Daring Cardmakers-Me and My Shadow!!!

What a fabulous 'dare' this week once again from The Daring Cardmakers.

The brief was to make two cards using the same materials so I took the opportunity to make up a couple of cards for the local shop. As you can see they are not my normal stamped cards as this is the style the customers prefer.

I will be making a few more of these as the materials I have used are some that I was hoping to get used up.

I have had a lovely relaxing day today. The weather was very wet and windy so I have been snuggled up in my workroom and got lots done. DD made me lunch as she was home today too and both of the blokes were out at work so we had a good old chinwag and put the world to rights......lol!!!


I am feeling a lot happier in myself as I have made the decision not to do any more demonstrating work. I have spent the last four years using my holiday from my regular work to go away and work mostly and have been burning the candle at both ends for way too long. I think this has contributed considerably to some health problems I have been having and already I am feeling better having made the decision and let the appropriate people know.
I will continue to teach classes at Monks Den Crafts and will be designing lots of new projects for the ladies and if Deb is agreeable will be trying out some projects other than cards.
Once I have Valentine, Mother's Day and Easter cards out of the way for the local shop I will be looking forward to getting back to my stamping and having a go at some new techniques.



I just realised that yesterday was my Blogging birthday. I can't believe I have been doing this for twelve months.
Thanks to everyone who visits and leaves encouraging comments. It means so much when you take the time to let me know what you think of my work.......hugs to you all.



Coo I am ready for a cuppa so I think I will go and make myself one and then crack on with a bit more work. I feel so full of energy today and it's fabulous to feel like that for a change.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-

Phew......Got A Bit Of Mojo Back!!!

Well for a time there I really thought my mojo was gone never to return but looks like it decided to come home after all.........lol!!!

Today I have been fiddling about with different inks ready for a Beginner's stamping class tomorrow.......my first at the new shop.

When I do a beginner's class I usually spend the first hour giving the ladies a thorough grounding in the various ink pads, different kinds of stamps and the care of them and all the different types of embossing powders. After that we make a simple card and I like to try and use three different types of ink pad. Usually I do a stamped dye ink background but decided to ring the changes and use the ink pads themselves to make the background so for the card above I have used glossy cardstock and applied layers of fluid chalk ink.....a blue and then a green. Then I have distressed it with a sanding block added more ink and then distressed again.

The flourish has then been stamped using StazOn-Cactus Green.

For the flower I have made another Sanded Chalk background using pink and red fluid chalk inks and then stamped using Versamark and silver EP.

On my screen the colours look hideous but IRL they are not quite so vibrant.

I hope the ladies will enjoy the class.

Flourish Stamp by Fancy Pants and Flowers by Elusive Images

I'm thinking that I may not be revealing my 'happy place' after reading the comments being left on the Blog Candy post..........I am soooooo not normal compared to the rest of you and how 'not normal' I am not sure you should know.....lol!!!

Anyway keep those comments coming.......I am loving reading them all and everyone is in with a chance no matter where you live.

Well work tomorrow and then I must spend Friday tidying up my workroom. As always it looks like a tip and I am working in a space the size of an A5 card despite having had a new small desk on wheels which is supposed to be my cutting and die cutting area. Even this is now covered in boxes and packets and piles of chipboard cut ready for making books. I am such a messy devil.

Just have to pack my bag now and then I must get some sleep to see if I can chase off this migraine which I have just had to grit my teeth and work through today as I had quite a bit to do.

Bye for now then

Sheila-x-

Back In The Game.....Yay!!!

Oh how fab it feels to be nearly back to normal. The cold is just about gone now and the leg problem seems to have cleared up. I am having some trouble now with my shoulders and arms but I will not let it get me down......I have had enough of being miserable over the last few months and am determined to grit my teeth and get on with things.

So today I have actually made a card. This one is a special order....my first from a customer at the new shop. It has taken me the best part of the day to make it and the box to go with it because as you know...I hate making baby cards.

The scallop edging has been done using the packaging from my Fancy Pants stamps......how useful is that?

Twins word has been cut on Jimminy Cricut. The scallop circles are punched as are the flowers and the plain circles and baby faces are Sizzlit die cuts.......thank heaven for punches and diecutters I say!!!

Tomorrow I will post the Blog Candy question. I have most of the prize and just need to add something else which is eluding me at the moment....hopefully something will jump out at me before the closing date.

I promised myself that I would be good and not spend any money on crafty goodies until well into the new year but unfortunately we had a visit from a rep just before Christmas and I was tempted to order the Design Studio for the Cricut plus the Paper Doll cartridge and set of CuttleKids dies. I would have had the Joys Of The Season cartridge too but it was out of stock......boo hoo!!!

A message for Kim........thank you so much for the Christmas card.....it was beautiful. I will try and get time to sit down and write to you this week.

A message for Rosie.....Thank you for your card too.......another beauty.

