83 years young!

Today is my Dad's 83rd Birthday, and as tempting as it is to put numbers on his card, I decided to go with a theme of celebrating at home, as we're all doing at the moment. Fabulous to finally have some DSP that actually shows WALES!!

Stamp Set: Perennial Birthday (Retired)

Card stock: Copper foil, World of Good DSP, 

Early Espresso, Whisper White

Accessories: 1/4" Faux Suede Trim, Triple Banner Punch, 

Retired Copper Stars

It's been a lovely day, the sun has shone, there's been a lunchtime drink in the local pub, and our usual Sunday dinner, but with the addition of dessert . . .

Keep on card making,

and enjoying Summer Strawberry Meringue Roulade ;-)

GenGen xxxx

Celebrating Dad

Some of the silver lining of Lockdown is the time I've been able to spend with my Dad, still great company and moments of sparkle :-)

And with Father's Day in this time period, Dad was happy enough to have Sunday dinner as his present (phew)! Also giving me an opportunity to play with the Forever Greenery Suite.

Stamp Set: Forever Fern, and retired greeting

Card stock: Pretty Peacock, Forever Greenery DSP, Pear Pizzazz, Vellum, Whisper White

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories: Greenery Embossing Folders, Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack, Forever Flourishing Dies, Lovely Labels Pick a Punch, Gold faceted rhinestones

As Dad spends so much time in the garden,

this suite is spot on ;-)

Keep on being inspired by nature,

GenGen xxxx

Eighteenth Down Under!

My gorgeous niece Down Under is 18 TODAY!

As I write this blog her High Tea Birthday party 

will probably be in full flow ;-)

As you can never have enough sparkle in your life, I've simply surrounded her Birthday number with 18 white velvet die cut feathers.

Joining you with a celebratory cuppa from Wales, 

sending love across the miles xx

Keep on sparkling,

GenGen xxxx

Twins reach 12!

I know as each day passes time gets faster and faster,

seems like yesterday that L&E were born!

It's probably obvious that by now the twins have different interest, and I try at least to keep up with their latest loves ;-) L loves football, so with a green DSP background I used 12 footballs and copper stars for his number card.

As a cheat I now just accompany their card with a money envelope so they can chose something they would really like :-)

As E has just had her room decorated with Butterflies with Purple, Pink, Teal and Limed Oak, her card has 12 Butterflies, die cut, stamped on Bermuda Bay, Petal Pink or vellum, with of course rhinestones, glimmer paper using Butterfly Wishes stamp set and Butterfly Duet punch.

With her Birthday envelope matching in ;-)

Keep on card making,

GenGen xxx

Never too old . . .

. . . for a number Birthday card, 

or to be spreading a little glimmer wherever you go! 

Hee hee hee!

This is the simplest of cards, 

as I didn't want to over do my nephew's card, 

Happy Birthday for today MJ ;-)

So, retired foil card stock from Nobel Peacock for the background, 

and Stitched Stars die, with glimmer large numbers, 

as I was just unable to resist!

Keep on card making,

GenGen xxxx

Three decades to celebrate

I'm not really sure how it's possible my niece is 30! Obviously I printed/die cut 30 butterflies, and even though this card is A5 size I went with one butterfly for every decade instead ;-)

Stamp set: Daisy Lane, Butterfly Wishes

Ink: Smokey Slate

Card stock: Pink Glimmer, Whisper White, 

Highland Heather, Petal Pink

Accessories: Butterfly Duet and Daisy Punch, 

Nature's Thoughts Dies, Large Numbers Dies, Rhinestones

Keep the glimmer and sparkle going,

GenGen xxxx

Share DSP by USING it!

As I have a complete inability to resist DSP, 

my stash is much larger than I'd like to admit ;-)

As I was making a stash of cards for a friend, 

I bit the bullet and actually started cutting up some DSP,

used some retired sheer ribbon,

 and luckily my friend is partial to a bit of gingham :-)

Keep on crafting,

GenGen xxxx

My love of leaves

At difficult times, I find nature comforting

Stamp set: Forever Fern

Ink: Pear Pizzazz

Card: Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz

Accessories: Forever Flourishing Dies, Ornate Frames Dies, 

Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper (white on the reverse)

Our lives are richer for knowing them,

they live with us in our hearts and minds,

GenGen xxxx

Positive Thoughts

This time of year with gardens blooming and butterflies flying around translates into a June Birthday card.

Stamp Set: Positive Thoughts

Card stock: Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla

Ink: Rocco Rose, Pear Pizzazz, Pretty Peacock

Accessories: Nature's Thinlits dies, 1/2" Scalloped Linen Ribbon

Keep seeing Inspiration all around,

GenGen xxxx

Garden Inspiration!

In this difficult time it has allowed some of us to spend time in the garden, and allowed me to play with some goodies that arrived before lockdown.

So a friend needed a card for her garden loving friend, and I wanted to create a secret walled garden, with flowers peeking behind the gate inviting you in. 

Then I thought I'd change the stonework for garden loving Graham, and make the fence wooden . . 

with a few more tumbling trailers,

 and a visiting bird perching on the gate.

Stamp set: Grace's Garden

Ink: Staz On in black and Saddle Brown, Stampin' Write markers

Accessories: Garden Gateway Dies, 

Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder

Keep on being inspired,

GenGen xxxx

Magical Birthday Wishes

Sometimes I can't resist retiring stamp sets, 

especially when someone sharing your Birthday still loves unicorns!

Stamp Set: Leave a Little Sparkle, retired greeting

Card stock: Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick and Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Momento, Lovely Lipstick, Rich Razzleberry and watercolour pencil for the mane and tail.

Keep on believing in Magic,

GenGen xxxx

Ornate Garden Suite

 A very dear friend of mine had a 90th Birthday in Lockdown,

 so I thought her card should reflect her golden age.

Stamp set: From the Looking Up Card Kit

Ink: Gold

Card: Whisper White, Gold Foil, 

Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper

Accessories: Ornate Layers Dies, gold ribbon.

As I had gone with gold reflection, I kept it simple,

keep on card making, GenGen xxxx

Somehow it's July!

You would think without the focus of work, and with more unfinished projects facing me than I'd like to admit, that I would have used the time off constructively and posted all my efforts here!

The reality is that I enjoyed stopping and spending time with family. I've only recently started playing with new goodies from the new Main Catalogue, but anyone who knows me, won't be surprised that I'm this last minute ;-)

It's no surprise that I was taken with the Celebrate Sunflowers Bundle,

 and the co-ordinating Flowers for Every Season Designer Series Paper allows instant sunshine in this case, with minimal stamping, but I love the matching die and used the DSP as inspiration.

Stamp: Retired ;-) as is the punch

(naughty hoarding Genevieve)

Card Stock: Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight 

and Flowers for Every Season DSP 6"x6"

Ink: Gold

Accessories: 2020-2022 In Colour Enamel Dots

Keep on spreading the love with card making,

GenGen xxxx