My Time to Craft Challenge...

... this week is 'Things with wings' Think butterflies, birds, insects, angels, fairies - anything you like with wings!! Whilst getting the image for the last card from the Joanna Sheen cd I spotted this... well I guess she's a dragonfly fairy! I apologise that this has lost a bit in the scanning - the dark card round the green border is actually silver and the outlining on the image is with a sparkly Sakura Stardust pen - whereas it just looks like a plain mauve pen in the scan, but it does sparkle really, trust me!

Daring Cardmakers

After a busy week (which you'll see the results of at the weekend) I'm delighted to get back to doing some challenges again! This is the Daring Cardmakers Challenge this week

"As its coming up to Mothers day in the UK here’s a chance to make a card that celebrates women and girls . So I’d like to see a card with at least one feminine image on it . And that's it for rules really.
Apart from this one.
And it is sneaky.
No Tildas, Sugar Nellies or Bellas please. I love them all. But there are loads of great challenges out there using them so for this challenge you can give them a well earned rest!"

Here's mine, thanks to Joanna Sheen's Victorian Companion for the imagine

Secret!

I'm working on something at the moment, but I can't show you til after the weekend! Sorry..... I did get my Docrafts prize today though for my challenge card a couple of week ago so that was a nice surprise, and there's some pretty things in there. Actually part of it is perfect for ..... the thing I can't tell you about til after the weekend!

Another Mother's Day card

For Del's Nan this time, she's still in Hospital, although she might be moved to a Nursing Home shortly, unfortunately she's unlikely to be well enough to go home again, so we thought an extra Mother's Day card might cheer her up

I've got a Birthday card to do today that I've got absolutely no ideas for! I've also printed out a batch of photos to do some scrapbooking :-)

Been busy .....

... but nothing I can show you unfortunately - made my Mum's Mother's Day card and she occasionally looks in here, and my card for the Post Pal that we have chosen this month on Cardmaking Friends - as we have a little competition each month of our Post Pals cards I can't show you that either! Hope to make something I can actually show tomorrow!

Cardmakers United - Mother's Day

The new Cardmakers United Challenge fortnightly challenge is Mothering Sunday - most helpfully as I have card to make both for my Mum and for MIL. I'm not quite sure whether to do something with one of the pictures from the old slides for Mum's card so I've made this one for MIL (and for the challenge) More of the Rusty Pickle Chocolate Kisses paper :-)

Oh sooo juicy....

... is the name of the extra Daring Cardmakers challenge this week - they're looking for cards using orange and lemon tones. Well I never need much of an excuse for using orange, so here we are!

Funky Fairys Challenge

This is the Funky Fairys Challenge for this week:-

"For this weeks challenge I would like you to make a card, scrapbook page or brag book etc etc - around one photo or a small collection of photos (all of a similar theme). There must also be at least one piece of text / saying / phrase included in the project. With "Mother's Day" and "Easter" around the corner, this could be the perfect opportunity to make that aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh card / project ! ! Alternatively use your photo on a "Retirement", "Wedding" or "Birthday" card / project - the possibilities are endless !!!"

This fitted in really well with us having scanned Mum and Dad's slides and my intention to do a scrapbook for them with the pictures, so here's my challenge entry ... and my first page!

Caardvarks Challenge

More luuuurve from Caardvarks, this week's challenge is "Anniversary". Note that I cut my Rusty Pickle Chocolate Kisses paper for this one - very brave of me I thought!

My Time to Craft Challenge

A new challenge blog for me - the challenge is "lace". I'm sure I had some really pretty lacy paper but can I find it? I think I must have used it, but I did find this lacy vellum I'd forgotten I had! And it was a perfect opportunity to use one of the Sugar Nellie bunnies from Nikki's blog candy :-)

Parcels!

I've been getting nice things through the post! My Alphabet Stax arrived today, they were my prize for winning the Funky Fairys Weekly Challenge a couple of weeks ago...

.... and yesterday I received my Blog Candy from Nikki at Nikki's Cards and News! Not pictured here are the stamped images she sent me of the gorgeous Sugar Nellie bunny... but you'll see him when I've had a chance to play with him either later or tomorrow!

Daring Cardmakers challenge....

... this week is love and friendship - I've deliberately steered away from Valentines type cards (having done rather a lot of that sort of thing lately!). This one was actually inspired by a little shop I pass on the way home from work which has a lovely white "country cottage" type dresser in the window, which is always covered with pretty things - I've never bought anything in there but it always looks really pleasing! it was Daring Cardmakers which made my try hand doodling in the first place, as you can see I'm now getting more confident with it!

A bit of history!

We had a lovely time at Mum and Dad's and have brought back with us an enormous bag of slides. Del knew, but I didn't til about a fortnight ago(!) that our scanner has a special attachment to scan slides so we're putting them all onto disk for them (and keeping a copy for scrapbooking purposes!). There's Mum and Dad's wedding photos, my baby pics and lots of childhood photos up until about 1979 or so, little gems like this one

Yes, its me :-) :-)

Stampstash and other bargains!

New bargains on Shell's Stampstash site here! Aw.... love those Easter chicks and bunnies!

Just got a bargain from Ikea too (we're up with Mum and Dad this weekend, don't have an Ikea near us). I got a huge roll of handmade type paper, big sheets of pink patterned, green patterned, blue and silver, gold and purple, and black and white - £2.49! Only trouble is I haven't got any cardmaking stuff up here so I'm going to have to wait til after the weekend to play with it!

50th Birthday card

A quick one, having had the fact a 50th Birthday card was needed before the weekend sprung on me! Thank you once again Cuddly Buddly!

Off up to Mum and Dad's for the weekend after we pick Bel up from School tomorrow so I shall have cardmaking withdrawal symptoms! I shall take the laptop with me though so might get a chance to play with Paint Shop Pro while no-one's looking :-)

Thank you!

Can I just say a big thank you for some of the lovely comments I've received recently - they really are very much appreciated :-)

My "play day" yesterday!

Bel seems much better today so she's back to School - my MIL picks her up on a Thursday and she has dinner round there which she always enjoys so that's something for her to look forward to. Glad to say I didn't waste my day yesterday - I made some cards for no reason, not for anyone specific's birthday, not for challenges, just because I felt like it! Also as Del was at work it meant it was easier to work off the big computer and have easier access to the printer, so I started by printing off a little batch of bits from CDs/downloaded bits, without any set idea what to do with them so I had plenty to choose from. The vintage bits and the greetings are from Joanna Sheen's Victorian Companion, the other bits are from Cuddly Buddly

Eek!

My Valentine's card of a week or so ago won the Docrafts Weekly Challenge! This has honestly been my best cardmaking fortnight ever! lol

Unexpected day off :-(

Got up early to do the Daring Cardmakers' "extra" challenge - then discovered I'm going to be off today anyway - Bel has woken up with a high temperature and is feeling very sorry for herself :-( We were going up to the hospital to see Del's Nan this evening, but obviously he'll have to go on his own now - just hope she gets over it quickly as we'd planned to go to Mum and Dad's this weekend; we haven't been up there for a while so she was really looking forward to it. Anyway here's my card, the challenge was for a romantic card using both red and black ribbon - I even attempted a weeny bit of dry embossing, not something I'm good at so I usually leave it well alone! I ought to practice really I suppose.... Just edited this to add that the image is from Joanna Sheen's Victorian Companion DVD set.

Might get some more bits done today - I've been so busy doing challenges I've missed the fact a friend's birthday and Mother's Day are fast approaching!

Papertake Weekly Challenge

I have to say the great thing about doing challenges is they seem to have made me far more adventurous. The Papertake challenge this week was stripes and this is my card! I had fun with this one :-)

The image is from Cuddly Buddly, she's one of the "techie girl" downloads.

Cardmaking Friends/Challenge Addict's sketch challenge

Did this one for the challenge that's currently running on Cardmaking Friends and on Challenge Addict's blog. My second shaker card, managed to make this one a little quicker than the last shaker one I did lol. The papers are both sides of a Scrappy Cat double sided sheet, if you see what I mean!

I've won myself some blog candy!!

... from Nikki for her Docrafts/Marie Curie challenge! Yay!! (runs around in little excited circles)!!

Another challenge blog

Thanks to one of the ladies on the Docrafts forum who posted a link to the CardMakers United Challenge Place. The challenge they have running at the moment is to make a card using a maximum of three colours. Of course every bit of patterned paper I went to use had at least four colours on it lol. Anyway, eventually came up with this one - my colours are obviously pink, green and brown.

Caadvarks Challenge

Baby love........ aw...! I've done rather a lot of pink cards lately so I thought I'd do one for a boy :-)

Daring Cardmakers

Here's my card for this week's sketch challenge on Daring Cardmakers. Not sure why its come out so big, I'm on Del's computer as my laptop won't connect to the internet this morning (really hope its OK..) and Blogger seems different on here - either that or they've changed it overnight!

.

I've had an idea for Easter Cards with the envelope template! I want to have a go at the Caardvarks Challenge (baby cards - as I don't do many of these) then I might try it out!

Another sketch challenge .....

