Out in the sticks

Apparently that's where I am, for technology is failing me.

My internet connection is less than useless, and all attempts to upload pictures are ending in utter failure. Which is getting rather annoying now. I hate when things just don't work when they're supposed to. It's like they randomly turn off the internet signal here. It is quite early, maybe there is a curfew ...

Also I'm still not feeling well and I'm getting REALLY bored of it, so that's not helping my sanity much either.

So, although I have pics to show you, I still can't share them. They'll just have to wait until I'm back in the 21st century, AKA Leeds, tomorrow.

Anyway, if this even works at all, why not enter my birthday surprise blog candy draw here and cheer me up a bit! Closes on Friday at midday.

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A duo of competitions!

Yet another Bank Holiday to contend with! I've actually had enough of them now!

I was hoping to share some pictures of Bodd and the farm today but the email was too big and it didn't work, so they will have to wait until later in the week after I've seen my mum again.

Instead, there are no pictures! Just a reminder of my blog candy competition and a new one direct from Stampin' Up!

To mark my one year blog anniversary, I will be making up a very special prize of handcrafted blog candy for a lucky follower/commenter.

All you have to do is be a follower, then visit the surprise blog candy post and leave a comment on it.

I will draw the winner at midday on Friday, May 6th.


How would you like to win some free Stampin' Up! products too?

SU are offering prizes throughout May, with a new competition every Monday.

Just visit the Stampin' Up! Specials page and answer the question.


Must get on with some work for a few hours now. I'm still battling with some sort of mystery illness which involves a cold and a dicky tummy.

But I get to spend some time with my dad this afternoon which I'm really looking forward to. We're off to the cinema to see TT3D - a 3D film about the Isle of Man TT. My first ever 3D film too!

Popcorn will make me feel better, right?!

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Ahoy there!

I'm all at sea with today's card. Ho!

My friend Fay asked me to make a card with a boat for a friend of hers who loves sailing and luckily, the Stampin' Up! Mini Catalogue 2011 has a fab new stamp called Sail Away.

I saw this design on the SplitCoastStampers site and just loved it, although it turned out to be quite time consuming because of all the different elements.



The edges of the sails were coloured in using Blender Pens and the three stripes of cardstock were run through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.



These were matted on to Whisper White and Crumb Cake cardstock then I tied some of the Real Ride Striped Grosgrain Ribbon around and ruched it using some Linen Thread.



All this also made the front of the card quite heavy, so I added a piece of Whisper White to the inside to balance it a bit and added a little stripe in opposite corners to complete the nautical theme.

Fay loves it and rekons her friend will too, so the hard work does pay off!

I have just passed one year of blogging, so to celebrate I have some surprise blog candy up for grabs. Please check out Friday's blog candy post and leave a comment to enter! You have until midday on May 6th.

I'm back at home for a few days at the moment and although I'm still battling with some sort of illness (the cold has now developed into a poorly tummy) I am managing to get in some quality time with the family, including Bodd! Pics coming tomorrow!

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Blog candy on my first birthday!

I have been blogging on these pages for a year now (yes, that's 52 weeks of crafty ramblings, tales of Bodd and dodgy picures!).

So to celebrate I have some blog candy up for grabs! Just my way of saying thank you for reading and commenting. It's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself!

I would love to be able to tell you what is up for grabs, but as yet I've not made the prizes! But I will, and I plan something stitchy and something papercrafty, and maybe one or two surprises! Let's pretend it's not because I've not had enough time but because I want to wait to see who the winner is so I can personalise the prizes! Yes, that works!

So it's a bit of a gamble on my birthday surprise blog candy, but please do have a go!

All you have to do to enter is be a follower and leave a comment on this post saying why you read my blog (and please be honest - the winner will be chosen randomly so you can say what you want!).

I will draw the winner at midday on Friday, May 6th so you have a whole week to enter!

Good luck and thanks for being part of my blogging world.

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Thank you flowers

It's always nice to say thank you, and even better if you do it with flowers.

So to say thank you to the ladies I met at Denman College earlier this month I made some hanging tag decorations using the Fun Flowers die on the Big Shot.



I used all sorts of different DSP and colours of cardstock, embossing some bits then sticking the three flowers together and adding ribbon for hanging.



Here are all the colour options.

The best thing about paper flowers is you don't need to water them, which is good for me, as my plants always seem to die!

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Just Believe gala

Today's offering includes three cards made using the Just Believe stamp set. I've had these pics stored away for ages and never got round to sharing.





