Can't See The Walls For The Paint!!!

Evening All.................
I have been so busy today but have really enjoyed myself in a weird kind of way.
My new room is coming along nicely although the painting is giving me a bit of trouble. I am trying to cover purple with Fresh Cotton which is a slightly off white and by gum it's taking some doing. I have roughly half the room done but it has taken three coats to do it.
I have my cutting area painted and furnished now.......just need to dismantle my cupboard unit in the old workroom and reassemble it upstairs as unfortunately it won't go up as it is.
My original plan to move my current three metre worktop up there has been scuppered as there is no way it will go around the bend to the second flight of stairs but hubby has said I can have the dining table until we sort out my island unit......although I am having a bit of a rethink about a unit to stand at after bashing my head on the low beams all day.
I'll take some pictures as soon as it starts to look decent.
Sorry I have no cards to post tonight. I feel like making some but my stuff is split between the two rooms at the minute and I don't know really where anything is.

Right O.......I am off for a kip as I am totally shattered.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

DCM-Christmas In June!!!

Here is my card for the DCM challenge.
This week it is Jo's turn and she is trying to get us organised with our Christmas cards.
I panicked a bit when I saw it as my Christmas stuff is all packed away but after scouting in a couple of folders I found this scrap piece of a background I made with the Dabbing and Dragging Ink technique. It had already been overstamped with snowflakes. The bird was cut on Jimminy Cricut the other week when I was having a quick go with the Joys Of The Season cartridge and he has been inked.
The stamped greeting is by Stamp'n'Stor.

You should check out the teams cards.....they are stunning.


Well that's it then...........me boy has left home. Unfortunately he didn't clear his room completely so I have to wait until tomorrow before I can start painting and moving stuff.
So now I have on offer one 1980 model DD. One owner since new. Would need extensive training in household duties although she does have a certificate in washing and ironing. Culinary skills......questionable......... and a direct line to the fire station is recommended at all times.
Would swap for a Versamark ink pad or monetary equivalent.
OMG.....she is going to kill me for that.......lol!!!

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Just Too Embarrassing!!!

OK........so today is obviously National Dork Day and I am honouring it all by myself.......lol!!! I seem to have gone and deleted some of the pictures from my blog by accident......like my header......duh!!!
I was fiddling about in my Picasa thingy last night and there were some pics that had like 6 images so I deleted 5 and it looks like I maybe shouldn't have done that. I'm all in a grump now as I could without spending time putting it all back but I will because it just looks odd. In future I will be keeping well away from my picture gallery.
ETA.......how strange..........pictures are back and I didn't have to do anything..yay!!!

I bet you're all thinking that I have posted a very strange card tonight but you know I am always going on about my addiction to paper and various other crafty materials......well tonight I have had a very big sort out of my paper stash as I have an alcove upstairs which I want to use just for storing paper and I though that if I sort it properly now that it will save me a job when I finally get up there. So this box which measures about 13 x 18 inches is just a tiny part of my stash. This is all of my paper pads and stash of 12 x 12 which has been cut in half.......originally to fit in a drawer.
Then I also have four 12 x 12 storage cases that are full to bursting. One for Basic Grey, one for K & Co, one full of the paper from Costco and one full of assorted companies........and that is only what I have sorted so far........lol!!!
I did manage to get away from work today without buying too much.....just a 6x6 BG Two Scoops pad.....and maybe I bought two boxes of Doodlebug Paper Frills. I might even have bought a PM Craft Tote in pink and brown and there could possibly have been a couple of storage boxes and a set of BG Stamps........but shhhhhhhh don't tell hubby as he is going to have to carry it all upstairs.

I'm going to get off to bed now so that I can get up at a reasonable time in the morning. I may be able to start my painting later in the day so I need to get my other jobs done in the morning.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Fancy Pants!!!

Does everybody have days when they feel like they are going to disappear up their own wahoo? The last two days have certainly seemed like that for me and I am absolutely cream crackered.
Good excuse then to come home from work and get stuck in to some stamping and design a card for my workshop tomorrow to replace the one I was going to do but can't because all the things I was going to use have sold out. The ladies that are coming do have this set of Fancy Pants stamps and would like some ideas for using it .

