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.