Lovely Day!!!

Here is the card I started last night. The needs 'just a little something' was the ribbon which I knew I had but couldn't get at because there was junk in front of the drawers where it's kept. It hasn't scanned very well and is a lot softer looking in real life. I wouldn't dare tell you how long I have hoarded the paper I used on it. I have had it for years and never wanted to cut it....lol!!!

It's been a really lovely day today. Caught up with a couple of ladies in the class this morning. Not seen them for a few weeks so that was nice. Then this afternoon I got chance to do a bit of tidying up after which I got let out to go and explore a little bit more of Ashby town. I picked up another pair of mock Crocs for four quid so I now have my psychadelic pink ones, bright orange....which I won't wear outside the house...lol!!! DD picked me up some black ones yesterday and I got navy today. The lady at the shop is going to save me khaki and red when they come in in my size and also see if she can get brown for me. I love my mock Crocs.......can you tell?

After work I nipped to our local Tesco which has been extended and now sells everything but the kitchen sink. I don't go supermarket shopping very often so when I do go I really enjoy it. I came back with all sorts of stuff and lots of BOGOF's on toiletries so I now all bathed and pampered.....lol!!!

I'm going to stay up for a bit and maybe make some more cards but first I am going to have a go at making myself a watermark in GIMP. I don't know if you can but you never know until you try.

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Sale Lists Now E-Mailed!!!

I set myself a challenge this morning to make cards only from stuff that was on my desk......just to save me having to put it away....lol!!!
So I have made 20 odd cards.....can you believe that?
Made two or three of this little card, still using my Creative Imaginations paper and Elusive Images stamps, still using the Gamsol Technique and sneaking in a few peeloffs that need using up.
Going back to the Gamsol Technique.......I don't think that I am technically correct in calling it that as I use neither Gamsol nor Prismacolour pencils. I use Boldmere Low Odour Thinners and either my WH.Smith pencils or a set of Faber Castell Junior Grip Colour pencils.....which by the way are waaaaaaay too good for kids to use....lol!!! The only bit that I got right is using the blending stumps. Still I seem to get pretty good results with the things I use but I think in future I will just call it the Pencil Blending Technique.
The first lists of sale stuff have gone out to all who requested them. There will be more I can promise you.
So I have had a fabulous weekend. I am loving not having to go to work on Saturday and Sunday but that was completely ruined tonight when we got a phone call that shattered all our dreams. Hubby had decided to go ahead with his application for the job in New Zealand, had a meeting and a phone interview which left us very excited and hopeful but unfortunately the phone call was to tell us that he didn't get the job. I was totally gutted, had a good old bawl but now onward and upward as they say. My plans now are to decorate the house from top to bottom and turn the attic room that DS will be vacating shortly into a fabulous studio for my crafting. I am going to get to grips with my digi camera and take before (once his junk is all gone) and after pics. I think our plans will now be to stay where we are until hubby retires in about 11 years and the mortgage is paid and then think what we want to do.
Aww well hope you all had a good weekend.
Night night
Sheila-x-

DCM-Most Distressing!!!-Card No 2

I love the DCM dare so much this week that I have done a second card.........and there may be more to follow.......lol!!!
Using the same papers as my first card and a stamp from a flower set by Elusive Images. I've had the stamps for ages and this is the first time I've used them. I think this is my favourite image from the whole sheet.
Again I covered the front of the card with the green and then added a torn red overlay. The image was stamped in black StazOn once on the green paper and once on the red.
I cut out the red poppies and glued them on top of the image stamped on green and then coloured the rest of the image using pencils and Gamsol. The centres of the flowers are glittered with black Stickles. Dragonfly from the same stamp set is stamped and coloured.
The black layer of card has been scraped down the edges with a pair of scissors.
Thanks for looking.
Sheila-x-

DCM-Most Distressing!!!

Ha Ha.........no not bad news.........it's this weeks dare over at DCM. We can rip, scrape sand and generally be quite cruel to our card and paper this week. I don't know about distressing but I found it quite de-stressing making this card.
I started off with some paper from Creative Imaginations and covered the front of the card then ripped off a piece of the red to cover the bottom half and used steel wool to distress the edges. The scrolly thing was cut from another piece of paper and glued over the two layers. Heart was as it is but I glued it to chipboard before cutting it out and added some gold pen spots. Also outlined the scrolly thing with gold pen. Flower made up of Prima hydrangea petals that have been soaked in metallic ink.
Thoroughly enjoyed this dare.....ta very much!!!

A Couple Of Catch Ups!!!

Here are a couple of cards I have done to catch up with some challenges.

The orange and pink one is for the DCM Spicy dare and I have used paper from DCWV. The stamped image is by Funstamps and is stamped once onto light cream card using black StazOn and then onto a piece of the paper. The flower has been cut out and glued over the cream layer. Background stamp is Iron Orchid Designs by Prima. Greeting is Melissa Frances. Flower centre and background stamp have been embellished with black Stickles.

Card no 2 is for Wendy's 'On Your Special Day' challenge at TandaStamps last week...........sorry for being so late Wendy.
Paper is Making Memories and swirl stamp is Fancy Pants.

Still can't share anything 'weirdly exciting'.....or not as the case may be. I won't have any news either way until at least the end of next week unfortunately. Just need everyone to keep everything crossable crossed.......fingers, toes, eyes....anything will do.....lol!!!

Been a tad naughty today and have treated myself to a few new things. I shouldn't really be spending any money at all but thought it would be terribly rude to pass up on the bargainous 6x6 K & Co books at £1.99 each. A few other things fell in my bag too......a couple of stamps and three packs of embossing pens.......oooop's!!!

Everybody here is lurgified except me.......and touch wood I don't catch any of it. Poor DH and DD have got colds and DS has got either a stomach bug or food poisoning. Even the dog has seemed a bit subdued today so he must be feeling off it too.

To everyone waiting for an e mail regarding my excess stuff for sale.........list is nearly ready and I will try and send it out over the weekend.

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Tanda Teaser-Read All About It!!!

I've managed to get a card done for the Tanda Teaser challenge I have set for this week.......a little late....sorry.
The challenge is to use print of some kind either from a book, a magazine or a newspaper. You can do what you want with it.....colour it, stamp it or just use it as it is. Once you have finished your piece please visit the Tanda blog and leave a link so that we can come have a looksie.

For my card I have inked and distressed a piece of paper by DCWV. Inked and stamped a page from an old book and then stamped the Crafty Individuals image onto another page and coloured it with pencils. I have added a photo turn and a metal corner for embellishment. Swirl stamp around the edges is by Fancy Pants.

The book I have used the pages from is a tatty old volume I picked up at a second hand shop and honestly, stamping on it is the kindest thing you could do. Anyone suffering from insomnia should read this book.........they'd be asleep in seconds I can tell you. Boring doesn't even begin to cover it.....lol!!!

Off for a kip......bye for now
Sheila-x-

Hi There!!!

Sorry I have not posted for a few days. Lots going on here which I hope to be able to tell you about soon. I've not had much time for doing any new cards as I've been busy making stock for the local shop. The card up yonder is what I have been making today although it was designed a couple of weeks ago using the Cricut for the wording and a Thincuts die for the car. Lots of doodling too as you can see.
I have given up the second job I took on as it wasn't working out for me but I have lots to do over the coming weeks anyway. I will be having a major cull on my craft stuff and will be putting lots up for sale so if anyone is looking for secondhand stuff let me know and I can e mail a list of items available once I have sorted it out.
Not had time to do either the Tanda Teaser or the DCM dare this weekend but I will try and get them done tomorrow after work.
Well I have a few bits to do before I can catch some zeds so night night.
Sheila-x-

Weird Kinda Day!!!

Can't tell you at the moment why it's been a weird day. I will just say that it was exciting weird on two counts but you will have to watch this space.



Got caught up on things I put to one side yesterday after bunking off to play and managed to have a quick go at the DCM Little Extra although I didn't produce anything that I would be proud to put my name to so it went in the bin..lol!!! I've not quite got the knack with that at the moment.


Off to bed now as I am exhausted for some reason.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Birthday Treat!!!

As it was me birthd'y today I thought I would take a bit of a break from doing what I had to do and just do whatever I liked..........so I got out a couple of my favourite stamps and had a bit of a stamping session.
The larger image is stamped onto white chipboard and coloured with chalk. I then used a stamp from my Laura Ashley set and a text stamp to overstamp. This piece was then triple embossed and embellished with gold pen.
For the background I used a leftover piece of 7 Gypsies script paper and used the smaller imageover it..........had to use a black marker pen to add thicker lines to cover up one or two gaps...lol!!! This has been chalked with colours used in the main image.

Was very spoiled today with lots of crafty goodies and DD packed me off to work with a cooked breakfast in my tummy then DH did steak for tea and had also bought me a caterpillar birthday cake from Asda which was gorgeous. Back to the diet tomorrow....lol!!!
Feel really sleepy now so I am off to bed.
Night night
Sheila-x-

Napkin Card!!!

Just a quick card tonight. I really need a bit earlier night after being at work all weekend.
The image on this card believe it or not is from a paper napkin.
Background paper is Basic Grey.
Embellishments are a small red crystal for the earring and corner brads from a family heritage set by Provocraft.
Gold pen used to add edging to leaves in top and bottom corners.
Thanks for visiting.
Sheila-x-

I Made A Moo!!!

I have to admit that I have heard of Moo's but never quite known what they were as I am always so busy making cards that I didn't really have the time to investigate. Having decided to make time for myself to play at some different things every week I thought I would check them out.
I found this site Make A Moo Or Two. I was a bit shocked to discover how small they actually are........2.8 x 7cm so smaller even than ATC's. Anyway the theme for this week is Woman and this is my very simple effort........you should see some of the one's on the site......they are just gorgeous.
Background paper is 7 Gypsies, border stamp is Iron Orchid from Prima, sassy stamp Making Memories, spotty circle Dovecraft (I think) and image from a downloaded collage sheet at Enchanted Mercantile.



Can anyone help.......I am having trouble leaving comments in Wordpress blogs such as the Moo site and the Mixed Media Monday site. Not sure what I am doing wrong.


Another card using the Paris Collage. This time I stamped onto black card using Versamark and embossed with clear powder. Colour was added with a wash of H2O paints and the watch was embellished with a brad. Again just very simple but sometimes I think that is enough with this type of stamp.


I was going to have a go at a Skinny for my next project but the site I found has stopped posting challenges and is now just there for reference only.
Still I have some new things to play with as hubby bought me a couple of things for my birthday which is on Tuesday.
I had a set of Cosmic Shimmers in pinks and four colours in the Colour Wash Sprays that I hadn't got. I won't have much time for a serious play until Wednesday though.
Tonight I am just going to sort through stuff on the computer as I have bought a few downloads just lately and am going to put them onto CD's for safety.
Off for a nice soak in the bath first.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Mixed Media Monday-Paris!!!

Chriss Rollins is asking for spare cards to be donated to help raise money for Daniel. Please click on the link and see if you can help at all. I have had such a fab day today. I have managed to have a tidy up and then spent most of the afternoon turning some long stashed cardstock into inked backgrounds.
After that I had a bit of a browse on the www to look for some more challenges I could have a go at and came across one called Mixed Media Monday where they have a challenge at the moment on the theme of Paris. It just so happens that I have recently bought this Paris Collage stamp by Clarity Stamps and with one of my new backgrounds........well that is the result up yonder^.
The blue background is made by spraying various inks by Sticky Fingers and Moonglow Sprays onto a sheet of plastic and swiping the card through the inks. I didn't add any water as I wanted intense colour rather than a wash. Once dry I cut a piece suitable for the size of the stamp and added the image using Versafine Onyx Black and clear embossing powder. Further colour and white accents were added with H2O's.
The background on the black card is grunging with a white Brilliance ink pad and then overstamping using the main image and silver Brilliance.
Thanks for looking
Sheila-x-

