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Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Monday 31 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 165 take 2

Hi, Happy Monday.

I`m back with my second card for this weeks Simply Less is More 
Round & Round challenge. This time it`s a bit more sensible and grown up.

A touch of shabby CaS I think.
I started by making a panel and cutting two different sized circles with a nestie circle die..
I carefully placed two circles cut from Papermania DP on the spot where the circles were on the panel.
After stamping the sentiment ( Flourishes) I attached the panel to the card base with foam pads, then added the two smaller DP circles onto the panel with foam pads.
I`ve added a few clear gems for some sparkle.

I`m also entering this into Pixies crafty snippets as the DP I used was from my snippet box. I haven`t joined in the challenge in ages and it`s time I put that right.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Sunday 30 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 165

HAPPY MOTHER`S DAY!

It`s Mother`s day in the UK today so I hope you are all having a lazy ( crafting) day today. I know I am.

It`s a Lucky Dip week at Simply Less is More and the theme is ROUND & ROUND.
As soon as I saw the title of the challenge I had `The wheels of the bus` going round and round in my head all day ( and it`s still there ) so I just had to run with it,

This cute little bus is from Kaisercraft Little Toot set and I`ve coloured it quickly with Promarkers.
The dotty paper is from Pink Petticoat.
The sentiment is from Wplus9.
I`ve simply made a panel andcut a circle with a nestie circle die then placed the panel using foam pads.
I have made another card which I`ll post tomorrow but I couldn`t resist the urge to use this one lol.

My blog friend Viv asked me how I was getting on now that I have more time on my hands. Well...embarking on a mad spring clean before we go on holiday has taken quite a lot of time up. I didn`t realise how mucky the house was until I started digging it out ;) I have also started baking again. Not huge batches like I`d intended but I`ve made a couple of cakes ( lemon drizzle & fruit) and home made meat pies.I did have a catastrophe though. We were given a food mixer as a wedding present 38 years ago next month and it decided to blow up this week. I really don`t think it owes me anything though the amount of use I`ve had from it. I`ve done everything from liquidising baby food to making umpteen Christmas, birthday and just plain Victoria sponge cakes.
So all in all I`m loving every minute of being a lady of leisure although there still aren`t enough hours in the day. I really don`t know how I found the time to go to work.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Diamond Anniversary

Good Evening All!
A quick post from me to share a card I made for my Mum & Dads Diamond Wedding Anniversary. 

The actual anniversary was last december but I forgot to post it onto my blog (doh).
I printed the sentiment on the PC in silver, then as it was coming out of the printer I quickly scattered silver embossing powder over it. It doesn`t work perfectly on plain card but does enough to give it some shine when heated.
I stamped the Ivy Wreath and embossed that in silver EP then added a Sizzix die cut Heart in Silver after wrapping a piece of white ribbon around the top left corner...
A heart shaped gem for the centre of the heart and 3 tiny gems along the ribbon to finish.

I arranged for Mum & Dad to recieve a card from the Queen and the chef in Mums residential home baked them a beautiful cake. Although Mums dementia meant she couldn`t really enjoy the celebration, the staff made it a lovely day with gifts and photographs.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Sunday 23 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 164 take 2

Good evening all.

I`m back to share a second card for this weeks challenge at Simply Less is More, this time with a little more effort in it.
I`d started this card for last weeks masking/ stencilling challenge but ran out of time. I say started, what I mean is, I`d inked up the panel and cut out the mask but thats as far as I got. When I came to take a second look I realised that I could use it for this week too.
For this weeks challenge we are to use 3 of something and also to comment on 3 entries that we don`t usually comment on. See what you think;

I inked the panel with Spun Sugar DI and Memento Rose Bud.
I made the mask using some acetate and the Lorelai Leaf die from Poppy Stamps then made some more homemade embossing paste with Polyfilla and Sap Green water colour paint.
While the EP was still wet I sprinkled a tiny bit of Glamour Dust glitter on the leaves.
Once dry I added some punched daisies with flat back pearl centres.
The sentiment is Wplus9 stamped in Memento Black.
I added the panel using foam pads
So... I`ve got 3 colours, pink green and white. 3 flowers, 3 pearl centres and just to be fussy, the branch is in 3 parts.
The leaf isn`t as sharp as I would have liked but I think I chose an awkward shape to emboss with quite a few `loose` parts. That`s my excuse anyway.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Saturday 22 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 164

Good evening all.

I hope I find you well. Our spring weather didn`t last long. We`re back to march winds and cold rain for now which is to be expected really. I think we`ve been spoilt these past couple of weeks. It was nice while it lasted though.
This week at Simply Less is More we are asked to use three of something on our creations and also visit and comment on at least three other Limettes, preferably three we don`t normally visit.
I do try to visit as many people as possible but somehow the time just runs away with me. I will do my very best to put that right.
Onto my card;

A really quick and simple card for today.
I`ve used 3 stars cut from  glitter card using a Sizzix die, in 3 colours.
The sentiment is from Wplus9 and was a gift from my lovely blog friend Tara.
I am working on another card with a bit more detail on and, hopefully will post it tomorrow.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Christening Card

Good Afternoon All!

My great niece is going to be Christened on Sunday so ofcourse I had to make a card ( as you do). I also noticed that this week, over at The shabby tea room it`s anything goes week, so I`m entering my card for that.
Now that I`m a `Lady of Leisure` I`m hoping to get back into the challenge routine, fingers crossed.

I`ve tried to keep it as soft and delicate as possible with very pale pinks and just a touch of glitter.
I used Vintage Rose DP from Pink Petticoat.
The stamp is one of my favourites from Lili of the valley. I made the sentiment on the computer and then carefully stamped the image alongside.
The die cut is Floral Oval from Spellbinders and the swirl die cut in the top right hand corner is a Cheery Lyn die.
The flowers are from my stash, as is the piece of lace.
I cut two small hearts from some white glitter card using a Sizzix die and added a pearl heart to each.
Finished off with a touch of Glamour Dust for some sparkle.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Saturday 15 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 163

Good Evening All!
We`ve been enjoying some gorgeous weather in the UK this week. A bit on the chilly side but beautiful sunshine and just enough of a breeze to get the washing dry. It doesn`t take much!

This week at Simply Less is More the ladies want us to use MASKING or STENCILLING on our cards.
I use masking quite a lot but I`m not so keen on stencilling. Takes me back to those home make over shows from the 90`s. However I have been taking a keen interest in embossing with paste using masks and stencils. That`s as far as I`ve got mind you, I haven`t bought any paste and most of my stencils are a bit fussy for CaS. So...I wasn`t going to bother this week but then I had an idea. I had a vague recollection of seeing a tutorial for home made embossing paste on line, so I had a quick look and there it was. Actually there were two recipes and I`ve mixed them up a bit. One was to use Pollyfilla and colour with chalks and the other was to use flour and colour with acrylic paint. I opted for the Pollyfilla one because I don`t want to attact weavils in my craft room ( I know, barmy) and I had to use water colour paints because thats all I had, but it worked a treat and I`m chuffed to bits with the result. See what you think.

I used a Dreamweaver brass stencil. The sentiment is from two sets, Personal Impressions Double Sayings and Flourishes Tag Lines.
The colour of the paste is not as strong as I`d have liked but all in all, for a first attempt I think it`s turned out pretty good.
Now I know how to do it I`m going to be using this method quite a lot I think.

Thanksfor popping in...Lynne xxx

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Butterfly Tag

Good Evening All.
A really quick post from me today to share a card I made over the weekend.

A really simple card. I used DP from Papermania Festive Spots and Stripes set.
I printed the Swiss Dots from Pink Petticoat onto some white card and cut out the Tag using Die- namics dies.
The butterflies are a stamp from Crafters Companion Candy Tuft Fairy stamp set, inked with Memento black onto pink vellum.
The sentiment is from a set from The Stampman and I made the banner using a paper trimmer and the fishtails using a square nestie.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Black and Gold

Good evening all.
I`m back with a card that I just had to case when I saw the original on Pinterest.

When I actually went to the blog  Here I realised that it was for the Case Study Challenge so it`s a case of a case.
Any way I kept a lot of the original elements in my version, the gold & black look fabulous together and I like the chevron banner too.
I used the diagonal stripes from Paper Smooches, embossed on gold, along the right hand edge.
The chevron and dots papers are both from Pink Petticoat.
The `Happy Birthday` dies are from Memory Box and are cut from gold glitter card.
The star is cut from the same gold glitter card using a Sizzix die.
The tiny gold spots are made using a tiny stamp from a set of circles but it`s upstairs and I`m down and I`ve  fogotten who made it, sorry.
I`m quite pleased with this and I think I`ll be using this colour combo again.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Monday 10 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 162

Happy Monday All!
I`m a bit late with my entry for this weeks Simply Less is More challenge. I was so busy crafting yesterday that it was dark by the time I realised I hadn`t taken a pic of my card. It`s one layer week again and this time we are to use Spring Flowers on our cards.
I made a very quick card using a digi stamp which I think is from Fred She Said but I may be wrong.

I love this tulip image, so simple but very pretty. I`ve coloured it with Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pens.
The sentiment is PC generated.
I don`t usually make Easter cards but I thought I`d better have one in my stash.You never know!

If you`re not remotely interested in my ramblings you can stop reading now. I know, I get on my own nerves sometimes lol.
Well, my meeting didn`t go well last week. I think I`d already made my mind up that I wasn`t going back to work and the meeting just confirmed it.  I pointed out that I was getting a bit fed up of the snide comments and being shown up in front of other people and was told that it was a joke. Well I must have had a sense of
humour failure because I didn`t see the funny side. Basically over the space of a week I was shouted at, insulted, humiliated and informed, rather abruptly that my hours were changing from evenings to days with no notice. I`ll be 60 this year, I`m too old for all this rubbish. I think it says something when I`m the fourth person to walk out in less than 6 months.
The strange thing is that I`ve been saying for months that I`d love to be able to retire and have the time to do `housewifely` things like have baking days and maybe take up knitting again. But I do miss going to work. I don`t miss the job but I miss some of my work colleagues and even the work that we did. I`m sure I`ll get used to it.
Right, where`s that baking tray?

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

Sunday 2 March 2014

Simply Less is More # 161

Hello All and a Happy Sunday to you.

I hope I find you well. I`ve had the shittiest week ever at work to the point that I handed my notice in last thursday.Far too long winded and complicated to say why on here but needless to say my mojo has taken a nosedive because of it. I have a meeting tomorrow to try to sort things out but I`m not sure I`m too bothered to be honest.

Anyway...enough of the gloom and doom, it`s colour week at Simply Less is More and the colours are
                                                                 GREEN & YELLOW
This one looked much better in my head but it`s not quite the worst card I`ve ever made.
My usual panel card ( 6x6). I stamped the Orchids from Flourishes onto the base card and coloured using Promarkers & Spectrum Noir pens then masked the image to chalk the background in pale green.With hindsight I think the background would have been better in blue maybe.
I cut out the window with a Spellbinders Rectangle Die.
The sentiment is from the same Orchid stamp set.

Hopefully things will get sorted one way or another and my mojo will come back.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx