A warm welcome to all my visitors,

Thank you for taking the time to come and look at my blog, I really do appreciate it. I would love you to leave me a comment, even if it’s just to say Hi. It means I can come visit you!

All my designs are original, so copyrighted to me. If I have been inspired by someone elses work, I have named them in the post, and where able, I have provided a link.

Please feel free to use my designs for inspiration, I just ask you to credit me, and provide a link back to my blog.

Thanks, Shaz XX

Wednesday 20 May 2020

WOYWW #572- The Happy Birthday To Us Edition.

Yes, our 11th Birthday! What a milestone that is, eh? All down to our lovely Julia, over at The Stamping Ground. This is my UFO for the theme, and I thought I'd make it into a Birthday card to us all. The balloons and gifts are both Card-io/Majestix stamps, the 11th is Honey Doo Crafts, and I'm afraid I have no idea where the 'Birthday' balloon came from, may have been a freebie at some time.
This was the envelope I decided to work from, I can't believe how many of these stencilled sheets I have and not used yet.
 I used an assortment of Versafine Clair inkpads for the stamping, and although it's hard to see, I did cover the balloons with a coat of Glossy Accents, and sprinkled them with a little Glamourdust.
 And I learned a little trick that some might find helpful.
 When you're trying to place clear stamps on your background, ready to pick up with the lid, they can be really annoying, as they keep sticking to your fingers, am I right? Well, the 'string' on the balloons above is a separate stamp to the balloons, and was a total nightmare to get to lie where I wanted it, as it's really thin. It was driving me nuts, and I was sort of looking round my desk for a solution. And then I spotted my anti static bag, and the little dish it sits on has a good coating of powder on it. Dipped my fingers into the powder and rubbed it over my fingertips, and Yay!!! no more stamp sticking to my fingers.


 Got the Christmas cards finished, and the Caught in Crystal sheets worked out a treat.


 Nothing much in the Enabling Dept- just a 2" Speedball brayer! Came across these a few weeks ago, but couldn't find them anywhere in the UK. Not sure if they're new, or just not widely stocked. Got mine on Amazon- via Supermart USA, which are really good, as their prices are always competitive, and they ship worldwide for free.








  realised a few days too late last week that I completely forgot to add an And Finally! So this week there's two to make up for it.








So here you are....And Finally.......


36 comments:

Helen said...

aw, what a beautiful card you made us - perfect! I thought I wasn't going to be able to get any photos on my post today, blogger was being... blogger! Take care and here's to the next 11..... happy WOYWW Helen #?

Neet said...

Great card - love that balloon stamp. What a great find that was.
Thanks for the tip, mine is in a poly bag but I guess just rubbing the pad against my fingers would work - thanks Shaz.
Love those cards - great idea with the CIC technique.
Thanks for the brayer picture, looks quite good - might just NEED one.
Hugs and Happy Anniversary, Neet 5vxx

glitterandglue said...

Morning Shaz. Happy 11th anniversary. Thank you for the birthday card! A great UFO. Love the backgrounds - have fun with them now you have got them out. Those Christmas cards are stunning - the white on white works so very well with just that bit of colour through the window. Well done.
Take care of yourselves. Stay safe. God bless.
Margaret #3

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Oh Shaz, I love the birthday card. It's a beauty. And I'm sure the tip is great, but the majority of my few stamps are wood mounted red rubber.

Your Christmas cards are beautiful. And of course, that tip about finding your cat couldn't be truer. Just ask Bleubeard. For Squiggles, though, it's a large paper bag.

And I can finally thank you properly for the dies you sent me. THANK YOU!!!! Happy WOYWW from # 6.

craftyani said...

Love the WOYWW birthday card, also the church window christmas cards. Have a great day and thank you for your friendship. Ani #1

Annie said...

Hi Shaz. What a gorgeous card you made for us all. Your an finally made me chuckle especially the last one....I've always said I'm just too short :-)
Thanks for your love and friendship over the last 11 years.
Hugs,
Annie x #11

Shoshi said...

Love your UFOs, Shaz. What a brilliant way to use a stencil. Also, a great tip for not getting clear stamps stuck to your fingers. The two funnies are hilarious!! What is it with kitties and boxes? Must show my hubby these. The second one is going to amuse him particularly - he was Slimmer of the Week last week at Slimming World!

Happy 11th anniversary WOYWW,
Shoshi x #19

Sarah Brennan said...

Love the UFO card Shaz, it fits the occasion perfectly. Useful tip about the anti static bag. Thanks. Those Clarity stencil backgrounds are cool. Laughed out loud at the and finally.. Stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah #15

sandra de said...

Happy anniversary to you Shaz and what an 11 years it has been. Love the card for the anniversary and your Xmas cards are stunning (as always). Always chuckle at your funnies. Stay safe and keep creating it wouldn't be woyww without your lovely desk.
Sandra de @16

Twiglet said...

