I got the candy...

...that I won on Elin's blog. I can only say that the picture does not do it justice. A gorgeous gift bag with a cute little nut mouse attached, chocolates and some beautiful crochet flowers. Thank you Elin. I will certainly treasure it. I've taken a quick pic (before I eat all the choccies!) but the quality isn't too good.

Collecting my candy was about the only good thing that happened today. I got up at the crack of dawn...well...7.30...very early for me. Took myself off in the freezing fog to meet son and DIL armed with cards for the Christmas fayre. What a complete waste of time. Just 7 tables and 2 of those selling tatty second-hand goods, one lady face painting, another with cookies for the kids to decorate, one selling balloons, pencils, sweets etc. and another with second hand jigsaws and toys. It was not advertised except for a small poster pinned to the outside notice board. There was a Santa but he was upstairs with the refreshments, and he went home early. It was a thoroughly miserable turnout. We thought that more people would turn up as the sun came out and cleared the fog. No go. The weather turned again on my way home and I still haven't been able to get warm. So I'm cold, tired and fed up.

Hop over...

...to Bev's blog to find some lovely pink candy!

It's just been...

...one of those days. You know the ones I mean. You have made plans for what you need to do and everything that could go wrong does. I won't bore you with the details...they are so mundane.
I have managed to get done 2 cards for 4 challenges though. So here they are. This one fits the SCSC Challenge #8 which calls for decoupage.....and the ABC challenge which calls for snow....and it is a snowy image. This card is way off my usual style but was quick to do.....it's growing on me. Image layered up with red and dark blue card stock on white.....gold peel-offs to finish. I haven't used peel-offs for ages. I think I'm moving away from them...but they do come in handy sometimes.

The next card covers Sketch Saturday Sketch#26....and Dutch Dare Challenge #25 to put a hole somewhere on the card. Mine has 2 holes.....on the sentiment tag.

The image and sentiment stamps from Paperartsy..backing papers from magazine....eyelets from stash.

My signature's back!

3 blog candies....

.....and they are truly scrumptious!

First.....Kadoodle have a new stamp up for grabs this week.

Second.....Emma has some gorgeous candy to celebrate 2,000 hits although she has now well and truly passed that.

Last but not least.....Sonja has a lovely WOY stamp.

A challenge card

It's not turning out to be a good week for making cards. I'm feeling a lot better and thought that I would make a few cards yesterday. The gods are against me though. My son and DIL have roped me in to help them with a Christmas fayre at a local church on Saturday. The organizers hadn't anyone to make and sell cards. The lady that used to do it has sadly died. They asked my DIL if she knew of anyone and of course said yes...herself, her partner (my son) and me. Well..seeing as I have some cards made from entering the challenges, and having images stamped/coloured/decoupaged/matted and layered etc..... getting them made up into simple cards would have been easy. Emphatically No!!. First, my printer which is quite old now, is on a go slow..I need it to print out some backing papers and the inserts..and Theo. Every time I get out my crafting stuff he starts. He wants to play with everything...glue stick, craft knife, scissors, DST, papers, inks.....you get the picture? Well it meant that yesterday I got the grand total of 3 cards made...and I still have inserts to make as well.

Here is one of them that fits one of the challenges. Rainbow Lady's Challenge #40 which asks for snowmen. Suffice to say that I'm not doing very well at getting any more challenge cards done this week


The image and sentiment is from La Pashe..the backing paper downloaded from Funky Fairy.

My signature seems to be coming and going as well.....definitely got the gremlins in this week.

Blog candy

Click here for some amazing blog candy from Kristine.

I feel....

...like death warmed up. My body feels as if it's been used as a punching bag...my feet and legs are screaming and I can't get any ease either sitting or standing..so I'm doing a bit of both. I did go back to bed this morning with a hot water bottle, but that made me feel worse, so I got up, took some more painkillers and I've made a card. It's for the PWC...Snow!...so I did some snowflakes with my one and only single snowflake that I thought I had lost. Stamped with versamark and embossed with silver sparkle EP The backing is from a free download on the Imag-e-nation forum and I can't remember who posted it. I'm sure someone will know, so if you could let me know I can give the deserved credit where's it's due. The card stock looks black but it is actually dark blue. The sentiment is from Woodware. It's a simple little card but just so pleased with myself that I actually managed to make it!!

