CPS –#149

Well, it’s a long time since I’ve joined in over at CPS. and as I’m still on a mission to use all my smallish scraps instead of throwing them in the bin I decided to have a go at the new sketch other there.

I started by making a backing card to stamp onto using two colours of Glimmer Mist and various colours of distress ink, which I misted with water and dried with a heat gun. Next comes a layer of spots over part of the panel and then, when that was dry I finally stamped and embossed the image of the man.


I’ve added some faux stitching, (I put my sewing machine away again after my last attempt at stitching on a card) as well as some brads, a photo anchor and so fibers.

A6 Card Blank – Craft Creation (Embossed Hemp)
Patterned Papers – Memory Stor (Costco Kit)
Inks – Ranger Distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Aged Mahogany, Worn Lipstick & Dried Marigold) Tsukineko – Versa Fine (Vintage Sepia)
Glimmer Mist – Tattered Angles (Dewberry & Iridescent Gold)
Stamps – Tanda Stamps (Retro Man Set 1) The Artistic Stamper (Spots) Rubber Stamp Tapestry (Happy Birthday)
Paper Punch – EK Success Whale of a Punch (Tag)
Brads – Basic Grey

Other Bits
Fibres
Photo Anchor
Fine Pen for Faux Stitching

My first 'Delightful Sketch'

I was doing a spot of blog hopping yesterday and while I was checking out Royal Things, the blog of the incredibly talented Cindy, I came across yet another challenge blog.

Delightful Sketches is, as the name suggests, yet another blog that offers templates to work from each week, so I thought I would add it to my list and have a go.

Here’s this weeks template


And here's my attempt at it.



I’ve used an image that I found on the internet, which I’ve distressed with ink and then threaded the cord through the top of the image to make it look like a lasso….not sure I managed that too well but I gave it a shot!

The rest speaks for its self really, lots of layering, inking and ‘Martha Stewart’ borders as well as, get this……some machine stitching around the edge of one of the panels.


Now, anyone who knows me knows that I can’t machine a straight line to save myself and this instance was no different. Fortunately thought I’ve managed to hide the wonky bit under the borders at the bottom, so no one will ever know…right!


A5 Card Blank – Craft Creations (Embossed Hammer)
Patterned papers – Memory Stor (Costco Kit)
Inks –Tsukineko Tim Holts Distress Ink (Old Paper & Vintage Photo)
Paper Punch – Martha Stewart Embossing Border (Zig Zag)

Other StuffCord
Eyelets
Computer Generated Greeting

Daring Cardmakers – Garnet

I’ve had a busy time this morning, up at the crack of dawn, scraping the ice off the car and a second visit to the vets with BoJangles.

His abscess is healing but there’s still a swelling, so he has another week of antibiotics which will hopefully do the trick. If things haven’t improved when he’s finished them I have to take him back, so I’m keeping everything crossed.

Next it was a visit to the opticians with dad and then a mercy mission to the shops with two of my neighbours ……actually I was going anyway but at least it saved them the walk……the pavements are still really bad here and show no sign of thawing.

Anyway, as if you hadn’t noticed it’s Friday and that means it’s time for a dare from the Daring Cardmakers!

The team and I have had a bit of break over the Christmas holiday but here we are at the start of the New Year and our very first dare for 2010.

It’s just a simple one to get us started and has the colour theme of Garnet, which just happens to be the Birthstone of all those that are born in January.

As luck would have it I just happened to have a Sarabooks ‘Garnet’ pad that I brought years ago when I was working on a circle journal and it still had a few pages left in it to use up.

A5 Card Blank – Craft Creations (Embossed Hemp)
Patterned Papers – Hot Off The Press, Sarabooks Garnet Pad
Inks –Tsukineko VersaFine (Black) VersaMagic (Perfect Plumeria) Tim Holts Distress Ink (Milled Lavender)
Rubber Stamps – Penny Black (Flying Stars) Rubber Stamp Tapestry (Happy Birthday)
Dies – Spellbinder Nestabilities (Labels One)
Paper Punch – Fiskars Border Punch (Sunburst)
Embossing Folder – Cuttlebug (Textured Textile)
Brad – Papermania (Brad Making Kit)
Gems – Basic Grey (Opaline)

Other StuffFibres
Fine Burgundy pen for faux stitching

Colour Create #35 – Lemon & Lime

Just a few flurries of snow today but nothing really to speak about I’m pleased to say so I headed off to Sainsbury’s with dad this morning to do the weekly shop.

I didn’t have anything else planned so decided to attempt my first challenge of the year and the honour goes to Colour Create where they have a theme of Lemon and Lime.

Here’s my card, very simple but pretty I think!

This one is just a collection of different sized blooms and some ribbon, held together with an i-top brad that has been covered in the same Basic Grey paper that I used for the larger backing circle. The other circle has been cut from some Pale Green card stock and embossed.

Card Blank – Papermania Square Pastel cards
Card Stock – Papermania (Pastel Green)
Patterned Paper – Basic Grey (Lime Ricky)
Paper Punch – Martha Stewart Lace Border Punch.
Rubber Stamp – Imagine That, Mix & Match Sentiments (Happy Birthday)
Inks – Ranger Distress Inks (Shabby Shutter & Peeled Paint)
Dies – Spellbinder – Nestabilities (Labels Five)
Circle Cutter – Creative Memories.
Brads – i-top brad covered with Basic Grey, Lime Ricky
Glimmer Mist – Tattered Angles (Iridescent Gold)
Gems – Anita’s Tiny Gems

Other StuffRibbon
Silk Blooms

Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

So what do you think to this weather we’re having?

I love the snow because it makes everything look pretty, but only when I don’t have to go out in it!

Actually, that’s not initially true because I love to walk in soft snow but I’m not the steadiest on my feet at the best of times so I try to avoid walking in it as much as possible.

BoJangles didn’t want to go out in it either this morning and is curled up in front of the radiator as I type. Mind you, that may have something to do with him feeling sorry for himself. He had to have an emergency trip to the vets last night because an abscess in his ear burst after having a ruck with another cat….the smell from his ear was disgusting.
They couldn’t do much because it was obviously very painful for him, so two injections, a tablet and a bill for £50 odd later we came back home armed with antibiotics to be given every night. He’s a bit better today but has to go back on Friday to have it cleaned up because he wouldn’t let them do it yesterday……..that should be fun!

Now then, it’s Wednesday so that means taking a photo of what’s on my desk at the moment.

It’s been so long since I’ve been able to stitch but over the last few weeks I’ve been working on a couple of panels for our Kid’s Company cushion project I stitch for. This morning I decided to get the iron out to run it over the finished panels before sending them out to Nicki to be made into fabulous cushions for the kids. I had second thoughts about getting the ironing board out though, just incase I was tempted into doing the rest of my ironing.

So on my craft table today you can see a big fluffy bath towel, the iron and the two panels.

Well, you’ve seen what I’ve been up to this morning, so why not take a picture of what’s on your work desk and pop over to Julie’s Blog and leave a message so we can all come and have a nosey.

While I’m talking about stitching I’ll show you a few other bits I finished earlier last year.

As soon as I saw the chart for this in one of the stitching magazines I knew I had to stitch it as a birthday present for Nicki, especially as she’s spent an awful lot of time in the sewing room making up the 235 cushions she’s put together for the project so far. I changed the colour of the background to match her walls and added the Daisy panel because she has one hanging down the side of one of her cupboards.

Here’s another project I knew I had to stitch as soon as I saw it, this time for my friend Sharon’s birthday. She has a love for Santorini, in Greece, so this was perfect for her.

Now onto a few of the other cushion panels for Kids Company that I've stitched recently.



Well, thanks for stopping by on this cold and snowy Wednesday afternoon.

Sue
x x x

Yah.......I’ve made it to print……at last!

