Poor Messy!!!!

Hello!!!   Quick blog today and apologies for no blogging for ages.... this Christmas stuff seems to be eating into all my time! :-)

Right.. I was DETERMINED to blog this week, becasue... CD Sunday have a smashing prize on offer and I really think I need it....  The theme is Things With Whiskers, and the prize is a smashing CD by
Elegant Inspiration,  it looks fantastic... so I set to making a card!

Well... I think that is where it started to go wrong!!  I have some luvverly Messy Rabbit stamps, and they have been sitting around doing nothing.. plus I have the Messy CD.. Perfect thinks me... Messy has Whiskers.. Yayyyy!

OK....  Printer has decided to print Red again.. Grrr, so scrap the idea for a Messy CD Paper, so I spent ages rummaging through the drawers looking for printed papers.. I know I have loads... somewhere.

Right.. backing papers sorted....  stamp and heat emboss Messy, and his Garden, and his shed etc etc, and colour....  all fine

Assemble card.....  Hmmm

The first die I used to cut Messy in a aperture is quite a fiddly one, and decided not to cut fully (suddenly remember why I haven't used it for ages!!)  Ok.. try to cut all the bits out with a craft knife.. lose temper, throw across the desk and find a slightly smaller die to re-cut!

Re-cut Messy.. waving goodbye to some of my beautifully coloured (if I say so myself) sky line, and start to assemble card...

Taa-Daa... One card!  Look at it.. Hate it, un-assemble it.

Used a decent glue.. so obviously I can't get the damn topper off without ripping it.... Bye Bye more sky!

Cut around Messy to make an even smaller topper, Thought I would make a frame for this one.. possibly a shaker... no, that went wrong to, so I started to re-cut......blah blah blah....

Anyway....  Without boring you all too much, I got there in the end.... and here it is..............  are you ready??

One Messy Rabbit ATC!!!!  ROFL.. Oh well...Good Intentions and all that!  Ended up cutting Messy out totally.. my beautifully blended sky was consigned to the bin....  Messy lost his carrots... Oh the Trauma!  I managed to salvage a scrap of backing paper (printed from Bryony Bee) to cover the ATC, and that I am afraid is as good as it is going to get!!!!

While I was "on a roll" :-)  I started these two as well.. both with whiskers and CD papers...  but the way my day was going I stopped while I was ahead.. I will finish them later!

Right.. off to enter into the CD Sunday challenge, and then see what disasters I can make with my Christmas Cards!!! 
Have a great day....  If you have snow... I am jealous! LOL
xxxxx

My Favourite Things!

Well Hello!!  Here I am again as part of a Blog Hop... I Love all this Hopping about....  it easily fits into this Hops Subject Matter, which is My Favourite Things!

You should have come to me from Leslie ......  If you didn't... leap back to the start by clicking here to take you to the Wonderful Gills Blog 

Oooooo  Thought me.. easy peasy.... but... It wasn't!  Not by a long shot!  Why was it so difficult... well.. what IS my Favourite, Favourite Thing of all my Favourite Things????

Errrrrrrrrr

Errrrmmmmmmmm

Errrrrrr.. Help! :-)

So I sat and had a good Thinkies about it, and came up with a few... Obviously my friends and Family are my total favourites, but, I had other ideas too... and after much deliberating.. here they are!

While at the NEC last weekend (which is part of My Favourites for starters), My friend, who wasn't even there at the time, twisted my arm soooooooo far behind my back that the only way I could free myself was to purchase a Smash Book!!!   (You know who you are.. and I love you for it!!!!!)

and here it is.......

I love it to bits... but it did cause me problems too... as an ex Librarian.. one Does Not Write In Books!!!  Or take random bits of paper and glue them down!  And the pages are soooooooo beautiful, how could I possibly de-face them??

So... I put on my Big Girl Pants... and I picked up the Glue stick....  and.....

I HAD A BLAST!!!!!

