Take it easy...

Hello again!! :)

Hope you all had a good weekend and enjoyed the sunshine? Makes such a difference doesn’t it, even when it is still freezing!! :) This is going to have to be a pretty quick post as I really want to enter this card in Digistamp Boutique’s January competition and I don’t have much time!! I usually have to put my posts together in several stages as and when I’m feeling up to the different bits of typing/photo editing etc and planned to start/get this one mostly done yesterday but we had an unexpected visitor... so I got to meet a lovely friend of mum’s for the first time and have a good chat, but not much got done!!lol :)

So on to the card, which is quite similar to my last one as I thougt it suited male cards so well, and I’ll save the rest for my waffle for my next post!! This one was for my Grandad when he went in to hospital this past Friday to have a hip replacement- he’s doing okay now (though not loving hospital life, but then who does!?!) and hopefully he’ll be a lot happier for it when he’s fully recovered!! :)

All my 'Straight-on' pics came out more than a tad squiffy looking... good job I took a purposely squiffy one just incase then!!lol
I used:

• Perfect image- Snoozing Spike from Digistamp Boutique :D
• Promarkers and Prismacolor pencils to colour (sorry, don’t have a list of PMs this time :S )
• Nestie and Grand Nestie Labels 1
• Gorgeous leafy patterned paper from Forever Friends Pink Parfait pad
• Forest Moss DI on edges and brown fineliner for faux-stitching as I just felt it needed a bit extra definition
• Kraft card punched with my new MS Cherish border punch (another longed-for treat with some b’day money- I love it sooo much!! :D :D )
• Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes embossing folder (which I forgot to mention on my last post... ooops!! :S ) with more Forest Moss DI
• Natural Rafia from my Aunty again (reclaimed from a gift or flowers she was given, I think- for the recycling challenge) and comes in so useful for men’s cards

I chose this fab image as my grandad falls asleep under his newspaper on an almost nightly basis- the crumpling noise of the paper in his hands is always a dead giveaway!! ;)- so i thought it’d give both him and my gran a chuckle when they saw this!! :D I didn’t want to say get well soon as he’s not exactly ill, so opted for ‘take it easy...’ which I added in in my graphics programme after blocking out the ‘Zzzzz...’ on the original digi file as there wasn’t a lot of room in my layout for a separate sentiment.

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Digistamp Boutique – January Competition :) ; Allsorts – Saving Nature (with my recycled raffia again) :)

Right, I’ll go and link that up- hopefully I’ll be in time!!- please forgive any typos that I’ve missed in my haste!! :S

Must just say though- Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my last card, I really appreciate every one!! :) And it feels sooo good to be back in the Land of Blog properly and posting as opposed to just peering in through the window, so to speak, as I have been while checking out all of your blogs all month!! :D :D Will hopefully be able to get back to leaving some comments on all your fab creations soon, too!! :)

hugs,

Simple Sentiments... (oh, and yes, I am still alive!! ;) )

Hello to my fellow bloggers!! :)

How are you all? I hope 2011 has been treating you well so far!! :)

Well, yes, I am still alive, just haven’t been very with it for most of this month, hence the complete lack of posts... (oooh, it did feel good hitting the 'New Post' button on my Dashboard after so long!! :) ) There’s always a ‘post-Xmas dip’ for me with my M.E. but this year it didn’t even wait ‘til after Xmas as I felt pretty awful from Xmas day onwards :S Things eased up a bit physically after a while but I’ve really not been able to think straight enough to write or do much else but mooch around other people’s fab blogs getting hugely inspired only to find when I try to actually craft that I can’t remember what it was I meant to do!!! :S!!! But I’ve reached the end of January determined that I will have at least one card posted before the month is over!! I’ve only managed to make two since Xmas and luckily they’ve both been male ones so simple was not only acceptable but a good thing!! ;)

This one was for my dad’s birthday a week or so ago and achieved its twin objectives of 1) being fairly quick and very simple to make and 2) allowing me to finally have a bit of a play with a couple of the new toys I treated myself to with my Xmas and B’day money, which had been calling out to me from my desk since they arrived!! :D So, here it is:

I used:

• Nestie Labels 1 and Grand Nesties 1 (the first of my new bits- I love this shape and so decided that, even though I don’t have a big die-cutter, I would get a lot of use from from the first three dies that fit through my bug...for now, as I’m sure I’ll cave and get myself a big one sometime!!lol I’m just hoping that Provocraft will come to the rescue and make a bigger version of the fab bug that’ll take thicker dies, too!! :)
• Some of my digi papers left over from Christmas cards in the non-christmassy Diagonal Dots and Argyle designs
• Tim Holtz Paper Distresser with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo DIs on all edges
• Craft card punched with my MS Zig-Zag border punch (also new- been wanting this for ages and love it now I have it!! :D )
• Distress Crackle paint in Clear Rock Candy- also been wanting this for ages!! :) – all over the craft card with Vintage Photo DI over the top
• Natural Rafia that my Aunty gave me (reclaimed from a gift or flowers she was given, I think) and comes in so useful for men’s cards
• Greeting from a Dawn Bibby set stamped in Vintage Sepia Versafine over an ornate ‘flourish’ from a set I got from Lakeland years ago, which was stamped in the Antique Linen. The cream paper is rescued and recycled from a Christmas card envelope (fittingly, from my Dad’s card to me :) )... I don’t know about you but I always save any with interesting textures or colours :)

Hmm, used more different products than I thought there!! Lol

And a couple of close-ups :) Think I was a bit cautious with the Crackle Paint as it was the first time I’d used it- the cracks came out very fine (they show ore in the photo than irl!) so I’ll try a thicker layer next time!! :) I really wanted to get the shadow effect on the greeting panel and decided the 'flourish' was okay for a man's card in the end, especially as I'd been reading the Matthew Shardlake books by C.J. Sansom, which my dad and step-mum gave me for Xmas and are set in Tudor England!! :)

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Wild Orchid Crafts – Let’s Get Sentimental :) ; Allsorts – Saving Nature (my recycled items are: Rafia, envelope from greeting panel and left-over papers printed for Xmas) :) ; Paper Sundaes #53 – Distressing :) ; Crafts and ME – Monochrome :) ; Do you stack up? – Pattern (my papers) :) ; Cards For Men – Let’s Party (I hope my card’s okay anyway- it may not look very party-like but it was to celebrate my Dad’s birthday) :)

Well, I’m off to link up now and then I think I should change my blog background back to the non-Xmassy version!! :) Thanks for reading my ramblings and for any much valued comments :) And thanks to the people who’ve left comments over the last month and even become new followers... I will hopefully be here with something to share with you a little more regularly from now on- just as long as my body/brain will let me craft and write!!- and even when it looks like I’m not around I’ve still been enjoying all your fab blogs so thanks for sharing and for the inspiration and help to get through the days when I’ve not been well enough to craft myself :)

hugs,

Gifts Galore!! :) And ‘Happy New Year!!!’ to you all!!! :)

Hello everyone!! :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!?! Mine went a bit pear-shaped (though I did still have a nice time in an odd sort of way!! :) ) and I’m still not feeling great so I hope you’ll forgive this being an incredibly short, not very informative post only I remembered I wanted to enter this in the Crafter’s Companion Challenge and need to do it –like, right now!! ;D

So, here’s a card I made the week before Xmas for a friend following the sketch at Crafter’s Companion- I loved working with this sketch sooo much, so simple but a joy to make!! :)

The fab LOTV image is coloured with PMs and the card is basically using the same items as my previous Xmas cards so please have a look below and forgive me for not being upto managing the detail at the mo’!! (Will come back and do it properly later if I can) :S The only things I’ve not used before are the Crafter’s Companion Spray and Sparkle in Sliver, which I used to get the gorgeous sparkle on the snowflakes, and the fab Chocolate Box Card Candy!! :)

 

A few close-ups :) Was really pleased with the way the light caught the Dew Drops!! :)

So, I’d like to enter this in these challenges: Crafter’s Companion – Fab Sketch :) ; LOTV – New Beginnings (this is the first time I’d used this stamp) :)

All that’s left is for me to wish you all a very, very happy and healthy 2011 for yourselves and all your loved ones!!! :) :)

hugs,

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas...with a birthday card!! :D

Evening all and a very Happy Christmas Eve to you!! :)

Well, I had a feeling I wouldn't keep that pace of posting up all week but I'm back and, in typically contrary fashion, I actually have a birthday card to show you tonight on Christmas Eve!! :) My lovely mum’s birthday was on the 22nd- gets kinda hectic this time of year around here!! ;) – and this is the card I made for her... and, miracle of miracles, it was actually finished the night before her birthday for once!! :)

Now, before you start scratching your heads and thinking I’ve gone mad- I know it’s technically a Christmas stamp but my mum loves rabbits (she had one as a toy all through her childhood and infact it’s still in a cupboard somewhere!! :) ) and also, she’s always telling me that not all Christmas stamps are exclusively for Christmas and could be used for winter birthdays, too (I think she may be trying to get me to buy less stuff but that kind of thing goes in one ear and out the other, I’m afraid!! Hehe!!) so I took her at her word!! :)

I used:

