An award!...

.....from the lovely Cazz. Thank you so much. If you you don't already visit Cazz I urge you to. She has had an horrendous time....having to make heartbreaking and difficult life changing decisions, but throughout she has managed to stay strong and keep a sense of humour. While you are over there take a look at Pumpkins blog....lol

I'm supposed to pass this award on to 5 people who I think are something special. Well I can't pick out just 5....there are so many. So I'm going to award this to all my regular visitors. You are all special to me.

I'm not well....

.....and I really think I should have stayed in bed today. I dragged myself out of bed about 1 0'clock thinking I would feel better by moving about a bit. Big mistake. My head is pounding, I ache all over and my throat feels as though I've tried to swallow barbed wire. I can't take any of the "cold remedies" because they contain paracetamol and do not mix with the medication I'm already on. Think I might send son up to shop tomorrow for some honey...that with warm water might do the trick. I'm supposed to be going swimming...will have to give that a miss again. Hopefully this will not last too long....I've a birthday card to make ready for posting Monday....and Tuesday I'm meeting my friend for lunch. Although we've spoken on the phone we haven't seen each other for 6 months! So much to catch up on. I know you're reading this Anne.....I will be there!

No cards.

I haven't made any more cards.....yet. I do need to get a some done though. I have a birthday card to make for my ex SIL before next week, and some small children's Easter cards...they will be fairly quick and easy to do using some digi stamps. To tell the truth I haven't really felt like making anything this week. I have a sore throat which I hope won't develop into something, more and I'm still finding it hard to get up before lunch time. My son is helping a little there though. He's phoning me every day to see if I'm up....lol. Another concern I have about my health is my weight. Over the last 3 1/2 years it has crept up but not too much to worry about....I was just noticing that my clothes were becoming a bit tight. Although I've not been swimming every week since Christmas the weight was slowly dropping off. I'd lost about 1/2 a stone. Now what is worrying me a bit is that I've lost another 1/2 stone...but this is in one week. The thought did cross my mind that the scales were wrong (cheapo ones), but we have checked and they are reading right. Now, should I not worry about it...it could be one of those things associated with M.E...or do the really sensible thing and make an appointment to see my GP.....who might tell me that I am being silly and wasting their time. My instinct is to wait another week and see how my weight goes. If I'm still losing the weight pretty fast, then I think I will be justified in seeing my GP. Of course all this could be down to the medication....you know...one of those side effects that they don't actually tell you about.

PC gone mad.

No.....not my computer....political correctness. Last Wednesday night my eldest phoned me and asked if I could help him out by making a couple of Mother's day cards...wanted by Friday lunch time. Ok I said...who were they for? Turns out that a neighbour had come and told them that her very young grandson was bit upset. The school teacher had told them previously that they would be making a card for Mother's day...but the children had now been told that they wouldn't be doing them after all. Officially no reason was given...unofficially it was because the powers that be, thought that it might offend some of the "non Christian" parents of children who attended the school. Well...I ask you....isn't that just beyond all reason? I did make 4 cards but I wasn't all that happy about them. In the end the little boy didn't need one as the school had relented after many complaints from parents...but his gran bought 2 of the cards anyway as she liked them so much. I made them more of a general card so they could be used for other occasions. Here they are. The first 3 are made using digi images from the Sketching Stamper. (I am liking these digi images the more I play around with them.) The last one I decided to have a play (as you do) with a couple of stamps that had never seen ink and bits of scrap rainbow card. Quite pleased with the way that one turned out. All the backing papers were free with a magazine. Not sure what make the butterfly and flower stamps are..they are the little "Snag 'ems"

So much candy about.

What an amazing lot of candy there is at the moment...and it's all gorgeous!

Bev has some scrummy WOJ and more...you'll have to hurry though.

Jak has a huge amount of stamps and more to one lucky person. Ends 23rd March.

Sally-Ann has papers, ribbons,flowers,stamps,charms....Ends 27th March.

Kadoodle's third week of a stamp give away.