I am really loving turquoise and red at the moment so I have stamped this stunning corner stamp onto a square of Basic Grey Charmed from the Blush collection....soooo yummy.
I have then taken a piece of chipboard and stamped the large flower image in a very pale chalk ink........just enough to give me the shape of the flower to cut around.
The flower was then inked with a red pigment ink and embossed with UTEE twice.
After it had cooled right down I added more red ink and sprinkled with gold detail EP and then dipped again into UTEE and heated.
While still hot I sprinkled black detail EP into the centre and out onto the petals and heated again.
The flower was glued to the card with thick tacky glue.
I don't think it needs anything else on it really but I shall keep looking at it while I am working and decide if it does.

I have done a few classes at the shop lately using the Wax Paper Resist technique and the ladies have been having trouble finding the wax paper. My friend Kerry very kindly e mailed me to say that she has found some HERE Thanks a million Kerry.

I can't believe I have only just noticed that my Blog Counter has gone through 50,000. I'd best sort out some Blog Candy........keep your eyes peeled for that. It may not be for a week or so as we are awaiting a delivery of utter gorgeousness at the shop and I'm sure there will be something fab in it for a prize.
Thank you so much to everyone who visits and especially to those who return again and again.

Well best go and get my class packs ready and then I am going to pack some more stuff into boxes to go upstairs.

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Flying Visit!!!

Sorry this is such a quick post tonight but I am soooooooo tired. Had a very busy day and didn't get home until 6:30pm which is way later than usual.
So I am just posting this quickie card I made...........those DCM'ers have started something now. I am timing myself on just about every card I make since the Friday dare..........lol!!! This one took me all of twenty minutes.

Off to bed then.
Night night.
Sheila-x-

It's All Gone Pear Shaped!!!

I had the urge to do something messy after doing cards for the local shop for most of the weekend and here are the results.
The background is Distress Inks which have been spritzed with water and then a copper Moonglow Spritz.......this doesn't show too well in the photo though.
Once dry I stamped the foliage which is a stamp from a Fancy Pants 12 x 12 set. I have then embellished it by drawing an inner line to the leaves and swirls in the berries with a gold gel pen.
The Magenta Florentine stamp has been stamped and embossed using Versamark and then a mixture of gold and copper EP's.
I then decided to add a text background and stamped the Rubbadubbadoo text using Saddle Brown StazOn.
The pear is a die cut from the Cricut cartridge 'Joys Of The Season' which has been coloured using a variety of ink pads and Moonglow Spritz. I then stamped over it using a crackle stamp......unknown make.
Three paper fasteners were added to fill in the top corner.
The final card measures 5 x 7.
I hope you like it.

Well the builder has been and looked at the two jobs we need doing and we should get the quotes tomorrow and an idea of when the work can start. The steps are the most important as the old ones are quite dangerous now.

Hubby hasn't been too well all weekend. He had a dizzy spell at work on Friday night and had to be driven home but refused to either call out the doctor or go to the hospital. I have insisted that he goes to the surgery tomorrow as this is the second time that this has happened recently and I am very worried because he is just never ill........ever. He has worked at his job for 28 years with not a single day off sick. He does have trouble with his ears now and again so although I would prefer that there was nothing wrong with him I am thinking that it may be Labyrinthitis or something like it.

DD took me out for an airing yesterday and we ended up at Bridgemere.....we just like the drive there. She treated me to a set of 36 tubes of acrylic paints and a bottle of black gesso which I am dying to use but am resisting until I get upstairs and have got a bit of room to spread out. I bought a stamp for 29p, a reel of gold and a reel of silver very fine wire in the sale at £1.49 and a Sizzlit die of a lily flower.......hey big spender....lol!!! I need to save a bit of money for my island work unit so thought I had better be good.

Anyway I am off to me bed after a nice cuppa as I have work in the morning. Where did the weekend go?

Night night
Sheila-x-

Tagged!!!

I've been tagged by Susan but I will let her off as I haven't been tagged for quite a while..........lol!!!

I have to answer five questions and then tag five more people so here goes.......


TEN YEARS AGO........

Oh how difficult to remember. I was working at a garden centre as a display co-ordinator where I designed and built all the seasonal displays.....yep I am a dab hand with a drill.
I think our holiday that year was to Port Grimaud in France but not totally sure without dragging out the photo albums. I may be a year out either way.
My baby girl was 18 in the January.
I lead such a boring life that this is all I can remember.

FIVE THINGS ON TODAY'S 'TO DO' LIST...........

1 Sweep and mop the kitchen floor and clean living room.
2 Make a card for DS's 25th birthday tomorrow and a new home card for him for when he moves out on Friday.
3 Pack some more stuff away for the move.
4 Meeting with builder who is going to build us some new steps in the garden and alter what is now my workroom to make a utility room.
5 Pack the stuff I need to take to work tomorrow.


