Life Imtimates Life!

HI There, I hope you all had good weekends. Our's was awesome and just brilliant. Just haven't had so much fun in ages!

I have no cards to share with you but i do have two sweet pictures to show you.

as I mentioned last week we went away in our caravan and with hubby's family in their tents and we took kayaks and canoes with us, and we spent most of the time on the river.

I've never seen this before but I grabbed my hubby's camera and snapped away at the cutest thing in nature I have seen in a while!

a mother swan with her signet having a little ride, safe from harm!

We didn't get too close as Daddy swan was near by and would start rising his wings up and hissing. I noticed they only had one signet, and many of the other swan families had a least 4 or 5 signets that were much older than this one. I wonder if something happened to the rest of the signets to make them so protective of their little one. Either way, it was sooo cute and a joy to watch.

Later on, all of us went to a certain part of the river where it was good to jump in, and I'd forgotten my little one's buggy, and it was a bit too far from the site to walk. So we put him in the canoe with his nanny & grandad, but he freaked out and refused, so I asked him if he wanted to come with me in my kayak and he got in and absolutley loved it. He happily sat there, pointing at the other boats, loved seeing the ducks and swans and drakes. My hubby took this shot of us on our way back (i'm still wet from jumping in the river!)

                           Me and my little boy, Sam

that's all from me now, have so much laundry to do and unpacking of the caravan to do.

Sigh. holiday is over.

Have a good week

meant to post on monday & waltzing mouse sketch challenge #3

Hello there! 

So I hope you had a good weekend. Mines was ok. mediocre.

I sat down on saturday afternoon ready to craft away to my hearts delight and got a block in my mojo!!

I sat and peered at all my bits and bobs, and just....nothing.

Until finally I just came up with one, then another one accidently happened and then I actually just got a flash of inspiration  and made one for the waltzing mouse sketch challenge! all within a hour or so, after spending all afternoon sighing and huffing and puffing!

So here they are:

I'm calling this my Ikea card! because I think it looks a little bit scandenavian!

I used october afternoon Cherry Hill paper for the heart, which I drew myself, then that went on off white mulberry paper which I sewed with my machine, very badly! but who cares its not meant to be perfect!! i tore the edges of the mulberry paper. that went on red cardstock, added a tape type ribbon and stamped 'happy foreverness' from waltzing mouse stamps, and added a wooden button.

Next card:

this was well simple. In fact I was just playing about with my cuttlebug and spellbinders nesties (label 4)

I stamped the aperture in the larger size die, then cut out another smaller label. I stuck a red paper behind the aperature and laid the smaller label on it.

I chalked all the edges, stamped sentiment with wms, added a little red paper rose and made a bow with red gingham ribbon from my stash.

the last card is for my step-daughter to give to her male friend. This is the one I am entering it in for the Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge, seeing as I missed the last two challenges! i know its not exactly right as it doesn't have an embellishment bit, but I feel the fancy tag makes up for it and its for a 18yr old boy, I don't think he'd appreciate a big pretty bow!!

I used october afternoon paper on  royal blue cardstock, added a blue ribbon and a grey ribbon from stash,

cut a label using spellbinders shapeablitlities fancy tag, added a wms sentiment stamp, and hey presto! done!

Hope you're all having a good week, we're going on a little holiday this weekend, in our caravan, by the river, with our kayaks and canoe's, most of my hubby's family (25 of us going!) and the forecast this weekend is hot,hot, hot, so I'm gonna be IN the river too! Lots of Fun!

so now I'm off to do the packing! will be back next week!

