Craftyplace stash swop

Yet again I had a great stash swop over on CP this month. I was teamed up with Choccy Orange and she was very generous with her goodies that I received this week in the post.

My fav bit is in the little bag at the back where there are a whole bunch of teeny weeny tags, some with sentiments on. They are sooo cute and gorgeous and I cannot wait to use them on a card or two!

Thanks so much Choccy I love my crafty bits and bobs xxx

Pocket cards

The July swop over on the Crafty Place was pocket cards. I had never made a pocket card before but they have been very popular amongst my crafty friends on MSE. Many people on the MSE card thread had made very similar cards as someone (sorry can't remember who!) shared a tutorial.

This is the beautiful card that the talented Gemm made for me it is one of the tutorial style cards . They are very en vogue in the card making world don't you know so I am now very lucky to have received 0ne!!!

This is how it looks when the tag has been taken out really gorgeous, I am sure you will agree.

Well me being me had to try something a bit different and I found an amazing idea on a blog challenge somewhere (think it might have been a magnolia challenge, yet again I can't remember!!) It features a 'brown bag' and as I had a couple I thought I would give it a go!! I was quite pleased with the result....

I hope Gemm liked it!!

It was fairly simple and I really enjoyed decorating it and will give it another go soon I think!

Challenge card

Well I have decided to be really adventurous and enter a couple of challenges with this card....

I made this for the Funky Fairys challenge which was 'girly' and I have combined it with the challenge from Sketch Saturday. It is my first time entering either of these challenges so I am very grateful to both websites for setting them.

I downloaded 2 pink papers from the wonderful Funky Fairys (pop on over and have a look!) One has been used as the background and the other design had circular pattens on it which I cut out and made into homemade flower embellishments, pretty cute and girly me thinks!!

Sketch Saturday is very inspirational as it has great card layout designs to use. If you look at this weeks sketch there is a ribbon with the flowers, mine has been covered up with flowers! Also I couldn't find an image that really worked with the design (I have swopped over the image and the sentiment) so I wasn't completely happy with the finsihed product!

I also continued my desgn inside....

Creating from the heart

Hi I have been a follower of Melissa's blog for a while and she is offering some scrumtious stash as blog candy so get on over to her blog and check it out!! (There's a chance to win a Slice now I would consider cutting off my foot to win one of those!!!). Please read further than just the blog candy as she really is very talented.

Creative card crew challenge polkadots

Well I actually made a really cute ATC this week which would perfectly fit this challenge but seeing as I haven't sent it yet i can't really show it here!

After making the ATC I was inspired to make a couple of very quick cards along the same themes as thank you cards for a couple of people. The first card is my polka dots one though the camera was playing up and it is very blurry, shame I didn't realise the pictures were awful until after I had given the cards away!

This one is very similar but no polka dots this time.

I am sure you will agree the patchwork elephant stamp is sooo cute and these creations (and my as yet unseen ATC) were all inspired by fabulous piggy ATC that I received last month from the talented Debbie. I have not managed to find the 'patchwork pig' stamp but have been able to find this 'patchwork elephant' image. Too cute!!!

MSE thanks/embossed card

I finally found time to create my challenge card......

it looks slightly odd but a lot of thought went into it I promise.....

The printed red area at the bottom is actually a copy of my son's report and it said that the teacher will miss him! Then there is a small portion of really badly spelt words mentioning fruit in a poem my DS. Thought that co-ordinated well with the apple on the pile of books! This is an image I have tried to decoupage and the apple has been covered several times in glossy accents which is easier to see in this piccy..............

the blue paper at the top actually says school days on it twice in different fonts. I got the embossing in if you look carefully you will see 'a b c' on the top piece of red card and 'd e f' on the bottom piece.

Camping, Brunch and Bowling!

This weekend DD turned 11 and we had to celebrate in style in true Molly fashion. Firstly we had to put up a tent, or should I say hubby did it only took about 5 hours then I went and helped!! I interpreted the instructions correctly and the tent was up!

Then Molly was joined by 3 chums and they spent the night under canvass, well after chatting and giggling until after 1am, I even went in just after midnight to wish Molly a happy birthday and take a few pics....