This Smashing Lark is GREAT!!!   Deffo a Favourite Thing.....  and about a Favourite Thing too... here are my completed TWO pages.....  well.. how much do you want from me.. I can't cover every page.. this is gonna take time! LOL

Close ups.....

OK.. it may not seem much to the experienced Smasher.. but to me... I am soooooo Proud of me.. I SMASHED!!!!  Yayyyyy

My next page is all under construction too.. here is a sneakie Peekie.....

There was a double spread with a smashing picture of Old Bikes... Perfect I thought for a page about Matilda-Rose...  who is Very Very high on my Favourite Things list... just waiting to all be Smashed into place a some waffling to be done to fill the gaps!  For those interested.. the loose picture at the top of the page is what Matilda-Rose looks like!

Right... enough Chitter Chatter from me..... Your next Blog Hop is..................  Haidee


HAPPY HOPPING!!!!!!

Debs x

A little R and R needed!

Back from the NEC....  Had a fabulous four days, met so many old and new friends it was wonderful, and I had a blast...  Also managed to sell a few CD's :-) so the good news is... Stand B40 for those of you who can get to BlueWater in February!

A few piccies for you, only managed to take a few as we were a little tied up with customers after the show opened!


Front of the stand and all of the stand, with Camera Shy Worker Bee Hiding! :-)

My darling friends t'shirt... Bless her!

and my totally necessary shopping!!!

Roll on the next one!  Although between now and then I am going to "Practice Standing Up"  Why when I sit at my desk for 350 odd days of the year I think it is a Good Plan to stand up solid for four days I do not know, and I am a little ermmm, shall we say sore at the moment in the back department, so going to practice Standing Up on a regular basis so hopefully I don't hurt so much next time round :-)

Big hugs
xxxxx

Had a bit of time to play

while my printer sat and printed things for me......  so made a sample for the NEC.  Have to say I am very pleased with it!  I "borrowed" the idea from a friend of mine (with full permission!!!) and this is what I came up with....  Hope you like it!
xxxxxx

Front......  (I have since added another set of brightly coloured leaves to it as I felt the pale ones were a bit lost!)

Inside

and the little notebook that slots into it.....

All papers and images from FlowerFlies and Flutterbugs

Just a quick Heads Up....

Christmas is on the way!!!  I am trying to fight it, but it is beating me... so as the says goes, If Ya Can't Beat Em.. Join Em! :-)

First Christmas.... On the website Now!  Over two hundred printable pages of Traditional, but cute as a button images of that first Christmas morning!  Decoupage, toppers, papers, and a bonus quick card folder, cos we all know how time runs out as the day gets nearer!

Hope you like it!

hugs xxxxxxxx

Do you want the Exciting News then???

Do you??  OK.....  Here goes!

You may have noticed I have been dropping sneaky peekies and little hints.... well, with three weeks to go, and everything being on target... I cat let the cat out of the bag so to speak and tell everyone the news!!!!

Right....  TaaaaaDaaaaa! :-) Let the write up commence!


Oh Wow Oh Wow Oh Wow... I don't know what to say.. New CD, New to the world of Digi-Crafting Artist... Oh Wow, I am soooooo excited! I really am.. Oh Wow Oh Wow Oh Wow.....

May I please present, the Fabulous..... (((( Drum Roll ))))) Fairies are Everywhere, artwork by..... (((((( Bigger Drum Roll )))))... JUDITH MASLEN!!!!! (((Trumpet Fanfare!!)))

YES.. Really .... Judith Maslen... Really Really Truly!! (insert more Oh Wows here!) I am sure many of you will have heard lots about this fabulously talented and oh so luvverly and smashing lady. maybe have some her beautiful parchment patterns or been lucky enough to get a much coveted space on one of her workshop, or met her at shows .... and here, is a CD full of her beautiful work (insert more Oh Wows please!)

