Busy, busy, busy

Had a fun day today not only have I managed to get a quick visit in to Stampeezee to stock up on ink and blending foam but I have managed to finish my Mother In Laws card and also have had a lovely play with my new Tim Holtz stuff!

Here is the card:

Its based on the sketch at www.thepinkelephantchallenge.blogspot.com so I would like to enter it into their challenge this week.

And here are some of the little things I have made whilst playing - not sure what they are all going to end up on yet, maybe nothing as they are all experiments but the blending foam is so much better to use than cut and dry foam - gives fabulous results immediately as you can see so I will probably end up using them on something - particularly that skull (you know my love of pirates!!).

On a sad note I have also sold my rocking chair :( it had to go though as we have no room or need for it anymore but its gone to a good home to a lady who is expecting in two months time so hopefully she will have many happy hours nursing the baby on it as I did :)

Thanks for looking and lets all keep our fingers crossed for the Villa tomorrow!

Got mine!!!!

Whoo hoo!! Got to see the book yesterday - fabulous as always! love that little yellow button on qvc too.....

QVC Craft Day

So are we all ready for the big day tomorrow then? I managed to get to speak to Tim today at the Trade Fair at the NEC and he says its well worth waiting up until Midnight for his tsv (even though I was up at 1am this morning unable to sleep - fancy me been awake on the wrong night!!!).

Have had a bit of a panic this afternoon too as I couldnt find my qcut number so I have had to phone QVC to get it so that I dont miss out tomorrow (sad I know!!!!).

Only 6.5 hours to go.......

I couldnt believe it!

yesterday I just had an overwhelming urge to do a scrapbook layout! (first time in about 3 months that I actually fancied making one!) Obviously I jumped right on the case and started this layout, then spent the day out with the boys in Birmingham (we know how to live!) and when I got back managed to finish it off as the glimmered/inked/stamped stuff was all dry by then - am very pleased with myself!

Used some lovely Crate Paper stuff that I bought in a kit in a sale from Stampeezee a few weeks ago.

Have also made another little easel card - this is for Morag.  I fancied playing around with the nestability dies to make an unusual shaped one - here she is:

It's crop day today - whoo hoo - lots of snow though which is not so good but it's not going to stop me - if I stay in one more day I will go stir crazy! so I am off to finish packing (obviously I am already over packed with stuff to take considering I never do anything whilst there but there's always room for a bit more - just in case.....).

Thanks for looking :)

Easter Basket

Hi, last night and today I have been busy making this cute basket:

Cant wait to fill it up with lots of lovely goodies! Have also designed and made a hexagonal shaped one but its not as study as this one and I would hate to lose any chocolates from it so I guess I am sticking with this rectangular one to give my Easter gifts in! Just need to make several more now.......

Thanks for looking :)

My busy half term!

Well this week I have managed to start and complete a whole book! This is to keep my expenses in so it is four envelope pages (to keep receipts in) for the various things I spend money on and need to keep track off. Here it is:

front cover: back cover:

I have kept both of these plain for the time being - might tart them up when I get a spare few hours! but the papers are really quite busy so I might get away with it staying plain too!

Front of crop envelope:

Back of crop envelope - a very fitting stamp this as we always have to sweep up all the bits of paper from the hall floor at the end of every crop! I have also based this on a sketch at http://www.fridaysketchersblog.blogspot.com/ so I would like to enter it into their challenge for this week.

front of workshop envelope:

back of workshop envelope: This is based on the sketch at http://www.stampwithfun.blogspot.com so I would like to enter it into that challenge.

Front of school envelope:

Back of school envelope: This is based on the sketch at http://www.onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ so I would like to enter it into their challenge this week too.

Front of friends envelope (you know for those receipts and bits and pieces that I buy for other friends or they buy for me when they are out and about somewhere and see something they think I need!)

front of friends envelope:

Back of friends envelope: This is based on my trusty sketch at stamp challenges earlier in the year (you know the tried and trusted one that I seem to keep on using!!!) therefore I cant enter this into anything.

Have also put lots of blank sheets of paper in the back of the book to keep notes etc. on any expenditures.

All papers are from a sassafras lass pack I bought in the States 18 months ago - I managed to do two layouts with them but since then they have sat in my cupboard unused as they are so busy they are quite difficult to use on layouts, so this book was perfect as I do love the papers but only in small doses!

