I need a rant...!!!

Oh, I've not had the best of bank holiday Mondays today! My husband has been working, and I decided to get the house cleaned. Then I heard my daughter and her friend say something about putting the 'cum powder back (that's talcum powder in little girl speak!). So I firmly told my daughter she was not to play with the talcum powder, and she was not to go in my bedroom again. But then about 10 minutes later she comes downstairs covered in talc again - I went into her bedroom and discovered that they had not just been playing with the talc, but also with water!!! There was sticky talc all over her toy cooker and dishes, her carpet, her bed, the bathroom sink and towel rail, and on my dressing table - GGGrrrr (angry mummy!). So she is now banned from taking friends up to her bedroom!

Then, this afternoon, they asked if they could do some painting. So I thought it wouldn't be wise to give them the big paint pots, just gave them a small watercolour pallette to use. Then I took something upstairs and, whilst up there got a bit distracted and did a bit of tidying in my daughter's room (again!!!) (I couldn't have been more than about 5 minutes), and when I came downstairs - a guilty little girl ran across the kitchen back to the table - I walked into the kitchen, and then took a sharp and noisy intake of breath (do you know the one I mean? haauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhh!!!! - there was blue, brown and black paint splattered right up the wall and the cupboard! So they are now banned from painting together too! And I had to spend another 10 minutes trying to clean the wall - whilst desperately trying not to cry (actually a few big tears did fall!!)

All I want is a nice clean, tidy house, and obedient, well mannered children, who realise when they have made a mess and tidy it up without being told to do so - I think I'm asking too much aren't I!! Quite often, when my daughter looks at me, I can see her thinking - "Oh no! What have I done now! Is she gonna rant again?" And, she can have such a beautiful, angelic face on times!!

Anyway, I did manage to get downstairs reasonably tidy, dusted and hoovered before my hubby got home - and we had a nice roast beef dinner with yorkshire puds (mmmmmmm!!!). But I've still got upstairs to do tomorrow!!

I'm about to start making a card now - that should make me feel better! Actually, I feel better after the rant - thanks for listening!!

Oh! - I heard Michael Macintyre talking on the radio this morning - and he was saying how he is not able to have a phone conversation with his wife without her stopping to tell one of the children off!! OMG - How true is that? (I thought it was very funny anyway!)

I'm gonna go now! Speak to you soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Birthday Gift

My daughter went to a birthday party last Saturday, and had a thoroughly wonderful time. This is the card and gift I made for her to give - not the Barbie Princess doll Eleri wanted to give but I really hope that Nia liked this birthday gift.

The papers I have used are Kay & Co, which have been paper weaved for the photo holder. The stamped image is Queen Charlotte from Whiff of Joy, coloured with water colour pencils. I have made the frames using my Keepsake Majestic Board (oval frame on the card) and my Ultimate Pro (for the photo holder), and have stamped and heat embossed swirls onto the frames, using Versamark and clear embossing powder. The alphabet on the card is printed from my Cute Companions CD, and on the photo holder they are from a scrapbooking kit I have.

I decided not to add a birthday sentiment on the front of the card - I thought it could then be used as a door plate - but I printed an insert with a verse for the inside.

Thanks for looking - I hope you like what you have seen. I think I'll be making more of these photo hangers for gifts.

Hope you can come back soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Oh! I am a Dope!!!

I'm feeling such a dope! My blog photos are never particularly good are they, but have you noticed the ones on my Simon Says post below? The photos are looking particularly foggy at the top aren't they?

Well, I've been thinking that I had ruined my camera on Sunday - I must tell you - we went to watch the Walking with Dinosaurs Live Arena Show - it was absolutely fantastic, with real 'live looking' and life size dinosaurs moving around (all done by robotics). It really was awesome and, if you have the chance to go and watch it, just go - or at least look at this dinosaur live website. Anyway, I had my camera on throughout the show and kept it on as we were not supposed to use flash and I was worried that I would keep forgetting to shut the flash off if I kept switching the camera off! And I have been thinking that having it on for so long had overheated it or something :(.

