Throw away the work to be done

Honestly, who returns to a challenge & then goes awol for several weeks?  Sweet Stampin' has a lovely 'flowers' challenge this fortnight which tempted me back & gives you lots of scope to get crafty.

I made this on my day off when the weather wasn't quite inviting enough to venture out.  I would tell you this is made with very old stash but 95% of my stash IS very old so that's not really news!  I am currently decluttering my craft room and there is a lot of rediscovery going on.  Also a lot of of getting rid which is incredibly satisfying.

Looking forward to seeing your floral creations

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

{All night long by Lionel Richie}

A quiet return

Well hello, it's been a while!

Here I am sneaking back in to the blogging world via the Sweet Stampin' challenge.  Happy Birthday to the challenge, 16 years is something to be proud of!  Sharing a card I made for an incredibly special young lady who loves a bit of pink bit & also needs a card with lots of energy & personality.

So looking forward to catching up.

The Genius (occasionally!) xx

A Christmas Farewell

Well Hello!

How lovely to see you all again.  I'm popping back up to mark the retirement of the CaSS challenge.  Obviously this is a sad moment for me as I co-founded the challenge back in 2012.  But all good things must come to an end and I am marking the occasion as well as extending my love & thanks to all of my CaSS DT members.  I've met some amazing people & gained fantastic friends through the Sweet Stampin' challenges.

So in honour of the final CaSS challenge & all the wonderful people involved in it, I decided to try something new: Colouring on kraft.  Yes, I do realise i'm late to the party but i'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I also brought a never before inked stamp out to play to make this CAS creation.

So to all my CaSSette's & all the supporters of the SS Christmas blog: THANK YOU!

With much love,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

You'll never be alone

Well it's an emotional day for me today.  I'm finally hanging up my Sweet Stampin' boots. After more than 8 years, I've decided the time is right to hand over the challenge to the dream duo of Susan & Wendy.  Girls, I know you will do an amazing job & take the challenge from strength to strength.

In the meantime, we need to celebrate as it's our 9th Birthday!  Pop along, join in the celebrations

As for me, life has changed in those 8 years & I find myself seriously short of time!  I'm not even sure I will be blogging in the near future tbh.  So this is a bit of a see you when I see you post.  I've had a ball blogging, met amazing people, been so inspired by my fellow crafters and learnt so much.

This card is really made for my fellow SS teamies, they have been like a family to me and while it is the right thing to do for me, I will miss them beyond belief.  I would have loved it to say "You made MY world a better place" because they have.

Huge thanks go to Netty's Cards for the fabulous digi sentiment used above.

For now, keep creating & I will see you sometime.

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Sweet Home Alabama

I'm two days late with this offering to let you know that we have a Christmas in August theme over at Sweet Stampin' this week.  I've had this stamp for over a year but felt a little intimidated to ink & colour him.  But he was too fab to resist any longer & I got my watercolours out & coloured with those for a change.  I like the end result even though he may be too CAS for some. 

I organised a baby shower over the weekend, apparently these are now quite a big thing in the U.K.  Who knew?!  It was hard work but fun, lots of baby themed games & quizzes created lots of fun & giggles! 

I'd love to play with some other fabby challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - P for Plain

Allsorts - From boys to men

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - Anything Christmas (optional girl)

Thanks for stopping by,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Lost in the Millions

It's the second Wednesday of the month & that means another CaSS project.  It's been a pleasure over the last couple of weeks to be thinking about Christmas, cold weather & snow.  Ooh I have wished to be able to make snow angels just to cool down!  I confess, Summer is not my favourite season.

I had postage costs in mind making this card.  Christmas is expensive enough so flat-ish cards are a necessity.  I'd dithered about glittering the balls & still might tbh.

I'd also like to play in some other fab challenges:

12 months of Christmas - Anything Christmas, optional greenery
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - Anything Goes, optional embossing

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Sick & tired of your attitude

Over at Sweet Stampin' this week, there's a theme of TRAVEL for you to play with.  I've gone for a rather sedate but very necessary form of travel and one that I am well used to seeing around.  We'd love to see your travel themed cards too, so get crafting & come play along with us!

I'm also playing along with some other fabulous challenges:

Crafty Calendar - Dots and/or Stripes
The Male Room - Birthday

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

James Dean daydream

Do you think my day needed brightening when I made this card?!  I just had the urge to make something bright & in your face!  I really like it too and I like the fact it uses pretty much one of the first stamps I ever purchased way back in 2006.  I read a statistic a while ago that said stampers only use the majority of their stamps 3 or 4 times.  Isn't that scary when you consider how much we spend on them?  

This was made for our challenge over at Sweet Stampin' this week where we want to see creations with 'presents' on.  I was actually amazed at how few stamps I have with presents on.  Hopefully you'll fare better & come play along with us.

Playing along with a challenge or two:

Always Happy Birthday June - Happy Birthday

Crafts Galore 52 - Anything Goes

Country View Challenges June - The Written Word

Crafting with Friends 68 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - 147 - Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts 58 - Anything Goes

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Greatest day of my life

I do love a sketch for inspiration, sometimes your my brain just doesn't know where to start!  So in the interests of efficiency (it does happen occasionally!) I combined this week's card for Sweet Stampin'. where we want to see embossing, with the sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping and ended up with this:

I heat embossed that wee cake from Stampin' Up & i'm really happy with the result so i'm entering in to a few challenges:

Clean and Simple Stamping - Sketch

Stamping Sensations - One for the Girls

********

Then because I was feeling so efficient & I need to make a ton of cards, I went and made a dry embossed card too, the image on this one is a digi from SK Digis (no longer trading)

I'd like to join in a few challenges with this one too:

4 Crafty Chicks - Flowers

Craft Rocket - Flowers

Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (not used the optional Spring theme)

Fussy & Fancy - Add a Sentiment

I love the colours on this one but let me tell you, they look nothing irl like they do on screen, if anyone ever works out how to get a good representation on teals & aquas on a computer I want to know!

