Daisy Saturday

Carole is the designer of the sketch for Friday sketchers this week and I feel like I'm all craft out but I got out one of my favourite stamp Daisy by Elizabeth Bell from Funky Kits. At least when I use Daisy the card always works out well. The papers are Daisy Bucket and the flower is Prima finished off with a brad from Poppicrafts.

My sis moans about how much I buy and often drops me into trouble when she reads I've got new stamps on my blog, which if you notice I try not to mention. So when we were driving home late on Thursday from her house she rings me up to tell Crafts U love has the new Magnolia collection in, now if that isn't encouragement. So have I brought some, you will just have to wait and see or did I pop online to the Glitter Pot instead and brought some new PB.

I do feel that the Penny Black Saturday challenge are responsible for a new love of PB stamps, I've always had trouble colouring them in and the challenge force me into having another go with the few tucked away in my stamp drawers. Now I'm addicted although I won't have has many has my friend Fairy Karen.

Fi has contacted me and the candy will soon be on its way to her. Just would like to say Thank you everyone who has taken part and especially would like to Thank you all for the wonderful comments on my blog and have taken up to follow me.

Drum Roll please

Using a random selector thingy it came up with this

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 142 341 94
Timestamp: 2009-01-30 12:41:04 UTC

So I've counted and any one who posted twice (I've done this before too) I've only counted once, then I counted again. And the winner is

Fi

If the candy not claimed for by Monday night I will past it on to the next number.

Catch up Friday

Dawn has draw another great sketch for Papertake Weekly and I use one of those very expensive PB that I managed to buy just after Christmas, this one cost me a £1. I used Chatterbox papers and the scallop edge is Fiskars threading water punch and technically it shouldn't be there but it hides some messy ink smudges, that were on my fingers at the time of sticking down.

Amazing response to my Blog Candy, the idea of printing the comments and cutting it up and putting them in hat isn't going to work with nearly 400 comments so will have to have a bit of a rethink. I will officially close the draw at Noon, UK time and hope to have discovered a fair way to choose a winner.

Trying to catch up with everyone now this award if from Michele and I need to sort out ten honest things about me.

This one is from Julie

And this one from Heather

Many thanks

Now if you are aware of the drama in my house this week, I've some before and after photos. This is the hall, before;

The hall leads into the kitchen that then leads to the dining room. This is what all the floors looked like and the black stuff smells like tar, apart from the kitchen the floors had to be screened twice, each layer taking 4 hrs to dry.

Now look at the difference. I didn't realise my Hall was that big and so bright, although the floor shows up that the hall is in desperate need to be decorated, more chaos.

Back to Normal

Its all done and I'm back on my PC, the house is one huge dusty mess but the floors look brilliant and my stress levels are returning to normal. Thank you for still visiting my blog and now I need to seriously catch up with everything that I've missed.

The card I made while hiding in my craftroom is using the 2sketches4you by Laura, the papers are BG. I handstitched the lace on the circle and I only mean't to put one butterfly on but got slightly carried away, its turned out a little too pretty and a bit OTT.

High Hopes Hearts

Things are not quite going to plan, the dining room should have been finished and I would be able to access the PC instead I'm on DD laptop and who invented the cursor thingy cos its sending me loopy give me a mouse anyday.
Everywhere is cluttered and I'm finding it difficult to phot pics this poor card looks washed out but is fine in real live. Ah well things will eventually sort themselves out. As for the card I made it for the High Hopes challenge to use hearts, not sure on the papers and the sentiment quickly made on the PC before I was evicted out of the room.

edited; Have changed the photo so it doesn't look so wishy washy.

Another day of Chaos

Talk about chaos, the only areas I had access to was the kitchen and my craftroom and he's coming back today. Not sure I should even be in the dining room but I thought I will quickly put the card I made yesterday on my blog but apologies for not getting around to everyone.

So my Blog has now well and truly past 50,000 and what a fabulous response to my Blog Candy.

Back to the card I used the Ismaki sketch although the skull and cross bones is a bit extra in the corner. The papers are Chatterbox and the stamps are High Hopes, I thought the Pirate ship would take time to colour but it was really easy although the Pirate has quite a beer belly.

Did anyone notice the new item in my sidebar can you believe it, thats one New Year Resolution completed.

Chaos Returns

The floors are to be skimmed, screened or whatever, the worst of it I couldn't take a pic in the dining room where I've set up a tripod etc so this terrible pic was taken in my craft room and poor Sugar Nellie image looks like its foggy. Oh well, hope to replace it when life gets back to normal. I made this card quickly too for the Sketch Saturday with some fab Pebbles paper and I not sure what sentiment to use at the mo so left it out. Not sure I will be able to catch up blogging the PC is in the dining room too, this floor stuff takes 4 hours to dry between each layer.

