DCM-Hide and Seek!!!

The 'dare' over at Daring Cardmakers Hide and Seek has been set by Kathy and she would like us to make a card with something hidden on it be it in a pocket or whatever. I am in Waterfall card mode this week as I have been doing them in a class. Now the inside of these is partly hidden but to make sure that I did the dare right I have hidden my waterfall mechanism inside the card.

I have made a trifold card and used a fabulous new stamp set from Tandastamps which has everything you need for making those cards for romantic occasions.....not just Valentine's.

From the set I have used the script background to create a layer for the rose...also from the set. This has been layered onto some red card and edged with gold lines. The rose has been stamped twice onto green card and three times onto red then has been cut and layered, attached to the background and embellished with a small tag stamped with the sentiment from the set.

The letters for the inside of the card have been printed from the computer using the Codex font.

It's not my most favourite card I have ever made as I would have liked a richer red and a lighter green but couldn't find any in my stash so used what I had.

I have another stamp set to play with now.......Bee Mine which is also from Tandastamps and has been designed by Clare Mackaness who some of you may know from the Crafts by Carolyn forum.

I had best shift myself as hubby will be home shortly and he'll want feeding......flippn' nuisance.......lol!!!

Bye for now
Sheila-x-

DCM Little Extra

Another fabulous 'dare' from The Daring Cardmakers as usual.
This week's Little Extra Dare is to make a card in the style of Lynne or Gillian who have recently left the DCM Design Team.
This card is inspired by the style of the wonderful Gillian Hamilton.
Paper is 7 Gypsies (I think.....lol!!!). It was out of a pad and the covers are missing.
The atrocious sewing is done by hand as I had no room to get out the machine.
Hand cut tag is stamped using one of my new Basic Grey stamp sets and the XOXO is from the same set. Love is a stamp from a MM set called Express It.
Chipboard circle used for the flower centre is K & Co.
I will be having a go at doing a Lynne style card later today if I get time. Not sure I am quite funky enough to imitate her fabulous style though.


Had a great morning at the shop. I did a class for some old friends from Tutbury and some new friends from Ashby and it was really lovely to catch up with the old friends and start to get to know the new ones. Thursday's class will be the same.......a mix of old and new.
I wasn't at work yesterday as I was suffering so badly with my leg that I would have been about as much use as a chocolate teapot.......no change there then....lol!!! (Just thought I'd get that in before anyone else did). Anyway......that meant that I hadn't travelled the route we go to the shop since last Thursday so it was a bit of a shock to see all the flooding in the fields near the rivers we cross over on the way. I am so lucky to live on higher ground where there is no prospect of flooding. Can't imagine what it must be like to live in fear of your house being flooded every time we get these bad storms and my heart goes out to anyone who does.
Well I have my least favourite job to do for the next hour or so........adding inserts and packing cards. Oh I really, really hate doing it. I should really do them as I go along but that isn't always possible. I do try not to let them build up too much though.
I broke my spending promise again today and was very, very bad. I went to work with a handbag and came back with that plus three carrier bags. I know Christmas has only just gone but I have had the Joys Of The Season cartridge for my Cricut because I know that if I order it later in the year it will be out of stock and I want to have plenty of time to have a play with it well before I need to start using it. Then I just had to have the four sets of Basic Grey stamps plus a set of HOTP stamps and while I was getting those three paper packs and three tins of chipboard fell into my basket plus a 12 x 12 storage thingy plus one or two things Deb got for me at the warehouse on Sunday and some MM embellishments. I daren't even think how much it came to but I think I will be taking sandwiches from home for my lunch for several weeks.........lol!!!
Right I'm off.........night night
Sheila-x-

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-