Christmas Lights Grand Switch On:

So it's time for the GRAND SWITCH ON of the Playground Christmas lights. Woot woot!

All the local dignitaries smell because they wanted lots of money to press the button to light up the Treehouse and Christmas Tree - so, instead, Di trained Dudley to put his paw on the button. He's a Playground celebrity anyway - and works for doggy treats, plus he only smells of Talc (from his doggy shampoo), so it's a win-win!

Wheeee! I just slid down the green lit-up tube (shown on the left of the picture). SUCH fun! Have a go yourself!

Look how lovely the Playground Treehouse is, all festooned with lights. Well worth all the effort that Di, Dudley and I put in!

And the tree that we snaffled under cover of darkness? 
It's a trade secret how we managed to tote it from the farm to the playground! But there may have been some bribery and corruption involved! LOL!
Took all three of us a few days to put those lights on! Good job I'm tall so I could attach that star while balancing on top of Di's shoulders (she was balancing on top of Dudley)!!!!!

Time for  all three of us to put our feet up in the Treehouse and enjoy a well-earned hot chocolate with a tot of something warming added methinks! Come and join us up there for some festive fun and a mince pie or two. Bagsie one of the reclining chairs!

Challenge #442

Here's my snippets card for our new challenge, I opted for a 'Santa Suit' Christmas money holder, but it's (almost always) anything goes here in the Snippets Playground - just please be sure to identify your snippets:

All the details, with Dudley's latest news and my pile of snippets I had out initially to tackle the above, as well as how I used them, are over on Pixies - HERE.

The prize for this fortnight is:

It's two dies and an embossing folder. The dies were kindly donated by our lovely Jackie T, both are by Tattered Lace called 'Still Waiting' and 'Lamplight Love'. I'd also spotted the discontinued and never been used embossing folder in a craft de-cluttering group a little while back. It was made by Stampin' Up and is called 'Softly Falling - almost as rare as hen's teeth these days, approx.  6.25" square and it's a beauty.  I think the 'Softly Falling' as an embossed background with either of the silhouettes in front would make some quick fabulous Christmas cards! But of course the dies are really good for loads of other occasions as well.

As always, the Snippets Challenge will run for two weeks and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 10th December. The gates will open again at midnight UK time on the same day. Mr Linky is below this post.

Winners outside the UK: please remember that you may be charged fees and import duty on your prize - although we both always send them out clearly marked as "gifts". 

A local farmer is looking for two black clad balaclava wearing figures who were picked up on CCTV during the night - chopping down a tree in his Christmas tree patch - one tall and slender and the other one much shorter in height. The police say that the white fluffy tail worn by the smaller of the pair is a strong clue. Also, the frequent feeding of what looked like treats - by the tall slim one to the little tail wagging one is another clue. 

Not only that - Dudley has been limbering up to pedal the generator so he can power the pretty lights each evening! And now, I hear that Sarn has only been sending him out with a bunch of posters to pin to every tree he pauses at - advertising a 'Grand Switch On'. The daft thing is - only folk who are very little will even be able to read the posters - despite Dudley's best efforts to pin them as high as possible. So we can expect a gathering of dogs (of course!), perhaps some cats (which should make for some fun) a toddler or two three, if they can read - and perhaps a few gnomes to attend the event! Don't you just love Christmas!? I suspect that Dudley will be so worn out he'll sleep right through it all!

Love and hugs from Dudley and Di,

Results of Challenge #440

   

Here are my top picks from Challenge #440. It actually turned out that they are all Halloween/Autumn based picks. Not deliberately, as the challenge was also 'Anything Goes' and that wasn't ignored at all - but they just seemed to call out to me:

Oh goodness me - who could resist this delightful 'puddy tat' treat bag, made by Helen - HERE. Such fun and I just love how Helen is so fond of Penny Black stamps and always finds way to keep them up to date. Penny Black do recognise that some of their older stamps are the best, by only now producing matching dies for some of the best loved 'oldies'.

I chose this image by Karen C for a few reasons. Mostly that it really suits the Autumn/Fall optional theme. It's also really lovely and hugely pleasing to the eye - AND it shows super use of snippets! What's not to like? It's hard to go far wrong if you choose horizontal or vertical strips of snippets - especially with mitred ends - clever move there Karen!

