Lots and lots of goodies!

Good morning!  How are you all?  I'm fine and feel nice and rested after yesterday's exertions lol! So after doing a bit of housewifely duty by doing some ironing, I have been taking photos of my lovely purchases.

My first photo is of the lovely and talented Julie Hickey from Craftwork Cards.  She is such a star, so friendly and helpful, always ready for a chat.  Craftwork Cards is always the first stand Mum and I stop at, whenever we go to a stamping show. 

I wasn't actually going to buy anything from Craftwork Cards this time, but as you can see from the photo below, I changed my mind.  I think I must be one of few who don't actually like their Warren the Rabbit images, and I'm not so keen on Frosty the Snowman either - I don't really do cute.  But I was taken the colours of the papers and card stock that go with Frosty - love the contemporary colours.  Also bought some delicious new Candy - gorgeous metallic, holographic colours.

I got a really good deal on Promarkers - 10 for £15.00, so I bought two lots to take advantage of the offer.  I won't be buying anymore for a while now so why not?

Another must have stand to visit was Sugar and Spice - I am such a fan of Marion Emberson, as I am sure I have mentioned once or twice!  So it was nice to meet her and say hello.  I bought a couple of sets of her stamps - alphabets, as well as a retro flower punch that I have wanted for a while, some silver Glamour Dust, and some crystals and a couple of packets of buttons.

These masks were  a bit of an impulse buy, but I thought they would be really handy for journalling, using Distress Inks and spray inks.

I bought some journalling spots and tags, some plain Manila tags, memo and bingo cards, as well as a script stamp from Paperartsy.

Some more Glamour Dust (crystal), some calendars and a memo stack, some glue pens and some Pinflair glue (everyone is raving about this, thought I would try it out).

The Craft Fairy is a such a great stand to visit - lots and lots of beautiful ribbon, in every colour you can imagine.  It was really hard to choose.  They are so reasonably priced too - about £1.30 for 3 metres. 

Any finally (well nearly!), two new Nestabilities, some magnetic sheets, Promarker fine nibs, a new acrylic block, some Diamond Glaze and even more buttons.

Well, that's all the purchases that I made for me.  As you can see, I had a really successful day.  My only disappointment was that Art From The Heart wasn't at the show.  I had intended to buy some more spray inks, a pack of Moleskin Journals and some pre-printed images.  I also wanted to take some photos of their beautiful artwork for inspiration, but it was not to be.  I have made an internet order since I have been home, so I am sure the products will be will me in a matter of days.

My final, final purchase at the show wasn't for me, it was for my mum, for her birthday in November.  She was umming and ahing between two designs of Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page punches - they were a really good price from Stamposaurus, so I bought one for her and she bought the other.  I'm really glad because she wanted them both so much, and now I don't have to worry about what to get her for her birthday.

If you have stayed with me until the end, thank you!  Hope you haven't been too bored.  It was so exciting to spread all my goodies out this morning and see what I spent my money on.  I won't be having anymore splurges like this for a while now - got to think about Christmas (urgh!).  Just need to find some time to have a play!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, take care.

M x

Fab day today

I have had an absolutely brilliant day today at Alexandra Palace.  And a gorgeous sunny day too.  I confess to having had a massive spending spree - can't wait to show you what I have bought (all will be revealed soon Jane!).  Because the organisers imposed a ban on wheelie cases and shopping trolleys, it seemed a lot easier to get around and into each stand.  I didn't feel that there was as much pushing and shoving as usual, which was a relief. 

By 2.30pm I was all shopped out - shoulders aching with the weight of my shopping bags, feet aching from all the walking and standing, and purse empty - time to go home.

M x

Excited!

I'm off to Alexandra Palace tomorrow for the Big Stamping and Scrapbooking Show - I am SO excited!  I have everything ready - tickets, money, cards, camera, notebook etc.  Just need to have a good night's sleep and hope that my cold doesn't get any worse.  Yes, I've been feeling a bit under the weather with a sore throat and a headache that I can't shift.  But I am determined that nothing is going to get in the way of tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Craftwork Cards have, and am planning on buying quite a few bits from Art From The Heart.  Also looking forward to visiting Marion Emberson's stand, as well as LB Crafts and Stamp Addicts - I have already written my shopping list.  I hope to have some photos of my goodies to share with you next week.

Here are a couple of cards that I made over the summer, I may have already shown one that I made in a different colour - sorry if I'm duplicating.

All products are by Craftwork Cards apart from the ink (Versamagic) and the ribbon, oh and the stamped image is from one of Marion Emberson's stamp sets.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  I will try my hardest too!

M x

Special Commission

Although I am trying not to take on any special commissions at the moment, I was asked by a very good friend to make a few cards for some special birthdays happening over the next few months, the first being for her mum who is going to be 80 in October.  She specifically asked for one of my concertina type cards and I thought I would ring the changes by using two pre-scored scallop edged cards and join them together.  I dug out some really old papers, firm favourites though, and used a rub-on on the Candi to subtley add the age.  What do you think?

Card blanks and Candi : Craftwork Cards

Paper : Boho Chic - Lauren from Making Memories

Stardust glitter glue

Prima flowers

Off to watch the new series of Downton Abbey, am very excited!

M x

What a week!

Boy, am I glad this week is over!  It's been such a long, busy week and I feel absolutely wrecked.  Mark has been on a four day jolly - oops!  I mean business trip - to Spain and only got back last night.  He did bring me some chocolate, a bottle of gin and a bottle of perfume, so he is forgiven, but I am so tired with being virtually a single parent.  It was a big help that my lovely mum came to stay for four days (thank you Mum!) and she took care of Emily during the day, as well as Chloe, and kept my house clean and tidy - she's a star!  I haven't even had the energy to pick up my crochet in the evenings, not that there has been that much time, what with dog walking, school meetings and dog training.  Anyway, it's the weekend now, time to recharge the batteries.

So now I have the time, I'd like to share a couple more cards with you.  These were a bit experimental but I am so happy with how they turned out.  I bought a bag of mixed flowers in the sale from Craftwork Cards and these matched up with some blank cards that I already had in my stock.  I teamed them with a bit of ribbon and a sentiment, and added Candi to the centres - couldn't be simpler.  Hope you like them.

Have a great weekend.  I plan to make a few more cards, do a bit to my blanket and generally chill out a bit.  I'm off to have a rather large G&T.  Cheers!

M x

Stampin' Up

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all having a good weekend.  I think everyone's thoughts are centred around the events on this day 10 years ago, and I am sure like me, you can all remember vividly what you were doing when you heard the news.  I still can't watch the footage without feeling very emotional.  My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and all those brave people who risked their own lives to save people.

On a lighter note, I wanted to share with you, a card I made yesterday with my Stampin' Up stamps - Pocket Silhouettes (6 stamps in the set).  I am very impressed with the quality of the stamps, although slightly dismayed to have to assemble them myself!  For this card I stamped the image with a Distress ink pad - Dusty Concord and was very pleased with the results.

I really like using these landscape A6 cards, it makes such a change,  The problem is, I don't know where I got them from!  I have used some purple grosgrain ribbon from my stock and the ubiquitous Candi and sentiments from Craftwork Cards.  The style is a bit new for me, slightly adventurous, but I'm really pleased with the effect.

I've had a pretty bad week with things not working out how I needed them to.  There has been a lot of stress and upset.  Today is a better day and I have my fingers crossed for tomorrow.  I have been feeling very low and I have found it difficult to read other people's blogs and see photos of lovely crochet, flowers, homes etc where everything seems to be perfect - it's particularly difficult when it is so far from what I am feeling at the moment.  Then I read a couple of blogs where people were questioning why they blog and what was the point.  I often feel like that, especially as I have so few followers after blogging for two years.  I do have three very loyal followers however and I thank them very sincerely for sticking with me - you know who you are :)

But I have decided that the reason for the blogging in the first place was for me and a record of what I have been making, and I can't pretend my life is perfect, and really, whose is?!  So here I am for the foreseeable future and thanks for bearing with me during this moment of self pity.

M x

Good morning!  Well, this is the last day of my summer holiday, so regular postings will now go out of the window!  Here are three more cards to share with you, all for birthdays in September.

 Ingredients

Card, embossed frame and sentiment : Craftwork Cards

Ink : Versamagic Spring Pansy

Ribbon : Craft Fairy

Glitter Glue : Stardust

Ingredients

Card blank, sentiment, Candi : Craftwork Cards

Flowers : Prima

Paper : Sugar and Spice by Dovecraft

Ingredients

Card blank, Candi, Digi Smooth cardstock : Craftwork Cards

Cardstock : From stash

Stamp : Time for Tea by Beth Gunnell (free with Quick Cards Made Easy)

Nestabilites : Large Classic Oval and Large Scalloped Oval

Promarkers : Duck Egg, Walnut, Lime Zest, Sky Blue, Meadow Green, Canary, Peach, Rose Pink

Sakura Glitter Gel Pen

I think it will be unlikely that I will get any more cards made today which is a pity.  My day will be spent getting myself and the children ready for tomorrow - checking bags, pencil cases, PE kits etc.  Making sure shoes are polished and phones are charged and locker keys are found.  I'm trying to eliminate the panic tomorrow - would like the morning to be calm, particularly for Emily - so no dramas would be good!  I'm off to chivvy Edward to get dressed (how is he going to get ready on time tomorrow??!!) so that we can walk the dog.

Have a fun day.

M x

Bits and Bobs

Evening!  Well what a busy old week it's been this week.  I've made quite a few cards, been shopping quite a few times, been to the cinema, out for tea and walked the dog plenty.  Not to mention the boring chores of washing and ironing and planning meals.  I'm feeling pretty pooped to be honest.

Today Mark and I took Emily to Lakeside to buy clothes for 6th Form - not my favourite thing, shopping, but needs must.  Emily has had a rough old time in the last few  months and we did doubt that she would be able to go to 6th Form, but she is determined to give it a go.  So she needed kitting out.  Lots of clothes were tried on, a good many of them were discarded but we came home with quite a few shirts, trousers and cardigans, plus boots and a bag.  My bank account has taken quite a battering (the Ally Pally fund!!) but it will be worth it on Tuesday if she goes to school.

I wanted to share with you the card I made Mark for our Wedding Anniversary last week.  I've been meaning to post it on the challenge blog Less is More but haven't quite plucked up the courage.  I am running out of time for that one of my holiday goals, so I hope the challenge tomorrow is one I fancy!  Anyway, back to the card, it's a bit different to my usual style.  I inked all around the edge with Barn Door Distress Ink, and around the outside of the elements.  I also used Barn Door to stamp the heart border and hearts on the sentiment (which is a Paula Pascual stamp).  The main element is from a set of stamps by Marion Emberson - you know I am such a fan.  The grosgrain ribbon was from my huge (and I am not joking) collection of ribbon and the "Just For You" sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.  I wasn't too sure of the finished card at first, but I've come round to it.  Mark liked it anyway.

This next card is another departure for me too.  I'm not such a fan of cute images and rarely use them on my cards, but what can you do when you have to make a card for a 2 year old boy?  I don't really have any stash that fits the bill, until I remembered this set of paper that was a free gift from Scrapbook Magazine.  I thought the pirate boy was perfect.  I cut it out and used a strip of the waves backing paper, plus a little bit of plain card stock from DCWV and Bob's your uncle!  The button embellishments were part of the paper pack too and fit in quite nicely.

Have any of you read this book - One Day by David Nicholls?  If you haven't, I can't recommend it highly enough.  I couldn't put it down and was reading it every available minute of the day (just as well I am on holiday!).  I am toying with the idea of going to see the film version, but I have a feeling I may be disappointed - I hope Anne Hathaway can carry off a convincing Yorkshire accent.  We'll see.

Talking of the cinema, we took Emily to see The Inbetweeners film on Wednesday while Edward has been staying with my parents for a few days.  The film was very funny but SO rude!  If you are easily shocked, I wouldn't recommend it.  It is all about four 18 year old boys on holiday in Greece and nothing is left to the imagination!

I'm off to have a facial first thing in the morning - using a voucher that the children bought me for Mother's Day - and I'm really looking forward to feeling pampered.

Take care

M x

That's all for now . . . .

Christmas cards that is!  I've made 63 and I'm bored with doing them now.  I am really pleased with how they turned out - I absolutely love contemporary designs and colours - no red and gold, robins, snowmen etc for me.

Can you believe it's September already?  At least it has been a lovely day today, although have you noticed the drop in temperature in the evenings?  Time to get the snugly crocheted blankets out.  As the nights are starting to draw in, we're having to take Chloe out earlier and earlier so that she can still have a good run.  She's 6 months old now and is such a joy (even when she is being naughty).  Did I mention last week that she chewed a 12" x 12" DCWV scrapbook pad - I was not amused!

Tuesday is looming and that means back to work and school.  Emily will hopefully be starting 6th Form.  We have to take her shopping tomorrow to kit her out - uniform is so much easier!  She is supposed to wear business dress but would not be comfortable in a formal suit.  So we are going for smart separates.  But as you know, I can't stand shopping, so tomorrow is going to be torture!

Wish me luck!

M x