AndreaJB - Pieces of Mine

And This is the Gift

2012-01-14T22:39:00.002Z

This is the gift that went with the card in my previous post.

A Shamballa style bracelet made with Rose Quartz - I love it, and I'll probably make a few more for presents this year. So easy, but beware if you ever decide to make one - make sure you cut the cord plenty long enough - don't get to the end and then realise you needed another 1-2cm of cord to be able to tie it off (yes, I'm speaking from experience LOL!).

That's it from me tonight - short and sweet!

Love, Andrea xx

First Birthday Card This Year

2012-01-13T20:39:00.004Z

Hello and Happy Friday peoples! I hope you've had a good week. My week has been extremely busy at work, and I have brought work home but I don't know whether I'll get the motivation to do anything with it.

Eleri is going to a friend's birthday party tomorrow, so I have made a card and present. I was going to wait to show them both together but I've realised some of the challenges I was going to enter end tonight/early tomorrow so I thought I should show the card on its own.

The image for this card was a freebie from Pink Gem Designs, called Rollerskate Milly - I've used the pre-coloured version because of shortage of time and lack of mojo. The papers are from the same pad as my previous post - a free pack from Crafts Beautiful magazine. The embossing folder was also a freebie in Do Crafts Creativity magazine. Nothing more to say about the card really, except that the photo makes it look a bit more wishy washy than it is in real life.

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

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge - the sketch I followed
Charisma Cardz - Happy Birthday
Anything Goes - Anything Goes

I'm just going to make the gift box for the pressie, and hope to show that over the weekend sometime, so see you then.

Love, Andrea xx

Happy Brand Spankin New Year

2012-01-09T22:58:00.003Z

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well, and enjoyed the first week of this new year. It's flown by hasn't it?

Today I'm going to show you the Happy New Year card and gift I am sending to my friend. She came to see us just before Christmas, and we hadn't seen much of each other last year - it was so lovely to see her. Well I'm not much of a coffee drinker so, when I told my friend we only have Lidl coffee and I don't know what it's like, she decided to bring her own Cappucino LOL! She even brought one for Richard, and made them while she was here - cripes, that makes me sound like a useless hostess! After she'd left I found her little tub of Chocolate Topping Sprinkles, so I decided I'd send them back to her, but in a little keyring so she shouldn't leave them behind again! I have to say this is not my idea at all - I saw these keyrings on Tabbycrafts blog - then I found a pattern on the internet and my clever sister made a few up for me. I just cannot crochet, and my sister has crocheted some gorgeous things - I am envious! These keyrings are perfect for holding lipsalve or USB sticks.

Now onto my card - just a simple card. The image is a stamp from a set which was free with Crafts Beautiful, and the papers were also a freebie with the magazine sometime last year. I paper pieced the bird. The sentiment was also a freebie, from TLC Creations. Paulette creates some beautiful word art and graphics, many of which are offered free - you really should pop over to her blog.

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

Craft Your Days Away - New Beginnings
CES Challenges - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - New Something
Card Crafters Circle - Make It Colourful

Now for an update on Eleri - she is still suffering with tummy pains, and sometimes says she feels sick. I took her to the doctor again today. The doctor today gave her a pretty thorough examination, during which she started to have a giggling fit (a bit embarassing when I have requested an urgent appointment because I was worried about her - she certainly wasn't acting ill in the doctor's room today!). The doctor then said that children of Eleri's age do sometimes present with symptoms like irritable bowel, and the cause is never discovered. He did not feel that it was worth doing tests such as blood tests or stool sample because he really feels that they would not show anything. He also said that she might have these symptoms for 2-3 months. :( The doctor wants us to go back again if she is no better in about a month, but to go back sooner if she does become more ill (eg if she starts being sick). He said that it is OK to give Calpol if she is in pain, or to use a hot water bottle or something - I am trying not to give Calpol every night, and we have been using a little cuddly hottie (a wheat bag which can be warmed in the microwave, and which fits into a special cuddly bunny) - that does give her some comfort. If she becomes constipated again, I am to contact the doctor for something to ease that. I have accepted what the doctor has said because, apart from the pain and the slightly weird toileting things, Eleri does seem well most of the time and she is eating and sleeping normally.

Woohoo! I have been swimming this evening - I have decided that I really need to start doing some regular exercise, which I haven't been doing for about 18 months (and it really shows with the weight I have put on and the size of my tummy). I nearly didn't go because my legs are in a very hairy state at the moment (not a pleasant sight LOL!) but I decided if I didn't go tonight I would never get around to it. Anyway I did enjoy it - swam 16 lengths - I had planned on 10, so that was good. Only problem was I wanted to eat when I came home - that chocolate and orange muffin has been shouting to me :) - but I have resisted, and ate a clementine instead.

Sorry I've waffled - hope I haven't bored you to tears. I'll go now.

Love, Andrea xx

First Creation of 2012

2012-01-02T21:12:00.004Z

Hello Fellow Bloggers

Back to work for me tomorrow :( We have done absolutely nothing during the holidays and I'm not totally sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing!

I have made my first creation of 2012 - this is a Get Well card for my friend and colleague who had an operation just before Christmas.

The image is a Whiff of Joy stamp, and I've paper pieced the little elephant. The papers are Do Crafts Hanoverian. The swirls are a new Sizzlits die I've had from Stampin Up, and so is that gorgeous antique brad in the middle of the flower. The embossing folder was a freebie out of one of the Do Crafts magazines - but dopey me didn't check which way up it was and I debossed instead of embossed - oopsie! - but I decided to leave it as it is because it looks quite good really LOL!

I followed this week's Papertake Weekly sketch, but I couldn't make text fit so left it off. The text will just be inside the card.

I would also like to enter the following challenges:

Card Crafters Circle
Simon Says Stamp
Secret Crafter
which are all Anything Goes.

Eleri seems to be a little better today - she has managed to go to bed without Calpol and without her Hottie teddy being warmed to rest on her tummy. So I'm hoping things are on the up - but I'm still a little nervous about the results to come from the doctor tomorrow.

*** Update on 3.1.12 - Thankfully, Eleri's results were clear. She is still complaining of tummy pains though so I'm keeping a close eye on her. ***

Anyway, I'll love you and leave you with that. I do have to create a birthday card and present for one of Eleri's friends so should be back again soon. See you then.

Love, Andrea xx

Time for Reflection and Some Favourite Makes

2011-12-31T23:29:00.018Z

Hello Everyone

It's New Years Eve and I'm at home blogging, whilst Richard is sleeping in the chair LOL! I haven't even had a drink - as you may have read in my last post, my little girl Eleri is not 100% at the moment, and I'm still worrying that she's going to end up being very ill and have a trip to hospital. We're not sure what's wrong but she is still suffering with tummy pains, also in her back and tops of her legs - caused by constipation the doctors think - she hasn't 'been' now for 9 days - the powders from the doctor haven't kicked in yet. We had to take a 3rd urine sample to the doctors yesterday (she has traces of blood in her urine, but nothing specific showed up in the lab for her last sample). I'm not sleeping too well (though Eleri is!) - I'm just worrying and dreaming all sorts of horrid things!

*** Update on 1.1.12 - a motion has been passed LOL! I hope this means that Eleri is on the mend but I am still keeping a close eye on her. Just waiting for the results from the doctor on Tuesday now. ***

**** Update on 3.1.12 - Eleri's results were clear - she is still complaining of tummy pains but the doctor thinks she will do until everything settles down - she is to continue with the powders for a few more days - and I'm still keeping a close eye on her. ****

Anyway, enough of that. Lots of people have been blogging about their favourite creations of 2011, so I thought I would join in. On looking back at my blog, not all my favourites are cards.

My first choice is the thank you card I sent to the hospital staff who looked after my MIL up until she passed away in December 2010. I have missed her very much this year.

Next up, the card I made for my cousin's 30th birthday. We had a lovely big family get together for her before she returned to New Zealand in January.

I made some gorgeous cake pops for Eleri's classmates when it was her birthday in February. They went down a storm with the children. I really should make them again.

Next up the card I became a Top Five Passionista with at Passion for Promarkers.

It's midnight! Happy New Year to everyone! Just seen fireworks coming out of Big Ben on TV (the fireworks display in London). Wwooowww! That was amazing, but it must have cost a fffooortune!

Back to my post.

A simple, but bright and cheerful card for my Mum for Mother's Day.

Now for some male cards:

I had to put this one in because my Dad made me laugh so much when he opened it upside down, and thought it said 'Pep' then wondered if I was giving him a pep pill! ha ha!

I discovered the Jewellery Maker channel on TV this year, and started making jewellery. This bracelet was shown on the TV show, full screen on telly (wow, that was so exciting!)

Now for a baby card. I love my handmade flowers on this one:

Some teacher gifts:

My Aunty's 50th birthday card:

And, finally, the Christmas decoration I made at a craft class. It is currently on our mantle piece:

Well, looking back, it's a good job I'm not entering this post in any challenges because I could not cut it down to 5 or 10 makes!

So, do you have any plans or wishes for 2012? I hope that Eleri is going to get better quickly. I really want to make more regular contact with friends who I have not seen enough of in 2011. I have got to get into a regular exercise routine.

And, lastly, I wish all my friends, family, colleagues, and everyone in blogland a peaceful, healthy and happy 2012.

Well that was a long post - if you've got through it all - thank you so much!

I'll love you and leave you now!

Lots of love, Andrea xx

I Hope You're Having a Good One!

2011-12-26T18:51:00.011Z

Hello everyone, and compliments of the season to you all. I hope you're having a good Christmas.

We had a lovely day yesterday - the children are happy with their presents, I was spoiled rotten, and Richard's Dad came over to spend some time with us.

Unfortunately, my Mum and Dad are poorly at the moment, though my Mum is on the mend. They both have a nasty cold that is going around - Dad went back to bed yesterday afternoon, and was not very well when we were there this afternoon. It seems that one of them is always ill on Christmas Day. My Mum has had four Christmases on the trot now when she has been unwell!

I also have a friend in hospital at the moment - she had an operation on 22nd December - so I have been thinking of her a lot.

And Eleri is not particularly well at the moment - she's been complaining of tummy pains for over a fortnight, had three trips to the doctor so far, and will be going again when they open on Wednesday if she's still complaining tomorrow. She's not in agony, doesn't have a temperature, and she is sleeping well, her urine sample was clear so she doesn't have a water infection, but I am really worried about her. I just don't know what is going on. She is fine some of the time, then she starts complaining that her tummy hurts, and when I say that she seems to have been OK all day, she says that it has been hurting all day too. It seems as though she is unable to cope with it so much when she is tired, and was complaining most in the evenings, but the last couple of days she has been complaining at different times throughout the day.

Anyway, the real reason I came on here today was to show the gifts I made for people this year - I hope they all liked them!

I made a door hanger for my niece. This is the front:

The image is a Wags n Whiskers digi, which I used because she looks a little like Caitlyn, my niece. I coloured her with Promarkers. The papers are downloaded from Raspberry Road Designs - Fight Like a Girl, I think.

This is the back:

This image is Prima Ballerina Nora digi from Whiff of Joy.

I made a matching photo hanger for her bedroom:

I would like to enter the above gift set into this week's Charisma Cardz Challenge which is Anything Goes.

I made jewellery for some other friends and for teachers at school, and one for Eleri:

I also made a macrame bracelet for my nephew, and I knitted a scarf and flower brooch for my Mum, but heck I forgot to take photos before I wrapped them - der!!

Sorry this post was so long, but I hope you managed to stay to the end and thank you if you did!

I'm not sure when I'll have something else to post, but I hope I can call to see some of your blogs over the next few days.

Love, Andrea xx

Two Simple Cards

2011-11-28T11:15:00.004Z

Hello Everyone

Well, this is my last day of leave from work - I have managed to get some things sorted for Christmas - made 7 gifts so far, plan on making another 2 tonight. The presents left to get now are the 'difficult' ones I'm stuck on, such as my Mum who says she doesn't want anything - she would rather see us spend our money on ourselves! What do you do in a situation like that 'cos she really means it? Do I make a piece of jewellery she'll never wear, or a photo calendar she'll never put up??? I'm really stuck!

Anyway, Eleri went to a disco party yesterday for two of her classmates - I think they all had a wonderful time! So I made two similar cards for the girls:

Because I was making two cards, and needed to do them in one evening, I went for a simple layout. But I think it looks very effective - probably looked better in real life than in the photos.

The image is Wags 'n Whiskers Snuzzle Love digi which I bought from Bunny Zoe's. I've coloured her with Promarkers, of course. The mat for the image was embossed with a Cuttlebug Daisy folder - the gingham paper was printed from a Crafters Companion CD onto pearlescent paper. The border punch I used is X-cut Doily Dots. And some added gem stones and stickles - et voila!

Did you notice the little 'boo boo' I made on the yellow card? When I cut the legs out, I started to cut from the wrong angle, so cut into the circle - burk!!! - never mind, I just made the same cut on the other side so it's not too noticeable!

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Borders and Flowers
I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes

Well that's it from me - a bit more checking for present ideas on the internet I think.

See you soon, and have a fab week.

Love, Andrea xx

My Goddaughter's Birthday Gift

2011-11-20T22:19:00.004Z

Hello Folks

I hope you've had a good weekend - there's another one flown by!

It was my Goddaughter's birthday on Friday, so I had to make her a card and gift, and here they are:

My favourite image again, coloured with Promarkers. I followed this week's Sweet Sketch Wednesday sketch. The papers are K and Co - except the handmade red paper with the dotty pattern on it - I have no idea where I got that from but I found it in my paper stash - I had two small squares of it. Then just added some die cut flowers, adhesive pearls and stickles, and that's about it. The photo doesn't do it justice though - it was taken on a very dull morning!

Here's the gift I made - jewellery of course - a stretchy bracelent and earrings set

My Goddaughter loved them, especially the dangly earrings - well, she seemed to love them anyway! (I always find it nerveracking if someone opens their present in front of me - I thinks it's best not to be there when they open their present in case you see that they don't really like what you're giving - but then that's probably just my lack of confidence coming through LOL!). The gemstones this time are sodalite, black labradorite and jade. Again, a pretty bad photo - no sunshine!

That's probably enough from me. I'm really hoping to have some time off work this week - I had booked a week off from this coming Wednesday, but already I've had to change it, I've got to go back in to work on Tuesday 29th November, and it's possible I'll have to go back sooner! I want to get on with some Christmas shopping and gift making, and I'll have to really pull my socks up and get shifting, because it's possible I'll have to work 5 days a week when I do return to work, right up until Christmas, and maybe beyond that too - things are very much 'up in the air' at work at the moment! And, if I am working 5 days a week it doesn't leave me much time for shopping without the children - I think there's only one weekend left before Christmas that Richard won't be working!

Bye for now - have a great week!

Love, Andrea xx

50th Birthday

2011-11-14T23:18:00.004Z

Well hello everyone - sorry I haven't posted for a while, but I just haven't made anything for a while.

It's my Aunty's 50th birthday today, and she had a lovely family party yesterday.

So, I'll show you the card I made for her. I've taken a few photos because of the style of card I made - a stepper card. I followed a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers for this card - it was very easy to make. I have to say, I was really pleased with this card.

The image is a Miss Anya from the Greeting Farm - coloured with promarkers. The papers are from Do Crafts of Papermania (I'll correct the information when I can be bothered to hunt the pad out of the cupboard LOL!).

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

Cute Card Thursday - which is red or remembrance.
Truly Scrumptious - a Bingo challenge - I used Gems, Flowers and Punch/Die Cuts

So, can you guess what I gave as a present? - yep, that's right - I made a piece of jewellery.

A simple stretchy bracelet made with real lilac coloured pearls and haematite.

I hope my Aunty liked her gift and card! I'd love to know what you think.

I do have a couple more things which I really need to make this week, so I hope it won't be so long before I share something with you again.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Good Weekend!

2011-10-24T14:08:00.003+01:00

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

2011-10-19T16:33:00.003+01:00

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

2011-10-12T17:06:00.003+01:00

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

2011-10-09T20:43:00.003+01:00

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

For My Niece

2011-09-29T20:18:00.004+01:00

Hello Peoples - well, what a gorgeous day today - mind you, I was extremely hot by the time we'd walked home from school today - I hadn't realised how hot it was!

My niece was 14 yesterday - she'll soon be as tall as me, she is growing up so fast, it is scarey LOL!

As per usual, I was very last minute making her card, so had to end up making a fairly quick and simple card. And I find that the Labels 10 die from Spellbinders is such a nice shape, and if it's embossed, it doesn't need much more to it really. So I made an easel card, using a Miss Anya image.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Delightful Challenges - Pearls and Swirls - not sure if this card will count - the blue patterned paper does actually have swirls on it, but the image has covered them up - the embossing folder I used for the base card is a swirly flower one (called Hanoverian from Do Crafts I think)
One Stop Craft Challenge - Easel Cards
Truly Scrumptious - Clean and Simple

I also made my niece a jewellery set as her gift - a long necklace, two bracelets and earrings set. I loved it, and I hope my niece likes it too.

I've used white jade and quartz, and added a haematite heart to the clasp on the necklace and on the one bracelet. This photo really doesn't do it justice - I must find a good way of displaying and photographing jewellery.

Eleri says she wants some 'real' jewellery made by me - so I think I'll have to make her something for Christmas.

Well, that's it from me - thank you for calling by - I hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Show and Tell

2011-09-27T19:25:00.006+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you're having a good week so far - we have had some gorgeous weather the last couple of days, and it is supposed to be good for a few days to come - lovely!

I've finally managed to download photos of the cards I made at the class on Saturday, so here they are:

I think the reflection technique on that last card is fabulous - I must check whether I have any stamps which would suit that technique.

And I've also made some more jewellery. This is a set I've made to go with an orange top I have. A long necklace, bracelet and earrings, made out of grey agate and haematite. Because of the weight of the gems, the necklace does hang straight when it's on, but it looks a bit scrunched when it's not on.

I've decided not to apply for the Advocacy job in our office - I don't meet the essential criteria for qualifications so it's not very likely that I would be shortlisted for interview, and we as a family could not afford to lose money each month anyway - it is a bit disappointing, but I'll soon get over that - better than going to a lot of trouble filling in an application form, and then discovering that I'm not shortlisted! So I'll look forward to working with a new person in the office.

Eleri's complaining of earache again today - I hope there's nothing wrong - I'm keeping a close eye on her at the moment. She says she's definitely not put something in her ear (because she's not been lying down - she's convinced herself that the last bead was on the floor and it popped itself in her ear when she lay on the floor LOL!)

That's all from me. See you soon. I need to make a birthday card for my niece as soon as Holby City has finished LOL!

Love, Andrea xx

Dilemmas in Life!