Maline has a mini candy of 2 Hanglar and Stanglar stamps needing a new home. Ends 31 st March.

I hate shopping!

I really do...especially now when I have to shop around even more due to price increases and financial restraints...and not as mobile as I was. Wouldn't mind if I could see something for my money...but the boys just eat me out of house and home. Long queues and heavy traffic on the way home just doesn't help, and then to top it all the boys had done nothing....not even washed the pots. No..."here, let me help you with those bags and unpack".....instead it's....."what for tea mam...and when will it be ready?" It hasn't helped that my back is playing me up again and my knee has decided to join in the party. I made them wait though. Did nothing 'til I'd had a cuppa and more painkillers, which don't seem to have much effect when the pain is this severe. I sometimes wonder why I bother.

Cards and ATC's.

I made a Flippin' Men card for my son's birthday and he was very appreciative of it. They are surprisingly easy to do..not too fiddly to cut out.

The next card is for one of my younger customers and actually covers 3 challenges. I was asked for a card for a 7 year old's gran. He wanted "Nannan" on the front, "Happy Mother's Day" on the insert and it had to be floral ('cos his nan likes flowers) but not girly. Well I started out well enough but it went all pear shaped...so I've put that card to one side and will look at it and decide what needs doing to it at a later date. So the result is a totally different card.

As it is a Mother's day card it covers the Lilli of the Valley challenge, My Time to Craft...which is Nature and A Spoonful of Sugar which asks for gems.

I've covered the card with a backing paper made by Sal from the Imag-e-nation forum, highlighted with some shimmery paint (similar to h2o's) and stamped 3 flowers (free with a magazine) and coloured them with the paints again..finally added some blue gems and the sentiment.
I Received my ATC's from the ATC Swappers that I took part in for the first time this month. The theme was "Countryside" Here are the one's I received. You can view all my ATC's sent and received by clicking on the link in the left hand sidebar which will take you to my Picasa albums. Thank you to Cazz, Mel, Becky and Val for the lovely ATC's Thank you also to Paul the host of ATC Swappers.

I think spring...

....has decided to to come..for a while anyway. The weather has been glorious, and it's made such a change not to have to wrap up in winter coats scarf and gloves just to go to the local shops. I've been contemplating the garden....it really does need a bit of a tidy up. Hopefully, if the weather holds, I might be able to get out there sometime over the weekend. That is of course if I manage to go swimming and it doesn't take to much out of me. I didn't make it last week. That was due to me having to go into town on the Friday, where I might add, I spent more than I intended but I did get a couple of bargains. A clear ink pad, ribbons and gems at half price. I don't normally go to town on my own but I had to get my son's birthday present. I wasn't long but the crowds and the journey home were horrendous. It's shopping day on Thursday so that will play a part in whether or not I get into the garden. My youngest has a new interest...don't know how long it will last though...he's very fickle and gets bored with things very easily. He's bought some vegetable seeds and has already dug himself a patch in the garden. Oh well..we'll have to see how this progresses as he has never shown the slightest interest in any kind of gardening.

And even more...

.....blog candy! Here is just a small sample of the candy out there in blog land....it's amazing just how generous people are.

Over at Kadoodle the second week of blog candy.

Kim .................Ends 15th March.

Mina.... ...........Ends 15th March

Susie...............Ends 22nd March

Cathy..............Ends 22nd March.

JayJay ...........Ends 22nd March

Maria..............ends 23rd March

You don't want any of these...

....goodies on offer. Really and truly you don't....stamps, flowers, papers, border punches, stamped images, ribbons..need I go on? Naaaahh....you don't want any of it!

Kadoodle Stamps..have candy every Saturday for 8 weeks

Michelle .....is offering blogaversary candy......closes March 14th

Karin....is offering candy which grows the more enter....closes March 17th
Caz ...is offering birthday candy....closes March 20th

Think I'm getting there.....

......in managing to get out of bed before lunchtime. Not done it every day but I have for a couple of days now. I was really wiped out at the weekend due to shopping on Thursday and swimming on Friday. I only stayed in the baths for half an hour....but boy did I know about for a couple of days. Instead of stressing about not being able to get the housework done I spent Sunday afternoon crafting. Did a challenge card and some ATC. I'm still not sleeping well and it's a vicious circle. The more I worry about not sleeping the worse it gets. Anyway...I caught up with a bit of the housework yesterday and I got my entry for the Imag-e-nation forum challenge done. It was set by Jackie....the winner of the last challenge and I found it a bit difficult. She gave us a sketch to follow and a colour challenge a well. My card is entered but I'm not too happy about it.
My printer is coming out in sympathy with me and my ailments I think....or it could be getting on a bit (very like me!!). It's an all in one, has decided to go so slowly and can't remember it's settings. It will only print out in normal quality...I sometimes use the quick print to save on ink...and won't display the ink levels. So now that's another thing to save for.....a new printer that prints borderless and is very cheap on ink cartridges. The list of things I'm saving for is growing. New varifocals, microwave (son blew mine up) new element for the grill on my cooker, and I've had to buy a new electric kettle this week....it blew up....guess who!..and no end of things on my crafting wish list that I know I will never be able to afford unless I win the lottery.

Very blue...

...the card I made that is. I started with one challenge in mind then it led to another 4..so that's 1 card, 5 challenges. Getting good at this...lol. First the challenges.


My Time to Craft #51......Hats.
Funky Fairy's #6...Blue
ABC......D for distressing
Sketch Saturday #21 Ria's sketch
SCSC #22....Masking
I started off with the colour blue and it just took off from there. Perhaps I've gone a bit overboard with the colour...but I just got so engrossed with it....as you do.
I think it's growing on me.

The main backing paper is a free download from Funky Fairy, the blue spotty a scrap from my stash. I distressed both by rubbing with the trusty nail file, then went over the edges with an ink pad. The stamps are SeeD's....4 separate stamps, this is where the masking came in. The flowers were punched (Woodware) out of odd scraps of card and paper, shaped slightly with an embossing tool and the edges inked, then self adhesive pearls added to the centre's.

Thank you so much....

....Lou for the lovely award! It's really made my day. Now I know that I am supposed to pass it on to my 10 favourites...but.... there are so many out there that are favourites of mine for one reason or another....whether it's crafting inspiration, just the feel good factor you get from some of them or the support of the wonderful Internet friends. So....I'm awarding it to everyone of you who visit me on here...because you all make me smile. Thank you

Pleased with myself today...

...why? Well I managed to get up before lunch time today and I've got a card done that fits 4 challenges. Wooohooo!!!!

Cute card Thursday #29....Animal Magic.

Colour Create #5....Blue and Brown...I didn't go for the option of lace and pearls...think you can see why.

2Sketchers4U #21

Spoon full of Sugar #41....Torn edges

The image is Albert..a digi download from Pollycraft.

Here's the card...

..that I made for the Imag-e-nation forum challenge which was springtime. I didn't win but I didn't really expect to. I used a colouring practise piece which didn't turn out too bad...until Theo tried to sit on it!...hence the circle. Jackie was a very worthy winner. I used a daffodil image from Sketching Stamper. Still practising my colouring...but I actually enjoyed doing it....and that's the whole point really I think.

It's been over a week....

....since I last posted. I haven't been at all well. The last month I haven't slept well and it's caught up with me. I've been more tired than usual...not being able to get up until late in the day....and Saturday saw me in bed reasonably early....I didn't surface again for another 24 hours. That was Sunday that I never saw. Perhaps I can get my body clock back to some sort of normality now..whatever that is. I've really struggled to get any cards done but I did manage to do a card for my great-niece... who will be three tomorrow.....and it covers one of the challenges. Not done a challenge for absolutely ages.
The challenge is for the ABC challenge which asks for a child's card..so here it is.

The backing paper is from Summer Driggs and I can't remember where the sentiment round is from. It is from one of the blogs and I'm sure someone will recognise where from. I've coloured the image using my watercolours....and I am getting a bit better at it..still need more practise though.