Midweek (almost) madness

We go away on Thursday for two weeks, I have had a notice on the web site for a couple of weeks saying that we were closed from 1st August and I am still getting requests for sample. I am really pleased that my work is in demand and I really love what I'm doing but I need to get ready for my jollies. I have a house to clean, ironing to be done and baking to be made!!!!! Aaarrgh ;) I am finishing my samples for the DT as I had a couple of largish orders come in last week. I made two exploding boxes which were collected yesterday and I got orders for a couple of sample invitations which I sorted. I also took time out this morning to do the midweek dare and made it fit a challenge on the Just Bex forum. I still have three LOs which I would like to do today so I will show you my card then I'm gone :)

Base card is ivory pearlised card, paper is from the 6 x 6 Lily Kate pad by Basic Grey, elephant was from a RAK from about 2 years ago, Sorry is a Doodlebug rubon, ric rac flowers and bow are from stash and greeting was done on the pc.

Hopefully I will be back later.

Challenge 17

I'm doing the challenges all out of order as I'm doing the card making ones first and getting more confused by the minute! (it doesn't take much). I'm having to download each challenge as they are put on the web site then file them once they are done otherwise I would be well and truly lost. Anyway, Est set this challenge and here is what she wanted

Challenge 17

There is nothing nicer than a scrummy choccachino from Thorntons and your challenge is to create a card in the colours of this scrummy drink. 1 chocalific point for completing this challenge. Remember ladies new cards only please.

Backing paper on the left is the reverse of 'Dress Up' from the Twirl by Crate Paper. I don't know where the paper on the right came from! Ribbon and satin heart slider are from my scrummy June kit from Ribbon Oasis . Flowers are Prima with a bit of bling, chipboard tag is by Papermania and the rub on greeting is Letraset.

Friday's DCM challenge

Well at last, I dared!

Well Hello !! Friday has come round again soooo fast ! Its my turn (Jane) to dare this week. Okay -are you ready ? For my dare you can choose any theme for the card BUT it must incorporate 'Checks', whether it be gingham paper or ribbon or squares, any thing really as long as it incorporates some kind of shape with 4 equal sides....... so go on- I dare you to think outside the square/step out of the box ..............easy as, eh ?!!

I haven't got around to putting a greeting on yet because I'm not sure whether to stamp one or not bother with one. Gosh, decisions! It will give me something to think about tomorrow ;)

What do you think? Paper is K and Co mat stack Hopscotch Girl (I just love these papers), stamped image is by Pixie Dust on Ebay, flowers, button and ribbon from stash.

I'm off to bed now. Night!

More challenges

Here is challenge 14

As they say less can sometimes be more. Please make either a card or a LO proving this is right. Lets see all your minimalistic work.

and here is my card.

Quickutz duck and blue ric rac. Greeting is printed on the pc.

Challenge 15

Your challenge is to come up with a card featuring a Succulent Strawberry and Kool Kiwi colour combination...yum

and this what I've made.

Paper is from the Making Memories "Kate" pad, greeting is a Letraset rubon, flowers were from ebay and thelarge brad in the middle is by Papermania.

Challenge 12

Sub title - Scissor sisters card challenge! Okay Ladies root around and dust off those scalloped or zig zag scissors...yep this challenge is to produce a card using your decorative edged scissors.

Challenge 8

Another one by Lis Anyone up for a double challenge??? We need you to have double of something on your LO please and as this is a double challenge we need a card too ..... you get double points for this one.

First my card. This was ordered by my daughter for her friend's little boy who will be 2 next Friday.

I have two different papers and two balloon brads.

For the LO I have used two photos

Papers and Page Frills are from my recent kit ordered from the Scrummy Stash Cafe and they are seriously yum! I shall definitely need some more of the "Phoebe" paper :)

Challenge 9

Lisa posted this one the other day. With all this strange weather lately, lets have a challenge that make us all giggle. Lets all make either a Layout or a Card that makes you laugh. This challenge is down to my little 5yr old Louis when we were having supper last Friday night...

These photos always make me laugh for very different reasons but Katie hates the first one, I don't know why. LOL

Madness 2

Today I need to try to get caught up with my challenges so I plan on doing them in between making 70 vellum pockets for my thank you cards!! So the first one is to make a card or LO using the colours pink, cream and brown so out came the Making Memories Cosmopolitan Pad :) and here's the first pic of many, I hope.

Right off to make a few vellum envelopes, then I will be back with another challenge.