2011-09-25T10:47:00.002+01:00

Hello All and Happy Sunday to you - I hope you're having a good weekend.

Well, I had a lovely morning yesterday - I attended a Christmas Crafting class run by Ruth and we made 4 lovely Christmas cards using Stampin Up products (I've not used those before and I am very impressed!). Hopefully, I can photograph the cards and post them later today. I'm looking forward to attending another class with Ruth next month.

But today I feel fed up again! Cricket season finished yesterday (yay!) so it was the end of season drinking session for my hubby last night - he's gone to work today with a slight headache but otherwise not feeling too bad! Football started on Friday evening and I was told this morning that indoor cricket starts next Thursday, and there's a golf day next Friday that Richard thinks he might try to get his day off this week to go to! As Richard keeps saying to me, I knew he was into his sport when I married him, but we didn't have children or a house and garden that needs a lot of work then, and Richard didn't have to work most weekends then either! And Richard seems to find it easy to ignore the fence that fell down last January and the big gap between us and the neighbours, and the weeds and grass that have grown around the tree branches that he cut down and left in the middle of the lawn in the spring! It just depresses me! And I want to buy some new curtains and blinds for our living room and kitchen, but I don't want it to be just my decision - but when am I going to get Richard to come with me to choose something - I just don't know!

And I have a dilemma at work at the moment. A job has come up in our office, at a higher grade than I'm on. Lots of people are saying I should go for it and, though I'm not as confident in my abilities as they are, I am tempted to have a go for it. The problem is I currently work 24 hours a week, and the job is 18 hours a week so, even though it is a higher salary, it would mean a cut in wages for me for a few years, and I don't know if we can afford to lose up to £140 a month. That might all be academic anyway as an essential qualification is to have a Degree or a professional qualification - I don't have a Degree and I'm not sure if one of my qualifications will count as a professional one - I need to check with our HR Manager on Tuesday.

But now some really happy news! I have realised this morning that I was chosen in the Top 3 for last week's Delightful Challenges with this card - so that's cheered me up some!

Instead of all that waffle, I could probably have just typed a few words today - I feel unsettled!!! LOL!

I'll go and leave you in peace now - better finish loading the washing machine and then get some cleaning and ironing done.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

New Baby Card - It's Taken a While!

2011-09-20T19:13:00.007+01:00

Hello Folks

It's taken me ages to finish the card I'm going to show you today - I started it about a fortnight ago, and just could not manage to motivate myself enough to finish it. But, today my Mum was planning to visit my cousin who had a baby, so I really had to finish the card for her to take with her.

I've made an easel card using the Sleeping Infant digi from Digi Doodle Shop, which I've coloured with Promarkers. The dark pink paper is Kay & Co, and I'm not sure where the pale pink papers were from.

I made the flowers out of a strip of organza fabric and just added a pearl brad to each one. The butterfly is a punch I've recently purchased - Woodware I think! Why is it that, when you see other people using something it looks really good but then when you try it, it doesn't look so good??!!

I decorated the back panels of the card, and slotted in a tag with a verse on it - and I've written on the reverse of it.

The Sshhhhh Baby Sleeping is a freebie digi from Sentiments 4 You, and I created the other sentiment on the computer.

I'm going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Stampin for the Weekend - Tickled Pink
Delightful Challenges - Girlie Girl
One Stop Craft Challenge - Girlie
Fab n Funky Challenges - Bingo - I chose Flowers, Sentiment and Die Cuts
Ellephantastic - Here Come the Girls

Well, I must tell you something - this morning, I realised Eleri hadn't got any clean underwear (OK, knickers actually!), but I managed to find a pair in the back of her drawer - whew!! So I had a conversation with myself at work today - Should I put a load of washing in the machine when I get home from work, or should I go out and buy a new pack of knickers???? Well, come on be honest, what would you have done??? LOL! What do you think I did?

Well, I was good and I've done a load of washing LOL! Sometimes I do wonder why my husband married me - I don't think I've turned into the best housewife! ha! ha!

Must go now, I'm hogging the computer and the TV - I can feel the tension from across the room LOL!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

18th Birthday Girl

2011-09-17T19:47:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Eleri has recovered very well from her hospital experience - it seems not to have affected her at all, thank goodness! She still hasn't actually admitted putting the bead in her ear, but she says she's not going to put anything else in her ear, up her nose or in her mouth LOL!

Now to my reason for posting today - My friend's daughter is 18 today, so I can show you the card and gift I made for her. I am just amazed at how quickly babies grow into adults in what seems the blink of an eye!

I've used Retro Melody from Pollycraft again, as she reminds me of Robyn who the card was for. The papers are all from a Kay and Co stack which I've had for ages and still got so much of - used the papers to paper piece her dress too. I bought a Do Crafts alphabet die last week, and used that to make the word 'eighteen' instead of adding a sentiment. I did struggle to die cut it in my Cuttlebug - wouldn't go through with the C plate, and was too thin with the two B plates, so used the embossing mat and some shims and then it worked (although I was a bit of a burk and had the embossing mat on the top at one point and that got caught in the rollers - oopsie, but no damage thankfully LOL!)

I've followed Sketch n Stash sketch number 57 - their current challenge is to use any sketch from their catalogue.

I decorated the inside, so I can enter the Truly Scrumptious Challenge this week.

I'll also enter it in this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge which is Anything Goes

And the gift I made was another stretchy bracelet, this time made with Quartz and Haematite.

That's it from me - I'd better come off the computer as my headache is throbbing again.

Hope to see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Update on Eleri

2011-09-12T20:26:00.002+01:00

Hello Everyone

Please see my post below to find out what has been happening with Eleri!

I've had a couple of very sleepless nights - Saturday night Eleri woke a few times in pain, and only once last night. But I struggled to sleep last night - I'd forgotten to phone Andrew's friend's mum to double check that she was OK to take Andrew to and from school today, so I was worried about that. I had forgotten to take Eleri's bottle of water away from her bedside when she went to bed, so I was worried that she would have a drink in the night. It was also very windy in the night, so I was worrying about our garden fences blowing over again, and about the possibility of trees across the road when travelling to hospital, and worrying about whether we would arrive on time or be able to park!

But everything went well today. We arrived at the right reception desk at the right time this morning - although a bit windy there was no traffic hold ups. Eleri had managed not to eat or drink anything since going to bed last night - although I did catch her trying to get a drink in the night - aaaaggghhhh!

Poor little thing had such a long wait this morning before her op though - we had arrived before 8am, and she finally went to theatre just before 1pm. Eleri didn't complain of being hungry or thirsty but, boy I was thirsty and hungry by then - I'd managed to sneak half a cup of tea and a piece of toast before I woke Eleri this morning. But there was no way I could leave her to get a drink whilst waiting for theatre. She was so good having her 'fairy toilet' (the cannula) fitted for her anaesthetic, even though the first one didn't go in properly so the anaesthetist had to put one in her other hand - and I was amazed at how quickly she went to sleep. And then she was fully awake when she came back to the ward about half an hour later.

Well, we have been given the foreign body - it was a little flower shaped plastic bead! Because it's got quite pointy petals, it had scratched the inside of her ear, and was quite lodged in I think. So her ear was bleeding a bit - and the bead is quite bloodified. Anyway, the bead, safely tucked inside its specimen bottle, is going to join the specimen bottle with the blackthorn that was removed from her foot in the summer holidays! I wonder what will be next!!!

Eleri's just got to have ear drops for the next few days, but does not need to have any other follow-up. We'll see how she is in the morning and decide then whether she should go to school tomorrow.

Well, that's enough from me - I think I'm going to bed - lack of sleep and stress has just caught up with me!

Love, Andrea xx

What On Earth ... ?

2011-09-10T20:38:00.001+01:00

... has Eleri put in her ear?!!!

Hello fellow bloggers - sorry I haven't been around much - I'm back to the four day working week again, and I've also had two evening meetings this week.

I hope you are all well! I have a new baby card in progress at the moment, but not sure when I'll get around to finishing it - Mr Mojo always disappears when I'm stressed, and boy am I stressed at the moment - I am so busy at work, and I also have worries about Eleri at the moment.

Eleri has been complaining on and off for a few weeks that her ear hurts. I've been giving her Calpol, and then she's been getting better. But, when she started complaining again this week, I decided it was time to take her to the doctor to get it checked out. And, apparently, she has a foreign body in her ear! I am so shocked as she has never been a child prone to putting things in her mouth or up her nose or anywhere else. Eleri says she can't remember putting anything in, but she is adamant that no-one else has put something in her ear. So we have no idea what it is or how long it's been there!!!

That was discovered on Wednesday. The doctor advised us to start by putting olive oil in Eleri's ear, in the hope that the thing would float up and out of her ear, but he made an appointment to see him the next morning if that didn't work. Well, the olive oil didn't work. So off we pop to the doctor the next morning - the doctor tried a few things, and the nurse tried washing it out with water - but still no joy! And no-one can tell what the item is - I think it looks like a tooth(!), the doctor thinks it's white with something yellow on it, and the nurse said it doesn't look as if it is round - it seems to be kind of square shaped! So, then it was a trip to the Ear Nose and Throat Department of the district general hospital. The first doctor we saw there said he thought it looked like a tooth (I had not told him that was what I thought it looked like!), then when he couldn't remove whatever it is, he wondered whether Eleri's ear drum had burst and it was that he could see so he asked his colleague to have a look. The second doctor came in and said that it is definitely a foreign body, and he thinks it is something plastic, he said it looks like a grommet, but she's not had a grommet fitted. That doctor did not think it was wise to remove it whilst Eleri is awake as it is too close to her eardrum. So he's booked her onto his theatre list for Monday morning, to have it removed under general anaesthetic!

I'm a bit nervous about it as neither of my children have had operations before. I had a phone call yesterday to confirm that Eleri is on the list for Monday, but the letter from the hospital has not arrived today, so I'm not absolutely certain where to go or what will happen. We've been asked to arrive for 8am, so that will mean a departure time of 6.45am from home. She's not to have anything to eat or drink from midnight Sunday, and we're to take dressing gown and slippers and something to keep her occupied whilst waiting for theatre. I know it's not going to take many minutes to do, but there is naturally a little niggle of worry in the back of my mind, about how she will react to the anaesthetic and what if it is something else and not a foreign body!

My Mum has given Eleri some money today for her to buy something to take into hospital with her, so we'll pop off somewhere tomorrow for that. And it'll probably be a sleepless night for me tomorrow night.

But Eleri says she's excited to see what it is that they take out! Actually, I desperately want to know what it is too - I'll let you know!

Love, Andrea xx

Flashing Lights!

2011-09-01T12:45:00.002+01:00

Hello Everyone - and it's gorgeous weather here at the moment, though the cloud does seem to be building up a bit. Eleri and I have been swimming this morning, and we really ought to be making the most of the sunshine outside but we're just flopped on the sofa in front of the TV (lazzyyy!). Andrew stayed with a friend last night, and I'm not sure when he'll be home.

My hubby woke me up in the night last night - he'd slapped me on the shoulder and, as I woke up, he was pointing his arm straight out and at our bedroom window. I thought he said "ooo splash!" I looked at the window and then turned to Richard and said "Pardon, splash?" - his eyes were open and he was looking at me, and then he said "Flashing". That scared me a bit, I looked to the bedroom door thinking does he mean there's someone on the landing with a torch (aaarrgghh!). Then he said "There's flashing lights somewhere". Then he clasped his hands together and started snoring - ha ha! I had my very own Sleep Talkin Man! ROFL! I've no idea what he was dreaming about. But I struggled to get back to sleep afterwards, because I kept giggling! He couldn't remember anything about it this morning when I told him!

I just had to write about it - it was so funny at the time - but maybe you needed to be there to think so - though I'm glad you weren't ROFL!

Well, I'm going to get lunch now and then really must get outside this afternoon.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Male Leaving Card

2011-08-31T18:34:00.003+01:00

Hello Folks - well, it's the last week of the school summer holidays here, and we've not done anything exciting - don't suppose we will now either LOL! Boy have these 7 weeks gone by sooooo quickly!

This week is also the last week of work for a male colleague in our office. I really struggle with cards for men - little boys not so bad, but men uuughh! But, as I'd promised the others in the office that I would make a card, I really had to come up with something. I'm not over impressed with it myself, but our colleague liked it and that's what counts.

He used to be in the RAF, and he owns his own aeroplane now, so I hunted around the internet for an aeroplane digi - I didn't think a cutesie one with a teddy or boy in it would be suitable, so I chose this vintage spitfire from Stitchy Bear Stamps.

I didn't colour the image at all, but did add it onto a sky background on the computer. The blue backing paper has been embossed with Swiss Dots, and I just added stickles and some buttons and black gems.

I followed the nice n easy sketch at Cute Card Thursday, and would also like to enter the following challenges:

2 Sisters Challenge - Boys and Their Toys - does my card count as it was for a man rather than a boy, but he does enjoy playing in his aeroplane LOL! (I will understand if you have to delete my entry)
Cards For Men - G is for ... Going - this is a leaving card
Do You Stack Up - Boy or Man
Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C102 - Male themed

Nothing more I can say about that card really.

My cousin had a baby earlier this week, so I plan on making a new baby card for her very soon. Also, sshhhhsh! don't tell my hubby, but today I took delivery of some more beads for jewellery making - but my excuse is that I will be making presents with it LOL! I'm not going to tell him that I just can't help it, I'm addicted!

Anyway, thanks for looking, and I hope you can pop by again soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Some More Jewellery

2011-08-25T18:37:00.005+01:00

Hello and Happy Thursday to you all.

Eleri's been to her friend's birthday party this afternoon and had a lovely time. It was such lovely weather here this morning and then, as soon as I took Eleri to the party at 3pm, we had a nasty rain shower - such a pity as there was a big bouncy slide in the garden for the party. Thankfully, the rain did not last too long and the sun did come out again.

Anyway, I made another stretchy bracelet for the present - using jade and quartz gems. I do worry when I make something as a present that it will fall apart - I really hope that doesn't happen - I've used a double strand of elastic for the bracelet so it shouldn't snap, but you never really know do you! I didn't want to make exactly the same bracelet as I did earlier in the week (see picture in this post, so this time I added three quartz beads in a cluster in the centre.

The earrings weren't part of the present (I'm not sure if she has pierced ears) - I made those earrings for myself - and I love them!

Maybe this is a better photo of the earrings - sorry about the quality of my photos today!

There is a challenge at Tuesday Throwdown this week for dimension and texture. I'm not sure if I can enter jewellery, but I'll give it a go - please delete me if my entry can't be included.

I've got a card to make for a male colleague who's leaving next week - and I'm struggling with ideas for that one - so don't know whether I'll get that done tonight or not.

Hope to see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Another Pink One

2011-08-23T18:54:00.003+01:00

Hello again everyone - I hope you're having a good week. It has been such a lovely day here today - I even spent some time in the garden reading this afternoon, and that's a rarity LOL!

I've made another pink and girlie card for another friend of Eleri's who is having a party on Thursday.

It's based roughly on the Sweet Stop sketch again, like my last card. This image is from the same Pollycraft set, and she's called Retro Melody. I paper pieced her dress again. I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

CES Challenge - Banners, bunting and flags
Crafters Companion Monthly Challenge - Glitter and glitz - I've added stickles to the bunting, and the adhesive dots are glittery and I've used quite a few of them, also used Copic Spica pens on parts of the image
Glitter Fairies Challenge - Pretty in pink
One Stop Craft Challenge - Bold and bright
Stamp With Fun - Summer - Melody is in a summer dress
Corrosive Challenge - Girlie
Divas by Design - Birthdays

I'm planning on making the gift this evening - another stretchy bracelet. So I hope to show that to you soon.

Thanks for looking.

Love, Andrea xx

That's Life!

2011-08-22T12:24:00.001+01:00

Hello Folks - Happy Monday - I'm not working this work, but not sure what we'll be doing. Have just got back from buying Andrew's new school shoes - I couldn't believe he's size 5 and a half already - he's only 10, and about to go into the last year of primary school. That was £42 on Andrew's shoes this morning, and £53 last week for Eleri shoes and trainers - OMG that's scary when you see it in black and white. Still got to buy some new uniform yet! Oh well, no more craft or jewellery maker buying me thinks :(

Gosh, I was a 'Naggy Knickers' yesterday, and it was poor Richard who got the brunt of it, as usual! In the evening he came up to me and said "Am I in your good books now, can I have a kiss?" And then as he was walking away he said "I don't know why I'm in bad books anyway, I only washed up!" Yes, that's right he did the wrong thing by washing up LOL! I said to him "It was the fact that you cursed as you walked into the kitchen and saw that the washing up wasn't done, and I said I was going to do the washing up as soon as I'd finished what I was doing (I was preparing for the card below!), and you just ignored what I was saying and started washing up". Then Andrew said to his Dad "Hey Dad, you've just made me realise something - I'm never getting married!" And Eleri said "No I'm not getting married either" and Richard said to her "Well you'll just confuse any bloke you have, you've just confused me anyway!" (because she was telling her Dad that she'd just told one of her friends that she didn't want to be her friend anymore - I'd made her go to apologise because I reminded her how she felt a couple of days ago when some other girls said that to her - and she'd said to her Dad that she only said it to get it out of her mouth!) And, I thought to myself - Isn't that what we're here for anyway, to cause our men confusion? ROFL!

Anyway, I hope I haven't caused you too much confusion for a Monday morning.

Here's the card and present I've made for the little girl Eleri said she didn't want to be friends with anymore (they're upstairs playing at the moment LOL!)

The image is Evangeline Retro from Pollycraft - I decided to paperpiece her dress, the flower in her hair and the flowers - I thought it would be easier than colouring it but it was so fiddly to cut out - I like the way it looks though.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge - the sketch with a spin of fabulous fibres - my fibres are the lace and the fabric flowers
Truly Scrumptious - Lace - I've used a lacy ribbon, which I think is gorgeous
Fussy and Fancy - their 1000 followers celebration challenge

And this is the gift I made - an elasticated bracelet made with jade and quartz.

Well that's it for now - it's already lunchtime - cripes, where does the time go?

Thanks for looking.

Love, Andrea xx

1000 Sheets of Paper ... Wowee!!!!

2011-08-21T14:49:00.003+01:00

Wow, I've just found this mega fantastic candy. Amy has managed to use 1000 sheets of paper in the last year, and is celebrating that and her blogoversary by giving away some paper and stamps candy.

You must take a look at this. I am becoming a follower of Amy's blog - she makes some gorgeous cards, and designs stamps too - wow!

Love, Andrea xx

Another Congratulations Card

2011-08-20T14:26:00.003+01:00

Hello Again

This is a quickie post to show the Congratulations card for my other work colleague who recently gained the Level 3 Diploma in Independent Advocacy. This was such a lot of hard work for the two ladies who gained it, so they deserved a special card each. I hope she likes it. The one I made earlier this week went down a storm!