Snacks I Enjoy.........

I'm not really much of a snacker so I'll just say my favourite meal at the moment which is Reduced fat Cathedral City cheese with mixed leaf and raw beetroot salad, pineapple and a small chunk of crusty bread.


THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WAS A MILLIONAIRE...........

I'd give a good chunk of it to charities and buy our kids a house each. Then with what was left I would buy a place for us somewhere gorgeous in the country big enough to open a craft centre where I would do crafting holidays.


PLACES I HAVE LIVED.........

Staffordshire and Derbyshire..........how boring am I........lol!!!


OK so I am going to tag the following people...........

WENDY

DAWN

ELLEN

CHRISS

KIM

Thanks for dropping by.

Sheila-x-

DCM-Just A Quick One

DCM have a fabulous dare this week on making quick cards.......and you have to admit to how long they took. I was quite pleased that these two cards took less than half an hour to produce from bits that were lying on my desk from a previous session.
Admitedly the square card is a copy of one I have made before so it didn't take much thinking about but it used up the last bits of that paper which was great.
The second card used up a couple of scraps and I just had to do the stamped image and colour it. I also covered a chipboard shape to put the greeting on using DST instead of my normal Mod Podge.
Thanks for a great dare I will be using this idea when I need to make loads of cards.

Once I had finished my cardmaking session this morning I had to start a bit of packing ready for moving upstairs. I am finding that packing is vastly different to just having a good clean tidy so there is all sorts of rubbish that will be making it's way to the tip and the bonfire this weekend...........in fact there is so much that I might find myself a bit lost in my new big room........lol!!!

Anyway.......back to the sorting.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

A Touch Of The Gremlins!!!

Well I must say today has been fun.............not!!!
It has been the sort of day when I should have turned over, gone back to sleep and just let the world get on with itself.......lol!!!
First thing this morning the kettle wouldn't work......big disaster as anyone who knows me knows that I am not human until I have had my cuppa in the morning. Tea to me is like petrol to a car.........I don't go without it. Anyway hubby did manage to get it going in fits and starts and we did eventually get our brew.
9am to 4pm wasn't too bad although I was held up at the shop which meant we hit the traffic coming home so got in quite a bit later than normal.
Went up for a bath and discovered that the loo doesn't want to flush properly. It was fine this morning. So hubby has had to fix that.....accompanied by much cussing and swearing as plumbing along with most DIY jobs just isn't his 'thing'.
Got that sorted and was just settling down to sort out my stuff for the classes tomorrow when DS came in and said that the tumble drier was making a funny noise. It didn't sound very healthy so I think that is on it's way out. I could do without having to replace that just now.
Things haven't got any better since. The stamp I needed to make up a sample for the class wasn't where it should be and it took a good half hour and shifting of much stuff to find it. Then I inked up the stamp and pressed it down on the card and something cracked in my hand and sent a pain up my arm which nearly sent me through the roof. Gawd knows what I have done but it's throbbing like BillyO. Everything moves OK and it's not swelling up or anything but it bloomin' well hurts.
I think I am going to get off to bed before anything else happens......I daren't even touch my new toy but I had a go with the shop DreamKuts today and so far I love it. Just hope that tomorrow isn't quite as bad.
Hope you've all had a better day.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

Long Slow Sunday!!!

Oooooh it's been a long day today. Firstly I didn't get to do much in the way of work because I was busy being the resident DG (domestic goddess) cooking, cleaning and washing. Then this evening I thought I had better spend some time with hubby as it was Father's Day and he hadn't seen an awful lot of his offspring all day. DD was in bed as she is on nights and DS was off out somewhere. So I spent a couple of hours watching Memphis Belle for the 100th time. It's one of hubby's favourite films and although I pretend to complain....I don't mind it really......what's to complain about with all those gorgeous guys in uniform for eye candy...lol!!!


Secondly I wanted today to go quick cos I am dying to get to work in the morning.....yes I know I am sad but I have my DreamCuts waiting for me as the delivery didn't arrive until Friday when I am not there. I wanted this when I first got my BIA and I can't wait to play with it.


So the card I have posted tonight is one that should have been posted for one of the DCM challenges using textiles and I never got round to doing it. Very simple in my favourite black and white. The flowers are cut from sparkly felt and layered using a brad. I couldn't even tell you the name of the papers used as they are from a book of assorted black and white papers from a lady who used to go round craft shops selling them out of the back of a van. I think they used to have them on Create & Craft but as I don't watch it.....I couldn't swear to it.