End of month madness

I am hoping to squeeze in the end of month challenges from the Just Bex forum I'm fairly busy again with work and am behind with a couple of challenges too due to the work thingy! When the say it's the end of the month madness that is exactly what they mean. Challenges are thrown about so fast, you need a flack jacket to avoid them. I've done the first one (which is actually challenge 10!) and have sorted my bits for the catchup so I just won't be able to go to bed. LOL

This challenge was set by the lovely Nicky and she says "Are you ready........steady...........go!! It's end-of-the-month, go-challenge-crazy time . Here's a nice straightforward challenge for you - make a card of any kind, using a charm."

This card was quick and simple. It is just a charm tied with yellow organza ribbon onto cream pearlescent card matted onto a small square of Bazzill Bling then onto a piece of gold foil embossed with a Cuttlebug scroll folder. It is then stuck onto an ivory hammered card blank. The font used for the greeting is aka Frivolity.

DCM dare

Nothing to report from yesterday as I spent the day working on my samples for Debbi Moore and an order for 70 thank you cards which came in on Sunday. I've done some more today as well as lots of washing but we won't talk about that. I did break off this morning though to do a couple of dare cards. One I made specifically for the dare, then got a call from my sister in law to see if I would make a card for her poker playing dad! So this is what the Daring Cardmakers want this week:

This week we have a numerical Little Extra challenge for you:
"We've Got Your Number"
Numbers and Fun? Those two words don't often appear in the same sentence, do they?Well, we'd like you to have some fun with numbers and put a numeral on your card - it's as easy as thatSo a great opportunity to make some kid's birthday cards, but there's also Sweet 16, those milestone Birthdays, Special Anniversaries, even New Home cards personalised with the recipient's new house number on - as long as it's got a number on it, it counts (haha - did you spot the extra-subtle pun there?) There are probably loads of other ways to use numbers on your cards so get inventive and enjoy a bit of creative accountancy for our little bit of midweek fun.

Here are my cards

Another challenge

.....and a first for me. The first time I have done a challenge other than CBC, Just Bex and DCM and I am really chuffed with myself :))

This is the card I made

for a challenge I found on Cheryl's blog (see mum on the run in my blog buddies) The challenge is posted on Beate Johns blog. The paper is from Pink Petticoat, it's actually lilac not blue as it looks here. I've dotted diamantes on some of the flowers. The top left hand paper is from the K & Co Mat Pad- Ivory and the other is lilac pearlescent card. I have added ric rac to cover the join topped off with an oval studded with a couple of lilac Quicklets and mounted with foam pads. The greeting is a rub on by Letraset.

100% Recycled

Lisa's Friday night challenge on Just Bex is called 'Bargain Bucket' In my fave scrapbooking mag, they make a LO each month but have to stick to a £5 budget, I've decided that we can do better than that. I challenge you to make a LO spending no more than £1 (adhesives, pens etc are not included in the budget) We'd love to see a list of what you have used.

Here is my LO and I have spent............................zilch!!!

The brown paper is what my cards from my last PDA order were wrapped in, the blue 'photo mount' paper is the inside of an envelope, the yellow flowers were punched from a Yellow Pages memo pad (which was free when I placed my ad) and the beads were free on the front of a scrapbook mag a few weeks ago. The beads in the top right hand corner read "I see no ships", the flowers read "Perran" and "Porth" and the word at the bottom says "Cornwall". :))

I must just share this picture with you too. It is one of my dozy kittens sat quite happily in my handbag!

Night night. x

Lynne's first dare!!

Congratulations Lynne, it's a brilliant dare. Here's what she said:
Pockets of Fun
It's my turn - (Lynne) - to set the dare this week.OoooOOoooOOooooOOOoo!!!!!!!!My first Dare. I’m so nervous, I can’t believe that it’s my turn already.I’ve gone for something nice and easy - had to break myself in gently.POCKETS I’d like to see lots and lots of pockets. Pockets full of posies, Brass in Pocket (love the Pretenders).Pockets on clothes, Pockets from clothes, Library Pocket, Pockets of this and Pockets of that. Get the idea? Pockets and Pockets of Pockets.

You can't really see it from the scan but I've embossed a circle of brown Bazzil with the Happy Birthday embossing folder by Cuttlebug (it's really prominent IRL) and used it as my pocket by turning the sides under. The flowers in the 'bouquet' are die cuts from Papermania (some are glued on flat and others are stuck on with foam pads to give the 3D look). The bow is from my ribbon kit that I bought last month from Ribbon Oasis. I am really tight with these ribbons because they are just so gorgeous! LOL
Just a quick one from me today as I've not long since received my design kit from Debbi Moore and I have an overwhelming urge to play!