I’ve never submitted any of my cards for publishing in a magazine before, so you imagine how thrilled I was to see that on my very first attempt, I'd actually made it.


When I was making my New Home card for the Daring Cardmakers last dare, I did in fact make two. One went on the blog and the other card I sent to ‘Cards’ magazine but when I didn’t have a reply to my email I was under the impression that I hadn’t made it.
It was only on Wednesday when Lynda left a message on by blog congratulating me that I realised my card was in the magazine.

Unfortunately the photo they’ve used is so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see it clearly, but it’s in there all the same and it’s a start.

This is a better picture.



It’s a very simple card, just a stamped image that’s been paper pieced and mounted on a mat.

Plain Card – Craft Creations (Embossed Hammer & Smooth)
Patterned Papers – My Minds Eye (Wild Asparagus)
Inks –Tsukineko VersaFine (Black) Tim Holts Distress Ink (Worn Lipstick)
Rubber Stamps – Inkadinkado (Homestead)
Pen – Gold Krylon
Dies – Spellbinder Nestabilities (Labels 1)
Large Brad – Covered using patterned Paper and i-Top brad maker

Other stuffRibbon
Silk Flower
Computer printed Greeting

What’s on my Work Desk Wednesday?

Well, all that preparation and it’s all over!
I hope you all had a wonderful time and Santa was kind to you all.

I’m happy to report that the little cupcakes that were on my desk last week slipped down rather nicely with a nice glass of Tia Maria and all that remains of them are a few crumbs that are destined for the bird table.

My craft room is back in action now and knowing that Julie will no doubt be popping over to see ‘What’s on my Work Desk’ this Wednesday; I thought I would take a couple of photos.

This morning I started making a couple of birthday cards with the new Brenda Walton paper pad that Lythan brought for me as part of my Christmas present….Thanks You Lythan.
I just love K & Co papers and the colours in this collection are so gorgeous I was finding it hard to choose which ones to use.

Both the cards have Craft House Chipboard Blooms on them and the for the centre of the larger flower I’ve used another of my Christmas pressies, one of the brads from the Papermania Brad Making Kits, that was a gift from my Brother. I love the way you can use the same papers and make the brad to match.

All I need to do to finish them both off is add a greeting of some description and they’re done.

I think I’m getting tight in my old age.
I really do waste an awful lot of paper so I’ve decided that every time I make a card I’ll start a card blank with the off cuts instead of just throwing them away. That way, when I need a card in a hurry all I have to do is add an image and a greeting. With the left over’s from my two birthday cards I’ve started off these three A6 cards.

Now then, what else is lurking in amongst the mess that is my work space?

Two new Cuttlebug embossing folders (Snowflakes and Candy Cane Stripe), two new TH Distress Inks (Old Paper and Milled Lavender) and the beginnings of an idea for my next design team card for the Daring Cardmakers next dare on the 8th January.

Well folks, that’s about it for me from me for now. The next time we meet we will into a new decade, so I’ll take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you who visits my blog a

Happy and Healthy New Year

Sue
x x x

What’s on my Work Desk Wednesday?

I’ve just got back for a very manic place………Sainsbury’s.

Why does Christmas food shopping bring out the worst in people when it comes to parking? They all want to get as close to the entrance of the shop as possible and I saw several people arguing over spaces. Not me I might add, I went down a row furthest away from the shop entrance. There was no one down there waiting and I drove straight into a space, how was that for luck.
The shop was heaving but fortunately I had done the bulk of our shopping yesterday when it was much quieter, all I had to pick up was the Turkey and last minute bits and then I was out of there!

Now then, what’s on my desk today?
Well not a lot as it goes, but what is there is full of calories.

I finished off all my paper crafting on Monday evening and have had a major tidy up, so everything is away now until after Christmas but I still wanted to join in so I thought I would show you the other bit of crafting I’ve been doing…….My Christmas Cupcakes.


