Today

I am off to Hobbycrafts at the NEC - whoo hooo!

Challenge Number 8 card

Here is a quick and simple card I have made for my Uncle (it's the closest I can get to a single layer card!):

Have decided it counts towards my challenge as I have dusted it with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls! hee hee.  Also used Kraft card, music paper, T!m tag, Vintage photo dyed ribbon, Making Memories celebrations stamp, T!ms Artful Flight bird and birds nest.  Distress Inks I used were Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap, and Walnut Stain.

Thanks for looking :)

Away with the pixies!

Have completed the pixie layout that was on my desk on Wednesday:

Not really much to it as the gorgeous Prima Pixie Glen papers do it all for you really. 

Here I used a sheet of "Garden Gate" with my photo mounted on two pieces of white cardstock, one inked with Bundled Sage and Vintage Photo and the other just edged with Vintage Photo.  Then all I had to do was cut out a few elements from a sheet of "Psyke Cuts", ink over a Tattered Angels Ironworks Gate, stamp out the Lavinia Fairy Washing Line (see it in the bottom left hand corner there?  it's my bestest, bestest stamp! so cute), then added some Shabby Chic Treasures (a bird, a birdhouse and a mushroom all lightly inked) and some prima flowers (Annalee Essentials 9 and Melody). 

I finished off the birdhouse by placing it on some branches (from T!ms Autumn Gathering sizzix die) and some punched out and handcut leaves.  Really pleased with the finished result even though it has got a pink background!

Also a big hello to Bridget - thank you for following me :)

Thanks for looking :)

WOYWW125

Well here I am for the fourth week running! not bad considering I was only able to play along once every few weeks earlier in the year! didn't visit many of you though last week as things kind of caught up with me.
Here is my desk as of this morning though:

half way through a layout there (couldnt resist these Pixie Glen papers even if they are a bit pink!) - I say half way as it looks finished but nothing apart from the photo is stuck down yet!  The reversed tag there is from a quick tutorial I put together for my fortnightly challenge (on the post below if you are interested) and is nothing to do with the layout, other than that just the tools I am using and some stuff out that really should be tidied away but I am not sure where to put it!  Just out of shot is some material I bought the other day in the hopes of sitting down for a sewing session and making a nice big pile of leaves to use with some of those fabulous Prima flowers I have, UTEE is also out as I now have a brand new melt pot thanks to Ranger replacing my broken one and just piles of stuff really. 
If you would like to join in the fun over at Julias then pop over and upload a picture of your workspace so we can all come and have a good nosey!

Thanks for looking :)

Lets Think Creatively challenge no 8

It's Tuesday! so

Am really rather excited about this next challenge as it's all about housework!  Yes honestly!  The challenge this fortnight is to make either a tag/card and/or layout using your worst housework chore as inspiration!  My worst chore is the dusting - what a waste of time that is, once you have dusted 2 hours later the dust pixies have been again and no-one can tell!  my house is constantly dusty as I refuse to give in to the dust mites and refuse to dust everyday!  so you can bet there will probably be lots of cobwebs on my challenge creations!

This challenge is not as difficult as it might sound -  so here are some other ideas that you could use:

Worst chore ironing?  then how about this trust old background technique:

Take your background paper (here I am using a tag) and crumple it up:

ink it, here I have used tea dye and vintage photo distress inks:

then get out the dreaded iron and iron it!

you now have a flat aged piece of cardstock to kick start off your fabulous creation!

Other ideas are:
Hate cleaning?  try stamping with bleach
Hate Washing up? use a cloth or some string (am thinking of those string mop brushes here!)
Hate dusting? put some cobwebs or dust some perfect pearls onto your creation
Hate cooking? use a food theme or stamp with chocolate coloured ink

see the world is your oyster here - this challenge has already got my creative juices flowing - can't wait to start playing and er dusting! tee hee.

If you would like to join me on my journey to get creative whilst thinking about housework then please leave me a link here so I can come and have a look at your creations.  The challenge is to make either a layout (let's), a tag (think), and/or a card (creatively) - you can make just one item or all three or even lots of each them if you so wish!



Thanks and have fun!  :)

Challenge Number 7 layout

Well again I was the only one who played along with my challenge this fortnight - but hey ho at least it got me creating stuff which is the main reason why I set these challenges!

