Not card related - but what'd you think of these?

Hi Girls

Sorry I've not been around lately, but we've just had a few lovely peaceful days away in North Wales then the Peaks, and while we were in
Bakewell I bought a lovely crocheted flower brooch (from an arts and crafts centre) - the brooch is perfect for a winter cardigan/coat, or handbag! Sooooooooo as you know, I love being inspired - and I decided to have a go at making them! I had a pattern that came to me from my sister - so I bought some wool and here are the results! I'm hoping to have a stall at a local craft show in the near future - selling my cards (of course!), the jewellery that I make, and now these brooches. Do you think they'd sell well? Would love your feedback!

I had to really scratch my head to remember how to knit - it must be at least 20 years since I've cast on a stitch! And that was the problem - I could remember how to cast on - but couldn't for the life of me think how to get the first loop! Ah well,,,,,, it came back eventually!

Bye for now - look forward to hearing your comments as always....
Christine x

A quickie!

Hi

Just wanted to post this very quick card - you know when sometimes you need to do something that doesn't take too much colouring or shading? Well this provided it! It's a design from Pink Petticoat - but careful if you go to buy it, make sure you click on the right item (very easy not to), as I made a mistake and ended up with an image I didn't want! Ah well, not to worry. I love this image - very simple, but I think very effective!

I've not been blogging too much lately as I'm busy making jewellery for an order I've taken - I do Swarovski and silver bracelets, earrings and necklaces. So I've had to get down to it! Saves life being boring huh?

I spent a lovely day on Saturday at the Harrogate Papercraft show and spent far too much! But the highlight of my day was meeting Christine (Nanaseaside) - and we had a lovely chat and a wander around! Nice to meet fellow bloggers. And to Sarah (StressedStamper) - sorry I didn't get there on Sunday too - was absolutely worn out after Saturday! Anyway - I eventually treated myself to a Cuttlebug - so my Wizard is now redundant! It took up far too much room and needed a stronger hand than I have! The Cuttlebug is much easier to work with and fits neatly away! I need to get the jewellery finished now so I can play with it!!

I'm also now on the countdown to my youngest daughter emigrating for a couple of years..... so emotions are running high! If you see tears on my blog in the next few days - well until 29th when she ACTUALLY goes...... just pass the tissues will you? Well........ Mum's are allowed....... aren't they?

Hugs to all
Christine x

Back to blogland.......

Hi All

Firstly, sorry I've not been around for a few days - I've had that dreadful tummy bug that's been doing the rounds, only it decided to stay at my house for a while without moving on too fast! Knocked me for six and for the first few days this week I was laying on the settee all day watching daytime TV. Not all bad though, I lost half a stone while being poorly, so it did have it's up side! Not a recommended way to lose tho... Then yesterday we had a big family gathering for them all (my two brothers and their wives, my honorary brother, a niece & hubby, a nephew & new wife, and a great-great niece) to say bye-bye to my daughter for a while - who, by the way, got her results on Friday and she is now a fully fledged CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT! So that was lovely news before she goes off at the end of September to pastures new.. :( Anyway, lots of cleaning done etc etc, before the family descended - so that took care of Thursday, Friday and then yesterday, we had a wonderful day...

Listen to me, making excuses for not being here! So onto my card...

Today I used SpringHuggabugg from Christy Croll at Tiddlyinks - what a lovely image to colour - such lovely clean lines. I used my copics to colour, and my prismacolour blue pencils to for the shadow - then sponged some Adirondack Lights pink sherbert around the edge, after I'd made a mask with some post it notes - (yes, cheating I know!)

The background paper is from my Basic Grey Green at Heart pad, then I added a ribbon, and a heart charm that I got from Pink Gem Designs. And then girls, all that was left to do was add........ GLITTER!

Anyway, hope you like. I would love to hear your comments so please do say hello and let me know there are people out there.... And I'll be back in blogland this week - then, we have the Papercraft show next weekend in Harrogate!!!! YAYYYYY can't wait!

