Blooming Garden!

Last Summer our garden looked like this! Total chaos! I know it's not a big garden but we have been in this house for 14 years now and we have always given priority to the house. The time, effort and money spent on the garden was a luxury, snatching a bit of time to do a few things on a make-shaft basis!

After the outlay of replacing the fencing last year, we had left ourselves we borders that were practically bare and lost several really large shrubs that we'd had for years! BUT, bit by bit we have been pottering around the garden and it is still far from being perfect or finished. We are dallying over the idea of a very small veg patch...but dallying is as far as we have got so far!

We are one step closer to being able to just potter around the garden rather than having to carry out major, hard labour.....we may even get the opportunity to light the chimnea and sip the occasion bottle of wine or a large jug of Pimms....who know what, perhaps with the unpredictable weather it may be a mug of hot chocoalate!

(Waiting impatiently for my hydrangea to flower, this poor specimen has been stuck,unloved in a pot for years and now being planted out it is full of bloom and tones of a lovely dark pink are starting to emerge.....how sad am I! LOL)



Another man's card!

Trying desperately to catch up with life after a hectic week or so, I can't see things improving much until the end of term. Counting the days until I finish work and the children finish yet another school year! Jack has one more week doing his Key Stage 3 subjects then starts his GCSE timetable the first week in July. I can't believe it, he is growing up so fast- only a few more months and then I will be the mother of a teenager! EEEEK!

Anyway, this week we celebrated Chris's birthday and as usual I left everything to the very last minute to make him a card! (Shame on me!) I keep on promising myself I will change and be more organised, but there are always so many hurdles to jump I so often faulter!

I eventually decided on a fairly quick card using one of the freebie stamps I got on the front of a mag. I did a bit of paper piecing to make up a little checked shirt which I then inked a bit to give a bit of shadow and dimension. Coloured with my Prismas again and added a few touches of Glossy Accents for detail.

I chose this paper and colour scheme to match the challenge over at Crafts by Carolyn's where your creation needs to include red, white and blue with a bit of bling. Now I don't really do bling but as a "blingish" addition to the metallic mesh and a bit of gloss I did include a tiny little crystal heart!

Got LOADS of cards to make for forth coming events, some how I just need to find the time to make them!

x X x

A Wedding Card to match my exploding box!

As usual, everything has got to pot here, all getting prepared for the Wedding at the weekend and Amelia came home from school yesterday afternoon with a really bad upset tummy! SO, I lost another day's work today(and pay) and my "schedule" has gone out the window. Jack's stomach came out in sympathy this morning so I have two very grumpy, irratable children at home to "HELP" me catch up on everything!

Luckily I had prepared most of the Wedding card yesterday, it just needed inking, sticking, and attacking with metallic rub-ons etc......so thankfully, it is now done and sitting on the side with it's little matching exploding box as the Liquid pearl flower centres on the inside of the card dries out!

A very simple card- I replicated the basic design on the inside to include a personalised greeting.

I took added inspiration from the latest challenge over at BasicGrey Challenges- Clean and Simple.

I used scraps of Basic Grey to cut layers of the Tattered Flower, then backed more BG paper onto card and cut the little hearts using a Sizzix die. I believe the papers to be scraps of BG Two Scoops- Dreamsicle???? Perhaps someone could confirm if you can still see the paper design underneath all the ink and metallic rub-ons I have used!!

Well, it's time for a light lunch with my fragile tummied children, then I may TRY to make the most of an unplaned, unpaid day off by making another card...or two!!







Exploding Box for Wedding Keepsake!

About one month after I first started this, today I eventally got around to finishing the inside of my exploding box. I have kept most of the inside pretty basic, using Nesties I made up little frames ready for the bride and groom to slip in their keepsake pics and memories.

I really had fun making this, I do hope the Happy Couple like it.

Hopefully I'll blog again soon with another card....as I have several I MUST make! LOL, nothing like leaving things to the last minute is there?

x X x

My first Teddy Bo in Prismacolor!

It's not very often I treat myself to craft magazines but last week, during a very wet and windy half term, I was swayed by several mags with freebies! (Alongside a few other crafty purchases....but sshhh, let's not mention those!)

With Father's Day almost upon us I took the opportunity to play with a few of my new goodies. I use my first ever Teddy Bo image, alongside some of the free sentiments stamps and papers. Whilst making this card up, I had a bit of a dilema; some of my fav brown toned Copics are running low so I dusted off my box of Prismacolor pencils! OH, goodness, I really do need to refresh my memory on the best way to use them again, it's been so long. I don't think I have looked at them since my trying out my first Copic marker!!

Still, not 100% happy with the colour blending but enjoyed making the card.







My card meets the following challenges;

Crafts by Carolyns- Red, White & Blue
Cards for Men - Father's Day
Scrapbook Sisters - Red, White & Blue

Hopefully see you again with some more crafting!

x X x

An Exploding Box Wedding Gift

Now a little while ago Carolyn, from Crafts by Carolyn's asked if anyone had made an exploding box recently. You can find the instructions to make these on the page I have just linked!

Now, I have never tried one of these before but her question got those old cogs working and I thought I might attempt one to give at a Wedding we are going to next month. The instructions are quite simple, I start this yesterday afternoon and have so far, managed to finish decorating the outside of the box.

I inked up an embossong folder with pink ink, then attacked the edges with Brilliance Coffee Bean, followed by Metallic rub ons to give it a distress "vintage" look....well that was the idea anyhow!

Spot my flower made with scraps of pink papers using Tattered Flowers Decorative Strip and two of my little heart tags that I made yesterday were put to use too.

Now I have to decided what to do inside!!!!!!!!! Now I want to leave it pretty basic so that the happy couple can put in pictures of their special day, so just a few basic embellies and some personalisation I am thinking at the moment....but we shall see. I normally just go with the flow.



