A few more quick and easy charity cards

Had an hour to spare this morning so thought I'd whip up a few more quick and easy cards to sell at Friday's Macmillan Coffee Morning.

I've used some freebie Edwardian Lady papers and chipboards along with stamps that I bought from The Range.  The other 'Thanks' card is finished in Dovecraft Back to Basics and Pink Petticoat papers.  Ribbons, gems and butterfly were from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! x

A September school update!

[caption id="attachment_1139" align="alignright" width="225" caption="'A' ready for first day at High School"][/caption]

Well 'A' has just finished her third week at High School and I'm so pleased to say she's absolutely loving it!  She's finding the lessons so much more interesting and challenging than at Primary School and she's even now starting to get into a routine with homework.  The first couple of weeks were hard as she found it almost impossible to get up and out on time each morning, but after lots of nagging and me finally losing it completely she's now started to pull her finger out!  She joined the Rhythmic Gymnastics club this week and thoroughly enjoyed it and next week she'll be off to school orchestra for the first time.  She helped out at school open evening on Tuesday by taking part in an organised badminton session and then afterwards within the Drama department.  All in all we couldn't be happier at how well she's settle in.

'S' has begun studies for his GCSE's but has had a few problems with the subjects he's chosen.  He has now swapped Woodwork for Food Tech but we're having major deliberations over whether he should change Music for Film Studies.  I think he finds the whole prospect of completing his Music GCSE quite daunting, you see he can't read music and has never had any real instrumental lessons, but the thing is, he has a real musical talent and one we think should be encouraged.  He has the ability to hear a song and magically recreate it on the piano which is something I could never do.  I think his talent would come on no end by continuing with Music but he knows that we will not force him and the decision has to be his.

However, one good thing that has come out of his indecision is that regardless of whether he continues with Music as a school subject he's now decided that he wants to learn to play properly with lessons from yours truly as well as additional theory lessons.  This is something we've tried many times before but up till now he's always want to 'play his own thing' and has not been interested in learning the 'technicalities'.  Will keep you posted on his progress!

Quick an easy charity Christmas cards

Next Friday, hubby and I will be holding a coffee morning through our business in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.  This is the first time we've attempted this so I thought, in addition to the lovely cakes and coffee on offer it may be nice to sell a few of my cards with the proceeds going to this very worthy cause.

Although I have a stock of cards that were suitable I thought it might be a good idea to create a few Christmas cards as people may want to stock up in preparation.  I scoured my old craft magazines to see if I could find a simple concept that would be quick and easy to make.  After sifting through I found some great ideas in 'Quick Cards' using their free rubber stamps.

As my Christmas stash of craft goodies is not the largest I used various freebies such as the 'My Minds Eye' papers I'd received in this months Card Making & Papercraft magazine plus other papers such as Dovecrafts Jolly Happy Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Lilac Fairyland

Today I thought I'd have a go at something I've not really tried before.  I've seen so many cards online using the distressed look and have never had the nerve to give it a try....till now!  It was actually easier than I thought in the end.  I marked my papers up and then lined them up on my paper cutter.  Then, instead of cutting with the blade I tore them along the edge of the trimmer.  I then inked the edges with a pink inkpad.  I think in hindsight the pink is a little too bold for this creation but as my craft supplies are not extensive I have to make use of what I have :).

The stamp I've chosen was one I found online (sorry, can't remember where though now as I have quite a few!).  I ordered a sample pack of papers from Ebay a couple of days and I chose one of these as the colour theme for the whole card.  Now, the papers I thought I'd ordered were from Dovecrafts Eastern Promise pack but after looking again online they look nothing like the picture!  Therefore, don't take my word as gospel as they could be something completely different :).

I've used Bazzill card for a couple of the layers and also lilac dotty paper from Dovecrafts Back to Basics.  The sentiment was found online here.  Paper flowers were by Fizzy Moon.  I've finished the digi stamp with Promarkers and finished the fairy's wings and hair with a little silver glitter glue.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Whiff of Joy - #113 Jane's Sketch

Papertake Weekly - Things with Wings 

Magical Monday - Anything Goes
CES Challenges - #54 Embellish me More
Craft your Passion - #75 Use the 'F' word 

The Gallery - A Happy Memory

Trying to find one happy memory for this weeks Gallery was pretty impossible.  I've trawled through thousands of photo's and there were just too many happy memories to choose from (which I'm sure most people have found!).