Same image again from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with Promarkers - dark hair for a dark haired lady (I do try to do that for all my cards - colour the image to look a little like the person it's aimed for!) The backing paper is from a Kate Knight stack - and the matting card is a pearlescent dark green. I made the diploma on the computer. I'm contemplating putting some flowers of some kind in the bottom right hand corner, but I'm still undecided.

I followed the sketch on Sunday Sketch and Stamp, so would like to enter that challenge.

Must go over to my Mum's now.

Thanks for looking, and have a wonderful day. See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

I Haven't Done This In Over 30 Years!!!

2011-08-18T19:18:00.004+01:00

Well, I plucked up courage to take the children on a cycle ride this morning, and stopped for a little picnic and some play time by the river on the way back home - we did have a lovely morning - I think!

...and now I have a sore bottom, stiff hips and an achy knee, but it must have been worth it - right?? I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get in that saddle again LOL!

Here are a few more photos:

Andrew - it's not often I manage to get a decent photo of him these days - he usually objects to having it taken - must have caught him on a good day!

Eleri - look at that messy hair - she won't let me put it up very often when she's not in school - we really must take a trip to the hairdresser! And all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth!!!

The two of them getting ready to throw stones in the river.

Well that's it for now - I wonder if I'll be able to move at all tomorrow? LOL!

Love, Andrea xx

I've honestly been crying with laughter ...

2011-08-16T23:02:00.003+01:00

Hello again

Have you ever laughed so much you've nearly really cried - well I have just been like that LOL!

When I was at the play day last week, one of the play leaders was telling me about a blog he'd been told about called Sleep Talkin' Man - the man's wife records her husband when he's talking in his sleep, and she posts it all on this blog. I just remembered about it and had a quick look. OMG, as long as you aren't easily offended, take a look/listen. I hope I remember to have a look here again sometime - it was just the tonic I needed!

Love, Andrea xx

Congratulations

2011-08-16T21:29:00.004+01:00

Hello Fellow Bloggers and Crafters. I hope you are all well. My hubby is suffering with sciatica at the moment and he is in a bit of a state, but he's still insistent that he wants to play cricket at the weekend!!!!

Anyway, on to my card. Aaahh, no, must tell you (LOL!) - I sent another entry in to the Jewellery Maker Wall of Fame (the bracelet shown in my last post) - I don't know if this one has been seen on the big screen, but I have been able to see my piccie on the wall behind the guest designers for the past two days - even that is exciting for me! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that my name will be drawn out of the hat tomorrow afternoon. But I know that everyone else is feeling the same way - I always feel happy for whoever wins though!

So, now to my card.

The two Mental Health Advocates who work in the same office as me have recently obtained the Level 3 Diploma in Independent Advocacy. This was such a lot of hard work for both of them, and the Diploma is well deserved. So I thought I really must make them a card each. So this is the first one.

The image is from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with Promarkers (I'm not good at colouring black things - I think it is because I haven't got enough shades of grey but its a bad workman who blames his tools as the saying goes!). The papers are from two different Kay and Co stacks (I'm sorry I don't know what they're called). The flowers and ribbon are from my stash, as is the pearl brad in the centre of the flower and the pearl gems which I coloured with promarkers. I made the diploma on the computer.

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

Sweet Stop Sketch 121 - the sketch I've followed
Papertake Weekly - a bingo challenge - I've chosen the top line - free (ribbon), pearls and blooms
Incy Wincy Designs - a recipe challenge - 3 embellishments (ribbon, pearls and flowers), 2 papers and 1 image - I hope my entry counts as I have more than 3 embellishments so I will understand if you have to delete me!

I haven't managed to make the other Congratulations card yet - I hope to do that sometime this week though. I was planning on making it this evening, but I've spent time blogging and watching TV, so its too late now - think I'll go to bed to do some reading instead LOL! I'm reading the third book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larsson - I think they're brilliant books.

Thanks for taking the time to peek at my blog - I hope to see you again soon - and enjoy the rest of the week.

Love, Andrea xx

New Home Card and Another Bracelet

2011-08-12T20:42:00.007+01:00

Hello Peoples - I hope you're having a good week. Over halfway through the school holidays already - I just cannot believe it!

There was a free play day at our local sports centre today, so I took the children along. But I couldn't get Andrew to join in anything - breakdancing - neither of the children would have a go and they wouldn't let me attempt it either LOL! Eleri did paint a little on a graffiti board, so did I! They both did some modelling with salt dough, and Eleri coloured a clown face to hang on her bedroom wall, and I did some cutting out for her! I think Andrew bounced a ball across the room whilst we were doing that, and then sat at the table with us and put his head on the table, looking extremely bored! I really wish I could get Andrew to attempt things, or show an interest in something besides the TV and DS! He completed all the levels in his swimming lessons at the end of school term and he's refusing to move onto the next level next term which would be swimming lengths and improving stroke and speed - I've told him that, if he won't go swimming, he has got to take up another class of some kind, but he is refusing to try anything I suggest. I just don't know what to do - I really worry about him, and I don't want him to be like me - I was always too shy to do things when I was young (not much better now actually LOL!), and I've never been sporty - I wish I could find him something that he really enjoys that will increase his fitness.

On re-reading this, I think I've made Andrew out to be a real couch potato - he honestly isn't that bad - he does go out to play with his friends, kicking the football, riding his bike, trampolining etc. But I would like him to have a structured sports session once a week - but something he enjoys! Maybe I'm wrong in that, I don't know!

Anyway enough of my woes, onto some photos to share with you.

This is a new home card I've made this week for a workmate of my hubby who has just bought his first house with his girlfriend.

The wooden house is from a kit I bought from Create and Craft years ago. The flowery background paper is from Cute Companions CD. I cut the top right corner off the front of the card, and used the backing paper on the inside, and added a layered die cut flower to the corner. Ribbon and ribbon slider from my stash. Lots of spray glitter, and adhesive gems (maybe it's too glittery LOL!). (Oh in case you're wondering what my watch is doing in the corner - it was holding the front of the card down so that I could get a reasonably decent photo!)

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Inspirational Card Sketches - sketch
Ellephantastic Challenges - add some layers

I've also made myself another bracelet.

I'm using real gemstones - and this one has jade, quartz and agate - the quartz rounds look just like bubbles in real life. I so love the feel of gemstone jewellery - they feel cool on the skin, and I love the weight of the jewellery when it's on. Trouble is, I'm addicted to buying the gems and love making the jewellery - but haven't got the courage to sell any, so I have got to put this to a stop. I do want to make some jewellery for presents though, so maybe that's an excuse to buy some more gem strands LOL! What do you think?

I'm entering this bracelet in the following challenge:

Inspire Me Fridays

Anyway, I'm sorry my posts turn out so long - I just keep typing what's popping into my head, and hoping it makes sense!

Thanks for popping by. I hope to be back soon.

Love, Andrea xx

My Other News!

2011-08-06T09:01:00.002+01:00

Hello Everyone!

Well, has anyone called back to check what my other exciting news is? Here goes - I am thrilled to have been asked if I would like to be Guest Designer for Craft Your Days Away 1st birthday challenge today - how good is that? (big smiles from me!!).

So, here's the card I made. This is a card I made for a friend of Eleri's, who had her 6th birthday party yesterday.

The image is the other half of the image I used the other day (Molly and Tom from Digistamp Boutique), and I've coloured her with promarkers. The papers are My Minds Eye Quite Contrary - I've nearly finished this pad, which is very disappointing! The sentiment was from the pad too. I've added stickles to her goggles and around the image, added some die-cut flowers, and popped on some Papermania adhesive shimmer dots to the centres of the flowers, to the dot above the 'i' in the sentiment and to each corner of the card (unfortunately, you can hardly see them in the photo).

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

Pollycraft Monday Challenge - the sketch I followed
The Paper Shelter - Flowers, flowers, flowers
Totally Papercrafts - Holidays
Charisma Cardz - a Bingo challenge and I chose Flowers, Gems and Circles

So now I'll show you the present I made for Eleri's friend. I made a necklace and bracelet set, along with a keyring.

I have to say I am a bit disappointed with the keyring as I hadn't got the same colour beads left as I used in the necklace and bracelet, and I hadn't got a letter I in the same sort of beads as the others for the name, so I had to mix the beads up. I prefer things to match much better than this. But I hope Eleri's friend likes her gift. I popped some money in the gift box as well, just in case LOL!

Well, that's it from me - I have been making another bracelet this evening, and I have some more cards to make over the next couple of days. So, hopefully, it won't be long before I pop back here again.

I want to finish by saying a HUGE Thank You to the ladies at Craft Your Days Away for inviting me to be a Guest Designer today. And thank you fellow bloggers for taking the time to check my blog, and have a lovely weekend!

Love, Andrea xx

I'm So Excited!!!!!!

2011-08-03T23:10:00.002+01:00

Hello Everyone

This is one excited lady here :) - I did intend posting about this when I have a picture to show you, but I can't wait LOL!

Some of you might know that I am getting into jewellery making, and I'm addicted to the jewellery maker tv channel. Well, the bracelet that I showed on my blog last week (see my post here) has been shown on telly today (whoop whoop whoop!!!!). It was just pure flukey chance that I saw it this evening. So how did this happen? Well, customers of the tv channel are encouraged to send in photos of their jewellery - they might be shown on tv, and each one is allocated a number, and then a draw is made every Wednesday and there are two lucky winners to win a credit of £50 or £100 to their account. Unfortunately, I didn't win the draw but that doesn't matter because my creation was shown on telly - wow, wow, wow!!!! And the 4 hour show is repeated throughout the 24 hours, so my bracelet will have been on telly 6 times!!!!!!!

Can you tell, I'm sooooo happy!

I've also got something else to tell you but that really does have to wait a while! I'll leave you hanging on for that (maybe call back to see me again sometime on Saturday! LOL)

Sending you wishes that something wonderful happens for you too!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Another Birthday Boy

2011-08-03T14:36:00.003+01:00

Hello Peoples - Middle of the week already - why do they go so fast?

About to take the children swimming, so this is a quickie, just to enter this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge. This is the card I've made for my nephew, whose birthday is tomorrow - Happy 7th birthday tomorrow Jake!

The image is from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with promarkers. The papers are Basic Grey Cupcake (I think), and I've used my paper crimper again.

Must go now - may add more details later!

Love, Andrea xx

A Swimming Party

2011-07-29T14:37:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone - Happy Friday!

Well yesterday wasn't as bad as I feared 'children-wise' - Eleri just had one friend to play with, and there is always so much less friction then! Although, at one point, I had a major panic as I did not know where she was - the last thing she had said was that she was going to ride around the square on her bike, and then when I was looking for her I couldn't see her bike - I thought she'd gone up the road to another house or to the park without asking me (and she would definitely have been in trouble if she'd done that!) But she was just next door with her friend - they had just taken their bikes inside the garden where I couldn't see them - whew, panic over!

Anyway, on to the reason I'm blogging today - to show a card. Eleri has been invited to a swimming party tomorrow (but, because the children are all under 8, parents have to go too - not sure if I'm looking forward to that really, but I can't let her down!) I did initially say she wouldn't be able to go because I would need to stay with Andrew and we hadn't got another adult to swim with her - but the boy's Mum said Andrew could come along too! Actually, I could do with a good swim - I do keep telling myself that I'm going to start swimming one evening a week but I keep making excuses for not going - meetings for work, Richard playing squash, Richard cricket training, Richard cricket coaching etc etc. Basically, I'm just plain lazy LOL!

Here's the card:

A very simple card. The background paper is a scrap of a digi paper I had in my stash - I can't remember where its from. So, as its a digi I've sprayed it with Crafters Companion Silver Spray and Sparkle to hold the ink on the paper. The image is the July freebie digi from Digistamp Boutique, called Molly and Tom. I've enlarged the image, and then die-cut Tom out with a Spellbinders Circle die. Matted him onto a scalloped circle die. I've copied the image and cut the little octopus out to decoupage him up at the side of the image. The sentiment was created on the computer, and just cut up, and then I inked around the edge of each letter with the same colour Promarker as I used on the octopus. Added ribbon and a button, oh and used my new paper crimper for that blue strip. I've added stickles to Tom's goggles.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - Punch or Die
Totally Papercrafts - Bling It Up
The Paper Shelter - Anything Goes
Craft Your Days Away - Summertime

I hope you all have a good weekend. Hope to see you again soon.

***Edited to add - I spoke too soon! Eleri came in at tea time crying and saying that a little girl had been mean to her. So I suggested that she stay in the house after tea, but she's gone straight back outside to play with the same little girl :}

Love, Andrea xx

Some Jewellery for Me

2011-07-27T19:52:00.005+01:00

Hello Peoples - I hope you are having a good week. I've finished work today for just over a week, but I'm not sure whether I'm looking forward to the time off or not - I can't bear it when the children in the neighbourhood start falling out with one another, and telling tales on each other (which has apparently been happening today!). Think I'm gonna have to plan a few days out somewhere, just hope the weather is kind and we don't have to spend money going places!

Anyway, this evening, I thought I would show you a jewellery set I've made for myself - a bracelet and earrings set. I love wearing bracelets - I don't often wear necklaces and don't change my earrings very often though I do love wearing dangly earrings. Mostly I just keep my gold studs in.

This is made with an amethyst chunk, sage amethyst beads and white agate beads, with a small sterling silver clasp. I really love wearing this bracelet.

The next image is a bit blurred but I'm trying to show the weaving technique I've used.

And these are the earrings - I need to practice making wrapped loops! Although I love these, they are a bit heavy to wear for any length of time.

I managed to wear them for the evening when I went out last Friday. And I did have a lovely evening. My name was chosen out of the hat to have my make-up done by the make-up artist, who was someone who does the make-up for Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Dancing on Ice (all of which are programmes on ITV here in the UK - and none of which I watch ;D). Anyway, I was really pleased with what she did - it was just a natural daytime look - perfect for someone who doesn't often wear make-up - it was just a shame I had to come home and remove it before going to bed LOL! And Richard didn't even comment (that's men for you I suppose!)

So, I'll love you and leave you for now. Hope to be back again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Disappointment!

2011-07-22T16:19:00.002+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you're well and having a good week.

In case you saw my last post (below), my friend loved the jewellery I made her - she was wearing the earrings I made for her the next day I went into work, and they really suit her! I was chuffed to bits LOL!

Anyway, my nephew will be 4 tomorrow and I've made him a card. But, I'm really disappointed with the way it turned out - I don't know what's not quite right about it - I'm considering adding a Happy Birthday sentiment at the top but haven't got much time as I've made this last minute again! I'm actually going out this evening to a charity make-up evening - I honestly can't remember the last time I had a night out without my hubby (even those are very rare occasions!). And you know how it is? - you say yes to something and then wish you hadn't - well that's how I'm feeling right now - can't decide what to wear, blah blah! Stop, that's enough! On to my card:

The image is a Wags n Whiskers digi called Speed Racer which I bought from Bunny Zoe's Crafts. I've coloured it with Promarkers, with the same kind of colours as Lightning McQueen from the Disney films Cars - my nephew is mad on those characters. The papers are some I've had for ages. I've also had the buttons for ages - they were purple and blue, and I've coloured them with a black Sharpie pen. I added some gloss to the little windscreen and the headlights.

I've followed the sketch at Passion for Promarkers, and I'm also going to enter the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin Challenge
Cute Card Thursday
Totally Gorjuss
which are all for boys/men.

Well, that's it - I need to finish the ironing, then get the children some tea, before making an effort to get ready!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Gift For a Friend

2011-07-18T23:06:00.006+01:00

Hello Folks

Well I'm back sooner than I expected. I've decided to show you something just a little bit different today - the gift I made for my friend from work who was away for her birthday, so this is her belated birthday present - I hope she likes it!

This is the gift box I made to hold the gift:

This is just a simple pillow box printed from Cute Companions CD. See the sparkle? - I sprayed it with Crafters Companion Spray and Sparkle, to protect the ink from smudging (cos I do have problems with that when I use digital papers). I'm not sure what this Tilda image is called but she is perfect for small projects, and so quick to colour. I cut her out so that I could pop her up onto an embossed mat - the embossing folder I used is a small Papermania one which was free with a Do Crafts magazine - I think that's gorgeous for small projects too. Then a scalloped circle mat underneath that, and that's the box sorted. Just added some sparkle to her wings with Stickles.

I would like to enter this project in the Just Magnolia Challenge which is Pink, Purple and Pearls. But where's the Pink? It's printed on the inside of the box:

OK, that's the Pink and Purple, but what about the Pearls? Well they were part of the gift inside the box. I've said before that I have become addicted to the Jewellery Maker TV channel - well I have surcumbed more than once and ordered some jewellery kits. I've made myself some jewellery, which I might show you sometime, and I also made my friend some earrings and a matching bracelet:

These are made with shell squares, shell pearls and fluroite, with sterling silver findings. The bracelet is a stretchy bracelet.

I will totally understand if my project cannot be counted in the Challenge, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway ;}

I would also like to enter the Kaboodle Doodles Challenge which is Embossing - you can barely see the embossing, but it is on the mat which Tilda is leaning on.

Right, I'm thirsty, I need a cuppa before going to bed! Goodnight!

Love, Andrea xx

Retirement Card for Teacher

2011-07-17T10:53:00.003+01:00

Happy Sunday everyone - I should be doing housework but just cannot get started LOL! Well, Richard's working til 4 so as long as I've done something by the time he comes home ;)

Today, I will show the card I made for a teacher who retired from school this week.

I embossed the base card with a Do Crafts V&A Hanoverian folder. The gingham paper is printed from Cute Companions CD, and this time I sprayed it with Crafters Companion Spray and Shine in the hope that it won't spoil in any way (with teacher's tears or something!). The image is Elisabeth Bell's Daisy which I bought from Funky Kits - coloured with promarkers. Not much more to it really, just a bit of sparkle with adhesive dots coloured with promarker and stickles around the image circle.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - Gingham
Cute Card Thursday - Going round in Circles
Totally Papercrafts - Girly Girls

Have a fab day and thanks for taking a peek at my blog. Not sure when I'll be back, hope its not too long.

Love, Andrea xx

And Now for the Teaching Assistants

2011-07-15T19:47:00.004+01:00

Hello again

Well this is my second post today - extremely unusual for me LOL!

These are the gift boxes I made for the teaching assistants at school. I just put a Flake (mmmmm yummy!!), pen and pencil in them - I know nothing special, but just a little thank you, and I just could not think of anything exciting!

I made 5 of these altogether.