Well I am off. I might have a quick shufty round a couple of blogs but then I must get to bed. I've been rather late the last couple of nights so need to catch an extra hour if I can.
Nighty night.
Sheila-x-

Lazy Daisy Saturday!!!

For some unknown reason I woke up this morning and just couldn't face making any cards......even though I want to get all my class stuff sorted for next week. My main problem at the moment is that I have stuff everywhere, all over the house waiting to move up to my new room and there is stuff I thought I wouldn't use in amongst it somewhere which I needed and just couldn't be bothered to go and find.
So...........I was baaaaaad and took the day off and I don't care.........cos look what I made instead............................
Thanks to these fab instructions HERE I now have some fantastic storage for my clear stamp sets.........or a few of them anyway. ETA-I have sorted the link but you will need to scroll down and look for the 'Start to Finish Chipboard Purse'.......it is well worth it.
Some time ago Deb gave me a gift of a set of all the Basic Grey Periphery papers and I love them sooooo much that I didn't want to use them on something I would be giving away or selling.........so what better way to use them then on something that would be useful and meant that I would get to look at them every day.
I didn't add the ribbon handles as I thought they would end up getting tangled so I just made the basic purse and dug my gold gilding wax out of the back of the cupboard to finish off the edges. They look so posh and I can't wait to get my units sorted out upstairs so that I can display them properly. Just need to make a few more for my other sets and then I think I may make a few for storing paper pads. I'm chuffed to bits with them.


For several reasons I have decided to give up my place on the TandaStamps Design Team and Challenge Blog. I need to get ahead with my design work for Monks Den for both regular and Christmas classes as we are getting very busy now and people do keep mentioning the 'C' word.
Alex tells me that I will still be an honorary member...........lol.........it made me feel like the Granny of All Stampers when he said that.
I know Alex has someone lined up for the challenges so they will carry on with Wendy and the new person.

Well I am going to go and try to get some sleep. I tried already once but couldn't get comfortable as I have the most awful pain in my shoulder.......probably been lifting too many cups of tea.......lol!!!

See ya soon

Sheila-x-

Thank Gawd It's Thursday!!!

After having worked last Saturday and broken up my three day weekend I am sooo ready for my three days off. Having said that I will be working all weekend on samples for classes next week. I think I have four classes booked but there is one booked for the week after which I would like to be well prepared for so I shall be getting that sorted this weekend too.

I made a start tonight with the card up yonder. One of my favourite techniques of using Perfect Pearls over clear embossing and then reheating. The stamps used are from Elusive Images.

Smudge is coming along nicely. The major wound on his rear end has been checked by the vet today and he will have his staples out on Wednesday next week. While we are petting him though we keep finding puncture wounds that are scabbing (horrible word that) over........it's a wonder the poor little mite isn't leaking like a sieve.

Well it's just about midnight and I bet you will never guess what is next on my jobs list...........flippin' ironing......how mad am I?
I seem to have accumulated three baskets full somehow which is a bit unusual but I don't want to leave it for DD to do on her week off next week. She will just have finished a nine night stretch and usually after that she doesn't even start to feel human until halfway through her rest week so it's a bit unfair to leave her three baskets of ironing to tackle.
Can't even have any music on to help the job along as hubby has the most sensitive hearing of anyone I have ever known and it will only disturb him.
Oh well best go and get started.

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Nice Day Turned Horrible!!!

Had a fantastic day at the shop today.....a tad warm for me perhaps but boy was it busy. Hubby picked me up from Debs and had to give me the bad news that our darling Smudge had been attacked by two dogs while he was out for a walk and had to be rushed off to the vets. He has staples in his poor little bottom and is looking very sorry for himself at the moment. He's getting lots of cuddles and kisses......and absolutely loving it. I don't know how on earth we will get his antibiotics down him when he starts them tomorrow as he can sniff out a tablet at fifty paces and it's a devil of a job to get him to take them once he realises what it is.

