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}

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

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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

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

Just wanna dance the night away...

Over at Sweet Stampin' this week we have a 'Mellow Yellow' challenge.  Truthfully, your yellow doesn't have to be mellow.  It can be a bright as you like !

Every time I see yellow cards, I promise myself I'll use more yellow....it's lovely & cheery but I still forget!  I think I might go make another one while it's on my mind!

I used a lovely image from Stampin' Up's Simply Soft set and some spotty paper also from S.U. 

Participating in some lovely challenges:

Come and Get It - In the Garden

Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes

Penny Black & More - Spring

Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

It's a bit.......BLAND!

Sliding in with a late Mojo Monday entry, I really couldn't decide where to go with this sketch and ended up going WOW (white on white).  Unfortunately it didn't 'wow' the OH who took one look at it and said "It's a bit.......bland!"

Can't win 'em all eh?  Best slap some colour on the next one!

I was inspired by the following fab challenges who hopefully like my 'bland' card a bit more than hubby does!!  

Allsorts - Girly & Sparkly

Craft for the Craic - January Blues

Mojo Monday - Sketch

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

CASS with BOWS on!

Well hello, I'm dropping in just a little late to show you my first Christmas card of the year, yes I did say Christmas!  I like to attempt organisation, even if I don't always reach the dizzying heights of success with it.

At least with Christmas at Sweet Stampin' I'm guaranteed 12 cards minimum each year!  This is the first using a beautiful image from Robyn's Fetish who are our super sponsor for January.  A bit of backing paper from a seriously old pack (a Bah Humbug win if you can remember how many years ago that was...)

Would love to enter in the following lovely challenges too please:

Brown Sugar 180 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Flowers

Shopping our Stash - Something New (digi from RF)

Thank you for dropping in, if you too want to be as organised as me (ok that may not be the best encouragement to give you) drop by the challenge blog and join in.  The theme is bows.

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

New Stash Alert.....

Hello again!  Yes, I did say a NEW stash alert and NO, I'm not breaking my resolutions already.  It was a Christmas gift so I haven't spent anything! Everything else is old I promise.  This pretty stamp was found in the Sir Stampalot sale.  I love this company, super friendly and their parcels always arrive well packed and swiftly too.

See that panel with the orange crackle on it?  I HAD to have that stamp (Stampin' Up) after seeing it used as tree bark on a card.  I may have had it 3 or so years, do you think I've ever used it as tree bark?  No bonus points for the correct answer lol!

Inspired by the following fab challenges:

Allsorts - What's New
Brown Sugar 180 - Anything Goes
Craft for the Craic - january Blues (I'm chasing them away with this bright flowers)
Crafty Catz - Flowers

Mojo Monday - Sketch

Appreciate you dropping by, I'll make cakes for next time.  Chocolate ok for everyone?!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Happy New Year!

Yes, the chaos has finally receded enough, children have been packed off back to school (even if I did get the wrong day!) and I am back in the world of crafting.  I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year, we certainly did.  Lots of games and giggles

Of course, I have been reflecting on my crafty resolutions for 2016.  Really I want to continue in the same vein as last year.  So I'm going with:

1. Use up more of my existing stash.
2. Only buy essential items (adhesives, cards, envelopes etc).
3. Improve my one layer cards.
4. Experiment with shaped cards.
5. Send Birthday cards!!  (Cobblers children syndrome!).
6. Leave comments as often as I can.
7. Create more Christmas cards throughout the year.

So my first blogged card of 2016:

It uses some retired S.U. paper & my very oldest S.U. stamps.

I was inspired by the following challenges:

Penny Black & More - One for the Girls

Shopping our Stash - Monochrome (Pink for Leslie)

Sketch Saturday - Sketch
Southern Girls - One for the Girls

Thank you so much for dropping by, I will be around to visit soon

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

P.S. I hate gloomy weather.  It took 4938 attempts to get an acceptable photo of this card!

Twice as fresh as usual

*Waves* Hi folks, hope you're doing well.  It's a bit manic in my house at the mo, so it'll be short posts and minimal comments from me for a week or two.  I missed getting my entry in for last week's Freshly Made Sketch so here it is now:

I'd love to enter in to the following challenges:

Brown Sugar 173 - Anything Goes

Crafting with Friends 11 - Anything Goes

Creative Corner- Happy Birthday

Then I got straight on with this weeks:

Freshly Made Sketches - Sketch

Simply Papercrafts 18 - Anything Goes

Thanks for dropping by today, have a great day!

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Mojo Mojo!

