Granny on call!

I had an emergency call from my son-in-law this morning. My granddaughter had been sick 5 times during the night, my daughter was exhausted, he had to work, so Granny jumped in the shower, and drove the 70 odd miles to Bath to go and help out.
Daisy perked up as soon as I got there and after I'd had some breakfast, we went out for a walk into the town whilst my daughter did several loads of laundry, managed to get some of her work done, but more importantly managed to get a little sleep. Daisy had a good sleep in the stroller. I love this stroller, I bought it for me to use either at home or in Bath, and it's great. It can recline a long way down so that it's a great position for a nap.
The last time Daisy was sick, she and Libby were staying here whilst the building work was being done in their house, so James hadn't ever seen her being ill and I think it scared him a little. He was so grateful for me rushing there that two huge bouquets of flowers were delivered during the day. One for my daughter from Daisy to thank her for looking after her and one for me from Libs, James and Daisy for all I do for them.
What a wonderful surprise! What a generous gesture!
The sunflowers are my daughter's bouquet and the old fashioned pink roses are mine.
What a little treasure my son-in-law is!

Colour Create Hot Pink, Dusty Pink & Ice Chocolate

I was playing around with my fabulous new set of Basic Grey Stamps, which just arrived together with a pack of Indian Summer paper this morning. It was my candy from Sherry, for her 20,000th visitor and I just love it. I was experimenting with various inks and suddenly realised that I had chosen the precise colours for Colour Create this week. I hadn't intended making a card... merely playing around really, but I really liked the combination and here it is. Very simple, with a round sentiment from Cuddly Buddly. It's getting a bit dark out there so I hope the picture is OK.

365 Cards Day 213 In Pieces

Today we began with some components to piece together to make a Halloween inspired card. My printer didn't want to talk to my computer which made things very difficult as no printing could take place, I did manage a brief reconciliation however and got one image printed on some Pink Petticoat paper.
Everything on this card has spots. The ribbon and the orange paper started off with them, but I added the Cuttlebug random snowflake dots to the brown paper. It's one of my new folders and I think that I shall be using it lots.
I tried the pumpkin with a face, but made a very poor fist of it and so discretion being the greater part of valour, I decided to leave it off.
I hope that is allowed!

365 Cards Day 212 On the Fringes

Today 365 Cards requested fringing on two sides/edges of a card. I'm not sure if this stuff counts as fringing... I'm not quite sure what it is really. I think of fringes as having hanging bits... well this has bits hanging all over the place, so that's my excuse.
The papers are Clare Curd's Signature range. The stamp is an unmounted rubber stamp which I bought on eBay and don't know the make of. I really rather like it. It's coloured with pearly paint. I don't seem to have achieved an inordinate amount today, but I'm retired, so I don't care!!
An any occasion card I think!

Wonderful Award

I feel truly lucky to 'meet' so many lovely people through the world of blogging. One such is Clare (Littlebear) who has been so kind as to pass on this fabby award to me. Under the terms of acceptance I must let you know some of my addictions. Oh dear! Neverthless, here goes, I am addicted to...
1. Cardmaking... but then aren't we all!
2. Looking for bargains, whether it be online or in store.
3. Spending time with my darling granddaughter Daisy.
4. Crowing about my children's achievements
5. Spending time with family and friends.

Now I must nominate 5 other fabulous bloggers!
so June, Sherry, Julia, Jackie and Victoria this is for you.
Let's hear your addictions ladies!

There She Goes Spooky Cracked Glass

Well this is a first for a couple of reasons. I don't think I've ever made a Halloween Card before... I'm not too sure if I agree with sending them in the first place, however, I had this stamp in a bunch I bought second hand on eBay, so I thought I'd have a go... I fancied this challenge technique anyway!
On the There She Goes blog there is a link to the tutorial for this process of giving a cracked glass effect. I used several layers of clear embossing powder before putting the piece of card in the freezer. I do actually have some Crackle Glaze, but I thought that I would try this alternative technique for myself.
I thought that the crackle background stamp I used together with a goodly portion of distress inks were quite fitting.
I think that next time I'd need extra layers of embossing powder for a more pronounced cracked effect.
What do you think?

365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday!

