Daisy236

In preparation for next week's patchwork class

2012-01-29T20:58:00.003Z

I've had a fun day sewing. Next week at Craft Den we are starting our Star patchwork blocks.

I have made lots of different sizes so they can be made into various projects, maybe a bag, a sewing machine cover or cushions. I think I may make a few more for a small lap quilt.

If you fancy a go the class starts at 10, contact Lynne at the Craft Den

Work in Progress...

2012-01-22T21:41:00.002Z

On Saturday I had a lovely time at Craft Den. I showed the ladies how to make a quirky patchwork and appliqué cushion. Here are their work in progress..

Julie

Tara

Penny

Kay

Pam

Jill

Sandra

Betty

I cant wait to see them finished. Our next class is on 4th February, if you fancy it?

3D Patchwork ruler and mat carrier

2012-01-18T22:00:00.000Z

I've been thinking about making some more 3D patch work for a while so this week I've had another play! I'm going to make a bag to carry my mat and ruler to classes!

I know you can't tell from these photos how 3 D the patchwork works but check back in a week or two and I will show you the finish effect. I can roll the edges back just like cathedral windows to make the patchwork pieces have curved edges!

More Patchwork Classes at Craft Den

2012-01-13T21:46:00.002Z

Lynne over at Craft Den has a new patchwork timetable here. Over the next 6 months you will learn different patchwork techinques which will make up a series of patchwork blocks below. At the end of the 6 months you can decide what to make them into. Maybe a few cushions, or a bag or two. Or it can simple be made into a quilt or wall hanging, it's your choice.

If you fancy having a go and learning a new technique every month contact Lynne at the Craft Den.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-13T21:27:00.002Z

Happy New Year, please forgive my long absence from blogging! I started a new job in November which has taken my crafting time away. I hope you've have had a peaceful Christmas. Here is a project that I am planning to teach at the Craft Den

The centre piece is made from 3D Flying Geese and Prairie Points. It can be made into a cushion panel or if you add a wide feature fabric border it makes a great wallhanging.

The picture below shows that the triangles are 3D. I have quilted inbetween the triangles and left the threads showing so it looks like a fan which fits with my Japanese fabric in the borders.

WOWW...

2011-11-09T21:42:00.000Z

Here are my first 2 pages from Shimelle's Class.My previous prompt showed my starting selection of papers here. I've really enjoyed the challenge of making the layouts first and adding photos later.

This is my work desk this week, I'm afraid nothing is moving very fast at the moment due to what life is throwing at me....An emergency visit to the vet with a poorly dog and starting a new job has stopped my creativity! The lovely bunch of flowers were a leaving gift from my work mates.

I've made a start on my third layout below.....

Here are my last three pages just waiting for photos and embellishments!

Meet my new dogs....

2011-10-31T08:54:00.003Z

I hope you all had a great weekend, I did, I found time to finish a project I've had going on for a while. My youngest dog is partial to cushions so I have been delaying this. We are now down to just one cushion on the sofa as Miss Luna eats them! Here are our new additions......

Meet Billy the Dachshund and Tilly the Cocker Spaniel!

The cushions are made from very neutral fabrics, the photo make them look white but I have made them from a variety of cream scraps. I have pieced a patchwork background from four squares which is then cut up and random strips of fabric added to create a frame for the dogs to sit on.

The dogs are appliqued on to the the patchwork cushions using embroidery threads and a button hole stitch.

Meet my new doggies.....

2011-10-31T08:27:00.000Z

New members of the pack.....

2011-10-31T07:49:00.000Z

I hope you all had a great weekend, I found time to finish a project I have had going on for a while. My youngest dog is partial to cushions so I have been delaying this. We are now down to just one cushion on the sofa so here are our new additions...... Meet Billy the Dashound and Tilly the Cocker Spaniel!

More Pretty Paper Party......

2011-10-24T20:26:00.001+01:00

I'm slowly keeping up with Shimelle's online class Pretty Paper Party. Prompt 3 sets a challenge of creating scrapbook pages without knowing what the photographs are. I love this idea as I always start with a photograph. The picture above shows my colletion of paper. The challenge asks you to select:

5 small one colour prints
3 small multi oloured prints
2 large multi colour prints suitable for cutting
1 multi coloured stripe to pull it all together.

Now the hard part starts, Ive got to cut into the paper to make six different layouts......

Here is my layout from the second prompt. Shimelle challenged us to start with a patterned background rather than using a plain card stock.

Why dont you come and join the Party here?

Saturday's Patchwork Class......

2011-10-23T21:08:00.001+01:00

(Anne's quilt)

Saturday was the regular patchwork class at the Craft Den. The ladies have nearly finished their 1st quilt. We were finishing the piecing of the patchwork top. Then everyone layered the quilt in the afternoon. It was great everyone helped each other to pin the layer together ready for quilting.

Betty ironing her quilt!

(Wendy's quilt)

(Sandra's quilt)

Next month we will be looking at the quilting design and the binding to complete the quilt, thanks for a great day girls xx

Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party......

2011-10-19T19:24:00.002+01:00

Above (my favorite stash of paper)

Ive signed up for Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party, Im so excited! Here is Shimelle's introduction....."This party isn’t quite like the average celebratory get-together. For starters, it’s four weeks long, making it quite the party indeed! And rather than celebrate a birthday or another momentous occasion, this party is in honour of something each of us holds dear: paper."

As the party kicked off this week Shimelle asked us to take a moment to think about just what kind of paper person you might be. I'm definately.....

The Scrap Sorter: An inevitable part of papercrafting is the partial sheet. The off-cuts, the left-overs, the scraps. Call them what you will, but it’s rare that there are no extra pieces of paper on the desk once a project is finished. Now what to do with all those small pieces? Scrap Sorters are dedicated to keeping all these small pieces in case they come in handy for another project. The most advanced Scrap Sorters have intricate systems of filing these off-cuts by colour, pattern, size or manufacturer; other Scrap Sorters tend to place all these papers in one place without worry of further organisation. The merit of this philosophy is widely acknowledged as a strong return on the paper investment... but it can be overwhelming to find the scrapheap never stops growing. I think its the patchworker in me!

Here is my stash of 12 x 12 paper and below you can see how I store my smalller books of paper. I keep my scraps separate. I was inspired last night to have a tidy of all those scraps to make the first challange!

The challange was to use a number of strips from your scrap box so here goes....

A close up of little old me in Torquay Marina.....

Japanese Patchwork......

2011-10-17T20:53:00.002+01:00

At the weekend I attended my monthly sewing class, we had a visit from Katie from Japan Crafts. It was a great day we learnt how to make 2 different versions of Japanese folded patchwork. Katie provided all the lovely fabric. Ok so I couldnt resist buying a few more fat quarters. The photograph above shows the back of the hexagon version. The reverse side is on the photo below as it makes a stunning star design (right).

The other folded patchwork was made from a larger circle with a square in the centre. We hand sewed the pieces, which was very relaxing. I forgot to mention, if you make lots of these folded patchwork units, it can be made into a bag....a girl can never have too many bags!!

In the afternoon we had a go at making Kimekomi Japanese fabric balls using Christmas fabrics. All you need is a batch of pretty fabric scraps, a smooth Styrofoam ball, a few dabs of glue, and a length of cord or ribbon. You can complete the simplest patterns in about an hour. At end of the day the ladies let me photograph their lovely work, wow.... we had been very productive!

I could not resist playing with this close up of the Temari balls, it would make a great Christmas card, unfortunately only one of these belong to me (below, right) the rest belong to Katie who showed us how to make 3 different designs.

WOWW.....

2011-10-12T10:06:00.002+01:00

I have recently recieved my quilt back from being quilted on a long arm quilting machine by Rosemary from Frome Valley Quilting. The quilt is for my superking bed so it measure ove 90" square, which is a lot of quilt to put thro my little sewing machine hence why I sent it away to be quilted!

It was difficult to photograph for WOWW.....my sewing machine is under there, some where! I love the design Rosemary chose for my Amy Butler fabric. The fabric is very bold and busy so Rosemary has chosen a great design to complement it.

To finish the quilt I have decided to bind it in a lovely lime green to match the outer triangles. It is a mamoth job due to the weight of the quilt but it will be worth it in the coming winter months when it's on my bed!

See, I told you my sewing machine was under there......

I sew my quilt bindings on both front and back by machine, I use a folded method which gives nice sharp corners too!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what's on my workdesk. Please share yours on http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Mini Modern Quilt.....

2011-10-09T16:11:00.002+01:00

I've finally finished my mini quilt! I thought I would have another go using fleece as the backing and wadding. The fleece is very stretchy so you have to be really careful when quilting the layers together. Its gives a nive snuggly finish to the mini lap quilt though.

I couldn't resist adding this photo, Luna has just had a shower after our Sunday morning walk round Linacre Reservoirs. This is her favourite sleeping place......

I have used varigated quilting threads, in contrasting pink and orange. I wanted to make sure it was quilted heavily so I have sewn contrasting lines every couple of inches.

Here is the full layout, it measures 40" x 42"

A close up of the stitching!

Basic patchwork quilt update.....

2011-09-29T09:17:00.001+01:00

The patchwork piecing is finished, all pressed and ready to quilt. I have decide to quilt it on to fleece to give this little quilt a lovely cuddly feel!

I have been slightly distracted from my quilting as my superking patchwork quilt arrive back from Rosemary at Frome Valley Quilting this week. It looks great I can't stop looking at it. Ive cut the binding so it already to take on my holiday next week. I hope the weather stay like this, im keeping my fingers crossed!

What a busy weekend.....

2011-09-25T21:08:00.001+01:00

On Saturday I taught my patchwork class at the Craft Den. We had great fun, here is Penny laying out her blocks with the lovely orange sashing.

Here is Sandra sewing her lovely Amy Butler fabric together. These are her finished blocks below.

These are Wendy's blocks below, looking great together!

Penny decided to layout her blocks out differently as she preferred all the same blocks together in a row.

Overall we had a very productive day, the patchwork blocks all finished and the sashing cut and ready to put the quilt top together. I can't wait to see them all finished at the next class in October! On Sunday I visited a craft and textile show, Lynne from the Craft Den had a great stall full of fabric. I couldnt resist buying this little bundle!

I was so inspired that I came home and cut them up. I wanted to make a design that would be a great beginners quilt. Here is a sneek peek......

I added another fabric to make the design zing! Check back later this week to see the finished quilt!

Anorther Starting Point from Shimelle....

2011-09-22T21:12:00.001+01:00

I am well and truely back into my scrapbooking, here is another starting point from Shimelle. The photographs were taken on Isabel's 3rd birthday, she loved the new outfits. I've been told today that I got to get Father Christmas to get another one as she is quickly growing out of those.

I just want to say thanks to the lovely bloggers on WOWW as they helped me finish the page, I also got some great inspiration from the other participants in Shimelle's challenge so thank you again! Isnt the internet great!!!

As always Ive made two layouts as I always have too many photos!

The lovely paper is from the Daisy Bucket range, I've had it for sometime so its great to finally use it!

WOWW....

2011-09-21T09:06:00.002+01:00

On my desk this week is another Starting Point from Shimelle its been there for a few days as I'm struggling to finish it off! I think my photos are too small, maybe I need just one larger picture...what do you think? I'm also struggling with my embellishments, what should I use? button, bows, or gems??

If you look back at my work desk you will see a bundle of fabric at the top right. I just love to buy new fabric, I have a plan for this lovely stack, I want to make an Oh' Fransson quilt, which is a very simple design to show of the bold fabric.

My favourite piece is the owl fabric!

Starting point finished.....

2011-09-17T07:23:00.002+01:00

I've finished Shimelle's Starting Point! I had great fun, it is so nice to be back scrapbooking. I have a huge pile of photos just waiting......

Look at the animals on this layout...lol! During our holiday in Devon, we had said all week we were going to the Zoo, my little niece Isabel was so excited. She isn't on these shots as she was fast asleep in her pram! It was a rainy day but we didnt care, this is us in the dessert, it was boiling hot.

Now here are some nicer looking animals. I love giraffes, the colours, the print of their skin, so slender and tall! I think I will come back as a giraffe...lol!

I've stamped a title and punched some jungle leaves!

A big thank you to Sarah who left comments on my last post, I used her idea for a title. It made me chuckle when I read it.

It was "A Zoo-pa Day Out"!

WOWW

2011-09-14T08:37:00.003+01:00

The sewing has gone away this week, I feel I have neglected my scrapbooking. I have Shimelle to thank for this as she blogged a starting point, and I thought ....why not? It was the kick up the backside I needed....lol! My other inspiration was the giraffe print ribbon that I purchase at the Papercraft Show in Harrogate at the weekend. Can you see the rest of my goodies in the top left hand corner, a lovely butterfly stamp, lots of scrummy buttons and they are sat in wooden house, just waiting for me to alter!

My challenge now, is how many photos can I fit on one page, I have over 40 pictures to choose from on a double page layout! I've made a start on the layout below, now to add the photos and embellishments.....

Any ideas for a title? The photos are from my visit to Paignton Zoo whilst on holiday in Devon. I just love the giraffes, they are my favourite. I have challenged my lovely friend Norma to create a page with the same starting point so watch this space!

I love patchwork....

2011-09-12T09:28:00.001+01:00

Just thinking about my next project, I just love patchwork! Cutting up the fabric and putting it all back together again! The last photo was a gift from a friend, I may make a few just in time for Christmas!

Sewing therapy......

2011-09-04T22:03:00.002+01:00

What a week! I had two pieces of bad news this week which I may blog about when I'm ready but for now I'm spending some time at home with my girls (above, playing in the garden). I was also in need of some sewing therapy, so I got out an old project I had on the go. It is a reversible quilt, this is a pile of the blocks with the reverse side showing.

This is the main side, pieced out of all my yellow/orange fabric scraps.

I love making reversible quilts as it is quilted as you go along, here is one I made a few years ago with some great fabric I bought in San Francisco. I just loved the melons with pinks and limes colours.

This is the reverse side, I collected fabric for a few years with, tea, coffee, cups and saucers on. So I have 2 quilts in one. I keep turning it over to suit whatever mood I'm in!

Here are a few closes up so you can see the fabric better.....

New Craft Bucket

2011-08-31T19:24:00.002+01:00

Here is my new Craft Bucket. It's so bright, I love it, and so useful too! I have a magnetic pin holder so I made a deep pocket to store that in.

I have used the new technique for the flying ducks...lol! I used some lovely fabric that a friend brought back from Australia. The rest of the Craft Bucket is made out of a range of Bali Batiks that I have had for years so it is great to use it up!

More pockets for my scissors, and other bits and bobs.

I added a few buttons for an extra interested!

This is the final side, with more flying geese and you have taken the virtual tour of my new updated Craft Bucket! Oh wait a minute, what about the inside of the bag I hear you cry.......

More pockets!

The flying ducks are dead!

2011-08-30T10:17:00.002+01:00

After teaching a lovely group of ladies at the Craft Den, they posted their finished craft buckets on their blogs. The patchwork section of the bag were Flying Geese, well the ladies called them all sorts, some repeatable, flying ducks, flying swans! I know they won't mind me saying but they struggled with the paper piecing technigue so I've banished those dead ducks to the bin! Here 's another way to make them......

So I thought I would revamp the craft bucket, using the new patchwork technique. The craft bucket is great for storage but lacks pockets so watch this space for an updated version. Here is a sneek peek of the fabric I am using.....

If you fancy having a go at making another craft bucket, just let Lynne know and we will get another class together!

The original version is here.

Back to sewing....

2011-08-26T16:13:00.001+01:00

I needed a new mobile phone/ purse so I found out a few patterns but in my wisdom I decided I could make it easier in my own way...lol! Four attempts later I am happy with the finished item! The photo above is my 3rd attempt!

I added a few finishing touches, a button to close it and a strap on the back so I can clip it to my jeans when I am walking the dogs.