They were very simple - for each box I just die cut two pieces of card with the largest Spellbinders Labels Ten die, embossed those, and also cut a strip of card 28cm long and 5cm wide (folded it across at 11.5cm and 16.5cm, and also folded down each side (at an angle so that the top was narrower than the bottom)) and glued it all together. Then added another die cut piece of patterned paper to the front and a die cut piece of the base card which had the thank you sentiment stamped on. Added a die cut flower, and some stickles, et voila! Oh and I added some paper thread for a handle.

My explanation of how I made them may not be particularly clear, so I'll show you a side view and hope it makes more sense - do you see that the bottom of the side panel is wider than the top - this was to make the box more stable when it was standing - oh I also just trimmed the bottom of the two labels shapes I'd cut for even more stability!

I would like to enter these in the Papertake Weekly Challenge which is Hot, Hot, Hot - I used reds, oranges and pinks on some of these boxes and I must say they did look gorgeous IRL, even though I say so myself LOL!

Enough waffle - I need to check what the children are doing LOL!

I do have another card I made ready to show you - it was for a teacher who retired yesterday - not sure if I'll have time to post it tomorrow but as soon as I can!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone - I hope the weather's not as wet as is forecast here in the UK.

Love, Andrea xx

Teachers' Gifts

2011-07-15T14:39:00.003+01:00

Hello Again Folks

Well I did manage to have a bit of a lie in this morning - I was reading til about quarter to nine, then it was up to get some washing in the machine.

Today I'm showing the gifts I made for teachers and teaching assistants at school this week.

These were for the teachers:

They are mini easel card boxes - I followed the tutorial here - they were really easy to make. I've seen them lots of times before and never had the courage to try them. This Tilda is the perfect size for these 3" cards. I would like to make a set of mini cards with envelopes to give as a gift sometime.

I added some little wooden butterfly pegs and flower paperclips, and stamped a thank you message on a mini post it pad as the gift inside the drawer.

I'm entering these boxes in the following challenges:

The Paper Shelter - For the birds - anything with wings - I've sparkled Tilda's wings with stickles
Craft Your Days Away - Fancy Folds - I hope these boxes and easel cards on top count for that
One Stitch At a Time - Anything Goes

I'll show the teaching assistant gift boxes later - my son wants the computer!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Clean and Simple Card for My Niece

2011-07-14T19:22:00.003+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you are well. Well, I've finished my extra busy stint at work - our Office Manager has been on leave for 3 and a half weeks, and I've been covering for her as well as doing my own work, and so I've had to work 5 days a week instead of 4! But I have a day off tomorrow as the children have finished school for the long summer break today - it only seems like last week that they were starting the school year in September! Then I'll be working 3 days a week instead of 4 through the school holidays.

I've also been busy at home this last week making presents for the teachers and teaching assistants which has meant late nights - but I'll show you all those goodies another day. I am feeling pretty shattered at the moment, and I'm looking forward to a lie in tomorrow (I'll be lucky probably - not LOL!).

Today I want to show you the card I made for my niece who was 6 on Monday - I hope you had a lovely birthday Caitlyn.

Sorry, it's not the best photo - the image looks kind of squashed up somehow - it didn't look quite that bad IRL.

The image is a digi by Wags n Whiskers, called Snuzzle Love - I bought it from Bunny Zoe's Crafts. I chose her as I think she looks just like my niece, and my niece often has some kind of a cuddly toy with her. I tried to colour her hair like Caitlyn's. She's been coloured with Promarkers. I cut the image out, so that I could emboss the mat to sit her on using 3D glue (the mat was die cut using a Spellbinders scalloped circle die)- the embossing folder I used is a small one which was free with a Do Crafts magazine. I just love the gingham paper - printed from a Cute Companions CD.

Unfortunately, I don't have much luck with papers I've printed - this card was standing on the table drying as I had to use wet glue at my Mum's to stick the insert inside the card. I forgot I'd left it there, and then spotted Eleri dunking her sweets into her glass of water! - she'd blinking well splashed the card with only one tiny drop of water, but it splodged the gingham paper. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it though as I was at my Mum's and I was leaving the card there for Caitlyn - I just hope it wasn't showing up too much! I had thought about spraying the paper with a Crafters Companion spray but I decided not to - I'm going to always spray papers that I print from now on - lesson learned!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin Challenge - Cute and Cuddly - I hope my cute little girl cuddling her teddy counts
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge - Use those Scissors - I cut the image out to give it a bit of dimension
Digital Tuesday - Spellbound - the mat was cut using a Spellbinders die, and the flowers are a die as well, the only set of flower dies I have, and I really must buy some more!

Well, that's enough waffle from me. I really should be back soon as I do have another card to show you and the teachers' presents. I think I'm going to do a bit of jewellery making tonight - I'm developing another addiction, and getting butterflies whilst watching the Jewellery Maker channel on TV - I would love to buy so much from there too! You never know, I might just show you some jewellery I've made soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Wedding Card

2011-07-03T15:26:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone

I don't know, I just can't get my 'arris' into gear at the moment! I feel pretty awful that I forgot it was my sister in law's birthday on Friday and so had not made her a card. Luckily, Richard remembered first thing in the morning and, unusually for me, I had a couple of cards made up in a box so we were able to give her a handmade card - pheew!! I knew I should have been making a card for someone!

But I did manage to make a wedding card for my cousin who got married yesterday - Congratulations to Ceri and James! They got married in a beautiful little church, which had a woodland walk down to it, and there was bunting tied to the trees along the path - it really was a stunning setting. Anyway, here's the card:

A very simple card, but I liked the way it turned out. I didn't use any designer papers, just pearlescent card. I embossed the white with a Cuttlebug folder, called Kimmy's Love I think. I added little dots with promarkers around the edge of the image, to look a little like confetti. Then added stickles around the edge of it. I'm not sure what make the flowers are - I bought a bunch from my local craft store. I think the pearlescent brads are Papermania. I used lilac and white organza ribbon to make the bow.

I followed the Mojo Monday sketch, and am also entering the following challenges:

The Paper Shelter which is Anything Goes
Do You Stack Up which is Squares

I'm having real difficulty leaving comments on some blogs at the moment - is anyone else having the same problems? It is as if I haven't signed into blogger and it keeps asking me to sign in again when I try to publish my comment, but it will not accept that I have done - so annoying! And why is it only on some blogs? Anyway, stop moaning, best go and check on the chicken - it's smelling good!

I will have to make a card for my niece this week, so I hope I will have another card to show you sometime soon. I really ought to make some little gifts for teachers at school, but I can't muster the motivation for that at the moment either! Crikey, I sound like a right whinge bucket at the moment - sorry folks!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Cards for Pep!!!

2011-06-19T22:09:00.006+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you've had a lovely day today. We've had a lovely family Father's Day today - went shopping to buy some trousers for Andrew to take on his school camping trip in a couple of weeks' time, and also bought Eleri some new crocs. We were also looking for a new bicycle for Andrew, but we haven't decided what to get yet - we know what size to look for though! Then we went for lunch at Pizza Hut - that was lovely. And visited my Mum and Dad on the way home. Also called at Richard's Dad's on the way home, but he wasn't in.

My Dad makes me laugh LOL! I gave him his Father's Day card today. He was opening it whilst I was doing the tea/coffee run, and I heard roars of laughter coming from the other room. Apparently, my Dad had opened his card and thought to himself "Pep, what on earth does that mean - has she given me a pep pill or something?". And then he realised what he'd done and thought it was so funny, and he told everyone 'cos he can't keep something like that to himself! So I just had to show you as well:

He was only holding it upside down ROFL!! My Dad has a wonderful sense of humour and such a wicked laugh! As we were leaving he said to me "Thanks for your card And, it really pepped me up!", and then he had another belly laugh!

This is what the card should have looked like - I actually made the same cards for my Dad and for Richard's Dad - I hope John doesn't think I'm giving him a pep pill! LOL!

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

The Paper Shelter - punches and dies
Incy Wincy Designs - Father's Day/Masculine

It's also my Dad's birthday tomorrow, so this is his birthday card:

For the background of the image, I masked the image and then used a HOTP stitches stamp to make a stitched effect background, and just did some random dots around the edge as it looked a bit too plain.

I would like to enter this card in the Little Red Wagon challenge which is for Dad. And I followed the sketch on Inspirational Card Sketches challenge this week.

You would probably like me to stop waffling now. And I need to go to bed anyway - to be honest, I haven't been feeling too well this weekend, have a sore throat, been sneezing, and have a blocked and runny nose (how can they both happen at the same time LOL!? Sorry, that's maybe too much information!). Anyway, I'm normally very lucky and shake colds off very quickly, in fact they don't normally get as far as the sneezing stage etc - so hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow feeling fine!

Hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

For My Niece

2011-06-12T21:58:00.003+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you've had a good weekend! Mine was pretty good - Saturday was our local carnival, and the heavens opened just as the procession was about to start but it did not last too long so we were able to watch it without getting wet. The afternoon brightened up though. Normally, we take a picnic but it just wasn't picnic weather on Saturday so we went for a McDonald's instead - I can't remember that last time I had a McDonald's, probably about 2 years ago because I'm not normally too keen to be honest, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The children only have them about 3 or 4 times a year, so they enjoyed theirs too. Then we had a little meander around the show, watched the young children dancing, ate ice cream, and Eleri spent some money on a rubbish toy LOL!

Then on Saturday evening I managed to make some jewellery - I made a necklace, earrings and bracelet set for myself, and made a pair of earrings and started a bracelet for a friend for her birthday. I think I need to practice attaching the bolt ring clasps and using the crimp beads as I have something sharp that's scratched the back of my neck a bit - I think it's because I haven't got a proper wire cutters and it's the way I've cut the wire. Think I need to get a file to try to do something about it. I'll try to photograph the set to show you.

Yesterday, there was supposed to be an air show near to us. The Red Arrows were due to fly at about 10.30 in the morning but, when I heard the rain thumping down at about 7.30, I decided to stay in bed and read for a while instead! Apparently, they did do their demonstration though! They flew past my brother's house in formation on their way to the show. My niece was so happy - she thought they were doing a flypast for her, just like the one she saw on TV for the Queen on Saturday (aawww! lol!)

Then last night, Eleri and I put together a mini album of holiday photos for her to take to show at school - we've put them onto luggage labels and fastened them together with some coloured paper thread - very simple but looks quite effective, and it went down well at school today.

Anyway, I need to stop waffling, and get to the real reason for my post. Another niece of mine was 3 last Friday, so I'm showing the card I made for her.

The image is an Elisabeth Bell stamp from Funky Kits - coloured with promarkers. The papers are MME Quite Contrary Summer - this card was much more vibrant IRL - maybe I've got a smudge on my camera lens again LOL! I followed the sketch from last Tuesday Morning Sketches, but darn it our internet connection went down last night so I couldn't post it in time to enter that challenge.

I'm entering it in the following challenges:

Totally Papercrafts - Summer - papers were called Summer and I think the image is quite summery
Do You Stack Up - Birthday
Crafty Purple Frog - Favourite Things - I love Elisabeth Bell images, I've used some of my favourite papers (but not many left in the stack now!), and I'm loving the paper thread I've used, and I also love the diamond stickles.

There you go - sorry for going on LOL! Now, I've got to work out what to do for 3 Father's Day cards and my Dad's birthday card - I'm struggling on those!

Love, Andrea xx

Dad's Birthday

2011-06-10T23:33:00.003+01:00

Hello Again

Just a quick post to show you the card we gave to my husband's Dad for his birthday.

I won this stamp in a draw a little while ago and this is the first time I've stamped him up - I think it's a High Hopes stamp. He's coloured with promarkers. A very simple card using Kay and Co papers again.

I know that there are a few challenges out there for Fathers Day or cards for Dad at the moment but do you think I can find one this evening? Ne'mind! I'll enter it in the Drunken Stampers challenge which is birthdays.

With Father's Day and my Dad's birthday coming up in the next week or so, I'm going to have some more men's cards to show you soon, but it is my niece's 3rd birthday today so I'll be able to show a girlie card tomorrow.

See you then.

Love, Andrea xx

Skater Boy

2011-06-09T11:40:00.004+01:00

Hello Folks

Well - I'm feeling so much better today - I think I've had a smile on my face for some of this morning - that's not been happening much lately! Things have been so stressful at work in the last couple of months - our Chief Officer left last week, and nothing has yet been done about a replacement for him, but we are hoping to have some news by the end of this week. And I managed to get through a public meeting last night - thankfully, I don't have to stand up in front of an audience, but I'm the one who organised it, and it is always a relief when it's over, with nothing major going wrong - just have pages of notes to type up from it! I think it is the stress that has put me off crafting lately - I know it helps some people to get down and crafty - but I find it very difficult to motivate myself to do anything or to focus on things when I'm stressed. Hopefully, I'll be able to get myself moving a bit more now - or maybe that's all just an excuse for pure laziness LOL!

Anyway, I managed to make a card for my son to give to one of his friends yesterday, and I was really pleased with it. Sorry about the photo though - it's not your eyes - I was rushing to take it before Andrew was taking it to his friend, and it looks very blurred!

The digital image is Jenson Skater from Pollycrafts and I've coloured him with promarkers. The papers are all from a huge Kay and Co stack I have. I've used some paper thread, and added a peel off sentiment and a few stars. I cut around the image and used silicone glue to add him on to the card - I was trying to make it look as though he has jumped out of a tunnel - it does look quite effective in real life!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly which is Anything Goes
Digital Tuesday which is In the Garden or Outdoors - I hope skateboarding counts as outdoors!

Oh - do you remember a couple of posts ago I said I had become addicted to the Jewellery Maker tv channel? (Sky 655) - well, I have surcumbed and ordered some jewellery kits - waiting for one to arrive today - and I hope to be able to show you some jewellery I make shortly! I've got a few ideas going around in my head at the moment but I'm not sure if they'll work - we'll see!

Better do some housework now though, so see you soon I hope.

Love, Andrea xx

I'm Back!!

2011-06-05T21:54:00.004+01:00

Helloooo Everyone - well, I'm back in blogland!

We've had our holiday - went away on 23rd May and got back last weekend - boy, those few days went so quickly! We went to Porthcawl in South Wales - we had a lovely time, but the weather wasn't brilliant - it was not warm enough for Andrew and Eleri to go in the sea, which they were a bit disappointed with, but we've promised to take them to the beach later in the summer.

And, since we've been home, we've had problems with our computer - the power lead went kaput! New lead arrived yesterday but it was my turn to do cricket teas yesterday - I find that so stressful! Over with for another year though, thank goodness!

Well, we've had two birthdays this week - my brother was 40 on Wednesday, and my father-in-law had his birthday yesterday.

So here's the card I made for my brother - I've used a Whiff of Joy Party Animals stamp, and coloured him with promarkers - I really need to practice colouring with black! I followed last week's Sweet Stop sketch but could not post it in time to enter the challenge. It was a very simple card, because my mojo has been missing for weeks now. The papers are Kay and Co.

I also stamped part of the image on a mat for the inside - I like the way this looks, and I think I'll do this more often.

I'm going to enter this in Lexi's Creations which is Father's Day or a Man's Card.

Well, must go, Richard wants the computer, and he's eating scones with cream and strawberries, and I really want one! Mmmmmmmm! See ya!

Love, Andrea xx

Oh I Wish I Hadn't Done That...

2011-05-22T21:36:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone

I hope you've had a good weekend - mine has been the normal boring kind of a one which involved shopping, washing, ironing, cooking and housework! I did take a break to visit my Mum and Dad for a while though.

I've got around to making another card - this one is for my goddaughter who will be 12 tomorrow - Happy Birthday Cate! But, do you ever do something and then wish you hadn't? I wish I hadn't made such a bright blue and green background for the image - it doesn't really match the backing paper - I wish now I had used pink and orange or something!

I'm not sure, but I think the image is called Upside Down and I think I bought it from Funky Kits a couple of years ago - isn't this a fun image - I wish I could do cartwheels like that. I stamped the image inside too, at a different angle, to make it look like she was moving! The papers are Kay & Co. Not much more to say about it really.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - the sketch I followed. And I was so happy to have been chosen in their top 3 last week - woohoohoo!
Crafts 4 Eternity - recipe - flower, ribbon and bling

I hope you enjoy your week ahead!

We have a few family birthdays over the next few weeks, so I should be popping back a bit more often!

Love, Andrea xx

Helloooooo!!

2011-05-13T22:20:00.003+01:00

Hellooooo! I have not made any cards for a month - no reason except pure laziness I think, plus I have become addicted to the TV channel Make Your Own Jewellery! I really want to buy some real gems and make some jewellery, but I can't - we're trying to save money for our holiday - but I have been sooooo tempted on several occasions!

Anyway, it was my Mum's birthday yesterday, and I nearly bought her a card - but then I decided that I really must make an effort to make her a card. Not sure if I like it really! I used an indigo promarker on her tights and headband, but it bled really badly, and it has spoilt the image, but I just could not be bothered to re-print the digi image. That sounds really awful when it was for my Mum - how bad is that? - I am really sorry.

The image is a digi called Sweet Blossom from Wee Stamps at Cuddly Buddly, and the papers are Kay & Co. I had to add the single flower to the side of the image because I'd managed to get a blue inky thumb print on the card - ggrrr!! I'm entering this card in this week's challenge at Sweet Sketch Wednesday .

I took the card over to Mum and Dad's yesterday morning before going to work. Mum was at work and Dad was working in his shed so I went to tell him I'd left Mum's card on the table and he admitted that he'd forgotten to buy her a card, and he was disappointed that the present he'd bought her was the wrong thing. Do you know what he said to me? He said - "Your Mum doesn't like floppy things, she only likes stiff ones!", and then he gave such a belly laugh! I was thinking "Aaaaaggghhh! Dad! You can't say things like that in front of me!!", but I just had to laugh with him. Maybe I should explain what he had bought - My Mum plays bowls and, because she has been ill for a while now, she struggles to bend down to pick up the bowls, so she wanted a bowl picker upper thingy (or whatever they're called). Anyway, the one my Dad bought her cannot be leaned on, it is just for picking up the bowl and it is collapsible to fit in a bowling bag, whereas Mum has seen one that will actually take your weight if you lean on it when bending down (ie a stiff one!). Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have repeated that story but my hubby and my friend from work thought it was very funny! Maybe you needed to be there LOL!

Oh, another funny. Mum and Dad have said I can have an old bicycle of Mum's because Eleri can now ride a bike without stabilisers, and she enjoys cycling now. Anyway, Dad has checked the bike over for me and, last weekend, when I went to see them he suggested that I go to try the bike out down Lower Lane but he and Mum laughed when I said "Oh no Dad, I can't ride downhill, it's just for riding on the flat!" ha, ha, funny when you know we live in Wales!!! But I haven't ridden a bicycle for about 30 years, and I am slightly nervous.

Well, that's enough from me. Maybe I'll see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Sporty Pair

2011-04-16T20:18:00.004+01:00

Hello, I hope you are all well and enjoying your weekend - we've had a gorgeous afternoon this afternoon.

