A Good Weekend!

Hello Everyone

I've just had a lovely weekend - I had my day off work on Friday - Richard was off too, though he went golfing in the morning - left home about 6am! He was home at lunchtime and we went for lunch at a local cafe, before doing the grocery shopping, then collecting the children from school.

Then, on Saturday morning, I went to a Stampin Up Craft Workshop, where we decorated some wooden letters for a Christmas mantlepiece decoration. I love it. When Andrew saw it though he asked "Who's Noel?" - so funny!



We also managed to make a Christmas card - I thought this was a fabulous idea. We made a patchwork of different Christmas papers, then diecut the shape and embossed it, inked around the edges and added the sentiment. I might try this idea on another card, using my own tools.



Then, when I came home, it was such a gorgeous afternoon, we all went for a walk along the river and canal, down to a weir to try to watch the salmon leaping. We did see a couple of salmon attempting it, but they did not manage to get up whilst we were there.

Yesterday, Richard's Dad came for Sunday lunch with us - it was good to see him too.

This week is half term, but I have no idea what we're doing - Eleri is out playing with a friend at the moment. She wants to go swimming sometime in the week. We'll just take each day as it comes I suppose, and the week will fly by!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Oh Man I Struggle With Men's Cards

Hello Folks

It's my brother's birthday today, and I really struggled with a card for him. I'm not happy with the card I've made to be honest - it looks more like it should be for his son (in fact I did use the same image for his son earlier in the year!) The card turned out OK, but it's just not a man's card!

Here it is



I followed this month's Glitter Fairies sketch challenge.
I'm also entering Do You Stack Up - use scraps (I didn't break into a new piece of card or paper at all for this - amazing!
and St Luke's Charity Cards Challenge which is Let's hear it for the boys.

Must go now as I have to cook tea before going back out to work for a meeting.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Gift For My Sister

Hello Folks

We're having a bit of a downer week this week - Andrew and Eleri were both sick on Monday evening so I had to keep them off school yesterday. Just typical, yesterday was a day I was supposed to be having training on how to use our new video conferencing facilities - thankfully, Richard's boss is good and allowed him to come home for a couple of hours so that I could go in to work for that (though I don't think he was really too happy about it!). Both children seemed OK this morning, and I was meant to be in the office on my own this afternoon because my colleague had to have the afternoon off for an appointment. But I had a call from the school secretary about 2.30 - Andrew was ill again and could I go to collect him (oh no!). At least I was able to collect Eleri at the same time rather than having to go back at 3.20 for her. But that's put paid to my shopping trip tomorrow as I'll have to keep Andrew off school again. Mind you, I think I'm coming down with a cold today - sore throat, cough that's making my chest sore, runny nose - hopefully I will have fought that off by tomorrow though!

It was my sister's birthday yesterday - the card in my post below was for her. I made some jewellery for her present. A long necklace, a woven bracelet and a stretchy bracelet - all made with labradorite and pearls.







Well, that's it from me - better go make something to eat, and grab myself a honey and lemon drink I think.

Love, Andrea xx

One of My Favourite Images

Hello Everyone

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. I took Eleri to a show at the local theatre last night - it was a medley of Disney songs by a local musical theatre company. I really enjoyed but I'm not convinced that Eleri enjoyed it so much. But she was very tired - she'd been for her first sleepover with her Rainbows group on Friday night and I wanted her to have a sleep yesterday afternoon. But, despite Mums always knowing what's best, children know better don't they???!! Lol! She would not have a sleep. Eleri wanted to come home during the interval and then, during the second half of the show, she kept asking when the last song would be on. But she says she enjoyed it and I saw her showing the programme to one of her friends this morning.

Well, enough waffle, I wanted to show the latest card I've made.



This is one of my favourite images - Sweet Blossom - which is a digi I bought from Cuddly Buddly earlier this year. I've coloured her with promarkers. The papers are from my stash - from a pile I won in a candy a couple of years ago and I can't remember what they're called. But I love this colour combo.

I followed the sketch for this week's Pollycraft Challenge.
I die cut the image, the mat it's on and the circles for the sentiment with Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle dies, and the flowers were punched using a Woodware punch, so I can enter this week's Fab n Funky Challenge which is Die-Cut or Punches.

I'm also entering:
One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with the option of adding something punched - for their 4th birthday challenge

Well, that's all for now. I hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx