Silence is GOLDEN!

We only had a few workmen here today and they were painting the outside rendering before the scaffolding comes down. It was so quiet and peaceful so I took the opportunity to do a bit of crafting. Made a Xmas card to meet this weeks mid-week dare and cross one card off my weekly challenge list.

This time we are giving you just One Word as the inspiration for your

card making and that word is GOLDEN

As you can see I used Gold ribbon, gold bookplate die, gold brads, gold glitter glue and gold rub-ons to enhance the embossed card, holly and heart.

This week's challenge!!!

After failing miserably yet again, I live in hope and have set myself another small challenge for this week.

3 thank you cards (O/S from last week)
at least 2 xmas cards
knit all the teddies arms!
xmas die cutting


I have just ordered my cuttlebug today...a few dies and embossing folders jumped into my basket too!!!! Will make my die cutting soooo much easier....that's my excuse anyway.

Off to the school run now but I have manged to make a card this afternoon, will load it later.

I am sooo "enjoying" this!

This week Daring Card Makers DARE was to make a card using a word as the main focal point. Not really kept to the true point of the dare but tried to work this card around the word "ENJOY" word. Inside it reads........"your Retirement!" as my MIL retired this week. I have also managed to make a quick Xmas card using a scrap of dotty paper-another challenge I am catching up with from Just Bex.

Yesterday's creations!

Yes, I actually managed to make a few cards from my "challenge list!" They are both for my nephew....goodness, what do you make for a 17 yr old boy!!!!! Both simple designs and it was just so good to spend a bit of time for myself, radio on and just crafting. I met one of the challenges on Just Bex too- Stripes, spots and waves! I have started the "retirement card too-hope to finish that today as I may not be able to get back into my craft room after work tomorrow!!

Whoo hoo...manged to get in my craft room again!

After an absolute hectic week, I have managed to get in my craft room for a while this afternoon.
I am now working a couple of mornings a week and I have had 2 meeting over at the school this week too. The extension is really coming together now, but chaos is everywhere! We have had up to 10 workmen here some days....at times I have had to escape over to my mum and dad's house just to get away from it all. It has been well worth the chaos though. We have had the outside rendered, guttering going up next week and scaffolding coming down. Upstairs the stud wall for our bathroom has been put up, the 1st phase plumbing and electric has been done and today...we have some plaster!!!!! I am SOOOOOO excited, next week they are finishing the plastering upstairs, putting in my WINDOWS....and hopefully fitting some of our new bathroom. LOL..we are currently bathing by lamplight in our old bath, in the middle of a rather dusty, draughty extension- the kiddies think it is great!!! I might even be able to start painting upstairs next weekend!!!!
On top of all that, our emersion tank decided to spring a leak, just as well I had some workmen around to help out as water was dripping through our front room ceiling- the only room in the house we had already had replastered and was almost how we wanted it to be- we now have a crack running the length of the ceiling and another crack and some blown plaster in the corner!! Oh well- could have been worse but it's more unexpected payout for a new tank. We might see about claiming on our insurance for the re-plastering- I haven't ever claimed in 20 years.

Today I have managed to actually GET IN my craft room to start sorting. I have set myself another challenge after failing miserably last week, but already I am doubting I will meet it!!

This weeks Tuesday deadline challenge!!!!!!

1 retirement card

2 birthday cards

3 Thank you cards for the Down Syndrome Group

knit some of the 4 teddies to knit!!

ONE Xmas card (if I am really lucky)

It's a mad house here!!!

I am still to make my 5th card and it is absolute mayhem here! They took our bath out yesterday and are temorarily re-fitting in the "new bathroom" today...when I say bathroom, it is a shell of a room, no ceiling, no plaster board or plaster, a boarded up opening for a window, no electrics , just the frame of a stud wall in the middle of ....well...nothingness!! LOL...gonna be fun bathing the kiddies tonight! I have been going through things all morning and have electricians and plumbers here, plasterer and carpenter are due later too...and this afternoon I have a meeting at the school about Amelia's support and therapies!!
Hopefully things will calm down for an hour or so but I cannot get into my craft room as the plumbers have the floorboards up in the hall!!! Might sit out in the conservatory for a while a do some knitting but it's NOT going to get my challenge done is it!

4 Down, one more to go!!!

Another simple card for my stock box. I love this little gingerbread man but it is a right pain hand cutting him out!!!

Tearing purple holes or tearing my hair out!!

Out of my challenge to complete 5 Christmas cards by Tuesday, I have managed 2 this morning, this is the first of them. Like a mad woman rather than do something I was familiar with I tried to complete this weeks DCM dare.......foolish !!!

"Well, the time has come for our first Christmas card dare of 2007.But as loads of you have already shown some fab Christmas cards on your blogs, we thought we'd make things a little more Daring, interesting, tricky or downright mean - depending on your point of view!
So, we'd like you to make and show a Christmas card which incorporates the following:
Some Paper Tearing
The colour Purple
AND
It has to have at least one hole somewhere in the design!
......BUT by "hole" we don't just mean the sort of hole you poke a brad through, or the holes you make for/with stitching - or even the hole you make to put an eyelet in - although you can use all those techniques too if you want.
We want you to be a bit/lot more inventive and creative than that, and we think you'll be able to come up with some wonderful ideas for making cards to fit this recipe.

My first hurdle with this is that I am really not a purple person and had no papers that I felt were really suitable. I ended up using a dark maroon colour but thought this was cheating far to much to get away with it, so I resorted to mounting it on a light purple(ish) colour card blank I made up with an oddment of card I had!! The design is very basic and I was so much happier with it when I put it onto a white card blank....but for the dare I bit my lip and stuck it on to the purple!!

Not one of my favs, but another xmas card off my challenge list!

Set myself a crafty goal!

I am thinking Christmas!!! Yes I know it is just unheard of for me to be organised and prepared for anything, but it doesn't stop me from trying. Things at home are as hectic as ever but I cannot see it getting any easier for some time yet- in fact they will probably get worse.
Yesterday was quite a big day really, not only did I have my first morning at work since being pregnant with Amelia bout 6 years ago...but we also had the first knock through on the extension!! I was dreading it as initially we thought we were going to lose the use of our bath...but we now have a sort of "half doorway" over the bath to let the builders have access into the extension. We all climbed over the bath into the extension yesterday afternoon and now I am sooo excited, it has made it all seem more real now and easier to visualise the new rooms as part of the house rather than just a building site stuck on the side of your house!!
Right sorry for going off at tangents.....back to the Christmas crafty business! I have set myself a small goal to achieve by Tuesday and then doing a weekly Xmas countdown!!

By Tuesday I am going to:
make at least 5 Christmas cards
start one pressie
continue sorting my stash!!!

Hope to incorporate a few challenges as I make them too!!!

Right, off to hoover up the rest of the brick dust....yawn....a never ending task in itself!!!

I am an old softie at heart!

Bit last minute as usual but here is my attempt at tthe DCM little extra challenge which also fits in nicely with the "Touchy feely" challenge on Just Bex. Used one of my new embossing folders...of course....and just a little bit of "soft stuff" by adding some fluffy fibres I found lurking in a drawer looking very unloved!!!Not sure if I preferred the tree straight now...but this one is well and truely stuck...so it's staying well and truely wonky (or should I say quirky as it sounds better!)

My first embossed creations!!

Well I had a little time to myself, but it just flew by this afternoon and before I knew it-it was time to go and pick up the kiddiewinks! I did however manage 2 cards-embossed of course!!

Another 2 Just Bex challenges complete. The first "Traditional twist" where you need to funk up the tradition xmas colours and the second "Tropical turquiose and pretty pink" no explanation required! I really had fun with these embossing folders and I am already looking at what others to put on my wish list!!

Here they are!!!!!

What one shall I play with first?

First day back at school!!!

The children went off to school as happy as anything, the structure of a routine is so much better so them, especially Amelia. Jack went in first- the juniors start slightly earlier- not a care in the world and big grin on his face. He adores school.
Next we walked back around to the infants and queued up for each class to be taken to their new classroom. Quite a few others were crying and clinging onto their mums...but Amelia took it all in her stride, cuddled a little girl who was crying and we took her in as "Amelia's helper!" Once it it was rather chaotic, as no trays had been made up and no-one knew where to put the water botttles etc...but Amelia co-operated and went around cuddling and saying hello to her friends and new teachers. She was shown how to select either "school diners" or "packed lunch" on the interactive white board.........LOL........she was well impressed and I can picture her causing rather a commotion with that if she gets the chance!!! I am still apprehensive about her being there as she hasn't the security of the Pre-school setting and is out in the large playground now....I will have to monitor how she gets on quite closely.
I am worried we will take a huge step backwards like we did last September. Over the school holidays she has been dry day and night apart from about 2 nights when we stayed out late and she was put to bed straight from being asleep in the car. Still I am assured that she will have support in class this year- it has taken 3 years to get it and a year fighting for statementing- this year could be make or break for her mainstream education- we will just have to wait and see!!!
Fingers crossed.