Serious bit.. (if I can stop being excited for long enough!!) on the CD there are 6 main folders, each with it's own quirky little fairy (generally up to a bit of mischief!), hand drawn onto parchment and coloured by the fabulous JUDITH MASLEN. You then have decoupage, toppers, pyramids, waterfalls, papers, inserts etc etc etc Plus Bonus Folders, shaped cards and more papers, PLUS for all you Parchers and Pro-Marker/Pencil/Paint fans there is a bonus Digi Stamp folder with loads of err.. digi stamps :-) and shaped cards, ready to be painted or traced or whatever

Hang on.. Need a couple more Wows!

Loads and loads on here... but way to excited to stop and count the pages.. but lots!!!

Did I mention the artwork was by Judith Maslen??

Available to buy... at the NEC!!!! Stand G45.. see you there

If you want to see more... pop over to my wonderful and talented friend Carols Blog to see some stunning cards she has been making for me!

hugs all! xxxxx

Well! What a co-inkident! LOL

Can you believe it.....

I have had a rough week.. I had Man Flu.. I know it was Man Flu cos I was whining lots and being pathetic about it!!!!  Couldn't concentrate on work... nothing worth watching on the telly...  Bored!!!  I was even too ill to farm!  I must have been poorly!

Anyway.. got an order for a birthday card.. very specific and detailed order.. Great thinks me.. something to get my teeth into and concentrate on... put the finishing touches to it a little while ago.

Made another card too, using my new Tilda Stamp.. she is apparently a Dragonfly, but in yellow and black she makes a perfect Bee.. anyway.. I am sidetracking!

On a crafting roll..... I decide to check out the ever wonderful CD Sunday to see what this week was and what I could do, and I roared with laughter....  you will never believe it....  This weeks challenge is... Wine Buffs!

Why is this such a Co-inkident??  Here is the card I was given detailed instructions to make!

Couldn't have timed that commission better! ROFL

Till next time. xxxxx

World Cardmaking Day Blog Hop... Day 5

Well.. this is all very exciting.. I am part of a Blog Hop! Wow... done loads of hops as an onlooker, but never been in one.. this is great.. Hope I don't let the team down by getting everything in the wrong order!!!!  And a HUGE Thank You to Gill for letting me take part!

It has been a great few days Hopping, and I am awed by the Talent we have seen.,.. and the quality of Blogs too.. after the NEC I am soooo  having a Blog Overhaul, how boring is my blog!?!?!?! :-)

Right.. you should have come to me from Mindy's Paper Creations Blog.. If you didn't.. you are missing out... I suggest you go straight to the Wonderful Gill's Blog (our creator of this huge hop) and see all the luvvery stuff you have missed on the way here!

From me.. you will be going to Tanya  Another stunning blog I am in awe of, and then from Tanya follow the links!

It has been great to be part of this, I hope I can join in again on the next one..... I hope you all enjoy the hopping about, and if you check out Gills Blog there is some fabulous Blog Candy to be won!

(If you have just stumbled across me (as happens in Blog Land) and you want to know more about this fabulous hop... Jump onto Gills page and go back a few days... you can then follow it all from the start) 

Well.. suppose it would help if I put my "creation" up really... seeing as that is the whole point!  I used  the Paper Flower Boutique CD to print out a pile of matching and contrasting papers, then I made my card.... as I finished it I realized it would have helped if I had taken the pictures as I went along... Durrr Me! LOL  But it is fairly self explanatory, and I am sure the clever hoppers out there will see how it was done...

Here are a few piccies, and I am loving you and leaving you to check out the rest of the blogs!

HAPPY CARDMAKING DAY! xxxx

Quick Edit.. I am Really Sorry!  You may have had problems getting to Tanya page.. if so.. try this link! Tanya

P.S.  For those of you that know me.... I thought I would let you know we had a Major Disaster Yesterday....  Picture below... But I am Not A Happy Bunny! ROFL!

Yes, I know they need repainting.. but hardly worth the effort now is it!!!! xxxx

Another Sneaky Peeky.....

of the New CD....  Available at the NEC, and on the website after that..... 

I am very very excited about this....  the art work is from a FABULOUS and Very Talented and Very Luvverly Lady, and this is her first Venture into Digital Crafting, How Proud am I that she approached me to work with on this project!

The CD is bouncing along nicely, loads on there... for all aspects of crafting, Some very detailed decoupage for the decoupage fans, (some very simple too, so don't panic!)  Plus a pile of Digi Images, so for all you Pro Marker and Pencil fans out there... loads to colour.....  Plus a few new bits too...    I think between us we are onto a Winner!

Big Hugs xxxxx

Pushing My Luck a Bit!!

But Hey.. worth a try! :-)

After a couple of weeks of being mad busy... I managed to find a few minutes to make a card.. so straight over to CD Sunday to see what I have been missing and what the weeks challenge is... and it is Natures Wonders.  Hmmmm thinks me!  I wonder!  So I did a bit of printing, and made me a card!

Now.. why am I pushing my luck?  Cos the CD the images came from isn't available until 3rd November, at the NEC.. but I thought it was time for a sneaky peeky! So here it is!  (please excuse my dodgy camera skills.. feeling a bit poorly and pathetic.. got camera shake!!)

While on the subject of CD Sunday...  two lots of Congrats... One to my luvverly friend Jocelyn for becoming a fully fledges grown up member of the DT, and one to Pamela (don't call her Pam! LOL) for her October guest DT spot!  Chuffed for you both Ladies!  Also, big big hugs to Christine, Hope to see you back with the DT soon!

Right.. busy week, so best get cracking... till next time
xxxxxx

M is for.....

Well, Monday for Starters.. and for a CD Sunday Challenge entry.. Monday is Good!!! :-)

Another week has flown by, and other CD Sunday Challenge, and this week it is, as the title says.. M is for....

M is for lots of things, but as luck would have it.. yesterday I uploaded a new CD to my site called Stitchin' Tails... not an M in sight... but.. they are Mouse Tails.. and M is very much for Mouse!

So double points on this one.. CD Sunday entry and Website plug! ;-)

I made an easel card using one of the shaker pages, and a huge flower from the matching tiles.. just cos I love the huge flowers at the moment...  a bit of ribbon and some little gems, and I decided to stop before I went to mad and overdid it!

Hope you like it..... and looking forward to seeing your Blog Challenge Entries!

Hugs xxxxxx

Holiday Makes!

Had a last minute holiday at the end of the school break... it was lovely.. in Yarmouth, in a posh caravan, by the Sea, with bestest mate and daughter..... with craft stuff... and gin.. what more could be needed!! LOL

Took time to chillax, and get some samples ready for the NEC.. and this is what I made......

All using Tildas of course! LOL  Need to justify buying them somehow!!! Plus hopefully Stampers will see them at the show and we can talk them into buying CDs for backgrounds etc!!!   The last card needs finishing, but that was made on the last night, and to condense and help with homeward packing, the gin needed finishing too... no guesses which won! ROFL

Only a quick post today cos I am mad busy.. but more soon

Happy Crafting!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Been a funny day today....

My ickle bitty baby girl trotted off happily this morning in her blazer at the gates of her new school...  She was sooooo chuffed....  I stood and waved her off, all big and brave... but it was a bit breezy by the school and I think I got some grit in my eye or something!! ;-)

So home I came....  feel a bit.. I dunno...  not lost, not worried, just a bit sad I suppose that my baby has grown up so fast...  blink of an eye she will be a teenager...  then a sixth former.. then (fingers crossed, because she is desperate to go) a Uni student.. and then a Grown Up!  It is all going too quickly!

So I sat here...  did my farm.. tried to work, but not in the mood... what shall I do?

I decided to tidy and sort out my craft cupboard.. that would keep me busy as everything has just been stuffed into the nearest gap and I can't find anything!! LOL

OK.. where to start.. Pro Markers...  Oh How I Love Them...  But how to store them?  I have a fairly limited space, so one of those beautiful converted CD racks people are making is out of the question, at the moment they are all in a tidy bag, but it is a pain in the ... you know what, to find the colours...  need a new way to store them!

