Crafty Individuals Mother's Day card!

So, is my mojo back yet? Not really sure but I did have lots of fun trying out some of my new goodies yesterday. The stamp design is a bit different from my usual cutie, comfort zone and am looking forward to attempting some different inking techniques with it too.

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This image I coloured in with my Copics, then attacked with some Glimmer mists and Glossy Accents. I used another "new stamp" well, I got it before Xmas but hadn't take it out of it's packaging until yesterday....does that still count as "new?" Anyway it was the Musical background stamp from Jennie at Artistic Stamper. I am planning on making up a batch of inked, stamped heart, butterflies and flowers on some recycled chipboard to have on hand IF and when my mojo ever gets back to it's former self!

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Right, best get on. My darling hubby if cooking a lovely roast dinner and I am going to spend some time out in the conservatory, sipping a nice glass of wine and colouring some images with my Copics. (Blows the dust off the box!)

My card is going into the challenge at: Scrapbook Sisters - 29 Mother's Day card Dutch Dare - Distressing Clear it out - Buttons (I did however struggle to part with this little mother of pearl button!)

Some crafty spending to revive my mojo!!

Just a little bit of spending to hopefully get the creativity kick started. It worked, well it had to seeing as I hadn't made a Mother's Day card for my mum until yesterday afternoon. I was eagerly looking out the window for the majority of yesterday morning in hope that Mr Postie would turn up trumps.....and he did!!!!! Scrummy flowers, seam binding and twine, will need to continue sorting all my stash in preparation for some more colours! I have really enjoyed trying out my new stash, thank you Tracy of Creative Treasures! I will reveal my latest creation shortly, after my mum has seen it!!! LOL

Happy Mother's Day!

x X x

Having a crafty sort out!

I am trying to find my missing crafty mojo hidden in the depths of a really messy craft room but unfortunately its gonna get a lot worse before I can see any improvement at all. A little while ago I discovered a long lost, rather large tool box lurking at the back of the spare wardrobe so I moved it into the craft room. There it sat, for weeks and weeks, possibly even months, me having to practically step over it every time I ventured in there. The worktops are not visble from underneath the piles of storage tubs, baskets, papers and general crafty clutter. Is it any wonder at all that I am not feeling inspired to get creative. Hey ho, onwards and upwards. I have cleared the contents of the large toolbox and stored into smaller boxes which fit onto my shelves and now I have some FLOOR! whooo hoooo! I can even whizz my office chair from my little worktop by the window over to the computer without crashing into anything! This morning I am starting to sort out my stamp collection. I feel it has been rather neglected as looking back at my creations over the last few years I have mainly used digi images. Don't get me wrong, I love digital images but I feel the need to a bit of rumaging around, organising, and storing in pretty little boxes! It's been so long since I crafted, I cannot even remember what I have! So far I have uncovered my little collection of Magnolia's, spurred on by a little purchase of 2 new stamps which arrived yesterday. Here is what I have uncovered so far:

I stamped several images yesterday and have since sat down with a nice cuppa and happily cut them all out.....next step.....................COPICS!!!!!!!

Those naughty knitting needle fairies!!!

My darling mum has been very busy with her knitting needles and is trying out a few new creations which really inspired me...yes, shock horror...ME feeling a little creative again. Thought I'd better act upon it quickly before it vanishes again BUT there is always a hurdle to jump isn't there.

There I was with a huge bag of scrummy wools at my feet, a stash of cute little projects to make and do you think I could find ANY knitting needles. Those naughty knitting needle fairies have come along and stolen ALL my needles while my creativity was AWOL!

Never mind, yesterday I took a very brief detour to my mum and managed to borrow a vey old pair of needles that we believe originally belonged to my Big Nan (Great Grandmother!) It was rather nice just sitting down and knitting just for the fun of it and even nicer knowing that my darling Big Nan had once been sitting down knitting away with those needles.

Right waffle over, I have given you a little sneek peak at what my mum has been creating and watch this space as we progress with a little more creativity. (Fingers crossed life doesn't get in the way again!)

x X x

A Magnolia for mum!