Chris is having a day out on his company, he is up at the Oval with some of the bosses watch England play......went off like a little kid this morning all excited!!! Not sure what time he will get back this evening- I am sure he will have a great day.

I am now in the calmness of home, no builders today, done a quick bit of housework and then.....MR POSTIE ARRIVED!!!!!!! Woo hoooooo....now guess what I will be doing this afternoon!!!! I love my cuttlebug embossing folders already!!!! Off to make lunch and a cuppa so I can play!!

I have been naughty!!!

Felt the need for a boost in preparation for when the children are back at school and I have some crafty catch up time....so I ordered some Cuttlebug embossing folders. I know the supplier has a good reputation for speedy delivery so I will be watching Mr Postie very closely!!!!! Still no papercrafting for me today....but the night is young...shame I am not!

No papercrafting here then!

So much for PAPER crafting yesterday. I did however finish my knitting and sort out a bit more of my craft room (but it is still in chaos.) Hopefully this week we should have more of a idea when the windows are going in as I cannot really settle until after that is done.
I did also cut a few die cuts, but most of those were felt or chipboard rather than paper! Then I sat down and sketched a few Xmas card ideas, probably won't be able to find them when I need them though!LOL
Started getting the children's school bags ready yesterday, going to finish that today, pack PE kits and label up the rest of the new uniform so we are all prepared for their first day back-tomorrow!!! It has been a tough 6 weeks with everything going on for the extension but we always knew it would be- I am absolutley shattered and need to refocus on getting the house straight once all the building work is done- it has been difficult to see all the positive ahead of us through all the dust and chaos. We have got the plumber coming aroung this evening and then we can start looking forward to the exciting things...like ordering MY whirlpool bath!!!!
Right then, crafty plans for today.....hmmm....creativity is not easy with the children around and roofers cutting tiles all around us...we are as good as confined to the house again today. Well I need to be realisitic here.....I will probably bring my tagalong downstairs and cut a few xmas shapes, that way it will give me something to do of an evening snuggled up on the settee with Chris....I find inking and sticking the tiny shapes quite relaxing and rewarding to see rows and rows of dinky reindeers or wreath all ready to use!!! Might even treat myself to a few new dies today to give me a boost!!!

2nd September and made another card!

LOL...I wonder if I will manage to keep my promise to myself and do something every day!!! Chris is back to work tomorrow, the roof is hopefully being finished and we are talking rendering, doors and windows!!!! I simply cannot wait to start getting straight but we still have so much to do. The children are back to school on Wednesday so it won't be quite so bad as it could have been when they knock through. Still keeping our fingers crossed it doesn't rain, we have been VERY lucky up to now.

Right, back to the point. The card I made is for my mum to give to my uncle. Another Just Bex challenge- Fun with felt- to use felt for something other than flowers, well I made some felt hearts last month so I decided to try a star this time around. I popped a little star charm on the corner to add some detail...I love my pigeon toed charms!!!

OMG- 2 cards in one day!!

Don't fall off your chairs...LOL.

Seeing as I had left papers out- I decided to make my sisiter's birthday card for later on in the month. I rumaged through my stash to find the slide mounts I got in a die cut swap ages ago to meet another Just Bex challenge.

A new month a new resolution!!!

With the children due to go back to school next week I am determined to find myself some crafty time despite the building work still having weeks to go!!! Got off to a good start today as yesterday had a phone call inviting Jack to a birthday bash this afternoon. Quite threw me to be honest as it is for a girl in his class who is the eldest in his year as opposed to him being the youngest. So where he has just turned 8 this little girl is now 9. NINE!!!!!!! Goodness me I thought 8 seemed so grown up. Anyway he has just gone off for the day now, going to the pictures and then for a burger afterwards. I hope to spend a little time sorting out my junk room...ooo...sorry.. I mean CRAFT room. I have carried yet more boxes up from the conservatory, which is now looking really a calm and relaxing room but there is so much in the craft room now, there is hardly room to move!!!

Right I am aiming, but not promising to do some papercrafting every day-here is todays attempt. I combined two challenges, the DCM "3 dies" and Just Bex "Gorgeous gingham" a basic card but I enjoy working with the simplicity of gingham and polka dots...and love the boldness of pink, black and white.....I hope the recipient does too!!! Not sure what 9 year old girls go for- Jack wanted me to make a Doctor Who card for her...hmmmm!!!