I don't seem to have an abundance of inspiration today. I have a few commissions for cards but ideas are few. My friend has asked me for four cards and this is the first for her father-in-law. Although elderly, she says he likes cars, so I thought a little sporty number wouldn't go amiss. I can't remember the name of the stamp manufacturer, it's from a set of clear stamps, there's a piece of filmstrip, a guitar and an Oscar in the same set. Someone may know the make.
The sketch is from 365 Cards, the paper is Clare Curd's Signature Range and the sentiment is Papermania. The diecutting is Cuttlebug, with the border cut with a Fiskars punch.

Our Creative Corner Monochromatic Mania

Another card for today, this time for Our Creative Corner, where shades of the same colour are requested. I have used downloads from Cuddly Buddly from their Patchwork of Papers - Green range.
The image is also from Cuddly Buddly entitled Wee Sheepies, coloured with Whispers Pens and a little pearly paint.
The die cuts are Nesties and the sentiment was generated using Word Art in Microsoft WORD.
I was wondering whether to add something else to this card, but can't decide what. I tried a button threaded with ribbon in the centre of the sentiment, then decided against it.
I'm still pondering!

Autumn - Fall

One card for 5 challenges, two a with a similar theme of Autumn, one with Autumn colours, one technique, plus a sketch.
The sketch is from Clean & Simple #61, the colours from SPCC and the theme of Autumn/Fall is from Creative Inspirations and My Time to Craft.
365 Cards today wanted to see some evidence of sanding on the card. I sanded the Core'dinations paper before adding a little Cat's Eye Chalk ink in copper.
The sentiment was computer generated and die cut with a Quickutz nestie.
I do rather like minimalist cards.

More Cuddly Buddly

A second card for Cuddly Buddly, this time incorporating 4 challenges.
One Stop Crafts - Die Cuts - the Nesties for the images and the Quickutz Nestie for the sentiment.
Secret Crafter - Animal Antics - I think the bear counts as my animal... not quite sure what his antics are though!
Simon Says Stamp - It's a stitch up - I have faux stitching on this card. I must say that it has been made much easier with the acquisition of my Tim Holtz Design Ruler which has holes for facilitating even piercing!
Stamp Something - Favourite Layout - I find this particular layout most pleasing, I think that together with the Winter Warm Papers from Cuddly Buddly, the patchwork effect is really homey!(if that is a word!)
Last night we had a wonderful evening at the restaurant at our club. It was a meal with wine tasting... the food was lovely, the wine delicious and ...well shall we just say that there was plenty of it!
We'll be putting our names down for the next one!

Cuddly Buddly Debut

Today I have been catching up for the fact that yesterday was a babysitting day for me in Bath with my Granddaughter. When I got home there were parcels for me from Cuddly Buddly, where I have just joined the team of Fabulously Crafty Friends. Naturally today I wanted to use some of my new stamps and so I combined my first card for Cuddly Buddly with yesterday's challenge from 365 Cards together with the sketch from Papertake.
This was to combine 3 previous Challenges, namely from June, July and August. For these I chose Day 118 I've been framed, (create a frame) Day 139 Try a Technique (Paper Piercing) and Day 161 Cool Collage, (to cover the whole of the front of the card.)
The stamps are from Cuddly Buddly Daisy Patch (the corner) and Garden Fence (the central daisies). The papers are a Cuddly Buddly download A Patchwork of Papers Green. The green corners were made from 2 square Nesties (but rectangles would do) cut one inside the other and then the corners were cut diagonally from the frame.
I used my DIY Lego Stampamaig to help position the stamps for the Daisy frame.

For today's 365 Challenge 'It's a Jungle out there' I chose this Dustin Pike Digi stamp, coloured with Derwent Inktense Pencils and a water brush and inspired by the sketch 33 from Card Patterns.
The papers are Bloom and Grow from My Mind's Eye, the sentiment is Papermania and the diecutting is Cuttlebug.