PDCC34

Hello!
So there I was thinking I had til friday night to make my card and link it up to the Waltzing mouse sketch challenge, thinking I'd be clever and also enter it into the Play date Cafe's colour splash challenge, when I go on the blog and see the sketch challenge finished Thursday!!! boo hoo!! oh well at least I can still enter it into the play date one. serves me right for trying to be too clever!! haha!
this card is for my fabulous hubby, who has really supported me with my extra craftiness of late, and built me a desk, allowed me to take over the conservatory as my craft room and also the darlin' worked extra all week this week, and worked really long, tough hours at a really horrible job. So I'm mega proud of him, and i only wish Waltzing mouse's 'proud of you' stamps was bigger and said 'I'm soooooooooooooooooo proud of you'!!!
So, here's my card

Deets:

white and blue cardstock from papermill shop, black core'dinations (with blue core) embossed with cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, spellbinders nestabilities label no.4 label, sentiment stamp by waltzing mouse, buttons & ribbons from stash, rhinestones from basic grey, flowers from gcs

I really loved the playdate cafes' colours this week, a nice, simple challenge to try for my first one. I just love blue! and its so effective next to the black & white too. here's the picture we had to work from

I've just popped over to the waltzing mouse sketch challenge blog and see theres a cool new challenge up, so I'm off to work! Gonna do it early so I don't miss out again!

Have a good weekend! and thanks for looking!

In a Gloom...just for Today!

Hello there.

Today I feel a bit gloomy. mainly cos its that dreaded time of the month, why on a monday?? Not fair!

Today was weird again weather wise. I got two loads of laundry dry out in the morning sunshine and had to run out madly to get the 3rd load in as it clouded over so quickly and just this huge, heavy, threatening, gloomy, grey expanse is sitting on us now!

So today, I was a very good girl and got all my housework done, got on my (padded) knees and scrubbed my floors and all the skirting boards too.

This past weekend was most productive!

Saturday morning, my hubby made a desk for me out of a huge coffin like box he made last year for all his dj equipment (one of his many, many hobbies!) but this box, was the bane of my conservatory!! He painted it black, so I covered it with a pretty stripey fabric, it still looked monsterous in our little sunny room, esp since I prettied it all up in the spring and made curtains and put up voiles to really soften it up, not forgetting the bunting & leaf lights (fairy lights in shape of ivy leaves)

anyway, he transformed the box into a desk, painted it white (was torture waiting for it to dry all day!!!) and while he did that I moved my craft cupboard into the conservatory.

I love my little cupboard, its a vintage, antique (from the 40's-50's) kitchen larder type thing.

My friend and beauty therapist had had it for years and years in her dining room and I always loved it and admired it. Then one day I went over and saw that it was in her garage. So I enquired after it and she said it was going to the dump! Noooooo!

So I brought it home with me, gave it a re-paint and it sat as my craft cupboard ever since. it has a cute little pull down flap (like a serving space I guess) that is so very handy!

Oh ok, I'll show you a few pics of my little crafting room! as it is now!

I just love those little glass doors!  

and here it is with the doors open, looks messy but is all organised!

And here's what it looks like when you walk in from the kitchen,with my new big desk!

Here's my desk up close, see my new cuttlebug! green thing! I love it!!

Do you like the pretty little curtains I made for my desk?

I had some remnants leaft from the curtains I made in here, and I couldn't believe it, but I had the exact right amount to make the little curtains! It was meant to be!! hehe!

So yesterday, once the paint was all dry and I'd made my curtainsand fixed them up, i set to work and made 4 cards! I finally got to play some more with little cuttlebug!

the first cards I did were very easy and simple, I wanted to just work with my little Websters Pages papers, so here's the first two...

For the top one, I used Webster's pages ofcourse! and a waltzing mouse sentiment stamp. that's all!

for the bottom one, again WP's paper and a label cut out by spellbinder nesties (No.4) I stamped onto that an image from Crafty Secrets Bird Notes set, and used the same WM stamp for the sentiment.

This next one is for my mum-in-law. Its very 'her'. she loves tree's esp. willow tree's, green is here favorite colour, she loves to crochet (hence the crocheted lace) and she loves pretty lacey things too.

