Fresh as a morning daisy

Header says it all. Hands all ready to type again so just to answer Lulu the cat is a Little Claire's stamp.Mr. Little Claire at Harrogate

I've bought a few of these at shows 'cos they're reasonably priced and very quirky/naive looking -sort of Grandma Moses-ish but so far I've only used the Christmassy one of a snowman and the elephant one. Anyway back to domestics-brekky pots to wash and visitors imminent.

CU later -text speak -a doddle LOL.

Woman on a mission

O.K. I've not posted for ages I know but I have been crafting-honest. Apart from being technically challenged I get distracted easily by reading other peoples blogs and getting involved in discussions like the one on Funky Fairys blog about card candy. As soon as I put someone's name I realise I need to create a link and that means even more loss of focus.

I've also started to feel concern about the new crafty people in my life. All the bloggers out there especially Edna who hasn't been well and is a fellow FMS sufferer. FMS can plod along at a reasonably even pace for so long until some helpful person sneezes on you or some other bug catches up with you then it's back to day one with all the life drained out of you. It's like climbing out of a pit getting back and it takes for ever so please spare a thought for Edna.

Another person I worried about was Shaz-or Funky Fairy herself-but she's back with a bang and stirring it up as usual. Lots of lovely samples on the Blog of inspiration. How those Mums manage to do what they do and blog beats me.

The other interruption in my life-apart from the builders that is-is my beloved DH. Why? I hear you ask. Weeell he's been grappling with the intricacies of colour printing from his new and very whizzy camera with his new to him A3 printer complete with pigment inks at hum hum hum pounds and some per cartridge. Trouble is he thinks I'm a genius when it comes to computers!!!

That's little me who thought she'd broken her new digital camera when she dropped it on the floor until Kirsty Wiseman popped the memory card back into it's slot. Anyway he's been a darkroom man for over forty years and he's now reeducating himself. Every now and then a plaintive request issues forth but today I had to appeal to him to call in a photographic buddy to show him how to do all the advanced settings on his printer because it's not my bag.

He's already produced two great prints but he is flying by the seat of his pants so when something goes wrong -get my drift. The computer has crashed a couple of times and I've had to explain about hard breaks or as my no. one son says "if all else fails just switch it off mum and keep your fingers crossed". He started on a ZX80 when he was 12 so I trust him. (Sort of)

I digress AGAIN. My mission this week is to use up some of my stash, play with a simple card sketch that was in this month's cardmaking and papercraft, revamp some of the cards I've made recently that I wasn't happy with and try to use my new Pazzle a bit.

So change of stamp, change of papers and change of card size and a completely different look. Now compared to you lot it's simple stuff but it keeps me happy. Bet you all recognise what I've used but any questions just leave a comment. Off to watch the box now. If I carry on my hands will be k*******d.

Candy and more candy

Stampin'Caz has blog candy. Now I'm not bothered about winning candy but I do think you should read her blog. She writes in numerous mags and demonstrates too. Wish she didn't live "dahn sarff" though then maybe I'd be able to see her demo occasionally. Still blogging's better than nothing

Boggone

Sorry -couldn't resist the title.

This toilet is no more. This is a deceased toilet.

Here's the piccies to prove it.

First you see it-now you don't.

On Wednesday morning the big guys arrived and by the time I'd washed up the breakfast pots it was only a memory.

I did used to worry when I used it if the back door wasn't locked. Why? Well I worked in a local library and when you've been told that while someone used their outside loo instead of going upstairs

someone came in and stole their handbag off the kitchen table!!

it concentrates the mind (even my mind).

I could say more but I do have a tendency to go on a bit so I'll show you the pics and get back to my crafting while the guys outside lay bricks in that nonchalant easy way they have which makes you think you could do it too--ha ha haa-not.

Pity the rest of the street isn't being done but the landlords don't seem to have provided the council with the documentation needed. Little things like gas safety certificates, electrical safety certificates.