Bye for now

Christine x

PS - I've also added a pic of my two darling daughters and myself yesterday - I'm so proud of them both - so couldn't resist putting their pic on here! Clare is the one in the middle who is off to Bermuda later this month........ But just think of the hols I can go on!! x

My Friday Offering...

Happy Friday girls! Here is my latest offering - again it's a Mo Manning image, this time it's Sorry Shanna - and I love her! She has such a lovely 'sorry' face... she's just perfect! I coloured her with my copics (d'oh!!), then shaded her around the edge of the shape with Adirondack Lights - Pink Sherbert. It's the only pink that has a touch of lilac in it to shade with that I can find. The DP I've used is from http://www.fancypantsdesigns.com/ and it's from their Key Lime Pie Fancy range - it's called Heavenly. Not sure where I picked it up from but it was in my stash... I used Nestabilities for the oval shape, then used a Martha Stewart punch for the long edges. Then I used an EK success retro daisy punch (yes Peri, I got one!), and finished the flowers with some bling from Stamping Bella, then some ........... guess what............ GLITTER! (Tho you can't really see it on the photo...... )

I went to Art from the Heart in Harrogate this morning, as they had emailed to say they had a new range of Prima Marketing papers in........ they were FAB-U-LOUS..... and of course girls, I had to BUY! But then again, it'll save me fighting to get near their stand at the Harrogate Papercraft show in September - I had the whole shop to myself today to wander around at my leisure! And these Fairyland and Jack & Jill papers........... to DIE for! MMMmmmmmmmmmm think they may stay in my stash for a while for me to stroke....! Would seem so cruel to cut into them, wouldn't it?

I've also added a pic here of a fairy I made recently - just to show that I can turn my hand to make more than cards at times.... thought you may like to see! She's so easy to make with soft netting and a wooden bead.... I also use some, hmmm, is it Angelina Fibre? The stuff you iron between two sheets of paper and it comes out welded together and flat and fabulous! Anyway, hope you like - I always love to hear your comments!

Better go now, shopping to do - and it's sunny outside!

Take care and have a good weekend

Christine x

Well I've been busy again......

Hi all

Well with all the rain we've had here in Yorkshire today, I got plenty of chance today to get out my colouring and enjoy!

I've made this card with my daughter in mind - she's off in September to live in Bermuda for a couple of years, and I'll miss her!!! (sniff, sniff - pass the tissues!) Anyway, it's a massive move for her and it will be an incredible opportunity which will lead who knows where??! And I can holiday there!!

Onto the card before I blub all over the place....! I used Mo's image Bye Bye Girl, which I bought in luscious rubbah a little while back, so I stamped her with Memento ink then coloured with my trusty copics. I highlighted her ladybird backpack with diamond glaze, then gave each little black dot a white highlight with my signa white gel pen. I think it makes them 'pop' - don't you? Then I gave her a shadow with a cool gray copic, then shaded the edges with Versachalk in Wheat (thank you Paulabella for that tip!) I used my nestabilities to cut out the shapes and emboss. Then I wanted to match it to the right DP - my falldown! But I chose this CosmoCricket Jitterbug 'PeggySue' paper, and used both the front and the reverse so that it all matched! I think it works... The sentiment actually comes with the stamp - but I chose to reproduce it on my PC, so I could have the shape that I wanted. I'm entering it into the Stamping Bella challenge and also Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge (Thank Heavens for Little Girls) too!

Hope the sun is shining where you are.....

Happy cardmaking!

Christine x

My first challenge card!

Hi!
Well it seems to be taking me a week to produce a card again at the moment - but I've been really busy for the last few days, don't quite know what doing, but know I've been BUSY! lol! I've started on a 'walk a mile a day' regime - to try and improve my fitness, which at the present moment is zilch, so that's been taking up a bit of my time, and housework/gardening/lunching out has taken up the rest! Oooh and a nice visit to a craft shop in Harrogate too yesterday where I bought some more copics - well.......... a girl can never have too many of those, can she?