Here is my layout, which I managed to do in under 2 hours yesterday!, which is why its quite plain for me - but it does have three different types of texture on so I am pleased with it:

Texture is on the T!m car embossing folder piece, the leaves on the palm tree are triple stamped - inked, cut out and mounted on top of each other and then the other texture is on the soda flavour labels for which I put coordinating paper through the dymo.  Papers, diecuts and alphabet are Crate Paper - Static Collection, The palm tree is an Autumn Leaves Mindy's Zoo image, also used a compass mask and vintage photo and forest moss distress inks.  Layout is based on an October 2011 page map.   Can't believe I got it done so quickly yesterday - these photos have been in my "waiting to be scrapped" pile since May 2009!

Thanks for looking - and I will set a new challenge tomorrow.

It's been a busy week again

Spent Wednesday morning at DS2's school watching the harvest festival then was out and about, Thursday involved a trip to the local farm with Year 2 (had 7 children to look after all day!) which was really good fun and my usual Friday of going for a swim at 8am, my art class then visiting my Mom, Dad and Nan in the afternoon - so I haven't had much time to craft as the evenings have involved another parents evening, disco (for my eldest - not me!) although yesterday his football wasn't on so we did actually get a Friday night in! whoo hoo. 

So last night I managed to finish off these two projects (they have been on the go since I set the challenge 10 days ago!).  The challenge is to use texture in some form on a tag, here's mine:

(isn't that Martha Stewart gravestone punch just the best!)

and also on a card:

haven't gotten around to doing a layout yet although I have done the layout for my next crop class - will post that another day.  If you would like to join in with my challenge then the details are here - I would love to come and see what you come up with!

Yesterday was also rather fab as my brand new replacement melt pot turned up! had only emailed my address back to Ranger on Thursday too!  It's out of the box but currently just sitting waiting on the dining room table as today we are moving the study into DS2's old bedroom and vice versa - bit of a nightmare!

A big thank you to Lou P for following me - it's nice to have you onboard!

Thanks for looking :)

WOYWW124

Well I am here for the third week running! only managed to look at about 60 desks last week but it was still all very inspiring!

Here is my desk this morning:

the makings of a card there and still the little pile of backgrounds I made last week waiting to made into something more fabulous!  The tin at the back I found in Sainsburys last week and treated myself - its still full of the biscuits (which I dont want!) at the moment but will soon have something a lot more yummy in.  The blue folder at the back is because I took myself off last week to join weight watchers (been trying to lose some weight for years!) and have already lost 3lbs - whoo hoo.

If you want to join in the fun at peeking at other desks around the world then pop over and visit Julias blog.

Thanks for looking and also a big thank you to Cindy - thanks for following me :)

WOYWW123

I didn't word my post last week very well as some of you thought my mojo was visiting somewhere else whereas in reality it was with me - however, as usually happens!, I was really busy with other bits and pieces so didn't get to use most of it and then yesterday when I had a free afternoon (whoo hoo!) I found I had lost all my ideas! Oh well I sat and put these pieces of cardstock through the big shot to put texture on them (my challenge for this fortnight is to make a tag, card and/or layout with some texture) so I prepared these in readiness.  A few will be for Halloween which we don't really celebrate in our house but I so love making spooky things and then I have finally started on the Christmas things - 74 sleeps left!

So here is my desk this morning:

If you want to join in the fun of looking at other desks around the world then pop over to Julias.

Thanks for looking :)

Lets Think Creatively challenge no 7

It's Tuesday! so

Can't believe I had no takers for my challenge during the last fortnight - where have you all gone?  Anyway this fortnight to get our creative juices flowing the challenge is to use texture on your pieces - by texture I mean by using embossing folders, texture plates and such like.  Here are photos of all mine:

Texture plates and Tim embossing folders

Cuttlebug and other embossing folders

smaller sizzix and cuttlebug folders

Now I am not bragging here - I know I have a lot of these however they have all been accumulated over the years as I love texture backgrounds on my artwork however these have kind of been neglected of late and hardly used at all therefore over the next two weeks my challenge is to fall back in love with them and start using them.