I used a dark forest green card stock, and sage green and cream card all from PaperMill Shop. the tree & sentiment stamps are from Waltzing mouse. Crochet lace is off a roll in a shop!

and this one, I really like, I was inspired by one Cindy Lee did a while back with Hot Air Balloon's, however I don't have any hot air balloon stamps, so, I cheated! I stamped the top half of two different balloon stamps I have, both by Penny Black, and then I hand drew the rest and coloured them in!

the polka dot paper is also stamped used Tanda Polka dot stamp using versacolour's baby blue ink,

I messed it up a little a the bottom, by running it through the cuttlebug to cut the circle out before the ink had dried..D'oh! but I covered it well I think with the bird stamp (onto cardstock, coloured, stickled and attached with 3D pads) and the sentiment! bird : crafty secrets bird notes sentiment: waltzing Mouse

the clouds are just white slightly textured paper and used that lovely teal blue ribbon lace, used it all up now!and used just a pale blue cardstock for the background.

So there are my cards. I might see if I come up with anything tonight, but the bath and my bed are calling me, and its not even 7.30pm yet!  Oh! *groan* just remembered my huge pile of ironning to do!

well, I hope you have a good week.

Leave some love if you can, I need it!!

Thanks

Yesterday's crafty Afternoon with Mum

HI there,

OHHHH its a horrible, dark,miserable day. Youn know in winter when you get those days where you have to have every light on in your house during the day, and you wrap up in your warmest jumper (sweater!) (wearing my fav 'sweater dress' today) and you decide to stay in doors as its so cold and wet, and miserable......well we've got one of those days and it's JUNE, our SUMMERTIME! hellooooo??!!! I thought we were getting global warming? there's no 'warming' here i can tell you!! bloomin' freezing!

So I'm gonna be a good wifey today, and really focus on my housework, as I have been terribly distracted with card making and blog hopping etc, and we have friends over tonight!

 I put my new cuttlebug away in its new home, albeit rather sadly, poor little guy, looked like he was gonna cry,"ppppppplease don't put me in the ddddddark, new mommy"  he quivered in his cute little american accent,  ahhhh!

  I put him next to my heat gun (who's a nice warm litle fella), and left the door open so he can see me! haha!

So, quickly, here are the cards I made yesterday.

First one, I don't like! I'm not happy with it. I think its the yellow! i dunno, its just not doing it for me! My hubby set me & mum a sketch challenge, and I found it rather challenging to say the least! Mum popped one out in minutes, I how spent over an hour and I feel annoyed at it!!  I haven't got the sketch he did as I accidently spilt water all over it.

paper : October Afternoon

Stamps: Penny Black 'Hugs', swirl: waltzing mouse sentiment : wooden rubber stamps had for years

Yellow card stock, and yellow self adesive ribbon

Then the one I started on just as Mum was leaving ended up being one of my favorite designs ever, and totally original for me also, as I do like to be inspired by others but this one, is really fun and I love it!

paper : Webster's Pages 'lifes Lullaby'

stamps : Penny Black 'In the garden',(for kitty & birdy) Penny black 'Wonderful'(for big ballons) wooden stamp for little ones

Crafty secrets 'bird notes' for birds in background. Sentiment: Waltzing Mouse

I first stamped & watercoloured the little cat in the basket on cardstock last saturday (while watching BGT) so yesterday I cut it out with a craft knife, stamped the ballons on to cardstock, watercoloured and cut out, i fixed two of the balloons (red & green) with 3d pads, and the others with sticky dots, and then put black thread on each and tied them to the basket, so he just dangles from the fixed balloons, the basket is not attached to the card! cool huh?!

I've sent it to my sister who lives a long way from us, and I've been terrible lately in keeping in touch!

I did however have to put a strip of scrap matching paper across the basket and attached it with removeable sticky dots on the back to keep it in place while in transit otherwise the treads get all tangled!

right that's all from me for now, have a really good weekend!

Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge # 1

Yes, I know I said I'd given up on it, but today at 6pm, a very tired and hurried delivery man turned up at my door, relieved at last to deliver his last parcel! Yay! and now I can tell you what my new 'gadget' is.........

a cuttlebug! (I know, aren't I naughty, spent all my pocket money in one go!!and some!) So dinner was somewhat delayed! Hubby also was very much impressed and wanted to have a go too! So I'm glad I have his approval on my new gadget.
So, I managed to cut a perfect circle cut out with it and could thus make the card that I had in mind....The idea came to my mind just as I was settling down to sleep a few nights ago, and knowing I'd forget it, I got up staggered to the hall with my phone as a light and scrawled my idea down!

here's the sketch we had

and here's my card........

so the deets are.. I used a textured beige paper for the background, ripped it at the edges and chalked it with brown chalk. For the stamps I used 'Clear Choice' travel France stamps and Waltzing mouse sentiments (bonjour & mon Amie) I used Tim Holtz detressed ink 'vintage photo' and my Marvy le Plume Pens as well. Little button/medallion thing is a die cutcircle (spellbinders nestabilities) with paris stamp from clear choice, ribbon is just some I got at a hobby shop, and behind the card you can see Websters Page'postcard from Paris' paper, as I thought it rather apt!!

I made two more cards today, but, yet again its late...*glance at time and shriek siliently in my head 'How Late????'* and I'm just drained and my eyes ache so much from all the consentratin' and squintin' I've been doing!  that reminds me I really have to get some decent lighting to work under.

So, I'm off to bed now, its past midnight and I'm turning back into a pumpkin again!

Night!

Tiffany Doodles Sketch Challenge

Hi There!

Now I was going to do the Waltzing mouse sketch challenge but I had a go, and cutting out that circle has not gone well! I just can't get it to look right, so, I give up!

Instead, I joined Tiffany Doodles sketch challenge. After I watched Fringe..OH! cliff hanger!! J.J Abrams the creator of the show is so good!! fantastic twists and turns, and I never saw that coming!

So, then I worked on my card, I was going to post it up last night along with my other cards I did yesterday, but it was getting late and I couldn't be bothered!haha!

So...here's the sketch...

you can use any stamps you like with it, i only used two stamps and made the papers the focal point as I was in that kinda mood!

and here's my card....

So the deets are...

 Websters Page paper for the background, the music paper I can't remember where from, the flower paper is from Sassafras 'Blueberry Grove', the rosette I made with Gisela Graham Teal ribbon lace and a Prima pebble. also used the lace ribbon along the bottom there, then stamped the 'you make my heart sing' medallion thing on card, then attached to the ribbon, and finally I used Waltzing Mouse stamp for the sentiment. All in all, I'm chuffed to bits with it!

I'm off to do some housework now, and later today Mum's coming to me to do some more card making.

p.s got hubby to call up about my 'gadget', they dispatched it via courier on Tuesday. Why not just say so, in the email? But at least its on its way! Yay!

Have a good day!

Cute card to show

Hello!
I finally got around today to making a card for a friend of mine on the birth of her little baby boy, Alfie.
He's about 8 weeks already!! I'm so bad a making cards in time for occasions!!
I have a nice selection to hand now that i can just add a sentiment to, but when its quite specific, like a baby, then it needs some thing special!!
So, I was inspired yet again but Cindy Lee, and she made her card using a template by the cutting cafe
Its such a cute little card! and surprisingly easy!

I stamped the polka dot background with Tanda stamp 'Jane Dafferns's Polka dot set' using 'baby blue' ink by Versacolour, the other paper for the sails and flag were bits in my scraps box, I used the waltzing mouse 'welcome' stamp and baby boy peel-off.



Also, here's the card I made last week at Mum's. I waiting until I recieved my new stamps from Waltzing mouse. I'm rather pleased with this card, and I have several people it could go to!! I may have to make some more like it!

