Four Seasons

Hi All.  Feeling festive yet?  It's a bit of a shocker that it's suddenly December isn't it?  I know it's a bit of a cliche, but where has the year gone?

 

It's been a pretty manic week at work and it's only going to get worse.  This week I have been working on a Victorian shop window for the backdrop of our Christmas play.  Lots of brown paint and fake snow.  We have also had a Christmas Fair on Friday, which was very different this year - it was outside!  It was based on a German Christmas Market, and the atmosphere was fab, the only problem was that it was VERY cold!  I had a stall selling my bits and pieces and was outside from 5pm to 7.30pm.  By the end I couldn't feel my toes despite my thermal socks.  Having said that, it was a great evening and I applaud the hard work of all the volunteers.

 

Today's card is made using the Four Seasons stamp set which is a current Hostess gift.  I chose to stamp the image in red Brilliance ink and added some red sparkle embossing powder and heat embossed it.  I stamped some of the image again, I just wanted the robin in the middle, and heat embossed that too.  I cut the two circles out and mounted the main one on a circle of red mirror card.  The smaller circle was attached to the middle with 3D foam pads.  I used a piece of red satin polka dot ribbon around the middle and stuck the circle element over it using more foam pads.  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

 

I'm very pleased with how the card turned out, I really like the simplicity of the red and white.  Hope you like it too.

We've had a lovely day today having friends over for a pre-Christmas get together.  It was really chilled and they were good company.  It did mean a massive tidy up beforehand though.  Had to actually put all my cardmaking and scrapbooking stuff out of sight (on our bed!).  Heaven knows where it's going to go over Christmas (Mum and Dad's maybe?).  I really  must have a big sort out after Christmas, I'm starting to feel overwhelmed by it all.

Thanks for dropping by.  Until next time.

Michelle x

Four Frames

Hi everyone.  Hope all is well with you.  Today I am sharing with you two cards that I made last weekend with the Four Frames stamps and coordinating punch from Stampin' Up.  I loves these stamps, particularly the dotty one (love all things dotty!).  The stamps are so versatile as you can put any sentiment you like in them.

The card blanks were ones I cut myself from a sale pack of A5 card from Craftwork Cards.  They measure 10cm x 10xm - perfect for notecards or thank you cards.

Ingredients

Purple card : Craftwork Cards

Paper : The Bloomsbury Collection - Kanban

Stamp and Punch : Four Frames - Stampin' Up

Ribbon : Grosgrain from collection

Sentiment : Find Joy Every Day - Marion Emberson

Inks : Rich Razzlebery, Old Olive - Stampin' Up

Ingredients

Cream card : Craftwork Cards

Paper : The Canterbury Collection - Kanban

Stamp and Punch : Four Frames - Stampin' Up

Ribbon : Grosgrain from collection

Sentiment : Find Joy Every Day - Marion Emberson

Ink : Tempting Turquoise - Stampin' Up

I'm not generally a fan of Kanban, but I really like these papers.  They are very good quality and the designs are so elegant.

I've planned my next Stampin' Up order and have managed to persuade Mark to buy me something for Mothers Day (I've promised he can keep it until the day and wrap it up!!).  I love the Ink Spots and can't wait to get another set - I think I am going to go for the Subtles this time.  I definitely need to expand my range.

I hope you have managed to sneak in some crafting time today.  I spent the whole morning cleaning up after the dog - there was more mud on the floor than in the garden!  I have managed to spend a couple of hours making cards this afternoon though, so that made up for it.

Chloe seems to have calmed down at night.  She is still howling pathetically, but it's each night it's gets less and less.  I think she has finally got the message (famous last words!!).

Take care and thanks for dropping by.

Michelle x

Sunshine and Flowers

This is the final card from my recent card making session.  Again I've gone for something relatively simple, although the stamping had to be done in stages and was a bit time consuming.  The whole look is rather summery which, given the weather at the moment, makes me feel a bit brighter.

Ingredients

Stamp : Sunshine and Flowers by Marion Emberson

Ink : Versamagic - Persimmon, Pretty Petunia and Oasis Green

Ribbon and card stock from stash

Enjoy the rest of your week.  Take care.

M x

Pretty Flowers

Here's one of the cards that I made this weekend.  Quite a productive weekend actually,  I am feeling like I have my crafting mojo back - I just want to keep making cards and do nothing else! Sadly, work looms tomorrow - but hey, it's half term in 5 days - hurrah!!

Ingredients

Stamped image : Thanks a Bunch by Marion Emberson

Promarkers : Magenta and Poppy

Embellishments : Ribbon and button from stock

Hope you like it.  Come back soon for some more cards.  Have a good week.

M x

More Flowers

Another card from last weekend.  Again, I have used some of my new stamps from Marion Emberson and coloured in the image with Promarkers.  I'm rather partial to my Fiskars' edge punches at the moment, as well as a touch of ribbon.  The colour scheme is not my usual choice, but I really like it.

Ingredients

Stamp : Sunshine and Flowers by Marion Emberson

Promarkers : Amber and Fuchsia Pink

Ribbon : From stash

Scalloped Edge Punch : Fiskars

I'm really hoping to make some more cards tomorrow.  Apart from the usual washing, ironing, shopping etc, we have nothing planned this weekend, which is nice after a really hectic, difficult week.  Heigh ho - one more week until half term! 

Happy crafting!

M x

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

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

Good morning!

Well, I hope the sun is shining for you wherever you are today. It's a bit overcast here today, but will probably brighten up.

Edward is playing cricket every day this week at a cricket summer school. He was so excited today he could barely eat his breakfast!

I have been concentrating on my crochet - the flower garden blanket, and my moleskin journal (which I will show you soon), but I did have to make a quick card yesterday. It's for Mark's best friends who are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary tomorrow.

I used DCWV Luxury and Metallic stacks and kept it simple. Just added a bit of pale grey grosgrain ribbon and that was it.

I'm hoping inspiration is going to strike soon as I have another couple of cards to make (they're both for my mother-in-law - never the easiest person to make for) - no ideas springing to mind at the moment. I think it's because she likes traditional cards and I am much more contemporary. Ah well I'm sure it'll be OK.

Have a good day everyone.

M x

Starting as I mean to go on . . . . .

Happy New Year one and all! Hope you have all recovered from last night. I have been feeling somewhat sluggish today, too little sleep probably. I think the Christmas holidays can do that to you, and all the days merge into each other. I feel the need to get back to normal now, get the card making stuff out and get going!

Talking of card making stuff, look at my beautiful box of ribbons - a recent QVC purchase. They are from American Crafts and there was a choice between grosgrain and satin. I went for the grosgrain as I love the texture. Now I have a ribbon for every colour card I could possibly make.


I also bought these lovely papers, rub-ons etc and Thickers letters - also from American Crafts, they're called Blue Skies. I can't wait to have a go with them, although really I should save them for my foray into scrap booking.

My first job this year is to update my birthday list so that I know who I am making for and when. It's almost like my bible for the year. I've got Mark's birthday this coming week - I know what I want to do but it depends on my Silhouette die cutting machine doing what I want it to. I haven't used it for a year so I'm a bit nervous of it. I'm also going to make a few Christmas cards ready for this coming year - I know it sounds a bit mad - but I realised last year that there simply wasn't enough time to get them all done, and then I felt a bit sad that I couldn't send out as many hand made cards as I usually do.

Oh, I've just watched the last Gavin and Stacey - so good, but so sad it has finished. I agree that it had to go out on a high, but it's such a great programme I didn't want it to end. Ah well, perhaps I'll treat myself to the boxed set at some point. Talking of which, I am really enjoying the boxed set of Sex and the City that I got for Christmas - what a treat.

Anyway ta ta for now.

M x