Luckily I have some new stash to help me:

whoo hoo pretty neat eh! have coloured those mushrooms with inka gold red paint - as you can see I haven't used any of the goodies yet - shame really as my mojo seemed to be visiting last week but I was busy with other things - not least this little munchkins 7th Birthday celebrations:

here he is with his big present and his homemade bunting!  And now I have an afternoon with the house to myself today I can't seem to get motivated to start crafting - so enough of my waffling texture/embossing folders here I come!!
My challenge is to make either a tag, card or layout using a texture technique on them (you can make just one item or all three or even lots of each them if you so wish!) If you would like to join me on my journey to rediscover texture then please leave me a link here so I can come and have a look at your creations:



Thanks :) and also a big hello to Sarah - thanks for following me :)

WOYWW 122

Here I am again - two weeks running so I am really pleased - looking forward to some desk inspiration as my mojo is visiting again at the moment!

This is my desk actually this morning (I usually take a photo on Tuesday in the light) and I am surprised just how dark it is this morning at 6.48 - surely it was lighter than this yesterday???  anyway:

Tag is left there from my tutorial that I put together yesterday (blog post below if you are interested in joining in with my challenge) - pile of stamps in the middle of the table, Horace the owl (on another post), a ball of string as DS2 has made a bunting to hang on the wall for his birthday - bless him - the A4 notepad on the other side of the table is my things to do list - its over that side as thats the side that I put the laptop, just an everyday dining table of clutter really - need to tidy it all up by Sunday as thats when DS2's party is as he is 7 on the 10th.

Thanks for looking and if you want to join in with the fun pop over to Julias for a weekly desk hop of fun.

Thanks for looking :)

Lets Think Creatively challenge no 6

This challenge No. 6 has still got a week to run but so far I haven't had any one join in :(. So I thought I would put together a quick tutorial on how to make a tag, this one:

took me less than half an hour although I have to confess the calico ribbon was predyed (leftovers from my owls legs!) and the crackle paint on the butterfly isn't quite dry just yet!

So you start off with your tag, card or layout base that you want your feature on and the shape you want to use as a mask:

Photocopier paper is ideal for this mask as anything too thinner and the inks will bleed through it and anything much thicker won't let you stamp right up to the image but will leave an extra space around it where the stamp can't quite reach the tag - this is also fine but you might end up with a mask slightly larger than you anticipated.

Next affix the mask down lightly on the tag - I use a tiny piece of double sided tape in the centre or a flat blob of blu tack if there is any close to hand (there isn't usually though - my children have a thing for sticking up posters everywhere!) and then stamp around the edge with a selection of stamps in a variety of colours, here I used Crafty Individuals flowers with distress inks:

Stamp completely around the mask to get the full effect, with some images overlapping onto the mask and some directly on the tag itself (in this case the two red butterflies):

then remove the mask:

now you have a beautiful image and all you need to do is finish decorating the tag, so add some colour around the edges and add further stamped images if necessary, then place a slightly smaller shape in the centre of the masked outline.  Here I used a circle cut from calico with a simple quote and inked edges:

then add some embellishments to give your creation a wow factor:

and as I said earlier this whole tag took me less than 30 minutes.  This technique is ideal if you have a batch of Christmas cards or similar to make where you can make a whole bunch in hardly any time at all.

Here is one of my finished cards using this technique too:

not sure if it's a bit too yellow for my sister in law though (had to do that due to a big finger print on the outer white (why does that always happen???)) so it might get redone tonight!  I kept all the embellishments plain and simple as I thought we would be posting the card but she is now coming to my son's party on Sunday (even though it is actually her birthday) so I can have another play if necessary - we shall see.

Thanks for looking and if this tutorial has inspired you to have a go please join in with my challenge and link up so I can come and see your creation.

All sewn up

Just a flying visiting from me today as I need to tidy up before the school run, so firstly a big thank you to CraftyWomble and Marjo for following me - welcome to my little world!
So did I spend the weekend outside making the most of the fabulous weather we have been having? Nah of course I didn't instead I finished this:

His name is Horace - isn't he adorable, and here is a view of his beautiful tail too:

Pattern was taken from a book called "The Artful Bird" by Abigail Glassenberg and the materials used were plain canvas and a charm pack I had lying around. 

