we needed it but we've had enough now so need it to stop. The weather forecasts rain each day until the middle of next week, so fingers crossed they got that wrong.....The good thing though is I've been working on a pile of Christmas cards that I finally finished off today, so will take some photos and share with you tomorrow. I'm really lacking in my Christmas card stash, so have a lot more work to do....

The theme for the latest Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge is 'Anything Goes' and its always a great chance to link up all sorts of different cards you might have. I finally finished this card off recently and its been staring at me from beside my computer, asking to be shared with you all:

 I'm obsessed with gnomes and wish I could buy every single gnome stamp set and die that's available. Unfortunately that's not possible but I'm loving this set 'Hanging with my Gnomies' from MFT Stamps.

I started by stamping the images with Gina K Amalgam Black ink on white CS, colouring with Altenew Artist Markers and fussy cutting out. I also added some white highlights with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen. I wasn't sure what to do with the background but remembered this large balloon stencil (also from MFT stamps) so blended with Distress Ink 'Tumbled Glass' on a piece of white CS. I used a waffle-edged rectangle die from MFT Stamps 'Blueprint 27' on the panel to add some interest to the edges.

Using foam tape and double-sided tape I put the images on the panel and then adhered it to the card front. I used some grey markers to create a pebble path from the doorway. The sentiment (from the same stamp set) was white heat embossed on a strip of red CS and put on foam tape.

Will be way to soggy tomorrow to garden so may tackle some more painting inside the house. I'll also be able to watch the coverage of the US election. I'm so frightened for America. If Trump is pushed out it will be fantastic but he probably won't physically leave and all his stupid 'Trumpers' may start a war. And if he's voted in again it will be even worse. Really feel for all of you living there and hoping change happens without anyone being hurt.

Take care

Shona