It's been an age ...

..well, over 2 weeks but I'm not in hibernation! I've been busy and not felt like blogging when I've had time to relax. Even 'Bits' went by the board for a while but have caught up with that at last *phew!*  Today is a bonus day as what I'd planned hasn't happened.  We had snow overnight and early this morning and, although the main roads were passable this morning (with care) our road wasn't and I couldn't get the car out.  In fact, I didn't even try to move it when I saw the conditions.  Very, very pretty (well, it was when it was all virgin snow) but wish it had waited until next week.  Don't think we'll be having a white Christmas as it's arrived too early.  It'll probably all be gone by this time next week!

Unfortunately the weather has meant that hubby hasn't gone to hospital to have the op on his hand.  I feel so, so sorry for him.  He is in excruciating pain with it and was looking forward to going to get it sorted out.  Now he's going to have to wait until they get another space, which is unlikely to be this side of Christmas :o(  He's considered priority because of being a wheelie and needing his hands for his mobility.  He's actually housebound and has been for some while now and all because he can't transfer from his chair to a car any more as the pain is so great.

I've plenty of 'catch up' to do, including the imag-e-nation SE Christmas meet - with piccies (still got to sort them *doh!*) - but reckon I need to consult the calendar to remind me of what's happened and what I've been doing.

In meantime I've updated my profile photo - taken today, by me, with camera at arms length! First time I've tried that - OK, so I'm waaaaayyyyyyyy behind on that one *lol* - but it seems to have worked OK. I just snapped until I got one I was reasonably happy with. Never totally happy with pics of me now and usually go out of my way to avoid having them taken, 'cos I don't recognise the person that I see. It's not the person I see in my head, which is about 30 years younger and half the size *hehe!*


Thanks for dropping by .....

Oooops! ...

... Normal service will be resumed at some point in the near future - LOL!!
Thanks for dropping by .....

Stamps & Nestibilities #2 - Workshop

Friday 11th December - The Glitterpot.
Afternoon session. 3 cards made.

Once again these classes were originally to be taken by Paula Pascual but she was unable to do them so Julie Huckstep took them instead - and very ably so!

Stamps used were Personal Impressions Essential Circles designed by Paula to be used with Spellbinders Nestibilities.  Papers were from the Magnolia, So Jolly range, Circle Nestibilites and Craftwork Cards Card Candy. The shaped card blank was the Sizzix Extra Long, Card Ornate #2 die.

Enjoy!!

Stamps & Nestibilities #1 - Workshop

Friday 11th December - The Glitterpot.
Morning session. 3 cards made.

These classes were originally to be taken by Paula Pascual but she was unable to do them so Julie Huckstep took them instead.

Stamps used were Personal Impressions Square Essentials designed by Paula to be used with Spellbinders Nestibilities. Papers used were from the My Minds Eye, Be Loved range, Co-ordinations cardstock and Nestibilities Labels 1 for the matting and layering.

Enjoy!!

SE imag-e-nationer's Christmas meet #2

5th December, Southwater, Horsham.
Both of the following cards were projects given by Jennie, the organiser of the meet. I started both during the afternoon but ran out of steam so took them home and finished them.

The Christmas tree card was made by cutting the outer frames, layering them onto the base card and then folding 4 different sized squares of paper and adhering them in position. Finished with a Craftwork card greeting and a jewel.
Details (by request and with thanks to Jennie and Lynn):
Card blank 14.5 cm square
Backing frame to tone (mine's silver)- 13.5cm outside, 9cm inside but it should have been 9.5cm hence I have a wider internal border than intended but I prepared it from email instructions not those given on the day. Don't think it really matters and I quite like the wider inner border.
Backing frame (to match tree) - 13 cm outside, 10 cm inside.
Four squares (to match backing frame) 7.5 x 7.5cm, 6.5 x 6.5cm, 5.5 x 5.5cm, 4.5 x 4.5cm
Instructions on how to fold the squares can be found here.

Update 8th Jan 2010: - I've now made one of these cards using a 12cm square card blank.
Backing frame to tone: 11.5cm square outside, 8.5cm square inside.
Backing frame (to match tree): 11cm outside, 9cm inside
4 squares (to match backing frame): 6, 5, 4 and 3cms square folded as before)

The star card was made by covering a square card with DP and then cutting a section of the card away, filling the gap, in this instance, with stars cut out of metallic card using a Sizzix Bigz die, layering some with stars cut from the DP. As the back of the metallic card is a browny grey - not white - I decided to back the stars with more DP so that when the card is opened the theme follows through. It also had the added advantage of strengthening the whole card. It took me a while to get my head around this one and get the layout of the stars to work but I'm really pleased with the end result. Might make this one again .... especially seeing the finished results that others did by really thinking outside the box - lol!