We are the only large property in our street that is still in single occupancy. One is empty and has been for several years. I could get angry but my militant tendencies have waned since I just didn't have the energy any more for the fight. No more meetings for me. Let someone else rant and rave and I 'll stick to my crayons.

Builders imminent

Oh oh forgot. If you've been following for a while you may remember back in the day we were expecting -------builders. It's an area improvement scheme and tomorrow they are knocking down our back wall. The outside loo is going too but will take a souvenir piccy before it's gone for those of you who would like to see how the other half lives. Don't worry there is one upstairs but no more garden visits (what garden?). DH kept telling me not to use it in case it fell on my head but my friendly roofer Michael will have to cross his legs or take his boots off now.We haven't needed his services recently but I don't like to tempt fate. He musn't retire because he's very familiar with our roof and we need him.

And there's more

Dearly beloved took a shot of my box today using my camera. He showed me how to set the white balance-a bit too techy for me- and he managed a better shot than I did so I'm putting it up. It's still not as good as the real thing. Wish I could share it properly with all you great crafters out there.

Had a great afternoon with Jeanette. She's a Stampin' Up demonstrator in my area. Ever since I started making cards about sixteen years ago I've lusted after their stuff after seeing it in American mags like Rubber Stamper and Stamper's Sampler. A year or so ago they started selling over here but I like to see what I'm buying first being so careful with my money. (The loud bang you may have heard was DH fainting when he read my blog).I found Jeanette's blog while hopping and she has been round to my place today. I'm hoping this will be the start of a long and stampy relationship. I love the simple fresh whimsical style of Stampin' Up and the way they have everything organised into colour families.

Speaking of style-I love Pink Petticoat as well and Liz has some mini downloads out today in the full colour range. I succumbed to one and managed to make a hash of downloading so I had to ring up to confess my sins (clicked on the wrong button) and got to speak to the brains of the outfit-Liz's other half. He was lovely and promised me I wasn't the first to do it. We had a bit of a chat about God's own country- YORKSHIRE- of course. I could have chatted all morning. "There's a lot of donkeys with missing hind legs around here" DH keeps murmuring.

Must go -got to e-mail my Stampin' Up order to Jeanette.

I did have a go at a box!

Well as you might remember-cast your minds back a few days- this might be hard for you older folks-I said I was going to have a go at a box using the same technique I'd used on the card which is showing on Craftwork Cards blog for last Thursday (I'm such a show off and I've been accused of "too much product placement " by my DH but what the heck!). I'm digressing again-or off on one to be less literary. Back to the box. Well I digressed on that as well. I found a gable box tutorial on split coast stampers. Saw it on someone else's blog and can't remember whose but took a look and loved it. On my third attempt I decided to play with some other pretties in my cupboard and sprayed the black card with moonglow glitz spritz royal crimson fire before I made it up.

While it was drying I made some little decorations (wanted to say plaques but think that's what you clean off your teeth). I stamped and embossed little Akina using Moonglow two tone midnight gold obsidian embossing powder and painted her with perfect pearls-interference red/heirloom gold/pewter.Think on reflection I could have done her face with pearlex pearl white. I used the christmas colours paperblox (CwC again) to create oval mats. That was the easy bit. "What was hard?" I hear you cry. I nearly cried too. I couldn't find any matching ribbon and it was all so exotic it needed something over the top.

"What did you do Betty?" Are you still there? I gave up and "clocked off". I was worn out but I took some gold cord with me and sat watching telly with my book of knots. I know- it's very sad.

After a lot of fiddling about I managed a passable Turk's Head then had some cocoa and went to bed. It was midnight after all. Where was DH in all this? He was at the caravan snug as a bug ready for an early start on his Sunday walk.

Sunday morning there I was again fiddling with the Turk's Head. All in all that knot took me hours to get passable then I had to attach it! Ah me (or some other not so Shakespearian phrase-those who know me will have a good idea what it might be).

I found some curly wiry stuff which if I'd seen the night before I would have used on it's own. All that was left was the obligatory photos. Wish you could see the real thing. The two tone colours and the glitz spritz and the interference red just don't photograph at all. It's just a box and will probably end up kicking around my workroom for ages but I did have fun doing it and I've got to use up some of my pearly stash before I buy some twinkling H2O's.

