Had Enough Now!!!

This stamp sorting/packing/pricing thing is starting to get a tiny bit teejus now. I am being completely ruthless and keeping only ones I know I will use again/can't bear to part with and when you consider that I have literally thousands of stamps to go through I'm sure you can understand the boredom.
A change of job tomorrow....which I am sure will do me good....Miss Doodle will be here and I have to carry on with the toilet training started on Friday. With that in mind I have given the outside loo a thorough scrubbing and installed Ruby's training seat.
I quite often thank the previous owners of this house for putting that loo out there...so useful when you're out in the garden and I am sure we will have less accidents than if we haul Ruby upstairs every time.
For saying it's been dark and wet today it sure has been warm. I really regretted offering to cook a full roast for our lunch today. I looked like a cooked lobster by the time I had done......it was very tasty though....roast lamb with all the trimmings.....yum, yum!!!
Ah well.....no peace for the wicked. There is laundry to fold and a few pots to wash before I can settle down with my book.
Bye for now......thanks for visiting.
Sheila-x-

What Am I Like?!!!

You know I am sorting out stamps and stuff to do a car boot sale....right......so why did I nip into Byrkley yesterday to pick up some bags for packaging them in.....and come out with four new stamps?

http://www.kaisercraft.com.au/newsite/products.php?prod=CS799 
http://www.kaisercraft.com.au/newsite/products.php?prod=CS802
http://www.kaisercraft.com.au/newsite/products.php?prod=CS752
http://www.kaisercraft.com.au/newsite/products.php?prod=CS830

Oh my......they are just gorgeous and I can't wait to play with them but I have to clear some space somewhere first as I have boxes of packaged up stamps all over the place along with all the bags and labels plus I got fed up of bagging stamps and started on embellishments so there's literally nowhere for me to put anything.
It was a fun day yesterday with Ruby phoning me with updates on the toilet training which started as soon as she got up. She is taking to it really well and has earned eight stickers in one day. One or two mishaps but after sticker four things started looking up and she was just so excited to be a 'big girl'. Bless her little heart.
 A bit of excitement for me in the shape of some freebie kitchen units.....if they are OK.....to kit out the back room downstairs as my craft room once again which will free up the bedroom to make a room for Ruby and allow me to craft later at night and also be on hand downstairs at other times to keep an eye on meals cooking etc without belting up and down every ten minutes....fabby!!!
 Busy day later today with housey stuff so I best go and get some shuteye.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-

Hey Peeps!!!

Did that weekend go by too quickly or what?
Just getting into the swing of sorting stuff out for a car boot when we get a decent weekend and it was time for the housey stuff to take over. So today was a carpet shampooing day and although it was grey and wet outside it was a bit of a warm job but worth it....until Doodle Pants and the dog start mucking it up again.....lol!!!
I did get a day out with DD on Saturday. We did Derby market....ribbons for me and books for DD, ate noodles for lunch and then moved on to Burton for a mooch around The Range. I don't rate their craft department much but found some very nice housey things to decorate my mantlepiece.
After that we called in at Byrkley Garden Centre for a few crafty needs in the way of ink pads and a couple of die sets.
As we'd eaten a rather hearty lunch we decided not to have an evening meal so Mr Manic saw to himself and I went upstairs to sort out stamps that need getting rid of......there's rather a lot I have to say......and papers that I know I won't use.
Got some cards made but with the sorting there's not a spare inch to photograph them on at the minute so I shall have to have a session when I have finished tidying.
DD is now upstairs watching a film and Mr Manic has gone to bed early for work tomorrow so all is peaceful and quiet and I am going to see if I can find something to watch on the computer.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x- 

Fab Day!!!

Had a fab day up at Monks Den Crafts on Saturday where I demo'ed at the open day for Deb.
It was quite a busy day and great to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.
I've been asked to go back and teach a class sometime soon and also I will be demo'ing again in November for the Monks Den ten year anniversary.
It was just the kind of day I needed and it has spurred me on to set up my work area for more stamping. I have missed it so much.
........and yes I spent some money and came home with a bag full of bargains to play with.....bliss!!!
For now though I need to get myself off to bed as the Doodle Bird will be here in the morning and as the Terrible Two's Syndrome is still very much in evidence I shall need all my strenghth to get get through the day.........bless her........lol!!!
Bye for now and thanks for your visit.
Oh....as promised I have updated the last post with instructions for the Vintage Garden card......for the ladies who asked.
Sheila-x-

Heaven......I'm In Heaven!!!

Today I have started on the demos for Monks Den Crafts and that had to involve stamping and inking and generally getting messy so I was in seventh heaven.
I'll add details of materials and techniques once I have done the demo next Saturday.
If you are in or around Ashby-de-la-Zouch from 10am onwards I hope you will pop in and say hi.

I'm just waiting now to feed Mr Manic and then I am back upstairs to cut things up and make bags ready for the demo while I can still remember what I used. I always promise myself that I will write it all down but do I heck as like......lol!!!
Then I need to design a couple more cards.

Thanks for your visit today.
Sheila-x- 

Edited to add instructions for everyone who asked.

Background-:
Green card-stamp image repeatedly with Versamark ink to create a watermark effect.
Ink edges with Vintage Photo DI.
A 2.75in strip of cherry print paper from the Papermania Happy Days stack inked all over with Antique Linen DI and edged with Vintage Photo DI.

Seed Packet-:
To get the size of packet to suit the stamped image I measured the stamp first to create the image layer and worked up.
A 4.25in x 3.00in piece of check print paper from the Happy Days stack. 
Ink all over with Antique Linen and edge with Vintage Photo.
Roughen edges with scissors or a distressing tool and re-ink with Vintage Photo.
Flick with water and dab with a tissue to remove excess.
Stamp image with black Versafine and colour using Berry and Pear Promarkers.
Adhere this to a 4.50in x 3.25in piece of green cardstock which has been roughed around the edges and inked with Vintage Photo.

For the packet I have used a distress patterned paper (something like the reverse side of Basic Grey) but brown Kraft paper would work well too.
Cut your paper to 7.50in x 6.75in.
With the 7.50in edge across the top of your scoring board-score at 2.00in and 5.50in.
Turn and score at 1.00in and 5.75in.
Cut out the four oblongs in the corners and fold all the score lines.
Fold the two larger side pieces over and glue.
Round the corners of the small flaps and then glue the bottom flap.
Fold the top flap over and edge with Vintage Photo ink.
Open the top flap and ink around that then crumple slightly, roughen the edges and re-ink with Vintage Photo.
Adhere the image to the packet.

Plant sticks are four inch by five eighths cut to a point and edged with Vintage Photo.
I used sticky notes to mask off the plant name on the stamp while I inked it, removed the notes and stamped the name onto one label.

I made a small hank of garden string which I secured with sellotape and then stamped part of the image onto a 1.00in strip of paper and wrapped around as a label.

Seeds are made by taking a piece of brown card, adding double sided tape to it then using a quarter inch circle plier punch to cut them out. After arranging them on the card I added Crackle Accents.

Letters are from a sheet of stickers and have been coloured with an Umber Promarker.
The letters were shiny so I found it best to dab the colour on with the broad nib and dry with a heat gun.

The Candi has also been coloured with the Umber pen.

The stamp used is Stampendous Botanical Asperula.

Enjoy..........and please show me how it turns out if you have a go.