If your birthday is 12th December, then please look away NOW!!!

I have a certain friend (she'll have to remain nameless or she'll know that this is her birthday card! LOL) who has a passion for little dragons.  When we were given some images to play with from Doodle Palace over on Inspirational Card Sketches that included this little fella, I just couldn't resist getting myself ahead and making her birthday card - early I know, but good for me to be so organised.

Materials:
6"x6" White pearlescent cardstock.
Papers: Cosmo Cricket 'Honey Pie'
Digi stamp: Doodle Palace.
Colouring: Promarkers.
Ribbon, pins and smal tag: Stash.
Greeting: Dymo.

Inspirational Card Sketches #40

The Pixie Cottage are sponsoring us with a prize over on ICS this week.  Dawn continues to come up with great sketches for us to work from and this week is no exception.  Simple but very effective I think.

Materials:
Pearlescent 6"x6" Square card.
Papers: My Minds Eye "Bloom & Grow"
Chipboard coaster: Opitec.
Greeting printed on Word using WordArt.
Flower punches from Woodware.
Eyelets, corrugated card & ribbon from stash.

Indigo Mill Kit

Continuing my scraptastic theme of using up those bits and bobs I've got another few of cards to share with you.

And my fave....

 

Materials:
Cardstock in various sizes.
Papers: Indigo Mill Kit 'The Beautiful Life'.
Rubber stamp & greeting: Stampin' Up.
Flower punch: Woodware.
Flowers: Prima.
Brads: Stash.
Rub on (Discover Your Passion) BasicGrey.
Flower centres: PVA & Accent Beads.
Ribbon: Stash.
Tag: Stash.

Fantastic family film!

Weekends are special to us as it's our family time and we always try to do at least one thing out of the ordinary with the kids as they really deserve it with their impeccable behaviour and hard work at school, so this weekend we had a trip to the cinema to see the Disney/Pixar film 'UP'  We LOVED it!!!!! If you want a good, family film with entertainment, laughs, touching moments and all out FUN we can truly recommend it.

Oooh, and I cried - twice!  But not as much as Freya did! LOL

I can't embed the video at the request of Disney it's not available, but I can give you the link to the official trailer on YouTube just {here}

Sad, sad, sad, sad!!! But ecstatically happy! New Moon, here I come!

Why am I sad but ecstatically happy?  Because I've just booked two tickets to see New Moon on opening night, Friday 20th November, that's why!!!!!!  Jacob and I are going - I've told him that it's his birthday treat as he'll have turned the grand old age of 14 on Wednesday 18th HAHA!  Really he's coming to keep ME company.

Haaaaaaah!  I need to watch Twilight one (or several) times more before I go just so I remember what happened in the first film you understand..... don't you?

Indigo Mill Kit

I love to use up my bits and bobs - waste not, want not and all that.  I also like to save my papers for just the right photos too.  Indigo Mill's The Beautiful Life kit from August was still out as I knew I wanted to scrap some fab phots but just didn't know which ones to use until I found these...

The other day I was looking through my tin of photos and came across these two of the kids taken a couple of years back at Kirby Hall.  They had a dressing up table.  Needless to say (judging by the photos) one of my two was more keen to try on the costumes than the other one... can you guess which one is grumpy? LOL!

Tthe other layout I made used a photo dating back a few years, 6 or so we reckon looking at the ages of them both.  I love the way that the light coming through the window behind them creates a halo effect around their heads.  Hence why I then chose to cut out a large chandelier from my Cricut Home Decor cartridge to shine above them.

In addition to the Indigo Mill 'The Beautiful Life Kit' I used:
Cricut Cartridge: Home Decor.
Stickles glitter glue.
American Crafts Mini Marks rub ons.
BasicGrey alpha stickers.
Prima flowers.
Chipboard crowns from Buzz and Bloom.
Metallic rub on paste.

My mojo has been very quite of late!

No pics, just words...

I have lost my mojo recently. Don't know where it's gone to if I'm honest.  I WANT to create but can't be bothered!  I do my duty and meet my DT obligations but beyond that in the last couple of weeks I've really struggled.  Don't know why, and I'm not making excuses.

I've not even been in my room most of the last couple of weeks.  Had to push my way past the tumble weed to get back in today!  No MSN as my laptop is in here.  I've kept in touch with relatives via Facebook as my mobile patches in to the interweblet.

On a plus point... I have read a book in the last week.   I have also had some well needed early nights and feel revived, refreshed and raring to go again (I think!)

Today I made chicken casserole.  Enough for two meals I thought...... until I cooked it and turned out to be enough for 3 meals!  I could have fed half of my neighbours tonight LOL.  One portion for the freezer and the other for the fridge which'll equate to a quick, wholesome tea next week.

Hope everyone in blogland is well and enjoying life.  If you see my mojo on your treks, please chastise it harshly and send it back home, won't you?

xx

Inspirational Card Sketches #39

We have brand new sponsor this week on Inspirational Card Sketches.  Doodle Palace are giving away (4) four free digi images of the winners choice away.

Also, right now and till the end of the month (Oct 31st) Doodle Palace is having a HALLOWEEN sale. Thats right you heard me a SALE on all their HALLOWEEN images. So you better head on over and see what they got.

*****************************************

So, here's Dawn's sketch for this week. Remember, you can rotate, flip, stretch, cut down or anything your heart desires, you are good to go. Please remember to have fun. Can't wait to see what you create.

Be sure you use the sidebar to go the the Design Teams Blogs to see how they

made their lovely cards and other projects.

ICSketches #39

This is my DT entry this week. On time sending it to Dawn but a day late posting it on my blog.

Materials:
White A5 card made using A4 sheet of Fine Art Lightly Textured Soft White 280g from Photo Paper Direct.
Papers & backing sentiment: Cosmo Cricket.
Name & age sentiment: Computer generated and prited onto Creative Sticker paper from Photo Paper Direct.
Digi image: Doodle Palace.
Pens: Promarkers.
Chipboard Monogram: Lil' Davis

Di Hickman October #3

It's been a while since I've joined in with one of Di Hickman's sketches.  Doesn't life just get in the way of having fun and doing what you want to do?  Anyway... Di has a great new sketch that's she's just put up on her blog and while chatting away to her on Facebook, I came up with this little number.  Very simple and it uses some lovely velvety flocked Bella! paper that was in a kit from Indigo Mill.

I've stamped the sentiment in brown faintly to work as a shadow then again, slightly offset in black.

The string came from a label that was on Jacob's new jeans and the buttons are all old and recycled too.

Materials
White pearlescent 6"x6" cardstock
Flocked paper: Bella! from Indigo Mill.
Stamp: Adornit - Carolee's Creations.
Inkpads: Colorbox Chalk  Eye (brown) & DewDrop Brilliance (Lightning black).
Buttons and string - recycled from stash.

Rosie D's Challenge No. 56 - Carrot, Courgette and a flower

Wow! Did you see how many people we had joining in with us last time  over on Rosie D's Challenge Blog??!  It was amazing.  My thanks go out to each and every person that took part last week.

The announcement of our winner is on the blog, so please, if you did join us last time, then pop over and check out the post to see if you're the lucky winner of the $10 gift certificate from Digital Delights by Louby Loo.

I'm proud to say that we have another FANTASTIC sponsor this time around:

have kindly provided the Design Team with a cute image to play with as well as offering this image as a prize to one lucky participant this time. To be in in the a chance of winning this lovely image, all you have to do is to take part in our challenge.

Here's the card that I made this week.  Please take a minute or two to pop over to the Challenge Blog and see the fab creations from the DT.

Promarkers - Cowling & Wilcox

Letraset have brought out four new Seasonal sets of Promarkers; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  Each set contains 5 colours which co-ordinate beautifully together.

Cowling & Wilcox have these currently on special offer at a fantastic price of £5.95 per set.  You can find the Seasonal sets {here}

They are also offering Letraset's two new Promarker Christmas Sets; Contemporary and Classic at the same great price.   You can find these two sets {here}.

Great prices if you ask me!  Not to mention that Letraset have done all the hardwork for you by putting the colours together.

An idea for your Christmas wish list maybe....?!  Or just as a treat because 'you're worth it!'

Sad, sad news. Rest in Painfree Peace, Aunty Lesley

I had an email from my Aunty Gill (one of dad's sisters) who is on holiday here from America telling me that my Aunty Lesley had been rushed to hospital and could I get hold of mum and dad as she only has their home number and not their mobiles or even my own home number with her in the UK. Mum and dad are away in their caravan for the weekend.

I was assured by the local hospital at 10.40pm that she was comfortable as could be expected and to call in the morning to see what kind of night she had had. Then to call again after 10.30am today after she had been seen by the consultant. This info I relayed to my parents. Settling news as she seemed to be relatively comfortable and they were unconcerned as to her immediate future.

I then received another call from the hospital at 11.45pm to say that she had deteriorated rapidly and could I ring the family, which I did.

I then get a call at 4.20am to say that she was very, very poorly and sadly not expected to see this morning. Again the phone calls all round to my parents, cousins and two aunties. Unfortunately it seems no sooner had I put the phone down again after making these sad calls that I then get another call from the hospital to say she had passed away at 4.45am.