Right I am off to see if I can finish a couple of projects I started before Christmas.

Bye for now

Sheila-x-

DCM-Buttons and Bows & Stripes

At last I have had time to catch up on the DCM dares. It's been a hectic few days with the opening of the new shop and we still have a few jobs to do to get ready for the Open Evening on Friday but I now have a couple of days off to catch up with jobs at home and some card orders I have in........not Christmas...thankfully. This card is for the Stripes dare and I have stamped the tulip in Olive Green Stazon onto some cream card and then masked it off using Masking Magic so that I could stamp the text background. I have then coloured the tulip using coloured pencils and odourless mineral spirits. The edges have been chalked then the piece was mounted onto some gold card. The tab at the side is Quickutz from the Revoloution tag die and this has been dabbed with Stazon in Saddle Brown and Timber Brown. The letter 'T' is from a set of letters which you insert into a metal holder but I don't like the bulk of the holders so use the discs on their own.

For the striped background I have taken a piece of Making Memories paper and grunged it with Timber Brown Stazon. This was then stamped with a text stamp but very lightly so that not all of the image was stamped.

Text on background and the tulip stamp are Rubbadubbadoo and I think the text behind the tulip is a Caroline's stamp.

Just a simple card for Buttons and Bows.

Stamp is unknown and colouring is done with The Works pearlised paints.

There is one card left to do for my orders. I have put it off as it is an anniversary card and as you know I don't like doing slushy stuff. It has to be done though so I am going to get that done tonight and then I am going to play for a bit.

I am finding that I am needing to get to bed earlier now that I have to travel further to work so no late night/early morning blogging or playing......except for when I don't have to be up.

Our new workroom is just about sorted at the shop and I can't wait to do my first class in there. We have a fabulous new table which will seat eight people comfortably.........10 if we are all good friends........lol!!! Some new comfy chairs but we only have four so I am expecting lots of camping outside the door at the crack of dawn by the class members in order to bag one of these......I am not averse to bribes if anyone wants me to put my handbag on one. Choccy biscuits will usually do the trick....lol!!!

Right.......I am away to see what the 'Little Extra is for this week.

Bye for now

Sheila-x-

EDITED..........Oh blimey........I have just noticed that I have gone over 30,000 on my counter. I will need to celebrate that methinks with some Blog Candy but I won't have time to do it this week. I will post something for that when I am off over Christmas though I will do it before if I find I have some spare time to sort out the goodies.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!

Oh I am sooooooo excited.......we put our Christmas tree up today.
Yes I know that I am fifty and not five but this is the first year for I don't know how long that our tree has been up well before the week of Christmas and it just feels so nice to be in the swing of things. I even have some gifts waiting to be wrapped up which is very organised for me....lol!!! I am usually that mad woman rushing round town two days before Christmas but as I have decided that I hate going into town I have done some shopping on the net and DD has picked up some things for me while she has been out.....easy peasy!!!
Also unusual for me is that I don't really know what I want for myself this year. There is usually some must have gadget or something I want which can only be asked for at Christmas or for a birthday gift. DD bought me a big present down in Devon which was the Sizzix Fruit Smoothie alphabet that I have been wanting for ages. I had told hubby I wanted a Bind It All but somebody else may be getting me one of those so I haven't a clue what to tell him to get me now........anyone got any ideas?


It's been a lovely day today DD and I at home on our own for most of it, cold and miserable outside but warm and snuggly inside. I have got some jobs done that badly needed doing and made a list of jobs for tomorrow so all is fab in my world at the moment which is a wonderful feeling.


I promised you a couple more projects that make great gifts and these little photo frames are so easy to make.
The frame is cut from mountboard using the Sizzix Rectangle Frame die. I then made a backing...again from mountboard and cut very slightly smaller than the frame. I also cut a strip of mountboard to act as the stand.
The frames are stamped, inked or decorated however you like and then the back is attached with foam pads across the bottom and up two sides leaving the top open to slip your photo in. You can if you want add acetate to protect your picture This frame has been coloured with a soft blue fluid chalk ink and then sponged with silver ink. The words have been stamped and embossed in silver and then the frame has been embellished with Stickles.
The angel is from a Rubbadubbadoo set called Angel Art. She has been stamped onto white card, brushed over with blue chalk and then glittered with Stickles

Another style of frame. This time I used black mountboard and just stamped the feather background by Rubbadubbadoo in silver Brilliance. Once dry I embellished with turquoise glitter and added some bling with clear crystals.

Finding these projects again has set me off wanting to do some more so I think I will plan to do some while I am off work over Christmas.


Well I am off to have another bit of a sort out. Right now I am going through my cardstock and trying to organise it a bit better....no mean task if you could see how much I have but I am trying to make room for stocking some A3 card for bigger projects I have in mind.
Bye for now
Sheila-x-