After a few hours sleep I was up preparing food for 15 with hubby for the party Brunch. We were offering a choice of cooked items (sausage, egg, baked beans and bacon), toast (brown or white) croissant or pain au chocolate, muffins (choc chip or blueberry) and warm homemade cookies (oat and oat n white choc chip). We had 2 no shows which was slightly annoying (why can't parents just pick up the phone and say their child will not be there??!!) Then it was time to hit the bowling alley.....we had 3 lanes and as we were short of a couple of players guess who got to play.....

I had the most fun with Molly the day before making up the partybags.....

take one 'just for girls' pink tool box from £land and fill with multiple sweets......

repeat until you have enough for a small army/Molly's mates......

Camping/Brunch/Bowling over guess what I forgot..... a birthday cake!!!!

Fab friends

I have been so busy with work (did a presentation last week) and home (end of school year and DD leaving school) that I have neglected my blog but have lots of news and pics that I will try and catch up on over the next few days!

Last week I was extremely lucky as I received not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 parcels of goodies through the door from some of my lovely online chums. I want to say a big thank you to them all and also apologise that no thank you cards have been sent as yet!

The generosity and kindness of people never ceases to amaze me and after feeling sorry for myself only a couple of weeks ago I have turned a corner and feel so lucky this week.

Firstly I received a gorgeous card with numerous stamped images from Rusty, this was a complete surprise and I was chuffed to bits.

Then I received a beautiful mini folder with multiple images inside (including the patchwork pig stamp that I am searching everywhere for!) this was another surprise and I was very touched by Debbie thinking of me xxx

My great choccy chum sent me a cute folder with images and with some cuttlebug embossed paper so I have been completely spoilt...

I was also really fortunate to have my name picked out on MSE for the Christmas card challenge and Rainmac sent me a huge amount of Christmas stash although I seem to have lost the piccies I took but it was wonderful.

Thank you again to everyone for thinking of me and I am very lucky to count you as my friends xxx

Eight

Reading this blog and took the offer of the tag

8 Favorite Shows:(that are on at the moment!)
1- CSI (love all of these shows)
2- Hotel Babylon
3- America's got Talent (makes me laugh out loud!!)
4- Ugly Betty
5- Total Wipeout!!!
6- The supersizers eat...
7- House
8- Bones

8 Things I did yesterday:
1- went to work
2- helped at school fair
3- won 3 bottle of wine in bottle tombola
4- won a raffle prize
5- received my Christmas stash prize
6- had an oyster icecream (sshhhh!!)
7- watched Bones
8- had my appraisal

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1- Christmas (this really is my favourite time of year!)
2- the kids finishing school for the summer
3- camping at the Witterings
4- a large glass of wine
5- a week in Cornwall
6- seeing the new Harry Potter
7- being more crafty
8- Labor day party

8 Favorite Restaurants: {I'm including fast food...}
1- Cafe Anjou (in Winchmore Hill is it still there???)
2- the Raj Doot
3- Seafare Fish and Chip shop
4- Any National Trust tea shop!!
5- Loch Fyne
6- Pizza Express
7- Chez Moi

8 Things on my wish list:
1- A job for Hubby
2- a cuttlebug
3- sunny days for the holidays
4- a cleaner
5- a nanny
6- more time
7- a pet pig
8- an old english sheepdog

8 People I Tag:
1-choccy O
2-K
3-Jammy
4-Rusty
5-Rainmac
6-Npsmama
7-Mel
8-Flutterbies

Well I hope that you manage to do your own collection of 'eights'!!!

counting down to Christmas

I love love love Christmas and after Sunday (DD's birthday) will be concentrating on getting everything organised. I already have several presents!!!

Anyway someone on MSE posted this link to counting down for Christmas.............. how exciting!!! Take a look and see for yourself.

Only 162 days to go!!!

Kirsten's birthday candy

More birthday candy on offer and it is a WHOLE SET OF GORGUSS GIRL STAMPS!! WOW!!!

Wishing Kirsten a happy birthday and check out her blog here.