365 Cards Day 207 DIY Patterned Paper ~ Inspirational Card Sketches #35

I have discovered lately that I quite like stamping background paper. Today for the challenge from 365 Cards, I decided to do something a little different. I drew the circles in MS Word and printed them out onto the light green paper. I then overstamped this with the crackle stamp (boy have I had my money's worth out of that stamp recently) in Stazon Olive Green, then a random dot in Gold, plus a Penny Black Golden Leaves, also in gold. Most of this last stamp has been obscured by the other elements.
The sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches this week and worked very well with this image. This is a free digi download from Whimsie Doodles. There are a couple of freebies on the site and some gorgeous images in their store. (Take a look at my card from yesterday...what a fabby chair!)
I coloured the turtle yesterday with my Derwent Inktense Pencils and a water brush and chose the green for his background, but when it was printed it wasn't quite the colour on my monitor and so I had to add a little of another green to make him tone in. I think he fits quite well now!
This was fun!

365 Cards Day 206 Tuesday Triplets ~ Pile it On - Punches ~ Charisma Cardz - Flower Power

I had problems with my printer today. 'Communication not available' was the message. I tried creeping up on it to catch it unawares, but always the same response. In the end, after having turned the thing off and on a few times, restarted my computer several times I had to go through the process of reinstalling the printer. At least it worked after that. Don't you just love technology!
As the title suggests, today's challenge is to have three of whatever we add to the card (apart from the sentiment). SO I have three flowers, three ribbons with three bows and three butterflies. Three lots of three things!
Job done!
The stamp is by the Image Tree, the paper is My Mind's Eye and the butterflies are from an X Cut Punch.
Pile it on asked for punches this week and Charisma Cardz has the theme Flower Power where the main feature is flowers. So this is for those challenges too.

Whimsie Doodles Sketch #3

This is the first time that I have entered one of Whimsie Doodles Challenges, but as I only purchased these images this morning, I guess that's a good enough reason.
I just love this chair, it just makes you want to sink into it and 'RELAX', which is why I chose this sentiment.
The willow paper and the charcoal which I used for the chair are from Cuddly Buddly, I don't remember the manufacturer of the Black spotty paper as it has been in the drawer for a while.
There are freebie images to be had over on the Whimsie Doodle Blog, so why not take a look.

Bespoke Wedding Stationery

Well I promised to show you what I've been slaving over for the past few days... my latest wedding stationery. You have probably seen the invitation, which I posted on my blog some time ago, but here is the rest of the stuff. Thank yous, Table Numbers, (there are more) Menus, Place cards and Favour Tags. The picture was taken in rather dappled light. I'm wondering about getting one of those light tent thingys. Has anyone any experience of using one?
The Table Plan isn't actually stuck down yet, I can't remember what I used as a straight edge to get the elements correctly aligned, but when I find whatever it was, I'll stick them down.
I get a real buzz from seeing the amassed pieces of stationery when everything is finished and I really enjoy packing it up ready for delivery. The bride has received lots of positive feedback about her invitations, let's hope they'll be just as impressed with the rest.

365 Cards days 204 Super Sketchy Sunday & 205 Colour Scheme

Yesterday was a really busy day for me. I was madly trying to finish my commission for a wedding which is to take place on October 3rd. The bride decided at the last moment that she would like Favour Tags as well as making a late decision on Menus. SO I had plenty to do. I'll post a pic of the things later.
The other thing which took a little time yesterday was a 50th Birthday party. My husband assured me he knew the address, but had written it down one digit out! Instead of 63 he had written 62. In the ordinary way this should not present too much of a problem, as neighbours would probably know one another. However, these two houses were on the same road which was divided into two separate parts by the A3M!
We eventually found the address he'd written down (which was in the difficult to find detached part of the road) and the lady there was most helpful, inviting me in to look at the phone book and the internet to see if that would help. Finally we drove home, got the correct address (which we had passed several times looking for the wrong one) and drove back and arrived 2 hours late! It was very pleasant after that!






On to cards.
Two from 365 Cards, the sketch from yesterday, the colour inspiration for today.
This is a Penny Black image with a Unity Stamps dragonfly and Laura Ashley butterflies. These have been heat embossed in gold together with my favourite crackle background from Crafty Individuals.

This Welcome Home card is for a friend to send to a client for whom she booked a rather nice vacation. She wanted them to know that their holiday enjoyment was important to her too!