Plus you are supposed to keep them flat so that all the ink doesn't go to one end......  So, I thought, maybe loo roll tubes... on one of my shelves.. colour sort them...  No.. all the empties have gone.. would have to wait too long to get enough for that idea!

Then I thought boxes... little boxes... Hmmm...  and I had a rummage around....  surprising what I keep at the back of shelves! LOL

so I stuck em all together.............. lots of glue!

and lots of parcel tape!!

and then I covered them....  very inexpertly I will be the first to admit, and in hindsight, should have done the insides of the boxes first, then stuck them together, but hey ho!

Finally I made a little "ramp" bit for the front so it was leaning slightly backwards...

And in went my pens!

Much Better....  OK, the box isn't brilliant, but it is only on my desk and I am not fussed!! :-)  Plus it fits neatly into one of the shelves, so can be cleared away....  Now all I have to do is find some little white round sticky dots so I can colour them in and stick them on the end of each pen!  But not today! LOL

If you like this and want to make one.. have fun.. if it turns out better than mine.. I will be jealous!!!

Take care

hugs xxxxxxx

A quick five minute moan.....

about the need and necessity for absolute clarification on labels these days!

We take everything so literally, we put our faith in descriptions, instructions and the such like, but be warned.....  WE ARE LIED TO!!!!!

Seriously.. we are!

I mean... take today as an example.. I popped to the local supermarket.. but any supermarket would have done......  I bought me some srcummy wine.....  I stood for a while deliberating the pros and cons of various makes, vintages and special offers, and decided that a box of wine (going on the box description) was the best value......

I was assured... In black and white, that this box contains 18, yes EIGHTEEN glasses of wine......

You can only imagine my utter disappointment now at being so blatantly and cruelly lied to.......

ROFLMAO!!!!!

Big hugs till next time....

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My last week at CD Sunday.....

sob sob sob! :-)

Have had a smashing month!  Been great to be a Guest DT there.. such a fabby blog.. lovely ladies and so much inspiration, I  will really miss it!  I know I can join in at any time, but I enjoyed having the "pressure" on me to make a card.. something although I try to do on a regular basis, I often fail at because life gets in the way.. having the deadlines has been great and forced me to use my crafty stash... found things I had forgotten I had! :-)

Anyway... this weeks Challenge is  Just Because.  A fairly open theme!  But got me thinking... Just because what?  Just Because I can?  Just Because It's Friday?  Just Because I Love You?  Just Because I want to?  Just Because....  oh the possibilities!!!

And then I remembered a CD I bought recently, and hadn't used yet.....   so my card is... Just Because It Is Wine O'Clock!!!  Thought it fitted the bill perfectly!

I used the fabulous Wine Buffs CD by Katy Sue ... so many smashing images on there.. having used it for this, I can see me using it again and again and again!

Right.. thats it from me...   Hope you all have a great Sunday, and hope to see you over at CD Sunday... Just Because You Can!!!!

xxxxxxxx

Tilda holidays at Lighthouse Bay!

A mid-week post... well OK. a Friday post.. but not a weekend! LOL  What is going on?!?!?

I have been buying some new bits lately and thought to myself, I really should use them to justify the fact I neeeeeeeeeeeded them so desperately I had to buy them.....

But then I thought.. I am so busy.. do I really have time to play?

So I decided that by making NEC samples, I could say I was working, and play at the same time!!!  Smart Plan!!

So here it is... as it is Summer (used in the loosest possible way cos it is chucking it down as I type) Holidays, I decided to send Tilda off on her jollies, and she told me (she did.. honest) that she wanted to go to the beach.........

