31st August 2011 - WOYWW

Another month gone by, where does it all go?  Anyway not to worry as today is Wednesday and that can only mean one thing - its What's on Your Worktop Wednesday!  Which in my case means another mess.  Honestly I have tidied up in between but I just can't do anything without creating a mess, how I envy all those nice and neat worktops. 

This first picture is just some experimenting I've been doing with adding glitter to die cuts and trying to decide which glue did the best job.  I used a glue stick, glossy accents and a glue pen and I must admit I'm still undecided which did the best job.  I did find out that whichever glitter you use its best to cut the die cut out in the same card then you don't see the bits you miss!!  Which glue does everyone else find the best?

More experimenting - this time with some distress inks and dies.  I don't have many distress inks and to be honest very rarely use them but I can see from other blogs that they are very popular so I decided to have a play.  I watched some videos on You Tube and just messed around a bit and I was quite pleased with the results although the one on the left is a bit gaudy.  I actually used one of the hearts on a card I made the other day.  I will keep practicing and see what else I come up with.  If you pop over to Julia's blog you can hop around and see other people's desk - I can guarantee it is very addictive.

That's it from me for today, my husband's grandchildren are coming over and as it is a miserable day I don't think we'll be going out so it will be Mario on the Wii and card making with Emma - lovely!
Take care x

30th August

Hi there hope you are all well and survived the BH weekend, I hope none of you got sun-stroke!!!  Well I never made it to the kitchen to make dinner yesterday my husband said lets go to the pub for tea - who was I to argue?

Today I've managed to make a Halloween card - it was in between an unexpected visit to the hospital with my husband - since I retired from there on the 30th June I think I've spent more time up there!!  Anyway back to the card, I grew up in the USA and so I have always loved Halloween, the house gets decorated and I'm so excited for ages before.  My sister and I always went Trick or Treating when we were growing up and I can still remember the excitement of coming home from school, eating your dinner quick and getting your costume on and off you went "Trick or Treat."

That's a picture of my little grandson, Harrison, taken when he was just 4 weeks old last Halloween.  I have decided to stay with the pumpkin theme for my card:

I'm sorry but the picture is a bit rubbish I took it several times but that was the best I could do, David Bailey I ain't!  The stamp is from Kraftin' Kimmie - one of a few new ones I bought last week :-].  The papers are from Nitwits and I downloaded the cute pumpkin font from Dafont - it is free and they have loads.

I will enter this card into the following challenges:

Aly's Sunday Sketch - Halloween

One Stitch at a Time - Halloween or Fall

Forever Night Challenges - Too cute to spook

 

Thank you for looking, take care x

Bank Holiday Blues

What do you do when you've got the Bank Holiday Blues cause the weather is rubbish?  You craft of course!  I don't know any other way to spend a miserable Bank Holiday unless of course it was eating chocolate and drinking wine - yummy!  I decided to do another card for the challenge on Winter Wonderland which is to show a Christmas tree either dressed or being dressed.  I've just made a plain card really with a stamp I've had for years and years which came in a set of about 40 in a wooden box which I think I got on QVC and this is only the first time I have used it (shameful aren't I?).

I've added some gems to the ribbon slider but didn't realise there weren't enough holes for alternate colours so then I added the red thinking that would do it but it still was still an odd number of holes - what can you do? I know I should have counted them first - lesson learned!  The paper is from Memory Box "Mistletoe". 

Well I'm off to make the dinner and I think that calls for a glass of vino to help me along the way, well it is turned 5!  Thanks for looking, take care x

29th August 2011

Happy Bank Holiday - I'm sat here with a wooly jumper, socks and the central heating on brrrrrr!!  Has the summer (what summer I hear you ask) finally flown the coop or are we going to have a lovely warm Indian Summer, haha?
Its too miserable to do anything today so we have stayed in which means I get to play in my craft room - hooray!  As it is so cold out I have made a Christmas card 'cause it feels like Christmas.

I distressed the edges of the Nitwits paper and the image is a Sarah Kay which I have just looked for and can't find anywhere!  I really must sort my stamps out, however I have found some I didn't know I had shoved in a drawer lol.  I cut the heart out with I think it was a Nellie Snellen die and distressed it with Distress Ink Faded Jeans and added the script with Weathered Wood, the script is from an old Hero Arts background stamp which I love and have used so much over the years.  The poinsetta is a Marianne die which I just got last week and I added a Kars brad to the centre. I coloured the image with copics but I don't really like the colour of the dress, I would have preferred it to be paler.  I will enter the following challenges:-

Catered Crop - Recipe (I have used text/script, distress inks, copics, ribbon, brads and stickles)
The Crafty Pad - Distressing and tearing
Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Ribbon or lace


Thanks for looking, take care xx

28th August 2011

I hope everyone is enjoying their Bank Holiday Weekend.  I'm having a relaxing time doing a bit of crafting, sorting and off to the pub for Sunday dinner and a glass of vino later :-] yum yum.  I have made a card for my husband's adorable grandson Max who is starting school soon.  He always comes over on a Wednesday and we will miss him when he goes to school.

I've coloured the Mo Manning digi image with my copics and tried to do it in the same colours as his uniform.  The papers are a download from nitwits and the sentiment is a computer generated with a free font from Dafont.com I think its a cute font for first day of school.  I've added some baker's twine and button and the star is from my stash - I think it was Hot of the Press but I've had it years, I am trying to use some of my things I have hoarded away but it is difficult as I like to get new stuff but hate using it lol!!

I will enter it in the following challenges:
Mo's digital challenge - Back to School
Allsorts Challenge- Back to School
Crazy 4 Challenge - Male Themed Cards
Cardmadfairy's Digi Days Challenge - Buttons and must use digi image
Frosted Designs - School Papers
Fairy Tale Challenge Blog - Back to School
Raise the Bar Challenge - Primary Colours
Stamp Something - Back to School somethings
Totally Papercrafts Challenge - Back to School
Delightful Challenges - Use digital paper
Paper Play Challenge - Back to School
Papercraft Star - Back to School
Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Back to School (must use ribbon, twine, bakers twine etc)
KB Cute Monday Challenge - Use Twine
Thanks for looking, take care x

26th August 2011

I guess many of you will be saying TGIF especially as it is a Bank Holiday Weekend - yipee!  Now I'm retired everyday is like a Bank Holiday - yipee!  I have made a card for a friend's daughter, Rebecca, as she did so well in her GCSE's (or whatever they call them now??).  She got 2 A*s, 7As and 3 Bs.
 She is a lovely girl and looks after our cats for us when we go away. When you hear so much bad things about young people its nice to see that there are some lovely people out there - well done Rebecca!!

The image is a digi - can't remember where I got it from, the papers are from Wild Rose Studio, I have triple embossed the stars and the sentiment is computer generated.  I will enter it in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - Bingo (Square card, Embossing, Brad)
Just Some Lines - Embossing
Mark's Finest Papers - Embossing

Take care xx

25th August 2011

Morning peeps the sun is shining and doesn't it make you feel better?  I've just done some crafting which is the first I've done for about a week.  I've made an easel card which I have only ever done before in a demo class this is the first time I've done it at home and I think I managed it ok.  The stamp is an Elizabeth Bell design from The Peekers range - so cute!  I've coloured it with copics and used a Nellie Snellen border die, Marianne flourish and MS punch. The papers are nitwits. Its a very sunny card because its a sunny day and I don't know how many more we'll be getting!!

I will enter it in the following challenges:

Cooking it up with Katie - Something wet with border and brad
Flutterby Wednesday - Anything goes but must have butterfly, fairy or angel on
The Paper Shelter - use die cuts/punches
Scrapbook Sister - Flower, Ribbons and Gem
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Flower Power
Bearly Mine Challenge - Bring on the Bling
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Dies to die for
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Easel Cards
Hooked on Crafts - Things with wings
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge - Ribbons
Karen's Doodles Challenge - Use your Punches and Die Cuts
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Stamp with Fun - Summer
Victorine Stamps - Summer
Woodware USA - try a new technique (easel card)
Take care xx

24th August 2011 - WOYWW

Hi there another week and here we are at What's on your Worktop Wednesday. I have not done any crafting (sob sob) as have been busy with family staying.  Last week my step son came for a few days which was lovely and when he went my son, daughter in law and grandson came to stay and then when they went my step son came back!  Had a fabulous time with them all it is always great to see them as they all live down in London.  Unfortunately my little grandson became ill on the Sunday with projectile vomiting (just as we arrived at his great, great aunt's house - shock horror!).  He is fine now and here is a picture of before he became ill:

Everything is now quiet here as my step son went home this morning so I am hoping to return to some crafting :-]  My worktop is a bit of a mess (nothing new there I can hear you say).  I finally tracked down my package from the postie (they initially lost it!!) so the contents of that are in the fore ground.  My husband and I (sound like the queen don't I?) went to a garden centre today while we were waiting for his appointment time at Preston Hospital and he bought me that pretty box which I thought would be good to put my overflow copics in but at the moment it is too big so I have also put my new ribbons in which arrived on Monday.

You can just see on the top right a cute little frame and stitched picture with "Harrison" embroidered on it which I have bought to give my grandson - again at another garden centre (can you see the underlying theme in my life???).  I have just printed out some nitwit papers to make a yellow card as one of the ribbons I got was yellow but I am not sure if it will be too much or not - I'll let you know.  To share in the fun pop over to Julia's blog and have a nosey er I mean peep at everyone's worktop.  Please leave a comment I love reading them and I always visit your blog.  Take care xx

18th August 2011

Greetings crafters hope everyone is good we are here in sunny Blackpool. I am on countdown now until tomorrow when my son and his new wife and grandson are coming up for the weekend hooray!!! Hoping the weather is going to be good cause we're having a bbq on Sunday and I have bought a paddling pool for Harrison (that's my grandson not my son).  It doesn't matter if the weather is not too good because the paddling pool converts to a ball pool and I have bought the balls to go in it ha ha I'm one step ahead of the weather man.

 I have a card that I made for a friend's birthday recently which I will share today.  The image is from  Bugaboo stamps and is a digi image, I just love this and think it is so funny! 

I will enter it in the following challenges:

Craft Us Crazy - Anything goes
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything goes
Sassy Studio Designs - use more than 1 die cut
Shelly's Images Blog - show us what you got
Crafty Creations - red orange and green
 Simon Says Stamp - food and drink
Your Next Stamp Challenge - Fruit Inspiration
Papercraft Star - Photo Inspiration

Thanks for looking, take care xx

17th August 2011 - WOYWW

Wow another week has gone by and here we are at Wednesday again which can only mean one thing - its What's on your Worktop Wednesday hurray!! This is when you get the opportunity to sit down with a nice hot cuppa and snoop (or should I say peep??) at crafty peoples worktops from around the world - brilliant.  Here is a picture of mine I have just this sec taken:

As you can see the sun is streaming in - what a gorgeous day.  Harry my cat was sat up there in the sun yesterday and knocked that box of gems everywhere - bless him :-[ I have made a half hearted attempt to scoop most of them up.  I have been messing with a poinsetta die I bought the other day using different papers and putting different gems in the middle.  There are bits and pieces I have started making for Christmas cards but don't really have any definite idea of how I am going to use them yet Mr mojo where are you???  The bottle of OPI in the background was for my nails not a craft project!
As it is such a nice day I decided to cut the grass in readiness for my grandson coming up this weekend (yippee) and I missed the parcel man with some more goodies I had ordered on the internet - boohoo!!
I'm sure he waits round the corner until I do something where I won't hear him.

Thanks for looking - take care xx

13th August 2011

Happy Weekend!!  Hope the weather improves - it is raining here in Blackpool at the mo and I am having a barbeque tonight :-[ bring your brollies everyone!! This is a quick post and I would like to share a thank you card I have made.  I have coloured it with copics and as I have said before am still learning how to colour unfortunately I do not have an artistic bone in my poor body unlike my mom, dad and sister!