Daring Cardmakers-Butterfly Flutterby

OK..........please note the time..........less than two hours since the dare was posted and I have got a card done......lol!!!
This week we have to use butterflies somewhere in our design and you should see the Design Team cards.........beautiful they are.
My card gave me a chance to use my new Cuttlebug die and folder set.
First I cut the butterflies out of plain white vellum and then inked the folders with a three colour Brilliance ink pad called Peacock. After embossing I skimmed over them with a different part of the ink pad and left them to dry while I stamped the Dovecraft flower image. Added a spritz of Moonglow in Scintillating Silver (who makes these names up....lol) and left to dry.
Finished off with silver lines and a stamped greeting.
Thanks for looking
Sheila-x-

Tanda Teaser-Straight As A Die!!!

My turn to set the Tanda Teaser challenge this week. Thanks Wendy for your brilliant challenge last week.
Visit the Tanda Blog to find out what you need to do and then leave a link to your card in comments.
Many thanks to everyone who takes part. It's great to see other peoples take on the challenges.
Sheila-x-

Daring Cardmakers-We've Folded!!!

Came home from work today determined to do the Little Extra dare from DCM on the
day it was posted so I had a quick bite to eat and got stuck in.
This week we had to incorporate some folding on our cards so I have gone with Teabag Folding using papers from K & Co's K-Ology collection.....heaven in a paper pack!!! The card looks a little blurry in the scan due to the depth of the folded medallion.
I have folded the medallion so that the edges are sharp and neat rather than the version where they look open. I prefer this look so going wholly against the grain I may make a few more like this for the shop and get some paper stash used up.

Hubby and I had a bit of a serious conversation last night and he has decided against pursuing the job opportunity in New Zealand. I am gutted to say the least but it's his choice at the end of the day. So once me laddo moves out it will be all systems go to get the house spick and span ready to sell and then we can start and look at where we want to mave to. I have bravely offered to help sort his stuff out but got as far as the door and decided maybe I should go and get innoculated first.....lol!!! It looks like a landfill site.
Best go and have a bit of a tidy up before hubby comes home. The dog has had a new toy today and there's stuffing and dismembered limbs all over the lounge floor.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Just Messing-Day 3!!!

This is the last card using this stamp.......I promise...lol!!!
I shall pack this away now and not get it out again for a while. What I am actually doing is going through my stamps systematically and deciding if I can get rid of any more...maybe at a car boot sale when the weather picks up. This stamp is definitely staying though as I have plenty more ideas for it.
Today I have just stamped onto a strip of card and then done a Direct To Paper inking technique. Added a few highlights with a white gel pen and made a scalloped edge with punched circles. The lettering is a Sizzix Extended Cut Alphabet called Naturally Serif. Finished off with three brads and Bob's your aunty...lol!!!

Off for a read now if I can keep my eyes open.
Ta-ra for now
Sheila

Another Bit Of Messing!!!

I thought while I had this stamp out I would do several different cards with it as I really enjoyed playing with it last night. So tonight I have gone for a slightly more chic look using black and white with a touch of colour which is one of my most favourite looks.
The circle was precut on the Sizzix and then I inked up the stamp and just put the circle over the part I wanted rather than trying to position that huge beast of a stamp in the right place over the circle.
Colouring is done again with Crayons and Gamsol.......a technique I love as it makes me feel like I am good at colouring when that is far from the truth.
The spotty paper was a bargain from The Works. It is actually gift wrap and was 75p for a pack of two sheets and two tags but was also buy two get one free. So for £1.50 I got six huge sheets......gotta love a bargain like that.
Went a bit mad with the brads as embellishments but I am very happy with how it turned out.


