It's Christmas..

First of all.....can I wish you all very happy Christmas..and thank you all for visiting. Everything is done and all ready for a nice quiet day. Just a slight problem with one of my hearing aids....it's not working!!..and it would have to be the one for the worst affected ear. I will cope though..the TV volume will be a bit higher. I now have to contact the hospital for an appointment to see what the problem is and hopefully get it fixed.

I've had to cut back a little more than usual this year but I think that's true for a great many of us. No reason why it shouldn't be just as festive though. Anyhow.....Got all my cards done with time to spare. Forgot to take pics of some of them and the ones I did take haven't turned out too well.

Papers and images include.... Nancy Wyatt, Polka Doodles, Just inklined, FSS, Dustin Pike, Adam Prescot and glitter, ribbons, punches,stamps and adhesive gems from my stash.  Die cuts from Spellbinders and X-Cut, masks/embossing templates from Stamps Away.

                                                                                                                                                                                              

A Very Happy Christmas To You All

Just to let you know..

..that I have had to put the word verification feature on again as I'm getting a ton of spam. It's a pain ..I know ..but it has to be done I'm afraid. Hope to be back soon as soon as I've finished the final Christmas card I have to make.

I'm a Winner!!

Just checked my email and I have one from Do Crafts saying that I am a winner of the November prize draw......gobsmacked!!! Now I can't wait for my prize to arrive. The news has come at the right time to cheer me up, as I've been watching the pennies extra carfully this week.  My youngest has got a temporary Christmas job, and as he won't get paid until after Christmas, things are a bit tighter financially at the moment. I've been sitting on my hands when watching Create &Craft, and avoiding temptation to go onto some of my favourite craft sites to see all the crafting goodies that want to jump into my basket. I'm being very good.
Other wise I have been busy making some cards. Not finished yet but almost there. Just a few more to do then all the inserts need doing....as well as a load of inserts for the crafting group. I've found that they are a lot easier to do now with Craft Artist. I've only got the free compact version at the moment but hope to get the full version soon. Now I just need a few more hours so that I can spend longer playing with it. 
Be back soon I hope with some pics of some of the cards.

A good week....

...despite the damp and gloomy weather, the last week has been so good for a change. Last Saturday I spent a lovely afternoon at the theatre. Anne..my best friend...was part of the performance..singing in the choir in "Lives in art." It was fabulous and was rounded of with time spent with Anne, and a former colleague and his boyfriend. It was lovely to catch up and have a giggle. Tuesday was craft group. I don't actuallyt get anything made myself. This is due to a lovely lady who is an enthusiastic crafter but has some learning issues. She has always done decoupage and was amazed by stamping. She had never seen clear stamps and has always been told that she couldn't stamp. Last week proved that person wrong. She stamped perfectly and then enjoyed colouring in her image. I helped her choose a card blank and embellishments, and she produced a beautiful card that she was very proud of.  We stamped and embossed a few more images, which she took home ready to make some more cards. It felt so good that I, with even my limited knowledge, opened up a whole new chapter of crafting for her. Isn't that what crafting is about?..sharing knowledge and enabling someone to create something beautiful. Friday was a  hospital appointment for my osteo arthritis. The consultant was very pleased that the treatment was having a positive effect. Medication, thumb splint, resting splint and compression gloves. I was even happier. During the last few months ny weight has gone up considerably. I put it down to the medication. Well it seems to have levelled out and I thought that I might have lost a little of the extra weight. Was I surprised when he said that my medication was to be reduced...alternating the dose....one a day then 2 a day.  The reason? The dose depends on your weight. So that means I have not only lost the extra weight I had put on....but lost some extra from when I last attended. Wooohooo!!! 
Also managed a card and I am pleased at the way it turned out. My colouring is definitely improving. Some way to go yet but I'm getting there. The card is for my granddaughter's 15th birthday in a couple of weeks.

The image is from Inklined...glittered foam flowers from a pound shop. Go Kreate die, x-cut punch... everything else from my stash.

Cold, wet and dark...

..the weather that is. Not feeling all that bright myself. Supposed to have gone to craft group today but got up with a raging headache. I thought that breakfast and a shower would help shift it... but no. Went back to bed for a couple of hours and I do feel a little better now, although I am very cold. I've got the heating on and extra layers of clothes but it doesn't seem to be helping. If this carries on my heating bill is going to be horrendous.  I have to go out tomorrow as I have to put money in the bank to cover my shopping delivery which I'm waiting for at the moment. I think an extra early night is on the cards for me.  All that aside I do have a card. It's for the monthly forum challenge, and the theme is LIM..less is more..and had to have a snowman or penguin as the main image plus a sentiment. Not a easy as you think when you are used to using backing papers and embellishments. I made it..then had to make it again.....the sentiment was wonky and I had some ink transfer from one of the stamps. I couldn't make it without any glitter at all so I added just the tiniest bit to the snowflakes. The base card is white though it doesn't look very white on the pic. I added a little colour to the snowman and the sentiment using my new pencils.

Just a quick post...

...so that you know I haven't gone awol..lol.  Had plans to get my housework done and enjoy some crafting time at the weekend. "Best laid plans...." haven't been feeling too well this week, think it has been the change in the weather. Nothing specific..just feeling more tired than usual. Decided I needed a little retail therapy, so I bought myself some new colouring pencils. I know everyone is using the alcohol markers but I'm resisting that route. First..I can't afford them at the moment and will be unlikely to in the near future. I know that that the price is coming down steadily, but if I buy a few I will want them all. I do have some colouring mediums so I've decided to try and improve my techniques with what I've got. Now....I've been colouring with cheapo colouring pencils and I've found that I'm happier with those....so..I bought myself some Staedtler ergo soft pencils from ebay.  Good price as well..24 for £9.99..with free p&p. ordered them Thursday..got them this morning...my kind of shopping! Going to have a proper play with them tomorrow..housework can wait. I've got another card done. Was really pleased with it until Molly got her paws on it. Left it on the table for the glue to dry and she decided she wanted to play with the buttons that I'd glued. Managed to rescue it but there is a little bit of glue showing. I think I might be able to get away with it though....hope so anyway. It's my great-niece's Christmas card. She always wants fairies and Disney princesses but I went different this year. Still girly with pink and lime green and a bit of blue...and glitter!   Spotted paper and snow person stamp from Polka Doodles...buttons, ribbon, card and glitter from stash.

Made a start....

.....on  my Christmas cards. Well I just had to try out the new stamps I've got. The first one is  is an adorable little elephant called Humphrey.  I coloured him in using ordinary felt tip pens and a water brush. Added some snow with a gelly roll white glaze pen.... and some snowflakes punched from glitter card.  I think my colouring is improving slightly.....???? 

Another Humphrey..this time a rocker card. Coloured with very ordinary cheapo colouring pencils and a bit of glitter card and stickles glitter. On this image I put him some red boots on..whereas the first one I didn't. In the examples that I have seen there are no boots but I think it looks better with. What do you think.

Another rocker card..this time with stamps by Polka Doodles. The inspiration for this card came from them as well so I can't take the credit for that. Again coloured with pencils and lots and lots of glitter on the trees.

I've entered this card for the monthly forum inspirational challenge..which is Winter Wonderland with glitter and glitz.  Think it fits the bill.  Tyler is the 3 year old little boy who lives next door 

Thank you for reading. Hope to continue with the roll I am on at the moment.

Daisy,Daisy...

....tra la la la, la laaa. Just a little ditty that's been in my head since my last bout of crafting. I made five cards all with the same image stamp..a daisy. Why?..Well.....my eldest has finally got the go ahead for a crafting group at his local TARA..(tenants and residents association)..and I've been roped in. The first gathering was last Tuesday and I really enjoyed it. He asked me to make a few stamped samples so that's what I was doing last weekend.  That's was as well as the front garden...grass cut and borders weeded. I've got the back garden started on Thursday....while the glorious weather is with us..and hope to finish it tomorrow and/or Monday.
Now for the cards. All made..with exception of the base card.....from scraps from my bit box.

The daisy stamp coloured using felt tips and a water brush. Matted and layered with pink glitter card using dies from Go Kreate. Papers from Pink Petticoat, sentiment stamp..not sure who's..and a bit of ribbon from stash to finish.

Now a circular card. Just stamped and glittered the image.  Daisy paper as before. Matted and layered using X cut dies...and a Sizzix embossing folder. Rest from stash.

A side stepper card. Image masked and coloured with oil pastels. Dies from Go Kreate. Sentiment from Pink Petticoat and the border punch from X Cut.

Stamped three times..alternately on pink and white card. Sentiment on fourth panel and gems added. Matted on alternate colour card and then all four matted on to dark blue. I then added glossy accents to the daisy images.

The last one looks a bit Christmassy. Stamp paper pieced, and matted onto gold mirri. Border used is a Woodware border punch. I've not put a sentiment on this one yet. Not sure that I like it.

I am a woman of many moods....and they all require chocolate.

September is going fast...

 ...too fast!  The nights are drawing in pretty fast now and we will soon be putting our clocks back. I love the weather though. Ok , we have had some rain..but not too bad and the temperature is more to my liking. I do love Autumn. Still not got the grass cut and there is a bit more to do in the garden. I'm not going to get stressed about it though...it will get done when it gets done. I've got two things to show you. first the cross stitch that I did for one of my grand-daughters. Word came back that she loved it. The pattern was from cross stitcher magazine. I did it on 14 count to make it a bit quicker and glad I went for the blue aida..think it shows the shading better.

Next, a card. I did this for the Crafters Re-united forum inspirational challenge. The remit was circles and stripes. Was a bit thrown by this but then I was inspired by Papercraft Inspirations magazine..and a free download of the paper used...perfect! I needed a card for my neice's partner as well. Difficult task here as I've nevr met him and don't know anything about him except that he is an accountant.  So..combined the two and went for a basic male card. Happy with the way it turned out.

Striped paper..I think is Papermania. Faces paper a free download from Papercraft Inspirations.  The text is computer generated. Dark blue paper from stash.

Also managed a couple of ATCs for the forum. Must get those in the post!....and I really need to sort out my my picasa ATC albums.....and this blog needs a bit of updating. The list of things to do is getting longer......

Not much to post about.

I haven't done any crafting 'cos I've been busy in the garden. It really needed a good tidy. Cleared up some leaves..lots more to come...and deadheaded a few things and cut some other things back. The lawns need cutting but they will have to wait a few more days. Most of this week has seen me shifting soil. My neighbours are digging out a flower bed and paving it and were going to take all the soil to the tip.   Dot (my neighbour) asked if I would like it instead. Yes please! she spent a long time sifting and adding bags of compost to that flower bed a few years ago so I knew it would be good for my front garden. Mine is very stony and very shallow ...can't dig down very deep because of the tree roots...which by the way has been cut down. Well her hubby dug out all the soil and wheelbarrowed it all onto mine. I just had to shovel it onto my very meagre and sorry looking borders. My front garden is starting to look like a garden now. They even gave me a lot of the plants so have been planting those as well. It has tired me out though. Just have to catch up with the housework now...although my sons have played their part doing the essentials and cooking. I'm hoping to have a few days crafting. I really need to think about making a start on Christmas cards if I don't want to be rushing at the last minute. I did manage to finish a piece of cross-stitching that I started for one of my grand-daughters..just needs pressing and framing.



"I am a woman of many moods and they all require chocolate".....this is so me!

Ggggrrrrr!!!!

Things are not going right computer wise. Aol keeps disconnecting, the comp is running slow, AOL temporarily lost several days email.....(got them back now but will take me ages to get through them)..and today I can't log on to the Crafters re-united forum. I was hoping to post a card for the inspirational challenge and the deadline is tomorrow. I'm not a happy bunny. To top all that I have lost a couple of sheets of self adhesive gems. I know I had them a few days ago but can't remember putting them away. Wanted them yesterday and can't find them anywhere. I've looked in every drawer, box and folder and can't find them. It's so annoying! Anyway I have got a couple of cards to post. The first one was for my youngest's birthday (22). Now John doesn't "do" cards...I've done the football..the car..the sexy lady etc. Was a bit stumped so I decided to keep it simple. Done in the colours of his room. He didn't say much about it but it's still on the mantelpiece.....2 weeks later....so I think he likes it.

Black card matted and layered onto white and grey. Big faux brads in grey (punched circles and then embossed and added glossy accents).  Lettering is an alphabet die borrowed from eldest..so I don't know the make, and to finish it off, some grey paper string....simples!

