Up up and away!

Hello to everyone and I sure hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and Santa was good to you!  It certainly doesn't seem like two minutes since we were all dashing around getting things ready does it?  My son and daughter-in-law and grandson are coming tomorrow for New Year which is so exciting and I am getting ready to do it all again lol!!  As I was having withdrawal symptoms from lack of blogging over the last few weeks I have hidden myself away in my craft room and done some crafting the last few days.  I have done my first two DT cards (gulp) so I can relax about those for a week and then I have done another card using some new stamps I got at Christmas.  They remind me of the old Nimble adverts remember them?  She flies through the air la la la - or something like that.

I have used Kraft card for the base and my new Hero Arts stamps.  The map is from Raspberry Road and they have a 50% sale on now yippee!! The label cut out the map is on is from Spellbinders and I have embossed it with circles but you can't really see that.  I have stamped the Card Candi with the compass stamp and the twine and button are from my stash.  Its just quite plain really because it is meant for a man so I kept it plain and simple.  I would like to enter in the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - Something New (My stamps)
Crafty Creations - Gratitude/Thanks

I hope you all have a fabulous New Year and thanks so much to everyone for their kind comments that they have left over the last few months it does mean a lot and is very encouraging. I'm off to get a mince pie and brandy cream now (someone's gotta eat the beggars!!) Take care xx

Seasons Greetings

I\'d like to wish everyone and their families a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2012. I\'d also like to thank my followers for their lovely comments and continued support and look forward to sharing our crafty creations in the upcoming year. I hope you all have the perfect holiday, love and best wishes Susan xxx

Fab News

Good morning everyone hope you are all ok and gearing up for the last week of manic preparations! This time next week there will be some luscious smells coming up from the kitchen (that's if I remember to put the turkey in!!) and the carols will be playing - yummy!

Well I've got some more great news I am going to join Lexi's Creations for a stint on their DT I am so thrilled and really looking forward to joining everyone!! Yippee!!

I have another quickie card for you today that I made using my fabulous Tim Holtz dies they are so amazing I just love them!!

I've used the deer die and the pine cone die yummy.  I've also used a Nestie tag for the matting and my gorgeous edgeabilities for the border.  I also used my dotty embossing folder so it might look like snow??  No stamping just a quick card really. 

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and your final preparations all go to plan.  I'm off to make my tags now for my pressies!! Take care xx

Easy Peasy

I hope everyone is well and avoiding all these nasty bugs that are around at the moment.  Thank you so much for all your kind words when I was not feeling too well.  The backs still a problem but I am just ignoring it lol!  I'd like to welcome my new followers and thanks them for becoming followers, I'll try to be a better blogger but I can't see that happening until after Christmas.  How is everyones preparation coming along?  I have posted all my cards now just need to hand deliver some.  Made the stuffing today and that will go in the freezer later so another few things to tick off yey!!  I had a nice evening last night because Stephen my DS had to come up on business so he stayed the night which was lovely to see him, I won't see him now until they come up for New Year.  I made four very similiar cards yesterday, again very quick ones to send out today:

These were very quick to make I think I did them all in about an hour which is a record for me.  The images are all Pink Petticoat and so is the digital paper.  I just coloured a very small area of each image with my Copic and each one has a little bit of Stickles added for some sparkle.  Used a Nestie for the Mat and some ribbon from my stash - easy peasy.

Well I promise I will definitely catch up with you all later sat down with my feet up and maybe a nice glass of something mmmmmm.  Take care xx

Still living!

Just in case anyone thought I might have disappeared of the face of the earth - I am still here. Last week was a total wipeout because I was ill and so it really throws you this time of year. Now I am in full panic mode lol! I have done some crafting but nothing really to blog about. Yesterday I made eight cards the same for posting oversees, they took less than an hour which you can probably guess by looking at them:

I just wanted a quick card that would be light to post so not much matting and layering.  They still cost £1.10 each to post!!

Then I have made two more very quick cards this morning:

Both cards were very simple and quick to make and I have just about finished a third just need to glue the pinecones on, hopefully will share that with you all tomorrow. 