365 Cards Day 203 - Feeling Lucky ~ Colour Create - Green & Black & SPCC Finally Friday

There are probably three or more things deemed lucky by different cultures in this card. Green itself is often thought a lucky colour, the shamrock or four leaved clovers are also thought to bring about good fortune, but my favourite in this card is the little black pussy cat.
I made his little background by masking some of the sentiment stamp and printing a bunch of lucky leaves in the two greens, then I overstamped that with the crackle. Everything else seems to have had a pretty good dose of crackle too! I love that stamp from Crafty Individuals. The sentiment is Dovecraft and the border punch is Fiskars.
This is the first time I have entered a card for the SPCC Finally Friday challenge, although I have entered their colour challenges several times. The challenge this time is to use embellishments in a group of three. Any one of a number of my cards could be entered for this any week, as it is something that I favour greatly. This one has the group of three tiny pearls.
Speaking of which, I must press on with my wedding table plan and menus, the wedding is in a couple of weeks and I haven't been given the definitive menu yet.
Hey Ho!

365 Cards Day 197 Super Sketchy Sunday & Day 202 Once Upon a Time

Well this is me all caught up with the cards from 365, which I missed out on last week.
Today's card entitled 'Once upon a time' is to depict a fairy story. I'm not sure if this is the Gingerbread man or Hansel and Gretel with the gingerbread house, so you can take your pick.
Today I have been busy looking at all the lovely stamps on the Cuddly Buddly website that I will be using on lots of my cards in my new role as a 'Fabulously Crafty Friend' of Cuddly Buddly.
I can't wait to get started.


This is a minimilist take on the Sunday Sketch, but I love this image of a bird on a branch from Unity Stamps. It was this that I used as the central component of the sketch. The sentiment is from a clear stamp which I believe is Inkadinkado.

Exciting News!

I have been chosen as a 'Fabulously Crafty Friend' at Cuddly Buddly!
The great thing is that I get to use lots of lovely stuff from this super website and online store to make cards for inspirational display. It's like being a kid let loose in a sweet shop!

Watch this space!

Several at one go!

This card began as the Day 195 Pretty Pattern from 365 Cards. Specifically we had to paper piece some gingham into the card. Here is Tilda, resplendent in gingham, also incorporating a little embossing to qualify for the Just Magnolia challenge this week.
For Truly Scrumptious, a sketch had to be followed but also 3 different stamps had to be utilised. I have used the flowers on the lower paper, the random dots on the upper and Tilda herself as the main image.
Dutch Dare has a picture inspiration for the current challenge. I guess that different monitors display colours slightly differently, but this is my interpretation of these lovely shades.
'Faking it' is the heading for this week's Papertake Weekly Challenge. Being posh, I did 'faux' stitching. I used my new Tim Holtz Design Ruler, which arrived today from Cuddly Buddly, which has holes for piercing. It made life a lot easier.
I make that enough challenges for one card. My husband has just arrived home from a day watching cricket, so I think a gin and tonic calls.
Thanks for looking!

Trying to catch up!

Here are several cards, each of which is for 365 Cards combined with challenges from other blogs.

This is today's card for 365 cards and must include a shoe. I dug out this dear little stamp from the bottom of my drawer and made a birth congratulations card. The other challenge here is from Sketch & Stash. It is based on their sketch and is made entirely of stuff that has been hanging around for ever. The papers were from a magazine, the stamp is Personal Impressions and the sentiment is from MSE.



This card is based on the sketch from Sketch 35 at 2 Sketches 4 you and is combined with the Day 194 challenge, Imagine this - technology. I think that the mobile phone this chick is using qualifies for that.


This one is for Day 196 Just a touch, where there must be literally that, just a touch of colour. I have combined this with My Time to Craft #77 Polka Dot Party. The evidence of that challenge is all too clear! This is also the 4th of my 'Thank you' cards for my friend.

Penny Black Sketch Challenge

This is the third of the 'Thank you' cards for my friend. I have chosen another challenge, Penny Black this time, with a circular sketch.
I have used papers from K & Co and My Mind's Eye. The flowers are from a Cuttlebug die and the gorgeous duckling image is from Penny Black. Don't you just love him!
Again the sentiment is Hero Arts; I do have other 'thank you' stamps, but this one is so crisp and clean and understated.
Three down, one to go! I'm off to find another challenge for the 4th and final thank you card.
Watch this space!

365 Cards Days 198 & 200 Charisma Cards Patchwork & There She Goes Partially Popped.

For today's 365 Cards Challenge the sentiment of 'I miss you' must be inside the card and that sentiment merely implied on the outside.
I thought that the image of a greyish cloud with hearts all over it fit the bill quite well. The interest is derived from the embossing and the relief, once more given by the use of dimensionals. I'm afraid that the sentiment is barely discernible on this picture, but it is a Unity Stamp printed in silver which reads I miss you (strangely enough!). I love simple cards, this is certainly that!

Here is the second of the 'Thank you' cards for my friend. This time for Charisma Cards - Patchwork, Day 198 of 365 Cards - Mosaic and also for There She Goes, where the card must have dimensionals used somewhere.
I did a little paper weaving and popped a Nestie frame around the square. The star is made from a Quickutz die set using dimensionals to give a little relief. The sentiment is Hero Arts.
I love the soft tones of this one.

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Sketch 21 & Cute Card Thursday Mint Julep

A friend asked me for 4 'Thank You' cards, so I thought that I would choose 4 challenges and do a 'Thank You' card for each. This is the first, for Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Friday Challenge.
The image is from Chris Dark, coloured with Derwent Inktense Pencils and a water brush. I use a Lexmark all in one printer and have no problems with the printed ink 'bleeding' when colouring with this medium.
It also fits with the pink and green colour requirement of Cute Card Thurday! So that's an additional challenge.
The embossing is Cuttlebug and Quickcutz and the butterflies are Cuttlebug and X Cut. The sentiment is Hero Arts.
More cards to do so I must press on!

Bow Maker

Several friends have commented on how neat the bows on my cards are. Well I cannot tell a lie, I DO have help. I use a bow maker.
These are very simple pieces of kit, but are invaluable.
When making a card I usually attach the straight ribbon onto the card first and add the bow afterwards so that the ribbon fits precisely.
There are instructions for tying the bow, which is different from the conventional method, but once learned, is really simple. They can be stand alone bows or with a bit of fiddling around can be tied onto the ribbon already on the card. If this is too fiddly, they can be stuck on with a glue dot and no-one is the wiser.
I did have written instructions for the bow maker, but I'm afraid that I can't find them at the moment. If you buy one of these items they come complete with instructions. Mine only cost a couple of pounds on eBay.
You can always tell if a bow has been tied with a bow maker as both tails appear from behind the loops rather than one in front and one behind as in a conventional bow!
The image with the bow already tied is taken from the side you work from, which is in fact, the back of the finished item.
Neat Huh!

365 Cards Day 199 Shape Up

Today for 365 cards the shape to use is a hexagon. I found this piece of backing paper covered in hexagons. This together with the colour, immediately made me think of bees, so hence this card.
All the die cutting is Cuttlebug, the leaves are from a Leonie Em punch and the sentiment is Papermania.
Off to choir tonight, rehearsing Verdi's Requiem... that's a really good sing! We will be doing a concert in Leamington Spa soon, together with a local choir. Should be fun.

Our Creative Corner , SPCC, A Spoonful of Sugar , ABC Challenges + Pile it On

I seem to have been out of the loop for a while, since looking after Daisy for a few days. I don't seem to have found much inspiration either, maybe I'm tired after trying to keep my eyes on a 14 month old little one.
Anyway this card is for five challenges. The colour combination of Really Rust, Basic Black and Whisper White is from SPCC and being autumnal I thought the combination perfect for the Autumn Colours of Fall Y'All from Our Creative Corner and Fall into Autumn for A Spoonful of Sugar this week. The combo challenge blog Pile it On request Black, White + one other colour, so this is fine for that too.
For the ABC Challenge there must be die-cuts in evidence and so my Nesties proved most useful!
I hand stamped the background on the rust paper with a stamp from My Mind's Eye, and used the bird stamp from the same company. I believe the sentiment is from Hero Arts.
Yesterday I bought a Granny stroller to use when Daisy is here with us and also for when I take her into town in Bath. The handles on my daughter's stroller are really low and I'm not too good going down the hills in Bath. You can't believe how excited I am about this buggy. I bought it in Toys R Us and I think it's fab! I can't wait to take Daisy out in it!
Small things please small minds so they say!

Hit Counter Aberration ... Can anyone help explain?