And here we have a card made by Heather - just stunning! And a very fitting finish to my choices for the challenge. It just sums up the Season and also what is ahead perfectly! Love it and the clever layers are always so eye catching.

If you're a pick or, as sometimes happens, a Gold Star winner, please always feel free to collect your badge from the 'Badges' page - click on 'Badges' on the top bar of this page.

Onto the prize draw, for the dies and sentiment stamps - and the winner is:

Lesley G

To claim your prize, please send an email using the Snippets Playground email address shown on the RH sidebar, with PLAYGROUND WINNER (or similar) in the subject line. Please add your FULL NAME above your home ADDRESS so that I can copy and paste it for speed and ease.

The current snippets challenge is being hosted by Sarn and still has almost a further week to run - just scroll down to the previous post to find it. There's a nice prize to be won as well! 

Little word of warning - Sarn is a bit of a Christmas 'Early Bird' compared to me. Dudley, and his still much loved pal Parsnip, both 'snitched' independently to me that she's been rummaging around in the storage lockers behind the bike shed looking for Christmas decorations etc, muttering along the lines of 'THIS year we WILL beat Regent Street's Christmas lights'. Oh help!

Challenge #441

Hello Playmates!

Here's my homework for this challenge - the details of which can be found on my personal blog HERE:

In this fortnight's challenge, you have the opportunity to win two lovely Kaisercraft stamp sets that Di kindly added to the Toy Box. I think you'll agree both stamp sets will be very useful additions to your stamp collection.

Come along and join in the fun by using up some of your snippets on a project, then submit your homework using Mr Linky (below). Remember to SAY WHAT SNIPPETS YOU USED (or you can add a photo of them in your blog post) then leave a comment saying YES PLEASE (or similar) if you want to be included in the prize draw.

The Playground gates will clang shut on this challenge at 11am (UK time) on Saturday, 26th November 2022. They will reopen at midnight (UK time) the same day for the start of the next challenge. Winners outside the UK: Please remember that you may be charged fees and import duty on your prize - although Di and I always send them out clearly marked as gifts. 

Hugs from Sarn xxx

Results of Challenge #439

Hello Playmates - Sarn here - popping back in the middle of Di's challenge, to share my Top Picks and the prize winner for Challenge 439.

My Top Picks (in entry order):

JEANNE H came running through the gates brandishing this smashing piece of homework. Fab use of snippets, plus I love the shape of the card and the striking blue and white colour scheme showing off the pretty flower die-cut. 

I simply loved the white-on-white crispness of LYNNE R's very pretty Christmas card. So intricate you could stare at it for a while and keep noticing more. A lovely piece of homework.

I totally fell in love the with the cute image that LYNNE in NI used in her homework. She used a sketch for the layout and I really liked the subtle fish die-cuts in the background.

If you've been showcased, please feel free to collect your 'Top Pick' badge from the 'Badges' page HERE.

Onto the prize draw for the floral stamps and matching dies. The winner is:

LINBY

Congratulations Lynn. Please claim your prize by sending me an email giving your full name and address, using the Snippets Playground address shown in the sidebar, with PLAYGROUND WINNER in the subject line..

In the Playground:

Hope you enjoyed the Bonfire Party that Di and I held last night. The bonfire kept us all warm, plus the jacket spuds, toasted crumpets and hot soup went down well. We didn't have any fireworks due to the fact that Playground Pets don't like the explody-bangs - but it was fun holding hands and singing songs around the fire wasn't it? (Note from Dudley - I was so pleased to see that 'hot dogs' weren't on the menu, snigger!)

Remember there's still nearly a week of Di's challenge to go. If you haven't submitted a piece of homework yet, just scroll down to the previous post to find it. 

Hugs from Sarn x

Challenge #440

Wet, wet and wet - that's it here in the UK. However - hop up into the Tree house for a hot chocolate (which I do happen to know can be laced with something stronger for Halloween, just with a little paw back hand tip to Dudley who is now Sarn's in-betweener, although he doesn't know that I know!), hot jacket potatoes, toasted crumpets and marshmallows and a lot of fun. Dudley is alternately wearing two different Halloween bandanas, we here in the tree house are playing at dressing up - and down in the Playground - it's just craaaazy! Come and join in!