I took a topper and backing papers from the Windows section of Lighthouse Bay and covered a square card... I then used a Mariannes die to cut the aperture which I then has to carefully stick back in place...  Behind this I positioned the topper.  I coloured in my Holiday Bound Tilda with pro markers, and using the biggest flower punch I have ever seen in my life, made the large rose type flower at the bottom

I attached the decorated card to another square card to make it into an easel.. and there we go....  Had a blast, and will find more working time to make more!

Till next time....xxxxxxxxxx

CD Sunday, Nursery Rhyme Challenge!

Hello all!  Yet another Sunday, and another CD Sunday Challenge.. this week Nursery Rhymes....  so many to choose from, where to start? :-)

Well.. long story (made short!) A while ago I bought a book from Dover Publications with the idea of making a CD... I read all the rules and yup.. seemed OK.. so I bought it....  I then read the fine print in the book.. which just happened to include all the bits the web site doesn't....  and after many emails back and forward, the end result was any kind of CD from the images was a no no... a big no no!  Hmmm.. to say I was not happy would be an understatement!!!

So it has sat on my shelf... doing nothing... until the wonderful CD Sunday team gave it a reason to be!

I took the main image and then fiddled with it a bit to make backing papers, from these papers I also made my flowers.....   and here is the finished card......

I chose to do Row Row Row your Boat, but from the CD I could have just as easily done, Mary Mary, Jack and Jill, Three Blind Mice.. the list was endless.....  I think I may have to start the conversation up again with Dover as I had forgotten how delightful the images were and how much I want to use it! LOL

If you are interested... in purely personal use capacity only ... the book and CD is the Kate Greenaway Illustrations, from Dover Publications, although I got mine from Amazon.... should I not be successful in my pleas to use it.. keep an eye on ebay... there might be one going cheap soon! LOL

Anyway... Happy Sunday all.. and I hope you join us at CD Sunday again this week with a trip down memory lane!

hugs xxxxxx

Only Ovals...

Hello!  Sunday again... where is the year going??  And as it is Sunday, we have a new Challenge over at CD Sunday, which I am delighted to be guest DT-ing this month.....  this week it is Only Ovals.  I have to admit to getting a bit of a headache with this one.. had to think outside the box... well obviously.. boxes are square, the challenge was Oval! LOL  Anyway, I decided to make a wall plaque instead of a card, and using Paper Flower Boutique I covered a oval of hefty card, then used the oval flower segments to build up blooms to decorate... I hope you like it!

Sorry I am a bit late in the day posting this.....  but I have just got home from a Fabulous weekend away, which all started at Newmarket, watching the Legendary and Totally Amazing Tom Jones live... WOW!  He is Amazing....  such a fantastic voice, and can certainly capture the crowds... especially the ladies!!!  Was a brilliant brilliant night.... 

Right.. off to recover from the rest of the weekend, which was fairly full pace....   Hope to see you all at CD Sunday with your ideas on Ovals!

hugs xxxxxx

CD Sunday Button Challenge

Oh WOW!!!  How excited am I?!?!?  I have been asked to be the CD Sunday Guest DT member for August!  I am over the moon, such a great and inspirational blog, I am thrilled to be part of it!

The challenge this week is Buttons .... and as it is the first Sunday of the month, it is a Prize Challenge, the prize being the wonderful Grandma's Button Box CD by Katy Sue Designs!  What a prize!

The DT were given this CD to work from, and we all came up with something different.. there is so much on the disc... I can see myself going back to it time and time again... especially the sentiments, they are great!

Anyway... here is my card, I made an acetate topped easel card, purely from the Katy Sue CD.. nothing else was needed other than a couple of sticky bits and buttons.... and I hope you like it!

Right... now go dig out your button box and join in.... Good Luck!!!

Till next time!
xxxxxx

Doesn't it make you....

sick....LOL

When your 11 year old daughter wants to join in and with a little bit of guidance on the pro marker front concerning shading.... produces this!!!!

Think I am going to have to ban her from my craft desk!!!!!

She is still colouring a pile of Tilda's.... she seems as addicted to them as I am! :-)

xxxx