Where there's a Will there's a way.

 Morning all.  We have a brand new challenge for you today over at Make My Monday. We would like to see your 'Masculine' cards please. 

Where to start?  I am still on a stash busting mission so I had a look through the digistamps I had printed out.  I bought a stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil such a long time ago.  I think it may have been retired but Mo has some brilliant male images if you need some inspiration.  I bought this one on a whim and I've never been sure what to use it for.  I really had to have it as it's called 'Will'.

Just look at him.  Such a stroppy little fella.  I have a Will of my own.  Thankfully, he's not often stroppy but that's the reason I had to have this little Will. Once I'd coloured him in and cut him out I added him to a stencilled background.  I'd already printed the sentiment from my computer.  I matted him on some backing paper and added to a card base.  I had to have a bit of bling 'cause I can't help myself.

Just in case you were wondering - here's my own Will.

Don't tell him I added his picture or I will get into trouble.  Luckily, he doesn't read my blog.

Ok, over to you.  Time to see your masculine cards.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

The Old Ones are the Good Ones

 Good Morning all.  We have a new challenge today over at The Alphabet Challenge and it's one of mine.  I have chosen the topic of 'O for Old Folk'. 

I have so many options for this topic and some inspiring old folk of my own.  They can be such fun.  It's the 'old enough to know better but young enough to not care' mentality. I fully intend to grow old disgracefully. 

I went with Mobility Malcom from Dr Digi. There are a whole section of oldies on his site.  I always have such fun with these sorts of images.  I started off with a red, white and blue idea in my head but ended up with more red, white and grey.  Oh well, grey fits the theme doesn't it.

OK, over to you.  Lets see your old folk please. We are in tier 2 lockdown here at the moment and I can't get to see my old folks.  This could be the bit of light relief I need to keep me going until I can go and see them again. Luckily dad can still tell me his rubbish jokes down the phone.

Mum and Dad are always up for a laugh.

Thanks for reading.  

Love Dawn x

Wreathed in Autumn Splender

 Thank you to all the entrants in my Retro themed Cardz4glaz Challenge.  I was really pleased with the entries we had and it was nice to see so many ways in which you all interpreted the 'retro' theme.  

Time to move on and, as hinted at in my previous post, the new theme is 'Fall/Autumn' but we don't want halloween cards thanks. Remember the wreath I messed up from earlier this week. Well, I decided wreaths are more a girl thing anyway and cut it again.  This time I got the size right. I stencilled a leafy looking pattern onto a shaped card base and added my simple wreath over the top. I stamped my sentiment and added a bit of bling but it needed something else.  It didn't look girly enough to me. Time for a bit of cuteness.

I coloured the cute acorns from 2 Cute Ink (sorry, I can't find them in the shop) and added them to the leaves. There, that's much better.  A bit of cuteness to cheer things up a bit.

Anyway, over to you.  Let's see your girly autumn cards please. If you pop back tomorrow I promise it won't be autumnal.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Anyone bored with autumn yet?

 Well the autumnal themed cards are coming thick and fast at the moment and I'm rapidly running out of ideas.  However, as this week's Cardz4guyz Challenge is 'Autumn Colours' I've had to put my thinking cap on.  Even if I'm not running out of ideas, I am running out of leafy stamps and dies.  It's a good job I've got my cricut.  I chose to cut a lovely autumn wreath.  I thought I would cut it in white and do some ink blending.  Well, I totally messed up the sizing on my cutting.  There was no way my wreath was going to fit onto a card.  I could, however, use the leaves for something different. 

I was really pleased with how my ink blended on the leaves (I really can't remember what colours I used as I didn't write them down).  The score marks on the die cuts looked lovely when I'd finished.  I chose to keep it very simple and used a pearlised card blank with the same card for a panel and the sentiment banner.  The scanned picture doesn't really do this justice at all.  In real life it's just lovely.  It's not what I had in mind but it's better than I had imagined.

If you are disappointed that it's not an autumn wreath pop back in a couple of days.  You never know your luck.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Hello Autumn

 Morning all.  The weather around here has definitely turned a little Autumnal lately and so has our new challenge over at Sparkles Monthly Challenge. Caz has given us 'Hello Autumn' for this month.  Time to break out the leafy stamps I think.  I've had this stamp set for several years. It was a magazine freebie and I still love it.

Having coloured and cut out two leaves I wanted them to be the focal point. I used a spare die cut square and - rather experimentally - pressed a green ink pad in the middle. It wasn't perfect but, when I placed my leaves down it looked like they'd got a bit of a halo.  I loved the effect and I probably won't ever be able to replicate it. I stamped some little accents from a Wplus9 stamp set and added a leaf shaped sequin on a bow made of embroidery thread.