Poppy petal designs blog candy

I came across this blog today and have to say that I was so inspired by Kim who is about to complete her last round of 6 months of chemotherapy for bowel cancer.

To celebrate this she is offering a fantastic bunch of blog candy and I for one would be thrilled to win check it out here.

Rachel's sugar free candy!!

Just discovered this cute blog with the cute sugar free candy stamps!! Look here and join in!!

check out purpliscious's scrummy stash!

over here purpliscious is offering some super stamping stash to one lucky winner be sure to get over there and check it out xxx

Angie's birthday candy...

More yummy candy here celebrating Angies birthday. Have a great day Angie xxx

Val's fab birthday blog candy

Over on Val's blog is this amazing candy to celebrate her birthday here's wishing Val a great day xxx

win $1000 at the cuttlebugspot.com

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (www.CustomCrops.com)! GO NOW and check it out at
the cuttlebugspot.com

cutest blog on the block

Well Choccy has decorated her blog and Jammy suggested I do something to mine too, so in honour of Molly's birthday next week I have added the cupcakes!!

It is sooo easy to do and if you want to have a look or a go just go to www.cutestblogontheblock.com and it tells you what to do!

CP challenge Monotone

Well I was really not looking forward to this one as it seemed quite restrictive but I remembered I had a little kit of puple bits from Craftwork cards in the sale section that only cost 50p! So I put a couple of cards together in the end. Again really simple and using up a few little bits that I already had.

Creative Card Crew Challenge Ribbons

This week the theme is Ribbons. This card is my stop-feeling-sorry-for-myself-card!!



I am not spending money on stash and luxuries in general and have found that quite hard at times especially when there are so many wonderful products out there that I 'must have'. Also eveyone else seems to have the latest and bestest stuff except for me (I know this blatantly isn't the case but I did say I was feeling sorry for myself!) So I decided to try and find 'new ways with old stash', this really was in keeping with moneysaving and being thrifty.



So I don't have a cuttlebug and won't have one any time soon but I do have a second hand shapeboss that has never been tried out. So I have embossed the corners with little flowers! I couldn't buy lots of new flowers when they were on offer recently so I looked at what I could use. I took a scrap of wide pink ribbon and sewed along the edge to make a rosette then sewed the button and attached to the card. I took a smaller piece of pink ribbon and did exactly the same and attached it with a brad. I took a small scrap of 'fluffy' ribbon curled it into a circle put it on some pink card and sewed it to the card with a button. Then I found a real flower to complete the look. Wow!! It kind of worked!!!



So the moral of this card is that there is plenty of stuff in my stash that I can use in new and different ways. I have never tried embossing and never tried sewing on a card and now I have! Creativity is not restricted to the latest gadget, paper, kit or money it only restricted by your imangination!! So I will try not to covet my virtual neighbours fab new crafty bits!!



here it is what do you think......

Christmas in July card

MSE has a challenge for Christmas card this fortnight. On the face of it, it sounds pretty wierd but really it is time to start getting organised for Chrimbo! It is nearer Christmas 2009 than Christmas 2008! Also if QVC can sell Chrimbo card making bits in July we can definitely make Christmas cards!!!

I got the idea for this card form a card making book though cannot recall the title. It is very simple, just like me and just like my cards! I have drawn a 'stick' tree onto white card then added acetate (actually from a sheet of OHP paper, well it's all power point now isn't it??!!). Onto the acetate I have added the embellishments to decorate the tree. It was a bit more fiddly than I expected and I have since found a bigger star shape which will look better on top of the tree, so I will give this design another chance at some point.

I hope that shows you the general idea anyway!! Hard to take pics with the shiny plastic so have taken them indoors and out!

99 things!

I saw this on another blog recently and it made me think so decided to post it here please join in as it's interesting to see what other people have done...