This is my final attempt, the first few turned out too bulky so I used wadding on one side and interfacing to strenghten the fabric on the front. I also shaped the closing flap to make it look more pleasing!

Here are the finished items, I think my sister may get one for Christmas!

Crafty ongoings.....

2011-08-04T08:36:00.001+01:00

Im just catching up with my online class with Shimelle "Explore". We had 3 questions to consider......

Where do you spend the most time each day?
In which of these locations are you most comfortable?
Which of theses locations adds the most value to your day?

I've realised I spend the most time in my bed! OMG that sound awful, I need at least 8 hours sleep to function at my best! I only work 7 hours a day, the rest of the day is my own!! When I looked at the locations where I spent the most time sitting and what adds most value I placed them from left to right in the higest value. My creative time makes me happy and all the other stuff bearable. I love to relax with the dogs on the sofa and then work came last. I know it pays the bills and I wouldnt be able to do the other stuff without it but that's all it is!

The next prompt in Shimelle's class is to write about memories that the locations bring to mind, she also wants us to write or doodle on the photos. I was impressed that I managed to added text to the photos above, I'm shying away from using my own handwriting but may have a go at the weekend!

This week I am also preparing for the next sewing workshop at the Craft Den I've finally cut up some of the lovely Kath Kidstone fabric I bought a while ago.

There are some places left on the Bank Holiday Weekend if you have no plans on Saturday 27th August contact Lynne here

2011-07-31T20:46:00.000+01:00

We had a lovely day sewing on Saturday at the Craft Den. I taught them how to make a sewing roll, to hold all those important bits and bobs in! Sandra took my picture and she has blogged her sewing roll on http://pilgrimart.blogspot.com/, it looks brilliant.

Here is Ann's, I just love the fabric it is so shabby chic!

We are making a quilt next time, there are still spaces on Saturday August 27th if you fancy joining us, please contact Lynne at Craft Den

Family Adventures

2011-07-30T06:53:00.002+01:00

This is my finished LO from Shimelle's EXPLORE class. The daily prompts got you thinking about adventure, maps, and using circles. I decided to scrap my most recent adventure. Our visit to the Big City to see my young brother Gavin. Im so glad I save my tube ticket now. Im not a big fan of my own writing so dont often tell the story in words. The tube tickets documents the date perfectly!

My map embellishment tell the story of our journey, you can see the top circle is Hyde Park, where the photos were taken, of course the next one is London. The bottom one is Kings Road where we did a little bit of shopping. I also include one to show where Gavin is living, one to show we got the bus there too!

I love following Sketches, the main foucus of the LO sketch was to have a 9 circle embellishment on the page. I have distressed the edgesof my circles. Finally here is he finished page.......

A Shimelle update.....

2011-07-24T15:44:00.001+01:00

I love Sunday mornings for catching up on my crafting. I have update my Playbook for Shimele's online class Explore. Front cover all finished!

Page 1 : My self portrait

Page 2: Look out of the window....what can I see?

Page 3 & 4: Maps and Postcards....

Page 5: What moment in your life felt more adventurous????

I am still struggling with one of the prompts "How do you define perfect?" I have to take a picture of something that seems close to perfect? I have come back to this prompt over and over again. What would you do for this prompt?

It was my sewing class at the Craft Den on Saturday. The ladies worked extra hard but didn't get to complete the Craft Bucket in the day. The paper pieced Flying Geese were a real challenge. I was pleasantly surprised when I recieved an email today for Julie, she went home and finished her bag that evening and doesnt it look amazing. Thanks, Julie for sharing it, I thought I'd put everyone off sewing ever again...lol!

WOWW

2011-07-20T07:50:00.001+01:00

I've started the new Shimelle class this week, so I have a very creative workplace going on for a change! You will see the sewing machine in the background which is my 1st hobby! I should really be preparing for my sewing workshop on Saturday at the Craft Den....lol! No worries ladies, I have taught this one before but thought it might be nice to have a new sample of the craft bucket to demonstrate with. You can see the craft bucket here.

Explore.....

2011-07-18T21:57:00.000+01:00

I've signed up for Shimelle's new class Explore. The 1st prompt was to take a self portrait...well I was sat on the sofa with the lap top so it seemed easier to ask the OH to take it! I dont mind taking photos of myself. I try to scrap "Me" at least once a year! Its often photo's of me and the dogs so I dont mind at all.

Note to self....plan some "me time" in to my daily routine. I love to be creative but find it stressful fitting it in around the chores and dog walking! I am a morning person so often in the evenings after a day's work I have lost my creative energy.

When I look out of the window....I love this time of year, light nights and long days. I am really looking forward to Shimelle's class. I need the motivation right now, small bite size chunks of creativity will do! Im off now to make my playbook which I will blog later this week.

A family outing.....

2011-07-01T08:15:00.002+01:00

Last weekend, we had an annual family outing to London to visit my young brother Gavin. We had a great weekend, on Saturday we had a walk round Camden Market, which was amazing. There was so much to see and buy! Then on Sunday the weather was so hot so we had a stroll round Hyde Park but we snook in an hour's shopping on Kings Road! We could only afford an hour!! The Cath Kidston shop had a sale on. I was in heaven....fabric and bags!

Here are a few of my purchases, nicely washed and ironed.....

All ready for my next project.....

My family history....

2011-06-23T08:40:00.001+01:00

Here is my layout from last week's Craft Den class. Just recently I have had to show more of an interest in my family history, especially the female members, for medical reasons. This is my Great Grandma Kate. I never knew her but doesn't she look stern! She was Mum to four children, her daughter Freda was my Grandma who I have fond memories as a child. Unfortunately she died young from cervical cancer in her mid 40's. Just this month Kate's son passed away, Dennis was in his early 80's. Her other daughter Mildred is still alive and has some great stories to tell!

A great day....

2011-06-19T20:51:00.003+01:00

I taught my second bag class yesterday at the Craft Den. It was a busy day but the seven ladies were lovely and all managed to complete their bags before going home. Here is Jill modelling her bag above and Ann is showing off her bag below......

Ann (The Flutterby Crafter) has blogged her bag here, it looks lovely!

I have had a sort out of my craft room this week and I have put some fabric on ebay if you are interested click here, thanks for looking!

Craft bucket.....

2011-06-12T11:21:00.001+01:00

I had great fun yesterday teaching at the Craft Den. Everyone went home with a lovely hand crafted tote bag. This is our next project, a craft bucket. Mine is filled with sewing threads and equiptment but it could also be used for paper crafting as there is plenty of room for scrapbooking stash! The next class is on 23 July 2011 at the Craft Den if you are interested?

Bags, Bags and more Bags!

2011-06-06T21:15:00.001+01:00

I am teaching at the Craft Den this weekend so I thought I would have another practice at the lovely bags we will be making. The one on the left has some cute cat fabric in it and the other is made from some lovely Tanya Whelan fabric. I'm really excited about teaching the sewing class, I have sewn for over 15 years and just love to go back and concentrate on my first hobby, patchwork and quilting!

I love summer....

2011-06-03T09:40:00.003+01:00

I finally found 10 minutes to write on my blog! This is my layout from last week's Craft Den class. We used some great papers in bright primary colours. I had these photos in my craft bag for ages waiting for the right papers to come along!

I have triple embossed a wooden star shape with Ultra Thick Embossing Powder and then stamped into it with a text stamp "Love".

Here is our lovely foster Lloyd chillin in the garden with my partner Martin.

Add caption

Happy 1st anniversary!

2011-05-28T18:12:00.002+01:00

This is my finished layout from my class at the Craft Den. I can't belive this week was Rachel and Carl's 1st anniversary. How time flies!

Meet Lloyd our temporary foster dog for the weekend, he is off tomorrow to his retirement home by the Devon sea!

Last night's scrapbooking class

2011-05-06T08:28:00.001+01:00

Here's my LO from last night's class. The papers are perfect with my woodland photo's of Daisy. The leaves were cut from the new Tim Holtz die. I doodled and added stickles to finish them off. The title is also from a Tim Holtz alphabet die Carnivale.

