A Birthday and A Retirement

Hello Bloggers

Again, it's been a while since I've posted anything.

I have been feeling quite sad over the last week or so - there are a number of reasons really, and I won't go into detail about them.  Some of it is that I know people who are going through some very difficult times at the moment, and they are situations that I can do absolutely nothing about.  Sometimes, it's hard just having to be a spectator in life!

It is my Mum's birthday today, but it is also the eighth anniversary of my Nan passing away.  I can therefore understand why my Mum might not want to celebrate her birthday really, but I can't let the day pass without marking it in some small way.  My small way is to lovingly create a card for her.

The image is Bow Legged Cutie from Sassy Cheryl's - she is a little cutie isn't she.  The patterned paper is one of the last sheets of a V&A Hanoverian paper pad from Do Crafts.  I have used a flower die set which I bought at the NEC in March - I actually managed to get to the Hobbycrafts Show this year and had a lovely day out with my sister!  The antique brad is from Stampin Up.

Another reason for feeling sad this week is that a close friend and colleague of mine has retired from work this week - I am going to miss her very much.  I made a card for us all to sign, and also made a jewellery set as part of her leaving gift.  I was so pleased that she loved her card and gift, and I have had some amazing comments about them from my other colleagues at work.

So here is the card

Sorry about the photo - the colours look a bit washed out.  The image is from Saturated Canary, and the papers are a Princess Tale from Dovecraft (I think!).  And finally some added embellishments from my stash.

Here's the gift - a Pearl and Aquamarine Bracelet and Earrings set.  The pearls have such a gorgeous irridescence and the aquamarine is a lovely clear blue.

I also added some aquamarines as a charm next to the clasp but the photo of the back of the bracelet was just much too blurred to show.  I have to admit myself that it did look lovely.

That's all from me for now - I ought to start thinking about some male cards for birthdays coming up, oh and Father's Day - but maybe I'll just buy them! ;)

Thank you for taking the time to view my blog, and I hope to see you again soon.

Love, Andrea xx

My Most Recent Creations

Well hellooooooooo!!

I decided it was about time I posted some of my creations.  I have not been making many cards in recent months, but I have made two in the last couple of weeks.  I've also done some knitting, and some jewellery making.  So this could turn out to be a long post - sorry!!  You're welcome to just look at the photos LOL!  But I do love to receive comments if you would like to let me know you called by :)

The first card I made was for my Uncle who is very unwell at the moment.  I wanted to let him know that we are thinking of him - my Mum went to visit him on the day the card arrived, so I know he had it and was very pleased to receive it.

The image is a stamp from Whiff of Joy, and I have paper pieced it.  I kept the card fairly simple, and used  various dies.

The next card was a birthday card for a friend at work.  She said a couple of weeks ago that she loves the colour purple - I'm sure this is purple enough!!

The image for this card is a digi from Saturated Canary (the same image as in my previous post), and I've coloured her with Promarkers.  This card is simple too, with a Lakeland sentiment, some fabric flowers, and a little bit of ribbon (left over from making the present below :))

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

Make It Monday

Crafts and Me Challenge - Bling It Up - I used glitter card for the mat for the image, plus I put some stickles around the image, also just added one pearl in the corner, the flowers have some pearly stamens, and does the ribbon count as bling?

Natalie and Amy - Monochromatic

So now to the present - I have been wearing the ribbon bracelets I make recently, and I've had quite a few lovely comments - I'm not very good at taking compliments, but I am very pleased to receive them when I think about it afterwards.  Anyway, it was suggested that I make one of these bracelets for this friend at work - so I made a purple one.  I also made some dangly earrings with amethyst, crackled quartz and shell pearl.

I made another friend at work a ribbon bracelet but I don't seem to have downloaded the photo - I'll try to remember to show that in another post.

But I did download the gemstone bracelet I made - I've recently bought some coloured beading thread, and had an attempt at a different macrame stitch (not the usual square stitch I've used before).  The gemstones are fuchsia coloured agate.  I actually love the way this bracelet has turned out, and I think I'm going to try some in different colours; I'm also going to try one with wire.

I am tentatively contemplating making some jewellery to sell, but I don't think I'm brave enough to take the plunge yet - what do you think?  Would you be willing to buy something like this?  I've made quite a few jewellery gifts and I think people have loved them - I just don't know if my creations are good enough for people to want to buy.  I always worry that they'll fall apart. Oh well, I'll probably continue to make jewellery to wear myself or to give as gifts.  :)

And, as I've noticed that I've had over 10,000 hits on my blog (that was a surprise!), I might just put a bracelet up as candy if I can work out how to go about that - watch this space.

Anyway, I think that's enough from me.  I'll love you and leave you for now.

Thank you for taking the time to have a looksey - I hope you like what you've seen.

Love, Andrea xx

It's Been A While!

Hello Everyone

I have at last found the inspiration to make a card - this is for a friend from work for a special birthday this week.

The image is Rose Red, a digi from Saturated Canary.  I've coloured her with Promarkers.  The papers are Princess Fairytale from Dovecraft, and all the other bits and bobs are from my age old stash!

