Bottoms Up!

You know how they say 'there's always one..........'

Well it's usually me lol! This week is no exception as with a theme of bottoms Up at Sweet Stampin' I decided to buck the trend of tea, coffee, wine & martinis (I did add a beer!) and go for a different sort of bottom ;-)

Not much more to say really.....

Crafty Catz - New Beginnings (building a house)

Sister Act - Anything Goes

See you over at the challenge where most cards will probably be a bit less cheeky than mine ;-)

Short and sweet as I'm off on my jollies, fingers crossed for decent weather.....

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Bon Voyage at Sweet Stampin' and a stash report!

OOh, the first of August &we've got sunshine so far this morning!  Could this be the start of better things to come for August?!  Let's hope so.  

We've a new challenge at Sweet Stampin' with a great theme of Bon Voyage and a fabulous prize from Crafty Ribbons.  Clearly I went very CAS with this one.  Some stamping & a little gentle colouring....job done!

Sentiment by Verve

Yacht by Stampin' Up

This card also counts in my 2015 goals/resolutions to make more one layer cards...yay!  That's a grand total of 15 so far and I definitely don't feel I've mastered them but I am trying!

Joining in some wonderful challenges:

Crafts 4 Eternity 237 - Anything Goes

Fab n Funky - No DP

Sister Act 117 - Anything Goes

We love to see you joining in so dig out those travel themed stamps & get creating!

Now for those of you that are interested, a used up stash update:

I can't believe I haven't done an update since February!  Which means I have forgotten many things I have used up.  Those things that live in my memory are:

1. A pack of Remember When decoupage.  
2. A card that is printed as a camera.  Purchased in Lakeland many, many years ago & unopened until recently, now just 3 more to use up!
3. 2 different pieces of decoupage that I was given, not quite my taste so even more impressive to have used it
4. I've also used up quite a few alphabet stickers, if anyone has any suggestions what to do with excess X's & Z's please do share...
5. A whole 12 x 12 sheet of a hideous colour card!
6. Quite a few rub on transfers
7. Several pre cut cricut pieces
8. I've finally broken in to a 12 x 12 paper pad whose colours I adore but find incredibly difficult to use.
9. A pack of 3D Cricket toppers & 3D car toppers
10. Shapes from those mahoosive Papermania boxes (1500 shapes per box!)
11. Even some peel off stickers!

It's making absolutely no difference space wise in my house yet but I am nothing if not persistent lol!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

No Designer Paper?!

I'm popping in with a card for this weeks Sweet Stampin' challenge, made for hubby's birthday.  This week we are challenging you to make a card without using designer paper.  I decided to go the route of sponging, masking & blending using inks from SU & TH, trees from Stampin' Up's Lovely as a Tree and birds from Verve. 

We're sponsored by the very lovely Emma at Flat Friends so why don't you come & show us your no dp creations.

Joining in with the following fabulous challenges:

Amusing Challenges - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + Sentiment

Fashionable Stamping - All about the Men

Papertake Weekly - Not Square

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

Sister Act - Anything Goes

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Sweet Stampin' B/W with a POP!

As I am three days late for the Sweet Stampin' challenge this week, lets look on this as a mid week reminder (tee hee!).

This week we want to see your black & white cards but with just a 'pop' of one other colour.  For me it was the perfect combination to make this card:

Of course it also gave me the opportunity to test out those new dies that landed on my doormat recently....how that happened is anyone's guess?! Oh, and the spotty stamp to co-ordinate with the dies just *might* have landed on the mat too...oops!

I'd love to join in with the following fabulous challenges:

Craft for the Craic - Big Occasion

Crafty Catz - CAS

Sister Act - Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Sweet Stampin' Birds and/or Bees

Here we are on another sunny (ha!) bank holiday Monday, There is baking going on in my house today, starting off with a quiche & following it up with a Battenburg cake, yum!

Now I must have made this card on a sunny day Spring day, look how bright & cheery he is for the Sweet Stampin' challenge of Birds and/or Bees this week.

It's a gorgeously adorable hedgie from Penny Black (that was one of my very first & most loved stamps), teamed with papers from American Crafts Neapolitan pad & topped off with a Verve sentiment.  How is it, no matter how many birthday sentiment stamp sets I own that there's never quite the right shape or size?!

I'd love to join in with the following challenges:

Allsorts - Happy Birthday
Aud Sentiments 132 - Cute + Sentiment

Amusing - Birds & Bees - TOP 3

Come and Get it - Tic Tac Toe (Designer Paper, Sentiment & 2 +Layers)

Craft for the Craic - Wings

Crafty Catz - Kids

Fashionable Stamping - Old Favourites (Old/Forgotten Stamp) SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT
Penny Black at Allsorts - Dies /Punches
Penny Black Saturday - Trees/Nature

Sister Act - Anything Goes

Enjoy your day folks, I might even find time to visit a few blogs while The Deputy bakes!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Sweet Stampin' CAS

Hi folks, i'm back again, don't fall off your chairs!  I love a bit of CAS so knowing that was the theme for team Jacky at Sweet Stampin' this week got me joining in.  That and my stock of cards needs serious rebuilding.

In the spirit of this years personal quest to use up my stash, I dug out this Papermania set of stamps. It must have been in my collection for 5+ years & never even been opened, shocking I know!  There's a rectangular frame too & I couldn't get a nice impression from it for love nor money.  Going to try filing it and if it doesn't improve it's being binned. This one however...perfect first time.

I'm playing along in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - CAS

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes/CAS

Sister Act - Anything Goes

Hope to see you playing along & have a great day.

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx