Monday 30 March 2015

Gardening time!!

Hello my crafting friends!............I am still here but I must apologise for being a bad blogger of late and a sporadic commenter on your wonderful creations.

Life just really seems to have got in the way of craft this past couple of weeks........as it sometimes does. It is still going too fast...time that is..well life as well I guess...but we won't dwell on that one! Glad the lighter nights are here now, but Oh! I did miss that hour...seemed more like I lost half a day.
Hubby and I spent the best part of yesterday recovering the kitchen dining chairs!....quite tedious and definitely time consuming but we got there in the end.

OK a male Birthday card for you to peek at this time, using the Craftwork Cards 'The Potting Shed' papers.This is really useful for men provided they like gardening of course.


The card is 8" by 8" covered in three different papers and the bottom strip was not adhered fully across the card to create the pocket for my tag.I stamped Happy Birthday on one of the tags from their Craftwork cards books of tags that matched the papers and the pots you see at the bottom were cut from another topper. the tiny tools hanging.......are a Memory Box die...aren't they cute! I coloured them with copics and a silver marker. Love them!

Close up of tag.........



........these are so useful to use as tags on a present or part of your card or even two put together to make a small card.
No glitter added  as it was a male card!

So what have we all been up to then?

Me?..............The weekend before the last one we went to visit my Son and DIL in London in their new flat...well they moved in the middle of last year (you may remember the card I did for them) and this is the first chance we have had to go and see it.
We had to drive through London on Friday night!!!!!! eeeeek.......hubby did so well, though we did go around Marble Arch twice till we found the right exit! Marble Arch was pretty with coloured floodlit fountains.......so worth the two trips round. One thing that struck us at 8.0pm on a Friday night was that all these shops were open!.....lots of different cuisines and fruit and vege spilling (not literally) on to the pavements. Back here all is shuttered up at 5.0pm till the night clubs open!. It really is a different world down there.......quite the holiday atmosphere.There always seems to be something to do or see too.

Are you ready for Easter?....Not a card made here........always last minute!.  I do hope to be back later in the week to share some.

....Spring is happening here in all ways though it could be a bit warmer. the trees are budding...they have a green haze and the daffs are fighting the cold wind.

OK I must away, I have a pressing engagement..............the ironing.....groan :(        
......... and some Easter cards to make so sorry I can't chat any longer.
Hope you are all keeping well..............enjoy the rest of your week.
Thanks for stopping by to read my ramblings and above all thank you for all your lovely comments you leave me, they so make my day.

See you soon....
Hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered   TBA  (time permitting!!)

Monday 16 March 2015

Mother's Day

Hello my friends..........how are you all? Good I hope, and I hope those of you that are mums enjoyed being spoilt yesterday.

If you were wondering where I have been...wonder no more for I shall tell you....Computer problems!! I had to manage without last week and it was rather like having my arm cut off (not that I really know what that is like thankfully)...........but boy do you miss it when it is away! I know I sound like a teenager ( I wish...then perhaps not) that cannot be prised from their latest game!
Anyway all seems to be hunky dory again now (touch wood quickly) and so I am able to show you the card I made for my mum for yesterday.


Mum used to do decoupage in the days before it was available as die cuts...you know when you had to buy 6 images and cut them out yourself working out which was at the back etc. Anyway I cheated here because I found some Hunkydory toppers that were to decoupage and I knew mum would like that, but instead of mounting it on its own background I used some plain pink card that had been die cut and then mounted that on to the background. Sorry but you can't really see the dimension on the photo, I curled the petals a bit and used pinflair to get the depth. I had to add a touch of glitter on the petals and leaves with a glue pen and Glamour Dust (very subtle).

I used Sue Wilsons Californian Collection dies and cut a shape out of the plain pink card...that leaves the embossed dots round the edge. I then cut it again in white and inlaid it in the aperture on the pink, and then put the topper on.
 I die cut banners from Spellbinders with a computer generated sentiment and inked with Tattered Rose Distress ink...........have to be careful here as the computer ink smudges if you catch it with your inking tool when colouring. A few pearls, and I made a box too because of the dimension.
Mum loved it...... so in my book that was mission accomplished. A bit of a change from my CAS creations lately.