I cut my circle in half as the paper was double sided and I couldn't make a decision which side to use, so I used both! We used a lovely Martha Stewart border punch which I added gems to highlight the centre.

Holidays.....

2011-05-01T17:05:00.003+01:00

Over Easter I've had a lovely long nine day break at the Seaside.....Luna had her 1st bus ride. Here she is, sat at the front of the bus with my younger brother David!

My oldest dog Daisy is getting on now but she still loves a run on the beach. After the first few days she was struggling to get up the stairs to the caravan, so we had to limit the time on the beach for her!

We went on lots of lovely walks, this was taken near Burgh Le Marsh, the fields were such stunning colours! The weather looks great but the cold Northernly wind spoilt it, hence why Ive got my coat zipped to the top!

I even found time to Craft, (apologises for the photos, they were took on my mobile) I am shocked to say this but I enjoyed using the Peel Offs! Im not a "Peel Off kinda girl" but I purchased an old card making magazine and I loved the article in it using the bird cage designs. It also matched a lovely set of new stamps on front of this months Simply Cards & Papercrafts with the sentiment "Have a tweet Day!" I also used K & Company paper from the Madeline Mat Pad.

Overall I couldn't have asked for better weather, a relaxing time was had by all my family and friends. We watched the Royal wedding together and had a bar b que in the afternoon. Also my older brother turned 18th this week so we celebrated his birthday with a meal out.

Steady on....

2011-04-17T19:04:00.002+01:00

Wow...two posts in a weekend! I couldn't resist sharing this photo of Luna and Daisy today. Luna is a real handful and some days we despair of her but she still makes us smile. Luna was determined that she was going to sit in the chair with Daisy no matter what!

Early this year I pieced a large Superking quilt for my bedroom, using mainly Amy Butler fabrics. I I just loved the fabric so much that I wanted to use up the leftover fabric so I made another tote bag. A woman can never have too many bags! I've posted the first tote bag I made last year. I think the fabric really changes the look of the bag. I also added some longer handles as I want to use it as a beach bag when I go on my holidays in May.

Finally back crafting....

2011-04-16T17:54:00.002+01:00

These photos are from Isabel's 2nd birthday last July. We had a bouncy castle in the garden. I think the adults enjoyed it as much as the kids! I have used a lovely range of Bo Bunny papers from the Craft Den. I have also had chance to play with my Hougie Board to make the rosettes.

I have even managed to get back to my weekly classes at the Craft Den. I want to get my Sister's wedding album finished as it will be her 1st anniversary next month so I used this week's layout to show off a family shot. We used the new Tim Holtz Rosette die and a new Marianne Creatables die to make the roses. I stamp mine with a text stamp to add some interest to the flowers.

A bit of crafting.....

2011-03-23T07:12:00.001Z

Finally finished....

2011-03-16T09:01:00.002Z

This is last Thursday's Layout from my Scrapbooking Class at the Craft Den. It has took me 5 days to find the time to put the finishing touches on! I just don't know where the weekends go.....

I wanted to merge some of the title into the lovely Prima paper we used....Im not sure if it worked but the thought was there! I used paper from the White Wash range for the title and it is sanded back to show more colour.

The pictures are taken by the river in Bakewell Derbyshire last summer, of my twin sister, Rachel and her daughter, Isabel.

Back to Scrapbooking.....

2011-03-07T07:43:00.002Z

It was really good to return to the scrapbooking classes at the Craft Den, lots of fun and chat too! We use some pretty paper by Prima and added some lovely punched flowers.

My finishing sentiments are from My Minds Eye and a Cricut number 2, happy birthday Isabel....

Happy Memories....

2011-03-05T08:21:00.000Z

Its been a year since we lost Big G this week. I have laughed and cried at his photos, lots for good memories. RIP George x

Holiday crafting...

2011-03-02T08:10:00.002Z

Here are my sewing projects from my holiday. I couldn't post more than one picure on Blogger earlier this week. I enjoyed making the small scrip bag from a pattern by Jennie Rayment. The bag is gather at the top so it looks smaller that it really is! As always I didn't take the right fabric but my good friend Norma, shared her fabric with me, I love the cute stars and moons!

I had great fun planning a quilt for my Superking size bed at home. The fabric is by Amy Butler, which I bought a while ago. I hadn't really estimated how much fabric I would need. I'm a bad planner but Norma is so organised and was happy to help, we were planning the quilt together over tea and scones . It was lovely because I got to go out and buy more fabric . I added two polka dot fabrics to complement the fabric I already had. The picture shows the quilt laid out on my bed at home it is in 4 large sections ready for me to quilt. Knowing me that will be on next year's holiday!

I also finished my Niece Isabel's quilt which I will post later this week. I need to take a better photo now it's totally finished! I can't wait for next year, it is just so nice to know you have a whole week with friends to craft!

Crafting Holiday in Derbyshire.....

2011-02-27T16:35:00.004Z

I have just returned from my annual crafting holiday. This year we didn't travel far which was a good job as it snowed heavy in Sheffield last weekend! Our cottage was at Stanton in Derbyshire. It was a very relaxing week. I decided to concentrate on my first hobby, patchwork and quilting. I didn't take a scrap of paper! I spent a lot of the week designing a superking size quilt for my bed at home. I had great fun as I didnt quite have enough fabric so it meant we had to visit a few fabric shops to get more! My good friend Norma and I made a small fabric bag together, just big enough for your phone and purse.

The location was lovely we took in a few walks across Stanton Moor, stopping at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle for a photo or two. I only took the older dogs with me and they were very well behaved.

A lovely day.....

2011-02-14T08:22:00.002Z

It was a perfect day for Sally and Dan's wedding at the weekend. This photo was just taken on my phone but if you would like to see more take a look here. It was in an amazing setting, and the day was really emotional for Sally's family, some of you will recognize Mary, Sally is her daughter! I had a quieter day on Sunday, wasn't it miserable? I couldn't be bothered to walk the dogs far in the rain so I made a birthday card with my new stamps from the Craft Den sale.

Wedding card...Done!

2011-02-06T17:39:00.002Z

I have finished my friend's wedding card, really enjoyed playing with the stamps and decorating the box!

Looking back at that mess on my workdesk last wednesday, I'm pleased with how it as turn out!

What's on your work desk Wednesday?

2011-02-02T09:03:00.002Z

Over on http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ its that time again. I love looking at everyones posts but I have never joined it! So here goes....

I am goimg to my friend's wedding in a few weeks time so I must make a card. I have been planning the design! I have some great bargain stamps which I bought from TK Max, of all places! The cardboard box is from Graze, the box come filled with healthy treats through the post. I thought I would recycle the box after I eaten all the goodies, its just the right size for my special wedding card! I am using some lovely paper from Basis Grey and hoping to include a paper doile and some ribbon to finish.

Check back over the weekend to see if I've finished it!

Memory Quilts....

2011-01-17T08:59:00.002Z

On Saturday I went to my regular sewing class, we were making Memory Quilts. I loved it, it was like scrapbooking but in fabric! We had a brilliant teacher Anne, who explain some basis design techniques so you could plan a layout. The photos I've taken show the work in progress, so you will see pins and all sorts but I still thought I would share them with you.

The photographs in the quilts were printed on fabric prior to the workshop. We had a great worksheet to help us decide who would be the main character in our Memory Quilt and what story we wanted to tell. I'm sure you can tell which one is mine and of course my main character is Big G and I wanted to remember the good times we had together on the beach enjoying the sunshine. I have a lot of work to do as I wanted more patchwork in mine so I have started with some curved flying geese which I will piece into the background. The words you can see will be painted to blend into the background which was a great idea from Anne.

Sarah's mum, Hillary!

Sarah's

Marian's

Linda's

Sandra's

It will be really nice to go back next month and see them all finished! The finished ones below are Anne's designs

I love weekends...

2011-01-09T09:03:00.002Z

All good weekends should consist of:

Time at the Gym
Lunch with Friends
Time to scrapbook
Walk out in the countryside

I'm doing well so far, the walk is today as the weather is looking good for a change. Last night I completed a single page LO which is unusual for me. I have used the sketch challenge for BO Bunny's Friday Challenge My background paper is from the Bo Bunny range but the rest is from my stash so the sketch was just used as a starting point.