Anyway, I decided to enter this one for Mo's sketch challenge. This is the first challenge I've ever entered, so hope I've stuck to the rules...! This image is soooo lovely to colour - and reminds me of how different sisters can be. I used bazzil for the base and one of the panels, then used a dotty panel which didn't actually have a makers name on it. The image is Mo Manning's Stepsisters - which I've actually stamped this time (I bought it before I discovered digi images!) I coloured with copics of course, and added the shadow to make them pop out. Then of course, I finished with the odd bit of glitterazi...... you've just got to, haven't you? The photography isn't brilliant on this one, not light enough really, but I normally photograph in daylight - this uses flash.

By the way, I invented a new word yesterday.... just wanted to share! I was trying to say that something had given me goosebumps and made me feel fuzzy at the same time, and the word came out of my mouth was 'guzzy'! Must be something to do with my age, but I reckon that's a BRILLIANT word for all of us that know the feeling I was describing!

Anyway - better go - Mistresses is on TV!
Bye for now
Christine x

Not so little fairy...

One of the five little fairies by Mo Manning on Digital Pencil Too. Fabulous images to colour. I used some of my favourite shades of aqua and green and a DP from Blonde Moments called Buurd Minasie Moo.. I coloured the image with copics and added some glitter.. then finished it off with some wired ribbon from my local haberdashers, and then a couple of Prima Forever Flowers that started life cream but ended up coloured with the copics! Hope you like. Now if only I could find a challenge that this card would fit the theme of! hehe
Christine x

Getting tidier...

Ok, well I've spent some time this afternoon putting my new racks up and filling them! Soooo if anyone ever sees me in any craft shop , or at the Harrogate show in September even NEAR the stamp pad section with my purse out and a dreamy look on my face, you have my permission to take me outside and shoot me! (And that applies especially now I'm moving into digi-images!)

Dick Van Duck

This is just to prove that not everything I do is pink!! (Although nearly all.......)

Dick Van Duck from Just Inklined just looked so in need of a party.... (or perhaps is suffering from the after effects of one?), I couldn't resist him! So I dug out my manly papers and got to work. I used some DP from We R Memory Keepers called Sunshine Stripes, but it has been in my stash for a while, so not sure if it's available any more. I also used plain cardstock that was from the Paper Mill Shop and again, has been in my stash for a while. I coloured Dick with my copics - apart from his beak which I used my prismacolours on. He was quite difficult to colour, as I wanted him to look white, so I just had to concentrate on using a very pale colour in his 'creases!' I also popped him out by using cool grey 1 and 3 as a shadow. Sentiment was done on the PC, and I finished him off with some glossy accents for the lenses in his specs - and, yes, I added some glitter on his hat! Well....... he WAS partying.... yes?

Not a lot happening in my world today - just some ironing and some tidying. Oh, and some washing...... then maybe some dusting....... Or shall I just go make another card??

Surely I don't look like this.......

Hi - Today I've used one of my very favourite (I know, I say it all the time) of Mo's images... Bossy. Isn't she just a horrible little girl?? And weirdly enough, I'm told that this card is reminds my other half of me??????? As IF I would say something like that????? I really CAN'T think what he's talking about!

I've coloured her with my trusty copics, and used card from my stash to matt and layer - then added a dotty DP, and some grosgrain ribbon. I've finished her off with some card candy dots and then used a sentiment that I've openly borrowed from one of Peri Hill's cards - (check out her website - she is truly inspirational!) Anyway, hope she doesn't mind!

We went to Howarth yesterday - I took my southerner 'other half' to see some Yorkshire heritage. The parsonage that the Bronte sisters wrote their books in is still there, and you can actually FEEL the history exuding from the walls. Even though it wasn't such a nice day, the place was full - and we had a nice lunch, then fought out way back through the traffic in Bradford -not recommended! (stupid SatNav - did it not know to avoid traffic??) Anyway - we enjoyed the day - then finished it off by going to see Toy Story last night. I must be a softie - as I had a little cry at the end......