Here's another card I made, not for a challenge though. It's for my eldest grand-daughter's birthday. She's not all that girly but I decided to go to town on the bling and a bit pink...and she does love her handbags and shoes.

The backing paper is a free download from making-handmade-cards. The other paper covering the 12 I don't know where it's from. The number template is from Imag-e-nation.

I don't think I'm going to manage any more cards today so that means I will miss out on doing some of the challenges. I'm off to have a cuppa and something to eat so that I can take some more painkillers. Take care out there.

One card...

......3 challenges. Aren't I getting clever! Well not really. Some of the cards I am doing are way off what I normally do, and so are a bit experimental for me.

The 3 challenges.....SCSC Challenge #7 Cute as a button. A Spoonful of Sugar challenge #26 Blooming Marvellous. ABC Challenge..R for Ribbon. Some of you alert challenge takers might notice that the layout of this card is a sketch for Sketch Saturday sketch #25. It follows the sketch but it should have been a Christmas card to be eligible. If I get the time later I might just manage to make one.

The image is from Funky Fairy's....the backing papers are from a 6x6 pad of pearlised papers and I can't remember what make. Flowers and buttons from stash.

Blog candy...

You've just got to check out Debbie's blog...and the candy she is giving away to celebrate 12,000 hits.

Ria from Funky Fairy has some gorgeous candy to celebrate over 17,00 hits.

Don't forget Kadoodle have a new stamp to give away this week

3 cards....

....4 challenges. The first card is for the This Thursday Challenge #21. It threw me a bit with the metallic bit. Anyhow....the card is a dufex decoupage and has silver backing paper.....so I think that it qualifies for metallic. I decided to keep it fairly simple and only add the ribbon as an embellishment to keep the focus on the image. I'm pleased with the way the dufex has turned out. Cutting it out with Theo trying to help nearly ended in disaster. I nearly had an ear less cat!
I'm afraid that he still has to learn that not everything is a toy....and I've discovered Pinflair Gel..a bit pricier but a lot better to work with than silicone.

The next card covers 2 challenges. RainbowLady's Challenge #39...Things with Wings......and Daring Cardmakers..Birds. I got a bit stuck with this....but went for fairly simple and traditional.

Finally....Stamp Something Sketch Something challenge. Ooh look.....I've gone all pink and glittery...well only a bit of glitter.

I'm getting better with the camera....but I must remember to take the photo's during the day when thee is natural light! Not that my living room has a lot of natural light at this time of the year....it is north facing and the coldest room in the house.

A good day..

.....today. I've been quite productive. I've finished all my ATC's for this month and they are ready to be posted tomorrow. I haven't made a full card today.....2 almost done..will finish them tomorrow, hopefully when I get back from the doc's for my blood tests. I have got a card to post here though. It's the one I made for the Imag-e-nation forum challenge set by Val. I didn't win....but my aim at the moment is just to take part. The challenge was to make a card using one of Joanie's sheets. You can see all the other entries on Joanie's blog

I've volunteered to host Decembers ATC swap on the Foggy Friends forum. There are only a few who take part in this swap, and were struggling for someone to host. A lot of the people who take part are very badly affected by M.E. and so sometimes find it a real challenge. It would have been a shame not to have the last swap for 2008 , so that's why I agreed to host. I just hope I don't make a complete pig's ear of it.

The saga...