The photographs are from early December when we took Isabel to see Peppa Pig turn on the Christmas lights in Chesterfield. The photo on the left is my Mum and my Sister Rachel. The other photo is Isabel and her Dad enjoying the rides!

The title is "Vintage Market" from Tim Holtz Alterations

Happy New Year...

2011-01-02T18:37:00.001Z

I've finally finished my double layout for Angus, the oldest foster dog in town! It was an ideal opportunity to use some of my christmas presents. My good friend Norma bought me loads of scrapbooking goodies so I have used them all in these pages....Some lovely paper called Dog's life, with matching Card Candy.

I stamped some flowers has I didnt have any in just the right colour and I also added some ribbon from My Mind's Eye range. To finish I stamped some doggy words to create a border.

It's the Other Half's birthday today so off out for a Japanese meal....yummy, sushi! We have been to the Pantomime today which was great fun, Sleeping Beauty! Im still chanting ...it's behind you!

It's All Over.....

2010-12-28T18:29:00.001Z

Finished double page layout!

I love Christmas once it's all over, the 6 week build up drives me mad! I love the time off work at home at Christmas time. A chance to catch up on scrapbooking and walks with the dogs! I have finally finished the pages I started a while ago for Luna! I had treated myself to a new Cricut cartridge "Songbird". I jusy love the font and the shapes, so cute the wellington boots!

I've had some packets of pearls for a while but havent got round to using them.....I think I made up for it on theses pages! I also used my pearl scrolls that I got from the Craft Den ages ago, I think they look scrummy!!

Luna is growing strong and fast. She is becoming quite a handful but we love her. Puppy classes start in a weeks time, oh how much fun they are going to be...not!

My favourite way to spend Boxing Day, walking in the Peak District with the dogs. It was snowing hard when we set off but it soon stopped. It was totally white over on the hills but not too deep to enjoy a walk.

I am back at work tomorrow but making the most of my time at home, I've got another layout on the go of our last foster Angus. It's alway productive when you can't see the dining room table...lol!

Xmas cards....Dogs, Dogs and more Dogs!

2010-12-13T21:47:00.000Z

A spot of creative time....just what I needed. I've made a few cards to send to my doggy friends and foster families. The paper is from Tesco's, what ever next! I was gob smacked when I saw a lovely 6x6 pack of scrabooking paper on the shelves!

Snow, snow, snow!

2010-12-07T08:25:00.000Z

Daisy and BJ enjoying the snow...BJ hates it really, it's too deep for him to walk through!

Our road....where?

Daisy and Luna keeping warm!

Sorry not much crafting is going on here...I think the weather is effecting my creativity! Lol! I just thought I would share some snowy pictures. I had 3 snow days last week as they had shut our place of work. I still didnt achieve much on the creative front. I have started another layout for Luna but its just not coming together!

Let It Snow....

2010-11-21T19:49:00.001Z

The challenge on Anything Goes this week was Let It Snow.....I could resist this digi stamp with the cute dog! That would be Daisy up to mischief, she would knock the head of the snowman and hide!

I often send christmas cards to my foster dogs and their new families so I can see me making a few of these! Ive had a great day today, shopping with the girls, then saw the Christmas lights being switched on in Chesterfield.

Here is my Mum, Isabel and my sister Rachel.

Isabel and her Daddy enjoying the rides

Im working away again for the next two weeks so Ive cleared all my craft stuff away today, I really missed home last time. Kathryn, you made me chuckle with your comments, the OH knows he is bottom of the pack, lol!

Week 24...Emboss It! Over on Anything Goes!

2010-11-15T13:50:00.000Z

Over on Anything Goes Challenge blog this week is emboss it! I have tripled embossed a snowman cutout using Blonde Moments Ultra Thick Pearl White embossing powder, which I have stamp a christmas sentiment stamp into for added texture. The paper is the free Craftwork Cards paper from inside last month Creative Cardmaking magazine.

To finish add some Card Candy and gold Pearl Paint to decorate the edges!

Glad to be back home......

2010-11-14T14:30:00.000Z

What a week! I missed home loads! I have been working away and hated every minute of it, so glad to be back. Just before I went away I was blog hopping and found a great site with digital images Delightful Inspirations Ive never used a digital image before but have seen so many of you blog about them. Im hooked! The site as got some great doggy related ones for Christmas. I have painted the image with Distress Inks...dont look too close! Im still practicing!!!

It was my monthly sewing class this Saturday, we made a great envelope bag which I going to use to take my basic craft stuff to classes. A kind friend had some hand made pottery buttons which went great with my seaside related fabric, thanks Ann, and to Sarah for showing us how to make it. It is very clever little bag with lots of pockets, it is made from one wadded square of fabric.

Here's Luna, I was amazed at how big she had grown whilst I had been away!

I hate goodbyes....

2010-11-07T20:03:00.001Z

Today, Angus our old fella went to his retirement home, in Brighton! He will be missed, we loved his character, the oldies are so much fun. We wont be fostering for a while now we have Luna, I definately got my hands full there!

Ive been having a play with the Big Shot this week, Ive discovered what that tan rubber mat is for! Its amazing what you learn when you read the instructions...Lol! I cut some snowflakes out of a cereal box then used them to emboss my back ground before triple embossing them.I had great fun, I only made one card but played for a few hours! I am working away this week so up early tomorrow, I'm not looking forward to it, I will miss my gang , Daisy, BJ and Luna x

B is for Bell

2010-11-03T07:34:00.000Z

This is my card for this week's Anything Goes Challenge.The challenge is the letter B...for bell! I have decide to take a break from the Craft Den Design Team due to my hectic home life at the moment but had already made this at the weekend.

I have triple embossed a wooden bell shape with Blonde Moments Ultra thick embossing powder, then stamped into it with a christmas sentiment stamp. I have also stamped a poinsetta and added some gold pearl pen to finish the card off.

Finally I added pearls, punched foliage and a home made paper flower....best get a move on I now have 4 dogs to walk!

Our new additions.......

2010-10-31T16:56:00.001Z

Meet our new arrivals...Angus (left) 12 years old and Luna (middle) 12 weeks old. Angus is our lastest foster dog, his owner has died so he finds himself looking for a retirement home. He has a lot of energy and love to give. Now Luna is our new addition, she is deaf in one ear so her Breeder was looking for a special home for her and we are it! OMG what have I let myself in for!

Angus is a sweet old boy, he is nearly identical in looks to Daisy, which causes some confusion, so if he is up to mischief, we often shout "stop it Daisy", to find out it is the Old Fella!

This is Luna, she comes from a very famous breeder who was looking for the right home for her as she is deaf in one ear so he wouldnt breed or show her. Daisy's puppy mum put us in touch with him so we are really lucky as she was free to the right home. She is a stunner! They called her Una, cos of the deafness in one ear! We had an amazing full moon in Sheffield last weekend so we extended her name to Lunar! We are spelling it without the r!

This is her up to no good in the garden this morning! She loves to chew all the shubs, its a good job Im not a kean gardener!

I have completed Luna's, 1st scrapbook layout! I have used some great stamps from the Craft Den to stamp the Puppy title, they are by Scrappy Cat, if Lynne has any left they are a real bargain. I have also used some left over scraps from a Blonde Moment paper.

Woof is the new bark....is from some cute wrapping paperI bought when I visited New York some years ago, Im trying to use my stash up, so I can buy more! Well I think I am going to be very busy over the next few months, this house training stuff is hard work!

Happy Halloween.....

2010-10-27T08:31:00.000+01:00

I love Halloween, ever since we went to America, around Halloween time. I love all the decorations! Here is my little wallhanging that I have made. Sorry not a scrap of paper in sight!

I have neglected my other hobby for a while. It was good to get the sewing machine and fabric back out. I love applique, my sewing machine has a great button hole stitch, so makes it really easy to complete. Hope you like it?

Saturday is Dabble Day at the Craft Den!