Bye for now. x

Another LO

I'm getting into this scrapping lark big style. It's probably not a bad thing for two reasons. One is that I have so much stuff to use up it will help stock deplete a bit faster (then I can justify buying new stuff even more) and the second reason is that my wedding album might stand a bit more chance of getting more than three pages in it :))
These instuctions were for a new comp over at Just Bex. If you've got a spare couple of hours, why not pop over and say hello. You will made to feel very welcome :)
FOR this COMPETITION we need you to use all or part of this colour palette and create a SUPER LO I found some really pretty (well I think they are!) photos of my pretty flowers in my garden and these colours lend themselves really well to this project.

Materials used are as follows: backing card is from Crate Paper Baby Bee Collection, photos mounted onto small mat stack earth tones by DCWV, large flower ribbon slider brad from A Card 4 U yellow dotty ribbon from one of the mini kits by Ribbon Oasis, daisies from Mad About Cards, Primas from Craft Obsessions. Words cut with Curly Gurlie alphabet.

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Mixed bag...........

........of bits this morning and I will save the best till last ;))

First up, I have done the little extra midweek dare from DCM and enjoyed it again. This is what is required this week Fee Fi Fo Fum.....For our Little Extra challenge this week, we'd like you to "Go Faux it" Yes, all we want you to do this week is to use something fake on your cards. For instance you could make fake ribbon, fake brads or fake chipboard - we think you talented folk can come up with lots more "let's pretend" ideas so we can't wait to see your ideas.

I have used faux stitching, faux ribbon, faux brads and faux diamonds!

My next piece is a challenge from Sue over on the Just Bex forum We had to

I think this may be hard?? but a little different?? what we want you to do is MAKE/CREATE a pressie for a child...maybe your own or a neice or nephew or one to sell on your craft tables. You can use ANY medium you fancy

This is what I came up with

Closed Front and back covers (idea taken from the maze books)

Inside with part word cards. The instructions are stuck onto the front of pockets. Instructions and small cards have all been laminated.

All the words from the pockets. Days of the week are blue and months are green. I used this a lot when I worked at school. I can be made more difficult by making the cards all one colour!

And now for the best bit..............I am now officially on the design team for Debbi Moore and I am just so excited. I've been sat on this news for about 2 months but seeing as I got a call this morning saying that I should have my first kit by the end of the week, I thought it would be ok to tell everyone. :))

My Daddy and Me!

Sue set the challenge for this one by saying "So we all watch telly and we all love a good film - this time we want YOU to create a LO inspired by a FILM or TV programme. No other rules.........any size.......any colour.....have a ball" so I did!!

I really enjoyed doing this LO, so thanks Sue.

I am finally beginning to make head way on my catch up list, so I will be back tomorrow with more.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the lovely comments you leave. They do wonders for a girl's confidence :))

And the next one please!

Here's what Nicky said when she revealed the challenge: Create a LO featuring 9 squares in a 3x3 grid, at least 2 of which must be photos. Easy!

and here is my interpretation. They are not strictly squares so I'm hoping she is going to be lenient. :)

I had the brilliant idea of using some of our wedding photos for the challenges every so often from now on. I bought a scrapbook etc 3 years ago and have done..............................3 pages plus this one which now makes four :) So by the time we celebrate our silver wedding anniversary I should have just about got the album done.

Round Two

Lisa from Funky Fairies has just joined the team of challenge mods on the JB forum and this is her first challenge.......

It's the last week of term before the kids finish for summer hols. You need to make a teacher a card without mentioning School or having anything to do with school on your card.

.........and here is my card

right, off to the next challenge :)

Yesterday's offerings

I didn't manage to get much done yesterday as mum and dad came for lunch and didn't leave till 5. I did manage a page though for another challenge on Just Bex This challenge was set by Est over a week ago and I have just managed it. Here's what she said: Your challenge is to buy a piece of jewellery/badge/keyring etc and incorporate this into a scrapbook layout.

This is my piece of jewellery. DD decides to take it off the card for me and promptly pulled the catch off so it was just as well that I was taking it to pieces!

This is what I did with it. DD and her friend were messing about during a sleep over and took the photos on her phone then played with them in Photoshop. Such a clever child. LOL I kept to the black and white theme to tie in with the photos. At 11.30 last hubby remembered that he needed a leaving card for work. He printed off the pics and I made the card and this is how it turned out.