Another very exciting thing I have done is to cut a stamp in two! and not just any old stamp but a new magnolia one!!! had a very worrying two minutes during the cutting process and then the stamping process to check that I hadnt ruined it but the operation all went well and now I have two lovely stamps to position anywhere I like:

Here is what the image looked like before:

(its the set of tins minus the lovely tilda with bee!) and here they are on two separate blocks ready to be moved, layered and put wherever I fancy!

Am really rather pleased with myself as I achieved quite a lot this week - check back tomorrow when I should have chance to upload a new workshop I have planned based on an easter basket at www.justmagnolia.blogspot.com/2010/02/special-monthly-challenge-tutorial-by.html and also have managed to get through almost a whole level of Tomb Raider and now its snowing too! whoo hoo - dont you just love the holidays!

Thanks for looking :)

Love is in the air

Here is my valentine card to my other half - very plain and simple as he doesnt go in for lots of fuss on cards - shame really cause I could really go to town on them! Still he loved it and thats the main thing. I would like to enter this into a variety of challenges - mainly because they all seem to have the theme of love this week - have no idea why!!

So, in no particular order, I would like to enter the card into:

http://www.crazy4challenges.blogspot.com/

http://www.cardpatterns.blogspot.com/ (whose sketch I have based this on)

http://www.stampinfortheweekend.blogspot.com/

http://www.stampchallenges.blogspot.com/

http://www.daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/

http://www.delightfulsketches.blogspot.com/

http://www.creativecardcrew.blogspot.com/

http://www.doubledutchchallenges.blogspot.com/

http://www.everybody-art-challenge.blogspot.com/

http://www.mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/

I am also going to enter it into http://www.pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com/ as their theme is flowers and I have entered the card into numerous challenges too.

Then yesterday I was busy spending the day making this:

see we are not romantic in our house at all! This little book is for me to write all my class and workshop notes in. For the past two years I have been writing class instructions on bits of A4 paper (or whatever paper was at hand!) and then promptly mislaying them so that I would have to spend about 2 hours looking for the said notes or redoing the whole project so that I could redo the instructions - but no more!!! my notes will be kept in the one place - this book - which is obviously a lot harder to lose than bits of paper! Today I am hoping to make another little book to keep all my expense receipts in (not that I lose those that easily!!) but I have the mojo for books at the moment. I can feel a birthday book coming soon too. Whoo hooo for half term holidays!!!!

Thanks for looking :)

Time to reflect

Just done another reflection card for my Great Auntie whose birthday is this week - I am getting really addicted to these!




Took me ages, getting the sun in the right place for the reflection is really quite tricky! Love this horse drawn carriage stamp though - I seem to be using it a lot lately!

Thanks for looking :)

C is for Candy

I have been following the ABC Christmas challenges - just not uploading them as they are half finished and still need tweeking. However today I have had a brainwave about "C is for Candy" I was thinking of giving this one a miss as I don't have any stamps with candy on but then I thought about a quick Christmas gift I gave out last year which was 4 candy canes tied with ribbon and completed with a lovely tag and I thought I could make another one ready to do the same with this year.


Here she is:

Have stamped out tilda and coloured her in with promarkers and added some white flower soft, then cut her out with a nestibility and mounted her onto the scallop nestibility, she is then tied onto the candy canes with a piece of netting. A sizzix tag was then used along with a sizzix holly diecut, handmade heart, eyelet candy cane and a stamped message, this has then been tied to the candy canes with a red ribbon. As usual lots of distress ink has also been used!


Hope you like it! I would like to enter this into the http://www.abcchristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/ challenge.

Thanks for looking :)

Another animal one!

I just cant resist the challenge at Passion for Promarkers so I have done yet another animal card - this time purely for the enjoyment of playing rather than having someone in mind to send it to - let's hope my addiction for card making doesn't return whereby I have a pile of cards made up and then when it's someone's birthday non of them are suitable so I have to go into a mad panic and make one anyway! Still I can't think of a more harmless addiction really so I guess it's not too bad!

