Hello? Is It DHL You’re Looking For?

Dia daoibh!

You know you’re in an Irish house when your daughter gives you the full operations manager spiel — “just sit there and wait for DHL, Mam!” — and here I am being treated like a flight risk with a history of absconding mid-courier. I should be wearing a hi-vis and holding a clipboard the way she’s carrying on! And so, like any Irish mammy under strict instruction, I tidied the house from top to bottom while waiting. Not just for any package, oh no—this is the package. The wedding rings! They’re getting married in less than a fortnight, and somehow, this sacred symbol of eternal love is being flung across the country in a van. Meanwhile, I’ve a night shift ahead of me, and I’d love to catch a few winks before heading off to wrangle care plans instead of double-sided tape. But can I rest? Not a hope. Every engine noise has me leaping up like a caffeinated meerkat at the window: “Is it him? Is it DHL? Is it... the neighbour again?!”

Anyway, in between pacing the floor and side-eyeing the doorbell, I managed to finish a wee card. Kept it clean and simple—CAS, for those in the know (and for those who think that’s short for "Can’t Actually Sleep," you’re not far off). I used die cuts: a cute coffee cup, some hearts, and a sentiment. Went full magpie and highligted with liquid pearls and glitter, then glossed nearly everything with glossy accents because... well, if I can’t sparkle right now, at least something in this house should!

A few challenge blogs I'm visiting:

• First Cup Challenges #4 July: - Anything Drink related projects
• The Creative Crafters #90 - Anything Goes
• Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap #11 - Anything Goes
• Girlz Rebel Challenge #42 - Anything Goes (+ pearls)
• Krafty Chicks #777 - CAS
• Creative Crafting Uncles #67 - Layer It Up
• Freshly Made Sketches #695 - Sketch

I think it turned out sweet—like a latte with extra caramel syrup. And if DHL ever arrives, I might just glue the tracking label onto the next card as a keepsake.

Sláinte,

Wendy R.🥤🚚

Crafting in Socks: A Tropical Risk Assessment

 Dia daoibh!

You’d think waiting for floors to dry wouldn’t be a dangerous sport—but here we are. Thanks to the glorious Irish humidity (yes, even when it’s raining sideways), I was tiptoeing around like I was defusing a bomb… and honestly, I’m still at it. At this point, I’ve developed the stealth and balance of a cat burglar in Crocs. One wrong move and it’s Riverdance: The Return.

Anyway, let’s leave the slippy drama behind and get to the good stuff—my latest tropical-themed card:

This sunshiney number features die cuts from the Sizzix Framelits Detailed Tropics set. I cut the elements from glitter card and Core’dinations cardstock. The background is a cheerful yellow striped paper from the Let’s Flamingle set by Piatek Trzynastego—just bright, happy vibes that make you think of lemonade and sunhats.

To finish the background, I gave it a light sprinkle of Ranger Distress Spray Stain in Brushed Pewter. It’s not really visible in the photo—but in person, it shimmers just enough to make your craft room lighting feel fancier than it is. The sentiment says hello, but with its warm colours and tropical flair, this card could easily moonlight as a thank you, a birthday card, or just a cheerful pick-me-up for someone in need of a smile.

Challenges I'm playing:

• C.R.A.F.T. #759  Thank You or Anything Goes
  
• Sisterhood of Crafters - 7/9/25 - Stripes and/or Dots
• Try It On Tuesday - Summer Blooms 
  
• The Four Seasons Challenge - July -Anything Summer Goes:

• Beautiful Blossoms #30 - Anything Flowers Goes (optional: mood board)

So while the floors are drying at the speed of a soggy turtle, at least this card turned out dry, dazzling, and drama-free.

Sláinte!

Wendy R. 🌴✨🍍

Mop, Drop, and Roll… Then Make a Card

Dia daoibh!

Oh there I was, gliding through the kitchen like a majestic swan—well, that was the plan anyway. In reality, I hit a sneaky patch of water (note to self: freshly washed floors are treacherous) and executed a perfect slapstick banana peel moment. Arms flailing, one leg in the air like I was auditioning for Riverdance: The Slippery Years. No injuries—just the suspicious side-eye from the cat, who clearly thinks I’m unfit for independent living.