Well, it was my hubby's birthday yesterday - he's the same age as me again LOL! I decided to make two similar cards for him, using the Dottie Downloads Sports George digital images from Charmed Cards and Crafts - these are pre-coloured images. And I decoupaged them up a bit. I decided to do shaped easel cards again, and used my new favourite tools, the scalloped and plain circle nesties.

Here are some close-ups:

I hope you can see that I attempted to represent a cricket ball (and added stitches around with white gel pen - I also did that down the centre but then covered that up with the image!) and for the golf ball I debossed with the swiss dots cuttlebug folder. I printed the sentiments on the computer.

I hope you like them. I'm going to enter them in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - Truly dimensional
Do You Stack Up - Scallops
Ellephantastic - Anything but square or rectangle
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything goes
The Secret Crafter - Stitching - the cricket card

Thanks for looking, and have a fab weekend.

Love, Andrea xx

Clean and Simple Turns to Very Messy and Something In Between!

2011-04-09T19:45:00.005+01:00

Hello fellow bloggers - I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Well, are you wondering how clean and simple can turn into very messy? - here's how! This is my clean and simple card - a wedding acceptance for my Mum to send for my cousin's wedding - very simple, just a plain white card embossed with a Cuttlebug folder flower fantasy, and a computer generated sentiment die cut with a Labels 10 nestie, eyelets added and organza ribbon coloured with a Promarker. I also ran the promarker around the edge of the die cut, and then added Diamond Stickles. I'm entering this card in this week's Less is More challenge which is sentiment focus. (Just realised I can't enter this card as it is not one layer - the sentiment is a separate layer).

And, at the end of my crafting session, this is what my kitchen table usually looks like - this is why I sometimes don't feel like crafting, 'cos I can't be bothered with the tidying up afterwards - I have to tidy up after every session ready for the next meal.

And this is what I made in between

The colours are much brighter in real life - I don't really know why this looks so wishy washy. Anyway, this is a card for a classmate of Eleri's - she is going to his party tomorrow. The image is Cowboy in Training from Bugaboo Stamps. I've coloured him with Promarkers. And I've used my new toys - at last I've got hold of some circle nesties (whoop, whoop!!). The papers are Kay & Co. The card I've used for matting and layering has been coloured with Promarkers to match the image. The happy day sentiment is a digi from TLC Creations, and the name is computer generated and then the letters cut up and added separately. What do you think of the lassoo? - well that's from the tag I took off my son's new jeans. I just love the way this card turned out, and I'm entering it in the following challenges

Truly Scrumptious Challenge - the sketch I followed
Creative Inspirations Wednesday Challenge - Punches and dies - my new circle nestie dies
Catch the Bug - 4 or more layers
Fussy and Fancy - A card for a child

That's enough from me - hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

My First Shaped Easel Card

2011-04-04T23:07:00.004+01:00

Hello Everyone

This might just be a quickie to show the card I gave to my Mum for Mother's Day yesterday. My first shaped easel card - I love this, definitely going to try more of these:

The more I see this image, the more I fall in love with it - it is a digi from Cuddly Buddly called Daffadowndillies. It was perfect for my Mum's card as she loves daffodils. I coloured her with promarkers - I do find it difficult adding light and shade to something that has a lot of detail so I'm not over impressed with my colouring of her jacket or skirt.

I used my Nestabilities Labels 10 die for the shape. I didn't want to add too much so thought it would be good to emboss the orange pearlescent card, using a Cuttlebug folder called flower fantasy. And then I added Diamond Stickles around the image plate - I love how that adds a little something LOL!

There are two stamps used for the sentiment - the Lots of Love is from a Christmas set from Anita's stamps, and the Mum was in a free set with Crafts Beautiful magazine this month. Then just added the dew drops. I thought about adding flowers but decided I didn't want to overpower the lovely image.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers - Emboss it
Polkadoodles - No printed backing papers
Make It Colourful - Use bright colours
AI Factory - Bright as day
Stamp Something - Use a digi

Well, maybe that wasn't as short as I anticipated. Thanks for looking, and see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

I'm a Passionista :), Awards and a Card

2011-03-31T20:54:00.008+01:00

Well hello fellow bloggers - I hope you are having a good week.

I have discovered this evening that I was made one of this week's Top 5 Passionistas over on Passion for Promarkers with the card in my post below - woohoohoo!!! What a surprise!

I have also been very lucky to have been awarded 2 awards recently - and I do apologise to Katina and Monica for taking so long to blog about them. Thank you very much to you both, and thank you for the lovely comments you always leave me.

One of the things I must do to accept these awards is to share 7 random facts about myself - well here goes:

1. I have been white water rafting twice, and it was fantastic!
2. I once completed an army assault course for charity, but I couldn't get over the 12 ft wall LOL!
3. The last two facts make me sound really sporty and outgoing but I am not in the least sporty, and I am really quite shy!
4. Something that I really really want to do is to see whales in the wild.
5. Richard and I were very lucky to win a major prize on the National Lottery here in the UK - we had 5 numbers plus the bonus ball, and we won over £23,000 - sadly it's all spent!
6. One of the things we spent the money on was a skiing holiday in Whistler, Canada - wow!
7. Richard thought it would be a good idea for me to have some skiing lessons at a dry ski slope in this country before we went to Canada - and I broke my hand on the first lesson, and was therefore not able to ski on holiday!!! ROFL! We still had a wonderful holiday though!

Another thing I am supposed to do is to pass the awards on to 7 other bloggers I have recently found - now I am really struggling with this one because there are so many fabulous bloggers out there, but I will work on it I promise!

Now onto my card - one of Andrew's friends had his birthday today, and this is the card I made him. He is the drummer in the school band, so I decided to use the digi image Jerry Kisses Drummer from Pollycrafts. I've coloured him with Promarkers. I downloaded the music background from the internet - I believe it is supposed to be drum music (but I don't know for sure LOL!).

I followed this week's sketch at The Sweet Stop, and I also want to enter it in the following challenge:

Creative Card Crew - For a child

Sorry for this long post - hope I haven't bored you to tears LOL!

See you soon.
Love, Andrea xx

For Someone Special

2011-03-26T21:46:00.006Z

Hello and Happy Saturday - To those of you who have been or who will be going to the NEC, I hope you have a fabulous time! Unfortunately, I have not been able to go (again!) as my hubby is working!

But I have managed to make a card for someone who is leaving their job very soon - I am going to miss her, and I know many many other people will too!

The image is a Wee Stamps digi called Sweet Blossom from Cuddly Buddly - isn't she soooo sweet!? I have coloured her with Promarkers. The papers and the embossing folder I used are the V&A Hanoverian range from Do Crafts. The border punch I used is X-Cut, as are the heart dies, and the flower dies are from Joy Crafts, fastened together with pearl brads. I coloured the layering card and the adhesive pearls with the pink Promarker to match her dress, and added a touch of glitter with Diamond Stickles.

I followed last week's sketch at the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge, but missed the challenge!

But I am going to enter the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - In the Garden
2 Sisters Challenge - Make your own embellishments - I hope using dies to make the flowers and heart count!
Totally Papercrafts - Cuddly and cute
CES Challenge - Die cut crazy

That's probably all I need to say this evening - thank you for calling by! See you soon. I'm going to have another attempt at crochet - attempted earlier in the week but could not get the hang of it at all (LOL!). My sister made Eleri such a gorgeous crocheted jacket a couple of weeks ago, and she's made herself some lovely things, and it's made me wish I could do it - well, what I'd really like to be able to do is to crochet some flowers to add to a card.

Good night!

Love, Andrea xx

A Card For My Nephew

2011-03-20T22:44:00.003Z

Hello Everyone - hope you are all well. I have not done much crafting lately - don't know why really - just haven't been inspired enough!

But I did make this card for my nephew whose birthday was a few days ago - he was 9.

I made another outer space card, using the pre-coloured digi set, Out of This World, from Digistamp Boutique. The background has been embossed in the cuttlebug, and then I ran a silver ink pad over it. The rocket is hanging on a strip of acetate, so that it looks like it is flying. I decoupaged the aliens up a bit, and added clear glaze to the little space ship and to the windows on the rocket, to make it look like glass. I also added some sparkle with a Sakura Clear Stardust pen. And that's probably about it - there wasn't room for a sentiment on the front.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

One Stitch At a Time - For the boys
The Crafty Pad - Use a digi

I had Friday off work last week, preparing to do a table top sale yesterday - I was wanting to sell some toys and clothes that Andrew and Eleri have grown out of, and also get rid of our pushchair/pram. I had a full car load so the pram wouldn't fit in the car but Richard was going to walk it to me. But, poor little Eleri was ill (she had the dreaded tummy bug! - only a 24 hour thing, she's much better today), so we decided not to bother with the pram. I managed to sell some stuff, but not as much as I'd hoped. Then I took 3 bags full to charity shops - but I think we've still got about 7 boxes of stuff to go back up in the attic, ready for the next sale!

While I was away, Richard had hacked at our apple tree, hazel tree and rose bushes - and the trimmings are all over the lawn - goodness knows how long they are going to be there. He says he wants to use some of it over his vegetable garden to try to keep the cats off - I really hope it's not going to look like I imagine it will!

Anyway, you probably don't want any more waffle from me, so I'll love you and leave you for now. Thanks for looking, and I hope you call again sometime.

Love, Andrea xx

And I'm a Guest Designer for OSCC!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-12T09:00:00.001Z

Well Hello - its the weekend - hope you have a good one!

Sorry about my gloomy post on Thursday - but I am feeling much better now - don't know where that all came from LOL!

Anyway, here's my second bit of lovely news this week - Shelley at One Stop Craft Challenge invited me to be Guest Designer this week. To put it mildly, I was gobsmacked, but of course I had to say yes, even though it was a bit nervewracking!!

The challenge this week is Clean and Simple. Well, I don't think I've ever done clean and simple, but I had a few ideas to try, and this is how my card turned out.

I stamped and embossed a sentiment from a CC Designs Thank You set, then die cut with my Nellie Snellen die, and added another die cut layer. Then I just die cut and embossed my favourite flower dies from Joy Crafts (OK, they're the only flower dies I have and I really want some more LOL!). Added pearl brads to the centre and that's all there was to it, apart from rounding the corners of the card. This is all pearlescent card, so it is nice and shimmery.

I loved this card when I'd finished it, but I'm not sure again now - maybe its too clean and simple, maybe the base card is a bit too big?!

I think this sentiment is perfect for a blogger whom I follow, and I'm sure many of you in blogland know - Jacque. I don't know her personally but, from what I read on her blog, she is a very very talented crafter and an extremely generous person - she often has sweet stuff to give away. So I would like to dedicate this card and 'cyberpost' it to Jacque.

I made a couple of other clean and simple cards which turned out OK - I might show those in another post.

I hope you will take a look at the One Stop Craft Challenge blog this week and maybe have a play in the challenge! I've seen many fabulous CAS cards around blogland so you know you can do it LOL!

I'm attempting to schedule this post - another thing I've never done before - so fingers crossed that it will work!

Thanks for visiting me and I hope you will call by again sometime.

Love, Andrea xx

Woohoo! I Made Top 3

2011-03-10T21:47:00.004Z

Well Hello People

I've had fantabulous news today - I was given one of the top three awards for last week's challenge on AI Factory with my pass the parcel set. What a lovely surprise! I have a badge to put on my sidebar but Mr Blogger is playing up and I can't get that to work yet - I'll try again tomorrow.

It did cheer me up today - I've been very tearful for some obscure reason today - I sat down and cried at lunchtime today over the state of our house! I'm just no good at interior design, and I would love for someone to come along and tell me what we need to do and where to get everything from and then help me to do it, and all on a very very tight or non-existent budget! I have to tell you a secret - we've been living here for over 3 years, and we still have things in packing boxes in our bedroom because I just don't know where to put them, and I don't know what else to store them in - OK now I've put that in black and white I feel even worse!! Plus I have piles of boxes with craft stuff in by the side of my bed (but I sense that's quite common among us crafters LOL!) And outside doesn't look any better either because of broken fences and bumpy grass!

Oh, sorry, enough of my gloom - I'm going to get a cup of tea and go to bed to read - hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Actually, I had some more lovely news last week, but I'll have to keep shtum about that for now - just keep your eyes peeled here over the next few days!!

Love, Andrea xx

I'm Happier with this Pink Version

2011-03-05T22:29:00.003Z

Hello Folks - Happy Saturday - hope you are having a good weekend.

My card today is another simple card without designer paper.

I used one of my favourite stamps, Demure from Sugar Nellie, and stamped her direct onto ivory pearlescent card - I stamped with black pigment ink and then heat embossed it. I also stamped and heat embossed the Hot off the Press sentiment onto the same piece of card.

For the first layer, I used my new hoogie board to emboss the diamond pattern - I love how that worked. The other two panels were embossed in my cuttlebug with a daisies embossing folder. I am also loving the look that this embossing gives - I think my cuttlebug is probably my favourite crafting tool at the moment. Oh and those gorgeous flowers are Joy's Crafts dies - there are three sizes in the set and I've used the three sizes for the top flower, and the two smaller sizes for the two flowers together. They are all layered up and fastened with a pearl brad. Then I coloured the other little adhesive pearls with a pink promarker to match her dress, et voila! I really do love this card - I must take it down from the mantle piece so that it will be pristine enough to give to someone when I need a card (I rarely make cards which are not for a particular person for a particular occasion - so I don't usually have spare cards around). I really should do more of this. Do you know what - I had to buy a card today (do I hear a sharp intake of breath??). I'd forgotten that it is my brother-in-law's birthday on Monday and just don't have the mojo to make a man's card at the moment. I'm feeling really guilty about it too (how silly is that? - at least I have remembered his birthday LOL!)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday - Favourites - favourite stamp, cuttlebug, embossing, favourite flower dies (actually the only flower dies I own at the moment so you're going to see them a lot LOL!)
Fussy and Fancy - Embossing and/or paper piecing - I have two types of embossing, dry and heat
Our Daily Bread Designs - Yellow, pink, blue, ivory, choose 2 - mine is ivory and pink
ABC Challenge - P is for pink

Well, I'm gonna love you and leave you now - thanks for taking the time to look at my creation today - I hope you will call again sometime.

Wow! I've just glimpsed at Create and Craft TV and seen someone demonstrating how to dye and scrunch the seam binding and make it into a shabby chic bow - it looks so easy. But then, I'm not really into creating a vintage look - maybe one day - but I'll have forgotten how to do it LOL!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Dressing Up and Shrunken Crisp Packet

2011-03-04T19:40:00.006Z

Hello Peoples - well, we've reached the end of the working week, but I'm going to have to do some work at home this weekend as I'm getting behind at work, and I still have the notes of a public meeting to get typed up (ergh!)

I'm going to show some photos of my little horrors dressed up for school this week:

Eleri on St Davids Day:

Andrew today for World Book Day, with recycling theme (put my promarkers to good use here) - he doesn't like having his photo taken:

And this is the back, care of Andrew himself (in case you're wondering they are Welsh words for items which can be recycled):

And I know you've been holding your breath waiting to see my shrunken crisp packet (LOL!). This was the best of a very bad bunch (I think I agree with what some people have said, that crisp packets aren't the same as they used to be, and they don't shrink very well these days!). I managed to make it into a keyring and Andrew thought it was 'well cool'! But, unfortunately, one of his friends pulled it off him as soon as he got to school and broke one of the rings - I have managed to repair it though. Think its a good job I took a photo before we left home!

Well, that's enough from me. I do have a card to show you - probably do that tomorrow.

Love, Andrea xx

Pass the Parcel

2011-03-03T12:19:00.007Z

Good Morning (sorry its afternoon!) and Happy Thursday.

I'm going to show you the prizes I made for the Pass the Parcel game at Eleri's birthday party.

The main prize was a notebook which I covered - the images and papers I used are from a digi set Emma the Mermaid from Fred She Said (I have the pre-coloured set because I didn't think I would manage to colour all this very well). The fish with the balloons is one image, which I cut out and added with 3D glue gel. I cut into his mouth and used some paper thread for the balloons.

The notebook already had a flower shaped cut out, so I thought it would be nice to have Emma peeping through from the page inside. I created the scene using the different digi elements (ie Emma is separate, the different seahorses, crab, fish, plus a background, etc). I've sprayed over the page with Crafters Companion Glitter Spray, to give it some protection really.

I added some stickles to the waves and around the flower shape on the front cover (heck, I can't remember the right word to use (der!) - oh it's come to me - it's an aperture isn't it (yay!). That's about it for the notebook.

Then I decided to make up some similar little scenes to make into bookmarks, and I put these in each parcel layer for the first round (so that each child had a bookmark as the layers were opened). For the shape at the top I used my Nestabilities Labels die, and I laminated the bookmarks, and this is what they looked like - the threads at the top were plaited.

I'm going to enter this set in the following challenges:

Ai Factory - Drop in the bucket (water theme)
Crafty Creations - Feminine, blues and greens
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes plus something old (I've had this Emma the Mermaid set for ages but not used it before, but I'm sure I'll use it again)
Digital Tuesday - Celebration, and they have their 100th challenge blog hop going at the moment

I also decided to make a second prize - ie something in the penultimate layer - as all the girls liked the brooch I made for one of Eleri's friends in January, I decided to make another one.

I have used my Papermania Layered Flowers template for the flower shape and for the central circles (the back is a yellow flower with a pink circle for the brooch fitting to be sewn onto). The edges have been sewn with blanket stitch. This is my favourite brooch so far - sure I'm gonna make more of these.

Because I used a template, I can enter this in the Creative Inspirations challenge.

Well, that's probably enough from me for now. Thanks for calling, and I hope you can come back again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Na! Not Impressed!

2011-03-02T21:40:00.003Z

Hello again - thought I'd give you a follow-up re. my crisp packets (see post below). I've had another go tonight - shrunk one packet in the oven, and tried one under the grill. But I'm not impressed with any of my attempts. I've given up!

I've got one which I might be able to turn into a keyring - I'll see what Andrew thinks tomorrow.

But I'm quite impressed with my recycle image that I've drawn on a t-shirt for him, and coloured with Promarkers - I'll try to photograph it to show you. Just got to try to get Andrew to write what things can be recycled on the back of the t-shirt tomorrow evening.

Thankfully, Eleri's dressing up is easy. She's got to dress up depicting something out of a Welsh lullaby. Well, the only Welsh lullaby I know is Heno, Heno (about going to bed), so she's going to school in her pyjams and dressing gown! (This is all for World Book Day on Friday).

I'm not very keen on dressing-up days for school really, 'cos I always think of good ideas after the event - love seeing other people's ingenious ideas though! Doesn't help that Andrew hates dressing up - always has! And, as yesterday was St David's Day they were asked to dress up yesterday too - that was easy though - Eleri was in her Welsh ladies outfit and Andrew wore his new Wales rugby shirt that he had for his birthday.