Again I stamped the polka dots with the tanda stamp with a lovely pale sage green ink I have (no label) the paper is Laura Ashley, I think, the pearl dots were Mum's, so don't know brand, the sage lace ribbon, is by Gisela Graham. This week I saw it in a beige, dusky pink and a gorgeous teal colour all in my local haberdashery shop!! So I bought a metre of each, so much cheaper than the green!!
and as I said, sentiment stamps are Waltzing mouse's.
I'm annoyed today, or irritated rather. I waiting on a rather exciting new 'gadget' to come. some accessories i wanted to use with it, I bought at the same time on Ebay but from other Ebay shops, and they all came yesterday, and today, and yet I have no 'gadget'!! and I had no word from them about it, like I did with the other stuff, so I sent a message to ask where it was, and they replied that they wanted to call me to discuss the matter!
Anyone who knows me knows I don't do phones!! I don't hear too well, and i really hate being on the phone to people I don't know, esp if they have an accent. So I replied and said I preferred to be contacted via email, after all, this is Ebay, I want any communications recorded and in black & white.
All I want to know is when they are dispatching it, no biggie! I have a busy life I can't wait about waiting for a parcel all day! I paid immediatley and didn't even recieve a thank you for my purchase! and they are a buisness!
I haven't heard anything back yet. Its been nearly 5 hours since I replied back. Its just so rude. and bad business, if theres a problem , tell me, if they're posting it tomorrow, then why not just say so? why ask for my number to discuss the matter?? I've immediatly got suspious of them now!!
until then I am sulking!! hahaha! no really I am, I'm pouting, frowning and everything, you could rest a glass on that pout!!! hahahaha!
well, I'm going now as I just remembered I have the FINAL episode of season 2, of Fringe.....Joshua Jackson is calling me!!! hee hee! (actually I love his funny old Dad 'Walter" just as much, he cracks me up!) Iknow its going to be a real cliff hanger! it'll be torture!!! hahaaha!
All my favorite series have finished, "Larkrise to Candlerford' has finished, 'House' 'Spooks' has just vanished! right in the middle of series 5, just gone. sigh. .....but less tv means more time for card making!! who wants to waste these summer evenings watching tv....and no, i'm not a footie fan either, none of my family are, yet!
Right! I am stoping the waffle!
Bye For Now!

Glorious Sunny morning, Stormy evening!

Hi There,

You'd think after living in England all my life, I'd be used to the weird & changable weather by now, but today I'm stumped. It was lovely and hot and sunny and clear blue sky this morning, and mid afternoon, it cooled and went all grey and then threw down the rain and we had a little bit of lightening. No thunder yet!

So anyway, I went round my MIL's today, as the boys wanted to play with their cousins, and I had the chance to make a couple of cards while there, and chatting with my MIL and Sis-I.L. I was getting so frustrated with myself as I'd forgotten my cutting mat and my ruler! otherwise I would have made more I'm sure.

So I Used Laura Ashley paper for the background, Penny black hedgehog stamps, and watercoloured them in using pencils

I really like how this one came together, I often look through all my little Webster's Pages 6x6 pack

and just really want to use them in my cards, so this one is from the 'Life's Portrait' collection, I cut out the bottom left corner and top right corner from one page, and then used the background of another, little faint cages like the black one there, (can't really see the background here) then I stamped the birds from my Favorite stamp set from Crafty Secrets (Bird Notes) and also from that set the sentiment and a frame, which i stamped on a scrap piece from websters pages, and made it 3D.Pretty Isn't It?!

I'm going to watch the rest of Britain's Got Talent final. Just because nothing else is on! I feel a little sad as this time last year I was watching it with my best bud, Bonnie, from S.A. She was there on my sofa, lovely blue sweater on, there in my home for the first time in the 11 years we'd known each other! i had her in mind as i made this card, she loves birds don't you Bon?!