Well the snow didn't last long. We had a good covering although it didn't settle on the roads. By the time I went to work this morning it was melting very quickly sadly. There were a few more flurries during the day but nothing to get excited about.
I spent most of the day with a raging headache. I didn't go to bed until about 3am and then was rudely woken by somebody's 'little darlings' having a snowball fight outside my window at 6.30am. Couldn't get back to sleep as they were screaming at full lung capacity. I wouldn't mind but they don't even live on our road.
Got a couple of jobs to do and then I am going to snuggle up with my new book I picked up at the charity shop the other day. It's called Just Between Us and is by Cathy Kelly. A really good read so far.
Night night and thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

Just Messing!!!

Didn't feel like doing much tonight so I thought I'd have a play with a stamp I haven't used for ages. I adore this stamp and have previously only done it in a very grungy style so thought I would zing it up a bit.
The image has been stamped onto K & Co Buttons paper and then coloured with pencils and Gamsol. I added tiny pink brads for buttons and crystals for her jewellery.
The letters are Dovecraft chipboard from a tin of embellishments.

It has just started snowing......really real snow......and it's settling....yay!!!
I've put the garden lights on so that I can watch it for ten minutes before I have to go to bed.........sad old so and so........lol!!! Bet it will all be gone by the time I wake up.
Night night
Sheila-x-

Caught Up!!!

Spent the day catching up on various jobs including all the challenge cards I didn't get done this week and today's DCM dare.
Kathy set the dare this week and it was a tough one for me seeing as how we had to leave lots of bare space on our designs. I managed to come up with this very simple design.
Small card piece covered with tissue and inked then mounted onto gold card. The embellishment was in a packet of mixed buttons.......funny button is all I can say...lol!!! Our Wendy has set the Tanda Teaser this week and it is a super fun Play On Words challenge.
Click on the link for Wendy's great ideas for your designs this week.
I have two cards but I have to apologise for the fact that they are not new designs. These are cards I regularly do for the local shop and they are very popular.
Images are Copyright PC Crafter.

....and lastly the Little Extra dare from DCM this week was Pastels.......so not my favourite colours at all but I was in the process of using up some glitter card to make cupcakes for some quick and easy cards. The paper was free in a magazine ages ago and I'm surprised I still had it as mostly they go straight in the recycling bag. Cupcake is Sizzix.
Thanks for looking

Sheila-x-

One For The Boys!!!

I am doing a class on men's cards in the morning and have had to come up with a quickie-ish card to go with the waterfall card that is the main one. As the main card is a medieval theme I thought we would stick with that and this card is so simple but effective I think.

The image by TandaStamps has been stamped onto dark brown card using Versamark and has then been embossed using clear powder. It has then been washed over with H2O's in two metallic shades. Mounted onto gold and then onto a piece of the same dark brown card embossed using the Cuttlebug Diamonds In The Rough folder which has then been skimmed over with a Brilliance Coffee Bean ink pad. The peeloff greeting has been coloured with an OHP pen to make it more in keeping with the colour scheme.

I'm going to make a couple more of these and try out some different colourways but they will have to wait until tomorrow now.

It's been a fine old spring day here today. The sunshine really cheers people up......well except for me that is. I have been so hot I thought I was melting.....lol!!! That makes me a bit crotchety I'm afraid and even more because I had worn a thick jumper this morning. What's the betting that tomorrow I will wear something a little lighter and it will be freezing cold....lol!!!

Well I had best go and see if I can find something to put in a sandwich to take with me tomorrow. I was a bit naughty and spent my weeks lunch money today on a 6x6 Basic Grey Boxer pad and a K & Co Mira Designer Mat Pad........there really is no hope for me is there?

Bye for now

Sheila-x-