They were made using a recipe from the BBC Good Food magazine and they are really very tasty. Yes, I know there are meant to be for Christmas but I had to try them out for quality control purposes, right!

They are real little Christmas fruit cakes with marzipan and icing. I made the snowflakes by cutting the large flake from White Fondant icing and the smaller flower center from some fondant that I’d coloured pale Blue and then decorated them with little Silver balls.


Well, that’s my offering for today and until after all the festivities I expect.
If you feel like joining in with the nonsense that is What’s on your Work Desk Wednesday just pop over to Julie’s Blog. and leave a message there and then we’ll all pop over to see your desk

Thanks for all the lovely messages that you’ve left for me through out the year and I hope you all have a fab Christmas.

Sue
x x x

You know, I really feel like feet haven’t touched the floor over the last few weeks and this week just gone wasn’t any different.
It’s all been good though!

Thursday was especially busy, starting with the usual weekly shop with dad.

Next I had an appointment at the opticians to pick up my new glasses; well the pair that will see me through until the cataract is ready to be removed that is.

To be honest, when I first put them on I thought they had got the prescription wrong because they really made my head swim, so she had to go and check that they had been made up right. It seems they were ok though and the reason for the strange feeling I was getting was due to the vast amount of change to the lens.
Apparently the change is usually a quarter of a dioptre at a time but the operation that I had has changed mine by three dioptres in one fail swoop.
It’s taken me three days to get used to wearing then but now I’ll feeling more comfortable and things are getting back to normal and hopefully I get down to a bit more crafting and stitching at long last.

Thursday evening I had my friends Susan & Edd round for a meal.

I’m going over to them on Boxing Day so this was intended as my Christmas offering to them.
It went well and I managed not to poison anyone!

I was worried though because I was trying out a Jamie Oliver recipe that I’d seen on TV and never tried before. ……Pork with Peaches……..and it was yummy!

After launching my Daring Cardmakers dare on Friday, which I will come to in a minute, I spent the rest of the day baking mince pies, sausage rolls and some cute little Cupcake Christmas Cakes, which I still need to ice.


Then to finish the week off, I was out Saturday afternoon and evening.

Every year for the fast four years we have gone to the Royal Albert Hall in London for a pre show meal and Christmas Sing-a-Long.


It’s a real party atmosphere and really good excuse to sing (or try to in my case) at the top of your voice without anyone worrying about what they sound like.

There’s even a Mexican Wave goes around the auditorium several times at one point during the evening and that includes the choir and orchestra as well…..it’s fab.

Now I’m not complaining because I’ve enjoyed all of the Christmas preparation and fun stuff but I’m looking forward to a quieter week next week.

Right then, onto the dare I set over at the Daring Cardmakers……I thought, as we are coming to the end of the year and about to start not only a New Year but a New Decade it would be great to make cards celebrating something new. It could be a New Home, as I’ve made or a New Job or New Baby, even a New Day if that’s what takes your fancy.

Pop over and see what The Girls have come up with to wet your appetite and then why not join in with our last dare of the year.

Mine was rather a simple card but I love the effect of stamping directly onto patterned paper.

In this case I stamped three of the little houses onto my card blank and one onto patterned paper, which I cut out and stuck over the top of the middle one. The other two I’ve coloured with chalks to give a little subtle colour and then I added two borders of the same paper, top and bottom and the greeting.

If I don’t see you again before the big day, I hope Santa fetches you all the crafty goodies that were on your list……I know I have one or two that were on mine!

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year
Lots of Love
Sue
x x x


Square Card Blank – Craft Creations (Embossed Hammer)
Patterned Papers – K & Co (Hopscotch)
Inks –Tsukineko VersaFine (Black) Tim Holts Distress Ink (Faded Jeans)
Rubber Stamp – Inkadinkado (Homestead)
Chalks – Readicut Decorating Chalks
Dies – Sizzlets – Alphabet (Hunky Dory)

What's on my Work Desk????????