Yep, it's a double Mojo Monday for me as I somehow managed to miss entering last week.  This is my entry for today and I used it to make an urgently needed sympathy card.  I don't enjoy making these at the best of times, even less so when they are for personal use.  Aside from the obvious sadness, I always feel like i'm 'showing off' completely inappropriately and I feel uneasy receiving compliments on them.  Is that just me?  

Thisone has been inspired by the following challenges:

Male Room - Sympathy

Mojo Monday - Sketch

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Now I had made this with last weeks Mojo sketch but didn't get it posted in time.  I dug out the old Twinkling H2O's, remember when they were the absolute must haves of every crafter?  Well I got mine after that.  I'm not one to jump on a fashion fad lol!

This one was inspired by:

Brown Sugar - No patterned paper

Crafty Catz - Girls Only

Just us Girls - Watercolouring

Mojo Monday - Sketch 423

I really appeciate your visit, I hope to get some blog hopping done tonight or tomorrow to catch up.  Meantime, thanks so much for dropping by to see me.

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

A slightly earlier Mojo Monday

Unless it directly impacts your life, there are many things we don't think of.  One of the things I'd never thought about was what cards looked like to partially sighted recipients.  I've learned that high contrast colours work well in this instance whereas those beautiful subtle toning cards don't.  Lovely as they are.  So I make a point of always having some made, this being the latest.

I've used a Verve image and sentiment and I very cleverly (for me!) inked up my stamp with pens to get green stems and coloured flowers.  

Crafting with Attitude 9 - Anything Goes

Little Miss Muffet 124 - Anything Goes

Mojo Monday 422 - Sketch

Thank you so much for dropping in,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Freshly Made Triple CAS

Well I'm still playing catch up with my challenges but hopefully I am now getting there.  I totally missed last weeks Freshly Made Sketch with being away so this first card is my take on that and another olc to add to my tally!

This is also being entered in to Just Us Girls who have a One Layer Challenge

My take on the current FMS is this CAS card for someone who's passed their driving test and I'd also like to enter this in the Shopping our Stash challenge who this week are asking us to go paperless!

I know there are people probably gasping in horror at the use of peel offs on my card but they are in my old stash, need using and frankly I had not one stamp that said anything remotely driving test related so there we have it.

Then because I saw these flowers that needed using in the box with the peel offs, I thought I'd flip the sketch and make a simple card with them (partly because I have no other idea what to do with them).  I actually like this, it looks a lot happier than all the sympathy cards I've been making lately!

Thanks so much for dropping by, your comments cheer my day.

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

I'm late, I'm late....for Mojo Monday

It's fair to say I don't like tags.  I never know what to do with them and they just look like a card with a tag on, know what I mean?  So I nearly backed out of this weeks Mojo challenge when I saw the sketch!  I am very glad I didn't now as I'm really pleased with this effort.  

It used up some very old stash in the shape of that tag, ribbon and butterfly!  In fact I also used the sketch to make a get well card so that's two tags down, 22 to go!

I was stunned to discover I didn't have any pale orange card.  I had every other possible colour under the sun! I resorted to colouring white with promarkers and job done.  

Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew - Ribbon

Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes

Little Miss Muffet - Tags

Mojo Monday - Sketch

I really appreciate you popping by, have a great day,

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Two for the price of one!

Yep, I'm giving you a really good deal today lol!  First up we have my DT card for Sweet Stampin' where we want you to use script or text, there are fabulous cards from the team so please do hop over to have a look and play along with us.  This card uses a beautiful roses stamp from Stamplorations which my lovely sweet teamie Maarit sent me on my birthday, isn't she the best :-) thank you hon.

I'd also like to play along with:

Allsorts - No designer paper

Craft for the Craic - Inspired by Music (It's been a good year for the roses by George Jones)

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Next up is my entry for Sketch Saturday using a blueprint TH stamp I was also given as a birthday gift, lucky me!  It's my first and don't they stamp beautifully? Wow.

Also playing along with:

Brown Sugar - Use a number

Shopping our Stash - Birthday (S.U. papers from stash, at least 4 years old) 

Sketch Saturday - Sketch

Ok, that's me all done.  Am off to see what else I can create.  Have a lovely day and thank you so much for popping by/

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx

Major Mojo Monday!

An unusual occurence today....a post from me that isn't a DT post.  It's a completely random, just because, no particular reason post!

Also a not so unusual occurence today.....it's raining.  Clearly brightening up the day was in my mind when I picked the colours.

I was inspired by the Mojo Monday sketch so I'm entering over there with thanks for kicking my butt after a totally uninspired weekend!

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + Sentiment

Crafty Catz - Special Occasion

The Genius (Occasionally!) xx