Hello, is there anyone there?

I didn't realise I had been away for so long! The time away has been pretty foul to say the least. I won't bore you with any details but sometimes life seems to be all about kicking you when you are down? You think " this has to be the end of it" but no there is something else waiting in the wings!
The worst of it all came right at the end when my mother in law died. She wasn't looked after at all well by the hospital after she was admitted. It has put me right off hospitals and doctors.
I hope now though that everything is going to get back to normal!
I haven't made anything since I don't know when and I have no desire or inspiration to get back to anything crafty. I truly hope that changes.
I do hope you are all well and life is being good to you. If it is pass a little bit my way!!!

See you soon

Ta daa!

I have been given an award by the lovely Clare, thanks hun! I love blogging you meet so many fab people. Clare, as I now know, is about 15/20 minutes up the road from me!
I must pass this award onto 5 people, which is a task in itself! I am sure many of you may have already received this one but no matter! Here are my 5, which could so easily be 105!
Please, if you have anyone you would like to pass this award on to, then take it away!




Wendy
Kim Marie
Lulu
Louise
Suzann

There you go then, see you next time :0)

What happened to the sun?

Got up this morning and the weather has turned! We have been so lucky the past few days with glorious sunny weather. It hasn't been especially warm but not cool enough for coats or anything. We got quite a bit done in the garden which was nice. I've got my gardening head on now. There is still so much to do out there and I want to get it done so this year we can sit in the garden and enjoy it, instead of being constantly working in it. The downside of that is though that I really don't feel like making any cards.
I made this last week sometime. I'm not that sure about it but I do love this SU set. I've loved it since I first saw it in the catalogue!
Hopefully with more practice the finished article with get better. The background is too fussy for the image I think? I am very pleased with the colouring though. I used distress inks.
The linen thread I used in the buttons looks black in this photo but it is actually blue. I wanted to keep the card in blue tones. The papers and embellies are all from my stash.



That's it for now, thanks for dropping by :0)

SBS9 Challenge

It is my turn to set a challenge for my SBS 9 sisters. I hold my hands up to being the worst when it comes to actually doing any of our challenges. I never seem to get any time! Anyway I wanted to make a card for a friend at work who has just had her first baby. So that is my challenge for my SBS 9 sisters, to make a baby card.

My friend is over joyed - naturally! She sent a text photograph of her baby right after he was born. I had that sent to me to use on the card. Getting the photo off my phone and onto the computer was a nightmare. We couldn't find the right lead for my mobile phone. Then I couldn't get the photo to print off in a smaller version. Had to get the DH to solve that for me, which he did no problem! I did wonder if I would ever finish the card but luckily we got it sorted out in the end!

Anyway! I have been so inspired by 3 new sites that I've found - well new to me anyway - that I wanted to try a shabby chic look.

The first is Lily Bean Paperie. Melissa Phillips' work is too beautiful for words, it really is. Shabby chic and totally gorgeous.

Then there is Iralamija. Beatriz Jennings work is the same shabby chic kind of style that I really love.

Finally, there is Paulien van den Bosch. Another really talented lady, who does scrapbooking, cards, home decor. If you read through her blog you will see things haven't been too good for her lately but she still manages to make wonderful things! I love to visit these blogs because they are so beautiful!!

So that's the look I was aiming for with this mini book, shabby chic. Whilst I think it is quite pretty I don't think I have quite got the look??

I've just realised I took the photographs before I had finished trimming the ribbons properly! Anyway, I hope she like it. I do, even though it's not quite how I wanted it!

I've forgotten who makes the blank board book but I bought it from Bubbly Funk. I love that online shop!!

Papers ~ HOTP

Stamps ~ Studio G,Wwoodware & Hero Arts

Twill ~ Stash

Glitterboard ~ Stash

Ribbons ~ American Crafts & East of India

Buttons ~Stash

Gems ~ Papermania

Glitter ~ Stickles

That's it for now, thanks for dropping by. See you next time :0)

I made this card using some gorgeous SU papers that the lovely Jules sent me with one of my orders. Thanks again Jules you are a doll! I mixed it with a scrap of paper - the one with the flower on - from my stash. I cut the stars out with my Sizzex Big Kick. I used some glitter cardstock that I have had for about 6 years and still have tons of it left! I bought it when I first started making cards and have never really used it! The image is a Sugar Nellie.Image ~ Sugar Nellie
Papers ~ Stampin' Up
Glitter Cardstock ~ Stash
Sentiments - Studio G


That's it for now, see you next time :0)

One I prepared earlier

This is the card I made for my neice. She came down to visit from London and really took a shine to this Leanne Ellis design from Sugar Nellie, so I thought I would make her birthday card using it. The layout is not my own. I've seen it on a blog somewhere but I can't remember where! That's not very good is it??I wanted a flower on the card so I made one! I cut three circles, roughed up the edges of each circle then curled the edges over with my fingers. I am quite pleased with the way it turned out.

So much so that I have made a couple of other cards with 'hand made' flowers on too. I used to make flowers in school, when I should have been listening to my teachers. I would end up with my lap full of flowers made from exercise book paper. My goodness that was many, many moons ago!!

Stamp ~ Sugar Nellie

Papers ~ Making Memories

Gems ~ Papermania

That's it for now, thanks for dropping by.
See you next time by :0)

Erratic Posting!

Hello world!

I haven't been able to blog for such a long time. I have been looking around everyones' blogs though not able to leave many comments, I am sorry!

I thought I would show you the card I made for my DHs' 50th as I promisd the last time I was here. As always the photographs alter the look of it quite a bit.

I used Maya road blank chipboard to make this and used papers, ribbons, stamps and rubons from my stash.

I am working away from home at the moment but managed to get today off. The temptation is to sit here and blog hop all day or do houseworky things but I am doing neither. I am going to see if I have any mojo left. It has been such a long time since I made anything. My neice came to visit on the weekend. Her birthday is coming up and she really liked my Leanne Ellis stamp, 'Talking to the Birds', so I'm going to make a card for her using that image. I am also going to stamp some images out and send with the card for her to colour and use herself.

Thanks for dropping by, see you next time 0:)