I've had to do a quick card design for my class tomorrow as I realised that the lady who is coming has already done one of the techniques we are covering. We are going to be using brayers so I have just done a simple Versamark Resist technique for the background and brayered with Adirondack inks. It looks a bit black in the picture but the colours are actually blues and greens.
Stamps are Elusive Images.
Getting a bit excited as we are expecting delivery of the Dreamkutz this week. I've been wanting one since I got my Bind It All so I am one happy bunny.
Well that's all my news for today so I shall get off and do a bit more stamping before bed time. I just hope I can sleep with this heat.....it seems hotter than ever today.
Night night
Sheila-x-

Normal Service Will Soon Be Resumed!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts since Wednesday. I have been very busy with work both my own and at the shop and I am trying in between all this to sort my son out ready for moving at the end of the month. I am trying to kit him and his GF out with as much stuff as I can for the kitchen so lots of cupboard sorting going on.
You might be pretty glad that I am not around much as this warm weather has turned me into a right grumpy old bat and all I want to do is sleep.
Sorry to all you sun lovers but...........roll on winter!!!
Hope to be back tomorrow.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-
Ooooops nearly forgot to say a huge thanks to everyone who e mailed me to let me know where I could get the Scor-Pal in the UK. You guys are fab.

Tanda Teaser-Initial Reaction!!!

Well I don't know where the last week has gone I'm sure but it has come round to my turn to set the Tanda Teaser Challenge .
Many thanks to Wendy and to the ladies who entered for last week.
This weeks challenge is called 'Initial Reaction' and is all about using letters on your cards.
Visit the TandaStamps blog for more information and details on how to join in.

For my card I have used the TandaStamps Beyond Wonderland Alphabet having left the plate whole to use for backgrounds rather than cutting it into single letters.I have stamped this using Versafine in Majestic Blue and embossed with clear powder.
I then used Adirondack inks in Lettuce and Denim which I applied using a baby wipe and while this was still wet I spritzed with Moonglow Glitz Spritz in Desert Moon Cactus Gold which I sealed with hairspray once dry.
I have used two sizes of my own initial handcut from chipboard.
The larger one was coloured using Encore Gold Metallic Ink and then triple embossed adding a sprinkle of Cobalt Blue and Gold embossing powders to give a marbled effect.
The smaller one was coloured using Majestic Blue Versafine and then triple embossed adding a sprinkling of gold embossing powder.
I then layered onto a cream pearl card and added fibres and flowers for embellishments.

Come along and join in. The challenge is open to anyone whether or not you are a stamper.
Have fun
Sheila-x-

Grungy, Inky Celtic!!!

Felt the need to give the cupcakes a rest today......nice as they are a grungy girl like me can have a bit too much of the glitz and glitter. So right at the other end of the scale I decided to do something with inks and paints and to get out my TandaStamps Celtic Set 2 which were still brand new.
I started off with the smaller blue and green background and used a piece of mountboard. I cut the edges to look vaguely like an old sort of document shape and then added StazOn midnight blue to give a dark background for the US Art Quest Jewelz watercolours Spring Green and True Blue which I squooshed around with paintbrush before adding just a little touch of Brilliant Gold. I then smacked it about a bit with the steak hammer to distress it.......lol!!!
Once dry I overstamped it using the TandaStamps Beyond Wonderland alphabet plate which I have left as a complete plate for doing backgrounds with rather than cutting it into single letters and I also stamped a small piece of another image from the Celtic set.
The larger background has been coloured with the same paints in assorted coppers and bronzes with a touch of blue and green. While it was still wet I added a sprinkling of embossing powders in Moonglow.......Fiddlehead Fern Green Blue and Midnight Sapphire Obsidian along with plain gold which I then heated.
Celtic image was stamped and embossed in gold, painted with the blue and green paints and then finished with a coat of tea dye varnish.
Once everything was dry I wrapped the smaller piece with some fibres before mounting the Celtic image and layered everything together onto a navy blue card.
Hope you like it.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

Funny Kind Of Day!!!

It's been a funny kind of day today. The sky has been a very odd colour and threatening rain but we never got any. I was expecting thunder as I had one of those heads you get........not a headache as such but a heavy feeling that feels like it's going to turn into one.

I've not really settled to much and have just been finishing off some odd things and then making samples for the shop with the cupcake stamps. The inspiration for the black, pink and lime card came from Dawn's Stamping Thoughts although I have changed it a bit to make it into a card that will stand rather than how it was shown as that was more like an invitation type design.

Now I have to sort out the cards which will be going down to the local shop tomorrow as it is stocking up day.

That's about it really except I would just like to thank Andrea for leaving me the message regarding the Scor-Pal board. I think I will just order it from the US when funds allow......could be an early Christmas pressie from DH...lol!!!

Bye for now

Sheila-x-