Today is my darling mum's birthday so what better reason did I need to TRY to get creative. I had a new pad of papers from The Paper Cellar that I have never even used so after finding what I needed in the chaos I used to call my craft room, I set to work.

I took inspiration from the sketch challenge over at Just Magnolia and although I had a few near disasters with a rather old little pot of liquid pearls I really enjoyed my crafty time.

I really, really MUST tidy my little room so that I can actually open the door fully, see a bit more carpet and desktop and use what little ctraft time I have a bit more efficiently!

Happy Birthday Mum!

x X x

Not exactly crafty but.....

...at least we have had some form of creativity in the Dingle house today. A year or two (???) after having our kitchen fitted we decided that a few wall cupboards would come in handy. I wanted to free up a few of the base cupboards for things like Jack's homework books that are constantly being scattered around the house and in danger of Amelia using them for colouring books.
I am going to shuffle around and organise over the next few weeks but in general I am very pleased with the results. We have also at long last got the back panel of the breakfast bar fitted! Whoo hooo.....onwards and upwards.

I have tidied all the mess that was created washed all the new cupboards and will shortly celebrate the progress with a nice glass of something.

They are a few things I am dissappointed in however;

* Can't get glass shelves for the glazed cupboards instore as promised and will possibly now have to wait weeks until I can organise the glasses.

* Still waiting for Chris to fit and connect the lighting.

* Have you noticed another flaw? I NEED more wine!!!!!!!

Day 4, recycled blooms & knitting

Today has been a bit of a funny old day. It started with Jack and Amelia bickering as usual and it wasn't the greatest start to the day. Amelia went back to school and I took the opportunity to blitz the kitchen while I waited in for a delivery of some more kitchen cupboards.

In the afternoon I decided to do a little bit of recycling! Tore some pages out of an old book, attacked them with inks and glimmer sprays, cut out layers of flowers, and edged with yet more ink....trouble is that looking at my hands now, I look like a very heavy smoker! LOL

Haven't quite decided how to finish them off, I have rummaged around my button box for some small, recycled shirt buttons but I am tempted to use some pearly brads....decisions, decisions.

I managed to do a few more rows of knitting last night too, the pattern is quite straight forward but it's slightly flared so I am having to decrease too.....haven't done any knitting for ages and although I haven't managed much since I started at the weekend, I have really enjoyed it.

Three consecutive days!!!!!!

I am still playing a bit of blogging catch up with the few cards I have actually made. I must get myself a crafty to do list going, when I have done one in the past it did motivate me to find time for crafting.


Still, I don't expect I will get much done today, I have Amelia off sick again. She did have a better sleep but woke up this morning with the cough of an 80 year old man...bless her. What with that and a little red, sore, moustache from where she is blowing her nose so much. Poor little lady, she is also having to suffer regular ear drops in preparation of an ENT appointment later in the week.


Anyway, back to the card - I made this for my Mum & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary. I used a very similar design to a Wedding card I made last year. I was running out of time so instead of the hand stitching I was planning to do, I dusted off the ol' sewing machine!

Right, best get on. I am going to get the kettle on for a cuppa, get Amelia in the bath, do creams, ear drops and medicine and hopefully spend the rest of the day cuddling and knitting and watching DVD's. ( MY knitting is coming along nicely...slowly, but nicely. Will try to take some pics to monitor and motivate my progress.)

Playing catch up...

.....with life and blogging! Well not so much with life! I have been awake for half the night with Amelia who is full of cold and just couldn't stop coughing. I have kept her off of school today for loads of Calpol and cuddles.

Anyway, here is another of the cards I have made.

Once again I struggled to get motivated but once I had actually started the card, I really enjoyed making it. It did help that I had already stamped the main image and cut out all the little pieces ready for layering.

I made this for a challenge over at Crafts by Carolyn's Forum.

It's been a LONG time.....

....but VERY slowly I am trying to muster up some enthusiasm to craft again! I have had a few cards that I NEEDED to make so that really helped me get back into my craft room which has just been used as a dumping ground for months now...I really need to have a complete overhaul and get rid of the clutter and unused crafty stuff in there. Might even encourage my creativity...you never know.