My litte box meets the challenges from;

Just keep on creating - Anything Goes

Creative Craft Challenges2 - Distressing

Right, have about 30 minutes creative time left before my peace and calm are broken!

Hopefully I'll be back again soon to show the inside of the box.

x X x



Vintage heart tags!

My "day off" started with a long list of phone calls and form filling, leaving me very little time to do anything creative. I WAS going to attempt a few cards but instead I took an easy way out and made up a small batch of heart shape tags....following on from my previous posts. Seeing as I hadn't put away the inks or the stamps, it seemed a shame not to!



I had fun inking up my embossing folder, something I hadn't done for ages. I wan't to try a few more combinations of embossing patterns and colours now!

Right, my "me time" is over for now. Awaiting Amelia to come home from school, then it's a mad dash to get her ready for dance.

x X x

Tiny tags and greetings.

 I have got hone from work and got straight down to attacking the little shapes left scattered all over my desk since Sunday! I overstamped them all with a variety of tiny little greetings, rubbed a bit of metallic rub on onto them, put some glossy accents on, added a few eyelets...and here's what I ended up with.

Happier with some than I am others but generally quite pleased with the results, especially as it was a spur of the moment/ trial attempt. I have a few days off now so I hope to actually use a few of these on cards! This attempt has led on to a few more scatty ideas floating around my poor little head.

Sorry about the lighting; a Mid-May afternoon of gloom and rain I am afraid!

x X x

Small Nestabilities and inky fingers!

I have struggled at work today, by the end of the day, I hardly had any voice left at all. Still only got half day tomorrow, then I have a few day off again. If this doesn't pass soon, I will have to go back to the Doctors.

I have missed not crafting today, I started playing around with some small Nesties  yesterday. I cut out several various small shapes then randomly stamped them with a blothy mixture of blues, pinks, and a dash of burgundy. I used layers of a few colours experimenting with "blotchiness!" After that I inked all the edges but then it was time to get the roast in the oven.....and they are still sitting on my workdesk now.

By the time I get to sit down and craft again, I may even have a few more ideas what to actually do with them!

xXx

A Crafty Individuals "Vintage" card!

Now browsing online the other day, I came across the clockface used in my previous card, and this one....now how could I resist a stamp with my very own name on it. I have dithered over getting for aaaaages!

Really quite quick and simple to make up as I stamped onto a cream card that I had inked and glimmered up at Christmas!! Nice to make use of it at long last. I bodged a bit of a frame with the a few various Nesties then attacked it all with my sewing machine again, seeing as I had threaded it all up with black cotton!

Now, do you recognise the little frame I have made and layered on? Take a closer look.

When making my previous card, I stamped up several clockfaces onto a grungy green paper but then decided I would try stamping the face onto my inky cream card and overlaying it onto the green. One of the circular Nesties fits the clockface perfectly leaving me with all the text surrounding the clock "spare." Now waste not, want not....I made up a little frame. Quite pleased with the result but confess I hate the fact the main image is printed in black and the text on the frame is brown...shame on me!

RIGHT, waffle over. This card was inspired by the latest "Off Centre" challenge over on Scrapbook Sisters!

Oh I have missed crafting more than I realised!

x X x

Bunting on a man's card!!!

As you may know if you have read a few previous posts, there is a "Put the flags out" challenge this month over at Carolyn's.  Last weekend I was browsing a few online shops looking for inspiration and came across an example of bunting that was sewn on to a card. I thought I'd give it a go as the original looked really nice!

Well the actual sewing of the bunting is rather messy, it was so fiddly trying to feed the tiny little triangles through my sewing machine but I was quite pleased with the overall card. AND to top it all I am one step ahead for my Father-In-Laws Retirement Bash in JULY!!!!!!! (Thud as I fall off my chair at being organised!)

As you can see I used my new Fleur De Lis Square Nesties again, and stamped the Crafty Individuals stamp onto plain cream card that I had previously attacked with Distress Inks and Glimmer Sprays.

The little bunting I had cut from REALLY old scraps of BG, I think it's from the Sublime Collection, many moons ago. I then stamped over it with a music paper stamps I found lurking in my cupboards.
To brighten up the vintage look I choose Alias,Skate Shoppe paper also by BasicGrey. The gingham ribbon, to give it a little modern kick...hopefully.

This "relaxing"card fits in with the challenge over at Cards for Men. and also the recipe challenge over at Basic Grey Challenges. (1 image, 2 papers, 3 embellishments.bunting, ribbon,charm)

I LOVED making this.

Thank you for the inspiration.

x X x



More bunting, more tattered flowers.....

 

Whoop, whoop, I seem to be having a little burst of creativity. I started putting this together yesterday and finished the details this morning. Funny, I had cut the bunting to use for something completely different but when my new fancy square Nesties arrived yesterday, I had flowers cut and inked all over my workdesk....this somehow materialised! Very simple but I am so enjoying playing with my new toys!

Last night I was truely addicted to my new flower die! I must admit by the end of the evening I looked like a rather heavy smoker but eventually the ink came off! 

This little topper and greeting set meets the challenge over at Carolyn's and also at CCC's.

Right, I am off to get inky again!



x X x

New Tattered Goodies for me!

It's been some time since I treated myself to any new crafty goodies but feeling rather down in the dumps as this rotten cold will just NOT shift, I did some online shopping over the weekend. As soon as Mr Postie arrived at my doorstep today I just could not resist venturing up into my little craft room to play.

One of the things I treated myself to was the Tattered Flower Garland Decorative strip by Sizzix.....and I LOVE it. What a fab, fab way to use up some of those paper scraps!



 My fingers are now covered in ink and metalic rub-on but am truely addicted.