Thanks so much for popping by, if you're embossing anything this week why not drop by Sweet Stampin' and share with us :-)

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

You can buy your hair if it won't grow

I was having one of my rare but welcome bursts of efficiency last week & feeling very proud.  Until I realised I hadn't scheduled this post.  Still I guess there's nothing wrong with 2 day late post letting you know we've got a bingo board challenge over at Sweet Stampin' is there?  You still have 5 days to join us :-)

I loathe green, although not all green.  Just the green green ones, y'know, like on this card!  Despite that, I love this card.  I know, so contrary.

I used a fabulous new digi stamp from Digi Stamp Boutique, Susan made me buy it.  She is a bad influence ;-)

Checking out a few challenges too:

Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (optional old stash)
Daring Cardmakers - Do Something DIGI

Have a great day,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Let's Dance

I don't do Valentine's.  So to accommodate me, our challenge at Sweet Stampin' this week has an extended theme!  We want to see Valentine's or Love themed creations.  Okay, so it's not all for my benefit.  There might be some single folk playing along or just unromantic souls like me!

There's just a little bit of stamping on the vellum here, I cased this from the Sizzix blog.  There was a gorgeous sky blue & yellow version on there & if I could find it again, i'd link.  It was pretty.

Playing along with some lovely challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - V for Vellum

Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (optional - Something New.  All old for me i'm afraid but I made it with my new Big Shot!)
Southern Girls - Circle Embellishments TOP 3!

Hope you have a great weekend, nothing special in store for me.  I've a lasagne to make as well as a cake to bake.  After that, i'm in my craft room ;-)

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

I heard you got a new girl friend

Men cards are something I never seem to have enough of, are you the same?  Aren't they just so darn difficult to make for?  The new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' this week made me determined to chip in.  I like this one as it's great for men with no hobbies although it would have to be someone you liked quite a bit to use all those superlatives!

Those background stamps are one of my favourite ever stamp sets (Extreme Elements from SU).  I keep looking at the splat dies that are now appearing.....so far I have managed to stop myself and stick with the stamps ;-)

As ever, I'd love to play along in a few challenges:

Addicted to Stamps 276 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Guyz 186 - January Blues TOP 3!

Creative Moments 135 - Anything Goes

Shopping our Stash - Birthday!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Your love is my love

Lots of layers, a toughie for a girl whose heart leans towards CAS design!  Anyway, lots of layers is the theme this week over at Sweet Stampin' so here I am and if you count the card base i've got 10 layers, woohoo!

I'm not a green lover normally but I do love a bit of lime, with black & turquoise especially!  I'm on a mission to make more men cards but honestly think this would work for either species.  

Keeping this short as sneaking a few minutes to post but would love to join in some challenges:

Penny Black & More - Something New (Embossing Folder)

Shopping our Stash - Old (Stamps) & New (Embossing Folder)

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Been wishing for you, am I lucky or not?

Happy New Year to all!  Did you make New Year resolutions?  For the first time in a long while, mine was not to blog more.  I've finally admitted defeat on that one & decided blogging is just not a major priority right now.  I'll stop kidding myself that I am going to make it a regular habit.

However, here I am right now and showing a Christmas card for this month's CASS challenge.  Without a sentiment because I couldn't find the perfect one in my stash, hard as that is to imagine.  I have 11 months to find one though, i'm thinking a die cut swirly one but not too big.

Taking part in some challenges:

As You Like It - Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 367 - Anything Goes but optional something old, how about this mirri card? I'm thinking it must be 7 years plus!

C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas

Crafting with an Attitude 35 - Anything Goes

Creative Knockouts - Anything Goes

Crimbo Crackers 149 - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday - Something New, the bauble die was picked up just before Christmas.  This is it's first outing.
Shopping our Stash - Out with the old (Mirri card), In with the new (Bauble die)

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Bring me a higher love

I was so chuffed to get a Top 3 placement from Stamping Sensations for my last card, maybe I should harness my pmt grungy, messy creativity more often!

Fairies & Fantasy is not one of my favourite themes if i'm honest with you.  I don't think i'm very good at it.  Despite that i'm reasonably happy with this week's card.  I love the black & white combination & I love that I used a piece of a very old 6x6 paper pad as well as an embellishment (that wee swirly bit in the corner) that I have owned for donkey's years.  A very old donkey at that!

If you're better than me at fairies & fantasy creations, we'd love to have you playing along this week at Sweet Stampin'.  Do pop over, the girls have made fabulous inspirations for you.

While I'm around, i'll play in a challenge or two:

A bit more time to Craft - Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for popping by!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

I know what I know if you know what I mean

We've got a distress challenge over at Sweet Stampin' this week.  I'm not great at distressing cards, have to be in the right frame of mind....severe pmt usually (bizarrely) works well lol!  Hopefully you'll not all be suffering that while you're creating your distress masterpieces this week!

This fabulous stamp is from Inkylicious and there was sanding, inking, tearing, more sanding on this card.  I just went to town & enjoyed it...it's like therapy!

As is my habit, I'll enter a few challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge - Birthday Card

Crafty Catz 387 - Anything Goes (optional CAS)

Crafty Friends 68 - Anything Goes

Penny Black & More - Close to Nature

Stamping Sensations - Autumn Glory TOP 3!

Thanks for dropping by,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

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