A curious thing has occurred on my blog.
The hit counter has had a funny turn as it were, and reverted from 40,000+ to 12,000ish!!!
Is it trying to tell me that I should have offered some blog candy in celebration when 40,000 went by, or that I don't deserve so many hits?
Some time ago it did something odd, I don't remember exactly what but then sorted itself out again. What's the point of a hit counter if it loses about 28,000 hits along the way?
It reached the 40,000 last Wednesday before I left home to come and look after my granddaughter. My Feedjit thingy is also registering me as being in Basingstoke rather than Bath, so that is odd too!
Are there gremlins loose?

365 Cards Day 193 Card Recipe

I have just arrived at my daughter's, ready for babysitting duties with Daisy tomorrow. I made a card for today's challenge before leaving home, but didn't have chance to do the posting before I left. So after a good journey down and having had a bite to eat, I have a few moments to myself.
This card is for this recipe-
5x5 Card
4 different patterned papers
3 blossoms
1 stamped (ink or digital) image
5 rhinestones
The sentiment is up to you
The prospect of 4 different papers on this size of card is a little tricky, but I decided to piece o few strips together almost quilt like, so that gave me the idea to do the faux stitching.
The papers are My Mind's Eye and I think that the gingham one is Laura Ashley, but it tones beautifully with the others.
The image and sentiment are from Unity Stamps... I really rather like them. The flowers are from a Woodware Punch. The twinkles don't show up too well, but they are there and sparkle quite nicely in the sunlight.

365 Cards Day 192 So Sweet

Today the challenge is to include the word 'sweet' on a card. I actually have a couple of stamps with the word sweet on, but decided on this one from Unity Stamps KOM for August as I also decided to use this image from the same set to illustrate my card. This is a first time out for each of them.
The patterned paper is Pink Petticoat and the plain from my stock. I tend to buy my card and paper from the Paper Mill Shop in Whiteley so I never know what make it is, I just fill a box with whatever colours take my fancy! Their stock is often different from one week to the next, so I never know what I will find.
The scallop stamp is Papermania.
My husband has plans for us to get loads of rubbish down to the dump today. The garage seems to be full of empty cardboard boxes, so they will all have to go to the recycling bin. The prospect is daunting, but the feeling when we've got rid of a load of stuff which is no longer required is wonderful!

OCC Challenge Star & Stripes for Ever

Another birth congratulation card. I had to make 2 for commissions over the weekend and here's another, this time for Our Creative Corner's Challenge, where stars and stripes of any kind are requested.
The stars are on the fluffy cloud image from Unity Stamps KOM for July, and the stripes are a Pink Petticoat download. I think that this shade, called Bluebell is so pretty.
The image stamp is Forever Friends and the sentiment is Hampton Art.
Now I really ought to get on with some wedding placecards. My daughter who will be one of the bridesmaids is going away with the bride and her group of 'Hens' to Madrid this coming weekend, so I will be looking after Daisy. The wedding is fast approaching... I'd better press on!

365 Cards Days 190 & 191 & Cuttlebug Spot - For the Birds

For today's card at 365 Cards the theme is Musical Monday, based on the song Chantilly Lace by the Big Bopper.
A juke box came to mind and so with the lace and the quote, which is a line from the song, '...makes the world go round', my card was done.
I went to the Christening of my niece's son yesterday, which took place in Bray in Berkshire. When shaking hands with the vicar after the service, the folk song, the 'Vicar of Bray' jumped into my mind and I spent the rest of the day trying to remember the last 2 lines of the first verse. I don't think I've sung it since I was a teenager so it's not surprising I couldn't remember all the words. The vicar couldn't help me out either, but he did remind me of the chorus. Apparently all the words are up on the wall in the local pub, we didn't go in there, but I looked them up in my folk song book when I got home!



Anyone looking at this card together with the sketch on which is was based for 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday, will need a healthy imagination to see any correlation between the two. However it's also for the Cuttlebug Spot - For the Birds.
I found it fiendishly difficult to think of anything that vaguely resembled the original and my meanderings led me to this card.
The aperture is the circley shape, the bottom of the bow is the triangly shape and there is a length of ribbon running from side to side to imitate the central part of the sketch.
I rest my case!