One particular set of photo's really did make me smile though when I started reminiscing.  The photo's were taken during our recent holiday to Florida.  The holiday itself had so many happy memories but this specific memory was of our last visit of Magic Kingdom.  We planned our last day there to incorporate the Main Street Electrical Parade and after a long and fun packed day in the park we stood around bagged our spot and waited for the parade to began.

We had quite wait so to pass the time we started messing around and taking silly pictures and just simply having fun!  So not one photo I'm afraid but a whole comedy collection.







 

 

 

 

 

 

A Pepper fireside scene

I don't know about you but I just love the 'Pepper and Friends' range by Trimcraft.  There's a lovely Christmas Party edition of the range and there's plenty of papers, decoupage and stamps etc available on Ebay.  I ordered some of the 8 x 8 papers and a small pack of the decoupage sheets and was really impressed with the quality.  Many of the papers have a lovely glittery finish and there are some lovely designs.

I think the layout is pretty self explanatory but I've used a sentiment stamp from my Daisy and Dandelion stamps to make the finishing touch.

The decoupage sheets were pre-cut which always makes things easier.  I always use an old nail file to gently sand around the edges of each layer, this just helps to remove any jagged bits from where they were attached to the main sheet.

Thanks for stopping by! x

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - #129 Anything Goes

Bearly Mine Challenges - #19 Button It Up

Eight Legged Beasties!

Yesterday I did one of the scariest things I've ever done in my life.  You see, Autumn for me, brings with it something I'm not at all fond of, in fact hate would not be too strong a word!  September for me equals spiders and lots of them.  I sit in the lounge at night, one eye on my laptop and the other glued to all corners of the floor, waiting for the next little beast to hurtle in my direction, seeing laptop closed rapidly and me moving with a pace that Usain Bolt would be proud of!

However, after 35 years of living this way I decided enough was enough and booked myself a place on an 'Arachnophobia Workshop' at Dudley Zoo.  At the time this seemed a very good idea but when push came to shove yesterday morning, I knew the time had come to face my fears and began to wonder what the hell I was thinking!

The workshop started at 10.30 and was held in the Discovery Centre at Dudley Zoo and Castle in the Midlands.  There were around 20 of us altogether and I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing when we arrived....."no-one can be as scared as I am", but how wrong we were.  The first half of the session started with David Riley, our presenter, asking us to come forwards to write about our fears on a flip chart.  It was soon clear to see that I was not alone and that many of the fears people were feeling were the same as mine.

David Riley was an excellent, very knowledgeable presenter, he talked us through our fears, gave us information and was very careful to put us at ease and not introduce too much too soon.  In fact we weren't even allowed to use the 'S' word until some way through the course!

Part two of the course after our mid morning break saw us breaking down some boundaries.  We started gradually by viewing just 2 slides showing spiders and then we moved onto a detailed diagram.  All the time we were kept calm by reciting a mantra and using breathing exercises.  This all may sound very silly to anyone out there reading this who doesn't have this phobia, but believe me just to hold that diagram in my own hand was a challenge!

The final part of our workshop saw us breaking down even more barriers with the help of the 'real thing' so to speak.  Now, normally at this point I would have been a clear winner in a race for the door, but something was different.  Yes, I was scared, shaking even but something about the fact that I was in a room with 19 other people who felt exactly the same way, made it seem a little more bearable.  David, after warning us, presented two exo-skeletons (or tarantula shells for those not in the know!) and invited us to come to the table to touch, hold and examine them if we felt comfortable to do so.  Slowly and with a little gentle encouragement we all moved forward and gingerly complied.  Some were slower than others to take part, me being one of those but gradually everyone had shared the experience.

The grand finale saw us being introduced to 'Raptor' the Mexican Red Kneed Tarantula.  I can tell you that it took every ounce of control, breathing and sheer gumption to get me out of my chair and even towards the table.  Again, one by one we placed our hands flat on the table and David placed 'Raptor' in them.  Now if you'd have asked me the day before I'd have said NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS and if you'd have asked an hour before I'd have said NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS but something about that room, the company and David's continual encouragement and knowledge of these lovely....yes, lovely and fragile creatures made me want to do it.  And I did!



