It's been ...

... busy since my last post and I'm failing on this Monday morning, weekly posting - oops!

I've still been working on the kitchen deep clean.  It's nearly done!  I've got the light fittings, window and finally the floor, left to clean. There's labels to write for the new spice jars and moving the spices into them.  That's all - lol!  Was hoping to have it finished by today but it's not happened.  Best laid plans and all that but sometimes other things in life ... and crafting, get in the way.  

Inbetween doing the kitchen I've had a day with friends at Greta's, a visit to the doc for my flu jab, a workshop morning, exercise class, celebrated (if that's the right word) our 29th wedding anniversary and had a rare visit from my brother.  Last time was over 2 years ago not long after Dad died, although we have seen one another since then ... I visited him ... and visits from both sons and the littlies ;)  I've also done something that I've not done since Mum passed away and that's do a 'big' shop physically instead of online!  Won't be happening again in a hurry but the 'top up' ones will continue. 

I've yet to photograph all 'makings' from Greta's.  We didn't make one card but we each made a bracelet, a little wreath and some button canvases.  There were also candles decorated but I didn't do one of them.

Craftwork Cards (Create & Craft members free gift)

Thursday's workshop card was a Halloween one but I don't 'do' Halloween however ... eldest grandson is a Halloween baby (this is what I did for his 18th).  He's 23 years old this year ... this is going to be his card.  I love it :D

Stampin' Up Googly Ghouls (retired), Lovely as a Tree and Papermania greeting stamp.  Inks used Distress, Memento and StazOn, 

How to keep the kids quiet and to stop them walking on walls where there's a 6 foot drop if a foot slips!

Another week gone - or, in this case, nearly 2.  Hopefully by next week I can call my kitchen done and will have moved on to the next room reclaim .....

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Nothing of ...

... much interest has happened this week.  I've made a start on decluttering and reorganising the kitchen but it's not going to be done overnight.  I've ordered some new fittings for cupboards to make them more 'user friendly' - lol!  May be a few days before they're all together but in the meantime I'll continue to work on the areas that aren't being 'upgraded'.

OH should have had his 4 weekly Zoledronic Acid infusion on Friday but it never happened.  Transport never arrived so it's been rearranged for Wednesday.  Just hope those few days delay aren't to much of a problem as it's supposed to be given every 3 to 4 weeks and he's on a 4 weekly cycle.

It has been very hot!  Apparently it's the hottest September, so far, ever - well, since records began.  Thursday my car thermometer didn't get below 30c and, at one point, it reached 34c when I was moving!  We've had a better couple of weeks than we had in August - with the exception of the day I went to London.  Weather is really laughing at me and I'm not yet over it *sad*

Weight loss (have I mentioned I've lost a fair bit of weight since April???) - I seem to have reached a plateau.  So close to being in the normal range of BMI that body seems to have decided it just doesn't want to be 'normal' - ROFL!  It needs a kick to get going again but I'm at a loss as to what to do about it.  I'm not on a diet, just being more careful with what and how much I eat.  I don't think reducing the amount down any more is really on, or the answer, but what to do?  I'm not putting on so I guess that's something.  Maintaining is better than increasing.  Perhaps it'll start to decrease again soon.

I did have the fortnightly craft workshop run by Clair and we made a lovely card.  All Stampin' Up (I think) but we made our own embellishment using some WOW Melt It powder.  Certainly novel but don't think I can be bothered when a nice button would do the same job - lol!  May add some trails to the butterflies having looked at it again :)

The previous  workshops have also produced some great cards.  The following one was great fun - and messy :)  We made our own background on thick watercolour card.  Splodged (technical term) 2 or 3 inkpads onto a smooth service and misted with water until it started pooling then laid the card into it and swished it around a bit.  Then dried it and dabbed it back in again.  Repeated until happy with result.  Image stamped and embossed with white embossing powder.  A sheet of acetate cut to cover and matted onto the base card on dimensionals.  Insert was done to tone in with the remnants of the ink.  Love it!

