Pop, Fizz, Clink!

Dia daoibh!

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir! Wishing everyone a very happy New Year filled with good health, happy moments, and plenty of creative time!

While the festive season meant cosy days and slowing down for many, Christmas in healthcare came with a much fuller diary and a pace that never eased off. January then swans in full of expectations while staff are still operating on caffeine, muscle memory, and sheer determination. Relaxation remains a rumour, often spoken about in hushed tones by other professions, so escaping somewhere far nicer and significantly sparklier feels like the only sensible option.

On to the crafty bit and Challenge 102 at Ally’s Angels . The theme, as always, is Anything Goes, which is basically permission to craft without overthinking, and honestly that is the best kind of theme.

For my card, I used a champagne and bow SVG (my current obsession — I’ve accepted it, no intervention needed) and tiled it across the page to create the background. I coloured everything with Promarkers and had far too much fun bringing it all to life. The sentiment is from Newton’s Nook’s Cocktail Mixer Stamp Set, which I clearly own for a reason and should probably use more often 😉. I layered it onto glitter card for a touch of sparkle and popped it up on foam pads for some happy little dimension — because flat cards are fine, but a bit of lift just makes them feel fancy. 

A few challenges:

• Craft Rocket Challenges #132 Something New
• Word Power - January -  Anything Goes with Words as Focus
• Passion For Markers Challenge #820 - Favorite Digi or Stamp
• Shopping Our Stash #565 - Out with the Old & In with the New 
• Creative Crafting Uncles #73 - Birthday
• I Love Promarkers #598  Anything Goes or Fairytale

Be sure to check out the Ally’s Angels DT. They are incredibly creative and always full of inspiration. Fair warning though, it may lead to sudden urges to craft immediately.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and here is to a New Year of creativity, sparkle, and enjoying every crafty minute.

Sláinte,
Wendy R. 🎉

Hip Hip Hooray… HQFCB Challenge 1 for 2026!

Dia daoibh!

We’re rocking the month of January… all 365 days of it. Honestly, is it just me or does January last longer than a queue at a Primark on a Saturday?

Now onto the next challenge over at Heart’s Quest Fantasy Challenge Blog - Challenge 1 for 2026! The design team have kicked off the year with some absolutely fabulous makes. Truly amazing creations to swoon over. The theme is nice and simple: Anything Fantasy Goes ... so unleash the dragons, fairies, unicorns, or whatever else your crafty heart fancies.

Here’s my CAS card for the challenge.

I used the adorable Dragon and Cupcake from Kinda Cute by Patricia. He’s coloured with Promarkers, and I added tiny details with a trusty white Sharpie. The cupcake and fiery whoosh are finished with Glossy Accents for that shiny, “please don’t lick the card” look. The bunting is cut from a die that finally got a turn, and I popped it up with foam pads for a bit of extra dimension.

Challenges: 

• Krafty Chicks #801 Birthday
• Simply Clean and Simple - Jan: Use Something New ( Dragon & Cupcake)
• I Love Promarkers #596  Anything Goes or Purple and Yellow
• AAA Colorful Challenge #23 - Colourboard: 
  
  
  

And for some January wishes… may your resolutions last longer than your tin of Celebrations, may your heating bills behave themselves, and may your year start with more sparkle than your Christmas tree had on December 24th.

Nollaig..... wait, wrong month.

Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh, my friends!

Sláinte, 

Wendy R. 💗

The Card Chain Chronicles: December Edition

Dia daoibh!

I can’t believe it’s January already. 2025 went by so fast I’m convinced someone hit fast-forward on life sometime around March. One minute we’re complaining about the rain in May… and the next we’re complaining about the rain in January. What a whirlwind.

It’s time for another round of the Card Chain Challenge. My little creation packed its bags, grabbed its passport, and flew off to Ellie in the USA. And in return, a gorgeous card (and goodies) arrived from Mia in Greece. Honestly, the postal system must think I’m running some kind of international art smuggling ring at this stage but it’s all very wholesome.

Now onto my card.

This month’s theme was NBUS, which is perfect, because I have more unused supplies than a craft shop during a stocktake. We also had to use our favourite three colours, and choose an animal or a flower or a fruit. Naturally I went straight for penguins, because they’re cute, dramatic, and permanently dressed for a formal occasion.

For my card I used new but untouched acetate sheets, and the MFT cloud stencil. My festive winter favourites are teal, red, and white, so that choice was sorted. I made Ellie a shaker card, coloured everything with Promarkers, and created the background clouds using the cloud stencil. The cardstock is from Tonic Studios, and I embossed the background with a Spellbinders folder. The sentiment is stamped with Versafine for that crisp finish, and I added a big satin ribbon bow, because sometimes extra is exactly the right amount.

And why do I sign up for the Card Chain Challenge every month? Because where else can you post a card across the world and know it won’t land back on your doorstep with a note saying stop sending glitter everywhere.

After all that excitement, reality kicks back in pretty fast. It’s only the 2nd and I’ve already forgotten some of the resolutions and inhaled the emergency chocolates. The tone for the year is well and truly set.

Sláinte,
Wendy R. 😊