I have actually made a few cards but will probably need to blog again later as I am expecting my little whirlwind home from school any minute now! I had forgotten how relaxing it was to just sit and colour with my Copics!!!

My card took inspiration from;
My Time to Craft - Flourishes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes + Flowers

More snow!

Time for Chris and me is non-existent but a while ago Chris booked a day off and we planned to do some leisurely, child-free Christmas shopping. A Dickensian Christmas Market and a nice little pub lunch was on the cards....unfortunately that day was supposed to have been yesterday! LOL, things just NEVER go to plan! Children off school, roads closed and cars buried in snow- it was never going to happen was it!

Hey ho, the Christmas tree is up, that's a first. Usually it's a rushed event the weekend before Christmas, but already we have noticed a flaw in our organisation. A "little" matter called Amelia is now driving us mad by asking "when is it Christmas?"....every 5 minutes!!!!

I now really need to find my crafty mojo and make a few Christmas cards!!!!!!

For now here are a few more of our snowy pics! Now I may not have got my romantic pub lunch but my darling hubby did make me a loveheart on the top of my car! Not a good pic as I was hanging out of the window, but the gesture was there!

Chris looking very smug after throwing a snowball at Jack's window!!

The cat looking really impressed "NOT!"

An avalanche just waiting to happen...or broken guttering!!!

Mad man with broom stick!

Snowy days!

Well, it has been threatening for a few days but yesterday it actually happened, we woke up to a snowy white landscape. We live in one of the highest parts of Kent, so when it hits us, it seems to hit us harder than other parts of Kent. We have the estuary one side of us and the North Downs the other side so I suppose we could be rather more exposed than some of the southern counties.

Anyway, after a lot of rushing around yesterday morning, I decided not to send Amelia into school. Her school is over 5miles away and up a nasty hill, so certainly not walkable with her if the worst came to the worst. Then I had the decision as to whether or not to send Jack out in an attempt to catch his bus - his new school is 3 miles away in the complete opposite direction and once again, the journey is rather hilly. Luckily, just as he was about to leave, his school announced closure so I was happy to keep them both warm and safe at home with me.

Chris on the otherhand, either goes to work, or loses a day's pay. So he went for it! He works 25 miles away and most of that is motorway. He set out and took 2 hours to get to work.
Throughout the day, it snow, and snow, and snowed some more.

The contorted hazel looked pretty.









AS the day went on, it just didn't stop and Chris left work at 2.30pm, cleared the snow off his car and set of on his 25 mile journey home at 2.45. After an absolutely awful journey home he managed to walk through the front door just before 11pm! Poor, poor Chris!


It goes without saying that no-one went anywhere today, it has been snowing again today nearly non-stop and the forcast is for plenty more to come with strong winds to make matters worse.
But despite the below freezing temperatures boys just have to be boys and just couldn't simply clear the path and driveway a bit, could they???????

Stay safe, stay warm, stay happy!

XXX

Hello strangers!!!

Hello there - I have been a very bad blogger but then again I have been a bad crafter and a bad house keeper too. To be honest, I have really not been that well and had a bit of a health scare a few months back. I am still not right but several tests later I am no further to knowing what, if anything is wrong with me. All I do know is that I am still in some pain and absolutely shattered. My doctor has put it down to a stressful life but unfortunately that's the way it is and it's not going to change.



Anyway, after months of having no energy and no crafty mojo whatsoever I had a mad moment yesterday and made not 1, not 2 but 20 cards!!!! LOL, I was cheating really as they were invites for my Uncle! Not really happy with them but at least it has, hopefully, got me back into a crafty, Christmassy mood! Ho ho ho!!!!!

My little Christmassy attempt meet the following;

Diecut Dreams -Anything goes.
Papertake Weekly - Cut it out.
ABC Challenge- I is for Ice and Snow.
Crafts by Carolyn - Time to Create- Christmas!

Right, my mojo may have gone missing but I have got a little stash of new crafty goodies to try out whilst I go in search of it! Hope to be back soon!

x X x