Enough of my waffle - goodnight! I really am going to bed early tonight because I'm in the middle of a good book - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

See ya.

Love, Andrea xx

Shrinking Crisp Packets!

2011-03-01T20:33:00.005Z

Hello Folks

My son has got to dress up with a recycling theme on Friday - and I had the idea of making a keyring or necklace out of a shrunk crisp packet. (That's not all he'll be wearing though ha ha!!)

So I've had a go at shrinking 2 crisp packets tonight - I tried one using my heat gun, but just melted holes in the bag. So I put the second one in the oven - gas mark 6 for 2 minutes - it did shrink, but also turned black, and its long and thin rather than shrunk to same proportions. Anyone any ideas??? I'll just have to eat more crisps to have another go LOL - think next time I'll have the oven at a lower temperature and for a bit longer!

Edit to add: I have read various comments on the internet that its possible crisp packets aren't made of the same plastics they used to be so it might not work properly on modern packets!

I'll keep you informed how I get on!

Love, Andrea xx

A Boy's 3D Card

2011-02-28T23:49:00.005Z

Hello again - I'll get this second card in quick tonight, please see below for my earlier post.

This is the card I made for my son's birthday - an easel card. The images are all from Digistamp Boutique, Out of This World! - I used the pre-coloured version as I was doing this very last minute and needed something quick LOL! The background is embossed with a Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder (funny how they have two different folders called Snowflakes!). I gently rubbed over it with a silver ink pad - I think this makes a perfect outerspace background.

The rocket is hanging on a strip of acetate, so it bounces and moves. The little space monster and the alien are just standing on a folded piece of card. The base is cut from the brown card you find in the middle of a roll of wrapping paper - so there's a bit of re-using/recycling here - good on ya Andrea!!! I created the sentiment on the computer and die cut it with a labels nestie (maybe I should have put it at the top of the card though!)

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown - 3D
Easy Craft Projects - Something for the boys

That's it - I really am going now!

Love, Andrea xx

I Wasn't Happy With This One!

2011-02-28T23:20:00.003Z

Hello Peoples

When I saw the sketch at Papertake Weekly, I really wanted to have a go, and I have been seeing some gorgeous white on white cards around blogland so wanted to attempt that too. But I had in mind to use ivory card. So I was really looking forward to making this card. I need a card for a lady who has recently resigned from a patient forum I facilitate for work - I am going to really miss her as she has such a fantastic sense of humour.

Anyway here's my card:

I stamped the image direct onto the ivory pearlescent card with black pigment ink and embossed with clear powder because I wasn't sure how promarkers would work on the pearlescent. I also stamped and embossed the sentiment. The background is embossed with a cuttlebug folder, and the two smaller panels embossed with the Do Crafts Hanoverian folder (think this is my current favourite!). The flowers are a Joy Crafts die, I cut then embossed all three sizes of flower and shaped and layered them up, and fastened them together with a pearl brad - I do love this flower.

But I wasn't happy with the card when I'd finished what I was doing on Saturday evening - isn't that just typical, you have an idea that you really want to try, and then it doesn't work the way you expected! I don't really know what's wrong but it just does not look right to me - I don't think I should have used such a busy embossing folder for the base, and I think I've stamped the sentiment the wrong way round. Anyway, last night I added some more adhesive pearls, and the card has improved - I nearly like it now LOL! I decided to have another go at a pink version, which I am happier with - I'll show that another time.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - sketch
Wild Orchid Challenge - Anything goes

That's it from me for now, I should be in bed! See you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Made My Own Embellishments ... but I missed the challenge

2011-02-23T10:42:00.004Z

Hello Everyone

Well, today's plans have gone out the window - yesterday, we had a lovely walk (well, Andrew cycled, and Eleri scootered!) and we were planning to do it again this morning, but its bloomin' well raining. So I thought I would post a blog before getting the hoover out instead. We're going to the cinema to watch Tangled this afternoon.

This is the twisted easel card I made for Eleri's birthday. I've seen some gorgeous twisted easel cards around blogland, but I think mine needed a bit more in the corner of the base.

I've used an image called Maisy with Teddy from Di's Digi Downloads, coloured with Promarkers. I've die cut the mat with my Nellie Snellen die, and used an X-Cut border punch. The flowers are a new die I bought with some of my birthday money - they are smaller than I was expecting but I do like them, and am looking forward to making some handmade paper flowers using these dies, not just layering them up like I've done here.

I found a fab tutorial blog where I saw the idea of the birthday cake. The tutorial had candles with the cake, but I just did not have time to go to that much detail last week - I really want to give that a go sometime though. Here's a close-up of my cake embellishment (I was hoping to enter the Simon Says Stamp challenge - make your own embellishment - but I missed it - ah well!)

Eleri has always said she likes to have a badge on her card, so I made a badge as well. Just punched a couple of circles of card and glued them together, then covered with DP, added some punched flowers, and some peel offs saying Eleri is 6, and added a brooch pin at the back. Unfortunately I was a bit heavy handed with the glitter spray. Here's a close-up of the badge.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Totally Papercrafts - Do it with digi
One Stop Craft Challenge - Birthday card with a cake on it
Digital Tuesday - Punches
Crazy 4 Challenges - Use a die cut
Top Tip Tuesday - Bling it on
Sketch and Stash - I followed the sketch but rotated it. I'm not sure if my entry will count though because I've changed the shape of the mat - apologies if you have to delete my entry

That's it for now - need to get on with some housework.

Love, Andrea xx

Party Bags

2011-02-21T20:52:00.005Z

Hellooooooooooo again - second post today. I was going to attempt to schedule this post, but want to enter some challenges and wasn't sure whether that would work with links to challenges, so gave up on that idea.

These are the party bags I made for Eleri's party last Saturday. I got the idea for these from Monica. Mine are obviously not as beautiful as Monica's but the girls loved them (so do I actually LOL!).

These were very easy to make. I used a full A4 size sheet of card - which was printed on both sides using Cute Companions CD. I bought the ribbon from a local wool shop - unfortunately it frays very easily so may not have been the best to use in this project really.

I helped the girls to make bracelets and keyrings during the party - and the bracelet peeking out of this bag is the one Eleri made - these wooden beads make such pretty projects. Eleri did not manage to make her keyring on the day as she lost one of her letter beads (the keyrings had their names on them out of letter beads), so we will be making Eleri's later this week. Will show you when its done.

Do you see that lolly in the bag also? I made those for Eleri to take for her classmates on her birthday, and also for all the party guests we've had over the weekend. They are cake pops - cooked chocolate cake, crumbled up and mixed with a fudge icing until its just gooey enough to be able to mould into balls, put onto lolly sticks, dipped in melted chocolate and then sprinkles. They went down a storm - the children were raving about them to their Mums, so I had a few queries from Mums about what they were. The teachers loved them too! I found this idea on the internet (just google cake pops), and there are even books on them - some people go to so much effort making all sorts of different shapes. Don't think I could go into that much detail, but I might have a go again sometime!

Here's another photo of the cake pops.

I would like to enter the following challenges with this party bag:

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Not a card
One Stitch At a Time - Anything but square
Fussy and Fancy Challenge - Sweet treats
Kaboodle Doodles - Break tradition (I've broken my tradition of buying plastic party bags ha ha!!!)

Well, I did promise myself an early night, so I must go now. May be able to post another project tomorrow.

Love, Andrea xx

Embossing S.O.S.

2011-02-21T18:39:00.004Z

Hello Peoples

Well, here's the first photo of what I've been up to over the last couple of weeks. This is the card I gave my husband for Valentine's Day.

The image is one of the High Hopes stamps I won in candy a couple of weeks ago - I've coloured him with Promarkers. I've used a Cuttlebug folder for embossing the hearts background, and I rubbed over it with a red ink pad to add a bit of extra colour. The red heart is a die cut, which I wanted to have a crackle effect. I triple heat embossed it and then (can you believe it????) I put it in the freezer - I'm sure I remember being told once that it would crack. I don't know if I was dreaming about this LOL, or if I didn't leave it in the freezer long enough but it didn't crack - I bent the heart gently in different directions to make it crack. Then I rubbed over it with a gold ink pad. Not quite the effect I was after but it'll do! And it's not bloomin' well showing very well in the photo - sorry.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - S.O.S. - For SomeOne Special (my husband - he's got to be special to put up with me LOL!)
2 Sisters Challenge - Embossing - my background embossing, and the triple embossing on the heart
Creative Inspirations Challenge - Distressing - trying to crackle the heart

That's it for now I think.

I've had a fairly lazy day today - done a load of washing, popped into work this morning to send some e-mails that wouldn't go on Friday as the system was down, caught up with my ironing, and dyed my hair this afternoon (I can go out in the wind again now LOL!). Not sure what we'll be doing tomorrow (hoping to have a bit of a lie in!).

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Today's Party Went Much More Smoothly!

2011-02-20T21:55:00.002Z

Hello Again Peoples

Please see my post below to read about my daughter's birthday party yesterday.

Thankfully, Andrew's party today went much more smoothly (thank goodness LOL!). The day didn't start too well though because Richard had a hangover (serves him right - don't think he can remember much of last night at all! He doesn't remember calling for food on his way home, but he found the evidence on the chair this morning (sesame seeds from his burger bun!). He'd told me he hoped to be home about 10.30 last night, but I think it was about 12.30 when he finally rolled in.

Anyway, I think Andrew has had a good birthday - he had three friends round to play this afternoon - they were quite boisterous at times! But they wanted to go to the park to play football - Richard took them - they got very muddy (oopsie!). My niece came to play with Eleri, and they wanted to go to the park too so my brother took them. So I had some time at home alone in the middle of a boy's birthday party - didn't expect that LOL! Then it was back home for food - I was worried about that as two of the boys are very very fussy eaters, but they all ate their fill. I even had a fab compliment from one of them - he told me my little cakes were even better than his nain's cakes and he said she makes good cakes (he made my day!).

We managed to light the candles on both birthday cakes today (poor Eleri didn't get chance yesterday - you'll know why if you read my post about her party!)

And the boys went back outside to play football and running games in the garden just before it was home time. So, all in all, the boys were much easier - mind you that might be because of their age 9 and 10 - and they were so polite when asking for drinks and thanking me for their food etc.

Maybe I'll be able to post some photos tomorrow. Just checking to see whether there are any challenges I can enter at the moment.

Half term this week, so I'm not working in the days, but have meetings to attend and take notes at on Wednesday and Thursday evenings - think they are going to be busy.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Oh My Gosh ... Never Again!!

2011-02-19T21:11:00.003Z

Hello People

Sorry I've been MIA! It was Eleri's birthday on Thursday - my baby was 6!, and it's Andrew's birthday tomorrow - he'll be 10 - time is flying by so fast! So I've been frantically making preparations, a couple of nights I was up til about 1 in the morning. So I have a few things to show you over the next few days, but not had chance to load photos onto the computer yet.

Eleri had a little party today - four of her friends from school came to our house - never again!!! We made bracelets and keyrings to start with, but then Eleri got upset because I wouldn't let her open one of her presents to play with - so that was one wail that seemed to go on for ages. Pass the parcel went well. Then they were going to play one of the Just Dance games on the wii and Eleri and one of her friends had a little disagreement over one of the remote controls (how that could happen when there were four players and four remotes I don't know LOL!), so they both got upset! Then it was time for food, and that was going well until another of the little girls was sick (aaarrrgghh!!). Poor little thing, she hadn't eaten very much so I'm pretty sure it wasn't my food - we think she's got the bug which has been going around school for the past few days. So we didn't get chance to light the candles for Eleri's birthday cake because, by the time I'd cleaned the little girl up and got her in some clean clothes and then cleaned the floor, it was time for everyone to leave. Whew, what an afternoon! (don't think I want one like that again though LOL!)

Never mind, we'll be doing it again tomorrow for Andrew, so we'll be blowing two lots of candles out tomorrow I think. The boys are 9/10 so it should be easier tomorrow, plus Richard will be home to help this time! I have threatened to go out and leave Richard to cope with the boys tomorrow, especially as he's b******ed off out for a drink tonight (ha, ha, ha!!!) Couldn't do that to him really though!

Look out for some photos of what I've been up to soon!

Love, Andrea xx

Its My Birthday ... and I'll cry if I want to!

2011-02-08T11:09:00.004Z

No, I don't really want to cry! It's my birthday, and I have the day off work - it's a gorgeous sunny day, and I'm off out to lunch with my hubby shortly. What more do I want - nothing really!

Yes, three out of four of us in our household have birthdays in February, all within a fortnight!

The children and I have been to the dentist today, but that was OK, no problems except Andrew needs to stop sucking his thumb as it is stopping some of his front teeth from coming through. The dentist has given us some good tips to try, so we'll start putting them into practice tonight!

My husband said yesterday (! late as ever!) that he didn't know what to get me for my birthday. I told him that the portable hard drive we had to get for the computer can be my present, just buy me a box of chocolates or something, because we can't afford anything else really. So, he went off to buy himself a golf game for the Wii instead - there's male logic for you LOL! But then he didn't even wrap the chocolates up for me, though they are scrummy chocolates - he says he's saving the environment (ha ha!!)

I've had some birthday money, and I'm thinking of buying a Hougie board and some flower dies with some of it, and then see if I can buy something nice to wear - a little shopping trip at the weekend I think!

Eleri has drawn me a lovely picture and made me a card (but she's put my age on the card so I don't think I'll show you that one LOL!)

Isn't the picture gorgeous? - I love the way she has put a heart on the roof, and made an iron gate, and even cut inside the ropes of the hot air balloon!! So bright and cheerful too.

Now I'll show you the invites I made for Eleri's birthday party. Just layers of card die cut with my Nellie Snellen die - and I have printed the invitation on a layer on the back - that looks really nice, but I can't show it as it has info that I don't want people to see and I can't work out how to blank it out. Never mind.

That's probably enough from me for now - hope to see you soon. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my special day. Hope you have a good day too.

Love, Andrea xx

Happy Mail

2011-02-02T19:08:00.005Z

Hello People and Happy Wednesday.

I got home to two lots of happy mail today :)

I won Debby's High Hopes blog candy on Monday, and I received the stamps today - yippee!! Thank you so much Debby.

AND I have received my copy of the March issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine today, and a letter I sent to them with a picture of the teddy in a bag I made for my niece for Christmas (see below) has been printed on the letters page - woohoo!!

So I'm a happy bunny this evening!

Love, Andrea xx

Birthday Set

2011-01-30T21:04:00.005Z

Hello Everyone - another weekend over, and almost the end of the month! I have tomorrow off work and I'm going shopping before a hospital appointment.

Eleri has been to another friend's birthday party today. This is the set I made for her friend - the card, a corner bookmark (which I put in a Felicity Wishes cookbook), and a felt flower brooch. I was really pleased with the finished set.

The image I've used is a digi from Bugaboo Stamps, the papers are from the Kate Knight stack again (as per card in my previous post). I made the ribbon flower myself, using two different colours of organza ribbon. The sentiment is from a pack I had from Lakeland a couple of years ago (I keep forgetting I've got them!). I made the felt brooch using a Papermania template, and did a blanket stitch around the edge - I love the way this turned out, but wish I'd done some stitching in the middle.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - the sketch I followed for the card
CES Challenge - Bold and bright
Fab n Funky Challenge - Delight in your digi
Paperplay Challenge - Layer it up
2 Sisters Challenge - Girls just wanna have fun

Well, that's it from me - must go and plan my daughter's own birthday party. We have decided to have a small party at home, and invite just 5 of her friends from school. Can't afford a big party, cos my son's birthday is three days after Eleri's and we don't feel we can spend more on one than on the other. Andrew just wants to have a few friends round to play, but not on the same day as Eleri's party! Think that'll be a stressful weekend for me LOL!

Bye for now, and thanks for dropping by!

Love, Andrea xx

My First Gorjuss Card

2011-01-25T20:46:00.003Z

Hello Everyone

Eleri's friend next door has her birthday this week, so I have made her a card:

The image is a Sugar Nellie Gorjuss stamp. I've had this stamp for more than a year but this is the first time I've used her (naughty huh?!). I've coloured her with Promarkers. The BP is from a Kate Knight paper pack. I love the sparkly paper behind the image, its from my stash. I made the three ribbon roses - think I need to watch the video again as they did not work as well as I'd hoped!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

The Sugar Bowl - the sketch I followed, with birthday theme
Top Tip Tuesday - flowers
Simon Says Stamp - Bingo - gems, glitter/glimmer, ribbon
Kaboodle Doodles - Bling it up
Passion for Promarkers - Let it shine

Thanks for looking. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Oh - for the people who read my previous post - I have posted the thank you card off to the hospital - I hope they like it and know that it really is heartfelt thanks!

Love, Andrea

Heartfelt Thanks ... but I wasn't sure whether to send it!!

2011-01-19T20:47:00.002Z

Hello Fellow Bloggers

I hope this post doesn't upset anyone - you might want to skip straight down to the picture of my card!

Ever since my mother-in-law died, I have been thinking about making a Thank You card for the ward staff in the hospital. I wanted to thank them for allowing the family the time to spend with Eileen during her last two days - we were called to the hospital on the Monday morning once an x-ray had shown that her lung had collapsed and the cancer had spread over a large area. Different members of the family were at her bedside right up until the time that she passed away (except when the staff needed to do something, when we moved out of their way of course). I think we have found it so helpful in coming to terms with our sad loss, knowing that Eileen was surrounded by people she loved, and knowing for sure that she was as comfortable as possible.

So, I made a card. But then I wasn't sure whether I should send it - I didn't want to send a card and then find that, actually, there were other members of the family who didn't think that she was well looked after. And I haven't had the courage to ask Richard's Dad what he thought of Eileen's care. But my wonderful husband has spoken to his Dad tonight, who has said that he is very happy for me to do this. So I now just have to decide how to word the thanks inside, then I will send it off.

Anyway, here's the card:

The image is a Sugar Nellie stamp - Demure I think! I have coloured her with Promarkers, then die-cut the image using my Nestabilities Labels 10 die. I have stamped around the image with a Anita's Morsels stamp - stamped with versamark and then chalked over with a dark creamy colour (sorry, don't know the colour name!). The heart was die-cut using an X-cut die, and I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment onto it - I think the sentiment is CC designs - I've got a full set of thank you sentiments that I won in a challenge last year. The papers are from my new Do Crafts Hanoverian Linen paper pad - I think these are gorgeous, and I like each one. The embossing folder I used is also new, and is the same range, Hanoverian. I found the organza ribbon and the roses in my stash, and made a bow with the Glitter Girls bowmaker. I made the hanging charm with some chain (a necklace I found in a charity shop), a pearl heart and two pearl beads. And finally coloured some adhesive pearls with the same Promarker as I used to colour the card I used for all the matting. And that's about it I think - hope that all makes sense(LOL!).