Julie e-mailed me and said "did you make a box?" -well I have done now Julie but it wasn't the box I intended to make. It is possible to unfasten it by the way.

Other Peeps cards

What I love about crafting is the way you can pass it on-a bit like a flu bug but much more fun. I've passed on to a few people and they send cards to me so I'm sharing my Easter crop with you.

This is by my niece and she's seven. She made every bit of this herself and took all the artistic decisions including the idea of using a picture from her fairy magazine as the background, position of Tinkerbell and adding the peel-off butterfly. She's been cardmaking longer than some of you lot.This is Lizzie's card. She is a regular correspondent but usually sends bought ones . She is a sporadic cardmaker . She's a busy social life and works as a volunteer in Oxfam. Mum Helen has just retired and is also doing more cardmaking.The colour repro on this one is c***. I tried-I really did but the grading must have fooled my poor little Panasonic and my basic knowledge. It came from a foreign country-well Kent. Dahn Sarff as they say. Not sure who made it -could have been my nephew, my niece,or my other little sis.

Think the bug has bit all the lot of 'em. Wonder what the next post will bring?

Back again after shower, lunch, shopping list etc. Lots of you know what my new toy is but just in case I haven't managed to tell the whole crafting world as yet it is ta dah

A PAZZLE INSPIRATION

Now if I spend time trying to create a link I won't have any more crafty time left so go look for yourselves you lazy lot. Anyway it's like a craft robo's BIG brother with lots more wellie and can cut up to A3 /emboss/ engrave. To do all these things you've got to be able to use it! I'm getting there slowly as I've got a lot of short term memory problems short term memory problems (joke) so each time I have a go it's a challenge to remember what I've already learned. I've managed to make something and here it is.

I wish the dratted piccies would go where I really want them but that's as good as it's getting .

The card has been cut on the inspiration using a download from the Cutting Cafe and the letters were cut on the inspiration with a scrip called hobo. The scalloped mat is craftwork cards basically black papers cut with scalloped nestie and the flower is a nestie also finished with card candy in the middle. After I took this shot I added card candy around the edge but I really can't be bothered to mess about with another shot 'cos I'm a bit sore now and crafting calls-it's wonderful for pain relief. Byeee

About time too

Just letting you know I've not been lazy just very busy with visitors, cleaning-CLEANING!!!!-and wrestling with my new crafty friend.
Friday we went to the funeral of a friend. Just about a year ago we were at their lovely home having a great meal, hearing about their holiday in India-a place they loved-and looking at the stunning prints created from the shots taken there. Then everything changed. Dorothy my DH's highly talented photography friend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died not long after. Meanwhile Derek was also in hospital but recovered and had started to make plans for more travels. He had a stroke and died. His funeral was a humanist one and deeply moving. Their son will be taking their ashes to India to scatter in the place they loved so much. As you get older it's hard to lose people you've only just got to know.
By contrast on Thursday we were out with some friends I've known since I was at school. They live in Southern Ireland now near Cork-well about sixty miles away I think but in Irish terms that's near. It's called Ahakista and is about as far away as you can get on the Irish mainland from the UK. We went to a Tappas bar in Todmorden. Tappas is a new experience for my DH but I think he enjoyed it.
Back to crafting. Dh has gone to an exhibition but I've stayed home to catch up with the all important blog. I've been admonished by my crafty friend in France Batty B. Apparently some of my postings have "not been up to my usual standard". I'm also in trouble 'cos the name of my blog closely resembles her "Batty's burblings from the batcave" which is a piece she used to write in The Stampman newsletter. I panicked when I had to choose a name for my blog and that was all I could think of! I didn't copy -honest-just put the first thing that came into my head and went for it. I've also struggled with my piccies.Been more piccy with them- ha ha but can't get the colours to look right.