I then had to call my parents, and my cousins while the hospital rang my other two aunties to give them the sad news.

Though I'm glad dad didn't come straight home in the middle of the night as he has a heart complaint and angina and is 72 himself and would have had to drive 2 1/2 hours to be with her in the middle of the night. I wish we could have said goodbye and God bless to her properly.

I had to explain to my children that their great aunt had passed away. My son who's almost 14 understood in such a mature manner, knowing her ill health which had become much worse recently. My 8 year old daughter was extremely upset but I've tried to make her understand that her great aunt was so poorly, that her body was very tired and it was making her sad to see everyone else sad for her poor health. That her great aunt is now in the stars looking down with 3 of her grandchildren who died many years back in a house fire. That they now have their grandma to cuddle them as my daughter has her grandma to cuddle and love her.

She later asked me if she could go to the funeral if it wasn't on a school day. I just can't let them go, either of them. It's no place for a child in my eyes. There will be time enough in the future for funerals. For now I want to protect them from that experience.

Digital Delights & Promarkers

We were sponsored this week on Rosie-D's Challenge blog by Digital Delights who kindly sent the DT 4 images to work with. Being a little indecisive as I am at times, I used all four images and made them all into cards. All of them were coloured using my new fave item... Letraset Promarkers which I recently treated myself to from Cowling & Wilcox




All of the papers I used on these cards came from my scrap packs. No new paper was harmed in the making of these cards! LOL.

Rosie-D's Challenge Blog

We have a great sponsor that we're working with this week. Digital Delights are offering our winner a $10 gift certificate this week. They have some fantastic designs in the shop. Why not pop over to the shop to check out what you can win and then visit the Challenge Blog to see how to be a winner on Rosie-D's!

See you there!
x

Inspirational Card Sketches #36

I hope you managed to get the chance to pop over to the Inspirational Card Sketches blog this week and also managed to make your card to join in with the fun.


This is the card that I made this week. I coloured the image of the pumpkins using Letraset Promarkers, shading where appropriate and highlighting with a white pen.


Materials:
White 6"x6" card.
Pumpkin image: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff.
Black glitter card from stash.
Orange card strip: stash.
Circles punched from October Afternoon.
Flowers: Prima.
Gem: Patti's Pretties from Kirsty Wiseman.

Rosie-Dee's Week 55

The colour theme this week is Coffee & cream with a cherry on the top! Mmm... tasty!


Digital Delights have kindly provided the Design Team with fantastic images to play with this week as well as offering a $10 gift certificate to one lucky participant this time. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this so that you too can treat yourself to some of their fantastic images, is to take part in our challenge. Leave us your link with the one and only Mr Linky and then leave us a comment. A winner will be picked at random from all the comments received. Good luck!

Rosie-Dee's Challenge Blog

It's all change over on Rosie-Dee's Challenge Blog; Dee has left us to follow her own crafting avenues which I wish her all the luck in the world for. Secondly our original DT who were with the challenge blog from July to September inclusive have sadly come to the end of their term. However.... four of the ladies are staying on as DT members to help me out! Woo hoo!!!! They are Saskia, Karen, Brenda and Jo.

It's been an absolute pleasure working with ALL the DT over the last three months and with Dee for the last 12 months since we started the challenge blog up.

Lyn will be staying with us for the month of October as a Guest Designer and the others; Jackie, Gez and Kaz will be joining us too in the coming months.

Rosie-Dee's Week 54

We had the lovely Regina from The Cutting Cafe to thank for our sponsorship this week. 3 sets of digi stamps for one lucky participant who joined in the fun over on Rosie-Dee's Challenge Blog.



Materials:
Card shape and pumpkin digi images: The Cutting Cafe.
White 6"x6" card.
Orange card from stash.
Colouring: Letraset Promarkers.
Journalling pen: American Crafts Slick Writer.
Ribbon & Twine: Stash

Said I was dozy...

The theme on Rosie-Dee's this week is 'Bows and Arrows' and we are sponsored by The Cutting Cafe with some fantastic digi images.

I made my card and, even though I don't do girlie grunge, I really like what I created. I have two arrows and a big pink bow. BUT NO BLOODY CUTTING CAFE IMAGE IN SIGHT!


I need a holiday I think LOL.

Materials:
White 6"x6" card.
Papers: All old offcuts from stash.
Inkpad: Dewdrop Brilliance Inkpad in black and pink.
Skull & arrows: Grungeboard.
Clear embossing powder.
Sentiment: Computer generated.
Ribbon: Ribbon Mad.