You'll have to kick him out again

This week at Sweet Stampin' we want to see your cute and cuddly creations, as mentioned in my previous post, I LOVE a Penny Black stamp! While I was in the box for last week's I just couldn't resist pulling this one out too.

I paper pieced the plant pots and matched it up with some lovely papers from Stampin' Up, they're sort of sunny but Autumnal at the same time!  It's one of those rare cards that I love, in fact I've left it sitting on my desk because it just makes me smile :-)

As always, i'm entering a few fabulous challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - Fun Outside
Crafty Calendar -Kids/Babies
Crafty Catz - Birthday - WON a Bugaboo image :-)
Fussy & Fancy - Fall Colours

Thanks for dropping in

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Another gear in a big machine

It's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and even though it's not my week, I'm joining in.  Life has been very busy (in a wonderful way) and my card stash is seriously depleted so any push to get me creating is good.

So team Susan have a favourite stamp challenge & we all know it's near impossible to choose just one!  But I do LOVE Penny Black stamps & they were some of the very first I purchased and are still some of the most loved.  This one has been in my stash since 2009 and doesn't he just make you smile :-)

Entering a few challenges too:

A Gem of a Challenge - Fun Outside

Crafty Friends - Dies/Punches

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies

Retro Rubber - Anything Goes

Rubber Dance - Also Favourite Stamp

Thanks so much for dropping by x

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

I can't exceed my reputation

I'm being a bit naughty, this Christmas card is suitable for the July challenge at Christmas at Sweet Stampin' as well as this week's challenge at Sweet Stampin'.  If you're going to get ahead on your Christmas cards, you might as well enter both.

This one uses up some very old paper (purple) and some very new paper (pinky/red) and a very, very old embellishment from...yes, you guessed it....Lakeland!  I know, I spent a lot of money in that shop lol!

So what's on my agenda this weekend?  I've just made 40 wedding invitations in less than a week so today is catching up on some household jobs and cooking a nice dinner.  Tomorrow I have the house entirely to myself so I am thinking of locking the doors and spending a whole day crafting maybe?

Hope you have a lovely weekend x

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

I got your photograph

Some days, I like to play rather than create an actual finished project.  The dreamweaver-ed stars on this panel are one such piece and having been sat there for a few weeks, I decided they would be perfect to use in this week's challenge of Stars and Stripes over at Sweet Stampin',  

They were particularly perfect because the dreamweaver pastes were sent to me from a wonderful friend of mine who moved from the U.K. to the U.S.A. a few years ago & left me missing her every single day!  Also totally unintentionally, the sentiment is one from a Hero Arts set that I purchased on a visit out to see her.  There were a number of shopping trips involved in that trip & I recall having to buy an extra suitcase to come home with!  What a card full of memories :-)

As I do on these rare occasions of blogging, i'm playing along with some challenges:

Craft Rocket - For Men/Boys

Through the purple haze 128 - Spots or Stripes

Thanks so much for dropping by,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Promises? No promises....

Ever buy a stamp/die/other craft item, get it home & wonder how you're going to use it?  Then it sits looking at you for three years, making you feel terribly guilty.......Yeah, me too!

I think the basic problem is the style of the stamp is a long way away from my style.  However it's good to get out of your comfort zone, right?

This 'three years in the making' card is just to let you know we have a SHABBY CHIC challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and we'd love to see what you create.

I'd love to play along with the Retro Rubber challenge who want to see flowers.  As mentioned this stamp is at least three years old, I purchased it at a craft show & it sticks in my mind because another trader made a bitchy comment about the manufacturer after i'd bought it.  As I say, you can't like everyone in the world but you do have to co-exist & tolerate one another.

Hope you all have a lovely day,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

So, no-one told you life was gonna be this way

Time for another challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this week we want to see CATS and/or DOGS.  I apparently don't have many cat stamps so I dug out this gorgeous dalmation instead.  He's from a company that makes the most wonderful realistic dog stamps of practically every breed, I'm just having a little trouble remembering the name....

I teamed him with spotty papers from Stampin' Up & this fab sketch from SSW2.

Here's me playing along with some lovely challenges:

Fussy and Fancy 186 - Anything Goes

Seize the birthday - Anything 'Birthday' Goes

 Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 - Fab Sketch

The Male Room 59 - Many Legs

So, what's on the agenda this weekend?  Well, not much for me.  Lots of housework, a couple of cards and hopefully a nice walk if it stops raining!  Hope your weekend is a good one xx

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx