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

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 Birthday Card

Hello there

I know, I know, I have been a very bad blogger lately.  My blog has been badly neglected, save for my Friday Funny posts.  I have visited a few of you, but time has simply been running way ahead of me lately, but hopefully the lure of working outside will not be so strong now as the nights are drawing in and it is getting a little on the cool side now.

I wanted to share my Christening cards I made recently, but I appear to have lost the photos.  Shame as they were gorgeous.  For one of the cards I used the same stamps as this card (well it seemed a shame to put them out too soon!) so I guess I can stretch the NBUS rule as this was only the second time I used them.....

The Lilies are Sheena Douglass stamps that I bought AGES ago and not used them - shame on me.  This was also the first time I used my new Abandoned Coral DI which I LOVE!!!    I inked up the stamp with Versamark and WOW white embossing powder.  I then used Abandoned Coral  and inked the background.  Spritzed and flicked some water, trimmed and adhered to the front of the card.  I needed a little white so used a MB die cut that was in the Tin of Shame.  I used some Snippets to stamp the HB and inked up again, Can you see it is different card as it is darker?  I mounted this on to a slightly larger piece of white snippet having first tied a little ribbon around the card. 

Some pearls spotted around and there you have my card.  I do love this colour and those stamps are not going to be back in their packet for long!! 

 

Right then....off to join in on the following Challenges!

 

NBUS

 

 

Addicted to Stamps Challenge

Snippets Playground

Thank you for calling by.  Please leave me a comment so I know you have been.

 

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

http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/pixies-snippets-playground-week-177-and.html

Happy Birthday Patti

Hello there

 

Thank you all for your kind comments on Tracey 's passing. I appreciated them all. A farmer friend of mine told me that Warren hens usually average four years so I guess nearly six was very good😊

 

Onto my post today which is a card I made for my friend Patti's Birthday.

I  made my own card so that it could be top folding and perfectly fitted one of the plethora of envelopes I seem to have. Then I took a snippet of white card and stamped it using my SU stamp and Versamark and embossed with white WOW embossing powder. I then used Distress Inks and inked the background.  I took a Snippet of black cardstock and ran it through the B/S with SU embossing folder. I trimmed the papers to fit the card, diecut several Smiles using Penny Black die and stacked them but needed something else. I remembered a video I had seen and pinned to make bows using the Memory Keepers envelope board so set to. A button on top of a punched circle SU punch NBUS and I was happy.

 

So with Snippets and two NBU S (punch and bow technique) I am off to join the parties at the Playground and Playhouse.

 

 

 

Thanks for calling by.

 

Hettie

Happy Mothering Sunday

Hello There! 

Hasn't today been a glorious day weatherwise?  I was lucky enough to spend some time with my Girls today sitting on the bench whilst they had a roam around.  It was lovely to see them enjoying the Spring sunshine and having a rootle around looking for fresh worms.  Mr Hettie kindly cleaned the coup out and just let me enjoy my time with the Girls.  We noticed that Tracey was a little slower than normal and not her usual self, although she did come to me for a cwtch and we had a long chat.  So glad we did as when I went out a little later she had toddled off over the Rainbow Bridge.  She was the last of the first set of rescue hens that we had and we are guessing 5 or 6 years old.  We had her nearly 4 years. Bon voyage Tracey.  We will miss your wonky tail feather and I will miss our cwtches.

Right onto today's post.  I wanted to share with you the Mothering Sunday cards I made for both mine and Mr Hettie's mothers last week...

I made the card using some Bazzill cardstock and then cut the filigree piece using my Silhouette.  This was a NBUS design that I downloaded.   It took me a few attempts as the cardstock was quite thick.  However, persaver is my middle name (amongst others!) and I set the cutter to double cut and it cut it perfick.  

Then I looked to find some patterned paper to cut the butterfly with...I did not want to use the one that was cut with the filigree background.  I managed to find a Snippet of Crafty Individuals card and just about squeezed two butterflies out.  I then took my NBUS Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and punched an extra butterfly for the centre.  Once it was all assembled I took the Liquid Perfect Pearls and applied liberally. 

My Mum loved it so much she asked me if I would make something similar as invitations to their BIG Anniversary later this year.  However, she wants to embroider some butterflies to add in the centre.  I will share those with you when the time comes. 

Now the sharp eyed among you will realise that I have used the same butterfly punch before, however, the punch was totally knackered dull and not cutting properly.  So I hunted around for a while trying to get a good price.  Eventually I found a brand new one on a famous auction site at a bargain price so Paypal helped me out.  I haven't got rid of the old one yet.  Thinking it would make a good paperweight.  Incidentally I have tried every possible remedy to sharpen it.  

Right, one more think I need to do now is to welcome Twinkle Toes as my latest Follower.  Thank you so much.

Off to join in the fun and frolics at the Snippets Playground as well as Darnell's Playhouse and Mrs A's Butterfly Farm.  Cor that is going to be a busy half hour!!

Thanks for calling by.  Please leave me a message so I know you have been.

Hettie

Sealed with a Kiss....Layout

Hello there

I have to apologise to my blog for neglecting it for the last few days.  I have been a little under the weather with the lurgy after someone very kindly coughed and sneezed on me last week.  I came home from my Quilting Group on Saturday feeling dreadful and got generally worse.  I am not going into details ok, but I did not get out of bed much until today.  Though I did have a shock when the person concerned phoned me yesterday to apologise!!! 

Anyway, a few weeks ago I promised to share with you a little layout I had done so here it is...

 This is most probably the last layout of my Wedding Album, but note I only said "probably"!!  I have so many photos left still!

 

 

So where do I start?  The background piece is a piece of black cardstock and I took some of my stencils, my old white ink pad and an inkie paddie thing (can't remember what you call them now...made by that Tim chappie!) and swooshed some ink through the stencils, one of which is a NBUS bought from US by Memory Box...the one with butterflies on.

The die cuts are a mixture of some that were kindly sent to me by my Buddy over the water and some from my Tin of Shame.  The TH clock one was originally a wishy washy beige colour when I started.  I smooshed some TH DIs Tea Dye, Gathered Twigs, Brushed Cord, and then rubbed some Treasured gold wax on top.  

The PPs are bits left over from previous layouts so Snippets...yeay!!  The corrugated card is from a package that had arrived a few days before (again inked with some DIs as above.

I put the little birdies on top as a nod to the pair of seagulls we kept seeing on Guernsey where we got engaged.  Now THAT is another story and why there are two seagulls in our bathroom!!

Now the flowers.  The one at the bottom of the clock and the others like it are NBUS and by Prima.  I only used a few as they are soooo nice.  Can you see the little seeds popping out from behind the flower towards my arm?  There are a few of these dotted around and they came out of my Happy Post I received just before Christmas, along with the sparkly heart...Thanks again my Friend.

The other flowers were made up from flowers in my stash, brads in the middle, some of which are years old, sprayed with Glimmer Mists, Perfect Pearls, layered and scrunched up. 

The MS Monarch butterflies came out of the Tin of Shame and there are others that I made using old books and my SU die.  

I wanted a little bit of watch parts in there and I saw a key somewhere when I was gathering things up so thought I would throw that into the mix too along with a NBUS TH card.  I tied the ribbon with a little bit of silver grey ribbon that was actually adorning a present my friend gave me at Christmas.  Waste not and you will want not.  Lace came from Funkie Junkie.  Only a little piece as it is too nice to use all in one go!

The leaves you can see were punched out of Snippet using my MacGill punch and inked up with DIs.

Finally I used my Cricut to die cut the  title which I cut twice to give it a bit of oomph!  Then I smooshed some more wax around and spritzed a little perfect pearls on there. 

Love the layers you can see in these last two photos.  

Hurrah!  You have made it through to the end.  Well done you.  Unless of course you skipped and just looked at the photos!  I don't mind but please leave me a comment to let me know you have been.

I am taking this over to the Playground for a ride on the swings and then cosy in front of the fire.  I am also entering this into Shopping our Stash as they are looking for old brads...mine certainly count as they are ancient!  And I will flutter past the Butterfly Challenge as there are some hexagons on my layout.   Not very often I get to link up with a few challenges!!  Woo hoo!!