I was cooking for mum yesterday but she wasn't well enough to make the journey so I cooked and we travelled to her instead....perked her up a bit. She will celebrate 95 in June!

My boys couldn't be with me, but they both sent me beautiful flowers and cards , so I wasn't forgotten.

OK folks I expect you have had enough reading.
I hope Spring is with you...today it is cold and damp here in west Yorkshire, there is still that nip in the air that says winter!

Thank you for taking the time to pop by, it is so much appreciated and so are the lovely comments you choose to leave me. I am sorry for my lacking in commenting this week but now you know why I hope I am forgiven, and I will catch up with you this week.

Just before I go....I went to the GNPE on Friday at harrogate. Not the show it used to be certainly but I still managed to buy a few bits...some stamps and dies...........and a paper pad I couldn't resist (hangs head in shame).....I know......I will show you that another time! I think that just about breaks ALL my New Year resolutions now!!

Take care all and have a good week.
Crafty hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered:-

Crafty Cardmakers and More..........#34 For a Special Woman
Cute Card Thursday........................364 Celebrate
Papertake Weekly............................Mum's the Word
Moving along with the Times..........Three in a Row.......I chose Diagonal..Die,image,pearls.


Thursday 5 March 2015

Girl or Boy?

Hi friends!
Here I am at last.........with a quick card or two...that have taken me three afternoons to sort!.....so nothing new there then, not quick at all.

First up..the pink one.


I have recently bought these balloon stamps from Uniko Studio , so I wanted to try to them out. Could I find the right colour pink in an ink that would not bead on the stamp....no! In the end I managed the above (Versa chalk) but the bottom balloon is coloured over with copics. The little hearts above Tatty Teds head are also from the set.
Tatty Teddy was a freebie on a magazine ages ago I think and he had never been inked....I even had the official Tatty Ted ink pad for him, but it's not compatible with the copics (it bled) when it comes to shading him in, so I found an old Tombow pen and used that!
The new baby stamp was also in my stash...another freebie on a magazine from way back I think.I was so convinced I had a stamp that said...It's a girl!....and ...It's a boy! but guess what.....no I haven't......do I dream these things I ask myself? WHY when I have a room full of stuff do I not have the right stamp, the right ink, the right colour??...........so frustrating.
The tiny hearts have wink of Stella  on top of them but it does not show well in photos......in fact not at all!
I mounted the top layer on foam pads after pricking round the edge.

THEN I made a blue one!


Same problem with the colours of the balloons and inks...same remedy!

So even when I have an idea in my head...it still takes forever to execute!...talking of which no mojo on the Mothers day card yet either.

So how are you? Hope you are well and having better luck than me with your creative ability.On peeking at your blogs you seem to all be creating the most awesome cards, and more than one a week at that...please let me in on your secret? How do you get them together so quickly?

I am liking the lighter nights I have to say and can't wait for spring and summer....but then I will want to be in the garden and not the craft room....can't win!

Before I head off I would just like to mention one of my followers Emma who is setting off tomorrow to the Sahara to do a trek for PANDAS(Pre and Post Natal Depression Advice and Support) and I wish her all the best. She already has blistered feet and a March fracture before she starts...one very gutsy lady with a big heart.Take a look at her blog here if you want to know more. GOOD LUCK Emma............and Emma if you can feel the sand between your toes......it means you have a hole in your boot!! lol

On that note, I thank you all for calling in and welcome to my new follower Di, I hope you continue to pop by and like what you see.
Please leave me a comment..........anyone........they make my day....and I'll be back to visit you.
Have a good weekend......first week of March finished with.......groan........soon be Easter!

TTFN
Crafty Hugs
Carole xx

Challenges entered...

Addicted to Stamps & more......CAS
ABC Challenge-------------------Exceptionally cute
Crafting by designs...................Anything goes