Presents for My Nieces

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

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!

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

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

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

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!!!

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