Don't get me wrong, I am by no means 100% cured but I certainly look at spiders in a different light now.  David said that the workshops are not a miracle cure and it will take time to 'not be afraid' but I certainly feel more able to approach them now and know that they are not interested in anything I have to offer them or in harming me.

For all of you out there who suffer from Arachnophobia, this is really something you should try, what have you got to lose?  But be prepared, it can be a very emotional experience.

 

A Gorjuss new stamp

Have been waiting a while to purchase one of these lovely stamps by Santoro's Gorjuss.  It's called 'Puddles of Love' and I've seen it used quite a lot on various card making sites.  It really was a joy to finish with Promarkers.

I decided to go with a lovely green and yellow theme.  I bought some papers whilst on holiday in Cornwall from a super bargain basket.  Although they were Forever Friends Easter papers they matched my theme perfectly.  I've used Kraft card for the base layers.

The paper flowers were made using the Marianne Creatables range to co-ordinate with the papers I'd already used.  The wooden flower was from a selection at Hobbycraft.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge - Inspired by a Song (It's Raining Again - Supertramp)

Charisma Cards Challenges - Inspired by a Song (It's Raining Again - Supertramp)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for dropping by! x

Christmas with Daisy and Dandelion

I bought a lovely pack of rubber stamps on my last visit to 'The Range'.  They're from the Daisy & Dandelion collection and are called 'Santa's Little Helpers'.  Have been waiting patiently for my new red promarkers to arrive so that I could have a go at these and here's my first attempt.

 

The papers are from Dovecraft Jolly Christmas and I've used my Martha Stewart punch for the red card.  The stamp was finished with various shades of Promarkers and the tag was also created with a stamp from the Daisy & Dandelion pack.  Hubby wasn't so keen on using the stamp with the square die and suggested that next time I could maybe cut the stamp out.  Will be giving this a try over the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by! x

Welcome to Twinkle Twit

Well hello to one and all!

I have been blogging regularly over at 'Tales from a Mother, Musician and Multi-tasker' for nearly 12 months but I decided it was time to start a second blog.  This was due to the fact that firstly I wanted to give 'Blogger' a trial run and secondly because my crafty creations were starting to take over a blog that started out as a story of my day to day life.  Although, I've no doubt I will still be posting some of my work over at 'Tales from a MMM' the majority of my card making and scrap booking will now be displayed here.

Thanks for dropping by and please visit again soon!

The Gallery - Shoes

I've not taken part for such a long due to work / house / child commitments but since I've been trying to blog a little more often recently I thought I'd give the gallery a re-visit.  I was gobsmacked when I saw the theme for this week's 'The Gallery'. You see I'd actually taken the most ideal piccy a while back as as post for 'Tuesday's Treasures' but then never got round to using it.

[caption id="attachment_1109" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Crocs!"][/caption]

Love them or hate them, Crocs have been around now for a few years and I personally love mine to bits!  Yes, I know they're slipping out of fashion now but I will not be torn away from them.  They're great for slipping on to pop to the shop or for nipping out into the garden and they're so comfortable I can trek around all day in them (that is apart from when I chose to wear them for our coastal walk at Easter and ended up with a splinter in my foot!).

I actually have 4 pairs in total but the light blue ones were far to shabby to adorn a photograph and are kept for gardening and other such muddy occasions.  There are so many lovely colours it's hard to choose but I thought I'd better stop after 4 pairs as I seem to be seizing control of the show cabinet.

Friends Forever

A new card with a 'Friendship' theme today.  The lovely stamp is from Sliekje Digi Stamps and the papers are from Pink Petticoats 'Wild Blossoms' collection.   The die-cut is one of Nellie Snellen's Multi-frames and a Martha Stewart punch has been used for the edges of the pink card.  The little gingham butterfly was from a selection at Hobbycraft.  I have also used a pink star Gelly Roll pen to make the illusion of stitching along each paper panel.

I've tried to keep my promarker colours in line with the 'Wild Blossom' colours (although I am now awaiting new shades as getting a little bored with using the same colours time and time again lol).

[caption id="attachment_1095" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Friends Forever"][/caption]

 I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Passions for Promarkers - #116 'Patchwork'

Stamps R Us - 'Friendship'

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - #55 Friends

My Time to Craft - #156 Just Between Friends

For Fun Challenges - Kids at play

Cardmakin Mama's Blogspot - Digital

Cupcake Craft Challenges - #158 Patchwork Quilt

A Holiday Surprise!