The theme IS optional - but if you're happy to play along with our theme then it's Autumn/Halloween - or just their colours if you don't want to go full on. You can just stand back and laugh at us and enter a Snippets Anything Goes card if you wish ☺  

Anyhow, here's my snippets card, I used Halloween colours:

All the details, as well as Dudley's latest news, are over on Pixies - HERE. The card IS a total copy of one that Nicky made so it's not entered into any challenges - a link to the very talented and sweet Nicky is over on my Pixies Blog post.

The prize for this fortnight is:

Apologies for the reflection of light hitting the cellophane wrappers, despite closed curtains! It's a little selection this time - two very sweet Joy! sets of dies kindly donated by Val - 'Mery's violet and circle' and 'Mery's violets wave borders'. Plus a set of sentiment stamps from the Toy Box, made by MFT and called 'Itty Bitty Celebrations'. The prize bundle won't be split.

As always, the Snippets Challenge will run for two weeks and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 12th November.  The gates will open again at midnight UK time on the same day. Mr Linky is below this post.

Winners outside the UK: please remember that you may be charged fees and import duty on your prize - although we both always send them out clearly marked as "gifts". 

Love and hugs from Dudley and Di,

Results of Challenge #438

   

Here are my top picks from Challenge 438:

Oh I think this is SO clever of Kate L! Snippets of course, and a really great card - but also - a couple of fridge magnets!  Super work Kate and very well done. How lovely to have an extra Christmas reminder on your fridge! Do please hop over to see just how the magnets are so beautifully placed and how well they work.

Pauline always makes such gorgeous entries and this one is really stunning. Four ATCs, wonderful use of Brushos and text backgrounds and of course the beautifully contrasting white snippety die cuts to finish off. Sigh, just lovely.

Darnell, as always, comes up with some great finds in the line of dies and stamps - and uses them so well. Here we have some of her pre-made background snippets, die cut using a die that's just perfect in every way to make a fabulous card. Lovely work Darnell!

If you're a pick or, as sometimes happens, a Gold Star winner, please always feel free to collect your badge from the 'Badges' page - click on 'Badges' on the top bar of this page.

Onto the prize draw, for the Stampin' Up set of stamps from the Toy Box called 'Enjoy the Moment'. The winner is:

Susan B

To claim your prize, please send me an email using the Snippets Playground email address shown on the RH sidebar, with PLAYGROUND WINNER (or similar) in the subject line. Please add your FULL NAME above your home ADDRESS so that I can copy and paste it for speed and ease.

The current snippets challenge is being hosted by Sarn and still has almost a further week to run - just scroll down to the previous post to find it. There's a really lovely prize - donated by Darnell to be won too! 

Do remember that one week from today we'll begin a new challenge - with an optional theme - just for the fun of it (although there's still a randomly drawn prize to be won as usual). The theme, if you choose to follow it, will be Autumn/Fall or Halloween - so it's nice and easy. You can just use Halloween/Autumn/Fall colours if you wish - I might do that with my own snippets card. Halloween purple does count of course.  

Sarn has been working on a few ideas for the 'Treehouse Cafe'. I've certainly caught some tantalising whiffs of spices and chocolate - along with the grunts and groans of someone lifting what appears to be a couple of huge cauldrons up the ladder whilst muttering 'hubble, bubble, toil and trouble'. Help please, this looks as if our girl is reverting back to being the Playground 'Minnie the Minx'!!

Love from Di and Dudley

Challenge #439

Hello Playmates!

It's getting very autumnal and Di has been busy buying up Hallowe'en paraphernalia to decorate the Playground and Treehouse, ready for the Fancy Dress Party that she will be hosting at the end of this month (in her next Challenge)! YOU ARE ALL INVITED - so dig out your Hallowe'en costumes and get ready for some Witches Brew up in the Treehouse! Bwahahaha haaaaaaaaa!