I am very happy with the finished card - I must send it this week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Stampin B's Design Team - Use a die cut
The Crafty Pad - Something new
Wild Orchid Challenge - Let's get sentimental
Top Tip Tuesday - All sentimental
Papertake Weekly - Ribbons and pearls

Thanks for looking, and I hope you will call again sometime.

Enjoy the rest of your week. We have my Uncle's funeral tomorrow - we have been to see my Aunty Betty this afternoon, and she is bearing up very well - she says she is amazed at herself.

That's it for now.

Love, Andrea xx

Birthday Gifts

2011-01-18T18:53:00.003Z

Hello Bloggers

Cripes, 18th January already! - I'm trying to arrange meetings at work at the moment, and am already starting to look at March dates (the meetings should have been in January really - oopsie!! - time is just going so fast).

Anyway - I made some small gifts for Eleri to give to one of her friends at the weekend - we bought a Felicity Wishes Cookbook, and I made a corner bookmark to match the card we gave her (see post here). Then Eleri said that she thought her friend would like a keyring to match.

So here they are:

and this is how the bookmark looks on the book:

The bookmark was so easy to make, out of a 5x5" piece of card. I found the instructions for it here. The keyring was made out of shrink plastic - I had to trace the image because the image is a digi and the shrink plastic I have is not printable. I coloured her with Sakura Stardust pens. And just added some beads at the bottom. Not really very impressive, but OK.

That's it for now - I do have a card to show you, but I want to check whether it will fit any challenges first. Maybe show you tomorrow?!

Love, Andrea xx

More Sadness ...

2011-01-15T11:24:00.006Z

Hello, and Happy Saturday everyone - I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I have not been able to post about this until now, but my Uncle Raymond passed away last Sunday morning. He had been in and out of hospital for a few months, and was on the same ward as my mother in law for a while. I struggled to get to sleep last night, thinking about things (my mother in law passed away on 14th December). His funeral will be next Thursday, and I've been told his grave is going to be next to my mother in law's!

My Uncle Ray and Aunty Betty were so good to me in the past (they are my Godparents) - I lodged with them for a while when I first started working, before I passed my driving test. They used to brew their own cider, lager and elderberry port (wonderful stuff LOL!) - so we had a tipple most evenings, and there was lots of laughter. Uncle Ray was a lovely man, who loved to joke and laugh - Aunty Betty was telling me this morning how he could make a joke out of anything, even housework! She was telling me that she was heartbroken in the hospital last Sunday (unfortunately she did not manage to get there in time before he passed away), but then she remembered a holiday they went on - when they were walking down the hill from their guest house, he was in front, and he put his cap on back to front and said he didn't know whether he was coming or going - and that brought a smile to her face. She says she has some wonderful memories!

I regret that I have not been visiting them enough in the last few years - we seem to let life get in the way of important things like spending time with family! I visited him in hospital when he was there at the same time as my MIL, and I also saw him on Christmas Eve - he said to me that day that he could do with some of that homemade cider, he thought that would perk him up!

I really must make more effort to keep in contact with my Aunty Betty now!

I made her a card, and I've realised that it fits the following challenges:

CES Challenge - No design papers
Hodge Podge Shop Challenge - White on white.

The image I've used is a Little Claires stamp which I've decoupaged up, and the sentiment is from Hot Off the Press. The little flower stamp was in a freebie set on the latest Do Crafts Creativity magazine. I stamped and embossed everything in silver.

Finally, if there is anyone you love who you have not been in contact with recently, go give them a call this weekend! And make sure you have a laugh today!

Love, Andrea xx

Second Joint Birthday Card

2011-01-13T22:14:00.003Z

Hello Everyone - Friday tomorrow - where has this week gone? I've spent this afternoon at home waiting for a plumber, who phoned late afternoon to say he would not make it today (gggrrrr!!!). We only have a small problem with a tap that won't stop running (all of a sudden this morning). But (in a whisper LOL!) I don't trust my husband with DIY and repairs - he started fiddling under the sink this morning, trying to find an isolator tap (?), he turned something, and then there was a gushing of water (OMG!) - I think he'd turned something that's linked to the washing machine! The bl**** stop cock is only in the cupboard next to the sink - why didn't he just switch that off straight away like I wanted him to!!!! I'm dreading putting the washing machine on now! The plumber is supposed to be here at 9.30 tomorrow - which means I've got to take time off work to wait again.

Anyway, on to my card. This is the second of the cards for Eleri to take to the joint birthday party on Sunday.

The image is On the Bench from Di's Digi Downloads, and sentiment from Pollycraft again. The papers are some scraps from my Kay and Co bumper pack. I love the paper thread that I found in The Works - I think I had a pack of six different colours for 99p, quite a lot of thread of each colour too. I also love the buttons - they were lime green, but I coloured them with a brown Sharpie!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

CES Challenge - All Creatures Great and Small - my image has a little doggie!
The Crafty Pad - Birthday
Craft Your Days Away - Anything Goes

Well, that's enough from me for now. Thanks for popping by!

Love, Andrea xx

First Card for Joint Birthday Party

2011-01-12T23:48:00.005Z

Hello Fellow Bloggers

I have managed to make the two birthday cards with a couple of days to spare - not like me LOL! But I do want to make a bookmark to go with a book for one of the presents, so that will probably be last minute!

For the card I'm showing today, I have followed the sketch on Friday Sketchers. The digi image is Miss Bitty from Fred She Said, and I have coloured her with Promarkers and added diamond stickles to her wings. The papers are My Minds Eye Quite Contrary. The plain card I've used for the matting and layering is a plain ivory textured card which I bought from Crafters Companion, and I coloured around the edge with Promarkers to match the image. The sentiment is a digi from Pollycrafts.

Unfortunately, for some reason, the glue I used to stick the punched flowers has seeped through and spoiled the flowers. So, after photographing the card, I removed the spoiled flowers, re-punched them, and added flower gems - sorry I haven't been able to take a photo of the improved card, it's just too dark! I'll try to upload another piccie tomorrow.

Here's my card: (edited to add improved card)

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

I Love Promarkers - Use punches (my punched flowers)
Kaboodle Doodles - Do it with digis
2 Sisters Challenge - Gettin girly
Incy Wincy Designs - Go dotty

Must say goodnight now - I will show the other birthday card tomorrow.

Love, Andrea xx

Two More Notebooks

2011-01-05T22:43:00.006Z

Hello fellow bloggers and crafters - 5th January already aaarrrggh - I have a feeling this year is going to go very fast LOL!

Well, I finished making notebooks to take for teachers today. Again, I used the Whiff of Joy image, Melinda with book, coloured with promarkers. Papers from the Kay & Co stack - there are still so many gorgeous papers in the pack - I think it'll take me years to get through LOL!

I used the Sew Easy Tool again, with the scalloped head, to stitch down the side, but it is not showing very well on the photos. It added texture, and looked good IRL.

Please excuse the poor photos - it was still dark this morning when I was taking them, and I got flashback!

I'm entering these in the following challenges:

Kaboodle Doodles - Anything Goes
Flutterby Wednesdays - Open
CES Challenge - Anything Goes

For the teaching assistants, I put together some packs of Snowman Soup (hot chocolate mix, white and dark chocolate fingers and marshmallows), with very simple toppers. I didn't get chance to take photos of them, they didn't look particularly special as I did them in a hurry - but they went down well with the teaching assistants.

Well, Eleri has come out of school today with an invitation to a joint birthday party, so I'm gonna have to get my thinking cap on for gifts and cards - hope to have something to show you next week!

Bye for now. Thanks for popping by, and I hope you call again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

I Found a Bargain

2011-01-03T17:51:00.006Z

Hello again everyone.

When I was Christmas shopping, I popped into the QVC outlet store, and found one of the We Are Memory Keepers Sew Easy tool kits for £1.99 (wow! real bargain, as I nearly bought it when I saw it originally - it was about £20). It is a kind of paper piercer with different heads (straight, criss cross, scallop and flower), plus a piercing mat and some coloured threads. After I bought it, I read some poor reviews about it on the QVC website and, because of that and everything that happened just before Christmas, I didn't give it a go until a couple of nights ago. And I am so pleased with it (though I don't really think it is worth the full money!).

I used it on a notebook I covered - I sewed scallops across the corners of the papers and across the panel in the centre under the image. I fastened the panels with the sewn corners on the cover, then opened the book, and realised I'd covered the back by accident (oops!), so then had to do some more sewing for the front cover. Lucky I realised before I added the rest of the elements (LOL!).

The image is from Whiff of Joy and the papers are Kay & Co, again - sorry, and I have two more to do! Here's a close up of the stitching on the middle panel.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Something new - new tool used
Creative Cowgirls - Something new - new tool used

That's it me thinks. Need to colour up some more images to cover the other two notebooks. Hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Happy 30th Birthday Emma

2011-01-02T23:49:00.004Z

Hello Fellow Bloggers, and Happy New Year to you all - I wish you peace, love and happiness for 2011.

My cousin, Emma, went to live in New Zealand about four years ago and she was able to come home to spend this Christmas and New Year with her family. As we have not had a big family get together for some time, my Aunty decided to hire a local village hall and hold a party for Emma's 30th birthday today. Would you believe, there were approx 80 of us there this evening - on my Mum's side of the family - my Mum's brothers and sisters plus their partners, their children (my cousins) and their partners, and their children, plus some members of my cousin's boyfriend's family I think. I love family get togethers like that - it was lovely to see people I have not seen for a long time. We always used to see each other when we visited my Nan, but we don't see each other very often since she passed away a few years ago - I still miss her so much for that reason. I remember the times we used to have Christmas parties in my Great Uncle's house - all of us spread out in 3 small rooms - there weren't so many of us then of course, but it still must have been a squash!

Anyway, enough waffle from me LOL! I'll show you the card I made for Emma.

I made an easel card. I do wonder whether I should put a little picture inside these cards to show how they should stand, cos I'm not sure that non-crafters understand how they should look, or am I being unfair?! I could see that Emma had displayed her card still in its box this evening and, when I was going to stand it up properly, it had been moved! I wonder what other crafters do??

The image is a Miss Anya, coloured with Promarkers. The papers are from a huge Kay & Co stack I had from QVC. The sentiment is from Pollycrafts. I also added a die cut heart with 30 on it under the easel bit of the card. I did wonder if I had overdone it with the flowers really, but I do quite like the finished card.

That's probably enough from me. I do have another project to show you, but I think I'll leave that til tomorrow.

Ooh, I nearly forgot to list the challenges I would like to enter with this card:

Passion for Promarkers - Anything goes
Crazy 4 Challenges - Celebrate something
Catch the Bug - Anything goes

Love, Andrea xx

Presents for My Nieces

2010-12-26T21:23:00.006Z

Seasons Greetings to everyone! We have had a lovely Christmas - quiet, and spending time with family - just as I like it. We don't have many plans for the rest of the holidays at the moment except a family party for my cousin's 30th birthday next weekend! For the rest of the holidays, we'll just play it by ear and see how the mood takes us!

I did not manage to make as many presents or cards as I had originally planned, but I did make some presents for two of my nieces.

This first gift is a teddy in its own bag which I knitted for my 2 year old niece. The pattern was in the Crafts Beautiful magazine. I was getting a little worried that I would not finish it in time, but I got there in the end.

The little bag opens up to reveal a sleeping bag for the teddy to go to bed!

And this is what the teddy looks like - she has pink knickers on under that dress - and they can both be taken off! My knitting is not too bad, but I'm not very good at sewing - I just hope it all stays together!!

My 13 year old niece loves to sketch, so I covered a watercolour sketch pad for her. (Sorry about the quality of the photo - it was dark when I was taking the photo, and I don't have any kind of light box).

I have used the sketch on Sunday Sketch and Stamp. The only thing missing is a sentiment - but I couldn't find anything suitable, so I added flowers instead - hope that counts!

The stamp I used is from Whiff of Joy - I think she's called Melinda with Book - and I coloured her with Promarkers. The papers are Kay and Co.

I had planned to cover some notebooks for teacher presents this year, but I completely lost my mojo and did not get around to it - I might just do that for when the children start back to school if Mr Mojo comes back!

Thanks for looking, and I hope you are able to pop back again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Such Sad News

2010-12-14T21:52:00.002Z

Sadly, I must report that my mother-in-law passed away this evening.

Thankfully, several members of the family have been able to spend time with her in hospital over the last couple of days, and Richard, his Dad and his brother were with her during her last few moments. I have spent some time with her today but, unfortunately, was not able to get back to the hospital to see her again this evening. I came home this afternoon to collect the children from school and to take Eleri to her Rainbows Christmas Party. I am very sad that I was not able to be there to support Richard but I know that Eileen would have been happy knowing that Eleri was able to go to her party.

My heart goes out to anyone else who is also going through such a sad time at the moment.

I must go now.

Love, Andrea

D'you Fancy a Giggle? ... But First You Need to Use Your Imagination!

2010-12-05T20:23:00.004Z

Hello and Happy Sunday to you all - I hope you have had a lovely weekend, and not had too much trouble with the icy conditions!

I made two gorgeous birthday cards for Eleri to take to a double birthday party this morning, but I bloomin' well forgot to photograph them (doh!). So you'll need to use your imagination while I try to describe them to you (lol!). (If you want a giggle, you'll have to bear with me or skip the next bit of waffle!!!)

The two cards were very similar. I used 6x6 card blanks, covered with turquoise pearlescent card. Then added a mat using the dark pink paper with the knobbly diamond pattern from the MME Quite Contrary pad. I used a little girl from Ollyfant Stamps - a clear stamp Autumn set - she looks a bit like the Tilda images, she is holding some twigs, and her hair and coat is blowing in the wind - there is no name on the stamps. I coloured her dress and wellies in ruby red Promarkers, with ivory tights. On the one card, the girl had dark hair and on the other she had blonde hair (just like Eleri's two friends). I stamped an umbrella from the same clear stamps set. I paper pieced the girl's coat and the umbrella with the cream paper with the swirly flowers in pink, blue and green from the same MME paper pad. I added 3d gloss to her coat, wellies and brolly, to make them look shiny and waterproof. The brolly was added to the top of the card as a penny slider, so that it looked as though it had blown away in the wind - the slide bit was made out of the turquoise pearlescent card which I embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. On the bottom right hand side of the card I added two sentiments from the MME pad - one said birthday girl and the other said make a wish - I wrote over the sentiments with a Sakura clear stardust pen to make them sparkle. Then added some punched flowers out of the same flowery paper as the brolly and coat, added some dark pink pearls, et voila!!!

So, how's your imagination - can you see my cards? In case my description is rubbish, here's a similar card I made last year .... my cards today did not have the ribbon element on.

And now for that giggle - well it made me giggle anyway! ...

One evening last week, I was in the kitchen peeling potatoes for our evening meal. My daughter and her friend were under the table acting out the Nativity. Eleri's friend was one of the three wise men and I heard her say "I've got Frankenstein, Sense and Myrrh"!!! ha ha ha!! - I was desperately trying not to laugh out loud cos I know Eleri's friend would have been devastated if she thought I was laughing at her! But at the same time as trying not to laugh, I was also trying to work out what she should have said - took me a few seconds!! - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh! It's still making me giggle now!

Reminds me a bit of the Christmas after my son started school and he was talking to me about Jesus Pryce (awwww! he was only 4, and his cousin's surname is Pryce so he thought that is what people were saying!). And also the time my MIL told us she had to have a cold compost put on her nose when she fell up the steps and bumped her face (ROFL!) It is funny sometimes when people say the wrong words, don't you think???

Hope I've given you a little giggle today, and have a fabulous next week.

Love, Andrea xx

Another Christmas Card

2010-11-30T21:29:00.004Z

Hello Everyone - I hope everyone in the UK is managing to keep warm and safe, and not struggling with the snow too much! We have snow here in mid Wales but not as much as in some other areas. I had a meeting planned for work this evening but thankfully we were able to cancel it yesterday - I was dreading having to drive 30 miles each way in the snow and ice in the dark!

Enough waffle! I have managed to make another teacher Christmas card - this one is for my son's teacher. I have used the off-cuts of the papers I used on the first teacher card I made - I think I have enough left to make another card with them too! As the one paper has Christmas trees on it, I can enter this card in the Stamping Vacation Lots of Paper Challenge.

(Sorry about the quality of the photo but the light was not good - if I can get a better photo I'll update it)

The image is Little Christmas Angel digi from Whimsy Stamps and I have coloured her with Promarkers and added Diamond Stickles to her wings. The die used for the image and the sentiment is Nestabilities Labels 10. The sentiment is from Crafters Companion - it's not stuck down in any way, is just hanging from the bow by a jump ring. The gems are Papermania shimmer dots.

I didn't have any pink card to match the backing papers, so I coloured some cream card with a Promarker to match.

I really wasn't sure whether to add any flowers or snowflakes onto the card, but decided to leave it clean and simple - I'm still not convinced though!

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Create4Fun - the sketch I used
Charisma Cardz - one for the girls
Die Cut Dreams Christmas Club - use a die cut
Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes

I hope you like my card, and I hope to be back soon. Surely will be, as Eleri has been invited to a double birthday party at the weekend - better get cracking on making the cards - I thought I was going to be able to concentrate on Christmas cards and Christmas presents this week (oh well, hey ho!!).

Love, Andrea xx

For Someone Special

2010-11-24T20:14:00.003Z

Happy Wednesday everyone - hope you are having a good week.

Well, I was back to work today after a week's holiday - boy, what a week it's been!

Thankfully, my Mum came home from hospital on Monday evening - her operation seems to have gone well, and she is on the mend now. I went to do her ironing last night - it's about the only thing my Dad can't manage to do - Mum says he'd cooked her the best roast beef dinner she's ever had last night - certainly smelled good anyway!

Unfortunately, my husband's Mum was taken back into hospital on Monday - fluid has built up in her lung again, very quickly actually. We now suspect that she was insistent that she be allowed home last week, but she was not well enough really. It is her 70th birthday today so Richard has gone to visit her in hospital this evening and taken her card and present - hope she likes it but I now have a feeling I have bought her the same thing as I gave her last year for her birthday (oops, what it is to have a bad memory!)

This is the card I made for her. It is a clean and simple card and I don't think the photo does is justice really but I only took the one photo!

I have used a Tilda image - I'm sorry I don't know what she's called, and she has been coloured with promarkers and decoupaged up - I don't think the photo shows it though does it?! The background is white pearlescent card embossed in the cuttlebug. I have used my Nellie Snellen dies for the frame Tilda is leaning through, and the mat behind her has been cut with the same die and embossed with the cuttlebug swiss dots folder. The heart charm was taken off an old card I had made for my Mum which she gave back to me to use the bits again. I wish I'd got some larger roses - actually, I've just remembered, I was going to use some different flowers that I bought for a wedding card in the summer (oh bugger!!! LOL!).