Now, onto safer ground—my card:

It features not one, but a few fabulous butterflies cut from a freebie by Miss Kate Cuttables (because we love a good freebie). I designed it in layered glory using Core’dinations cardstock and vellum, giving it that airy, “just fluttered by to say hi” feel. The butterflies are raised on foam pads for dimension. For sparkle (always yes to sparkle), I added clear gemstones with the kind of reckless joy usually reserved for glitter bombs. I gave the background a subtle misting of Ranger Distress Spray Stain in Brushed Pewter—it’s not showing up well in the photo, but trust me, it shimmers like moonlight on a puddle (the non-slippery kind). The sentiment reads Happy Days, from the Sizzix Framelits Detailed Tropics set, and is stamped in Versafine ink. It’s cheerful, crisp, and stamped so well it practically winked at me.

A few challenges:

• Creative Knockouts #551 Sparkle and Shine
• Ellibelle's Garden Party - July - Anything in or from the garden
• Just Us Girls #784 - Mood Board (see below)
• Krafty Chicks #777 - Clean & Simple
• TIME OUT Challenges #293  - Inspired by your favorite song (well, one of my favourites: Kacey Musgraves - Butterflies )
• Color My Heart Color Dare #660 Color Board:

So while my kitchen choreography may need work, my card is giving butterflies and good vibes all around.

Sláinte!

Wendy R. 🦋

Birthday Craic

Dia Daoibh!

Well now, not much going on this week unless you count me arguing with my double-sided tape and losing—again. But I am thrilled to be Guest Designer over at the AAA Colourful Challenge Blog! The designers there are a fab bunch of crafty geniuses, and I’m chuffed to join them for Colourboard #18—a bright explosion of pink, orange, yellow and green that looks like a party straw convention.

The challenge runs 15th July to 14th August, so plenty of time to get your rainbow on. 

I hit the scrap stash and die cut some bold, stripy bits in those juicy colours, added a few stars (glittered to within an inch of their lives), and popped them up on foam pads for dimension. The sentiment—"IT’S YOUR DAY"—is from my beloved Sizzix alphabet dies, survivors of the Great COVID-Clearout™. I couldn’t part with them then, and I won’t now, not even if you bribe me with crisps. The coloured enamel drops? Ha! I live in Ireland. We’ve got rain, not rainbow drops. So I faked it with teeny punched circles and a blob of Ranger Glossy Accents—job done!

A few challenges:

• AAA Birthday Challenge #75 - Summer Birthday 
  
• Die Cut Divas - Jul - Happy Birthday
  
• Heart's Quest Celebration of Love #7 - Birthdays, Engagements, Weddings, Anniversaries and/or Sympathies
  
• Crafty Catz #698 - Anything Goes - Child's Birthday

Come join the fun over at AAA Colourful and show the world your best and brightest. The more colour, the better—unless you’re my washing machine, in which case, please stop turning everything pink.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🌞

Glitter, Glossy Accents, and Mild Heatstroke

Dia Daoibh!

Well now, would you look at the state of us—Ireland’s in a heatwave, and I’m convinced my brain has melted clean out me ears. If you see a puddle wearing glasses and muttering about cardstock, that’s probably me. Between battling hayfever (sneezing so much I’m fairly sure I’ve realigned me spine), and trying to keep me ice cream from evaporating, it’s been a grand old time altogether. 

But sure, despite the drama, I managed to put together a wee card for the new challenge over at Ally’s Angels – Challenge #96 – Anything Goes!

For this card, I grabbed me trusty Core’dinations cardstock (because if you’re going to be fancy, be proper fancy), and cut out all the bits with the Doodlebug Flower Garden Doodle Cuts Dies. Everything’s layered up with foam pads—because I like my dimension bigger than an electricity bill—and finished off with a touch of Ranger’s Glossy Accents for that perfect bit of shine. A sprinkling of gemstones adds just the right amount of sparkle—because it’s not truly finished until you find a rogue gem floating in your tea—and there you have it: a card shinier than the sequins in the front row of a Garth Brooks concert.

On to a few challenges:

• Try It On Tuesday - Summer Blooms
• Beautiful Blossoms #30 - Anything Flowers Goes (optional: mood board)
  
• Crafts Galore Encore - Always Anything Goes
  
• Creative Crafting Uncles #67 - Layer It Up
  
• Let's Craft & Create Challenge #220 - Anything Goes (use a hand punch and/or die)

The talented design team have created projects so gorgeous you’ll want to hang them on your fridge and tell the neighbours you made them yourself. So get your skates on—or your flip-flops, given the weather—and join in, because anything goes: crochet, baking, painting, sticking googly eyes on your cat (though best of luck with that), or whatever crafty shenanigans you’re up to.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🙂

Buzz Buzz

Dia Daoibh!

Well now, settle yourselves in, because I have a tale that will make your sides split faster than a cheap pair of leggings on Christmas Day. Let’s start with my attempt at baking the best flan known to humankind—in, of all things, an electric pressure cooker. Aye, you heard that right. Nothing screams “culinary genius” quite like sloshing custard into a metal contraption that hisses at you like an irate tomcat. But let me tell you, that flan came out smoother than a politician’s excuses and wobblier than my knees after a glass of Baileys.

And now, onto my card... I used the adorable CCL Clear Stamp Bee Happy Friendz set—stamped with Memento Ink, then coloured with my trusty ProMarkers until every bee was beaming with personality. The wee bees are raised up on foam pads for that extra bit of dimension—because no bee should be flat when it can float fabulously. Since this cheerful creation is flying off to Norway, the sentiment proudly says Hei!—so it can greet its new home properly. I cut the letters from black card and layered them up like a stylish sandwich, ready to impress any Norwegian postie. To finish it all off, I gave the bees a glossy shine (because even insects deserve to feel fancy) and added iridescent glitter to their wings—because sparkle is mandatory in my craft room.

On to a few challenges:

• Dragonfly Dreams - July - Use Polygons
  
• Allsorts #827 - For a Child or  Anything Goes
  
• Creative Fingers #305- Anything Goes
  
• Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers #264 - H is for Hot, Hot, Hot - (I used warm colours ;)
  
• Freshly Made Sketches  #694 - Sketch:

I hope this card brings a smile as bright as a summer meadow and a little buzz of happiness when it lands.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🐝✨

Craft Shed to the Country Christmas Spotlight

Dia Daoibh!

I’m absolutely thrilled to be Guest Designer over at the FarmQuest Country Christmas Challenge! A big thank you to the team for having me – they’re seriously talented and I’m delighted to be along for the (reindeer-powered) ride.

My card features a festive reindeer with a glittery red nose and a cheerful sentiment – both cut on my trusty old Silhouette Cameo (Version 1 and still going like your granny’s slow cooker: dependable, slightly noisy, but gets the job done). The background paper is a cosy Nordic knit design from a paper pack I picked up in Euro General many moons ago. Miraculously, it survived the Great COVID Clear-Out™! I kept the card clean and simple (aka didn’t want to risk ruining it), added a few DIY enamel dots, and called it festive magic.

A few challenges I'm entering: 

• A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog  - July - Anything goes
• Lift Challenge - #198 -  Lift this card 
• The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up - #124 - Anything goes (optional: Christmas)
• Peace on Earth - #91 - anything Christmas goes (optional: inspiration board)
• C.R.A.F.T. - #758  - Christmas
• Christmas Kickstart - #100 - Merry-Go-Round
• Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog -#63 - anything Christmas goes
• Daisy Chain Challenges - #98 - Christmas in July

Why not join the FarmQuest Country Christmas Challenge yourself? Great craic, great inspiration – and zero glitter bans.

Sláinte,

Wendy R.

Hot Hot Hot!

Dia Daoibh!

Well now, it’s supposed to be summer here in Ireland, but let’s be honest—summer here is mostly just a rumour started by optimistic tourists and the odd weather forecaster who’s clearly never left Dublin.

Between clocking up a heroic amount of overtime at work, sneezing my head off and sporting a fine pair of itchy, red hayfever eyes (very fashionable, I hear), and playing hide and seek with the snail who’s turned my sunflower seedlings into his personal buffet, I’m delighted altogether to be this month’s Guest Designer over at the Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers. If you haven’t had a nosey yet, go check out all the seriously stunning creations by the talented gang -You’ll find more inspiration there than you can shake a glue stick at!

This month’s challenge theme is H is for Hot Hot Hot—whether that’s summer, a scorcher of a colour palette, or just the feeling you get when you realise you’ve sat on your heat tool. Right, onto my card before I start waffling altogether.