It all started when I saw the packaging on an upmarket Easter Egg given to my DH at the weekend by little sis. Clear embossing on black card -ping! went my little brain cells. What you'll have to see for yourselves is the card on Craftwork Cards blog which I based it on. Kath did a whole week of lovely cards and really set me thinking. Those stamps are so easy to work with. I used the Army and navy card candy and perfect pearls plus some of my precious swarovski crystals. The organza ribbon really stood out against the black. I'm going to have a go at a box using the same technique. Have just checked out the CwC blog and my card is there!! Sadly I really wish I could share the original with you. The colours just zing against the black .
Next I tried stamping with versamark and brushing the perfect pearls over the top. The vase is from a CwC template that is in the bloomin' lovely goody bag. I just versamarked the black card brushed the perfect pearls over and cut out the shape. I used paper cord for the stems. The insert I stamped the swirl in grey ink over the corner. I usually go with blank inserts so a bit of a first



Number three is also based on one of Kath's cards but I used pink and brown. I didn't have a pink mat so I cut one with a nestie which was a bit smaller so I did a skewiffy and put it on some more CwC card.That's all for now but will be back later to share some cards made by O.P's (other peeps). Some not very old. Ah -ha and a card I've managed to make using my new crafty friend. I'm still in my dressing gown 'cos this wasn't going to take long. Oops. Hope this lot is O.K. Batty.

Another day, another play.

Blogland is a country which is slowly unfolding itself to me. It's a great place for crafters who crave contact and exchange of ideas and also someone else to show their work to. When I first started papercrafting there were no magazines in this country dedicated just to cardmaking and papercrafting. Now there's stacks of them but better still is you tube with demo videos and blogs crammed with demos from people who've been racking their brains trying to solve the same kind of crafting problems that I have. After many hoppy days and evenings I have discovered Ikki's cuttlebug cupboard -a truly generous blog where Ikki shares and explains clearly how to solve some of the creative issues associated with the cuttlebug. Most of us have some cuttlebug folders haven't we? "If only I could" we've moaned. Well Ikki knows how and she shares. Go look. This is a card I made using a couple of the ideas she talks about.

The first idea involves the making of the card embellishment. For my flower I've used some handmade paper I've had for about eight years leftover from another project. I inked the petal edges with chalk ink and added black versafine for definition. Then I stamped the little flower from one of the Japanese doll sets at Craftwork Cards. I wasn't happy so I used a sakura stardust gel pen on the edges which I waterbrushed out. It just gave an added lift.

The second idea is how to partially emboss the card without getting nasty edges from the folder. I have a wizard but I used the same idea and instead of the white plate on the top I used the blue one. Have a look on her blog to see how.

I finished off with a wash of colour from a stardust pen on the relief. Could have left it plain but I wanted to see what it would look like. Sentiment, I'm sure you know,is labels one plus a craftwork cards oval. Ribbon Anitas. The brad-goodness knows! I do like lilac and green-bit of the suffragette in me.

There's lots more on Ikkis blog and she seems to have found an answer to a lot of my questions so should be good for a good bit more messing about. I do try to create a whole card these days instead of just playing and leaving the results lying about.

My new Cardmaking and Papercraft came today so I'm off to read it but before I do I'd just like to say thankyou to DH who has given technical assistance in the setting up of a mini studio so that I can improve my card shots.

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad,blog candy world

I'm a bloghopping addict and there's blog candy out there in it. If you'd like some get over to Craftwork Cards blog where there's some beautiful card candy filled metallic look eggs and at the same time marvel at Kath's incredible card designs for the japanese doll range of stamps. Kath has got some awesome blog candy on her blog and some more of her incredible work. She's celebrating 100,000 hits.
More news-Paul is guest designer for Elzybells this week and he's been posting some lovely stuff

No more cards tonight

That's it. Due to aforementioned unpleasant illness (FMS) I have a lack of feeling in my fingertips. Usually it's not a problem. Tonight I suddenly started getting funny marks all over my cards. Tools messy, I thought, but after a close inspection I couldn't find anything to cause it but there they were again, the same dratted marks. It was blood! I had a paper cut on the end of my finger. I can't feel it at all but it's bleeding every time I try to do something. I've ruined a sheet of lovely pearlised patterned paper. BLAST. I'll put a plaster on and go do some knitting in front of the TV. Can't make cards with a plaster on the end of my finger. On the plus side-paper cuts used to be really uncomfortable. Night night.