Here is the gift I made - a bracelet made with Amethyst and Clear Quartz.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Monthly Challenge - Flowers and Pearls
Make It Monday - Anything Goes
Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Girly

It's the busy birthday fortnight in our house at the moment - my birthday last week, and Eleri and Andrew next week.  Expensive month LOL!  I don't think I will be making cards for the children this year - I still don't have enough motivation for that yet, and I'm not putting any pressure on myself.  If I want to make something I will.  I did some more knitting a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to take a photo before I gave the gift - der!!! :)

Wishing you all a fabulous week.

Love, Andrea xx

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Hello Everyone

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  We did - a very quiet Christmas with just the four of us this year, but that's what we like now and again!  I was spoiled with lots of lovely presents.  We had an amazing present delivered to us on Christmas Eve from one of Richard's workmates - it was a 18lb 5oz turkey - huge!!!!!  Richard managed to chop some bits off it to put in the freezer, and half of the cooked turkey was also put in the freezer on Christmas Day - lots more turkey meals for us over the next few weeks :)

All over Christmas I have been thinking of all the people who may not have had a good Christmas - there just seems to have been so much awful news over the last couple of weeks - the shootings in America, fatal car accident on the M6 (I think!) when two little boys died on Christmas morning, the dreadful floods in various parts of the UK.  My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering in any kind of way.

My poor husband is not very well at the moment - he has a nasty cold, which I think I am developing.  I had to go to pick him up from work just before lunch time today - he shouldn't have been working really but he stayed at work until they could get someone to cover for him!  I hope I don't develop any more of a cold - I won't be able to visit my Mum and Dad tomorrow as I don't want to pass any nasty bugs on to them - my Mum is recovering from a big operation at the moment, but she is doing well.

Enough of that - my real reason for coming on here is to show some of the gifts I made this year - I didn't manage to photograph everything I made.

I knitted some scarves for my niece, goddaughters and some friends:

I made some shortbread cookies for Richard's brother and his family:

And, finally, I would like to show you what my Dad made for Eleri for Christmas- she loves it!

Sorry for the photo heavy post.

Well, sending you all the very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013.

Love, Andrea xx

Oh Dear ...

Well hello peoples!  It has been so long since I posted anything.

I really don't know where my mojo has disappeared to - been missing for weeks, and not come home yet!

I did manage to make my goddaughter a card and present eventually - though they were a late arrival a few days after her birthday.  I struggled with the card and I had to remake the present; I wasn't keen on the one I made first.  I loved the final creation though.

The bracelet is made with labradorite - one of my favourite gemstones.  These stones had so much labradorescence (don't know if that is spelled correctly!), with blues, yellows and purples flashing through when moved; so gorgeous.  The photo has not picked it up; you can just about pick it up in the small bead to the right of the large oval in the centre, and the bead on the far right of the bracelet.

Eleri is off to a birthday party tomorrow, for two of her friends from school.  I have been doing some knitting lately, and so I made the two girls a scarf each.  They are circular scarves and each one took me an evening to make; I'm not sure that they are the perfect length, but I hope the girls like them.  They are being modelled by none other than my beautiful little girl :)

And there you have it!  I am also in the process of knitting some Christmas gifts at the moment, and hope to show those when I can.

Love Andrea xx

My First Attempt at Wirework Roses

Hello Everyone

It was my sister's birthday this last week, and I wanted to make a ring for her.

I found a tutorial for lovely wirework roses and decided to have a go at those (I will add a link when I can find the tutorial again - it was on this blog - updated - I found the link to the tutorial here.)  I made my first one into a stretchy bracelet with Black Tourmaline (October's birthstone - well I think it's supposed to be pink tourmaline really but I didn't have any of that).  And then I made a ring - but I'm not showing you the ring shank as it's not very tidy LOL!  I think I might just put a ring mandrel on my Christmas list.

And this is the card I made, using a Saturated Canary image, called Belle.  I've coloured her with Promarkers.  I loved the paper so I didn't want to cover it up with too many layers or embellishments, so just added a punched flower, a pearly stem which is barely visible in this slightly blurred photo, and a Lakeland sentiment.

I would like to enter this card in this week's Crafts and Me Challenge which is Anything Goes.

I think that's enough from me.  It's very doubtful that I'll have chance to create anything this week as I have three nights out at meetings for work and will then have three sets of minutes to get typed up quickly - I already have two sets outstanding!

I would love to have another attempt at wirework roses - and I might even make some small ones to add to a card sometime.

So I'll love you and leave you :)  Have an enjoyable week.

Love, Andrea xx

New Baby Girl Card

Hello Fellow Crafters

I have made a card for one of Richard's workmates and his partner who had a beautiful baby girl last week, and here it is:

The image is Sleeping Infant from Digi Doodle Shop, and it's been coloured with promarkers.  The card is just plain pearlescent pink card - I embossed a strip to add as a layer.  The sentiment was from Dee's Designs, and I added punched baby feet to it.  The flowers, pearly stalk, adhesive shimmer dots and angel charm were all from my stash.  And that's all there is to it.

I am happy with this card and I would like to enter it in the following challenges:

Fab n Funky Challenge - No Patterned Paper
Simon Says Stamps Challenge - Glimmer and Sparkle
Crafts and Me Challenge - My Sentiments Exactly

I was supposed to be going to a meeting in Machynlleth this evening, but we have cancelled it in view of the terrible news from there over the last week (April Jones' abduction).  I'm quite glad I haven't got to go there to be honest.  And it means I may just manage to make my sister a card in time for her birthday.

So, hopefully, I'll be back soon.

Love, Andrea xx