Happy bloggyversary both! Your celebration card is a gem - all those little details - perfect for the occasion. I am determined to get round all the desks today - we are so lucky to have found so many lovely folk on WOYWW aren't we. Missing our June get together but hope we get to see you soon. xx Jo

Cardarian said...

Happy anniversary Shaz! Very nice tribute to our 11th birthday! Thank you for all your kind comments over the years and the lovely friendship! I hope we meet again soon when we get over this virus!
Lots of love and hugs,
Cardarian

Christine said...

Gorgeous card! Love the way you have put the the images together.
My doctor says I should be 6ft 4ins, took me some time to realise what he was saying!!
Take care and stay safe
Happy Anniversary
Christine #31

Mariane said...

I am amazed of your fantastic cards!!! Also, I can relate to what you say about Stencils (I have a lot too I never used) - Love your small humorist labels :D


Thank you so much for sharing!

Happy WOYWW Anniversary
Mariane #25
http://art.cordes.re

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Happy 11th Bloggyversary!! G and I still smile at the way we met - our two boys used that as ammunition in arguments for years to come -well, if we met strangers off the internet, why can't we..... etc etc! That's a lovely card and I really like the birthday balloon too, that's so handy for all sorts of cards. The And Finally x 2 made me laugh too, especially the weighing scales, I think we're all finding our clothes pinching a little....
Hope you have a great day today and keep safe and well.
Lots of love to you both (that pic of G and Doug still cracks me up!)
HUgs LLJ 4 xxx

Diana Taylor said...

Hi Shaz, the card is beautiful and I love that balloon stamp. I also love the cards you finished - the windows look spectacular with that fabulous backing and I love the fact that the front is white so it doesn't detract from them - they are incredibly classy.
Hope you have a good week and Happy WOYWW Anniversary,
Hugs, Diana xx #28

Mrs.D said...

Hi Shaz, Happy WOYWW anniversary and thanks for the card, it is beautiful. And I love those stencilled sheets, what a brilliant idea.
Thanks for sharing the tip about little stamps, I will definitely be trying that.
Chris #8

Lanniesmum said...

Happy Blogiversary to you too. Hope you are keeping well-I really enjoyed spending time with you at last year’s crop. Catriona

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Happy 11th WOYWW, Shaz, isn't IT amazing!? 😊 and so grateful to have your friendship through it! And to have wonderfully met you and Doug for a simply amazing day!!
Hunted for balloon stamp found it on Wish, just a CCS. No brand.. that could find. Knew I'd seen it before so maybe branded. Looks just like a cake yoir card and soooo clever, like my lovely Crop special gift full of memories. Your funnies were excellent this week.
Chortle!!
And loved stained glass windows cards.. special hugs, Shaz.. pray your shoulder is healing.. hi to Doug too.
Thanks for sharing, and may God bless and keep you and all whom you love, in these different times.
Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz. X 7

{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Here's only link I could find if anyone wants it.
https://www.wish.com/product/transparent-silicone-clear-happy-birthday-balloon-stamp-for-scrapbooking-diy-photo-album-decor-5d10a2565d36624594edb14c?hide_login_modal=true

BJ said...

Gorgeous Christmas cards, so effective. Love the narrow brayer, tend to use mine just to make sure diecuts are stuck down well!! The cat box is WELL funny. Thanks for the visit BJ#13

My name is Cindy said...

Hello Shaz! Happy Anniversary - thank you so much for the card it's gorgeous!! Yes I was thinking Jan would probably be the best person for the photos and she has offered to sort me out. Of course now I have put them in an album my display is looking a bit bare - I usually have them out on show for a year but my stand is empty now. Happy WOYWW, stay safe, stay well, Cindy #26

BJ said...

PS We fix and mend most stuff round here. Hubby has just repainted my 26yr old metal garden chairs and table and replaced the belt on the lawn mower and also fitted a secondhand "new" speaker in my car.... the list goes on...........

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Loving your Anniversary card, great idea but then you always have brilliant ideas. I must say the Tim glass mat is very shiny, more so than the white one I normally use and yes it is a bit of a pain as like you I tend to take photographs as I go along. I absolutely love the Christmas cards and thanks for the tip with the anti static too. I have that 2" brayer and I know I got it somewhere in the UK but not sure where and they might have shut by now! Loving the funnies too. Thanks for all your kind words and wishing you a very happy woyww 11th Anniversary. Big hugs, Angela x17x

StampinCarol said...

What a wonderful 11th birthday card!!! Great way to use your stenciled pieces!! And the Caught in Crystal cards, oh my!! They are gorgeous!
Hope you get good use from the brayer! I think I have 4, 2 6" and 2 4". Haven't used them in quite some time.
Your "And Finally" pics are a hoot! Love them!
Have a wonderful day!
Carol N #34

Caro said...