2010-10-23T19:17:00.001+01:00

I've had a great day at the Craft Den, it was Christmas Dabble Day. Lots of brilliant projects with fun techniques

I had a go a triple embossing with Ultra thick embossing powder, which I stamped into. I loved this one!

We used some lovely Martha Stewart punches. Lots of stickles and glitter with a charm to finish!

I have been off work this week with the flu, so Ive had some time to concentrate on my other hobby, patchwork and quilting. Here is a sneek peek of my Anything Goes Challenge ready for next week. Can you guess what the theme might be??

This week on Anything Goes....

2010-10-19T10:52:00.003+01:00

My Black and White LO's for this week's Anything Goes Challenge

I have used some great Daisy Bucket papers from the Craft Den, they have great names "Black Tie Affair" and "Dinner With Friends" and are double sided. The flowers are made from the same paper using the "George" cartridge on the Cricut. I have inked them with Distress Ink, Black Soot. I have added buttons, glittered chipboard accents and used a foliage punch from my stash. To finish I have used the cover stamp from last month' Crafty Stamper!

The photographs were taken on the very first Hen night of many, we had a girly weekend in Cardiff. We saw Michael Ball in Hairspray The Musical, he made a great Edna Turnblad. We had never been to Cardiff before, I would totally recommend it, there's a brilliant shopping mall right in the centre of the the city. The top left picture below is us stood outside The Millenuim Centre, its very impressive at night! The inspiration for the pages came from an amazing piece of architecture in the city (top right)!

Ribbons...Anything Goes Challenge

2010-10-12T22:33:00.001+01:00

Over on Anything Goes Challenge this week is Ribbons!I had great fun crafting in my PJ's! I decided to decorate the plain blue 12 x 12 paper to give it a bit of interest! I spritzed the background through some star sequin waste. I also stamped it with some textured background stamps that I've had for ages from Lakeland....when they sold crafting stuff! My PJ's came of worse...I wasnt watching which way the spray was facing...oops!

I stamped and embossed some hearts from my Fiskars clear stamps Punch Love which are stocked at the Craft Den. I have used 3 different variations of ribbon. The brown ribbon is from The Minds Eye range. Then I wrapped voile and lace ribbon from my stash round the squares.

To finish the page I have added a stamped journal block from my Papermania Signature Stamps and added some hydrangea flowers and pearls all from the Craft Den. The LO is part of my wedding album so the paper is from the Tim Holtz range Vintage Shabby range which can also be found at the Craft Den.

I love Sunday mornings.....

2010-10-11T18:57:00.001+01:00

How productive do I look.....can you see my dining table under all of this?

This is the finished result. Another double page LO.....I had great fun. I dusted off the Big Shot and the Cricut machine. I have used Blonde Moment papers and my new Tim Holtz Angel Wings, which I love! All goodies can be purchased from the Craft Den.

I added a few gemstone brads and some jewels to the crown.....Hey Presto!

The title is taken from Isabel's dress.....

Christmas Comes Early on Anything Goes......

2010-10-05T20:06:00.000+01:00

Over on Anything Goes this week's theme is Christmas Come Early.....

Im not very good at Christmas, Im really Baa Humbug! But thanks to the Anything Goes Challenge I ve had a go. I like the non traditional colours so I bought a great pack of 6 x6 paper last year from the Craft Den. My design is very simple and quick. Im hoping to make a few over the next few months!

I have made a start....

2010-10-03T09:27:00.002+01:00

I have a 12x12 album, and a large stash of Tim Holtz Idea-ology paper. Its about time I made a start on the Cyprus Wedding album....it was back in May! Hey, it's still 2010 so Im in the right year lol!

My inspiration came from the free greeting stamp on the front cover of The Craft Stamper, see page 6! They had completed a LO which used the stamp. It had a great title "Here comes the Girls" which is so appropriate for the 1st page of my Wedding Album. My brother Gavin came along for the Hen Night, he's a great dancer and a real party animal. He got so much stick from the lads too but enjoyed every minute of it!

I used some great stamps from the Craft Den by Scrappy Cat and I also dug out my Inkadinkado clear alphabet stamps to complete the title.

2010-09-30T20:59:00.000+01:00

Recently Millie came to my house and painted a canvas for her rabbits Woffles and Spike, I'd mixed rather a lot of paint so decided to use it up on 2 small canvases. I keep in touch with Billy's new owners on a regular basis and she lent me a great book Rescue Me: My Life With The Battersea Dogs by Melissa Wareham. To say thank you I've decorated the canvases with photo's of Billy and his new sister Maddie the Staffie!

I hope she likes them!

Going Round in Circles........

2010-09-27T23:19:00.000+01:00

Over on Anything Goes this week's theme is " Going Round in Circles!"

I've made a card for my Step Dad Norman, he is 60 next month! I used a tri fold card with a scalloped front but I have cut it in half and stuck it back together! It is decorated in Dovecraft Masculine themed paper. The Happy Birthday greeting is from a Crafts-Too embossing folder. I lightly inked the punched letters with Versa Magic Cloud White to give the pearlised blue card a Denim look!. To finish I added some Cricut stars and a few gems.

I feel as thought I am going round in circles! Nothing has gone right for me this month and to top it all off I got the dreaded sickness bug at the weekend! Why me! That meant I missed my sewing class on Saturday, I didnt move far from the sofa. So Sunday I made up for it and caught up on a bit of scrapbooking, again with a circle theme. I had great fun with a piece of string and a pencil to design this layout! Im really pleased with the finished page as it includes 12 photos! I kept the backround simple by just adding a title, ribbon, flowers and jewels

Lol! Look at me and my Aunty Tricia playing with the table confetti!

2010-09-21T20:13:00.000+01:00

When time and life permits I love to join in with the Anything Goes Challenge. This week is Super Cute! Ive made 2 cute Cupcake Cards, they were super easy to make which works for me at the moment! I have used some scrummy 12x12 paper from The Sweet Stack range and my Hero Arts Cup Cake stamps all from the Craft Den

My crafting is keeping me sane at the moment. I mentioned on my last post we were having a new arrival! Well Jake arrived having lived outside for the last 3 years. He was in worse condition than we expected and within a few days he needed an emergency operation, unfortunatley it was too much for him and he passed away at home with his foster family.

RIP Jakey Boy, run free at the Rainbow Bridge with Big G xxx

A busy Saturday......

2010-09-11T18:10:00.001+01:00

I was up early today so thought I would catch up on a project that as been on my table for the last 2 weeks. I have been struggling to finish a page so I thought I would finish another page that I started at The Craft Den a while ago....Well I love it when a plans comes together! I combined the two pages!

Calico fabric flowers, hand painted pleated canvas. Add ribbon and a lovely Martha Stewart punched butterfly, finished with a few gems...hey presto!

This afternoon, I have helped Millie, who is only 10years old to make a canvas picture of her Rabbits, Woffles and Spike. She often comes to walk the dogs and she notice my canvas pictures on the wall and wanted to make one.

What do you think? Im sure she will be visiting the Craft Den before we know it!

We also have a new foster dog, Jake, he arrived this afternoon. He has not stopped wagging his tail since he arrived so will post photos later x

My family.....

2010-08-24T08:07:00.002+01:00

My Family!

Basic Grey June Bug paper
Ric Rac
Paw border punch and flower punches
The rest from my stash!

I am slowly coming to terms with the lost of George, my family seems small now. He played a big part in it, some time I think he had the lead role as I miss him so much! Daisy and BJ have formed a close bond since George passed away, they play together now which is great fun! We are hopng to have a new permenent addition before Christmas, we are just waiting on news of his arrival.....watch this space!

What is stopping you?......

2010-08-20T08:36:00.001+01:00

Here's what I made at the Craft Den this week. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, thanks Lynne. I can feel a few more of these being made ready for christmas!

I haven't done much crafting this Summer, I've lost my motivation. I've been very busy I suppose but I have given myself a talking to! Does anybody else do that....or am I going mad? I put my coaching head on and asked myself the question?

What is stopping you from scrapbooking?