EDITED TO SAY

A little "heads up" that Di's next challenge starts on Hallowe'en . . . so, whilst you are still welcome to enter "anything goes" homework, there will also be an OPTIONAL THEME of Autumn, Hallowe'en and/or their associated colours for Challenge 440. 

Here's my homework - which I doodled during art class last week! I doodled onto a white snippet, then mounted the design onto a black snippet which was then attached to the card front.

The wonderful Darnell has kindly donated the prize for this challenge and you have the chance to win a lovely set of stamps and matching dies (shown in the pictures below). 

I think you'll agree this prize is worth doing your homework for! So come along and join in the fun by using up some of your snippets on a project and submit your homework using Mr Linky (below). Please remember to SAY WHAT SNIPPETS YOU USED and leave a comment saying YES PLEASE (or similar) if you want to be included in the prize draw (bearing Rule 7 in mind).

The Playground gates will clang shut on this challenge at 11am (UK time) on Saturday, 29th October 2022. They'll reopen at midnight (UK time) the same day for the start of the next challenge. Winners outside the UK: Please remember you may be charged fees and import duty on your prize - although Di and I always send them out clearly marked as gifts. 

Results of Challenge #437

Hello Playmates - Sarn here - popping back in the middle of Di's challenge, to share my Top Picks and the prize winner for Challenge 437.

My Top Picks (in entry order) are below:

Emma T bought along her cute and colourful penguin card - plus she made loads of little penguins for future cards! Her patience clearly knows no bounds. Nip over to her post HERE to see what I mean!

LIZ CAVILL made a beautiful shaped card with lots of flowers for a friend of hers. Die-cutting is such a good idea to use up your snippets - and I love that teal coloured background paper too. 

HELEN is thinking ahead to Halloween and a night out Trick or Treating her neighbours! She's made a lovely bag for all her treats - and I heard she has a few ideas for "tricks" if they don't cough up!

If you've been showcased, please feel free to collect your 'Top Pick' badge from the 'Badges' page HERE.

And now for the prize winner:

IONABUNNY (Gail)

Congratulations Gail. Please claim your prize by sending me an email using the Snippets Playground address shown in the sidebar, with PLAYGROUND WINNER in the subject line. Please ensure you add your full name and address so that it can be copied and pasted for speed and ease.

Following a rule change to Snippets Playground (see No. 7 HERE) it was heartening to know that regular playmate Suzanne H (who normally enters via Flickr) wanted to carry on playing with us so much that she started a blog in order to do so! Thank you so much Suzanne. 

Remember there's still nearly a week of Di's challenge to go. If you haven't submitted a piece of homework yet, just scroll down to the previous post to find the challenge details.

Happy Crafting! 

Hugs to you all from Sarn x

Challenge #438

We're galloping into Autumn right now, to be honest it's my favourite season of the year, followed by Spring. Possibly as both bring the most dramatic changes with Autumn leaves and Nature slowly closing things down ready for the Winter. Followed by the new life appearing in Spring.

Anyhow, here's my snippets card:

All the details, as well as Dudley's latest news, are over on Pixies - HERE.

The prize for this fortnight is:

A Stampin' Up set of stamps from the Toy Box called 'Enjoy the Moment'. All the different seed pods are perfect for Autumn! 

HEADS UP! I'm really sorry but we are finding that commenting on entries submitted on platforms other than blogger is a total nightmare. It's hard for Sarn as well as she sensibly keeps away from 'Social Media'- but I now cannot handle the constant logging in/out business (I don't save passwords for many other reasons) and am really sorry to say but if you are not a fellow Blogger we will not hunt around and comment on your entries. Nor will we, in fairness to others, include you in possible picks or even a chance for the prize on offer. Sorry if this drives a few of you away - but basically the solution is in your own hands. Be a Blogger if you want to play!

As always, the Snippets Challenge will run for two weeks and the Playground gates will close at 11am UK time on Saturday 15th October. The gates will open again at midnight UK time on the same day. Mr Linky is below this post.

Winners outside the UK: please remember that you may be charged fees and import duty on your prize - although we both always send them out clearly marked as "gifts". 

Love and hugs from Dudley and Di,