This card has taken me hours - firstly getting the reflection in the water right - that took three attempts, then getting the brayering right that took another two attempts - thankfully the colouring of the mice was ok as, let's be honest, I am well practised with colouring in! Then I couldn't find the right coloured string to use as ties so I have had to die some with distress inks - that took all night as it had to dry. But I have to admit I had a fun weekend with this! Hope you like it!



I would like to enter this card into the www.promarkerchallenge.blogspot.com challenge - this is again my second entry into this challenge - these girls just keep coming up with such fun ideas I can't resist! And I want to enter it into the challenge at www.papercraftplanet.com as it's their fabulous sketch I have used.

Thanks for looking!

all creatures great and small

I have made this card for a friend of my Sons whose birthday is on Valentine's Day - how cute is that!

here's the front view:

and the side view: as its one of those tiered cards - not sure what they are called! I would like to enter this into the Passion for Promarkers challenge www.promarkerchallenge.blogspot.com whose theme this week is "all creatures great and small". Thanks for looking :)

February/March classes and workshops

Here are some of the projects I have been working on lately:

The first is an address book - this is for a workshop next week Thursday 11th February 10.00am -1.00pm at Cheswick Green Village Hall - cost for this is £15 and you can either make the address book or have plain paper inside instead and have a notebook.


In this workshop you will be making a reflection card - here you will be shown how to produce a mirror image useful for many types of cards and layouts - this will be held on Thursday 4th March again at Cheswick Green Village Hall from 9.30am - 11.30am. The cost for this workshop is £10.


In the following workshop you be making a beautiful box card set - this would be ideal to give as a gift or to treat yourself to! Class will be held on Wednesday 17th March at Cheswick Green Village Hall from 9.30am - 11.30am and the cost for this is £10.

apologies for the poor picture but it was a rainy day!

As always please book via our website www.whathousework.co.uk

Here is the class layout that I will be doing at our next crop on Sunday 21st February. You will be shown how to cut the paper to fit around a photograph and also produce a little book held together by a simple paper fastening so you can put some hidden journalling on the layout.

Thanks for looking and hope you can join me at one or all of the workshops!

Proud Mommy Moment

I need to give a big football toot to my son who came home from football last night with a trophy for "Most Improved Player" he is very pleased with himself - he trains for a very tough academy and only two trophies were given out in each year group so we are very proud of him for his lastest addition to his ever growing collection of items to dust!

Here he is holding it high:

Showing it proudly:

and telling the good news to both sets of Grandparents:

its now got pride of place on top of the sky box for all to see!

Thanks for looking :)

Purple Challenge

This card is for my sister in law who's birthday it is on Thursday - she adores anything and everything purple so this challenge was very fitting! I want it enter into the http://www.fridaysketchersblog.blogspot.com/ challenge as its their sketch I have used and also into the http://www.thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ who have the purple theme:

Papers are from a Hot of the Press 8x8 book of scrapping papers, stamp is from Hero Arts, flowers from Hobbycraft and the green flowers and ovals are cut using nestabilities.

Thanks for looking :)

A punched card

I have made this card just for the http://www.simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/ challenge as they are also offering the fantastic opportunity for a place on their design team for a whole year - how exciting is that! The challenge is "Punch it". The punches I have used are a Make It Corner punch to create the circle mat, a leaf punch, a Stampin' Up border punch and a six petal flower punch was used to make the roses. The papers/cardstock are Magnolia, Stampin' Up and Bazzill and the Magnolia image was coloured in with the following promarkers: blush, saffron, ivory, sunkissed pink, buttercup, tan, ginger, spice, red, berry red, soft green, mint green, sky blue, cyan and I also used an At You Spica red pen to add a bit of glitter. The leaves were coloured with a grass promarker. I also used black soot and worn lipstick distress inks, stickles, and some gemstones.