I am so chuffed with the result for this card.  I didn't have any plan in my head and I probably couldn't get this result again.  

Now it's your turn.  Please show us your Autumnal cards.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Oranges and ...well oranges!

 Afternoon all.  I know, I'm late.  So sorry and all that.  It's alright having your DT projects all sorted out but then you get to work and think 'I'm sure I was supposed to do something this morning'. Anyway, better late than never.  I have to say I was so impressed by all the entries for my 'scraps' challenge over at Make My Monday but I must move over and give Debbie a chance.  She has chosen 'Orange as a Dominent Colour'. This gave me a great opportunity to use a stamp I'd bought but not yet used.  

When you are on a Design Team then you get to visit so many wonderful blogs that you probably wouldn't know existed otherwise. And because you get to see these blogs you also get to see stash that you also wouldn't know existed otherwise. It's a double edged sword! I had never heard of Aall and Create until I saw this stamp on a blog post.  Well, I just had to have it. It was so cute.  Once I'd got it I couldn't figure out what to do with it.  Until now...

To be honest, I'd done the background before I chose to add my little owl. I stencilled the background in one colour and then slightly offset it before stencilling again in another colour. I think it was fossilised amber and spiced marmalade but don't quote me.  I then inked a circle from my box full of scrap circles (I'm still on a scrap mission). I stamped some leaves from a freebie stamp in the same orange and then looked for something to finish the card off. I stamped him twice and decoupaged him after colouring.  I probably went a little too dark with the brown but I still think he's sweet. 

OK,  I need to go and do something with the other Aall and Create stamp that fell into my cart at the same time.  Let's see your orange creations guys.  Do Debbie proud like you did for me.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Navy Larks

 Morning all.  Are you ready for a new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. We are at the letter N.  Debbie has chosen Navy Blue for our challenge.  Have you any idea how hard it is to get navy blue card stock in Chesterfield.  I couldn't find any anywhere. It's a good job I had some in my stash.  If I'd looked there first I could have saved myself a pointless shopping trip around town. Oh well, I now have some dark blue (but not quite navy) card blanks, a new glue pen and a Christmas die.  I'm blaming you Debbie!

Ok, I have the cardstock.  Now what?  Whilst pondering what to do I was watching. Kirsty Allsop on the TV and she just happened to be buying a mustard coloured cushion to go with some navy blue bedding.  Now mustard is not a go to colour for me - but if Kirsty says it will go then who am I to argue.

Well, what about that.  She was right.  

The die set is a Sue Wilson one I think.  I just layered it up and popped my banner on.  I am really really pleased with how this turned out. I'd make more like this but I'm out of mustard cardstock. No, really.  I have checked this time.

Please join in the fun.  We love seeing your inspiration.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Let's Go Retro

 Morning all.  It's my turn to choose the subject for the new challenge over at Cardz4galz.  I would love to see your 'Retro' projects please.  I chose the theme quite a while ago and, to be honest, I can't remember what I had in mind at the time. Oh well, I'm sure I can think of something.  

In the end I went with a Kenny K image.  Kenny used to do some really good retro images but, unfortunately, he is no longer selling his digital stamps. I created the sentiment within the image before printing.  I know how she feels.  The thought of running out of gin would worry me.  In my defence, I was worrying about running out of gin before it became fashionable.

I found some retro style paper and added a few die cut circles to compliment the pattern. Other than a bit of bling that just about did it. I'm really pleased with it. What do you think?

OK, I'll be back to check your entries soon.  Straight after I finish stock taking my gin supplies.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

CAS for a Guy - Oh Balls

 Morning all.  I can't believe how quickly the last two weeks have gone.  I had such a brilliant time checking out the entries for my Dragons or Dinosaurs theme but it's time for a new challenge so we have to move on. Julie has chosen the theme of Clean and Simple over at Cardz4guyz. Thanks Julie!  What am I going to do for this one?

I decided that a sports theme would be a good idea. We are talking a 'guy' card after all. I chose this digital stamp from Dr Digi's House of Stamps and laid the balls out carefully with the sentiment before printing them off. I carefully coloured the images in an attempt to create a one layer card.  Then the orange bled out and ruined that idea.  Oh Balls! 

Take two - cut out the sentiment and the balls and arranged them around a blended circle. Et Voila. What a save.

I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out in the end. My track record for remembering birthdays is really poor (unless my mum remembers to remind me) so I'm sure this will come in handy at some point. Don't worry Tyler (my nephew) mum reminded me it's your birthday on Monday.

Please pop over and join in the fun.  The design team have some fabulous inspiration for you.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x