Bunny has been breeding!

I'm having a day off learning how to use the new toy in my crafting life to do some more bunny cards. Gave up forcing my printer to play with the 300 gsm card I'd just got, wonderful though it is and printed inserts for the lovely craftwork cards scalloped cards. They're a bargain at £6.50 for 50 with envelopes. There are other sizes and styles. Then I got the bunnies from Pink Petticoat which I'd already coloured with my new promarkers while I was watching telly. They are ace for colouring printer images 'cos they don't bleed if you're careful. No washing or shading, just lovely vibrant colours which matched perfectly with some cupcake collection papers that I'd already got. I also used some stuff taken from the new "bloomin' lovely" everyday goody bag . I wanted to isolate the image from the papers as they are so vibrant but I didn't want to make another mat which would have covered up the papers so I used the blooms and chopped 'em up to go further. Got to save money somehow! There's also some other bits'n'bobs in there-oh-and the card candy is "totally tropical" which also comes in the "bloomin lovely" bag along with a heap of other stash which I'm working on using instead of stashing. TTFN it's time for tea when I've got the piccies on

Easter Bunny the-almost- final version

All aloooone and OFFICIALLY FED UP

I decided to make cards today after all the clearing out/rationalising/reorganising I felt I deserved a treat. DH is away to the hills with his camera so I can card away to my hearts content.

Out came my new 300gsm card which is gorgeous. So I challenged myself to print directly onto this beauty and create a big card (bigger than I usually do). I used all the tips Paul has given in his blog and set off before breakfast to do this quick card. After an hour I had some shredded wheat. I couldn't manage three so maybe that's why I finally had to give up trying to get my printer to form a relationship with this new beauty in my life. I did manage one result which was decent but I ruined it by colouring the sentiment on the inside with my (also new) promarkers that decided to reveal themselves on the back. AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGHHHHH. I got out my printer's true love, my Tesco premium 120gsm and printed some PP papers-cut the topper off the front of my card-also made with PP (that's the new Spring Wishes) and layered it all a bit. Simple may be better but it's b***** harder, especially when your printer won't play ball.

Why am I fed up then if I've managed to retrieve the situation? After I'd messed about I took a shot of the final card and that's when I realised the lovely little bunny wasn't in the middle. If it weren't for the dotty paper it wouldn't be half as obvious but it is. I'll have to trim it which will mean that the printing on the back will not be balanced although the one inside shouldn't be too bad . Back to the drawing board or should I say the whisky bottle or the cold compress.

To add to my woes I can't seem to work out how to get the piccies I took with my camera held sideways to publish upright except by doing it through Picasa which is why the final version of the card is in a separate post. I think I'll go lie down now.

Saturday again!

Where did last week go? By the time I'd come back from the high of Harrogate we were nearly half through the week and after domestic stuff which has to be done or things would disintegrate to an unmanageable level there didn't seem to be a big energy surplus. There have been big changes in my craftroom with more to follow. My very elderly monitor and it's companion tower unit have finally been removed and consigned to the tip. I've been able to get up to the shelves to sort out stuff and clear away dust which has lain there since I became ill about eight years ago. I'm looking forward to the prospect of a better organised room which is driving me on but leaving little time or energy for crafting.

Here's two I made earlier.
Last year in fact. I did make another which involved eighteen candles but I was so tired and rushed afterwards that I didn't photograph it. Afterwards I vowed never to buy those candle blanks from Craftwork Cards again but guess what-I succumbed at Harrogate. There was a great sample on the stand using the beautiful gold foiled papers and I gave in.
The eighteen one was for my grandson. "Bit over the top this one grandma" he said.