Thanks for being patient.  See you all soon.

Hettie

Happy Birthday Ann

Hello there

I had snow this morning on the way to work!  What was THAT all about.  I knew it was forecast for the guys up north but since when has South Wales been in the northern part of the country.  Pretty cold it is too today!

Never mine ey.  It is always warm in blogland!

I wanted to share a birthday card I made for a dear friend of mine.  So often she asks for me to make cards for her to send (remember my cows wedding card)  and it was nice to make her one and a 70th one at that!  

It is quite a trick colour for the camera to get right, as with a lot of purple shades.  It was more of a purple grey and some of these cards are more blue.  The photo below is the nearest I think, though the pale blue is not quite right.  You get the drift though.

I seem to be into flowers right now and making my own.  These are quite simply Tonic petal pairs punches (some of the first punches I owned) which I then poked a brad through several layers, then spritzed them and scrunched them over to make them as compact as possible.  Once they had dried off I just pulled them out a bit to created the buds.  Simples.

The dies and embossing folder are all from a set I had before Christmas that I hadn't used so were NBUS.  I kid you not, the embossing folder is a PITA if you have not got an A4 die cutter as it is designed so that you have one background sheet.  Maybe a nice fairy will be kind and deliver the new Sizzix one that is coming out!  Yeah right!!

To compensate for the not being able to use one sheet I added some silver behind, as well as some silver Ivy and Sizzix letters.  My favourite (and only) Memory Box butterflies, a ribbon bow and a spritz of Shimmer Mist and hey presto Ann's card was done.  

I used a plethora of Snippets on here and butterflies with ribbon so I am fluttering by the Snippets Playground and Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge.

See you later folks.  Keep warm and safe.

Hettie

Birthday Greetings...Sarntangle Style!!

Hello there!  

Sorry I am late posting today...I took my camera to work today so that I could upload my photos and post lunchtime however....I forgot a vital piece of equipment!  Yep!  The lead to link camera to puter!  Doh!!

What I wanted to share with you is my first card made with stamps designed by by a very clever friend who hangs out at The Playground....

 Almost as soon as I got my stamps home I set to in my craft room, stamping with Potting Soil Archival ink and then using my Copics to colour the flower in.  I have to say they are more purpley in real life, though the camera and puter has made it look more bluey  

I used some glossy accents on the hearts and flower centre, and Wink of Stella on the inside petals.  I mounted the image onto some lilac card that was hanging around on my desk before mounting the whole thing onto a 5x5 card.  I then took my SSS stars die and Snippets of silver to add some stars.

Hopefully you can see the shimmer and shine on the flower.  The Sparkle stamp is a NBUS Stampin Up stamp.  

I then popped this into the post but not before stamping the envelope with another stamp from the set. to my Big Sister who's birthday it is tomorrow.  

Off to join the kiddies at the Snippets Playground.  If you are interested in seeing the rest of the stamp collection and purchasing them, please click HERE you won't be disappointed.

Winter Birthdays....

Hello There

Brrrrr!  I have just come back in from Dancing where we held a "bit of a do for Rabbie".  In other words, some nibbles, some Robbie Burns poetry, a Highland Fling and a toast to the Birthday Boy.  Coming home it was mighty cold with some sleet which got to be more snow than sleet by the time I got home!!!  Wrap up warm and that advice goes to my blogging friends across the pond.  I can hardly believe what New England is going through only a few months after our visit there.  

Right then onto tonight's post.  

Last week I had a flurry of birthdays, including 3 on Friday alone!  So I decided to make some wintery birthday cards, one of which was for a Playground friend who had kindly let me borrow her MB Snowflake die after I was drooling over my laptop at her cards.  So here is my card...

 

Isn't that die just wonderful?  And typical of MB dies, it cuts so well too.  So how did I make  it?  I took a piece of white cardstock (some of them from the Snippets drawer) and inked it with Broken China, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass and Shaded Lilac (NBUS) DIs.  Then I used my favourite technique of spritz n flick by spraying some water into my hand and flicking over the card, leave it a few seconds then dab the excess water.  Once this was dry I then took a TH snowflake stamp, versamark and my new favourite WOW embossing powder and randomly stamped some snowflakes on the card.

Then out with the NBUS MB Happy Birthday die and cut this out then I used the visiting MB Snowflake die.  Unfortunately one of them got a little scuff when I peeled the tape off.  Never mind...out came the PB Smile die and a Snippet of blue metallic and I covered the blemish.  I liked the idea so much I decided to use it on all of them!

Last job was to layer up the two layers onto the card and hey presto cards were completed.  I sent a photo of the first one to Hubster who was in work and his reply was "its a bit Frozen"!  Typical man ey!

I hope you like it.  Expect to see some similar ones now for Christmas any time soon!  This die has now been pushed up the Wish List now I have used it.  Thanks Matey for letting me borrow it.  

Off to the Playground as some of these elements were made from Snippets.  I hope there is plenty of hot chocolate and plenty of room in front of the fire!

Hettie

Happy Birthday Rachel...

Hello there

What a windy weekend weather we have had!  We have still to find the Girls' poop bucket, though I have seen bits of straw around which were in there!!  Ho Hum!!  I hope everyone is ok and not lost anything worse than a poop bucket!

I was having a look at my draft posts and I came across this one which I have not shared with you. It was for my good buddy Rachel.  I renewed my membership of a certain Craft TV site and received the tartan papers so this was their first outing.  With my money back I bought the Tonic die set and this was their first outing also. 

The pink background is some star paper which I inked around the edges with some DI to make it deeper.  Some TH tissue tape, a sheet of my Czech book and some torn tartan paper.  I then cut the Tonic border die which I layered on some Vanilla SU card.  I used a frame which was in my Snippets tin as well as the centre piece which I stamped using SU stamps.

The flower is a SU stamp and punch which I embossed with clear embossing powder.  A Snippet of ribbon stamped with HB stamp and tied with gold thread.  .

The Penny Black Smile die was cut several times and layered up then smooshed with some DI., some SU flutterbies and hey presto Rachel's card was complete.

Off to take this over to the Snippets Playground and also Darnell's NBUS Challenge as there are both Snippets and NBUS involved in the making of this card.

Have a great week and wrap up warm with heavy shoes on..I hear we have cold wind coming our way!

Hugs

xx

Hubby's Christmas Card - Funkie Junkie no 5

Hello there!

As I was packing the decs and cards away last night I realised that I had yet to share Mr Hettie's Christmas card with you, nor looking at my camera had I even photographed it, so I took some quick shots in the dim morning light and pronto before I came out to work.  So without further ado....

And this is the tag from the Funkie Junkie Challenge which gave me the inspiration...

I took the stars, silver and rays stencil as my inspiration.  I did not have the same die, but I borrowed the carolers die from my friend, cut the piece from a Snippet and then embossed with several layers of silver embossing powder.

The background was from a downloadable which I found on Pinterest (NBUS to me!).  I did not have the TH stencil so I turned to my trusty Silhouette and cut one using a piece of laminated plastic that I had left over from some laminating I did for my boss!  I know!  So I wondered if it would cut and it made a fine and dandy stencil.  I took my Versamark and inked through the stencil and added clear embossing powder into which I had sprinkled some Martha Stewart glitter, then I heat embossed it.  Once it was cool, I added some NBUS Scattered Straw DI to give a bit more of a yellow glow to the background.

Around the edge of the background I then stamped my Hampton Arts dotty stamp and embossed with some silver embossing powder.  

The lamp is TH which I again used Snippets to cut out before adding some stickles to the red berries.  I used my SSS stars die to cut the small stars out using Snippets of gold glitter card.  The sentiment was cut using the Penny Black with Festive Berries DI and clear embossing powder.

Hubby loved it and actually so do I.  I wonder if Lesley will let me borrow the die again?   Maybe if I offer her some eggies in exchange?

I am too late to join in the Funkie Junkie Challenge due to an array of reasons which I will not bore you with but I am going to finish the 12 so watch this space.   I can now join in with the Snippets Playground and Darnell's NBUS as there were both Snippets and newbies on this card.

Thanks for calling by.

Hettie