Happy Anniversary! I've finished my marking so can now pop round the blogs and comment. The WOYWW card is lovely and those Christmas cards are stunning.
Of course you can take the image from my blog and turn it into anything you like! Take care and stay safe my friend. With love and God Bless, Caro (#19)

Stacy Sheldon said...

Hi Shaz, OOh cool card and ha, that is smart to use that powder on your fingers and I giggled over the jokes :) Happy Anniversary, ~Stacy #38

Kathryn Frantz said...

Good evening, Shaz!
Thank you for sharing your finished Christmas cards! The Caught in Crystal is beautiful! Your cards look classy or should I say, posh!
I also heard about a helpful tip to prevent clear stamps from sticking to fingers...dip finger tips in a bit of water. No more sticking. I'll be trying your tip next.
Stay well and Happy Wednesday
Kathryn #43

Shoshi said...

Thanks for your visit, Shaz, and I'm glad you enjoyed your tour around my impressive collection of UFOs!! They do take up an awful lot of room. Just getting them out to photograph them has inspired me to look at them afresh and start working on them again, and I have now brought yet more clutter downstairs to the sitting room so I can work on them from the comfort of the recliner! Who knows - Julia's challenge may have started something, if it can actually get Shoshi to work on her UFOs!! Glad you like my pantry too. Mum had a huge walk in pantry in their house till they retired, with 2 enormous slate slabs and a meat-safe type window grille. My pantry is tiny by comparison - you may remember how it came into being after we discovered dry rot under the old kitchen cupboard. I am very happy to have done a lot more labels and tidied things up in there a bit. I'm glad you like my hubby's birthday card too! It was really fun to make.

Shoshi x #20

Dorlene Durham said...

Happy 11 year anniversary! I love the card and the photos. Thanks for your earlier visit. Dorlene #41

Lillianb said...

Thank you for your visit to my blog, i love the little tip about the sticky fingers as its always a thing we all suffer from, Love the card to all and thank you for that ,great Christmas card and love the two funnies,

Take care and stay safe

Lilian B #21

Marit said...

I think sitting in lock down made me shrink too ;D I love the birthday-balloon card! I made a birthday-card for a friend yesterday which made me think "why don't I have a stack of backgrounds I could use, instead of starting from scratch every time I need a card"... something simple like your stamped 'squares' would do, so thanks for the inspiration Shaz! Oh, and now I almost forgot: happy anniversary of course! Big hug from Holland, Marit #32

Julia Dunnit said...

Oh clever card, and indeed happy birthday to US, there’s no WOYWW without the US is there! clever UFO Missus. Had to smile at you being surprised at how many of the stencilled backgrounds you’ve got but not tackled before now, on Sunday I was rummaging for a specific card colour and was v surprised to find that my stock consisted of finished cards in that colour. Seems at some lint I put finished cards back in the blank cards cupboard and didn’t notice that I’d spent some time making them and had nothing to show!! sounds about right, no hope for me really!!! Love both the ‘and finally’, the sage ‘results may vary’ really makes me chuckle, and I just have a lot of sympathy for people like me who are averagely under tall!!

Anne said...

Hello Shaz. I managed to get back on at last with the help of your lovely Doug and our son ( remotely) It is still not as straightforward as it used to be and it has taken such a long time to post, add photos but glad that I at least got here today. Say hello to Doug for me. A belated Happy WOYWW Anne x 37

Belinda said...

Oh Shaz, I do want to sneak over and take your cards. They are that lovely. I love all of those backgrounds and ooo the Christmas cards are gorgeous. And look at you showing off making a card for our anniversary too!! I love it! I laughed so hard at the cartoon for today with the man getting weighed. I had to show it to my husband. Thanks for stopping by. I am running around late because I have officially begun my gardening season. Have a wonderful weekend and stay well my friend.
Belinda #39

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

Super anniversary card, Shaz - I bet it sparkles and shimmers! The Christmas cards are exquisite too. I've got one of those speedball brayers - they're very useful - the only problem is I don't know how to get rid of the dried on paint layers. I love Supermart USA too - it's amazing that they can send something cheaper from the US than it would cost us to buy here. I'm hoping there will be a trade deal between the US and the UK and we'll get all the craft products they have in the US much cheaper. Live the kitties in the boxes and the other joke is funny too! Thanks for your visit - so strange it only appeared today, but the date shows the 20th! Sorry I couldn't come earlier! Enjoy the bank holiday weekend and happy 11th WOYWW anniversary! xx zsuzsa #30

Mrs A. said...

My cats used to love boxes. The smaller the better. Even if they could only get half in them they seemed to think it was enough to be hidden from view. Your 11th birthday card is perfect. Hugs Mrs
A.

An End of an era

An end of an era

I write this with a broken heart, that only time can heal My beautiful, wonderful wifelet Shaz (Silverwolf) passed away peacefully in the ea...