No time to be creative....
Havent got the right stash.....
My stash is so disorganised......
Im not creative enough....
I will never catch up......

Some of those answers made me chuckle, "Have n't got the right stash" lol! I dont always have the most up to date stash but I have lots of it. So last weekend I spent nearly all weekend tidying my craft room! I havent quite finish it but it's getting there. I will post some pictures of it when it is finished.

The next one that really bugged me was "Im not creative enough" I have always been creative in some way or another, right from getting my Art GCSE. I have realised I am making it too complicated, so I have gone back to basic.

My key ingredients are:

Grab your favourite paper from your stash....Papermania Retro Floral
Take a photo or 2 from the 300 or so waiting to be scrapped, thats 2 less then!
Distress everything, all that sanding was good therapy!
Take some letters from my letter/words box...Im organised now!
Keep it simple, 30 mins later....DONE!

Anything Goes Challenge

2010-08-16T20:07:00.000+01:00

Over on the Anything Goes Challenge, it is Week 12 and the theme is Using Layers

I love to do double page layouts. Here are my Race for Life photographs. I have used papers from the Bo Bunny range which are available from the Craft Den

My title and embellishments are made from 3 layers. The title is made up of punched circles, stamped letters using clear stampd from Inkadinkado and my final layer is glitter. A girl can never have enough glitter!

The floral embellishments are made from a Cardology fabric flower, a cut out paper flower from the lovely Bo Bunny papers and finished off with Card Candy.

I have added my medal too to complete the layouts. I hope you like them and have the time this week to join in with the Challenge.

Summer Time Blues

2010-08-11T08:56:00.000+01:00

I think I need to introduce myself again....Im Joanne. I enjoy crafting lol! It has been so long since I have done anything creative, so I treated myself to a class at the Craft Den last night. I really enjoyed it, we made a lovely handbag tag holder, with some great Bo Bunny papers and it was also good to catch up with everyone.

My Summer has been taken up with helping Dog Rescues and training for another Run. I ran on Sunday to support my Friend Duncan who was running for Epilepsy Research. It was a family event I ran it with my twin sister and twin brothers.

A few weeks ago I help this little fella get back on the road to a new life, we named him String Bean as he was so thin but I know his foster mum has called him Cass. He was the most flea bitten scruff bag I have evr seen...you should see the pictures now. He is coming on a treat!

Bye for Now x

Race for Life

2010-07-22T08:26:00.000+01:00

left to right: Jo, Rachel Justine, Leanne and Carla

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me. I have raised £112 so far and sponsors are still coming in. We had a great time, it was a really fun experience. We completed it in 43 minites, we jogged and walked as Ive not quite got my fitness back after the holidays! I am doing another 5k fun run in August with my friend Duncan who is running it for Eplisepsy Research. I only along for moral support this time! Here is an action shot that a friend took of us coming up to the finishing line!

Action shot!

Im sorry Ive not been blogging or crafting this month, life just takes over sometimes. I have over 200 photos from the wedding so I think I best get back into scrapbooking some time soon!

Anything Goes week 5

2010-06-29T07:50:00.000+01:00

This week over on Anything Goes is "Vintage". Here is my entry....

I have used a double concertina card, covered with Daisy Bucket paper "Black Tie Affair" from the Craft Den. I have added some vintage stamped images and some old bus tickets that have been in my stash far too long!

Sorry Im running behind....

2010-06-25T08:18:00.001+01:00

This is the my cupcake card for week 4 of the Anything Goes challenge. I am running behind (LITERALLY) I have just 3 weeks to go to my Race for Life run so it's back to training!

My niece Isabel will be 2 in July and her mum is the best cupcake maker so this card will be perfect!

I have used The Sweet Stack paper which is great with all the glitter and embossing already on it! My cupcakes are stamped from the Hero Arts stamps from the Craft Den. To create the delicious topping on the cupcakes I have used glossy accents and my sprinkles are seedbeads from my stash!

Patch...my new addition!

2010-06-16T21:34:00.001+01:00

Meet Patch....

This weekend our oldest foster dog went to his forever home. Billy went to live by the sea in Torquay. I was very sad to seem him go. He had been with us for nearly 8 weeks and he was quite a character! Our new foster is called Patch. He was found by the dog warden in West Yorkshire, he was microchipped but his owners could'nt cope with him. He has been with us a week now and he has settled in well. He is looking for a forever home on http://bulliesos.webs.com/. He needs to be an only dog, unfortunately he doesnt like Daisy, but BJ the Frenchie, he will tollerate. We would loved to have kept him, (he reminds me of George) but Daisy rules the house.

Anything Goes Week 3

2010-06-15T07:26:00.000+01:00

Wow...week 3 already, doesnt time fly! I have been so busy since my Sister's wedding that I hadnt had chance to make her a card. This week she is having a wedding reception for the rest of the family and friends who couldnt join us in Cyprus, so I ve made a card for the Anything Goes Challenge. The theme is buttons and bows. The colour scheme is left up to you but it must be monochrome, i.e. shades of one colour.

Ive used some lovely stamps from the Craft Den they were a real bargain too at £1.99. The clear flower stamps are by Scrappy Cat. The rest of the card is made from my stash. Ive used a combination of stamp pads to get the different shades of blue.

Anything goes week 3 sneek peeks!

2010-06-13T19:53:00.001+01:00

Im just getting ready for next weeks Anything Goes challenge so here are a few Sneek Peeks! Last week was Pink, Pearls and Lace, there was a lot of great ideas.

Our foster dog Billy went to his forever home today, with a lovely family from Devon. I shed a few tears but it was a very happy day as he got the home he deserves.

Thursday's class

2010-06-11T21:35:00.000+01:00

Last night's layout from the Craft Den. Just a quick post this week as absolutely knackered!

Background paper Bo Bunny, stamped border with Tim Holtz die cut flowers. Please check out my friend Norma's blog to see her second post on Tags Tales

Anything Goes week 2

2010-06-08T19:21:00.001+01:00

Over on Anything Goes, this weeks challenge is to use the colours, cream and pink and the theme is pearls and lace. I love Family History, last summer I trace my family back to the late 1800's with the help of my good friend, Norma. I have finally persuaded Norma to have a blog its called Tags Tales take a look at her first post.

The layout is of my Grandma's wedding in 1949. Most of the paper is from my stash. I have used Martha Stewart border punch decorated with lace and ribbon from the Craft Den

I have used Cardology Precious Petals and added some punched paper flowers to coordinated , then finished off with Ice White Viva Pearl Pen . The Chipboard title is also from my stash, wrapped in strings of pearls, again from the Craft Den.

2010-06-04T07:51:00.002+01:00

We had a great time at the Craft Den last night, it was good to be back after a few weeks off! We used some lovely 7gypyies paper which we cut away to make a border. We also had a go at embossing a flourish with Tim Holtz new distressed embossing powder. The florishes were decorated with pearls. Then we added flowers and lace to finish.

Anything Goes new blog

2010-06-01T20:08:00.005+01:00

I arrived back in England to find some exciting news from the Craft Den, Lynne has started a Challenge blog called Anything Goes. Thanks Lynne for asking me to be on the Design Team....I feel very honoured, I love a good challenge!

Our first challenge starts today Tuesday June 1st 2010 and runs for one week until June 8th 2010. The 1st challenge is: Theme: Wings. Colours: Blue, Yellow, Brown. We hope that you will be joining in with us. Take a look at the fabulous creations the Design Team have made for the 1st challenge. Here is mine.....

I thought I would share a few of the wedding photos with you. The day was perfect, it was very emotional and the setting was gorgeous!

My first....

2010-05-17T18:43:00.004+01:00

I have been meaning to blog all weekend, but time has just run away with me! Whilst at work today I was thinking about what I should write as I have been trying out some new techniques so thought I would title the post My First..... Then when logging on I found some lovely blogging friends had given me my first blog award, I am so pleased, thanks Kerry and Lynne.

At my last scrapbooking class at the Craft Den, Lynne show us a great embossing technique using Blonde Moments Pearl Pigment Powders so I have been having a play. The painted papers have been though the Big Shot using the embossing dies and then sanded back to show the designs. They are all just waiting to be made into some lovely cards!