1. Started your own blog (here it is!)
2. Slept under the stars (beach in Greece)
3. Played in a band (at school!)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world/Disneyland Paris
8. Climbed a mountain (mount Bromo in Indonesia)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (will never do this!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (but someone might like to adopt one of mine??)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (well I went there but don't like heights!)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (oh in India!)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Made a Snow Angel
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (Indonesia 1990!!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
27. Run a Marathon
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Stood in the rim of the Grand Canyon (too scared and never been there...yet!)
32. Been on a cruise (0n the river Thames!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an erupting volcano in person.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (Zimbabwe and Zambia)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I am a nurse!)
47. Had your portrait painted (well the kids have drawn me!)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling (Thailand and Malaysia and Discovery Cove!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie (have been on tv tho!)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Cookies for charity
62. Gone whale watching
63. Been given flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (in Zimbabwe and hated every minute of it!)
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited Buckingham Palace
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt or blanket
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Been to the top of the Empire State Building
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

The ones in bold are the ones I have definitely done!! More than I thought as over half of them and I am not very bold myself!!! So what have you done from the list?????

Crafty daughter

My DD age 10 loves crafting and card making and is actually really good at it. She seems to have this natural ability in seeing how things should go together and has a great eye for detail. I am actually quite envious and often ask for her opinion as she is so talented!

I have posted some of her cards before on MSE but thought I would show you a card she literally put together in 5 mins this evening ready for her friends birthday party on Friday!! I am sooo jealous of her ability!!!

thank you card

One of my virtual online friends was very generous and sent me a pile of crafty bits and pieces to brighten my day. We have never met and she had no reason to do it but she still did and I was very touched. It was all done in private and not on a public forum and I appreciate her generosity to me

She also made a comment on my unicorn card for my nephew so I decided to make her a unicorn card of her own! Here it is....

more candy on offer!

Well if you look here you will see some lushious candy that you can try and grab!!

the RAK is a cuttlebug!!!

Wow Melissa Bove is giving away a cuttlebug on her blog not sure if she will post to the UK but it is worth trying. I have been a follower of her blog for a while now and she has some amazing ideas on there so pop on over to http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/2009/07/are-you-ready-for-giveaway.html and have a wee nose around I am sure you'll love it.

Stash delivery received with thanks!

I was lucky enough to win a RAk from the lovely Mumhug over on the Crafty Place and this is what I received (infact this is her photo!)

there are pre made cards, A4 sheets of card and paper, border papers (these have already been claimed by Molly as they have faries on and she loves the fantasy image) toppers, diecuts of Brownies (not sure what I will do with these but they are really sweet!) a metal embellishment and a stamp that says 'sorry' (hope I don't need to use that one too often!).

So thank you so much for your generosity Mumhug xxx

card making son

A couple of weekends ago we visited my parents (see earlier posts) well whilst there we attended the art and craft day they go to at a local church. Elliot was actually really keen to join in which is unusual for him, so we decided to make thank you cards for his birthday presents. We used some wrapping paper he had got and cut out the football shapes, stuck them onto card then cut them out again. We then stuck some blue card onto mini ready made cards and glued the hand made footie die cuts on top of that!

We have given some out already plus he adapted one to send to Ben 10 for his birthday but here are a few of them that we have yet to send out (sorry everyone he is grateful for his pressies but we are a bit organised!!) Here they are on our rather yellowy brown lawn....

Happy 4th July

Wish I had made a creation in red, white and blue or with stars and stripes at the very least in order to share in the celebrations with friends and family 'across the pond'. Sadly I have not but want to wish you all a wonderful day xxx

Creative Card Crew Challenge weddings

I haven't actually completed one of CCC's challenges since my blog was set up and running. This week I decided to join in as a friend at work has just got married abroad and I wanted to make her a card as she makes cards and I know she will appreciate it. Initially I was making a quite complex card with lots of flowers but I decided to simplify it and this is the end result.

The paper behind is difficult to see but is covered in words and says love laugh live appropriate sentiments for a wedding. The ivory coloured cardstock is pearlised and came ready embossed courtesy of Papermania. The flowers were all bought in the $ store in the states and the adhesive pearls where in my stash.

Crafty Place Pink card swop

I received this fabulous card from the talented Popkins aka Kellie earlier this week and it is great as I am sure you will agree! I particularly like how she has used 'wordle' to such good affect and the two ribbons together work so well. I will definitely be pinching these ideas in the future! thanks Kellie xxx