I’m sure that Santa’s little helpers aren’t playing fair and are nicking days out of my week. …….these Wednesday’s are coming round far too fast!

But I guess I have to except that it’s here and that can only mean one thing………..a spot of blog hopping, starting at Julie’s Blog to see what’s on everyone has on their desk this week.

I finished a couple of cards off first thing this morning, before going to the hospital for a check up on my knee (I’ve been discharged I’m pleased to say) and going for lunch with my Dad and friends Susan & Edd.

My photo’s are not very good I’m afraid, due to the bad light but hopefully you’ll be able to see the orderly mess that I was working in before I went out.

Right at the front you can see my wonderful set of Elusive Image stamps that I’ve had for a couple of years.
I never get fed up with using them and this time I’ve been making a Christmas card for my Dad with lots of Gold embossing and lovely Amber gems on.

The other cards there are my final Christmas card…….all have to make now is a few tags and then I can start wrapping up my pressies.
I seem to have got very behind with everything this year, which is not like me but I’m putting it down partly to ‘The Eye’ and partly because of my trip to the Christmas Markets in Germany.
I did manage to get my tree is up at the weekend thought so things are coming together slowly.

Here’s a few photo from our trip

As we entered our hotel we were greeted by the biggest Gingerbread house I’ve ever seen. They even encourage you to help yourself to the sweeties and biscuits by leaving a bowl of them for you to help your self.
This is my friend Sandy just having a quick nibble!

The market is Wiesbaden, where we were staying is quite large and gets very busy, especially on a Saturday evening.
There were lots of stalls selling all sorts of nick knacks from decorations to cake making paraphernalia and everything in between, as well as the obligatory Bratwurst rolls and Gluhwein, to keep us fed and watered…..just keep out the cold you understand.

We also had a couple of days out, one to Heildburg and the other to Rudesheim which is such a pretty place with little quaint cobbled streets.

Here we were encouraged to try the local (and famous) Rudesheim coffee, that’s laced with local brandy and is delivered to your table with flames coming for the top…….delicious indeed.

We finished off out trip with a meal in Langan’s Brassiere on the boat, something that’s become a bit of a tradition and it was just as well because the channel crossing was a little choppy to say the least.

All in all it was a great weekend and a fun start to our Christmas celebrations.

Wherever I go in the world, I always try and bring home a new decoration or two for my tree.
Every one of them brings back special memories but my favourites have to be the pieces of Gold plated Holly, Mistletoe, Aspen Leaf and sprig of Fir that I brought back from Aspen and the Lead Crystal Penguin from Tiffney’s in New York.

This year’s decorations weren’t quite as ostentatious but equally beautiful in their own right because they are typically German.

There were so many different blown glass ornaments, something that Germany is famous for and it made it very difficult to choose which ones to have.

In the end I decided on a few of each of these beautiful little birds, candles and snowflakes.

And here’s what my finished tree looks like this year.

Well, that’s it from me for now; I’ll see you all shortly, as I do a spot of blog hopping to see what you’ve all been up to this cold and very snowy Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sue
x

Am I really Dotty?

I know a few of my friend think I'm dotty at times Lol!

This week it’s Vanessa making sure we all go dotty and see spots before our eyes with the new Daring Cardmakers challenge.

Yes, it’s spots all the way because she wants Polka Dots all over our cards.

The dare has provided me with the opportunity of doing a birthday card that my brother has asked me to make for his wife’s birthday in January…..yah….I’m ahead of myself for once!

I’ve kept my card quite simple, using two spotty papers and some dry embossing and then made the three embellishments using this new set of stamps.

Unfortunately I can’t tell you who they’re by because there’s no name on the packaging but I brought the at Ally Pally in September.

I’ve stamped part of the images onto the circles and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder and I’ve then gone over them with Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
They were mounted on 3D foam and I’ve added a little bit of copper sparkle to each of the flower heads.

Hope that’s dotty enough Vanessa?

