THE MALE ROOM - THE OUTDOORS

Dia daoibh!

Well lads, grab the flask, lace up the walking boots and tell the weather to behave itself, because I am absolutely delighted to share that I am now on the Design Team for The Male Room! I am thrilled, honoured, and only slightly trying to act calm about it. Inside, I am doing a little jig with the grace of a startled sheep on laminate flooring.

The new challenge over at The Male Room runs from June 3 to June 30, and the theme fro challenge #211 is The Outdoors. Perfect timing really, because nothing says outdoor adventure like sunglasses, mountains, trees and the brave hope that the rain will hold off for longer than seven minutes.

I kept the design clean, crisp and masculine, with a little bit of outdoor drama. Mountains in the lenses, adventure on the card, and not a single midge bite in sight. That is what I call crafting with benefits.

For my card, I used a diecut design from the Silhouette Design Store. I cut it from Tonic Studios Core cardstock and mirror cardstock. The sunglasses have that cool reflective look, like they are ready to climb a mountain, spot a lake, or judge your picnic sandwich choices from a distance. I embellished the card with Nuvo Drops and Clear Glossy Accents. The sentiment was stamped with StazOn ink, which behaved itself beautifully, unlike most umbrellas in an Irish breeze.

A few challenges:

• I Spy with My Little Eye #37 - Monochrome
• Creative Moments #282 - Make it masculine
• AAA Birthday Challenge #86 - For Boys

I would love for you to join us over at The Male Room and show us your outdoor themed makes. Whether it is hiking, fishing, camping, gardening, cycling, or simply standing outside wondering why you came out in the first place, we want to see it.

So come on over and join the fun. The outdoors is calling, and this time it is not just the bin needing to go out.

Sláinte, 
Wendy R. 

Rain or Shine: Make a Rainbow

Dia daoibh!

Picture this. A freshly stamped piece of cardstock. Perfect. Pristine. Untouched by the world. Enter the kitty cat. A full dramatic catwalk straight across it like she was late for Paris Fashion Week, leaving behind tiny pawprints like she’d signed the artwork. So I restamped. New sheet. Fresh optimism. And then I glued the topper on upside down. Instantly. With confidence. As if I’d learned absolutely nothing. With the white cardstock Amazon order refusing to arrive until after three today, there was nothing for it but to trim it down and adhere it to blue cardstock like a seasoned professional who definitely meant to do that. Moral of the story: confidence fixes everything. Almost.

Now onto the actual card before anything else could interfere. To brighten up the classic Irish weather I went full rainbow. If the sky won’t cooperate I’ll sort it myself. 

I kept it CAS (the card had already been through enough). The sentiment is from the Best Ever set from Simon Says Stamp from 2017 which is still earning its keep. I had a little play with die cuts and used a rainbow design from the Silhouette Design Store. I popped the cloud and rainbow up on foam pads for a bit of dimension.  finished it off with a few sprinkled gems. Sparkle is essential. I also added Nuvo Drops White Blizzard around the edges of the cloud for extra detail... I was feeling brave again.

A few challenges:

A Cut Above - Die Cut Challenge Blog  - January 2026 - Anything Goes

Make My Monday #270 - Clean and Simple

A Place To Start #202601 - Anything Goes (option: Rainbow)

Seize the Birthday #319 - Rainbow of colours

And just like that, the card was finished. A cheerful rainbow card created in between a catwalk moment, an upside down surprise, and a very late Amazon delivery. Crafting magic at its finest.

Sláinte,

Wendy R. 😺

When Life Gives You Interns, Make Cards

Dia daoibh!

It’s creeping up to that time of year again – when the intern nurses wrap up their internships. Four years of study, practice, and lugging around Stanley water bottles the size of small fire extinguishers… done! I’ve had the privilege (and occasional giggle) of being preceptor for some amazing interns. One of them has about ten shifts left before the big send-off. This card isn’t the official graduation card – that’s scheduled for September, complete with dress shopping updates during breaks. I sit there nodding along to all the fashion talk while secretly knowing my own style philosophy boils down to: sturdy footwear, funky socks, and earrings that say, “I’m fun, but I still know where your care plan is filed… and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Now, onto the card...

The design came from the Silhouette Design Store, cut on my Cameo from bright, cheerful cardstock. The flower centre is mirror card, sprinkled with clear glitter for sparkle, and everything’s mounted on foam pads for a bit of pop.

Onto a few challenges: 

• Try It On Tuesday - Summer 
  
• Creative Fingers - Always anything goes
  
• Cut It Up #336 Add a sentiment
  
• Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday challenge -August - Anything goes
  
• Just Us Girls #787 - Die Week: Usefloral dies

Just like the interns – standing out, ready to take on the world… and hopefully never spilling a litre of water down themselves from those giant Stanleys. I swear, some of those flasks are so big you could baptise a small cow in them. And the way they carry them around – like a fashion accessory and emotional support object all in one – makes me wonder if hydration is the new personality trait. Still, if it keeps them happy (and upright during a 12-hour shift), I’m all for it.

Sláinte,

Wendy R.