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Lili of the Valley Challenge - Thank you Card
Crafty Ann's Challege Blog - Scallops/Fancy Borders
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Emboss it
The Poodles Parlour - Anything from the Garden
Stampin' for the Weekend - Spots and Dots
Crafty Sentiments - Punches and Diecuts

10th August - WOYWW

I can't believe a week has gone by since I put my last post on!!  Mind you a lot has been going on.  My son got married on Saturday in Islington so we went down on the Friday and came back on the Sunday.  My brother and sister-in-law came over from Florida for it and it was great to see them.  I had to look after my grandson for the day of the wedding and he was good as gold.  I've put a picture of him below all dressed up to look like Daddy! - he's catching up on his beauty sleep.

As far as my worktop is going there hasn't much being going on as I have been away and my brother has been here.  Someone did manage to have a jump up to see what was going on:

That's Harry - he always wants to have a good old nosey and get in on the action although there was very little action going on!  If you go over to Julia's blog you can see other worktops which will probably have more going on than mine but I hope to correct that later today - fingers crossed!  Take care for now x

3rd August 2011 WOYWW

Morning - I just love Wednesdays cause it gives me a chance to go snooping around people's craft rooms all over the world!  How do I do that you ask?  Well, if you hop over to Julia's blog you can check it out. I have added two pictures of my worktop, the first one is this:

Quite boring really just an image ready to be coloured and various snowflakes scattered around (can't you tell Christmas is on its way?)

The second image is this one:

I have decided to start cataloging my stamps and that is a pile there waiting to be done - I have got another pile on the other side of the room - lol!  If anyone has a great system I would love to hear about it - or see it.  The stamps are in front of my new Cricut which I have had now about a month but am waiting for winter until I try to get to grips with it, thought I would have more time in winter to play around with it and I want to start doing some scrapbooking then also.  Stop by and check Julia's blog out and see some of the interesting work spaces out there!  Take care x

2nd August 2011

I'd like to share a card I have made with men in mind!! I don't know about you but I always struggle if I have to make a card for a man as I am sure they wouldn't appreciate the pretty girlie cards we all love making.  I have made this card with a digital image from KennyK downloads which is part of there new steampunk burlesque range they are really fab and a bit raunchy so I am sure the men will like them!!  The papers are downloaded from Basic Grey, the corner embellishment is from Wild Orchid and I have embossed it with some yellow embossing powder (doesn't show that well on the picture). I have cut the star shape with a MFT dienamic die and triple embossed that with embossing powder.  I have coloured the image with Copics and the metal star and giant ric rac are from my stash.  Thanks so much for looking, take care x

I will enter this card in the following challenges:

Corrosive Challenge Blog - Manly
Here come the Boys - Men/Travel
KennyKKrafty Girlz - Metal embellishment
Sir Stampalot Challenge - Whatever you fancy
Papertake Weekly - anything optional extra use metal
CES Challenge - Feeling the blues

August???

I can't believe it is August already!! Not that you would know it as it is bucketing down here in not so sunny Blackpool.  That's about par for the course last week was beautiful and now my son is getting married this Saturday and the weather has changed :-[  Oh well perhaps it will be nicer in London which is where the wedding is going to be - fingers crossed.

My card is one I have done for Christmas which is fast approaching!

Its a gorgeous Lily of the Valley Stamp which I have tried to colour in with Copics - still need sheds more practice!!  I have put some flower soft and Glamour dust on the trim of her jacket and some True Snow and Glamour Dust on the ground.  The papers are downloaded from Nitwits - I love these papers they are so co-ordinated and there is a huge choice.  The sentiment is also from Lily of the Valley and I have edged it with Stickles. I have used Spellbinders dies for the cut-outs and also cut out two snowflakes from Spellbinders with acetate and covered it with Glamour Dust - the silver snowflake is an old one.  I will enter it in the following challenges:

Craft your Passion Challenge - Anything Goes
Ooh La La Creations Challenge - Circles
Stamps and Fun = Creativity - Christmas
The Ribbon Reel Challenge - white or cream, aqua, pink, ribbon or lace and flower (does a snowflake count??)
The Crafty Pad - use something clear
Gingerloft - make it sparkle
Sweet Stampin' - Christmas in July
Totally Gorjuss - Christmas in July



Take care x