Thanks for looking :)

Week 4 art class

Well this is what we did in our art class on Friday:

which was using watercolours with a wax resist - am very pleased with this too.  There isn't a class next week as our tutor is holding an exhibition at the NEC but I will be trying to get new recruits at the schools PA coffee morning so it's still all go!

I have also managed to get the crop layout done even though the papers only arrived on Wednesday (that's super fast for me!):

uses some lovely Echo Park papers along with some stamping, distressing and inking (of course!).

Have spent quite a few hours this week sitting with my Nan so I have also managed to get quite a lot of hand sewing done too so my owl and my Mandy Shaw quilt are coming along very nicely now!  Will probably be able to show pictures of them later this week.

Can't believe the weather we are having at the moment - I have even managed to put some washing on the line this weekend - thought I ought not run the tumble dryer during a heat wave!

Thanks for looking and don't forget my challenge below runs for until 11th October if you would like to join in.

WOYWW 121

Wasn't going to join in today but DS1 isn't feeling very well so is going to stay at home and miss the school trip!  Bit sad - we were off to a WWII museum in Staffordshire but he got sent home early yesterday for feeling sick and it looks like he still has the bug today :(  Oh well at least I get a bit more play time I guess!

Here is my desk today:

I have moved my main project as I am going to write an article about it and hopefully get it published.  The canvas bird you can see there is the startings of an owl - very excited about it although lets not talk about the glimmer mist spray that I used yesterday which sprayed in the wrong direction so that I now have a slightly sparkly owl - when will I ever learn to move items either before I spray or move the item I am spraying to another room to spray! never I guess.......   The cards on my table are just inked up pieces that need some finishing off so I will probably get on with those today and the pack of Prima canvas pieces are a new purchase I am playing with too - they are really nice so hopefully I will be able to do something fabulous with them and then get some to use in a up coming class at the crop or a workshop.

If you want to know why I am showing my desk to the world then pop over to Julias where all will be revealed!

Also I have restarted up my fortnightly tag, card and layout challenge on the post below to try and get my mojo moving again if you would like to join in with me please feel free - would love to see some creations if you do.
Thanks for looking :)

Lets Think Creatively challenge is back!

I have found that I only seem to produce scrapbook layouts if I enter challenges at the moment so as I haven't really found any that give me something to think about (all the challenges I seem to find are all sketches which is fine but sometimes I just need that little bit more to make it interesting), so I am going to run my own fortnightly challenge again:

I will start where I left off last May which was to use this image as inspiration:

and I have finally done the layout (had it planned in my mind for months but life just got in the way!):

Think I overdid it with the glimmer screen in the top left hand corner (that and the fact that I sprayed it with the screen the wrong way so I had to reverse stamp the image over it three times before I realised that it wasnt stamping properly as I was using bazzill cardstock! hey ho - obviously a bit out of practice with scrapping at the moment!).  I also found the mojo to produce these two backgrounds:

a boy card

 and a girl card - they arent finished yet as I am not sure who I am going to send them too but I have left a space on each to put either a name or a greeting on - feel quite ahead of myself now!

I would love it if you find inspiration from my challenge and join in with me, if you do then please leave me a link here so I can come and have a look at your creations:



Thanks :)

Whooo hooo

It's back!  Thursdays are bright and cheery again!  Even better for me my other half wasn't feeling well last week so went to bed early and I could watch it 'live' I was so happy! does that make me a bad person? mmmm not sure but still I enjoyed myself!

Anyway had a very eventful week last week as it was the open day at the local senior school and as my little boy will be 11 this year he will be off to big school next year! gulp - how did that happen??  anyway we looked around our catchment school and it was lovely so we are happy and hopefully he will get in there without any trouble.  Then we had the PA meeting where quite a lot of changes are going to take place this year, one of which is me no longer being on the committee - such a relief - however there is no-one at the moment to take over from me so no doubt I will get involved some where along the line.

Then Friday it was my art class - as promised here are my creations:

 can you believe this I did this in my second week and I have never used pastels - or drawn for that matter - before! I know its not perfect but I am well proud of myself.  Then last week we did these:

a pencil scene

same scene in watercolours - isnt that little boat so cute! although drawing those posts is rather scary to start with.