This next card kills two birds.....It's for my DIL's birthday and I hope to enter it for the forum inspirational challenge....if I can get logged on. I was a bit worried that it was too young for her, 40 something, but she does love cute, fairies and glitter, so I've gone for it. The image is from Lilli of the valley, matted onto glitter card. Added a bit of glitter to her wings. The backing paper is by Pink Petticoat....used it for the sentiment as well. Used an X-cut punch on cream card to match the base card down the side, added a blue lace ribbon from my stash. Punched butterfly ..same as backing paper....which I've foiled with silver. Three die cut flowers with a bit of stickles glitter glue, and a leaf punch to finish it all off. Hope she likes it.

Wouldn't you just know it?..soon as I'd posted on here I managed to get on the forum to post my card, and I got the deadline wrong..it's Monday. Got there in the end.

Been playing...

....catch-up for the last couple of weeks.  Had a day in Bury with grandchildren a couple of weeks ago and that put my routine all out.  Just about caught up with everything now thank goodness, just got my bedroom/craft room to tidy now. I've even done the garden....front and back..and a tiny bit of crafting. Ddefinitely got to do some tomorrow. It's my youngest's birthday on Wednesday and I have yet to make his card. I've really struggled to come up with ideas, but I think I've cracked it now. Made a start on some cross stitching for one of my granddaughters, not a big project but I hope she will like it.
Finally got my new oven....yay!  Youngest son is enjoying using it....lol.  And more good news....MY GUTTERING HAS BEEN FIXED!!!...only took 7 months.  It turns out that the contractors who originally did it had told the housing association that it was repaired last month. I had another date for the repairs to be done on August 11th...but the housing association repair team came out last week and fixed it. Think someone from the contractors is going to be in a bit of bother. Would love to be a fly on that wall.

Also made a card for the Crafters Re-united inspirational challenge. The theme was Mono...but we could use skin tones a well if the design called for it. Well I was dying to use a Lilli of the Valley image that I got with a magazine. There are 20 designs and all gorgeous..can feel a crafty spend coming on!  Well I chose the design...coloured it..made the card and was really pleased with myself....until I read the remit again. The mono theme had to include the sentiment as well.....mine didn't....so couldn't enter it. Wouldn't have worked well with the colour I went for so did it in grey.Will read the rules extra carefully next time. Anyway, here's the card.

The backing papers are ..I think from Papermania...could be wrong though, I've had them ages. I ran the top piece through my die cutter using a Sizzix folder....the bottom piece I used a craft tonic border punch. Cut and framed the image with my Go Kreate dies. Added  a few flowers that were first coloured with an ink pad and then added a bit of stickles. Ribbon from my stash with a stamped sentiment..... and the butterfly....well that is a 5 petal flower punch with one of the petals cut out as I don't have a small butterfly punch.

Time is flying.....

..by. I've got so much I want and need to do but this week I've been exhausted. Have done very little the last couple of days. Perhaps it's the heat that's got to me...thankfully it's a little cooler now.  Wednesday was shopping in town...bought some crafting goodies....nothing much..just a few bits from the 99p store. Amazing what you can find if you have a good browse. Friday saw the OT. Not a long appointment but gave me some tips on relaxation in the hope it may help me sleep better. I've never been a good sleeper at the best of times so I'm not pinning too much hope there. She's away for all of August but I can contact the hospital if need be. Met with Anne for lunch and a good old catch up on the gossip. I haven't done any crafting at all!!!  If I can get motivated this week and get jobs done that need doing, then perhaps I can spend some "me" time in my crafting space...and I want to do a couple of very small cross stitch projects. It's sitting there on the top of my box just waiting to be stitched.  I want to try and get them done at a time when I don't have much else to do, otherwise my fingers will swell and I won't be able to hold the needle.
OK..off to take my medication now and try to have an early night with some quality sleep.

Don't time fly?

Doesn't seem like a month since I last posted. What have I been up to?....not a lot. The weather has foiled all my attempts at gardening except for yesterday. I was determined I was going to get some much needed tidying done. Broke my own rule with that. To make sure that I pace myself  I have a rule now that I don't start gardening before 3 in the afternoon and only spend an hour out there.  Spent 3 hours yesterday. Had to be done though....I am so behind with what needs doing...but at least now a big part of what needed doing is done. That makes me a happy bunny.  I haven't done as much crafting as I wanted to either. There are not enough hours in a day to do all I want and still get plenty of rest. That is something I can't change so I'm not going to worry about it. I've had another appointment with the OT and I now have ...beside the thumb splint...a resting splint for night time and a pair of compression gloves. My hands were so swollen when I saw her that she was quite shocked and didn't realize that they got that bad. That's when she decided on the compression gloves. I can wear those when my hands are swollen....and just the left hand one and the resting splint on the right hand at night. It has meant a big improvement to my hands and my sleep. The problem was that I slept on my hands....but with the splint I can't do that now..and the glove and splint means that I am not waking as much because of pain in my hands.  Still finding it difficult to actually drift off to sleep but that's another problem that the OT is going to try and resolve on my next visit. I think she is thinking along the lines of asking my GP to change my night medication. I've been on it for nearly 6 years now so my body has probably got too used to it.
I did get two cards made...one for the Inspirational challenge on the Crafters Re-United forum and another just so that I could try out 2 new goodies.

Here's the first one for the challenge. The theme was for a female card and it must have a ribbon. I was looking through my stash trying to decide what to do when I came across a parchment that I'd traced and never got any further. I couldn't find the pattern instructions...or the designer....so just went for it. A few mistakes but as I haven't done any parchment for 18 months not too bad.

The next card is using a Build a Blossom Pansy sheet from La Pashe. My new goodies as well...one of a set of dies from Go Create. I've been playing and now son has borrowed them for the weekend. Kept the card very simple, was very pleased with the effect until I went and stamped the sentiment wonky. I am considering stamping the sentiment on card and covering the original. Not sure now though....what do you think?.....leave it alone..cover it?...

Halfway...

...but not to paradise. To the other side of the city. It started yesterday on the way home from the city centre after a bit of shopping with my eldest. I have to have someone with me on these trips because I am not reliable and tend to get a bit stressed. Well...I got on my bus to go home and suddenly realised that I hadn't got my handbag...(purse to our USA friends). I couldn't do anything about it so I stayed on the bus home and then had to decide what to do. Tried to remember where I had misplaced it and came to the conclusion that I had left it on the previous bus, or left it at the bus stop when I put my bags down. First thing I did when i got home was ring my mobile. No answer. Then phoned the bus company and was told that if I had left it on the bus and someone handed it to the driver, it wouldn't reach the depot until midnight. Tried my mobile again and got an answer. It was the driver of the bus..thank goodness! Then had to arrange to go today and collect my lost property. Phoned my son and he came with me as I didn't have a clue how to get to Halfway, and had to borrow the bus fare. Was re-united with my bag and it's contents....was so relieved. This little adventure has shook me up a bit.....thinking what problems there would have been if my bag hadn't been handed in. It just makes me feel so much more vunerable. At least, hopefully, I will be able to relax and get some sleep tonight.

Another busy week.

The end of another busy week. 2 hospital appointments since my last post, some gardening and a card made.
Wednesday's appointment was with the occupational physiotherapists. It was supposed to be an hour long but due to missing buses was 20 minutes late...hence a shortened appointment. It was good though. She gave me a thumb splint to wear and already I can feel the benefit. She has also written a letter to my landlords(housing association) and requested another hand rail for the stairs, and she is also trying to sort getting my armchair highered. I have to go back in 4 weeks when she is hoping to give me some other methods for getting some quality sleep.  As many people will know (or maybe not), sleep is something M.E. sufferers have a real problem with.  It's not the amount of sleep but the quality which is the problem.
Got a little gardening done but not much......just a bit of tidying.

The card I made was for the Crafters Re-united inspirational challenge. The card could be any theme, any colour, any shape, as long as it was no bigger than 31/2 ins x31/2ins. perfect for those smaller images that I'm sure most of us have.  I usually do 6x6 or 5x7 cards .....but I do have some blank 5x5 which I might try. Enough waffling...here's the card.  The main image is, I think, Bentley Bear, but definitely by Adam Prestcott..... I love his images. Backing paper is My Minds Eye. Nesties and embossing folder used, ribbon and gems  from stash. The sentiment stamp..which I think is very appropriate for the challenge..is from another set but I can't remember the name.