I did use one of the papers to make this thank you card. The letters are also made from an embossing die on colour core paper and sanded back again. I also had a go at painting with Distressing Inks on last month's free stamp from The Crafty Stamper magazine. The card is for one of my doggy friends who put us up for the night. I know she'll love the dog stamp.

Whilst we are on the subject of My First....this is my first attempt at an Easel Card. When I go to the Craft Den I see some lovely easel cards which inspired me to have a go! Again it is for another doggy friend so you will see the common theme here!

What more dogs......I couldnt finish without giving you an update on our foster dog Billy the Bullie, he is still with us. He has certainly made himself at home! A week ago we thought we had found the perfect home for him, a retire couple in North Yorkshie...I love North Yorkshire! Unfortunately they had a family emergency so it has all been put on hold, so he is still looking for his forever home.

Volcanic ash permitting, I wont be posting for a few weeks as Im off to Cyprus for my Sister's wedding, bye for now!

Times flys when you are having fun....

2010-05-07T07:47:00.002+01:00

Here is last night's scrapbooking class at the Craft Den....

Blogging whats that....My sister wedding in Cyprus is in two weeks time so things have been hectic, what with trying to find Billy the Bullie a new home. Billy is still with us, but Im not complaining as he is a sweetheart!

I have also been busy organising my Craft stash I sorted all my photos last week, then I forgot to take them with me last night! Once I got home I finished my page off with a stamped title using my Elsie stamps. I then added a stamped edge to the page using some great stamps I got from the Craft Den at Christmas, they are from Scrappy Cat.

I have organised my stamp collection! I now have them all catalogued so I know what Ive got. I would certainly recommend it, I never realised I have so many! No excuses now not to use them!

Final finishing touch, a stamped journal block from Papermania!

For the people who go to the class and know Mary, Duncan (in the picture) is her son, he is my best friend! Ive known him since school.

Hen NIght No 2!

2010-04-26T08:21:00.005+01:00

Ive caught up on some much needed rest and relaxation this weekend! Ive been busy with lots of wedding preparations...2 Hen nights in one week, great fun but Im not getting any yonger...LOL!

At Christmas my friend Mary and I invested in a Big Shot, so this weekend Ive been having a play. I scrapped the picture of my hero....Cesar Milan. We saw his show at the Sheffield Arena last month. I have used Core Colour paper for the die cut flowers and border, then sanded to show the core colour. I added pearl pen flourishes to finish.

I have also put the finishing touches on my page from my Craft Den class. We had great fun with the Paper Artsy stamps. I stamped them over the edge of the page then cut selective bits out so they overlapped my photos. We took our foster dog Billy on holiday with us at Easter and here he is enjoying the beach.

My finished page.....

I couldnt resist adding a gem stone title to go with the stickles!

We had a great hen night out, we saw a Blondie tribute band at the Walnut Club so we all had a good dance. It was lovely to have all the females in the family together before the wedding. I took loads of pictures so watch out for more scrapbook pages. Do you recognise the token fella in the picture??

Im back!

2010-04-18T16:33:00.003+01:00

I attended the scrapbooking class at the Craft Den last week....my 1st one of the month! I have missed it. We used Blonde Moments paper and stamps and had great fun stamping and embossing. Lynne has some new lacy ribbon in stock, we used the bright pink one with a stamped border mounted on top.

On Friday I went to Cardiff to see Hairspray the Musical with Micheal Ball in. It was the 1st of many hen parties for my sister. It was a very sedate weekend! Cardif was lovely and the sun was shining!

LOL...look at me and my sister pretending to be Tracy Turnblad and her mum!
After a busy weekend I found some time for a bit of crafting. One of my work colleagues asked me to make a card for her Mum's birthday. I know someone else who will be 50 soon so may have made a few.....?

Something for nothing....Stickers

2010-03-30T08:09:00.004+01:00

Shimelle's online class on Friday was to use up some of those stickers that everyone has in their stash. You will be please to know I don't have too many but I did use a whole pack up on this page!Since George passed away I have been back in touch with the rescue group that we got George through just to let them know. Well...they rang me last week to say a stray bull terrier had be handed in to the Council Pound and if no one came to collect him would I collect him so the charity could try and rehome him. All I knew about him was they thought he was 12...thats old for a bull terrier! I collected him on Sunday. He is a very old friendly dog, they had named him Billy.

Meet Billy.....

We are off to the vets today to get him a health check, he is going deaf and he is very wobbly on his feet. His favourite pastime is sleeping! Here he is enjoying the sunshine on Sunday afternoon.
Do you know anyone that would take on a Golden Oldie? Its not the right time for him to stay with me :-( x

March 25th

2010-03-26T09:14:00.003Z

March 25th....the last day in my 25th Book. It was a boring work day so I thought I would use my weekly craft class at the Craft Den as the highlight of my day! We were given some creative freedom last night and challenged to use the items above. I love the white felt flower! Here is my finished page....

I cut the petals of the flowers into hearts shapes and inked the edges. I made a fabric yoyo to layer my button on then I added a few cross stitches to finish. Thanks Ladies for a good evening, here are the pictures I took at the class, how busy do we look??? LOL!

Shimelle's Sunday challenge

2010-03-22T22:04:00.002Z

Sunday's challenge was to use whatever item of my stash I choose, to create a layout or project that uses no fewer than ten of that item: ten brads, ten pieces of ribbon, ten patterned paper scraps, ten buttons or so on.

I managed to use 10 brads and 10 patterned paper scraps. The picture is me and George chillin' on the beach in Anglesey back in 2008....Good times!

Shimelle's Friday Challenge

2010-03-21T08:22:00.002Z

The challenge....can you use metal, cardstock, patterned paper and ribbon on the same project??? I was inspired by Shimelle's colour scheme on Prompt 3, red, black and white. I also had just the photo that I took on "a stay at home day" in January.

The red patterned paper is out of the very 1st pack of scrapbooking paper I ever bought (over 7 years ago)! The red metal beer bottle caps are also nearly as old! The black shaped cardstock so needed to be used up.....

I feel very proud of myself....Im using very old stash up. Did I mention I went to the Harrogate Papercraft show yesterday and bought more......I will never learn!

Today's challenge is to truly bust some stash! Whatever item of my stash I choose, I have to create a layout or project that uses no fewer than ten of that item: ten brads, ten pieces of ribbon, ten patterned paper scraps, ten buttons or so on. At least ten -- I get bonus points for lots more!

Card making....

2010-03-17T08:07:00.001Z

Yey...Ive use some more of the circles, as you may remember I ended up with 109 circles when I made "My Dogs" page, I only used a small portion of them on there.

I am relatively new to card making so I thought I would have a go making a card. I help a dog rescue charity who rehome Bull Terriers. I am please with the card and think I might make a few and let the chatrity sell them to raise funds...what do you think?

More paper scraps...

2010-03-16T08:50:00.006Z

I am loving Shimelle's Something for Nothing class. I have made finished my other page using more scraps. I didnt use as many circles as I planned so Im going to try and make some cards, watch this space!

The picture was taken last summer, I just love how happy George looks, he had a great smile xx

Something for Nothing 2nd Prompt

2010-03-15T08:20:00.004Z

Do you have a way of storing your scraps of patterned paper after completing a scrapbook page or card?? I just wedge them in a 12x12 clear plastic pocket, they are not organised at all, in fact it is overflowing! Why am I telling you this?? The Shimelle's second prompt is about using up your scraps of paper, there are lots of inspirational ideas to get you to use them up...punch circles, mix paper and fabric, make something old into something trendy, and go with a grid. I was inspired to use up some of my scraps. I loved the "Go with a Grid". Since working on the 1st prompt, I though I would keep up the Metal theme so added more brads and some metal snowflakes! My stash doesnt look smaller though! Here is a sneek peek of my next page. I have gone with the Circles theme...thank god for Cricut machines! I have cut over 100 circles from some lovely paper scraps. I will post more once it is finished.