Roll on tomorrow.

Frame it

Just when you thought it was safe to view my blog without seeing Christmas cards, I've slipped one in. Mainly because today is the 25th January and I've been told this is Rudolph day, so on the 25th of each month you make some Christmas Cards in hope you're not in a last minute panic in December.
The Penny Black challenge is to frame it, the frame is cut with the cricut with the Storybook cartridge but it makes holes in the side so I covered them up with the gems. I'm not going to admit that this stamp I brought last year for my Christmas cards was never was inked nor am I going to admit the Craftwork cards trees were in an unopened packet. The card was a bit rushed to make sure that I could photo in daylight and to arrange a schedule post because I had to leave home early so DH could help BIL so we could get to our favourite Chinese Restaurant on time to celebrate the Chinese New Year, I knew its a couple of days early but it still was a pretty good reason.

Best Day Ever

Still not organised enough to take photos in daylight but they don't seem too bad using a daylight lamp. This card is using Friday Sketcher's latest sketch from Bea, there is suppose to be a torn bit of paper according to the sketch. Now anyone who knows me will know that just isn't going to happen, I come out in a cold sweat when I'm in a class and I'm told to tear the paper but even though I haven't torn the paper I'm really please with this card. The papers are Websters not sure where I got them from, Prima flowers, sentiment Hero Arts and of course a Sugar nellie designed by Elizabeth Bell for Funky kits. I don't make large cards very often but this one worked a treat and is ready for DD Birthday next week, I hope she's too busy to check my blog.

Finally the Imaginisce paper is no more this the very last of the scraps and the Dutch Dare Challenge was for Mosaic, I used a punch on various bits of scraps to make the background. While it sat on desk it bugged me that I should of stamped the Claire's design daisy in brown ink because the black is too bold but not a lot you can do when the papers all gone.

The lovely Clare sent me this fab award, keep checking her blog because she has something up her sleeve happening soon.

Also don't forget to comment on my Blog Candy can't believe I forgotten how to change the date so it stays on the top.

Yes Another Blog Candy

BLOG CANDY CLOSED

So a year ago today I somehow managed to put a blog counter onto my blog and today I can't believe how many hits its registered 48,745 that is amazing
When I had to give up work, people were worried I would be bored, but I can honestly say with blog hopping, challenges and crafting I wonder where the time goes. Yes I miss the physical company and especially the gossip but I able to manage so much better healthwise it was the best decision made.
A huge Thank you to everyone who visits and posts comments on my blog you all make my day and in appreciation I have a blog candy not sure if you can see everything but there are some of those lovely pink fabric brads I love, flower spacers from Poppicrafts, the flowers are a mixture of Poppicrafts and Prima, two wonderful WOJ stamps, the mouse carrying a cup cake and the presents and lots more.
And all you need to do is to post a comment and I will draw randomly a name next Friday Morning.

Wet Friday

First an apology for the terrible photos, I've used a daylight lamp but its seem to wash out the colours a bit, need to get better organise and take the photo in the afternoon when the light is slightly better. So the first card is a scene card for Cute Card Challenge, when I found out the challenge I cringed because scene card take so long, although I cheated a bit with a paper pieced the sofa and the pelmet, both stamps from Alota stamps along with the scenic stamp for the window view. I used the Magnolia couple which I think was the Winter kit, apart from a bit white ribbon for the skirting board I left it very simple.

Now this card didn't take long at all and the papers are all left over scraps, I was inspired with Tamara's sketch #79, the flowers are from Poppicrafts and the tag stamp from Stamps Away. The papers are Imaginisce and I might just have enough for one card if it works.

WOJ sketch

I had to use the sketch on Whiff of Joy challenge because its designed by Katharina and its been a while since I've use on of her fab sketches. The hardest choice was which stamp so I settled on this sweetie because she layers up so nicely. Really pleased that I managed another A6 card starting to get a nice little pile of these size cards now, just need to put the plain inserts in and pop them in the baggies. Back to the card again I've used October Afternoon papers can't believe how far these scraps going, the sentiment tag stamp from Stamps Away from Clevercut and yet again Martha Stewart's doily punch.

I'm falling back on blog hopping again so will try to catch up today.

Cute Penny Black

The Spoonful of Sugar challenge is for a New Baby, Mum-to-be, New Mum or Pre-schooler, now I could use the Pram card I made yesterday but this little Hedgie was already stamped out because I did think to use her instead of the pram so it was only right to use her. As you can see this time I went pink. I've no idea who made the papers no name on them but they're old and I have feeling they may be Making Memories. I'm thinking to use this card for Papertake weekly as well for the challenge of three different shapes, square, rectangle and circle. Of course this image is Penny Black and sentiment is Stampin up. The daisies are punches with touch of yellow in the tips.