This one - a great man's card.  Su's Lovely as a Tree stamp set and woodgrain embossing folder - all distressed and matted and layered.  Easy but very effective. First time I've done the reflection technique as well.  Impressed - lol!

It's been mentioned, in passing recently, that Jackie and I went to Sorrento, Italy in April 2013.  We did the usual touristy stuff and visited Herculaneum and Pompeii, did the Amalfi Drive and popped over to Capri, don't you know - lol!  Between us we took a lot of photos.  Not long after we got back I started the now obligatory photobook but it ground to a halt after a very short space of time.  I created a lot of photobooks last year and my mojo went on holiday and work on the Italian book ground to a halt until a few weeks ago when the mojo came back.  Photo book was finished and has been printed.  It was lovely reliving that holiday, especially as we've not had one this year (other than our group crafty week away).
http://www.photobox.co.uk/creation/2751011028

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Boy, it's hot, hot ...

... HOT!!!  Yesterday was hot but it's been even hotter today - or seemed it was to me.  Eldest son and his partner's youngest came today and, while he was here, he put together a lovely toy for me.  It's been residing, in it's box, in the shed for over a year but it's now usable - and use it I certainly will!

Kieran and Chloe, the eldest grandchildren arrived as well, so we had quite a family gathering.  Kieran brought his girlfriend and her little boy.  Scary and, not wanting to go there but, he could potentially be a step GREAT grandchild!  As I say, I do NOT want to go there - not yet, anyway :0{  I'm not old enough to be a great grandparent - pleeeeease!  Didn't think to get camera out while they were all here. Stupid 'cos photo opportunities with any of them are few and far between and now I regret not putting brain into gear and getting camera out as there might not be another opportunity for months.  Getting too many senior moments recently with brain not working until it's too late :0(

Final bit of shopping for holiday done and dusted.  Tried on another dress I'd seen last week and, although I loved the colour and it was pure silk, the fit was atrocious.  Bagged under the arms and over the bust.  Empire line dress but a smaller size wouldn't have fitted under the bust.  Really disappointed but it's saved me £100 *grin*

Here's the last project from Greta's playday and it was my offering.  This one was very much a fly by the pants project.  I'd bought ordered (Paul paid for it as part of my Christmas present) the die at a very, very good price but had never used it.  I cut all the elements needed and it was a 'follow the directions' make for us all for the first time.  Think we all discovered where we could improve if ever made again but strangely, although I took the die with me, nobody rushed to cut the parts needed to make another - *LOL*  The die used is a Sizzix Bigz XL called Pop Up Snowman (I think).  I used it with my CuttleBug using extended plates but they aren't totally necessary as you have to be quite selective with cutting the pieces.  There are some elements that you need more than one of but there's only one on the die.  I don't actually dislike it and may make more, especially now I know where it could be improved.  I finished the card at home on Sunday ...

 I entered this one into the forum's April inspirational challenge as well ... to include a button.

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Another project ...

... from Greta's playday.  This time it's Kim's contribution.  She got us making a card with punch art fishes and ain't they cute?  We had a choice as to how we finished this card.  We could have torn paper to create a wave effect or a stamp from Stampin' Up's Curvy Verses.  I chose the stamp but felt it needed a bit more to give a wave effect so decided to ruffle some pale blue ribbon that Greta had. The fish were made with a variety of SU punches, ornament, heart, blossom and bird wing - and also a couple of googly eyes *lol*. 

Loved the card when put together but felt it lacked something so Sunday I got out my chalks and chalked pale blue around the edges of the card.  I then went a little further and added some chalk to both fish to give a bit more depth to them.  Very discreet and barely noticeable but it has made a difference.  I also added a button with some twine tied and frayed to suggest coral, seaweed or even a creature ... it's up to you - *LOL*.  Because I added the button I'm entering it into the forum's April inspirational challenge.  I think the card would make a lovely anniversary or engagement card.