Had a lovely surprise while we were away in Cornwall.  I happened to check my phone whilst sitting freezing my what nots off on the beach and there was a lovely little tweet that would brighten my whole day!  It was from Cardmaking & Papercraft who I follow on Twitter, telling me I'd been chosen randomly from their followers and won a prize.  Well fancy that, me winning a prize, the girl who never wins a thing!  As you can imagine I was pretty sharp getting my postal address over to them and when I returned there was a lovely little parcel waiting for me.

The lovely gift was a fantastic CD rom called 'All Around & Everywhere' from Polkadoodles and a set of Flower Fairies rubber stamps from Crafters Companion.  Needless to say, I was rather chuffed :).

Silent Sunday

A birthday bear

Our lovely niece was 15 on Friday, my, where does the time go?!

Using another freebie stamp from Cardmaking & Papercraft I created this yellow and pink card.  I'm quite please with how the promarker shading turned out as this was one of my first attempts.  I finished the bear's flowers off with a little silver glitter glue.



(For the first time ever!) I am entering this card in the following challenges:

• Passion For Promarkers #115 – Anything Goes


• I love Promarkers #81 - Anything goes


• Stamps R Us - Anything goes

A new bargain basket stamp

Whilst on hols in Cornwall I discovered a fabulous and friendly little craft shop called 'Moments' in Belle Vue, Bude.  'A' and I spent quite a while looking round and in particular at the bargain basket just inside the door where we found Forever Friends Easter papers and stamps, lots of ribbon, flowers, brads and a lovely little stamp reduced from £5.99 to just £1.50......bargain! :)

[caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="256" caption="Stamp coloured with Promarkers"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1065" align="aligncenter" width="254" caption="Stamp coloured with Promarkers"][/caption]

Due to my current addiction to Promarkers I decided to give the stamp a try and have made a couple of cards along the same theme but just using different colours.  The papers are from a lovely freebie selection I had from a recent Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine called 'Vintage Rose'.  I've used paper flowers purchased from Ebay and a Nellie Snellen die.  The image is a 'Whispers' stamp from docrafts.



[caption id="attachment_1062" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Blue & Pink"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1063" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Pink & Green"][/caption]

A bank holiday stroll

Last Sunday saw us taking a lovely trip to Ludlow, in particular Whitcliffe Common.  We decided to have a family day out and asked Mom-in-law, Mom, Dad and bro along.  Our original plan was to head down to the Cotswolds for the day but unfortunately at the last minute we discovered the M5 had been closed due to a major accident so Mom suggested heading over to Whitcliffe.

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dinham Bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Weir along the River Teme"][/caption]

We parked the car in a little layby right next to Whitcliffe Common and then headed down and along the path towards the River Teme taking in the very scenic bridges and weirs along the way.  Arnold as ever felt the need to lead the group and wasn't happy unless out in front, showing the way!  When we arrived at Dinham Bridge we realised that our last visit there had been around 14 years ago when 'S' was just a baby.  We decided to try recreating the photo we'd taken all those years ago.

[caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me and 'S' at Dinham Bridge, Ludlow in 2011"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Me and 'S' at Dinham Bridge, Ludlow in 1997"][/caption]

(Sorry terrible photo! Original was awful and then a photo of a photo is never good lol)

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Arnold has an afternoon swim"][/caption]

After our leisurely stroll, which included a lunchtime swim in the River Teme for Arnold, we headed back to the car for lunch.  I'm glad to say that this is when we had our one and only heavy shower of the day which we thankfully missed whilst tucking into sarnies galore.  We headed on further up the road after lunch to Mortimer Forest.  This was a real little gem of a place and not too busy, even considering it was bank holiday weekend.  Again, the showers held off and the weather stayed clear and warm.

[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A stroll through Mortimer Forest"][/caption]

A little detour was made on the way home to Titterstone Clee Hill.  Although we'd driven over the Clee Hills many times this was the first time we'd headed right up to the top.  The views were magnificent and well worth the trip.

[caption id="attachment_1056" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from the Clee Hills"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1058" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="'A' and 'S' on top of the Clee Hills"][/caption]