No I haven't mastered the watermark I texted it on, for some reason when I make the watermark as shown in the tutorials it won't let me save and move it onto the image.

Many Thanks to Mumur for awarding me the "Marie Antoinette" award.

Paper Pushing

I apologise for crooked cards I've seem to over compensated and they are now leaning the other way but I promise my cards are straight! Well after spending the day moving paper around my desk or fighting with photoshop to make a watermark gave up in the end, I checked out the CPS challenge which I found very difficult, they want you to choose a sketch from all the sketches they've used that's only 99 of them. I'm Libra its very hard to make a decision like that. Eventually I choose CPS#8 it was helped that the DT had made baby boy cards for Tami which inspired the card. I paper pieced the pram and the sentiment is Hero Arts and the flower is made with stash from Poppicraft.

When I was hunting for inspiration for Kazan's sketch 18, I knew I wanted use this 7 Gypsies sticker but it was bit plain so a bit ribbon and fab prima flower worked a treat, but I was stuck with the side panel so having discovered a nice flourish on the Stretch your imagination cartridge for the Cricut, I thought it work up the side and then promptly cut the wrong one but I think it works better, afraid the brads had to go the other way then on the sketch. Oh and the card is square.

I've received this sophisticated award from Benedicte and you have to pass it on to 7 people. Again I'm running late this morning so will have to do it another day but if you haven't received it yet, well I'm sending it to you.

I couldn't lie to the Dentist about the very sensitive tooth but he found it, so that a filling and a lot less money on craft.

Today History is being made in the USA, Good Luck to the new President.

Giggling Monday

These papers are nearly all gone but I'm sure I can stretch the scraps to make another card but I've paper pieced Tilda's dress, loved the paper piecing on the spoonful decided to give it another go with Sketch Saturday card. The paper Imaginisce and any excuse to use the fab brads from Poppicrafts although I think I may have over done it a bit on this card, the sentiment is cuddly buddly.

Forgot to mention yesterday that the PB is another second hand one that cost me 50p, sorry to rub it in.

Happy 40th Birthday Simon, who should have received the secret project I made that his Mum asked me to do. I've made another blog to be able to show the whole project you will find it here.

I'm visiting my least favourite place today, The Dentist.

Dotty Sunday

The challenge on Penny Black Saturday is dotty, and the papers I've used in the week that I hadn't got around to putting away had were dotty, so it wasn't that I had to hunt through my stash to find some papers. Another PB stamp isn't he gorgeous, some shabby chic flowers a hero arts sentiment and he's done, so why did he seem to take all afternoon.

Pretty Saturday

Running late this morning, didn't help that I was determined to photo this card so it looks straight, lately my cards seemed to be leaning to one side, its better but not perfect. This card is using Murmur sketch on Friday Sketchers this week, love these papers at the moment from Imaginisce, only have enough left for probably another card, the stamp is Sarah Kay, the pretty flowers are from Poppicrafts.

This fabulous award is from Julie another SB8 sister that I still keep in touch with. Thanks Julie will have to pass it on another time when I'm not running so late.

Not only do I have a CJ to do and finish my a-z journal, I also have a couple of special cards to do, especially the Golden Wedding one which I have no idea what to do.

Friday Again

Unfortunately when I saw Laura's sketch on 2sketchers4 I didn't immediately get an idea which is what usually happens but that could be because I was still struggling to get back to normal when I first saw it. So I had these scraps of gorgeous October Afternoon on my desk and started to layer the card to sketch. I wish now I decided on 3 flowers instead of two because the third flower is a space that annoyed me when I thought I was finished. Not sure why I decided on two when I know that odd numbers tend to work better.

Now yesterday's card I had used a cute PB boy with a fun sentiment and I could have used him for Cute Card Thursday but this fella has been stamped since Ally Pally and not be used, he wasn't even coloured. So I've used him instead and made him into a Valentines card and the insert will say Wearing you're Wife's present. The stamp was an unmounted from a stall that was selling loads of them, the papers are old and I think are Making Memories but don't hold me to that.

These pictures are for Carol who was intrigued that my Craftroom was in the outhouse which used to be the coal bunker and a shed, this is what you would see outside my back door.

This is to the right of my room barely enough room for my Ipod speakers.

This is the new unit that hubby put in last year and to the left are shelves with boxes and a large plastic box that hold all my 12 by 12 but that photo is boring.

I also was asked whether I used primsacolours for colouring which I do, I've also got some polychromes and plan to get a few more. I do have some promarkers but I struggle with the tops so I've given up using them. Whoops sorry about the long post.