Enjoy!!

SE imag-e-nationer's Christmas meet #1

5th December, Southwater, Horsham.
Great fun had by all. A challenge with a twist, some projects and an SU make and take ... brilliant!

Challenge was set ... The card could be any subject. It had to be monochromatic (having, or appearing to have, only one colour) with a toning topper. At least 2 backing papers needed and a few embellies (for example ... flowers/snowflakes or similar but relating to topper & backing papers and following the monochromatic line). There was to be an extra, surprise, element added on the day ... so it was a Challenge with a Twist! The surprise element was a card map/sketch/layout to follow.

I'd decided to use one of the stamped images I'd coloured a while back (The Greeting Farm, Dressy Anya stamp set) and to make the card 'zingy'. It's probably more zingy than in photo but light not good for photography at the moment. DP is Doodlebug and image was cut 'out of the box' style with a circle nestie to fit the Nellie Snellen Multiframe Die used behind that. Sentiment was Craftwork Cards and flower a Floral Doodle. Green metallic card used in the matting is from the kids craft section in Tesco. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

The SU make and take was a gift card/money holder. I loved this and, as it was an SU make and take, all the materials, stamps and finishing touches were SU. Of course I had to purchase the stamp set - Sparkly & Bright - especially seeing card samples made with it as well. Soo cute!

UPDATE: There's a tutorial for the gift card holder on this blog here.

Enjoy!!

Cut Flowers - Workshop

Jackie Huckstep, 27th November at The Glitterpot.
Afternoon session - 2 cards.
Floral die cut birthday cards.

Daisy flowers on pink & brown card ... Sizzlit 3 Die set, Hello Kitty - Butterfly & Flowers, Set #2. Card and aperture cut from a template designed and supplied by Jackie.

Green card cut using Sizzix Movers & Shapers - Kit #3 card, Horizontal note.
The flower was from the same set as the daisy on the pink and brown card.

Enjoy!!

A Christmas to Die For - Workshop

Jackie Huckstep, 27th November at The Glitterpot.
Morning session - 3 cards.

Die-cut Christmas cards combining embossing folders and Sizzix dies .... Sizzlit - Tree, Christmas #4, Sizzix Bigz - Holly & Berries, Cuttlebug embossing folders - Season's Greetings (cut up and elements used on each card) and Snowflakes.

Enjoy!!

Winter Wonderland - Workshop

Francoise Read at The Glitterpot, 14th November.
Afternoon session - 2 cards.

Stamp set: Winter Wonderland by Woodware (designed by Francoise), highlights coloured with Copics.

























Enjoy!!

Owl Greetings - Workshop

Francoise Read at The Glitterpot, 14th November.

Morning session - 2 cards (yep, catching up with photography of cards made recently-ish ...*LOL*)

Stamp set: Owl Greetings by Woodware (designed by Francoise), coloured with Copics ... my very first attempt!

























Enjoy!!

Absolutely amazing ....

... and even more so when you realise that all the dancers are deaf and are directed from the corners of the stage by signals (the signers can be seen in some shots). The group performed at the closing ceremony of the Paralympics in Athens, 2004. Just watch and be totally amazed .... Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe

Thanks for dropping by .....

How Spooky!! ...

... only a few days ago I was saying about my holiday to Malta that the National Lottery's 15th birthday reminded me of and today Mr Bing has Malta on his home page. To be exact he has a picture of Valletta, Malta's capitol, as his home page. Now that is spooky! If you click on the link for Mr Bing today you will see Valletta but if you click on it any other day you will see a different picture as it's changed daily. Hover over whichever picture is there and little boxes pop up with an informative sentence and then a link. Click on the links and soak up the info. I've started using Mr Bing a lot as my search engine. I'm afraid I seem to be changing my allegiance a bit so guess I'm now two-timing dear Mr Google ... or could it be I've become polygamous??? *LOL*

Thanks for dropping by .....

Will it ever stop? I can't recall the last time we had so much rain for such a prolonged period of time. We get brief respites with some sun - as we have today - but they have been few and far between and the rain is battering the window yet again! It seems to be blowing a permanent gale at the same time, which doesn't help. Some areas of the country have been having an horrendous time of it. I'm so lucky where I live. I've had to empty some of the water out of the fish pond as it was in danger of overflowing. I dropped the level by around 6 inches on Saturday and I've got to do it again soon. Unbelievable!!