Dad day today.  He'd 'lost' an hearing aid.  Shouted at me, before I'd even shut the front door *sigh*  Told me he'd dropped it this morning and couldn't find it.  Showed me where he dropped it so it was pretty obvious it was in his chair somewhere - and it was :0)  Then we started on the TV again.  How to switch it on and off.  Becoming a regular weekly 'go through' this is but he seems to manage well enough throughout the week.  Tells me he's lost a lot 'up here', pointing to his head.  I had to pay a visit to the office today to leave them some more money for his shopping and general expenses.  Hopefully I've left enough to cover 'til I'm back from my holiday.  They tell me they've referred him back to the OTs again as the morning carers are concerned about his mobility and he won't use the wheeled commode chair.  Not sure what referring him back to the OT will produce, especially as he only saw the last one a couple of weeks ago.  Do they think that a different one can force him to use something he flatly refuses to use?  Told the office that it's a waste of time as there's not really anything more can be done re his mobility.  He wants to walk when in the flat and, if we're honest, it's what he should be doing all the while he can.  Last OT told him it was fine to walk if he could, so he does! Only one more visit to go before I'm off to Bali.  Is it wrong to be relieved to be having a break from these visits?  

Anyway, time's fast running away and there's lots to do before the END OF NEXT WEEK .... eeeeek!  Now I'm feeling I've left everything to the last minute but, if truth be told, I really only have my packing to do.  Just seems as though I've loads to do but that could be because we're full of Bank Holidays now, what with Easter, the much hyped (and waste of money) royal wedding, there's not much normal time left to do things like shopping so that I know Paul can eat while I'm away and some of that dreaded 'h' word so that he doesn't have to worry too much.  True, he's having the screw out of his hand while I'm away and, hopefully, things will be easier for him but we've got to allow for the fact that it may still be a while before it is.  Mind you, last year he had a great big plaster up his arm - and managed - while I was in Tanzania so not sure why I'm worrying so much this year.  I'm only away for a couple of weeks instead of 3 as well.  Be home before I've got used to being away *hehe*  Grand-daughter reminded me yesterday how quickly it will all be over.  She's off to Spain for a couple of weeks the day after I get home and she Facebooked that 4 weeks and 1 day and she would be in Spain - which means that I shall have been back home a day! :0(

Weather - the hottest day of the year today and hotter than some of the Med hotspots!  Gotta love this weather but it's about 10ºC above average.  How long can it last?

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Foxy Birthday Card.

I wasn't going to post this yet but decided I would.  It's for hubby's birthday which isn't until the 23rd but as he doesn't read the blog I'm safe to post it here.  I've also entered it on the forum's February Inspiration challenge.  I was holding back mainly because of that but then remembered that it is no longer a 'competition' challenge.  It used to be entered anonymously and then the cards are voted by the membership but it was changed this month so I am safe to post it before the challenge closing date.

The challenge was to use something from a CD.  Now, I don't do CD crafting although I do have some.  I've bought some but, other than opening them and looking to see what's on them, I've never used one.  Knowing hubby's birthday was on the horizon I thought that I could kill 2 birds etc. etc.  A quick look through the only CDs I had that I thought might have something suitable and I decided on using an image from Joanna Sheen's Jayne Netley Mayhew CD.

I imported image into PSP9 and added a texture effect.  I then added a border and buttonized it - picking out a colour from the fox to tie it all in.  I then mirrored the image, cropped it down, faded it, added the same border/buttonizing and added text to make a matching greeting plaque.  Images were mounted onto thick, bronze pearlescent paper (bought eons ago from Craftwork Cards at a craft show) with that used for the main image being edged with a border punch.  Everything was then mounted onto gold mirri board.  I printed a blank 'plaque' matching the greeting one and stuck that on the base of the card for signing.  Finished off with a few pearls .... job done!

I decided to make a twisted easel card but a double one however, for one reason or another it ended up as a single.  It is also quite small, only being 4" x 4" when flat.  I'm not into 'big' cards and I love how this one has turned out.

Ingredients:

White card for blank

Gold mirri card

Bronze paper

Joanna Sheen's Jayne Netley Mayhew Collection CD (image)

Staples IQ Smooth 160gsm card for printing

Martha Stewart Modern Garland border punch

Woodware inverted corner punch

Gold/bronze pearls from stash

Enjoy!!

A Christmas card challenge.