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your lovely comments, it’s always much appreciated.
Sue
x

A5 Card Blank – Craft Creations (Embossed Hammer)
Patterned papers – My Minds Eye (Wild Asparagus)
Plain Card - Bazzill
Dies – Spellbinder Nestabilities (Large Circles)
Inks –Tsukineko VersaFine (Vintage Sepia) Tim Holts Distress Ink (Tattered Rose & Vintage Photo)
Rubber Stamps – Papermania (Happy Birthday) Flowers -Unknown (Sorry)
Embossing Folder – Cuttlebug (Swiss Dots)
Glitter Glue – Craft Planet (Copper)
Brads – Basic Grey

Other Bits
Ribbon
Computer generated greeting (To My Wife)

What’s on my Work Desk Thursday!

Yes I know, it should have been Wednesday and I’m behind as usual but it’s only a day late and what’s on my desk now has been there since yesterday because I’ve been shopping with dad this morning.

As you know, I was away in Germany at the weekend and have just about recovered from the gales and choppy seas in the Channel on our trip home. I hope to get some of the photos on here tomorrow if you want to see how pretty the Christmas Markets look, especially the one in Rudesheim. The flaming (and very alcoholic) Rudesheim coffee wasn’t bad either!

Anyway, yesterday I had to catch up on my last two Christmas card commissions for my friend’s two year old twin grand children. Hazel will be collecting them from me this evening when we all meet up for a pre Christmas meal, so I’ve had to get a wiggle on to finish them in time.

So What’s on my Work Desk today.

Well, it would seem the entire contents of all my cupboards!

Because these two cards had quite specific themes of Bob the Builder and a Princess or Fairy I was having real problems finding images to use in my stash. Whenever this happens I always head for my favourite port of call, downloadable, children’s colouring pages. They’re great for cards and for my charity stitching and I usually manage to find something I’m able to use.

Bob’s image was no problem at all and I found one that I could easily paper piece. I changed the tools in the wheelbarrow for die cut presents, making it more Christmassy and added a layered tree.

The Princess/Fairy image wasn’t quite so easy to find but that was just me being fussy. There were loads on there but a lot of them were Disney Characters and I didn’t really want to use them, so in the end I settled on a beautiful Holly Fairy Digital Stamp from Mo’s Digital Pencil’s, which I also paper pieced and decoupage.

I was quite pleased with the way the Christmas tree turned out on this card too.
I stamped and embossed it using a stamp from the Technique Tuesday ‘Whispy Gigs’ set of stamps and then decorated it with Stickles and some card candy.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll try and do better next week and be on time for once.

Sue
x

Well it’s the middle of the week and that can only mean one thing……………

Yes............it’s What’s on my Work Desk Wednesday.

I’m still not doing very much at the moment but I have managed to get a few Christmas cards made over the last week, not bad when you consider that I didn’t think I was going to making any at all this year.

On my table you can see that most of the cards are in their envies and are ready to post….well actually they are on their merry way already because I put them in the post when I took dad shopping this morning.

For what I call my ‘special’ cards I’ve used the same lovely stamp as on my Daring Cardmaker’s Card this week.
I brought it at Alexandra Palace before Christmas last year and was itching to use but all my cards were made early that year so I had to be patient and wait until now. As it happens, you can’t actually see the card in the photo because it’s buried under some other bits and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the photo is out of focus too. I’m putting that down to my double vision but I would have sworn it looked ok when I took the picture.

For my other, smaller cards I’ve been trying to use up lots of bits that have been left over from previous years. I just hate to throw anything away, even the tiniest scrap of paper.
Well that’s about it from me for this week.

I have to be up at silly o’clock in the morning as I’m off to the German Christmas Markets with my old work mates.
Coach leaves at 5-30am!

So now I’m off to pack my bag and if I get time later I’ll be back to check out what’s on everyone else’s work desk this dull, damp Wednesday.

Till next week then……….bye for now
And thanks for stopping by!

Sue
x