• Gorgeous LOTV Christmas Bunnies Stamp
• Promarkers and Prismas to colour- PMs on the image with Prismas to finish and Prismas for the sky – I was trying to emulate (from memory) the scene featuring this image in the LOV Cute Squares collection, think mine came out a bit more purple but mum loves purple as much as me so that’s okay!! :)
• Papers from: Basic Grey’s ‘Kioshi’ pad (the purples) and a jumbo My Mind’s Eye pad called ‘So Delightful’ (the teals) which I got from QVC and love, love, love the colour and pattern on this one :)
• Milled Lavender and Broken China DIs and Tim Holtz Tool to lightly distress the paper, image panel and sentiment
• Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die
• Crystal Stickles
• 8mm and 4mm pearls
• Grossgrain Ribbon - in just the right purples, thankfully!!
• One of my Digi Sentiment Rounds personalised to say ‘mum’

And some close-ups of the details including the goregeous paper and new flowers :)

I’d like to enter this in the following Challenges: Sketch & Stash 51 – Your Choice – I chose Sketch #48 and my new stash is the LOTV stamp, MME papers and TH Tattered Florals Die :) ; Totally Gorjuss – For Someone Special :) ; I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes :)

OOOPS!!! Edited to include the Sketch I used, which I forgot :/ Didn't really have a clue beyond the image I wanted to use before I saw this a few hours before making the card so it's kind of an important component!! :)

Right, I shall go and link those up then back to the frantic last minute Xmas stuff for me- I still have my mum’s card to make amongst a host of other things!! :/ Have been busy making some last minute cards and gifts today but just really needed to lie back with a cuppa and rest up a bit (my mind is in overdrive but my body is flagging just a tad!!lol) so this seemed a good way to make it happen and share something else with you all to tide the blog over Xmas!! :)

I hope you are all well and looking forward to tomorrow- I wish you all a very Happy Christmas Time, however and with whomever you are spending it!! :) :) And let’s hope Santa’s been frequenting a few craft shops (or making use of t’internet like me!! ;) ) and brings us all lots of lovely goodies to make our cards and bloghopping even more fun in the new year!! :)

Much love and thanks to you all for the wonderful welcome into blogland you’ve shown me this year and all your inspiration and encouragement along the way- it’s been so much fun already,

hugs,

Let It Snow!! :)

Hello again!! :)

Wow- it got as ‘warm’ as -8oC here today!! I couldn’t believe it when I turned my computer on at midday and it said it was -10oC!! :{ I hope you’re all coping okay with it, anyway!! :)

Another Christmas card to share tonight- this one is for my 4 year old cousin- and my Uncle, his fiancé and her daughter but I must confess I made it with him in mind!! ;)

So it has a suitably fun and lively LOTV James Bear image and plenty of blue!! He’s remarkably appreciative of my efforts for a 4yr old boy so I’m pretty sure he’ll like it!! :)

I used:

• Gorgeous LOTV stamp: James Bear- Sledging :)
• Promarkers (and I can actually remember the colours!!) to colour: Cool Greys 1, 2, 3 & 4; Pastel and Denim Blues for the presents; Sandstone and Caramel for the sledge with Cool Grey 1 over the top to tone the brown in with the rest
• Nestie Labels 2, I drew round the outside of the one I used to die-cut the image to get the mat
• Two of my digi papers again, altered from the tealy blue version to be a bit more grey-blue
• TH Distressing Tool and Stormy Sky DI on edges of all the papers, image and mat layer
• Perfect Pearls Shimmer Spray on the snowflake paper :)
• One of my digi tickets for the sentiment
• Snowflakes from the Cricut again :)
• Dew Drops and Gems from stash
• Stickles in Stardust on the image and to fix the Dew Drops/Gems and Frosted Lace on the snowflakes

And a few close-ups :) You can even see the shimmer spray on the last couple- it's sooo pretty and perfect for Xmas cards, I'm so glad I treated myself to it this side of Xmas :)

I really enjoyed making this card and am really happy with the way all the colours worked together :) I’m also loving having so many sparkly and shimmery bits to play with...to think I didn’t really like the idea of glitter and gems when I started crafting- what I can have been thinking I really don’t know ‘cos I can’t get enough on a card now!! ;D

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Crafts & Me – Moody Blues :) ; Passion for Promarkers – Anything Goes :) ; Fussy and Fancy – Snow :) ; CES – Anything Goes :)

Right, off to link up- must admit I’m enjoying posting more cards, more often...not sure how long it’ll last though!! ;) I’ve managed to get another Xmas card done tonight, was hoping I might find just a little more energy to make a start on another but think that’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow now... ah, also need to make one for my mum’s birthday on Wednesday, too... hmmm... wonder if mum’s got any of those shop bought Xmas cards still lying around... :S ;)

hugs,