Craft Robo

...is a bit poorly me thinks :( It started snagging the paper a while back so about February time I thought I would treat it to a new blade and I had snapped the end off the blade holder somehow. Now the Robo is one of those things which I desperately wanted for my business and was going to reach the sky with but I have never had the time to play and practise with it. Although I have had it three years I have never got to grips with it except for cutting words (I am really embarrassed to admit this to the world) If I had had someone to sit and show me what to do then I would probably have managed ok but I don't think my brain is wired up to take in instructions on it's own. With my phone, camera, lap top etc DH has to read all my instructions, then explain it to me a thousand times, then eventually it goes in and if it doesn't..........well he is totally genned up anyway so can get me out of any hole I happen to be in at the time ;)



Anyway to cut a long story short, it's a few weeks since I put the new blade in and tried it. I need to cut a few words to make some quick cards and the damn thing still won't cut properly. I tried it with the pen (for the first time) and it wrote perfectly.
and this is what it's doing to the paper!

This was cut on 100gsm copier paper. Before I bought the new blade I was cutting Bazzill card ok but with two cuts.

If anyone out there has any ideas (in words of one syllable) then they would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

Just Chr.....s

......& Birthday cards. I'm sorry but I just can't bring myself to say the C word in the title ;) Any how, I made the following card using the sketch from 9th Feb and forgot about it. When you see the pic you will see why! LOL

I needed a very quick birthday card for hubby to take to the party he was djing at last weekend, hence one very quick, very basic card!!

Papers are Making Memories from eons ago, 18 was cut on the Robo, flower is prima, rub on is Papermania and the ribbon is from my very favourite Ribbon Oasis.

This card goes even further back on the Just Christmas & Birthday Cards blog, the challenge is dated the 2nd Feb, oops!

Papers are K & Co, Card Candy is from Craftwork Cards, image is Penny Black (stamped for me by my lovely friend Jo) tag is from Crafts By Carolyn, and the ribbons are from Ribbon Oasis.

So here it is...............

...........Merry Christmas ev'ry body's having fun! (I'll spare you all the rest of the song, my singing is dire LOL)

Today's DCM challenge is to make a Christmas card!! Jo here this week with a seasonal dare - just not this season :) I would love this week for you all to make a Christmas card... (yes I know it is only June tee hee) With a nice Christmassy scene just to get us all in the festive spirit and to pave the way for all the cards that we have yet to make....

So here is my very simple Christmas card. It was made by simply embossing a piece of gold card with one of my new Cuttlebug embossing folders, this was then mounted onto dark green card and then onto a cream base card. I punched a hole at either side of the base of the tree and tied it with red organza ribbon.....simple!

Yesterday DH and I were invited to the Christmas party launch at one of the local hotels. We had a beautiful three course meal (which knocked me out for the rest of the day as I don't usually eat lunch) complete with Christmas crackers and silly hats!! Anyway, the Operations Manager asked about the possibility of me making her Christmas cards to send to her clients. I was telling her about this folder and decided to make her a sample. I couldn't believe it when I saw the Dare over at DCM...........thanks Jo!!

The same hotel are holding a masked ball this evening booked by the Chamber of Commerce and have a fab marquee up for the occasion. I was asked if I could make them some signs for the champagne bar, toilets etc incorporating the masks!! I've never done anything like this before so it was a bit of a struggle and I didn't get to bed until 2.45 on Thursday morning but this is what I came up with.

I'm not overly happy with them but they went down well with both the hotel and the Chamber which I suppose is what counts. My Craft Robo certainly came into it's own on Wednesday as I used it to cut all the lettering.

Well folks, that's it for tonight, I'm off for an early night. DH is working and I am shattered. I have plenty more to show but will leave it until tomorrow. I'm not doing any work or h*******k this weekend, I am going to play :)

Take care and tfl.

Happy Fathers Day

I finally managed to incorporate the Page Plans sketch (my only challenge this week :() into a Father's Day card for my dad from my kids. This weeks sketch was by Chris

I used another one of my Penny Black images stamped for me by Jo from Only Joking and coloured it with Prismas and Sansador (I think I'm getting the hang of them now-I just wish they wouldn't break when they are sharpened.) and double mounted him onto pale blue and silver card. The papers, faux ribbon and round stickers are all by Papermania. Sorry about the wonky scan LOL My batteries in the camera were dead so I had to scan them quickly as my parents came over yesterday. I can't rescan them cos they went home with them!

This is my card from DH and myself.

I love this image from The Stamp Boutique as it sums my dad up perfectly! He is quite difficult to make cards for as he doesn't have any hobbies. papers on this one are by the English Paper Company and K & Co. Dad is a Sizzlit die.

I can also reveal my second Di Hickman challenge card as a guest designer. This is the template

I made this one for a friend who got married a couple of weeks ago. The papers are from one of the K & Co wedding mat stacks, die cuts are Sizzix, the bride and groom was cut for me by a friend on her Robo and the card was finished off with white organza ribbon from Ribbon Oasis

That's me off back to work now. I have a couple more commissions to slip in amongst the wedding stationery so will hopefully be able to incorporate a couple of challenges.

Scrap attack

Well I finally managed my scrap page for the first challenge of the year on Just Bex set by Sue

So our FIRST challenge for 2008 is a Scrappin' one We would like a LO - at least 8 x 8 - showing your 2007 highs or lows or whatever depicts 2007 for YOU

and here is my page

I'm still not a very confident scrapper but I do enjoy it (and I like buying paper!) but I'm hoping that confidence will come with experience. I've been scrapping properly for about 8 months now and love getting inspiration from all over the internet including page maps. The flowers are a mixture of Papermania and Prima, the 2007 is cut on the Robo and the wording is Wingo Zingo Sizzlit die. Not sure where the spotty paper is from.
I'm now going to try to do the next challenge and have a look at the little extra as I've a couple of cards I need to make.

Happy New Year

I totally ran out of time in the run up to Christmas. I got so many orders in from my last jewellery party at the end of November that I didn't have time to make my own cards. I had a few left in my box so I used them for a family and friends and just managed to squeeze in a couple of really special ones. I wanted to send cards to all the couples who had given their support in 2007 but didn't get them made so I decided to send new year cards instead. I managed to get a few made this morning before anyone got up, so they can go in the post tomorrow. I don't usually make new year cards unless they are ordered so I enjoyed making these............all on a theme but different and all from the same piece of 12 x 12 paper from Junkitz!

Flowers are all Prima and ribbons, brads etc are all from my stash. All the 2008s were cut on the Craft Robo and I've used both the positive and negative cuts. I shall now get these addressed and start on the next lot!

DH is having a DIY day today. He bought me a David Cassidy calendar for Christmas (which contains pictures of some of the posters I had on my bedroom wall as a teenager! First thing DD2 asked when she saw it was "Who's that?") DH has just put the calendar up for me but it's meant moving a picture so now he is going to remount the picture and put me some shelves up!

Just in case I don't make it back over the next couple of days I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and a big thank you to all those who have left comments on my blog. I shall look forward to seeing all the fab work on everyone else's blog over the coming months.