......of last last Friday's appointment. It wasn't unexpected really. The bone scan results show that my bone density has deteriorated alarmingly since my last one in 2005....and I do have osteoporosis. Apparently I am not getting enough calcium or doing enough weight bearing exercise. She asked me what my diet was like and I said that it thought it quite good really. Yes I do have a sweet tooth and have cut out the sugar in tea...I eat a good range of foods including wholemeal bread and plenty of fruit and veg. I know I could do with losing about half a stone and I am losing it since going swimming. Not good enough for her though...I need to lose some weight (although I am not overweight!) walk a lot more and don't take the bus and taxi's. Taxi's??..I can afford to go everywhere by taxi?? When I said that walking was painful and tiring for me her answer was to give me yet more painkillers..... HELLOOOO!! I HAVE M.E. She then gave me a list of common foods that contain calcium, so I think I've got the calcium thing sorted now. I start to have sugar again...there's 2mg per 100g in that. Cheddar cheese sandwiches made with white bread and butter rather than low fat spread....that's 55mg in a slice of white compared to 13mg in wholemeal.....and fried sausage and chips. There's more in fried sausages than there is in grilled bacon..and the same goes for chips rather than boiled potatoes. With this sort of diet I will increase my amount of calcium very easily.....but I will probably die early due to obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Then she prescribed another lot of medication. This is one tablet to be taken once a week on the same day of the week for the rest of my life. It has to be taken whilst upright with a full glass of water and nothing to eat or drink for 30 minutes afterwards. I started taking it on Saturday and the hardest thing is having to wait half an hour before I can put the kettle on for my morning cuppa. I don't even begin to function until I've had that. You confused yet?...I am!! Oh..and I've got to have more blood tests on Wednesday. My blood tests from the hospital "were a bit fuzzy"....the doctors words....and showed some inflammation which needs investigating. Don't think there's much more they can test me for now. At least now when people ask what's wrong with me, I can say that I have a medical condition which most people are aware of and not get the withering looks of disbelieve.

I won....

...blog candy!!!!! Take a look here to see what I won. Choccies.....mmmmm!


Down to business now. Here is my entry for this week's ABC Challenge....a quick card.

A pyramage mounted on silver mirri card..then on dark blue card stock onto a white card. A bit of Sakura clear glitter...then a silver ribbon. Voila!..all quick and east to cut and mount.

The pyramarge is one of Joanie's, another member of the Imag-e-nation forum (there really are a lot of talented and generous people on there)...card stock and ribbon from stash.

I don't do mornings...

..but here I am early....for me that is...on a Sunday morning. Why am I here at this time? I couldn't sleep so I thought I would get up and try and get some cards made. I have made 4 cards but I can't say that I am happy with all of them. I've got the mojo for creating, but they just don't seem to be turning out how I intended. Well here goes ....3 cards for 3 challenges...but I'll only post for 2 just now.
Papertake Weekly Challenge.....using Dawny's sketch#2. I actually made 2 cards for this because I'm not sure if one, or even both of them actually follows the sketch.

I like this black and white one. The image and backing sheet is by CraftySal, a member of the Imag-e-nation forum. I went over the black parts of the image with an embossing pen then clear embossed it. I added a little Sakura clear sparkle to the poinsettia, holly leaves and the firs. Not your usual colours for Christmas but I think it gives quite a dramatic effect.

Here's the second card.

I'm not really happy with this one. I wanted to use the image but I'm not too sure about the green card. The image and paper is free download by Jak.. go check out her blog, her work is amazing....and the sentiment and swirl stamps are by Paperartsy.

Funky Fairys challenge #41
I really tried with this sketch but just couldn't get it right. Never mind it's another card done..and perhaps I will grow to like it...or someone else might.

Decoupage and spotty paper from Funky Fairys. Snowflake paper from Crafts Beautiful.

I'm off to have my breakfast now, and then I'm going to son and DIL's. The weather looks as though it might be quite good today....we have blue sky and only a little light cloud...so hopefully I won't get wet. I might be back later with the saga of my doctors appointment. Oh... by the way...I found my snowflake stamp, and some other things that I had forgotten about when I was stroking...ahem...sorry....tidying my craft stuff away. It was stuck to a small piece of acetate. Happy now.

I'm back...

...but not for long. It's been a busy day and not much done. It was shopping day and as usual I just don't know where the money goes...well I do... bills and food. It's been a tiring day and have had no inclination or the energy to make any cards....or do the 4 ATC's that I need to do. Tomorrow, hopefully I will be going swimming, and then to my appointment with my GP. I really have to make the effort to get out of the house at this time of year. It's not really gardening weather....except if it's reasonably dry....so getting out and about is not easy. I don't need an excuse to get out in the garden when the weather permits. When I had my dog I had to go out....she needed walking...even on my worst days when it might have only meant throwing her ball for her for 10 minutes in the back garden.
Right ..I'm off to my bed.....I need sleep.

Friday sketchers

This my entry for this challenge....Friday Sketchers. I'm not sure if it strictly sticks to the required elements....but at least I had a go.