The August challenge on Crafters Reunited was for a Christmas card but ... it wasn't to be a 'flat' card and neither was there to be any hint of green or red.  That's OK - blue!  Think everybody decided on blue - well, nearly everybody ... *LOL*!  Here is my offering.  Had an idea in my head but it didn't turn out quite as imagined.  I went a bit OTT and it ended up a lot fussier than intended but it's not flat and there's no red or green *grin*

Ingredients:

Card blank - white linen card from Papermill

Backing - blue water/glitter effect paper.  Not sure what it's technically called but I've loads in different colours.  Beautiful.

Woodware snowflake punch (small flakes)

Cuttlebug snowflake die (large flakes)

Stickles diamond glitter glue

Tonic/Xcut border punch system 

Papermania Penelope & Percy Christmas Greetings stamp set

Spellbinders oval dies - selection

Enjoy!!

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge #3

OK, so this is getting on the side of boring! I really must make, or at least post, something other than Kenny K challenges *LOL*. It's not as though I haven't done anything else but just not photographed it. Anyway, this is likely to be the last for a little while as it's the last one I've got ready coloured up.

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz challenge this week was another sketch - by Donna this time - and once again I've used some of the DCWV DP that I bought at Doncaster last weekend. Image was coloured about 3 weeks or so ago. For some reason my camera has decided to photograph purple/mauve as a shade of blue - which it's not at all. The mauves/purples all have a much pnkier tone to them than the photo shows and the jeans are a definite dark blue and nothing like the colour in shown here. Oh well, have to use imagination 'cos photographed it around 50 times now and still can't get the colour right and I'm fed up! Made a change this time - coloured with my Prismacolors and Zest It. Just love this medium but did go round with a grey Promarker to make image 'pop' as our US friends would say .... *grin* Made her jump 'out of the box' using oval nesties and sponged a pale lilac ink whilst plain nestie still in situ.

Ingredients:

White hammered card blank (got loads of blanks I've decided to use up ...)

DCWV Mat Stack - Neutrals ... again

DCWV DP - Posies Glitter print, Petite purple roses

Silver mirri card

Oval nesties, scalloped and plain and corner punches

Inks (for sponging) and gems from stash

Flowers - Papermania Fabric Flowers, silk Purples/lilacs

Kenny K image - Uptown Angel, coloured with Prismacolors blended with Zest It.

Enjoy!!

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge #2

Well, if nothing else Kenny K's images have me colouring! I did this image while in Doncaster last weekend (report on that to follow) then, when I got back home, found that Kenny K's second challenge was a sketch. Sketches I can sort of do but real life has got in the way and I didn't think I'd be able to find the time to enter however .... last minute.com perhaps, but here it is! What's even more of a surprise, it got me using one of my purchases from last weekend ... the DP! When I saw it I just knew that it would suit these girlz - *lol* 

I still made a mistake on the card though.  Can't seem to make a card without one *sad face* Anyways, I had to go back to make it less obvious so hopefully nobody will notice.  The camera hasn't picked up the colours as they really are, which is unfortunate as they are much more distinctive than they seem and the hat is most definitely more red and the blues are actually quite a dark mauve.  The whole card is much more vibrant and psychedelic than piccie shows. Perhaps light is not good for photography ... *grin*

Ingredients:

Cream hammered card blank.

DCWV mat stack - Neutrals (love the range of colours in these)

Paper - DCWV Girls Square with Glitter (Nana's Kids Print range)

E-Line gems

Ribbon from stash

EK Success Edger Punch - Morocco Lace

QuicKutz Cookie Cutter - Nesting Label (cut, embossed and sponged with ink)

Image - Kenny K's All That coloured with Promarkers.

Ink for 'distressing/edging' from stash

Enjoy!!
 

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge

Call over to Kenny K's Challenge Blog for their very first challenge ... PASTEL. I'd purchased Kenny's digi images when they first came out and had coloured a couple of them. When I saw what the challenge was I thought - I can do that! I'd already got an image coloured in a way I thought would fit so here is yet another reason why I don't make many cards off my own bat *LOL*. 