But then, yesterday when we were in the park, I noticed that the lens was particularly smudgy, so I gave it a bit of a rub with my t-shirt and hey presto! the photos are not foggy anymore - happy me! :D

I don't think it's going to make me a better photographer though! (LOL).

Anyway, must go and wash up and put the rubbish out, then I can get on with some crafting!

Hope to see you soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Simon Says Challenge

As ever this is a last minute entry!

The latest challenge on the Simon Says Challenge blog is Anything But a Card. I took inspiration from Abbys Garden and decided that I would love to make a hanging photo frame for my daughter's bedroom.


I used paper weaving for the background - it took me ages to work out why I was not getting the pattern I wanted (ie every other blocks of colour) - I did eventually realise that I needed to have one patterned paper across the top, and then weave horizontally with the other patterned piece! The papers and embellishments I used are from an old Kay and Co scrapbooking kit. I have added glitter glue to my daughter's name and the embellishments.

Because I wanted to enter this in the Simon Says Challenge (and I'm not sure whether there has to be stamping on the project), I thought I'd better do some stamping - so stamped some swirls with versamark around the frame - I think you can just see it in the photo below. Just need to add my daughter's photo, et voila, it's ready to hang!

I'm also going to enter this in Penny's Challenge.

And this is the end product with a photo added!


Eleri and I are both pleased with how this has turned out, so I think I'm going to make one for her friend whose birthday is coming up.

Thanks for looking! Look forward to being back again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Friday Sketchers Challenge

Hello everyone! I am entering this card in this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge (I hope I'm not too late!)

I have used a Dottie Download (Sports George) from Charmed Cards and Crafts, and have decoupaged him up a bit. I have used a white gel pen to add white stitching to the red panel, to make it look like a cricket ball! The card is not quite finished yet, because I have not been able to decide how to add the sentiment or whether to add other embellishments - don't think flowers will work for a 17 year old nephew somehow (LOL!) - my mind's working overtime trying to come up with something, but I've got another week to work on it!

Well, that's it for now - hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Engagement Card

Well, hello peoples! After yesterday's glorious day, we are back to rain today - typical, 'cos I had to work yesterday and again yesterday evening! Never mind, not working now til Monday - I just hope the weather picks up again.

Anyway - to the card I want to show you today:

This is the card I made for my cousin, Jo, who got engaged a couple of weeks ago - congratulations to Jo and Christopher.

The base card is from Crafters Companion, and I have embossed the heart shape and the edge with my Ultimate Pro. I made a little charm with a heart shaped pearly bead and some seed beads, and hung it on the ribbon. The champagne glasses are outline stickers stuck onto the cream card and cut around.

I have made a shaker for the inside of the card, again using my Ultimate Pro, and the 'movers and shakers' are seed beads and some kind of shiny confetti (sorry I don't know what the proper term is!). Then I've added an insert with a verse.

I hope Jo and Christopher liked their card, and I wish them all the best for the future!

Well, that's it for now - I'm gonna do a bit of bloghopping before I need to do some tidying (uugghh!!)

Love, Andrea xx

Tab's Double Candy

Just a note to say pop on over to Tab's Magnolia Creations to check out some gorgeous candy x2. Whilst you're there, check out Tab's work - absolutely stunning! I find her work so inspirational, and her blog posts always make me laugh!

Tab also has another blog Tabby Craft Designs where she shows even more wonderful work, and more funny postings! She also has an online craft shop, which I think offers excellent service!

So pop on over to Tab's blog, and grab yourself the chance to win some gorgeous Magnolia stamps and other goodies - on the other hand, maybe you shouldn't, then I might have more chance of winning (LOL)!!

Love, Andrea xx

The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #43

I have just found this challenge blog at The Secret Crafter. I loved the sketch so thought I'd have a go.