Christine x

Fairy Kiki

Well today is my birthday, so I've treated myself to some me time sitting at my desk with double sided tape in hand...... It's raining outside, so I thought 'what better way to spend my day?'. But like I said on facebook, my impetus has done a runner somewhere, and I have loads of images all coloured up, and a pile of beautiful cardstock, but can I match one with the other? Not a chance! But I've done my best with this one. Kiki is such a beautiful image available from Mo at Digital Pencil Too. I've used my copics to colour her which I SO enjoy doing, and am learning the shading all the time. I've used some Lasting Impressions dotty pink paper, which I've had in my stash for years, and some plain pink for the matting. I've tied a heart charm on a touch of organza ribbon, and finished off with a few punched flowers and of course....... some prisma-GLITTER!

Oh, and I have to tell you girls, I've been given some fab craft racks for my birthday - from www.craftracks.co.uk. We decided to go over and give them a visit in Batley near Leeds, and got a couple of multi-racks and also a 12 x 12 storage rack! YAY!! So I now have no excuse for not being able to find the right inkpad or bottle of whatever I'm looking for. I'll post pics of the resulting tidy room when I get round to doing it....

Thank you....

Wow - I got up this morning and came to check my blog - and couldn't believe my eyes to have some wonderful comments from kind people - and to have more followers! I'd been contemplating giving up the blog as I didn't seem able to 'be seen'! Sooooooo thank you for making my day - and special thanks to Christine for the 'signposting' - unknown to me, but really good of her! This really will give me the inspiration I sooo needed to get those images out and carry on!! And I tidied up my stuff yesterday (as it's crept from a room upstairs down into my dining room, hmmmm - so now I have no excuse that I can't find stuff!

I certainly will think of entering some into challenges, and thanks for the link. Up to now, when I've seen a challenge, the card I'm making doesn't particularly 'fit' the theme, so I've stayed away.... but now......

And I must admit that yes, I did buy both of those MS punch sets last weekend - but they were a bargain - weren't they????? That was my justification anyway! I'm very pleased with them - they're really good quality and punch card quite easily. So......... probably everything you see from me from now on will have a snowflake or a loopy border! hehe

Right...... breakfast time...
Bye for now
Christine x

Summer Fairy Finna

I've had this image called Summer Fairy Finna from Mo coloured and sitting on my desk waiting for the card to be designed for behind it... I think I'm on a roll today as I'm getting around to doing some of the things I've needed to for a while. The image really does make me feel summery - but when I look out of my window today at Yorkshire - all I see is rain! Ah well, it's still only July - hope we have more sunny days to come!

I've used Bazzil dotty for the base - then added a border using my new Martha Stewart border punch - it's wonderful - I couldn't resist it on QVC last weekend! I've used my copics to colour the image, then matted and layered. I've added some Stamping Bella flat backs (can't remember what their proper name is), and finished it with a couple of fabric flowers that I coloured to match with the copics. Hope you like...

Christine x

Diva

Well here I am again! I've not been too well over the last couple of weeks, and this card has been on my desk 'to do', but I've not had the mojo to do it! It ended up getting to be a real block. I've kept on looking at new cards being posted on Mo's facebook page, but you know how it feels when you're poorly, you feel down and feel that you everyone else's creations are better than yours (which they more often than not are!!!!) Or am I having a pity party? Sounds like it! Anyway, for better or worse, it's finished and I can now get on with all the other images I have mounting up to do. I've been a bit naughty this week, and spent on more nesties... which I've yet to try out! Hmmm I'm wandering now.... back to the card. I've tried all sorts of different designs, but this morning decided to just put on what came to hand! Sooooooo copics, glitter, cardstock and glue - all were in my stash. Diva is a spectacular design by Mo Manning downloaded from Digital Pencil Too here. I found a couple of flowers that I coloured with my copics and glittered, then added them. Hope you like!