My Princess!!!

Ruby trying out one of her many jewellery sets.
For this page I have used a kit from Sweet Shoppe called Sugar & Spice.
I have spent the evening digi scrapping after a quite traumatic visit to the nurse at our local surgery today. Details would just be too much information.....lol!!!.......but I feel totally wiped out by it.
I'm off for an early night.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

We All Scream For Ice Cream!!!

As promised......a pic of Ruby with her monster ice cream sundae.
To use this Daisy Trail kit I have had to download the Craft Artist trial version as it doesn't work in my Scrapbook Artist. As this doesn't have all the features of the full version I have been unable to add shadows etc so when I print this off I will do a few copies and add some dimension by cutting and layering.
It's been a busy weekend here at Manic Towers. Lots of housework and cooking for the Doodle Clan yesterday. Now I have Ruby for three days and then Saturday they are all of to London for a week. I have a huge list of jobs to get through while I am not taking care of her but I am determined to have some 'me time' upstairs during that week as I need to get some cards made for the shop.
We were going out today but it's raining so I think we will have a day in playing games and maybe baking later on.
Thanks for your visit.
Sheila-x-

Ruby In Party Mode!!!

Ruby's pre school group had a fabulous Jubilee party for the children and here is our Rubes enjoying red and blue (?) jelly with white ice cream.
The kit used is a free kit from Daisy Trail.
I've had her for the day today and I have to say......she has been a right old crabby pants for most of it. She has had quite a busy social week though so I think she was just overtired.
There has been a bit of crafty activity here. Mostly just putting together quick cards for the shop as I am very short of birthday cards. Nothing worth taking pics of though I'm afraid.
My thoughts have strayed towards the dreaded Christmas cards and I have cut some stuff ready to put together which may or may not get done tomorrow. The weather has me in the right mood for it.
DD and I are in for a mega dvd session tonight to watch the last five episodes of series 2 of Rizzoli and Isles so I had best go and get into my pj's.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Pottering And Pondering!!!

 

 While I feel awful for the folks whose Jubilee celebrations have been rained on today I have had the most fab day pottering about in the house doing odd jobs with nobody under my feet and listening to the rain pelting down outside.
Preparations for tomorrows 'feeding of the hordes' is well under way and the biggest job left is the cooking of tiny choux buns for a profiterole mountain which I am making for DDIL's sisters birthday cake. I've not made choux pastry for years and so searched the internet for 'perfect choux pastry'........let's just hope Delia comes up trumps.
I've also been doing a bit of pondering on the New York holiday and have to say that thinking about it I am not quite sure it would be Mr Manics thing. He would go just because I want to but I don't think that would be fair so I have decided, researched, discussed and had accepted by DD and Mr M the idea of going to Boston instead. They are both delighted.
We've had a lovely cosy evening with the fire lit and watched The Apprentice so now I am ready to snuggle down with my book and a cuppa.
The pic is another page for DD's New York scrapbook. The kit used is Liberty from Sweet Shoppe Designs and I just love the colours.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

A Bowl Of Cherries!!!

We had a lovely day out with Ruby yesterday at Trentham Gardens. Gosh it was flippin' hot though. We started off with a walk around the shopping village and the highlight of Ruby's day.....a visit to the bookshop and the very unexpected treat of lunch at Frankie and Bennies where we sat outside. Ruby gave an impromtu concert for the other diners....singing the lullaby from the film Mighty Joe Young (not in Swahili....I hasten to add) and London's Burning. She had us in fits as her favourite bit is 'fire,fire' and I had visions of a mass stampede for the exit.
Afterwards we went for a walk around the garden centre where she tested just about every furniture display and we ended up outside falling in love with the Tiki Hut. We spent a good half an hour yelling cheers as we drank pretend cocktails. Ruby thought it was fab and we had a job to get her out of there but the promise of some ladybirds on sticks to take home for the garden did the trick.
I've digiscrapped one of the pics we took using a Sweet Shoppe kit called Cherry Sweet.
Today I have been skulking up in my room away from the sunshine and heat as I ended up with a pretty bad headache after being out in it yesterday. I've done quite a bit of diecutting of big scalloped circles which I shall put to good use at the weekend.
Tomorrow is a Doodle Day and I was considering taking her swimming but I'm not sure that my little corner of the world....or any corner of it come to that......is ready for the sight of me in a cossie so I may rethink that one.
Well it's a bit early but I think I am ready for getting my head down. The heat really does me in.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sheila-x-

Digital Scrapping!!!

Needed to have a few quiet minutes after Hurricane Ruby had passed by today........boy was she hyper........so I thought I would have a play with some digital scrapping which I haven't had time to do for ages.
I've used one of the baking pics I have already blogged and a Sweet Shoppe download called Baking Day Memories which I bought some time ago. Ruby will be thrilled when I show it to her tomorrow.


DD is back from New York. The poor girl got back home at 2pm-ish yesterday and had to be at work for a night shift by 8pm so she hadn't had much sleep. Today she slept like a log but I think it will take her a couple of days to get back to normal.
She had a whale of a time and took very special care to visit 808, Columbus Avenue (Michaels') and The Ink Pad in Greenwich Village where she purchased quite a few crafty items. The Grand Nestability Scallop Circles she got were ridiculously cheap with 40% off at M's.....bargain!!!
After seeing all of her pics I think I need to go to New York myself and the man from Manic Towers....he says yes. Not sure when it will happen but at least he is agreeable.


