Sunflower

 Some recently received Happy Mail included a selection of die cuts which have found their way into my 'pot of useful bits' but I couldn't resist colouring this stamped and die cut sunflower and leaves.  I then decided to make a relatively CAS card using a slatted hexagon die which I've cut into a square card panel and backed with some yellow printed paper from my oddments collection.  The bee was die cut using some dark brown and gold card and the small sentiment stamped and also die cut.

Updated information - I'm reliably informed that this is, in fact, not a sunflower but a gerbera from Uniko Pure Flowers  collection  - gerbera stamp and die set 😉

Hexagon die - from Craft Addiction UK
Sunflower - gifted to me already stamped and die cut
Colouring - Polychromos pencils
Bee and Sentiment - dies and stamp (sentiment) also from CAUK
Printed background paper - from an old Papermania pad

Creating a Scene!!

 I love to make a scene - on cards that is, just in case anyone misunderstands and can imagine me being a public nuisance 🤣🤣.  

During the recent hot weather  crafting was somewhat curtailed but one thing I did  managewas to get a pile of images stamped so that I could sit and colour them at my leisure, thus building up quite a stock ready to hand.  I pulled out a few florals, thinking that they'd make a garden scene.  At that point I remembered a garden greenhouse stamp and die set which I've had for some years so that came out of retirement - using just the greenhouse.  The fence and birds on a wire were pulled out of my 'useful bits and pieces' pot which is always on my desk.  Some of the other components were die cut and others fussy cut where I felt they'd be better without the white border.  Background was a piece of printed 'sky' paper and some green ink was smooshed to give the effect of ground. 

Background - printed from My Craft Studio Setting the Scene CD
Greenhouse - from a long retired Stampin' Up set Garden Greenhouse
Pot, Wheelbarrow and Boots - Pots of Joy stamps from Craft Addiction UK
Fence and Birds - from oddments on my desk (probably unbranded dies)
Sentiment - also from CAUK

Tag-along and ATC challenge

 The young lady on this little ATC came from a CD dating back to 2011 and hopefully she will fit the theme for the current Tag-along and ATC challenge which is **Fashion**.  If not I'm sure she won't mind going into the *anything goes* category.  I simply printed her and resized to fit the 2.5 x 3.5 inch ATC size, using a die to cut a frame for her.  The background was a piece from my 'inky play' Snippets collection and I've added a little stencilled detail for added interest.

Girl - from Pretty Sweet Polkadoodles CD dated 2011
Stencils - Tim Holtz mini layering stencil collection
Frame - an unbranded die

Snippets Playground Challenge #539

 Time for another challenge in the Snippets Playground where we are encouraged to use up some of our Snippets instead of just hoarding them 😉.  I always head for my Snippets mountain when I start looking for things to make a card and for this one everything apart from the card blank, was a Snippet of some description. The background paper was left over from a downloaded design which I used on another card, the slatted arch was cut from a Snippet of blue card and all the rest of the items from my white snippets. which is by far the largest pile which never seems to reduce.  Cottontail,  his little pals and the bunting were stamped, coloured and die cut before building up the card.  No sentiment was required because the background says it all.

Background - digital download from Buddly Crafts
White square - unbranded deckle edge die set
Slatted Arch - die from Craft Addiction UK
Cottontail and Pals - stamps/dies also from CAUK

Allsorts Challenge #856

 The theme for the latest Allsorts Challenge has been chosen by Lynne who would like to see some embossing on your cards - either dry or using a heat gun with embossing powder.  Lots of scope, but if this doesn't appeal there's always the anything goes option.  Prize from Lisa Horton Crafts (full details on the Allsorts blog post).  For my card I've chosen to use a die to emboss into the background card panel for the brick wall effect, followed by colouring the bricks with watercolour.  I then die cut and coloured the window and shutters using Distress ink pads, adding some small flowers and a die cut bicycle for added interest.  Sentiment was stamped and die cut.

Dies used - mainly from Gummiapan
Bicycle - a die I've had for a long time but no idea of the source
Sentiment - from a Craft Addictions UK stamp set

Tag-along and ATC challenge

 There have been some great mid month reminders from the  Tag-along Design Team members and I realise I have a tag which I made some time ago but hadn't posted.  This one will be in the 'anything goes' category.  I'd been having a bit of a play with texture paste, stencils and the like and came up with three different tags at the time.  The kraft tags were cut and then inked, stencilled and some more ink smooshed around once the paste was dry.  I then used some Snippets of coloured card to die cut the abstract flowers, finally adding a little label made by stamping the word 'bloom'

Tag - cut using a Tim Holtz die set (quite old)
Stencil - from my collection, maker unknown
Flowers - die set by Sizzix Modern Floristry 

How Much ...

 is that doggie in the window?  Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.  I've used more cottage window dies for this card and popped a digital image of Rocky (coloured version).  Window frame, shutters etc coloured using Distress in pads and the flowers were stamped, die cut and coloured also with Distress inks.  Background paper was a Snippet which I thought looked like an old cottage wall.

Rocky - digital download from Craft Addiction UK
Window dies - also CAUK Cottage Windows
Flowers and sentiment - stamps and dies Pots of Joy from CAUK