Blue.... in a good way!

Circumstances mean I'm sometimes crafting on a budget so I tend to keep my eyes open for bargains! I forgot to say the blue card I used on Bel's halloween card was the best bargain of all - free! The office I worked for merged with another one a while ago and we had a name change, so we had to stop using everything with the old Firm' name on. We were doing some tidying up the other day and found a box of folders made of dark blue "leather" effect card, a lovely thickness which were due for the bin.... I said I'd take a few and was persuaded to take the whole box! I think my theme for the next little while might be ..... blue!

Halloween

On a Monday I drop Bel off at ballet at 4 o'clock, then come home for a couple of hours until my dance lesson at 6.15 and we come home together after that. It gives me two hours of "me" time! Bel commented the other day we never do much for halloween so I decided to at least make her a card this year

I got the images for this one from this site http://www.card-making-world.com/index.html, you have to sign up to register but there are lots of freebies and hints and tips on there. The pumpkin is on a "spring" so it comes out a little way from the front of the card

Check out my Slide Show!

Just found out how to do this lol! A few of my cards/layouts - some have been on here before and some haven't... If you click on the little "loudspeaker" the music is "Helena" by My Chemical Romance (who else!) lol

Cheap Pixie tip!

I'm terrible for making cards and taking ages to get round to doing inserts and bagging them up with the envelope and I used to have a problem finding someone to store them where they didn't get bent. I've now found a cheap solution! The plastic tubs that washing liquid "liqui-tab" things come in are a great size to store cards up to A5 size. (The brand doesn't matter!)

BEFORE

AFTER

So it may not be posh but no more bent cards - and they smell nice too!

Off on a tangent!

Um.... I started making round tags last night... and ended up making this little card. Not sure where that came from! lol

Finding time....

Most days I only work til 3.00, but on Thursdays I work til 5.30 and then go straight to tap so I'm not home until after 7.00 - of course, if I have an idea for something to make it will always be on a Thursday when I don't get a lot of crafting time! I'm just dying to have a go at some more tags, different shapes this time... Bel's being picked up early today by MIL as its half time so I'll get three quarters of an hour before I have to go to work - I might cut a few bits out on the Cricut :-)

I did get something done last night, I set a challenge on the forum this week to make a card using an item which isn't a usual part of cardmaking stash - and then found I had no ideas at all lol. Then I was sitting at Del's desk and was struck by an idea! The circles are covered with foil from chocolate biscuits and the black mat they're sitting on is part of the packing from the biscuits (yes, the biscuit tin was on the desk). It then occurred to me I had some wire which had been round a wine bottle which I had squirreled away a while ago on the grounds it might be useful so that is on there too, plus the fibres were wool from a scarf I knitted last year! Not sure I'd be brave enough to send it to anyone but.... Challenge completed! lol

Apart from that I've just realised its three weeks today that I go to see My Chemical Romance! Woo hoo!

Tags - and temptation!

Had great fun at the beginning of the week making these Christmas tags

They're great for using up those little scraps that are too small to use for anything else. Yes, admit it, we've all got them! Think I might do some non-Christmas ones to use throughout the year (which sounds far too organised for me!)

I've also been seeing what people on the forum have been making with their Bind-it-alls, have to say I'm very tempted - I think I'll ask for money for my birthday in January! :-)

Sorry!

What have I been doing for the last ten days? Um...not blogging anyway, for which I apologise - I am still here though, been doing craft bits in the evening and finishing a bit late to blog, then next day its getting up and off to work and the day's gone again!

Only problem is I've got to remember now what I've shown you and what I haven't!

First of all is this card I made for Del's Nan, its a sort of A5 concetina. The "dangly bits" on the front are from a necklace I was given and decided I'd probably never wear... well I definitely won't wear it now!

Next are the ATCs I mentioned as part of my monthly personal challenge - I love ATCs but I couldn't seem to get motivated for these! I went back to an old favourite, the Art-e-zine website, for the vintage ladies. I also painted them with 3d gloss - I put it on slightly thick on one of them and its cracked - I'm actually quite pleased with the effect, it makes it look more "vintage-y"

These couple were for challenges on the forum, the first one was for a photo challenge I set. I had great trouble finding a template for the ivy leaves and I ended up having to pick real ones and draw round them - Bel thought I'd gone mad! The second one was one Shell set for a card using ripped paper - little did she know that I find it a struggle NOT to use ripped paper on everything. Bel has been known to say to me "I know you like torn paper Mummy but you don't have to use it on EVERYTHING! I also used another "wombled" bit of necklace!

The last one was just me playing last night. I used to find "girly" cards very difficult to make but I was quite pleased with this one. I tried to do something a bit more imaginative with the shape at the front.

Challenges!

I've had good fun this week doing some of the challenges on the forum - I've made some bits I'm quite pleased with that I wouldn't have normally made so I've surprised myself a bit! The challenges were as follows

Colourwheel (spin and use the three colours it gives you)

Swirls

Autumn colours (I took this a bit literally!)

Man/Boy's card

Butterflies

Have to say I really enjoyed doing these! I was helped timewise by the fact Bel's school had teacher training on Monday so I had a day off. It was lucky I did, during the morning there was a ring on the doorbell and it was DHL with my laptop! So am I a very happy bunny. I'm slowly restoring everything to where it should be on there, starting with changing the fairly attractive wallpaper of an Autumn scene it came back with (no, not the photo I used for my Autumn card!) to an even more attractive picture of MCR guitarist Frank Iero. Sigh........ !!!

Part of my monthly personal challenge done :-)

Well I did the inserts for the Christmas cards I've done so far this morning - 9 A5 and 52 A6 so I'm feeling pleased with myself. I've also done this card by way of light relief!

It doesn't show up too well on the scan but its glittery - so that's another bit of the challenge done! Hopefully I'll have time to do something else later, but for now I'd better put on some washing and put a hoover round!

Forum news

I've had an interesting day sorting out a central list of links for the forum - amazing how much stuff there is out there! I mentioned to Del it was a big job and he said, well you love them.... and he's right, I do!

The forum is quiet at the moment but I believe it still has loads of potential - there are some new challenges coming up and we've got the reveal for a Card Challenge I ran coming up next week! If you're not already a member pop in and see us you'll be very welcome. The forum address is at the bottom of the "blog hopping" list on the left. Tell 'em Pixiedust sent you!

Couple more

Two rather random cards - someone wanted a masculine Get Well card a while ago and I didn't have one in my box so I've done one - not sure if its really a bit too stripey though! And a cute hippo off the Animal Kingdom Cricut cartridge.

Shell on the forum has come up with a good idea, a monthly "personal" challenge - you say at the beginning of the month what your goals are and try to keep to them. I've said I'll do all the inserts for my Christmas cards, make three ATCs (I promised one to someone ages ago and haven't got round to it) and make five cards, at least one of them to incorporate glitter - I've been meaning to do something else glittery for a while and not got round to it. I'll let you know how I get on, but I guess that's two cards done! lol

Star Book

Been working on this little star book for the last two evenings, a bit fiddly but I'm quite pleased with it.

On the "home front" Del had a meeting at work today, they've managed to find him a couple of weeks' worth of non-driving jobs while his hospital tests are still ongoing, least he'll be back on full money while it lasts. The hospital have told him she should get his next appointment in 2-3 weeks - apparently they've rushed it through because of his job - it would normally take six months!