I hope Ruby is a little better behaved tomorrow. She has been such a little monkey today. I think she was still a bit hyper after a busy and exciting weekend. Lunch out with mummy and ganma on Friday, then a wedding reception in the evening and a trip to the zoo on Sunday. She particularly loved the wedding and told me all about her new pink dress and sandals...several times...lol!!!

Rightio.......I am off for a mooch around the web before bedtime.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Snuggly Sunday!!!

Sorry I missed posting yesterday.......I had a date with a papertrimmer and  over 300 sheets of card.

So I expect you can guess that I am up to my ears in cupcake boxes........lol!!! I have everything cut out and most of the bases scored ready to assemble. The finished box is looking pretty pathetic though with only ten finished boxes in it.

Being so busy with the boxes means I didn't get time to do any card making so I have had to have a ferret in my archives and see if there was anything I have not posted before.

I don't think this one has been posted.

My favourite Santa stamp.

The snowflakes are stamped onto acetate then mulberry paper has been adhered to the back with floor wax.

Here is my latest digital scrapbooking page which has been done in the midst of all the cutting and scoring to give my shoulders a rest.
This is Ruby at a few days old with her Grandad.

Right......that's my break over for now. I just came down for a cup of tea and now it's back to work.

Thanks for your visit today.
Sheila-x-

Timeless Beauty!!!

Today I thought I would have a play with some of the new features I have now that I have the full version of Digital Scrapbook Artist from Serif.
Brushes have always been a bit of a mystery to me but see those beads........that is a brush and I have been able to alter the colour to suit my layout.
The tiny white stars are also a brush. Up until now all I've used brushes for is sweeping the back yard.
The wiggly edge on the green at the bottom is a scissor tool.....need a bit steadier hand for that.......lol!!!
I am really loving playing with this fabulous toy but I will have to ration myself else I shan't be getting anything else done.
The image I have used is from Graphics Fairy
Today turned out to be quite busy at the shop so I didn't actually get anything new made.......just got stuff cut up ready for the class on Friday.
I was relieved that the fun fair didn't start up until just as I was locking the door at four 'o' clock. It's not that I don't like fun fairs as such.......it's the noise.
Could have quite cheerfully killed for a burger though. They started cooking them at about three 'o' clock and the smell was driving me demented. That's one of the best things about fairs........the smell. I resisted though.....being the good girl I am..ha ha ha!!!

DD has been asked to do a speech at the wedding and she let me read what she had written tonight. I had a lump in my throat as big a flippin' football and if there is a dry eye in the house I shall be most surprised.

Ah well time to tip my toes up I think. I was up and out early this morning and am fair whacked now.
Night night.
Thanks for your visit.
Sheila-x-

A Mixed Bag!!!

Today's stamped project is a gift bag made from an A4 manilla envelope.
The striped card is quite a stark white so it has been toned down with Distress Inks and overstamped with an Artemio image.
Pinecone image is from the same set and has been stamped in Stazon Saddle Brown and then the green was added with a Marvy Le Plume pen.
Finished off with some Frosted Lace Stickles.
Here is a very blurred side view........lol!!!

My other make today was this very simple page of Ruby in Digital Scrapbook Artist.

I think this is my most favourite style.

Back at work tomorrow for a rest......lol!!! I'm not sure how busy it will be as the annual statutes fair has taken over the streets of Ashby at the moment and apparently we have a Waltzer about two feet from our front door. Lucky for me tomorrow is the last day and the rides won't actually spark up until about 3:30pm so I will only have to listen to it for a half hour.

Need to go and do some reading of tutorials now for DSA. I am finding it so fascinating.

Thanks for dropping by.

Sheila-x-

All Sorts Of Stuff!!!

Been having some more fun with the Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist programme. It's so brilliant I've decided I will buy the full version later this week.
Today I have made a page with one of the free kits. The lettering is Cafe Rojo.......a font I have been dying to use on something for ages. Also.......as this is a rubber stamping blog.......lol!!! A couple of projects I have done the last day or so.
Paper is My Minds Eye and stamped images are Inkadinkado
The little tote holds 4x4 envelopes with slightly smaller cards.
The circles for this card were cut with the Quickutz Cookie Cutter set.
All stamping is done using Ancient Page-Chocolate. This was the only brown ink pad I had that went with the dark brown card used for layering.

Well.......I am most surprised to be saying that..........after just a small mishap the Green Tomato Chutney turned out beautifully and we have just had some for tea. I wish I had known how nice it was.........just think of all those wasted years without that on my ham sandwich......lol!!!

I've been fair busy today. Had to nip into town this morning to pick up a couple of things and then back to bake........chocolate orange cupcakes and apricot scones.......yum. Had lunch then went up and finished off my projects and the scrapbook page, designed a heart shaped label to print and cut out for the favour bags for the wedding then tidied up some stuff on the computer.

Now it's feet up time........X Factor followed by copious amounts of Law and Order......bliss!!!

Tara for now.....and thanks for visiting.

Sheila-x-

Having A Go!!!

Please don't laugh.......this is my very first attempt at digital scrapbooking. I downloaded the Serif programme for free just to have a go. I only have three kits on it at the moment and this was the most suitable for a page for Ruby. I'm going to download some more kits and have another go later.

Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-