Yes. Cake.

Dia daoibh!

July in Ireland means one thing. Me and my farmer’s tan. White as milk from the elbow up, glowing lobster from the elbow down. The watch line could guide ships safely into harbour. I spend nine months wrapped up in jumpers and then two sunny afternoons later I look like Neapolitan ice cream. It is not subtle. It is not elegant. It is seasonal art.

Now onto Ally’s Angels Challenge #108, where the theme is, as always, Anything Goes. Which suits July perfectly because clearly rules are optional this month. The Design Team creations are fabulous as usual. So much inspiration, you could lose a full cup of tea just scrolling.

For my card, I use “Patty” from Mo’s Digital Pencil and honestly she is a whole mood. That face says it all. No singing. Yes cake. I feel personally represented. I coloured her with Promarkers, leaning right into those bold reds and teals. A little blending here, a confident flick there, and we declare it artistic flair. I kept the layout CAS with a crisp white background and just a few touches of Glossy Accents for that bit of shine. Nothing fussy. Patty does not tolerate fuss. I love how she turns out. Slightly grumpy, completely fabulous, and very clear about her boundaries.

If you have not joined in yet, this is your sign. Anything Goes means exactly that. Cards, crafty experiments, sparkly creations, pop them into the gallery. We would love to see you there.

Now if you will excuse me, I will be over here rotating slowly in the garden trying to turn Neapolitan into a single shade. Patty would approve of the cake. I would approve of an even tan.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🌞

Card Chain Challenge June 2026

Dia daoibh!

June is one of those dangerous months. The craft room gets warmer, the glitter starts sticking to absolutely everything, and suddenly you are convincing yourself that buying “just one more die set” counts as self care. Completely reasonable behaviour, obviously.

Now onto the June Card Chain Challenge!

This month, I received a lovely card from Patricia, which immediately earned a spot on the “must admire repeatedly” section of the mantel piece. Meanwhile, my card packed its little crafty suitcase and flew off to Iona. Hopefully it behaved itself through customs and did not shed sequins all over the place.

For my card, I went with the “black, white, and one colour” theme and chose gold because, if we are strictly limiting ourselves to a single accent colour, we might as well make it obnoxiously fancy, right?

I made a shaker card using a Tonic Studios 5x7 shaker pocket, filled with Spellbinders sequins. The Stampin’ Up Swallowtail image was coloured with Promarkers, and I used the lovely sentiment from Taylored Expressions’ Softly Spoken set. I also splattered on some pewter Distress Ink for a bit of extra sparkle and drama.

Why join the Card Chain Challenge? Because it is basically international happy post. One minute, you are making a card at your desk in your slippers; the next, it is travelling across the world making new friends. It is creative, fun, and an excellent excuse to use supplies you absolutely forgot you owned.

Also, nothing builds character quite like trying to photograph a shaker card without catching your own reflection staring back at you like a confused banshee.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 🦋

THE MALE ROOM - HOBBIES

Dia daoibh!

I am back again with another card for The Male Room, and this time we are talking hobbies for Challenge #212. The challenge runs from 1st July to 4th August, so there is plenty of time to get those crafty brains warmed up and ready for action.

For my card, I went with a gaming theme. It is also taken very seriously by the person holding the controller, especially when they are one button away from victory and suddenly remembering the exact meaning of dramatic panic.

I kept the design clean and bold with a large game controller as the main feature. The die cut is from the Silhouette Design Store, and I added Glossy Accents to the buttons and cable for a bit of shine and dimension. The black and white stripes give the card a fun retro feel, while the bright coloured buttons add just the right pop of colour. The sentiment is from the Level Up Stamp Set from Taylored Expressions. A few green Nuvo Drops finished it off nicely, because apparently I cannot leave tiny shiny dots alone. They sit there looking innocent, and next thing you know, the bottle is in my hand. Crafting is not always a planned event. Sometimes it is a tiny glossy ambush.

This was such a fun theme to play with, and hobbies give you loads of room to create. Gaming, fishing, sport, music, gardening, model making, cooking, reading, collecting craft supplies and pretending they are not slowly taking over the house. All very valid hobbies.

We would love you to join us over at The Male Room Challenge. Show us your favourite hobby inspired makes, whether they involve controllers, clubs, tools, brushes, hooks, rods, or a suspiciously large paper stash.

And remember, in crafting as in gaming, sometimes you win, sometimes you learn, and sometimes you just need more snacks.

Sláinte, 

Wendy R.