That's probably it for me today although it's raining here so I am hoping for a day in of crafty fun - am hoping to start doing my fortnightly challenges again from Tuesday so I need to try and prepare something for that, currently DS1 is playing on the pc and DS2 is painting some little boxes - bless I will make an artist of him yet and then hopefully I am going to get DS1 to watch

later and lets hope he becomes a fan too!

Thanks for looking :)

LSNED and some thank yous

Had a great time at the Charity crop last week - for those who haven't seen or heard we managed to raise a fantastic £900!  a big thank you to everyone who supported us.

Whilst there I was given some lovely gifts:

The ruler was from Sushi and was from Malaysia (fancy thinking of me all the way out there!), the ribbons were from Julie a fab find down the market and the bag of buttons and mushroom were off Lisa (Lisa always buys me mushrooms when see shes them!) - thank you everyone it's much appreciated and it is nice to know you appreciate all the hard work these events take to put together (am still worn out now!).

In the week Bernice also gave me all these lovely charms:

see there are some mushrooms in there too!  fancy that - anyone would think I have a thing for them!  She also knows I am a big fan of skulls too - I know I am strange!

Then I have also received a fabulous tag for the birdcage tag swap from Mrs A

go check out her blog it's really cool - and also a big thank you to Mrs A for following me too :)

Then yesterday I got up at 4.30am and managed to catch up with some of my LSNED tags - I have already completed days 1 - 9 last year so I am going to use those for the start of the book (if you are interested then they are here http://sunshinegirlnicola.blogspot.com/2010/09/learn-something-new-everyday.html and here http://sunshinegirlnicola.blogspot.com/2010/09/learn-something-new-everyday_11.html) then I made these 4 (all of them only took me 1.5 hours so they are really all quite quick and simple but it's all I can manage at the moment!):

Might have to funk up those houses a bit more if I get chance but I have visitors today and my crop tomorrow so I won't have much  play time.

Also had a fab time at my art class yesterday and I have drawn a vase! Honestly! am really quite pleased with it will post a picture on Monday.

Thanks for looking.

A card and gift for my Mom

It was my Mom's birthday yesterday so I made her this card:

It's based on the sketch over at http://sweetstopsketches.blogspot.com/ so I would like to enter it into their challenge this week and I also based the colour scheme and used butterflies to fit in with the challenge over at http://daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/ so I would like to enter it into their challenge too.

I used Echo Park Victoria Gardens papers and stickers, Spun Sugar and Barn Door distress inks, the black lace was given to me by my friend Julie and the butterflies are Papermania chipboard ones.

I also made her a bag:

excuse my rather garish dining room - sorry craft room! - table cover there but I took the photo in a hurry! the pattern and materials were from a kit I received from my quarterly sewing club details of which are here: http://www.daisychaindesigns.co.uk/.

Thanks for looking :)

WOYWW

I wasnt going to join in this this week as I feel I am running behind on everything again at the moment- why does that always happen?  I am stepping down as chair/secretary from school next week and we held our Charity crop last Saturday (we raised a massive £900 for Cancer Research!) so I thought I would have some spare time but its not happened?  Anyway here is my desk this morning:

It's actually very tidy for me - not much on it as I have busy doing some sewing (hence the pattern, cotton reels and bobbins there that need putting away), the sizzix machine is out as Bernice popped round yesterday afternoon for a quick lesson on crease pads, the empty box is a gift I got last night from OH which is another car mouse as the one on the picture is playing up and my phone is on charge.

I was busy sewing a gift for my Mom who's birthday it is today - Happy Birthday Mom! - so I can't show that yet and I still have done no more on LSNED or the Jennifer McGuire Inspiration Showcase course I should have started on Monday.  Let's hope I catch up later today after I have made Mom's birthday card!

However here is my birdcage tag that I sent to Tertia

There was quite a lot of pink on her blog so I went for these colours - am not sure if she has received it yet as she lives in South Africa and I didn't post it until last Friday but the swap was done via the lovely Frankie's blog and the rules are to show and tell the tag you have made today.

If you want to know why I am baring a rather boring workspace to the world then pop over to Julias where I assure you there are lots of really fun and interesting desks to look at!

Thanks for looking :)