.... for the Imag-e-nation forum this time, combined with a colour challenge to use blue and brown shades. As blue and brown happen to be one of my favourite combinations to work with I was more than happy to accept the challenge!

Sketch Challenge

Did this one for Cardmaking Friends/Challenge Addict's blog. Pop in and see her here if you'd like to join in, or come and join us at Cardmaking Friends

This was the sketch

And this is my effort

Envelope Card template - has arrived!

Ooh its fun! Just made this one :-) See the post below on how to get a copy of the template

Envelope Card template (for a good cause)

Lynn and Myra from the Imag-e-nation forum have designed a beautiful envelope card template which they are selling (at the bargain price of £3.50) with the benefits going to the Samaritans in the Costa Blanca where Lynn lives. I've just ordered mine and am eagerly awaiting my download! You can order it here and see some of the lovely cards others have made from it - I can't wait to have a go! I gather some certain professional ladies in the craft business are interested in it and I can see why! Well done Lynn and Myra!

Good news!

We have had a bit of good news! I did put some bits on here in the early Autumn about Del's health problems but as the posts have disappeared into the mists of time I'll do a (very quick I promise) summary! Basically at the beginning of the Summer Del was sent to hospital with a suspected heart attack - fortunately after tests etc it was found not to have been, but along the way they discovered he was suffering from Sleep Apnoea... basically he stops breathing for a few seconds several times throughout the night - he's always snored and apparently this can be a symptom. Because this can leave sufferers tired during the day (he has said in the past he sometimes feels as if he hasn't had a good night's sleep) it is reportable to the DVLA and the requirements for his Bus Driver's licence are higher than for a car licence so he is unable to drive a bus. Anyway having had several weeks off sick whilst the possible heart attack was investigated he went back to work in the Autumn on light duties, sitting at bus stops and doing timings for the buses (boring!) and going out with new drivers to help them learn the routes. His employers have been very good over this as they weren't obliged to find him work. The Hospital have been good but the length of time between appointments etc is amazing! He is now waiting to be fitted for a mask which he will wear at night which should sort the problem out.... he has been waiting for the appointment for this since before Christmas! He was worried earlier in the week as his employers had mentioned the length of time it was taking (whilst acknowledging it was not his fault!) so when he was called into the office yesterday he had that sinking feeling! Anyway turned out they had called him in to offer him a Shunter's job, basically checking and getting the buses ready in the morning ready for the Drivers to take out, on the same money as he is getting now. They have told him that if the sleep thing is all sorted out and he gets his PCV licence back he can go back to driving, otherwise the job is permanent! Obviously this is a weight of our minds :-) The only downside is its a 4.30 a.m. start!

Blogging....

.... is addictive! I work all day on a Thursday and then go to my tap class so by the time I've done dinner its usually a bit late for crafting. I'm feeling all guilty I have nothing to blog! Ah well, tomorrow's another day! Mind you I have rather rashly volunteered to help at the School disco tomorrow after School!

Daring Cardmarker Doodles

There's a great "mini-tutorial" on doodling by hand on Daring Cardmakers. I had a play last night and came up with this (that faux stitching is fun to do!)

I actually made it and pulled it apart twice - I tried some hand doodled swirls but decided it was too much - simple is best I think til I've practised a bit more anyway!

Papertake Flowers Challenge

Managed to squeeze this one in before dancing! The challenge was ...... flowers!

"This weeks challenge 'Blooming Gorgeous!' is to use floral embellishments on your projects! These could be Prima's, silk, wire stemmed, die cut, handcut etc! etc!
So please join us again this week and help make all our crafty blogs 'Blooming Gorgeous'!!"

Here's mine

Funky Fairys ripping challenge

I've got dance rehearsals tonight, so I've had to play before work instead! This one's for the Funky Fairies Challenge - which is ripping - literally! I've deliberately got a mixture of ripped and cut edges on this one for contrast...

Also as we've had the vote on Cardmaking Friends for our Postpals card of the month I can show you which card is mine

If you haven't already done so, click on the Postpals blinkie on the right hand side to go straight to their site and see the wonderful work they do, and if you get a chance send a card or two... as you'll see many of these very brave children eagerly await the postman and a card really does cheer them up.

Sketch Challenge

On the subject of challenges, Shell has a Sketch Challenge on her blog if anyone fancies to play. Pop over and visit her here, I'll be keeping an eye on what you all come up with (and having a go myself!)

Woo hoo!!!

I won the Funky Fairies Challenge 5!! (the orange, black and circles one). Its been a great week - also had an e-mail from Quick Cards Made Easy to say they were going to publish a letter I sent in (not sure what issue it'll be in) so I'm waiting for a little prize from them too!

