For Somebody Special

Good morning.  Hopefully it looks I'm getting back on track a little so here's a card I managed to make yesterday in some snatched time.

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The card is for a man so I rummaged in my bit box and came up with these pieces from Papermania Capsule Collection and matted them with black paper also from my bit box.  I'm not sure where the silvery-grey backing paper came from I'm afraid - it was just in there too.  It always feels good to use it doesn't it?  I must admit that sometimes it's much easier to just reach for some new paper or card.  

The stamp is from Our Daily Bread Designs "Bird and Butterfly Labels" which were designed to work with SB Labels 18,  and the sentiment stamp is also ODBD from the "Keep Climbing" set.  I used the mountain stamp from the set a couple of weeks a go.  Both were stamped with Memento black ink. The butterfly is another Fly Sticker and the pearls are from my stash, but both from Hobbycraft I think.

Well the weekend is just about on us so enjoy it, and all you people out there who work - I hope you manage to get some time to relax.  When I was working I found that my weekends were totally tied up with housework, shopping etc.  When I first retired I found the weekends very strange because I wasn't used to having time to myself then and I kept thinking that I should be doing something. Lol!

Entered into:

http://craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/craftyhazelnuts-patterned-paper.html

http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/pixies-snippets-playground-week-112.html

Flower Brolly

Hi friends and fellow bloggers.  Thanks for popping by; I appreciate your visit.  I can't believe it's ten days since my last post.  It's been rather a frantic time but hopefully things are starting to get back to some form of normality.

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My card is very simple because my brain appears to have hibernated and inspiration is slow to come.  I have used an LOTV image from the Cute Cottage Garden art pad and die cut it with JustRite Vintage Labels 4. The papers are from Creative Cardmaking magazines and matted onto some plain toning paper from my bit box,  The lace and pink ribbon are also just scraps left over. The butterflies are Flystickers from Hobbycraft and the pink gems are from my stash.

Hopefully I will get round to visiting your blogs now.  I'm looking forward to seeing what you have been up to .

Christmas Card Club No 4 - All White and/or Snowflakes

Good morning to you all.  Once again it is time for a card for the Christmas Card Club.  This time it was Hazel's time to choose and she asked us to make an all white card and/or to use snowflakes.  As you can see I decided to combine them both into one card.  You will find the other members on my sidebar if you are interested in what they have produced.

My Card

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I ran a piece of white card through the GC using the Xcut Quilting folder. I had to run it through twice to extend it. I matted this onto white glitter card and then onto a 6" x 6" base card. The snowflakes are SB Create a Flake 4 and Create a Flake 5 all die cut from glitter card. The gems are from my stash. The digi sentiment is Pink Petticoat "Snowy Days Sentiments" which I die cut with SB Labels 10. The card actually looks quite effective in real life but definitely hasn't photographed well. I think that is a combination of bad light, all white cards being difficult to photograph and a case of a bad workman always blaming his tools. Anyway, for better or worse it is what it is! Lol!

This lends itself to mass production because there are 18 sentiments in this set, so each card can be slightly different by using  a different sentiment, different snowflakes and different dies/embossing folders.  I have a feeling this might be my main card this year.  But then again - it's only February so plenty of time to change my mind!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Entered into:

http://trimmiescraftchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/challenge-246-13th-of-february-christmas.html

http://decossesdynamitedoodles.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-12-days-of-christmas-card-link-up.html
http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/chnc-challenge-extra-for-february-2014.html
http://sparklesforumchristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/ch37-anything-goes-its-our-3rd.html

Cup Of Tea?

Well good afternoon dear friends and fellow bloggers.  Thank you for your visit. I'm getting a bit sick of talking about the weather but the rain and gales are really getting to be a pain. Unfortunately, although John thought he had solved the problem that is not the case.  The baking trays will be staying out for some time yet!  Rain must be coming in the dining room too because the parquet tiles are starting to lift under the patio window. You can see the dampness on the tiles there but there is absolutely no way we can find where it is coming in.  It is farther along on the same outside wall as the kitchen. We have had to move the dining table to make sure we don't stand on them and break them.  No point trying to fix them till we fix the cause! The next step is checking out the roof, but that will have to wait until the better weather. We started to build the house the year after we were married and that was back in 1973 so it is obviously suffering from old age and needs some looking at, poor old thing.  The gales also ripped the guttering off the front of the house and part of the roof from one of the outbuildings.  Oh what fun!!!

Anyway I disappeared into my craft room this morning and closed the blinds on the awful weather.

My Card

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My card is 7" x 5" and matted with blue pearlescent card. The backing papers are from the LOTV "Petal Fresh" pad and were bits from my snippets box. The topper is also LOTV matted onto SB Labels 16. The gingham ribbon is from my stash as are the blue pearly flowers.  The blue flower and leaves were also in my drawer, obviously meant for something else and not used. The sentiment is JustRite Stamps "Grand Sentiments".

Hope you are all holding up under these awful conditions.  I shouldn't really be grumbling because it is heartbreaking when you see all these poor people on the news.

The weekend is just about here so I hope you have plans - which include some crafting!!

Highest Mountain

Good afternoon folk.  Well, a mixed bag of weather today.  Extremely heavy frost first thing then very cold and showery, but heavy rain is forecast.  John hasn't taken down the scaffold yet.  He wants to see what happens when we have very heavy rain with the wind blowing in a particularly direction.  In that way he can see whether his repairs have worked.   Since he did it we have had no leaks, but having said that, the rain only comes in with the wind driving the rain.  So it's wait and see.  I have everything crossed! Lol!

My Card

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My card today is for a young man who is going through a particularly trying time and I think the sentiment is fitting.  I love this ODBD stamp and have used it often.  It was stamped with Brilliance  Pearlescent Ivy onto white card stock and  die cut with  SB Resplendent Rectangles. I then cut the next size die with pearlescent green card.  I used a snippet of green plaid paper from my snippets box and also used a snippet of parchment paper to computer generate the sentiment.  I cut the banner shape by hand because I don't have a banner or pennant die. The pearls are Hobby House white pearls coloured with a green Promarker.  Otherwise I left it quite plain.

By the way, does anybody know who stocks Quietfire Design Stamps in the UK?  I bought one  earlier in the year but cannot remember where I got it from.  I'm hoping that one of you stampers out there can help me.  I don't really want to have to go all the way to Canada to get it - well not literally, although I could go and visit Maureen aka Scrappymo! Lol

Hope this finds you all well and finding time to craft.

Entered into:

http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/pixies-snippets-playground-week-111.html

CAS Thinking Of You

Hello dear friends and fellow bloggers.  Thanks for stopping by to visit.  This week has seemed interminably long.  I can't believe it is only Friday.  I hope you are all feeling well.  The weather here in Oxfordshire is very cold today but bright and sunny and it is so nice to see a bit of blue sky.

My Card

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This is a 7" x 5" card.  The purple pearlescent figured card has been in my stash forever and a day I think. The silk flowers are also old stash so it good to be using it. The sentiment stamp is from Inca Stamps and was one of my very early buys ten or eleven years ago. I used Heartfelt Creations Petal Pleasures embossing folder and then just dotted some teeny tiny gems from Hobbycraft onto the flower centres.  A very simple card but looks quite pretty.

Take care everybody.

Christmas Card Club No 3

Good morning to you all.  Time again for the Christmas Card Club, chosen this week by Mary. She wanted red, and to feature a heart. Well my red is pretty prominent but the hearts are a little more subtle.

My Card

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I used a free digi image from Dearie Dolls and coloured it with Promarkers. I trimmed the top edge with MB Frostyville Border and used Cosmic Shimmer to add some pearls to the snowflakes. I initially used the Cosmic Shimmer on the ribbon too but unfortunately it bled so I had to replace it with pearls.  The Christmas greetings are peel offs from years ago.

I am sorry for being missing for most of the week.  With all the rain we have been having water started dripping from the top of the kitchen window. I had a lovely array of baking trays to catch it all. Lol! John used some silicone where he thought it was coming in - the bedroom window above - and it was okay for a few days until we had a torrential downpour and my goodness did it rain in!   He put the scaffolding up so he could really check it out and discovered the wood was rotting and there was quite a hole which needed repairing.  The water was coming in, running down the cavity and then ending up in the kitchen.We need the rain to hold off now so that he can get cracking on it before we need to swim out. (Slight exaggeration there!!!)

I took the curtains and blinds down and then realised that the curtains were not looking their best.  It's a south facing window and the sun had faded them so rather than put them back I decided I had to make  new ones.  One job always leads to another doesn't it?  Anyway I am well on with them now. 

Hope you are all well and not suffering to much from these dreadful weather conditions!

Entered into:

http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/digi-days.html