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Just Magnolia - White Plus One
Papertake Weekly - Cut It Out - the dies I used plus I cut Tilda out to decoupage her up
I Love Promarkers - Anything Goes with a bit of sparkle if you like - I have added glitter to Tilda's wings and the roses, and the gems are nice and sparkly, also the pearlescent card has a nice sheen on it!

Think that's it for now - I need to make a sympathy card - struggle with them a bit but I do have an idea I want to try.

Thanks for looking. Be back soon I hope.

Love, Andrea xx

Pink Christmas Card

2010-11-19T18:48:00.003Z

Hello and Happy Friday Everyone

I have made my first Christmas card for a teacher - this one will be for my daughter's teacher.

I think this little angel is adorable - she is a digi from Whimsy Stamps, and I bought her because she reminds me of my little girl. I coloured her with promarkers and added stickles to her wings. The gorgeous pink papers are from Crafters Companion Occasions CD, the sentiment is from a Crafters Companion Cute Christmas set. I punched the snowflakes from the papers, layered them up and stickled them, and added two ribbon loops and some irridescent shimmer dots, and that's about it.

I followed the sketch on Sketch and Stash - my new stash is the angel digi and the ribbon bought from a local cheapie store.

I'm also entering the following challenges:

CES Challenge - Think Pink
Fussy and Friday Challenge - Christmas Without Red and Green

I have been making a batch of simple Christmas cards today, so I hope to show those to you soon. I've made 9 so far today and hope to make some more later this evening.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Love, Andrea xx

My Most Favouritest Card Wot I Made ... Evvver!!!

2010-11-18T22:01:00.003Z

Hello Everyone

My Goddaughter is 21 today - Happy Birthday Teri - where on earth did that 21 years go - scary huh??! This is the card I made for her:

The papers are Kay and Co, the image is Miss Anya (coloured with Promarkers), and the sentiment is from Pollycrafts. I've embossed a panel with a Cuttlebug folder, and added sparkle with diamond stickles, a pearly brad to hang the heart charm, and pearls. I've been wanting to have a go at pleating paper for a while, and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out - in fact, I'm so happy with this card! I followed the sketch on Friday Sketchers, but was too late to enter the challenge, so I think the only challenges I can enter are:

Secret Crafter - Sparkle and Shine
Simon Says - Sparkle

And now for an update re. some of the people in my life:

My mother-in-law has finally come out of hospital today after a four and a half week stay and both her lungs having to be drained.

My Mum is in hospital at the moment - had an operation on her lung yesterday - she is not feeling too good today as the morphine she is on is making her feel very sick - so we don't think she will be home for the weekend.

I've taken a few days off work to try to get some things sorted for Christmas. On the first day I was just about to walk into a shop about half an hour from home to do some Christmas browsing but I had a call from our school secretary to say that my son was ill - so it was get straight back in the car to go and collect him. I was planning on going Christmas shopping yesterday, but Andrew was still not too well so I had to keep him off school. But he is better again now and was back to school today, so I decided to go shopping today. I did some shopping at out of town Toys R Us, Boots, Sports Direct - managed to get a few pressies. Before catching the bus into town I thought I'd better phone my husband to check how he was getting on with mending our fence and to check what the weather was like (cos he was going to collect the children from school and would have had to walk, if it was raining I was thinking I would go home earlier - aren't I kind? LOL!). He told me he'd had an accident! - a fence post broke as he was trying to pull it out of the ground and it banged and cut the top of his head, lots of blood apparently OMG!!! So I had to rush home in a terrible panic - took me over an hour to get home, I was shaking and worrying about what I was going to find when I got home - would he be unconscious on the floor? But, thankfully, he was conscious - was still bleeding a bit so I took him to our local Minor Injuries Unit to get the cut checked. Thankfully, he's OK - apart from having his head glued (with nice bright blue glue LOL!), and he's got quite a headache!

Well, that's enough waffle from me for now. I have made a Christmas card for my daughter's teacher, and I hope to show you that tomorrow - hope you'll pop back to have a look.

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

A Christening Card

2010-11-11T11:28:00.004Z

Good Morning fellow bloggers - hope you are having a good week. My daughter had a sickness bug yesterday so is off school at the moment - but she is nearly back to normal today, happy, singing and bouncing around - yesterday she spent most of the day in bed!

Anyway, my card today is a Christening card I made for my cousin's little boy. I spent ages trying to get this card just right - my original idea was to stamp the teddy onto the gingham paper but it just did not look right, so back to the drawing board and I coloured it with promarkers. The stamp is from a Daisy and Dandelion set. The papers were printed from a couple of Crafters Companion CDs so I sprayed the finished card with CC silver sparkle. I followed the sketch on Sketch Saturday from a couple of weeks ago but did not have the card made in time to enter!

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes
Crazy 4 Challenges - Create a Square Card
Elephantastic - Blue

Well, that's it from me for now - I have lots of cards to make, but just can't get into the right mood at the moment - hope my mojo returns soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Halloween - I Know It's Late!

2010-11-04T10:10:00.006Z

Hello Everyone - and to those who are at the NEC or going over the weekend, I hope you have a fabulous day - I am green with envy!

My son was invited to a Halloween party over the weekend, so I decided to send some little treats for everyone - and here's what I sent:

I made the little sour cream pouches - I printed thin card with designs from Crafters Companion Occasions CD. They were all made out of A6 size card, some had the short sides joined together first and some had the long sides joined together first, depending on the chocolate I was putting inside. They were so easy to make, but I think they looked really effective. In fact, if I'm asked to give some little pressies for the lucky dip tub at the school Christmas Fair, I might make some of these.

At the last minute, I decided to take Eleri to a Halloween party in a nearby village, so she went as a devil princess. She made her mask herself, wore a princess dress, a devil's tail (can't see it in the photo) and devil horns, and her new boots. And she had a lovely time at the party, especially when one of the little boys from school started chasing her! (who, by the way, asked her to marry him a couple of weeks ago :o

This is Eleri dressed up

Finally, Andrew took part in an inter-schools cross country competition yesterday - he came 57th (out of 59 or 60! - unfortunately, he takes after me for his lack of athleticism!), but he crossed the line running and smiling, and I was very proud of him! At least he took part this time - the last time they held the competition in the summer, I went to watch but Andrew stayed at school because he didn't want to take part - a bit embarrassing really, but never mind!

Oh - update - my mother in law has finally had a drain fitted to take the fluid away from her lung and she had the best night's sleep in over three weeks on Tuesday. My Mum's operation was cancelled on Tuesday but it was a good job as she has come down with a nasty cold - operation now due to be done on 12th November. And my Uncle has come home from hospital and is improving!

Well, I'll love you and leave you now - hope to manage to craft something to show you soon - in fact, I need to get shifting as I have a few birthdays and a christening coming up.

Love, Andrea xx

Any Celebration and G is for Glitter

2010-10-28T20:27:00.004+01:00

Hello again - me posting two days on the trot - not often that happens? LOL!

Anyway, my cousin got married last Saturday, so I made a card for that special occasion.

The image was from Digistamp Boutique, and I re-used the sketch from Friday Sketchers a couple of weeks ago - I love that sketch. The tag comes out and has got the date of the wedding on it. I added my current favourite stickles - diamond!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time - any celebration
ABC Challenge - G is for glitter

My Mum had some lovely photos from the wedding - I saw them on her camera on Sunday. Unfortunately, before my Dad downloaded them to the computer, he decided to delete some old photos and managed to corrupt the memory card - oopsie!! At least my Mum has three brothers and three sisters who were taking photos too - so she's going to ask for copies of some of theirs! Aaaww, things do go wrong for my Dad quite often!

I went to see my MIL in hospital again today - she is still very breathless, and is fed up with it now - she had an x-ray yesterday which shows that the fluid level hasn't changed on her lung so, at last, the doctor has said they will drain the fluid - not sure if that means just syringing some off or actually fitting a drain. I hope they manage to get all the fluid from there pretty quick - I really don't want her to have to go through what my Mum has been going through for the last year or so. On the plus side though, you can see she's got ankles now - I don't think I've seen them before! - it's all the weeing she's been doing because of the water tablets they've given her - she says she would have filled their water tank at home and could even have flooded Wales ROFL!

That's enough from me for now.

Love, Andrea xx

A Bookmark

2010-10-27T23:28:00.004+01:00

Hello Peoples!

I've just spotted a challenge for a bookmark so I'm going to show the one I made as part of my sister's birthday present. The image is from Whiff of Joy, and I coloured her with Promarkers.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Your Next Stamp - Bookmark It
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Anything but a card
A Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge - Diecuts and punches - I hope my one lonely punched flower counts!
Creative Card Crew - Lets Punch It - hope my flower counts!

Just to update you re. my mother in law - she's still in hospital, but improving (although I didn't see any improvement when I saw her on Monday - worried me actually!). She is waiting for the results of one test, and all the ones that have come back so far have been OK. Her oxygen levels are improving, but she is still on oxygen continually at the moment. We did take the children in to see her on Monday and she was so pleased to see them, I think they were very daunted by it though. Hopefully, she is on the road to recovery.

My Mum had her pre-op yesterday, and is hoping to go into hospital next Monday for an operation on her lung on Tuesday. My Uncle went into hospital this morning and was supposed to have an operation on his lung today, but it had to be cancelled because an urgent case came in, so he's down to have his operation on Friday now. Oh I don't know - what's happening to my family and their lungs??

See you again soon I hope.

Love, Andrea xx

I Feel So Mad and Sad, and I Really Want to Throttle Someone ...

2010-10-23T15:33:00.003+01:00

... but thought I would be better off coming on here to blog a rant instead!! LOL!

So, why am I so mad and sad - well, it's the little girl next door who is my daughter's so called 8 year old friend! She has started telling Eleri (who is 5!) that Santa's not real (again! - she did it last year too when Eleri was only 4!). I feel so sad because Eleri desperately wants to still believe in Santa - we were going to be doing the letter to Santa this week in the school holidays. Andrew (who's 9) doesn't believe any more - which is fair enough I think - but I've had the conversation with him that he must not say anything to younger children and spoil Christmas for them. I've told him that if I hear him or hear of him saying anything, then he won't get any extra presents.

I just don't know what to do! Should I try and catch her on her own and ask her not to say anything to Eleri again (but she doesn't like being in a room on her own with me - I think I scare her too much!), or should I have a word with her Mum? I just think she is being very cruel, spoiling Christmas for younger children.

When is it right for children to stop believing in Santa? - OK they probably shouldn't be going to High School still believing! But, as parents, we want to keep Christmas as magical as possible for as long as possible don't we?

Anyway, enough ranting - I feel better now - think I must be hormonal today LOL!

The other day, Andrew asked me if I was the Tooth Fairy! But I told him I wasn't, and I said I was trying to get hold of a fairy door so that the Tooth Fairy could always get in. I've only recently discovered that fairy doors exist - from Maddy at madimaginations - but now I've discovered them, I think every home should have a fairy door LOL! My husband thinks I'm mad!!!

An update re. my mother-in-law - she is still in hospital - has got to stay in until at least next Wednesday. They are having trouble getting the oxygen levels in her blood correct or something. I'm hoping to be able to pop in to see her in the next couple of days - she wants us to take the children to see her, but I'm not sure that's a good idea really. Richard's Dad is supposed to be checking with the ward whether they will allow it, and letting us know. Poor thing - he's asked us not to ring him to find out how things are - he says he panics when the phone rings - he thinks the worst!

Anyway, that's enough from me - I need to go and clean the kitchen up a bit before starting on our evening meal!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Love, Andrea xx

Aren't Parents a Worry??!!

2010-10-19T20:04:00.003+01:00

Hello Everyone - I hope you are enjoying a good week.

Well, never mind worrying about children - parents can be a worry too can't they? My mother in law was taken into hospital yesterday, with fluid on her lung - Richard has gone to see her this evening, so I should know how she is soon! My own Mum has fluid on her lung at the moment too - has been ill since August last year actually - she is about to go back into hospital for a repeat of the operation she had last October - but, on the up side, she said at the weekend that she does think she is getting better! I really do hope they will both be back to good health soon.

Anyway, this is the get well card I made for my mother in law.

The image is from Whiff of Joy - I stamped it 3 times, so was able to paper piece the elephant and the bunch of flowers she's holding. The papers are My Minds Eye Bloom and Grow. I think the card is a bit over the top flowery really, but I am fairly pleased with it. I added some gems onto the flowers in the bouquet and stickles around the image. The die I used to cut the mat and layer for the image is Nellie Snellen.

I loved using this sketch which is this week's Friday Sketchers challenge

I'm also entering it in the following challenges:
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes
Inky Impressions Challenge - Anything Goes

That's it from me for now. Thanks for looking.

Love, Andrea xx

My Very First Blog Award

2010-10-07T20:39:00.005+01:00

Hello - I'm back with my second post this evening (please take a look at my card in the post below).

Wooo hooooo! I have received my very first Blog Award, from the very lovely Monica, who makes her own handmade flowers for her cards, and also donates many cards to charity. Please take a look at Monica's blog. And Thank You So Much Monica, you really did make my day today (especially as I'm not feeling 100%!)

And here's my award:

Now I'm not sure if I should pass this award on to someone else, but there is someone I would like to pass it to - the wonderful Mina who not only makes absolutely gorgeous cards, but she usually has something in her posts which really makes me giggle. Mina, thank you for your inspiration and for making me giggle so often!

That really is it from me for tonight - I'm going to have a cup of tea with some paracetamol and then go to bed!

Love, Andrea xx

Oh Flip! Too Late!

2010-10-07T18:29:00.006+01:00

Well hello everyone - I hope you are all well - I'm not feeling 100% - had a sore throat for over a week, then developed a headache to go along with it, and now have a blocked nose, which suddenly surprises me and starts to run (yeuch!!!). I should be thankful that I've not had the same as my friend from work, who has a nasty bout of flu at the moment - get well soon Liz!

Anyway, enough moaning - let me show what I made last night.

It's only the second easel card I've made - I don't think I showed the first one as it was for my husband and I wasn't that impressed with it! They're not easy to photograph though are they?

Anyway, back to this one - this card is going to be for someone special. The image is from Di's Digi Downloads, called Party Time, and I've coloured her with Promarkers and Sakura Stardust pens. The shapes have been cut with a Nellie Snellen die. The papers are from a Kate Knight pad. The ribbon was from a gift box my Mum received sometime ago, so I've done a bit of recycling here. And I made the flowers - they are just punched from layers of tissue paper, with some pearl brads through the centre, and then I've curled them a bit by pulling the petals gently between my fingers (hope you understand what I mean!). And I've added some pearly heart shaped ribbon sliders, and used diamond stickles around the image mat. I haven't decided what sentiment to use yet, so that white panel has not been stuck down yet and I will stickle the edge of it when it is finished.

OOwwwwwww! I've just had a bout of sneezing and pulled a muscle in my neck! Actually, I'm starting to feel really rotten :(

And here's a picture which shows the image better I hope - doesn't show the sparkle though! - the crown and beads are quite glittery IRL.

Oh, I forgot to explain my post title - I followed this week's sketch on Fridays Sketchers, but was too late to enter the challenge - flip!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Easel Card
A Spoonfull of Sugar - Sparkle and Shine (lots of sparkle on the image from the Sakura Stardust pens, the stickles, pearly brads and pearly ribbon sliders)
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Punch It Out (punched flowers)
Pollycraft Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

I'm gonna go now - I need to listen to my son reading!

Love, Andrea xx

Mojo Monday, OSAAT, Wild Orchid

2010-10-01T19:42:00.004+01:00

Well, it's the end of the working week for me - thank goodness! Another weekend has come round so quickly - I hope you all have a good one!

My card today is one for three challenges, and it was made for my sister-in-law. I hope she liked it.

The image is another digi from Pollycrafts, called Retro Melody - isn't she so pretty? I coloured her hair and skin with Promarkers, and then paper pieced her dress with the same paper as I've used in the background. The bp is from a Kate Knight pad which was free with a magazine a while ago - there are some gorgeous papers in the pad. I found some scraps of the organza ribbon in a box, so used one piece to make a bow and placed the other piece around the layer. The gems are Papermania, and the sentiment is Hot Off the Press.

The challenges I'm entering are:

Mojo Monday - the sketch I followed
One Stitch At a Time - Anything Goes
Wild Orchid Challenge - Ribbons and Bows

Tomorrow, I'm taking my daughter shopping for a new outfit for her nanny and grandad's golden wedding party - I hope we manage to find something lovely but that can also be worn at other times. And, guess what? - yep, she's had a late invitation to a friend's birthday party on Sunday!! So I have another present to find!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Love, Andrea xx

A Girlie Card

2010-09-28T19:54:00.004+01:00

Hello Peoples!

I think I may be on a bit of a roll - I've made some cards that I've been really happy with over the last few days, and this is one of them (although the photo doesn't give it justice really):

The image is one I won in a challenge a couple of months ago, a digi from Fred She Said - from the Little Miss Bitty set and, as I'm not good at colouring, I've paper pieced her dress. The papers are from the summer freebie My Minds Eye paper pad. The heart dies are X-cut, the ribbon was from a local cheapie store, I think the large pink fabric flowers are Dovecraft, the smaller flowers are punched from the paper pad. The sparkly gems are Papermania shimmer dots, and I luuuuuuuuv them! The sentiment is hand written, not perfect but OK!

I've followed the sketch on this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge, and I'm also entering my card in this week's Lollipop Crafts which is Glitter, Sparkle, Gems - I used stickles around the sentiment heart, and the shimmer dots are sparkly.

I've got another card to show you soon. So, see you then. Thanks for looking.

Love, Andrea xx

Doodle Divas Featured Diva

2010-09-26T18:35:00.003+01:00

This is just a shout out about Karen's Doodles Doodle Divas weekly Featured Diva contest.

Each Friday, a Featured Diva is represented on the Doodle Divas Blog in a special slideshow. To enter to be a Featured Diva, all you have to do is submit a card, layout, or any project using a Karen's Doodles image - and there are some gorgeous images to choose from. One lucky Diva is then chosen as the Featured Diva for the week and their project is put into the Featured Diva slideshow for all to see!!! The lucky Diva also gets to choose two Karen's Doodles images for free!!!! How awesome eh?

Unfortunately, there was only one entry last week - so they are trying to spread the word. Why don't you go have a look at the past Featured Divas' work, and see if you'd like to have a go! I intend to enter again soon but have a few other projects to work on at the moment! There's just not enough time to do everything I'd like to do!

Love, Andrea