If you’ve been following my wee blog for any length of time, you’ll know I have an unshakeable grá for Lori Whitlock designs… or at least my trusty old Silhouette Cameo—bless her wee electrical heart. For this sizzling challenge, I used the Hello Sunshine design from Lori Whitlock—a bold move, considering the Irish “sunshine” usually comes with a side order of drizzle. I cut it from textured cardstock, layered it up with foam pads (because flat cards are as sad as a soggy chip), and finished it off with some gold-coloured gems for a bit of sparkle. I kept it nice and CAS—because my eyes were too itchy from the hayfever to attempt anything more elaborate!

A few challenges:

• Simply Clean and Simple - July - Clean & Simple (optional: Beach)
  
• Allsorts - #827 - For a Child or  Anything Goes
  
• Little Red Wagon - #814 - Bold or Bright colors
  
• Cardz 4 Galz - #253 - Welcome To Summer 
• Just Us Girls - #782 - Summer Things
• Creative Crafting Uncles #66 - Summer

Right-e-o, I’m off to deliver an eviction notice to that cheeky snail and make a cup of tea strong enough to put hairs on your chest.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🌞

Glitter Elves & Craft Stash Interventions

Dia Daoibh!

The HQFCB challenge this time is Anything Goes Fantasy with an Elf focus - which is ironic because our "Elf on the Shelf" is basically in witness protection. When I'm on night shifts, this festive spy couldn't move if you paid him in candy canes. Santa's definitely getting a strongly worded performance review this year.

For my card, I resurrected my ancient Silhouette Cameo (Version 1 - we're talking "vintage" like my last good night's sleep) to cut a cheeky elf shape and sentiment from glitter cardstock. Layered it up for dimension because flat die cuts are about as exciting as January gym memberships. Kept it clean and simple, then "repurposed" some silver thread and leftover diamond painting gems (read: finally found a use for that impulse buy from 2022).

On to a few challenges:

Creative Knockouts - #550 - Christmas in July

Crafty Catz -No. 697 - Anything goes

Creative Inspirations Challenge  - #28  Anything Goes

Leigh SB Designs Inspirational Challenges - July No. 42 - Christmas in July

Craft Rocket Challenges - #127 - Christmas in July

Fab n' Funky - #620 - Christmas in July

Paper Shelter -#645 - Christmas in July

Now for the scary bit -  there's less than 25 weeks until Christmas 2025! That's right, we're closer to next Christmas than last Christmas. Let that sink in while you try to remember where you stored the decorations.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🎄🎅

P.S. If our Elf doesn’t step up his game this year, I’m replacing him with a caffeine-fueled garden gnome. Fair warning.

JUNE 2025 Card Chain Challenge

Dia Daoibh!

June’s Card Chain Challenge has come and gone — and sure wasn’t it a beauty! For the June 2025 round, I joined in the fun and picked the colour palette option: a dreamy blend of coffee, cream, and platinum. I also followed the theme of Friendship — which felt perfect, as I was crafting a cheerful 'hello' to a new friend.

I used a fab die cut design from the Silhouette Design Store (help, I might be hooked 😁). The “hello” sentiment was stacked up like a proper Victoria sponge — lovely and layered! I added some gems and pearls too, because who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle?

My card headed off to Arlene in the USA (hiya Arlene! 👋) — fingers crossed it brought a big smile when she found it in her letterbox… or mailbox… or postal cubby of joy (whatever they call it across the Atlantic — you know the one!).... Now for the cherry on top — I received an absolutely fab card from Hilary in the UK (hiya Hilary! 👋), and let me tell you, it was a treat! It’s always such a buzz getting happy mail that isn’t a bill, a flyer, or a suspicious letter from "Revenue".

Onto a few challenges: 

• I Spy with My Little Eye #27 - vintage Vibes
  
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Sending Flowers
  
• Girlz Creative Crafts #57 - Butterflies
  
• Triple B - June - Anything with Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies (optional mood board)
• A Perfect Time To Craft - Always Anything Goes
  
• The Creative Crafters #89 - Always Anything Goes
  
• Beautiful Blossoms #30 - Anything Flowers Goes (optional mood board)

Honestly, it’s such a delight being part of this crafty circle. If you haven’t joined the Card Chain Challenge yet, you’re missing out on the best kind of post: happy mail with a handmade hug inside. 💌

Sláinte,

Wendy R.