Sorry I have been a bad blogger but I guess, like everyone, you just get so busy this time of year.  I have posted all my overseas cards now just need to write and post/deliver my English ones.  Got all my presents (apart from 3 but that is in hand) so I just need to make the tags and then I can wrap them.  I want to make my two mini poundland Christmas tress with the help of the Crafty Elf which I am hoping to start this afternoon when I have rested my back a bit as it is aching now.  I always craft standing up so after a few hours my back starts playing up and then I need to sit down for a while.  We have bought our Christmas tree and that went up on Saturday and I am quite pleased with it, looks lovely me thinks!!  Tidied up my craft room this morning so I am pleased with that but I don't know for how long I can keep it tidy.  I ordered another storage unit from  Storage 4 Crafts yesterday and they promise delivery before Christmas so I am looking forward to getting that, I'm hoping it will save my back as I have a lot of storage under my worktops so I have to bend down a lot and reach under to get stuff.  Hope you are all ok and not too stressed with your Christmas preps!! Take care xx





You can't beat pink!

Having suffered with my back for the past couple weeks I have now come down with a really bad cold so yesterday I was unable to do anything at all because I was aching all over and I have just crawled off the sofa now as I hate not being able to do anything.  I'm only hoping I get everything over at once as I do not make a very good patient and I'm beginning to feel sorry for my husband.  I actually coloured this cutie in the other day so all I had to do was just put everything together which I have been able to do.  The digital image is from Louby Loo at Digital Delights and is the adorable Rodney Reindeer which you can find here and at the moment there is 10% off - who says Christmas can't come early?

I have coloured him with my Copics and Prisma pencils and cut him out with a Nestie and layered him onto another Nestie.  The border punch is a MS. The papers are from Nitwits "Mooey Christmas" and I have embossed the deers with my Cuttlebug using a Cart US embossing folder, here's a close up:

I think it goes with the image so well!  As does the charm from my stash:

And to finish a sideview:

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Sassy Studio - Non-traditional Christmas Colours
Crimbo Crackers - Embossing
Art Impression Stamp - Try Something New (New embossing folder and new image)
Paper Crafting Journey - Christmas
Southern Girls - Ribbon Madness
Inky Impressions - Use Ribbon
Pennys Paper Crafty Challenge - Merry Christmas
The Paper Variety - Inspired by Christmas Song (Rudolph)
Bearly Mine Challenge - Non-Traditional Christmas Colours
Creative Card Crew - Tis the Season
Stamping Boutique - No Traditional Colours
Well I think that's it for me - back to my sick bed!  Take care xx

A big thank you!

Hi there hope you are all ok and enjoyed your weekends!  I received my candy from Janet at Pink Gem today and it is beautiful, thank you so much Janet I am hoping to make a card with it tomorrow - big hug xx

I don't know where the time goes.  We had a lovely time in Manchester on Saturday, went round the markets, got Christmas shopping done and had a nice lunch at The Living Room (or was it in the lounge??).  I've managed to get some white Christmas paper from Paperchase so I am quite pleased with that - yay.  My sister came round for dinner yesterday so that was nice and she has taken all (except for 2 - gulp) of my Christmas cards to sell (or I should say try and sell haha) at her luncheon club.  My husband kept saying I think you shouldn't do that you're putting yourself under too much pressure and I kept saying nah its ok I'll just make more.  I didn't really stop to think that I've been making these since July and its now less than 3 weeks.  Anyway, I don't think she'll manage to sell them all (if any) so I'll be getting them back.  But today he is going to see an old friend tonight so I brightly said oh I'll make a card for you to take.  Hah!  Then I could not think of anything to do at all so it has taken me about 3 hours to do this card and really it looks like it should have taken about 10 minutes!  But to be honest I am not a quick card maker, believe it or not,  I cannot rattle of more than 1 a day on a really good day maybe two but that is rare.  I am in awe of people that can make three or four a day and then you find out they work full time as well - how do they do it?  Anyway I think I have waffled enough so I shall show my card which you have to remember took me all afternoon to make:

I have decided to do another vintage type card and printed out a cute picture from my Tuscan Rose CD which I then cut out with shaped scissors to make it look like the old photos we used to get.  The doily is a Cheery Lynn die and the numbers are made with a Die-namics die using glitter paper. The papers are Raspberry Road and I have used seam binding and a charm from my stash. I have added stickles to the picture and distressed the papers, numbers, pictures, doily and seam binding with Distress Ink Antique Linen. I have decorated the inside to match:

Thanks so much for looking.  I hope the weather is not affecting you too much,  please take care xx

Lots of News!

Hi there hope everyone is well and excited about the weekend looming up!!  I have just found out that I have won Janet's Christmas Candy on her blog Pink Gem - thank you so much Janet!!  My next bit of exciting news (well for me that is) is that I have been asked to join the DT for Delightful Challenges for 6 months starting in January - whoppee!!  It is the first time I have ever done anything like this and I am so excited at the same time as being a wee bit nervous and apprehensive but I am sure they will all look after me and the other "newies" that will be starting!!  Who'd have thought 6 months ago??  I only started my blog at the end of July after I had retired.  It was a way to develop my love of crafting and also to help me as my husband has been undergoing surgery and then radiotherapy for cancer.  So, although the year has been quite fraught emotionally, I have met so many nice people in the blogging community and it is a great way of learning about your crafts and developing and learning new skills.  Anyway on a lighter note my husband has now finished his treatment and just needs 3 - 6 monthly checkups (due on the 22nd this month) so we can put it all behind us now and look to the future.

I have made a card for Christmas for my sister.  She loves antiques and her house is full of all sorts of treasures so I am hoping she will like this card:

This must be about the 15th picture I have taken!!  I did stop at 10 and cropped it and everything and then loaded into my blog and realised I hadn't put the pin in so I had to start all over again grrrrr!!  The image is from my Tuscan Rose CD and I have added some Liquid Pearls to the image where it is snowing to accent it.  The lace is from Wild Orchid and I have made the pin.  I have sanded the edges of the coredinations card stock to distress it a bit.  The Clock Die is by Tim Holtz and I have put some True Snow and Art Institute Glitter on it to make it look a bit frosty.  The pine cones, leaves and rose are made from my new (I'm in love) Tim Holtz pine cone die - wowzer that thing is brilliant!  I have added some True Snow and Art Institute Glitter to those as well so they look frosty - brrrrrr!!  It is difficult to get the colouring right in this light, there is either too much shadow but the paper colour looks right or no shadow and everything is a bit wishy washy.  IRL there is a bit more colour to it however it is quite a softly coloured image and so is the paper so I have done the best I can!!  I would like to enter the following challenges:

By the Cute and Girly - Let it Snow
Charisma Cardz - Spots (I've put spots of snow on)
Crafty Purple Frog - For Someone Special (the card is for my Sister)
Digital Delights - Let it Snow
Craft your Passion - Tis The Season
Kaboodle Doodle - Bundle up for Winter
Sparkles - Vintage Christmas

We're off to Manchester tomorrow to look round the markets and a bit of Christmas shopping if my back holds up and then a spot of lunch - yummy.  Hope you all have a nice weekend I will come round everyone's blogs and catch up later as I haven't had chance the last couple of days.  Enjoy your weekends whatever you are doing, take care xx

Eeek there's a mouse in the house!!!

I just love little House Mouse stamps they are so cute and cuddly.  I have three cats and the middle one, Harry Potter, is always bringing mice in.  More often than not they are alive and he just has them by the tail which then results in a mad dash with DH and me chasing him around the house - I'm sure he thinks its some kind of game.  He usually drops them in the hall and they make a mad dash for the little table we have there and DH manages to get them and take them out.  I often get up in the morning and two of the cats - Harry P and Louie- are just sat by the table staring intently at it which is a sign that there is a little mouse hiding there waiting to be rescued!!  So today I have a card made with an adorable little House Mouse stamp from Joanna Sheen (actually I bought it with my gift voucher I one - thank you!):

I have followed the sketch from Seems a Little Sketchy and used papers from the pad I bought when I was on holiday from Michaels, its their own make, and I must admit it is gorgeous!!  I have coloured it with Copics and Prisma pencils.  The sentiment is a stamp from Cuddly Buddy and I have added some petals from Papermania and Baker's Twine with just a bit of Stickles for some sparkle. I would like to enter the following challenges:

Seems a Little Sketchy - Sketch
Joanna Sheen - Christmas Wishes
Sisterhood of Crafters - Polka Dots
Whimsical Designs - Layer it Up
Deep Ocean Challenge - 'C' is for : Christmas Cookies
Scrap Creations - Christmas
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Who's Wearing Santa's Hat
Craft Your Passion - Tis the Season
House Mouse - Fuzzy and Warm
I did it Creations - Eat, Drink and be Merry

I am going out for dinner tonight with my old friends from work so that will be nice to catch up on all the gossip!  See you tomorrow, take care xx