I made 3 cards yesterday...this one, one for the Imag-e-nation forum challenge (so I can't show you that one yet) and one for another challenge, which will probably end up in the bin. I love the image I used but it just wouldn't come together for me.

Might be back later...

No cards....

...today. Had to go to the bank and then get my printer cartridge refilled....and put inserts into 12 cards for my DIL to take. Usually I like to put printed inserts into my cards but there wasn't time. Son phoned at 5 o'clock and said that DIL wasn't coming to collect them today as the lady she is taking them to wont be there 'til next week! I wasn't very happy to say the least. I've rushed around like a blue a***d fly for nothing.
Yesterday I got a letter from my doctor which has got me a little worried. If you have any tests done at the hospital they usually say if you need to ring your GP for the results. Regular readers may remember that the doctor at the rheumatology clinic requested a bone scan, to see if I had osteoporosis. Well I had the scan, and have heard nothing since and thought that I would find out the results at my next appointment at the hospital, which is at the beginning of December. The letter is from my own GP telling me that they have the results and to attend the appointment already made for me. Now I have never known this to happen. It is usual, to my knowledge, to be informed by a telephone call from a surgery receptionist asking you to make an appointment. The appointment that I have is for this Friday...and at this time of year (flu jabs etc. being given)you'd be lucky to get an appointment within a week unless it is an emergency. Now that is what worries me....an appointment made for me by the doctor herself. It might just be me worrying unnecessarily.....certainly hope so.
Right.....off to try and have an early night and more cards made tomorrow.




Don't forget ....

It's the Kadoodle stamp give away time again.....

and..it's the High Hopes blog hop as well.

2 challenges ...

...with one card. First, ABC challenge..think Pink and this is definitely pink!
Second ..SCSC sketch #6 by Wendy.

Image and sentiment is Emma the Hugger from Fred She Said......I love this image. It is available ready coloured....as this one is....outline for you to colour... and as decoupage.
Background paper from Crafts Beautiful magazine.

Two posts....

....in one day. What a day it's been. The weather is atrocious...wet, windy, cold and dark. I didn't go to son and DIL's as usual on a Sunday. They are just recovering from the bug that seems to be going round at the moment...and I think I'm starting with it....so I didn't really want to venture out. I did have to nip to the shops though...we had almost run out of bread and Theo ran out of cat biscuits. I got absolutely soaked and now my head is starting to quietly pound. Hopefully the pain killers will keep it at bay. Finally managed to post a comment on Daring Cardmakers..after the third attempt! ...and I've finally cracked how to leave a clickable link as well. I'm getting very clever with the computer...but I still get lost with editing and saving pictures from the camera phone. Have to keep asking John (my youngest) what to do next.

As for Theo..he's been a little horror today....charging round like something possessed, climbing in my wet shopping bag (why do cats have to climb into every bag and box they come across?) and climbing the chimney breast. It does need decorating so I'm not too fussed about it at the moment...but the decorating is going to wait 'til the house has been modernized. That should be sometime next year, but the way things are going it could be a lot longer than that. I'm tempted to paint it, but that would in my mind would be a complete waste of money.

Theo is now sleeping on the computer chair while I'm typing this...butter wouldn't melt!...and 'm perched on the edge of the seat. He is now 17 weeks old and massive! Here are a few pics. They are all of him sleeping 'cos when he's awake he wont stay still long enough.

Had a brainwave.

Yes..me..having a brainwave. Remember the not a funky fairy card I made? Yes you do...it's in the post below this one. Well I added a bit more sparkle and bling to it, and now I can enter it for the Daring Cardmakers challenge which is sparkle and bling! Who's a happy bunny now....and here it is....revamped. Although it doesn't show very well I have added Sakura stardust to the swirls in the background, the glass and the brad in the flower. Have also added a few pink gems.
The ribbon down the left hand side is actually hiding a paw print. Theo decided he wanted to help me make it.

The black and white spotted paper is from Funky Fairy (free download)

Background swirl....Paperartsy

Image and sentiment.....See D's

Gems and ribbon from stash

Funky fairy....

