Boo, Hiss & Pass the Sweets

Dia daoibh!

Here we are, halfway through October, which means Halloween is creeping closer and I am entering that very important time of year when buying enormous bags of sweets is considered preparation rather than greed. Here in Ireland the evenings are getting darker, the weather is doing four seasons before lunchtime, and the Halloween treats are being bought, hidden, found and mysteriously disappearing long before a single trick or treater has knocked on the door. 

It is also time for Ally’s Angels Challenge #111, where our theme is always Anything Goes. Basically, crafty freedom with absolutely no adult supervision. What could possibly go wrong?

For my card I decided to embrace the Halloween madness and pulled out the Spellbinders Trick or Snark stamp set. With those colourful little monsters, balloons, a pumpkin, a ghost and a bat who appears to have appointed himself Head of Operations, there was plenty going on before I even got to that brilliant sentiment. “Let’s eat candy and judge people.” Well now. Finally, a Halloween activity I am fully qualified for. 

I stamped the image and coloured everything with my trusty Promarkers, going nice and bright with the Halloween colours. I added a few flatback pearls and some die cut stars embellished with iridescent glitter. I have to admit, these little fellas make me smile. They have balloons, sweets and absolutely nowhere important to be. The bat has even managed to get himself a lift without holding a single balloon string. There is always one clever lad in the group.

Do pop over and join us for Ally’s Angels Challenge #111. Remember, the theme is Anything Goes, so raid that craft stash, rescue something you bought three years ago and definitely intended to use immediately, and come play along. There is loads of fabulous inspiration from the Design Team too.

And with Halloween just around the corner, I shall leave you with my annual survival plan. Buy sweets for the trick or treaters. Eat the sweets. Buy replacement sweets. Hide them somewhere sensible. Forget where I hid them. Buy more sweets. A flawless system. 

Oíche Shamhna Shona daoibh go léir! 👻🎃🍬

Sláinte,

Wendy R.

Positivi-Tea

Dia daoibh!

Spring cleaning has arrived, which is that magical time of year when you open a drawer “just for a quick tidy” and somehow end up sitting on the floor two hours later reading instructions from a toaster you no longer own. The house smells like lemon, the windows are sparkling, and I have absolutely no idea where half my stuff went. Probably living its best life without me.

Right, onto the important business… the card!

I kept this one CAS because sometimes less is more ... and also because I had already used up all my energy deciding whether to keep or throw out a mysterious cable. I used the Gerda Steiner Positivi-Tea stamp set, stamped with Memento ink, and coloured with Promarkers. The little bear with the cuppa is basically all of us, emotionally and spiritually. And the sentiment… “Sending you some Positivi-Tea” … honestly, if tea solved problems any faster, we would have it prescribed on the HSE.

The background panel is partially die cut and embossed, giving it that bit of texture without shouting about it. For embellishments, I added some clear glossy accents for a bit of shine and a few drops of white blizzard Nuvo drops.

A few challenges:

Simply Clean and Simple - March 2026: CAS (Optional Theme: Baby Animals)  

First Cup Challenges #12 - Anything Goes

The Paper Funday #85 - Anything Goes or furs/Feathers

Fab n' Funky #633 - Four Legged Friends

CAS Colours & Sketches #581 - Sketch Challenge: 

Spring cleaning can wait. Tea and crafting are clearly the superior life skills.

Sláinte,

Wendy R.

Llama Love

Dia daoibh!

There is something very civilised about baking a few scones on a Wednesday morning. Not a weekend. Not a special occasion. Just a random Wednesday where you decide the house deserves the smell of warm scones and the kettle deserves to be working overtime. The plan was to bake a few. The reality was eating one while it was still too hot, another for “quality control,” and suddenly the plate looked suspiciously empty. Pure mystery altogether.

Now onto today’s card. 

I used the Sizzix Llama Love stamp, kept it CAS, and let the llama do the talking. The sentiment “I’d never spit on you” was stamped with Versafine so it stayed nice and crisp. Which, coming from a llama, is basically the highest compliment imaginable. That is serious commitment right there. The llama itself was stamped with Memento and then coloured with Promarkers. For embellishment I kept it simple and added a few black gems and a bit of Glossy Accents. Just enough shine without taking away from the llama’s obvious charm. Sometimes simple really is best and this one came together quicker than a kettle boils for tea.

Onto a few challenges:

Critter Crazy Challenges #108 - Always Anything Goes

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - SoSS #271 - B is for Black Black Heart

Crafty Animals #103 - Always Anything Goes

Sunday Stamps - SSC380 - Wide Open - Sketch by Claire:

ColorDare # 693 - Colour Palette

Right so I’m off now to check on the remaining scones. Purely for safety reasons of course. Would not want them going stale. That would be a tragedy of national importance.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 💖

Hippie Hippie Birthday!

Dia Daoibh!

Right so, last post of the day before I crawl off to bed and mentally prepare to hit the snooze button twice at 5 p.m. — because that’s how we pre-game on night shift. 😅

Now, onto the card — because before the caffeine kicks in and the uniform goes on, there was a crafty moment worth sharing! This little number features a fab stamp by Treeebird (Küstenmädels) — what a find, right? I stamped it up with trusty Memento ink and gave it the full rainbow treatment with my Promarkers. It's popped up on foam pads (because dimension is life), all set against an acrylic paint-splattered background that may or may not have also hit the cat.

The sentiment? “Hippie Birthday” — because nothing says celebration like a cute, feathered freeloader with  a groovy vibe 😉

Onto a few challenges:

• Allsorts #824 Anything Goes - Happy 16th Birthday 🎉🥳 !!
• Simply Clean and Simple - May 2025 - Clean and simple (optional: flowers) 
• Passion For Markers Challenge Week 788 Anything Goes (Happy Anniversary 🎉🥳 !!)
• Cardz 4 Galz #250 Things With Wings (real or fantasy)
• TIME OUT Challenges 2W #289  - Your Favorite Winged Thing
• CAS on Friday No. 309 Things with wings
• Crafty Animals #94 - Always Anything Goes

Right, that's me done. Off to bed now — tonight it’s all about calm voices, caring hands, and keeping the night ticking gently along.

Sláinte,

Wendy R.

Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Hi Peeps

My Halloween card for today:

Background paper is from Pink Petticoat / The Lovely Studio.
Ghost die cuts are die cuts from Memory Box.
Sentiment is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.
Border punch used is a Martha Stewart punch - Drippy Goo.

Onto a few challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge
Through the Craft Room Door - Week Sept 4 - ATG
Love to Craft #26 - ATG
Crafter's Cafe #203 - 3 of something

Thank You for stopping by!

Heartfelt Thanks

Hi Peeps
My card for today:

Layered roses are stamped with Memento brown, red, orange and green inks.
Embellished with sequins.

Right-e-o, a few challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers #199 THANKFUL
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - THANKS/THANKSGIVING
Tinker- Dream #58 - Thanks
Just Us Girls W - Word Week

Rubber Dance Art Stamps - November - Colour Challenge:


Thank You for stopping by!

Wendy xx