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.