These two were made at my SU mummy Julie's class a while back. We used the Woodland Walk DSP, several punches, as well as the yummy Pearls.



And here's one I made for those reminder tins. I love this as I think it's rather 70s and reminds me of funky wallpaper. The main image was stamped on to Watercolour Paper and then lightly sprayed with water to make it bleed a little.

Tonight is the weekly get-together with Hayley and Helen, and this time we're at mine for a pyjama party. Scary films and popcorn at the ready!

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Scrapbooking with Helen

Yesterday Helen came round to get started on her first ever scrapbook so we had a good play, despite my lack of concentration and ability to think coherently because of a stupid cold.

Helen had ordered lots of bits at my Stampin' Up! workshop last week to do an album about her trip to Liverpool with friends. As she hasn't done any scrapbooking before I suggested we get together for a couple of hours to get her started.

We began by choosing a couple of pictures for the first page. The ones we went for are of Helen and a friend having hot chocolate in a yummy cafe. The colours were very funky - brown and yellow, and the cafe had big yellow flowers so we incorporated those. Luckily Helen had been well prepared and got some leaflets from the cafe so we used those as well.



We used a nuetral background and DSP from the Regals stack. The flowers were made using the Fun Flowers die on the Big Shot in coordinating colour card and DSP, and we also embossed some of them. A few buttons, a flower brad, the title and pic from the leaflets and a piece of chipboard Helen had found somewhere and we were done!



Here's Helen looking pleased with her first scrapbook page, and rightly so!

The second page we did featured a few of the Liverpool sights. The Anglican and Roman Catholic Cathedrals and the statue of Queen Victoria. The greys and greens worked well together in the card and DSP, and again, a piece of patterned paper Helen had bought in Whitby. The cartoon images across the bottom are from a sticker book Helen bought in Liverpool - always thinking ahead!



It is titled Did you know ... as the pics were taken on a sightseeing tour of Liverpool. The guide had explained that the Anglican Cathedral was built by a Roman Catholic, and vice versa! So I learnt something as well!

After that we were done in so we nipped out for a buffet and I spent the rest of the evening trying to fight of this damn cold by doing housework!

I'm just going to have to battle through it as I have many things to do, as always, and not enough hours in the day.

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Easter weekend

I think this is about the only Easter weekend I've not spent with my family. Very strange, but I kinda did it without realising. I'm going back later this week as we're having a gathering for my grandma's 80th birthday (it's a surprise and all her grandkids wil be there) and I didn't want to be away from all my crafty goodies for too long!

Anyway, I have spent the time with some of my good friends instead. Yesterday I was round at Sam's to help her get started with the Big Shot and begin making her boxes, labels and tags for her yummy bath products. We had a good play, and this is one of the little boxes from the Mini Milk Carton Die.



The milk carton is made from Crumb Cake cardstock and we wrapped a piece from the Subtles DSP stack around it. Then made the label using Four Frames and the matching Decorative Label Punch, coloured in with the Stampin' Write markers. I added the wording using Just Perfect Alphabet and handwriting. Finally, it is (very poorly) tied with the Pretty In Pink 3mm Taffeta Ribbon.

We were both very pleased with how it looks - just the right balance of cuteness and vintage.

We also experimented with embossing the card once the template had been cut, which also looked pretty awesome, and using a Stampin' Around wheel and the Spritzer Tool to create a design on the carton, but I forgot to take pics!

After all this crafty fun we went to the pub for a cheeky beverage and sat in the sun for a while.

And now I have no idea what day it is and what I should be doing! Best go figure it out!

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Exciting WI news and a day at the seaside

Well it may only have been a couple of days but a lot has happened since my last update!

Thursday evening was the second birthday party for Buns & Roses WI. As well as having our usual drinks and chats, I was delighted to be made Vice President of the group. Hurrah! I'm so excited and can't wait to be helping out the committee and doing even more with The WI! Hurrah some more!

Then yesterday I had a day at the seaside with Helen, Hayley and her hubby Flower.

We had to do a detour on the way up to Whitby as traffic on the A64 was going nowhere fast, but the scenic route was much nicer anyway.

But we got there, only to find that Dracula was out to play and the mist was so bad you could only see a few metres ahead! Stood on one side of the bridge you couldn't see the other! I was a bit disappointed as not only did this mean it was cold and I couldn't get a tan, but also that I couldn't see the church and abbey.

