Are you Interested?

 Morning all.  Today, over at The Alphabet Challenge we have got to 'I for Interests' so, what interests you?  Do you have any interests or hobbies.  You must have, don't be shy.  Let's see what you like to do when you aren't crafting.

Me, I'm not so much interested but totally obsessed with reading.  I always have a couple of books, at least, on the go. Well, I need at least a couple to match whatever mood I'm in. At the moment I am just about to finish a Reacher novel by Lee Child.  I have Possession by A S Byatt about half way through and I've just started The Paris Library.  I've also got a book about Penguins on my Kindle app and I've got Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch on the Libby App (audio books from the library). Told you.  Obsessed!

I used an image by 2 Cute Ink (it doesn't seem to be available anymore) which just about sums me up.  The more books the merrier in my opinion.

OK, let's see your interests and, if you have any recommendations, let me know what you're reading.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Black, white and...

 Morning all.  Time for a new challenge over at Cardz4galz.  We want black, white and one other colour on your projects please.  You can choose which ever other colour you want.  For my card I decided to die cut some floral elements.  I cut the main flower in blue and the rest in white and used various amounts of pressure with a brush loaded with distress ink.  This way I get various shades of blue but it is the same blue.

I found a scrap of black and white paper to use as a background and added the flowers and sentiment before finishing with a few gems.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Reduce, Re-use, RE_CYCLE

 Morning all.  Over a Cardz4guyz today we are wanting a 're-cycled' element on your project please. I was unsure what to use for this one.  I have a few Christmas cracker bows and some beads and buttons I've saved over time but, as this needed to be a guy card, they didn't seem to fit the bill.  Eventually, I found an old book that Will had rescued for me from work one day.  

I'm not sure what was going through his mind when he saw the old and battered copy of Kirsty Allsop's book about handmade home decor other than it had crafts in.  You know when you say a book looks slightly foxed.  I think this one had been had by a rabid wolf!. There was water damage and pages stuck together and it may have been used as an alternative to a football in the absence of anything more spherical.  Anyway, I'd had a flick through it at one point and left it on the floor of the craft room. Time to put it to use then.  

I tore out some likely looking pages and used one in my printer to print the corkscrew image on.  Then I distressed the edges - given the state of the book I'm surprised it was necessary.  I'm quite pleased with the result.

Usually, I would be dead set against such wanton destruction of literature but, seriously, if it moulded away any longer it was in danger of starting to grow it's own eco system.

I hope you find something to re-use on your creations and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Zoom!

 I'm anything less than zoomy at the moment.  I should have posted this morning but I didn't finish my card until late and then I was at work at 7am.  Over at Make My Monday we are looking for 'outdoor sports'.  I'm not sure sport is such a good idea in this heat.  Our under 17s cricket game has been called off to keep the kids from heat stroke.  This really isn't a typical British summer.

I suppose cricket would be the obvious choice for my card but my hubby needed a birthday card for his boss.  Apparently, she's a big fan of formula one.  OK, that solves that then.

If you want the instructions for this type of card have a look at Sam Calcott's Tutorial on You Tube.  I've done a couple of these recently and I have struggled to get them to line up.  Sam's measurements are for an A4 sized piece of card.  I had some larger card stock and altered this one to measure 6 x 6 inches and it lined up easier.  The images were cut on my cricut and, before it goes off with hubby, I will add Michelle's name and age (Big Birthday).

Please pop over to the blog and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

I'm ready for my holibobs

 Me again.  Today, over at The Alphabet Challenge we want to see 'holiday' projects please.  I don't know about you but I'm ready for a holiday myself.  Somewhere quiet and peaceful.  My card suggests a beach holiday.  In this weather I may have to travel a bit to find a quiet beach.  🌞🌞🌞

OK, time for you to step away from the paddling pool and get creative.  Let's see what you've got.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Magical Shaker

 Morning all.  Are you ready for a lovely new challenge over at Sparkles Monthly, and with this one you can really add some sparkle.  We would like to see a 'shaker' element on your projects please.  Once again, this challenge offered me an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.  I needed a birthday card for a Harry Potter fan.  I found this cute image by Zekesami on Etsy. 

My intention was to do a small shaker window behind the image and add a sentiment.  However, I was wandering through You Tube, as you do, and came across this idea from Sam Calcott.  I love how it turned out.  I may make a few more full shakers.  It was so easy to do.

Please pop over and check out what the DT have for you this month.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Inky Does It

 Morning all.  We have a fun new challenge over at Cardz4galz this morning. We would like you to 'Get Inky'.  My regular readers will know how much I hate getting my hands dirty.  I'm not really at home with inkiness.  Oh well, I might as well just go for it.

I smooshed a couple of pink and an orange distress oxide onto an acrylic block to use as watercolours.  I wet my watercolour paper in a sort of random rectangle and added the colours and let them run into each other.  Once it had dried I stamped the flowers and sentiment (I think the flowers are Wplus9).  I matted the panel and added a frame.  Ta da!  Easy peasy and I didn't get my fingers mucky.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

300th Challenge - Congratulations Guyz

 Morning all.  We have our 300th challenge for you today over at  Cardz4guyz so we want to see your 'Congratulations' projects please.  300, that's one heck of an achievement.  And talking about achievements - how about this one

I am so very proud of my son for gaining his Master's Degree during lockdown.  We had a fabulous weekend celebrating and, as I needed a 'congratulations' card, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone.

I cut all of it on my Cricut and it came together pretty well.  

OK guys, over to you.  Let's see who you are congratulating and with what.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Splat!

 Morning all. I know it's Tuesday (don't ask how busy I've been - I don't know whether I'm coming or going). I'm sorry it's late but over at Make My Monday we would like to see 'spatters' please.  Mine's more of a splat that a splatter but there are a couple of extra bits so in my mind it counts.  

I cut the design on my cricut intending to use it on a card but I loved the hole it made and decided to use it as a stencil instead.  The sentiment is from an Alpaca Pals stamp set from Tracey Hey.  Ok, I'm off to work.  Let's see your spatters please.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Getting Giggly

 Morning all.  I'm posting this a day late as I posted yesterday's other blog post late as well and I'm catching up.  I need to get ahead.  Anyway, over at The Alphabet Challenge we are up to 'G for Giggle' so hit us with your humorous makes.  I have to admit I bottled out of my first idea.  I was colouring one of Dr Digi's oldies but I wasn't sure it was appropriate for a DT card.  It makes me laugh but I didn't want to offend anyone.  Here's what you got instead.

The stamp is from Crafter's companion.  I kept it simple and now I'm off for a Gin and Tonic - for the health benefits of course!  You never know, if I have enough of them I may go into full on Zumba mode and exercise is healthy, right?

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Seeing Stars

 I'm so sorry this is late.  I'd totally forgotten it's the first of the month.  To be fair, I'm in such a tiz this week it's not the only thing I forgot.  I'm going dizzy running around.  Anyway, this month over at Sparkles Christmas Challenge we would like to see 'stars' on your projects please.  

I love this Christmas star die and it went so well with the scraps of starry paper I had on my scrap pile.

OK, let's see stars.

Thanks for reading.  Love Dawn x