What else is unbelievable is Dad. Last week the flats lost the digi signal for all the TVs. The day I was there they were hoping to get it back up and running again. I assumed that they would sort Dad out knowing that he could only see one channel (just) until it was repaired. I called to see him yesterday and he was still watching that same one channel. He'd been complaining that he was bored and was missing his favourite programmes and they'd noted the fact as well. He told me that it still wasn't working properly but the picture he had on this one channel was so much more watchable I couldn't believe it. Got his remote and pushed the digital button on it and, hey presto - there were his programmes. I flicked back to the analogue side he'd been watching and he could have seen the terrestial channels had he thought to try changing channel! Nobody had thought to do what I did for him so, for the past week since the signal was repaired, he's been sitting watching a channel he doesn't like because nobody thought to change it from analogue to digital and he never thought to try changing channel to see what would happen! It is easier for me now that I don't have the twice a day call and all the household stuff to do but there are different concerns now like this and also his shopping, which they do but why would they buy a 2 person meal for an senior citizen who finds a single serving meal a blowout? If they're not doing that they're buying 'snack' size. What's difficult about buying a 'serves one'?

Drawing up his shopping list is a nightmare - it's more instruction than items to buy! I've started getting him bits in our shopping and carting it over to him but he's not got the freezer storage he used to have so I can't buy bulk any more. His shopping has to be done weekly because of the restricted refrigeration he's now got.

I'm beginning to feel that my left arm is a pin cushion. A week or so ago I had my seasonal flu jab. Friday afternoon I had the swine flu one. Wasn't looking forward to that as nurse had told me it gave a painful arm for a few days - more so than the seasonal flu one. Anyway, I bit the bullet and off I went to the conveyor belt of the 'walk-in' clinic. Booked in, "join that queue and get your left arm ready while you're waiting" Hmmmm - I think not, as was wearing a pully and to do so would have meant exposing myself to a waiting room full of strangers *LOL* One out, one in and while nurse prepped my jab I slipped my arm out of sleeve, jabbed, done and out again ... next one in. I started to feel 'the pain' that evening but it was no worse than the seasonal and, in all honesty, the pain never became more than an ache. The only difference I found was that the seasonal was only bothersome if pressure was bought to bear on it for a few days and with this one I felt it all day on Saturday without any pressure but it was worse with. Sunday it started to ease and Sunday night I was able to lie on it to sleep. In all, less bother than the seasonal.

Today I've been to the surgery again ... for a visit with Dracula. A proper Dracula this time, not her apprentice. Mind you, she got it first time with no problem other than it had to be my left arm again as right wouldn't even present a vein!

Now I've got to arrange for a Yellow Fever innoculation and I've the other 'travellers' ones to have on 14th December - *JOY!* .... not! - but come February I'll be enjoying the benefits of those ones!

Thanks for dropping by .....

I have to ask ...

... when presented with 2 sets of facts and figures, that are identical in every way, would you say that they came from exactly the same item? That is something I've had to ask myself recently and, despite not wanting to have to admit it, the answer has had to be 'yes'. If the figures weren't so precise there could have been reason for doubt but there's not, as far as I can see.

1st set of figures -
Dimensions – 389 x 517
Width – 389 pixels
Height – 517 pixels
Horizontal Res – 100dpi
Vertical Res – 100dpi
Bit Depth – 24
Resolution Unit – 2
Color Representation – sRGB
Adobe photoshop 7.0
File Size 54kb

2nd set of figures -
Dimensions – 389 x 517
Width – 389 pixels
Height – 517 pixels
Horizontal Res – 100dpi
Vertical Res – 100dpi
Bit Depth – 24
Resolution Unit – 2
Color Representation – sRGB
Adobe photoshop 7.0
File Size 54kb

Where's the difference? There are other exact similarities as well which further add to the conclusion that these are figures from the same item but ... they were taken from the properties of 2 different sources. I know what conclusion I've come to, no matter how much I didn't want to. The object of these figures has been the cause of an almighty row and a totally unnecessary one. I think people have jumped in with both feet instead of looking at things more carefully before they did so but, to me, more shockingly is how vitriolic people have been (especially as, for once, I'm not the one on the receiving end *☺*). I've certainly seen a few in a different light - and not a very pleasant one at that. Disappointed? Yes, and appalled.

Thanks for dropping by .....