The image is from the Hope and Grace set from The Greeting Farm, and I have paper pieced her clothes (my first attempt, and I'm quite pleased with it!). I received this set of stamps, and the papers and the charm all in the candy I won from Fran a couple of weeks ago. The flowers were punched, and I've added dew drops to the centres.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous today, so I think I ought to attempt to do some gardening, or window cleaning! I'd much rather be crafting, but we should really make the most of the sunshine when we see it, shouldn't we???

Hope to be back soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Racing Driver

Hello - I'm back! Don't you agree - my photos are clearer when they are taken outside?- and this one didn't blow away (see earlier post!), although the wind did pick up as soon as I walked outside!!

I have made this card for my nephew who will be 5 on Tuesday. The image is from the Sports George download from Dottie Downloads at Charmed Cards and Crafts - they are great for making male birthday cards. Because I wasn't feeling 100% when I was making this, and a bit lazy, I have used one of the pre-coloured images - and just added some glossy accents to the visor on his helmet. The papers I have used are from Basic Grey Cupcake paper pad. Then the 'webby' strip is actually some plasterboard jointing tape from a DIY shop (isn't it amazing what you can use for crafting (LOL!) - this stuff is brilliant as it is already sticky - and is good for using on football cards (eg for the net), and just adds a bit of interest to a card really! I found the checkered flags on google somewhere. Coloured a peel off, and added some gem dew drops to represent the starting lights (hadn't got red ones so coloured some pink ones with red permanent pen).

I am actually quite pleased with the card - very quick and simple to make - it even perked me up a bit so that I was able to make something else as well ... not just one card in an evening, which is all I usually get done! (good job I don't try to make a living out of my cardmaking - I'd have to charge about £15 per card (LOL!)).

Anyway, it's late and I should get to bed - hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Love from

Andrea xx

Baby Congratulations Cards

At last, I've had some time to download photos, and add a post on my blog! Where on earth does the time go - just flies!! We are a slightly poorly household this week - my son had croup in the night on Monday, and has not been himself since really - he has a cold, and has been suffering with a headache on and off for a few days ... then yesterday I woke up with a really sore throat ... and my husband also has a sore throat and a headache - but there are no other symptoms so not the dreaded swine flu!!!

I could not believe it last week - I won some candy from the fabulous Fran over at franmade (if you get chance, please take a peek at her blog - I find her work so inspirational). I could not believe the amount of goodies when I opened my parcel - thank you so much Fran, you have been so generous {hug}. And the parcel arrived at just the right time - I had decided that I needed to buy a teddy stamp to use on new baby cards as I couldn't find the right topper for a new baby card I was making - and guess what ... what I thought was the perfect stamp was in my bag of goodies - fantastic!!! This is everything I received:

So I managed to finish the baby boy card I had been asked to make, and I was then asked to make a baby girl card as well. The base cards have been printed using a Crafters Companion CD, and I have folded them into the spring up shape, shaped the top by embossing with my Ultimate Pro and cutting around it, then stamped and embossed the teddy. On the boy card, I used peel offs around the edge, but used glitter glue on the girl's card. I punched out some little feet and glittered them up to add to the girl's card, and also added some onto the tag. Then made boxes to match. The boy card went down well, and I hope my friend likes the girl card! Well, here are the pictures - (anyone who has seen my blog before will know that my photography skills are not brilliant ... actually, I blame the lighting inside my house ... I get better photos outside, but when I tried to photograph cards outside this afternoon, they blew off the table ... I had a brilliant side and bottom shot!!! ... oh the mishaps of a crafter and blogger (LOL!))

Well, that's it for now - sorry this turned into a long post! I do have another card made ready to photograph (hmmm ... should I do it now - it's not so windy? - think I'll give it a go!!). Hope to be back again soon.

Bye for now!

Love from
Andrea xx