Tagged.....

.... by Gillyflower... OK this is a hard one as I've already done my (short) middle name a few post down so guess this better be my maiden name so here goes....

First of all, here are the rules "You must post the rules before you give your answers.You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your first name.After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers.At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details)" So here we go:-

T....................... Tap dancing - I'm never going to be the world's best tap dancer but I keep trying!

A....................... Addictive - as per my tagged post below... yes, all the same things, cardmaking, My Chemical Romance etc :-)... do I remember right that you're a U2 fan Gillyflower? Then you'll know what I mean! lol

Y....................... Y can't I think of anything to put for Y? Or is that cheating? lol

L......................... LOL - I say it rather a lot but its so true, I seem to spend a lot of time on the internet laughing out loud!

O....................... Orange - I'd never say it was my favourite colour but I seem to love it in cards! I have to forcibly stop myself buying orange ribbon!

R....................... Really lazy - see my tagged post below lol

Right, off to find SIX people to tag :-)

Docrafts Challenge Card

Another Valentine's challenge - I'm all "loved up" now (or it could be the couple of glasses of wine I've had with my roast dinner) lol lol Want a laugh? MIL and FIL came round this morning to update us on Del's Nan (she's looking a tiny bit brighter) and to wish us happy anniversary........................................................... we'd both totally forgotten!!! Ah well, its 18 years today anyway - I could have given Del this card if he hadn't seen me make it!!

Caardvarks Valentine's Challenge

Oh I enjoyed making this one - it was inspired by the backing paper which was from a book of papers bought cheaply from The Book People a while ago!

Daring Cardmakers red and white challenge

What more can I say! Here's mine, I've deliberately made it non-Valentine, as am doing a couple of Valentines cards for other challenges and I've already made Del's! lol

Agghhhh!!

Did all the inserts, "the message in this card reads ....." bits and bagging up of cards ready for the restocking of my card box at work. Why do I leave all the inserts until there is an enormous pile of them sitting there?! I would make a mental note not to do it next time, but I did that last time and still didn't do 'em. Oh well, all done now....

I did get a couple of cards made, two for the Docrafts Marie Curie appeal. Sorry the photo isn't too brilliant, I didn't realise til I put them in the bags!

Actually they have been a bargain to make anyway, I have various cardmaking magazines to thank - the papers/decoupage were from Simply Cards and Papercraft and the stamps (yes, me the ex-stamper actually used stamps lol) were from either Quick Cards or Cardmaking and Papercraft, can't remember which now! All the details for submitting cards can be found on the Docrafts site. If you do do a card for the appeal, for the next week Nikki is running a blog candy challenge for the Docrafts/Marie Curie cards here so why not give it a go at the same time.

I made one other card today, a get well card for Del's Nan who is in Hospital and not too good at all :-(

Funky Fairys Challenge Card

Did this one for a challenge on the Funky Fairys Challenge Blog. This was the challenge.

"for challenge 5 you get to dig out all your oranges,blacks,n circles!

yep your challenge MUST include orange,black AND circles

white is allowed but NO other colour!!!

so orange black and white only!!!!

circles MUST feature heavily- somewhere or somehow!!!

other things can be added as long as they are within the colour scheme!!!"

Here's mine

I've been tagged....

.....by Shell! Here are the rules:-

You must post the rules before you give your answers.You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name.

Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name.

After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers.

At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.

Well, my middle name is MARY, so....

M........... MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - my favourite band,but more than that, I can't describe quite how it makes me feel

A........... ADDICTED - I tend to get quite obsessional about the things I'm into, cardmaking, MCR, the Cardmaking Friends forum, dancing, they're not just things I do, they're part of what I am

R........... REALLY LAZY - I am, really, except about work (which I enjoy) and the things above I'm obsessional about. I really have to push myself to do anything else. I would add that I do absolutely refuse to leave the house without a shower and ironed clothes - but chances are I've left it til the last minute to do those things!

Y............ YOUNG AT HEART - I've been told I don't look my age and its certainly no to do with any complicated beauty routine (being too lazy/busy doing something else to do it lol) so I guess its more about what I feel inside... being creative and having a sense of humour help - and Bel makes me laugh more than anyone else I know. Certainly walking to work, playing MCR loudly on my i-pod I feel very young (and it makes me laugh knowing that very few of the people I walk past would guess what I was listening to!)

Wow... that's very revealing really!

OK, now I'm off to tag Jackie Pink Diamond Creations

Sue Handcrafted Cards by Sue

Susie White Ribbons Cards

and Shirley Shirley's Cards and Crafts

Have fun everybody!