I'm also going to make more cards, cos I'm in the Zone!

Have a good Saturday...

oh and p.s I'm going to do my first challenge! I'm going to try the challenge on the brand spanking new sketch challenge blog from Waltzing Mouse, check it out here. But one thing before i go ...(adverts are on) How do I get a perfect circle cut out without using a die cutting machine? I am thinking round tupperware pot & craft knife??!! If you don't have a die-cut machine, how would you do it? although I am soooooo tempted to get a cuttlebug. One day. Its on my wishlist!

Ok programma back on...See Ya!

I Saved A Life Today! no really I did!

So, this morning, i go into my conservatory to feed my Cat, Charlie when I see a movement out of the corner of my eye and there on the floor, is a terrified baby rabbit, with my Cat hovering over it and suddenly he gives that look of 'it wasn't me! i don't know how this got here!' So with the help of my step-daughters friend Hayley, we managed to pick it up, check out that it wasn't hurt, then we put it in a box and went over our road to the woods to put it back.

|At first, it just sat on the grass as I stroked it and then sudenly hoppity-skipped off back home!

I am sooo glad i managed to save it, as last time my cat caught a baby rabbit, only the little paw was left.

Here's me holding Little Wild bunny

Showing my boys through the window, they were so exctited and wanted to keep it,

and little Sam got quite upset when I had to take it back to it's Bunny Mummy

So, I got my stamps yesterday! yay! and I did go to Mum's for a craft afternoon. It was nice. I got craft stuff for the boys and they sat out in the garden with their paints and we sat in the cool dining room. I only made two cards, but only showing one now as the other is yet to be finished.

I went out and photographed my card in the garden and my cat came and sat right behind it and refused to budge! So here is Charlie modelling my latest card!

Can't really see the card though so here it is again

I used Webster Pages for the background, and watercoloured in the cute Penny Black stamps.

My Son tom also made the cutest little creature, thought I'd show you it

By Tom age 6

So that's all from me for now. I am planning to get my irroning down and get out in the sunshine and watercolour some more stamped images. Have a lovely weekend.

Bye For Now

Hi there,
well i have no new cards to show you but i am waiting for some new penny black stamps to arrive in the post, and I'm having a craft afternoon with Mum tomorrow, so check back here later!
i have done my first blog hop today!
I stumbled across Waltzing Mouse Stamps. well, first, I keep seeing gorgeous cards with lovely stamps and found out they were PTI (papertrey Ink) so i googled them and to get those stamps in England costs an absolute fortune, and they're not cheap stamps sets to start with! So then I came across someone suggesting to try Waltzing mouse as they're as good and close to PTI stamps. so over I went. OH!! i love her sets sooooo much! I so wish I'd found these before I bought the Penny Black ones on Ebay! I have given myself a tight little budget and If i get new stamps I'll blow it all before the 3rd of the month! hehehe!
So I MUST just be patient and save up!
I did the blog hop to check out her design time and Oh i am so inspired and awed!! such talent! I never even thought of stamping a little canvas bag as Julia has, and also Lynn stamped a candle, using tissue paper..go over and see how she did it! so clever.
The blog hop was to be in with a chance to win a stamp set, but i never win anything, so I'm not putting my hopes up Haha! but just to see all the stamps and cards and get the inspiration and boost to my creative mojo was enough!
In July Waltzing mouse is releasing new sets and i'm excited already! The sets i want to order are Blessed by you and Big Blooms-Chrysanthemums and Roses In Bloom... oh there's so many! I love the sentiments ones too.
Anyway, that's the first thing I got excited about today. Second thing is hubby called up earlier to say he's taking me out to dinner tonight! Yay! he's being doing extra work today with his brother and he's spending it on taking me out to our favourite restaurant Tutti!  Just Love Him, I do!!
Have a Good rest of the Week!
Bye For Now!