Anyway, it was still great fun, and we had a good wander, played the arcade games, ate fish and chips and did a bit of shopping.



I bought this old watch face with the intention of making it into a piece of jewellery. One day!



here are my wins from the 2p machines!

We decided we would go for a quick run to Scarborough as well, and we got there about tea time, just in time for a walk along the beach and a paddle in the sea, and some more arcade games and one of those simulator things.



There was still a bit of mist over the cliff.



Here's what I won on Scarborough's 2p machines!

So that was Thursday evening and Friday!

Today I'm going to nip into town for some craft supplies as I have a few bits for a Christening that I've been commissioned to do. I'll work on them in the back garden this afternoon I think!

Hope everyone enjoys their long Easter weekend.

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Love is in the air!

Wowser, I can't believe it's Thursday again already, and coming up to the end of April too! Where does the time go?!

Last night was our weekly get-together at Hayley's. She, me and Helen generally just sit around and gossip and do something crafty. Last night they made LOTS of cakes (and I mean lots - more than 50 cupcakes and a BIG one!) while I did a bit of work and also finished off my short story for The WI's Lady Denman Cup Competition. I am pleased with it, especially as I haven't done any non-fiction writing for many years. Really enjoyed doing it too, so I must do more!

Anyway, on to today's card.

This was another made for Georgie's wedding earlier this month.



I was still in the Bashful Blue and Real Red phase, which I think is a stunning combo! I stamped the Eiffel Tower from the Artistic Etchings set in Basic Grey, and also the circle motif, which was stamped off on to my paper first so it was lighter.



The little envelope was made using the Petal Card Double Punch, which cuts and scores! I then made the hearts using the Heart to Heart Punch and the butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit. A quick tag was added with Linen Thread et voila!

This evening is the Buns & Roses WI second birthday party (hence all the cakes!). There will be lots of exciting news and I'm looking forward to catching up with all my girls.

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The WI: A truly lifesaving organisation

Yesterday evening I visited Meanwood WI with my fellow Buns & Roses WI members Helen, Hayley and Siobhan (and a friend of Siobhan's whose name I have forgotten!).

I love going to see what other institutes get up to, and I have to say last night's meeting was the most amazing yet.

The speaker for the evening was a lady called Joan. She had been a Navy Wren during the Second World War, starting at the age of just 17 and going on to enjoy an incredible career in the forces.

Having completed her initial training, Joan was posted to the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) and worked, at first without even realising what she was doing, on breaking German codes.

Along with many other Wrens and forces personnel, she worked tirelessly, helping to reduce the war by several years and save the lives of millions of people.

She spoke so well about her time in the Navy and life during the war at Bletchley Park, and it was a true honour to meet such an incredible woman.

Two things which struck me the most:
1. She is one of only a handful of people to use the German Enigma machine, which was smuggled into the UK from Poland.
2. She and her husband never once spoke of their work at home. It was only after several decades of their marriage that they realised they had both been working on the same project, such was the level of security and the importance placed on preventing leaks.

I think Joan's talk summed up everything that is great about The WI:
We are truly amazing women with fantastic stories and a huge impact on our world.
We have a strong sense of duty, of doing our very best for our people and country and of being faithful.
We do not give up and work tirelessly towards our goals.

I'm coming over a little sentimental now (I could have cried at times as Joan was speaking, although there were plenty of laughs as well), but I hope you understand.

Thank you to Meanwood WI for such an inspirational meeting (and great cake!) and thank you to Joan and all forces personnel for everything.

PS On a lighter note - I won this tissue box in the raffle!

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Two tags

Just have a couple of tags to share today, using the beautiful Four Frames stamp set and matching Decorative Label Punch.



This first one I made for some of my friends and customers to go with the new Mini Catalogue I gave them.

I stamped the frame with the roses on and cooured it in using my Stampin' Write Markers. The monogram was added with Broadsheet Alphabet. I then covered both sides in sticky back plastic and punched it out. Finally, I added the Eyelet using the Crop-A-Dile and threaded it with Taffeta Ribbon.



This one is mine and it's on my summer handbag, along with my Julie's Jems team brooch and WI badge.



And here's a gift tag using the same stamp. Again, coloured in and punched out. The actual tag was cut from Crumb Cake card and I added a bit of the Springtime Vintage DSP and some butterflies made with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit on my Big Shot. It was finished off with the Seam Binding Ribbon in Rose Red.

Whoever has a birthday next may just get this label on their present. That is, assuming they get a present from me!

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