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Hi there friends! ....Yes it's me....good to see you all............I am just popping in with a quick make that I did for Son's Birthday last week......and then forgot to photograph!!!! Doh!...silly me. Anyway son has sent me a picture ...here it is......

 To be perfectly honest I do not feel that it is one of my best, but as I have nothing else to blog at present....this is it! It speaks for itself. The die is a Marianne die with a few accompanying stamps one of which I used for the @ (glad that symbol is on the PC) sign. Looks like it got a bit damaged in the post too! My mojo is lacking at present unfortunately so I struggled to make this as it seemed such an effort............anyway son says he liked it and at least it arrived for the day this time (unlike the anniversary card).

I have been doing some crafty bits while watching a bit of craft on the telly...a bit of knitting....baby cardigan.....I have reached the sewing up bit which I hate so that is at a halt......and I have also sat and made a few of the pine cones that I did last year and you will see back in the archives of my blog somewhere.
As for the Christmas cards...NO still none done ......but..........Hubby has put all the Christmas crafty things on the bed in the spare room so I do not have to lift heavy boxes etc, so that when the urge strikes (wish it would hurry or it will be next year!) I can get going.......The mind is willing!!

I have been visiting all your lovely blogs and seeing all your wonderful creations....what a talented bunch of friends I have who put me to shame!

Thank you so much for stopping by and continuing  to spur me on with your messages of love.....I am so grateful for every one and glad to say I am tons better now thank you..........still a bit to go till full pelt but I consider that there is always someone out there who is worse off and if that happens to be you today...then I hope life gets better for you quickly.

Right enough waffle and apologies for the not so inspiring post............well done if you are still reading this! Hopefully it will not be 3 weeks again before I post...sigh...I must get card making again!

Till next time...please keep popping by as I shall stop to see your fantastic works of art.
Take care and 'Happy Halloween' to all of you that are into it! (sorry it doesn't really float my boat).
An extra hour in bed this weekend for those in the UK as the clocks go back..........yippee for the hour but I hate the dark nights.

Hugs and love
Carole xx

It turned up!

Hello friends.......long time no see! Just a quick post to say that the missing Aniversary card turned up a week late! better late than never! So here is that card.......and what was all the fuss about I hear you say..lol

The base card is Adorable Scorable and the stitched rectangle I think is Lawn Fawn from a snippet of Bazill cardstock. the rose is cut from pearlescent card from the left over box....it is a Penny Black die and I used a punch for the little heart in the same card.
As plenty of snippets were used I am heading to the playground to say hello.
I still can't join in the frolics sadly,(maybe I can sit on the side lines) but I am heading in the right direction...it just takes time and being a 'doer' I am perhaps a little.....no a lot.... on the impatient side. The craft room requires reaching, lifting, bending etc...all not allowed at present so don't know when I will get round to those Christmas cards....I know....I know..... I should have started last January!!

Hope all is good with all of you.....and if it isn't, then I hope things improve for you. I know there has been some sadness and difficulties out there in blogland.
Take care my friends and I thank each one of you that has left me love and good wishes in the way of comments. It is so much appreciated.Where would I be without my lovely blogging buddies! Mwah....
Sending big hugs
TTFN
Carole xx

Challenges entered :- Snippets playground.

Update

Hi Friends

I must thank those of you who left me good wishes on my last post and thought that you might appreciate an update.......although I know one does not pop by to hear about health issues and much preferring a creation to view.
Unfortunately the surgery was not without some complications making it a bigger job and thus a longer recovery and I am still pretty wiped out........... but........... I am back at home with a wonderful hubby playing nursemaid (bless him) till next week when he goes back to work for a rest!!..lol........... I think it may be a while till I get into the craft room again., but I as my Grandma always said...I am getting a little better every day. I do hope you will bear with me, and I am popping by your blogs intermittently leaving you some love...........your creativity gives me my crafty fix!

Sadly the last card that I made before my NHS trip was for Son and DIL Wedding Anniversary yesterday.........BUT........it hasn't arrived  :(         so I will keep that one up my sleeve and blog it later as I have nothing else and hope that it turns up in the meantime.
 It was posted in good time , I could cry that they didn't get it...........good old Royal Mail!

Thank you for stopping by to read this...........see you all again soon I hope.
Hugs
Carole xx

Expectations!

Hi Friends.

So how was your Bank Holiday last weekend...UK only of course? Wet? well yes I think that goes without saying doesn't it! Hubby and I managed a ride over the North Yorkshire Moors on Sunday..(cloudy but no rain)...all the heather was in full bloom so very pretty with all the purple, shame the sun did not just put in an appearance. We drove home down the coast and stopped at Bridlington for a fish and chip supper and then home .......but captured this beautiful sunset on the way.

OK...onto a card..........

My son and DIL........(.the ones of strawberry Santa fame...see earlier blog post) are expecting their first baby next February...so I sent them a card to celebrate the wonderful news. Yes I am to be a Grandma at last!

It is a Stamping Bella digi image called Baby Shower (I think)......doing a lot of that today...thinking.... which I coloured with copics and cut out with a Spellbinders die (I think).......there I go again! The rest speaks for itself.

Right I must dash as I have rather a busy day today. I will not be around for a little while........well blogging anyway but will still pop in to your blogs to see what you will be doing. I am going tomorrow on a long weekend...........courtesy of that chain of hotels run by the NHS..........and strangely they do not figure on trip advisor!!........lol...........so crafting will be off the calendar for a little while at least. I won't go into details but a surgeon and a knife are involved ...and he won't be cutting out decoupage with his scalpel...well I trust not!