Hopefully it's pastel enough for the challenge.  One of my first attempts at colouring with Promarkers.  Must practise more - *LOL*

Ingredients:

White hammered card blank

DCWV mat stack - Neutrals

Papermania Colossal paper pack - Pastel

Nesties, petite ovals - large and small, plain and scalloped.

Martha Stewart Lever Deep Edge Punch - Garden Trellis

Prima E-line flowers (I think)

Gems from stash.
Craftwork cards Card Candy

Image ... Kenny's Download Diva coloured with Promarkers.  No idea what colours used.
         

                                     

Enjoy!!

 

Bad News, Good news ... and a Challenge.

Back at the end of May news was received that the only forum I used was to close. The imag-e-ation forum was to finish, kaput, no more. Devastating to hear as I've made many friends because of that forum, both cyber, but better still, in real life. Without that forum I would not have met any of my good friends (not counting those that I knew before the forum - *LOL*) and many are now friends for life. We've had crafty days, weekend meets and now .... holidays. I would never have been to Tanzania this year without having met Jackie through that forum. I wouldn't have just come back from a weeks girlie holiday in Spain without having met the ladies that I went with, and to, without that forum but help was to hand! One member - one of our British Spanish residents - Senorita Lynn, found an host and opened another forum .... Crafters Reunited .... and most of the regulars, and my friends, have transferred there and it's moving along well. It's become a 'home from home' and, although imag-e-nation is not yet closed (but could disappear at any time), it is little used now.

Anyway, I've digressed right from the outset but it's a bit of background to what's to follow so ....

It was decided that Crafter's Reunited would continue with the card challenges but to only have one challenge a month, starting on the 1st of each month. June saw the first challenge and, although it is rare for me to enter them I took the plunge. To 'celebrate' the football/soccer World Cup being held in South Africa and to show a bit of patriotism, the theme was set as a card for any occasion but the colour had to be red, white and blue.

I had been playing with my Promarkers and had coloured a few images. Thought I had one that just about fit the bill so I put it on a card and here it is .... Colouring has a way to go but reckon it's just about passable. I didn't win the challenge and didn't expect to but thought I should support the first one on the new forum. No idea when I'll enter another one - lol!

Ingredients:

Stamp - Greeting Farm's Miss Anya

Colouring - Promakers

Embellishment - Miss Anya mounted onto Nestability petite oval, Stickles, Craftwork Cards Christmas sentiment and Card Candy, Stamping Up Scalloped oval punch

Papers - Papermania Colossal Christmas Contemporary paper pack.

Enjoy!!
 

Challenge result.

Thanks to those of you that entered the challenge and apologies for the late posting of the winner ...

The entries were low in number but high in quality so I thank those of you that took the time to let me see your creations. I shall be adding them to the slideshow on the sidebar in due course.

Anyway, on to the winner, drawn at random by Random.org

Number 4:  Myra W.  Congratulations Myra. I have your address so I'll get the goodies off to you in the next day or so.

Enjoy!!

Challenge with a Difference - part 2

Digital Doodling has said we can have more than one entry to their challenge so here's my second .... I just can't resist posting this one. The expressions are just tooo cute!

Enjoy!!

Challenge with a Difference.

... with a capital 'D' *LOL* I've had fun with this one. Too much fun I think 'cos I can't decide which to use. What am I on about? Digital Doodling blog has issued their latest challenge which I came upon purely by chance. Pop over and have a look. If it gets to you like it did me you'll be spoilt for choice by the time you've finished playing - derr! As a bonus there's a chance of winning a couple of Sugar Nellie's ...

Anyways, back to the challenge .... funny, cute, romantic. I don't do romantic but funny? Cute? Ooooh yes! Trouble is I played too much and now I can't decide so I'm posting a selection! These are my 3 youngest grandchildren ... real cuties.

However, if I've got to choose just one then I guess it's got to be this one of my dear old Dad on Christmas Day after he'd opened all his pressies ... bless him!   *LOL*

Now it's your turn to go play. Even if you don't take part in the challenge just visit MagMyPic and have fun.

Enjoy!!