My fab postie has been with nice parcels again this morning and just look what I got *:)) big beaming smile icon needed*These papers are just stunning. A couple of the pads are replacements but two of them are new. Unfortunately the 12 x 12 is for my mums birthday on Saturday. I have ordered it for me though :))

When I first bought the pads I paid £3.75 each for them, then I found them on the SSUP web site and if you spend over £10 p & p is free. The service is excellent too. I really must start a fave shops list as I cannot recommend highly enough.

It has taken me 3 hours to write this entry. My daughter and son in law appeared having just been to the doctors. Lee was cutting the grass on Saturday and was bitten by something. He got up this morning and his hands and wrists are so swollen that he can't make a fist. He has been given antihistamines and steroids and has to go back tomorrow. As they were leaving one of my very dear friends arrived. Kath has been caught up in the Toll Bar flood and is still living in the local leisure centre. I wanted her and her daughter and grand-daughter to come and stay here for a while but if they move out of the centre voluntarily, they won't get caravan accomodation.

Right on with the challenges and I will be back later.

Maze book part 3!!!

LOL sorry about this but I had a flash of inspiration this afternoon and just had to share it to complete the picture.

I was scouring the photos this afternoon as I need to do a couple of scrapbook challenges (I'm waaaaaaaay behind on these). Anyway, as I said I had my nose pressed against the screen of my laptop and whilst browsing the cd containing our wedding photos, I came across photos of two very special people. Upon finding said photos I just had to add them to the tags in Harriet's maze book because.....................

these lovely people are Harriet's Grandma and Grandad :) I just mounted them straight onto the tags and have left the backs blank so they can both add a little message of their own. I will also promise to make Francesca one when she reaches the ripe old age of 4. :))I have finished the maze book I started ages ago for mum as it is her birthday next Saturday. They are coming tomorrow so she can take her parcels home with her to save me posting them.

The papers are from an old SA kit and I've stuck to a predominantly aqua/turquoise and brown colour scheme.

Well I spent a couple of hours in the garden this afternoon and pruned back a couple of overgrown bushes. I tried weeding but the ground is still holding so much water it is like great clods of clay, so I gave up after a while. I thought I would clean up after DH had gone to work..................how wrong I was. I have faffed about all evening and all i've done is finish my mums book, put a load of washing in and had a shower. I think I may have to get up rather early tomorrow as the parents are coming for lunch!!!

Haberdashery challenge

I decided today not to use a maze book as a birthday card for the two year old (see yesterday's post) and used this week's dare to make a real birthday card :))

G'day all, Gillian here, and it's my turn to dare you all this week
Your card can be any theme you like, just as long as it's got something you'd find in a Haberdashery Department on it
Alright then, grab that old sewing basket of yours or raid your sewing machine drawer, have a look at what creative bits are hidding away there....maybe it's buttons, a zip, hook & eye's, ribbons, braids, Dressmaking patterns, tape measures,Pins & Needles, lace, safety pins or embroidery thread....
so many wonderful little treasures just waiting to be added to your next card :O)
I'm going to add one more rule....
Yes you may stitch on your card, but that can't be your only haberdashery item....

Haberdashery items used are buttons, satin ribbon for bow and cotton daisy 'ribbon'. I think this is much better for a two year old's birthday, but then I'm biased! LOL

Here is the maze book I made for the 'big' sister.......she will be four on the 31st July :)

Front cover and tags. I've left them blank so Grandma Sue can add some bits of her own and I thought that Harriet could use the teddy tag as a little bookmark.

And finally, the card I made yesterday has been photographed. This was another first attempt and I'm quite pleased with it.

Phew................goodnight!

Quick post

Just a quick one tonight to show a card made this morning. I'm certainly getting use out of this die at the moment. This is the third time in as many weeks that I've made new home cards for my personal use!

I do think it's sweet though. I have two 'house' stamps which I usually use it rotation with the die but my mum has one of them and I had actually forgotten about the other one until now! Never mind.

I have also made two wedding invitation samples, two maze books and a special boxed card today. I will show the invitation if I get the order. The maze books aren't finished yet. They are for sisters......one is four at the end of this month and the other is two next month. My friend saw the one I made for Annette last month and liked it enough to think that I could maybe make her one for Harriet and in my opinion if one sister gets something different to the other sister, there is all hell to pay, so I thought I would do them one each! Might change my mind yet ;) The third card from the order, the boxed card, is finished but hasn't been photographed yet. will get them sorted tomorrow.

I've just realised, I haven't used Sue's template today, oops!

Well I'm off to bed now as I've had a headache since last night and it won't go away.