Thank you for stopping by today and for all your lovely comments that you leave me. It is so good to know that you enjoy my ramblings and my cards! I do hope you will come and visit me again on my return...........I'll be getting my crafty fix from all your gorgeous creations in the meantime.

Take care friends and have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs
Carole xx

Anniversary 2

Hi friends.

Just a quick post with another anniversary card that I thought might be suitable for the Less is More challenge..............love this sketch......

I am never 100% happy with my CAS cards and always think how fantastic other peoples look.......and as for being quick to do....it takes me ages!

 The swirl is a Sue Wilson Die cut into the edge of the white card and then overlayed on the pale pink which is Hunkydory Adorable Scoreable. I know in the photo it looks like the pink is on top. I swapped the sentiment to the top and added the champagne glasses......an old stamp from stash but so useful. I coloured them and added diamond glaze for the shine.

A bit of a deviation from the sketch I have to say........but my take.................do you think I will get away with it?

Ok well that's it for now.....yes I am a bit like a bus.......don't appear for ages and then two together! Keeps you on your toes....not to mention me!

Enjoy your day and take care............I really appreciate your visits.

Hugs

Carole xx

Challenges entered:-

Less is More sketch 16 

Addicted to stamps and More...#159 CAS

Anniversary

Hello..........is anybody there?.........Oh Hi...I thought you might all of despaired of my tardy blogging and wandered off to better things. I have been peeking in on you to see your creative talents...love what I see...................you are one talented bunch of friends.!

OK.......well I have been crafting...just a bit (knitting, colouring etc)...honest...just not a lot to blog...except this card for an Anniversary.
I caught part of a Create and Craft program the other day and it was Honey Doo crafts. Amanda (the owner and designer) showcased her fancy Flourish ...so....I decided to get mine out (yes I have that stamp) and have a play as it has never seen any ink!

Here goes.........

The background paper is from a Wild Rose Studio paper stack called Silverton Hall. I was lucky to win this in some of Kate's candy (Downright crafty) a while back. Such pretty papers and soft colours, great for weddings and the like. It has specks of glamour dust added but the photo does not show it unfortunately.
I stamped the 'fancy flourish' and the 'rose' (both Honey Doo) and heat embossed with Wow Platinum powder..............then I rediscovered my twinkling H2O's......do remember them? have you some lurking in the back of the cupboard? I decided to paint the flourish and the rose with Irredescent Blue to tone with the paper...............

and there you can see the shimmer in the light.
The sentiment is from my stash and I embossed it with the same Wow powder and used a die from stash (sorry can't remember the make) to cut it out and to layer it up on foam pads for a bit of dimension.So there we have it.

Well it's the weekend again..............don't they come round quickly. Have you anything nice planned? No we are not painting..............thank goodness...........all done, but can't get rid of the smell yet! Nothing planned for us....no doubt hubby will be in the garden if it is nice..............and I could be ...........washing..............I mean crafting. Actually I have some serious sorting to do in the room of stash. All depends if I am in the mood. My mojo has been awol, playing with other peoples in the same boat I think...................hoping for it's return full of new ideas! and bearing a rocket as a gift for me might be a good idea! I need a boost for sure.

Take care my good friends and enjoy your weekend. Thank you for stopping by to see me, I hope you will come back again soon, and if you have left a comment to make me even happier, Mwah....thank you so much,any feedback is much appreciated.
Take care of yourselves till next time.
Crafty hugs
Carole xx


Challenges entered:-

Pixies Snippets Challenge.................Snippets of card (blue and white) and ribbon

Painting on Silk

Hi friends......do hope you are having a great weekend. Us?.......we are surrounded by tiny match pots of paint, painting little squares of varying colours all over the walls in the hall...and then deciding that not one is the right colour! Shade cards and pots do not seem to match as their name intends. Perhaps we should just do patchwork!!......Alongside that hubby is painting the smallest room in the house......no silly not the cupboard under the stairs...the downstairs loo...............no problem with colour here as we are keeping it the same!

Crafting....other things on my mind this week so not much crafting done.....in fact none!. I have been in the craft room and moved piles of stuff from A to B to C in the hope that I might find a home for it!.......GOT IT...forget the painting...we'll move to a house that has a bigger craft room.......oh no we won't I hear him shout! It's cheaper to buy every match pot going...he does have a point there!

Enough rambling and on to my attempts at Painting on Silk. You may remember me telling you briefly in an earlier post that while on holiday in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands for those that may not know) I had a go at silk painting.

Here is my attempt.....

I feel it is rather child like in its execution and I wished I had chosen a different design once I had started...........you know the feeling when you go to a restaurant and when the food comes you wish you had ordered what someone else is having! However it is very therapeutic the way the colour just spreads as you touch the silk and is held in place by the gutta outline (the silver bit).
 The lovely lady that ran the class is called Sue Brown and if you are on facebook then you can visit her at....painting on silk at the Barcelo hotel.
Her work is exquisite....................and she also makes the most beautiful jewelry too...........here is my purchase...and very reasonably priced.

A wonderful and talented lady, so friendly and helpful and a great teacher giving one a lot of encouragement.I am sure she has started a few people on the road to painting on silk......me? not yet...but never say never....I certainly need the practice.I wonder how I would fair on the beading side of things?

Well the sunshine is struggling here today, after a glorious day yesterday...........it's not been a good summer for the North of England this year and I fear we are running out of time now! I do hope it is better with you...wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Thank you so much for visiting me and I would love you to leave me a comment so I know you have called in....I will visit you in return of course....get the wine chilled!!...or even the kettle on!...whatever takes your fancy.

Take care till next time and keep well. Big hugs to you all...after all without all you lovely people I wouldn't have a reason to blog.
Hugs
Carole xx