The card is based on a sketch at http://delightfulsketches.blogspot.com/



Again - thanks for looking :)

Jane's present

Ok, so I bought some little folders from Asda about 2 years ago - I made myself a pirate one to keep scrapping notes, quotes, my things to do list in and another one for my friend Louise who has 7 children - in hers I made 9 dividers and stamped on each one to suit her, her husband and each of her children. I know that she loves this little folder and uses it to keep all bits and pieces of information for each person such as phone numbers, school numbers, vaccination dates etc. Well for the past 2 years she has had to hide it from our other sewing buddy Jane as Jane's has been a work in progress..... Well I am pleased to say that today I have finished it!! its only taken me a weekend too!! Obviously all the bits and pieces that I had in it before have now been redone and replaced with Magnolia's coloured in with Promarkers and, yet again, I have used the papers from the My Minds Eye Colourful Christmas set - honestly I have made so much out of this pack of paper its unbelievable - makes it such good value for money and I will definately buy packs like this again in the future as they are so easy to put together as it all coordinates. Anyway here are the pictures of her folder book:

The front cover:
Jane and Marks dividers:
Hannah and Cassie's dividers:
The back cover:
The folder is just a simple ring binder with lined paper - useful for all sorts of things. Anyway am off to wrap it up now ready for her birthday tomorrow - just need to make a tag - its all go isn't it!

Thanks for looking :)

Girl on a Swing

Just had to play with two of my new stamps! I would like to enter this card in to the following challenges:

http://www.abc-challenge.blogspot.com/ M is for Masking

http://www.stampwithfun.blogspot.com/ whose sketch I have followed

http://www.creativeinspirationschallenge.blogspot.com/ distressing

http://www.promarkerchallenge.blogspot.com/ Girls, Girls, Girls - my second entry into this challenge - whoo hooo!


The promarkers used are ivory, saffron, blush, yellow, pastel yellow, tan, sunkissed pink, tea green, cool aqua, pastel green, apple, cinnamon, spice, grass, grey green, terracotta, ginger, cocoa, duck egg and berry red.

As always thank you so much for looking :)

So excited!

I made the top 5 in the abc-challenge and have a blinkie!! Its for the blue and brown card under the post "More Challenges" - this has been sent to my other half's cousin for her birthday last week - cant wait to tell her when she gets back from her Caribbean cruise (its alright for some isnt it!!). Whoo hoo this has spurred me on now and I am going to spend the day making some more cards - dont tell the other half as he thinks I am doing the housework! tee hee to be fair though my car is off the road and I have a man coming round sometime today to fit a new battery for me so I have to stay in, honest.

Have just found a competition to name two cute boy stamps - entries have to be in by the 26th - see link on the sidebar ---->

Card for Jane

I would now like to enter another card for two more challenges (yes its true I am officially addicted!) - I made this one yesterday for my friend Jane who's birthday it is next week - then this morning I finished it off with white pen and then suddenly realised, shock horror, that all the cards I have made recently havent been finished with white pen! oh well - its because I have moved where I store the white pen (its now in a pocket in my bucket rather than my little desktop pen holder) but I cant believe I have forgotten - the white lines really make all the difference as the images "pop" more. Anyway I am waffling..... The first challenge I would like to enter is http://www.mojomonday.blogspot.com/ which is a sketch - I had to elongate the sketch in order to fit it onto a square card and I changed the ribbon for a flower as the colour matched so perfectly I just couldn't resist using it (plus I haven't used any of these flowers since I bought them last May in California!). The second challenge is at http://www.pollycraftchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - challenge 32 which is Fire and Ice.




Am now off to find another challenge to make my sister-in-laws card - whoo hoo! Also I have updated the crop website www.whathousework.co.uk with our latest workshops - please pop over to have a look!

Thanks for looking :)

Angelina's card

Hi, again I have been working on a sketch and have come up with this card for my cousin:


The sketch is from www.stampinfortheweekend.blogspot.com. I would also like to enter it into a few other challenges, these are: www.pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com - this challenge is to use 3 ribbons on your card - I don't know why but as soon as I saw that I thought of a plait - so I have plaited my 3 ribbons - bearing in mind I have never made a plait before I think I have done quite a good job! shame my two boys have such short hair tee hee!

The next challenge is www.promarkerchallenge.blogspot.com which is for something girly, girly, girly and this card is very girly for me!

The next is www.creativecardcrew.blogspot.com - this challenge is to use a punch on your card - on this card I have used a Martha Stewart punch (courtesy of Julie - thanks Julie *waves madly*) and my corner rounder.

I was also going to enter it for creative inspirations but then I have reread the rules and you need to have bought something new since New Year and used that on the card - all of this was bought before New Year although it is the first time I have used most of it! Still I did buy 5 new Magnolia's last week so I still have time to enter this with another card! The link for that challenge is www.cinspirations.blogspot.com.

Thanks for looking :)