.....it is not. I came across another challenge site...Funky Fairy. I liked the look of the challenge so I made a card. All went well until I realised I'd made a boo-boo. The challenge is black and white with the option of one colour. Then it hit me....in my desire to use a pretty pink flower..it meant that I'd used 2 extra colours, the other one being silver. Here is the offending card. You can't see the silver very well in the picture ..but it is there..I've used it in the matting and layering.





Anyway, undeterred I started again and came up with this one.

Again I have used silver in the matting and layering, and for the eyelets...although they look white in the picture. The challenge calls for a Funky Fairy product..and that is the spotted paper.

Think this would be OK for a male card.

I'm still practising with the camera on the phone....as you probably can tell!

Here it is....

..the card I made and then photographed with my camera phone. The quality isn't as good as it would be with a digital camera...but hey....it's not blurry as the pics I take with my digital camera usually are. It's for the PWC....and the inspiration for it came from Jak's brilliant tutorial which can be found here. I don't have the punches or die cutting machine so I had to improvise a little, and I'm quite pleased with the way it has turned out.
The background stamp I used is a clear polymer one and the only single snowflake I have...or had. When I finished the card and was tidying away I couldn't find it anywhere. It's either stuck to something that I've cleared away..and hopefully will find...or Theo's had it.

The card stock is pale blue with white glitter card for the piece going across the bottom and the snowflakes on either side of the spinner. I've added a little self adhesive gem to the centre of the snowflakes. I stamped a snowflake with veramark as a background and added some Sakura glitter glaze to the centres and points...then finished off with a sentiment and sparkly organza ribbon.

P.S. for any of you techies out there....the pics taken with a camera phone don't enlarge when you click on them like the scanned pics do. Anybody know why and is there a way to remedy this? Any help would be very much appreciated

I've been playing...

....with my new phone. I've figured out how to work the camera, (easy when you know how) and have even took some photos of a card I made today. Will have to have another go tomorrow though..the card has some glitter card on it and artificial light is not the best way to photograph it. I need to get it on here in the next couple of days..it's for the PWC and I don't want to miss out on another one.
The weather has really brightened up today..not half as gloomy or cold..and the weather forecast is for the mild temperatures to continue over the weekend. I should be going swimming tomorrow..son and DIL are not too well at the moment so we will postpone 'til next week. That gives me more time for crafting.

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I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who take time to visit my blog. It is very much appreciated and make my days a little less isolated.
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Blog candy

Desiree is celebrating 15,000 hits with some scrummy candy.

Amy has the High Hopes candy to give away this week.

Julie is celebrating her promotion with Stampin' Up and 25,000 hits with some amazing candy.

Remember..remember....

.....the 5th of November. Yes I know.....cheesy...because I am cheesed off. I couldn't enter my challenge card because the site wouldn't let me..but it let me comment after the deadline... and I haven't had a reply to the email I sent before the deadline, hoping for a little help or explanation of why my posting in the comments wouldn't go through. OK......I've had my rant.
Eldest son brought my "new" phone today. I'm going to have to have a play to figure it out.....but I know how to send and receive phone calls and texts. Will have to have a good read of the destructions to really get a grip of the camera and the music bit. Not managed to get any cards made today, though I did order some silicone glue.....and guess what?.....something else dropped into my basket so I had to buy it. Skint now. Never mind....I have a little bit of crafty post to look forward to....much better than the junk or bills which usually land on the doormat.

Blog candy.....lots of it!!

Bev has lots of gorgeous WOJ and Christmas candy.

Lou at Funky Fairy has 3 lots of candy.

Diane at pink sunflower has candy....very belated 10,000 hits.

Katy at the new Craft Stamper magazine blog has a launch giveaway of Penny Black 12 days of Christmas stamps.

Just a quickpost

http://thisthursday.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/challenge-20-mojo-surfing/

This was an interesting challenge. I found lots of inspiration...and got a bit side tracked....but finally settled on this one.

I've got a couple of medallion stamps but don't use them often enough. I'm still in Christmas mode but don't have any christmassy ones. So what I did here was stamp on to acetate with stazon and then coloured it using some glass paints that I have never used. Painted with the traditional red and green it gives a bit of a Christmas stained glass window look.

Update


Well I got this made in time but I couldn't get a posting on the challenge site, so it looks as though I will miss out this week as the deadline has now passed. A bit disappointed about it now.