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Thursday 27 June 2013

So.......

what's not gone now?

Still no builder, tho we might have a different one starting in two weeks - maybe, if, as long as - Mr Mojo has completely deserted me, blogging oomph has got up and gone, a week has gone by in a flash.

I don't know if anyone has noticed but I'm avoiding blogging at the minute - one because I've lost the ommph, two as I'd just depress everyone, three Mr Mojo is completely off on his jollies.

So I'm not sure when you'll see me next, but it won't be until I'm a tad more cheerful.

I have to admit I'm on the cusp of just giving up altogether, I'm sure I won't once I've got more time and inclination - but to avoid sounding like a right misery I'm taking a break.

Sarah

Thursday 20 June 2013

June - Day 20

Hello blogworld,

Another busy day and no cards made - this time it's been confirming arrangements for The Big Birthday Bash, making up party bags (when did those make an appearance then? I don't remember them from my childhood, not that I went to any parties anyway!!!).

Next the dreaded housework!  Then off to school for a family craft session to make rockets and spaceships to go on the stalls at the school fayre.  Back to home to make dinner for us and Granddad.  Yes Granddad is in the building!! He was picked up from Skeg this afternoon, is staying for the birthday and will go home next week.

So waffle out of way - today's prompt:

Day 20: If you had to be a colour what colour would you be and why OR Craft something in monochrome

Ummm, never thought about!  Would it be cheating to ask if I could be a rainbow?  Sometimes, I'm a bright cheerful mood (colour as it were) and other days it's more dark and miserable in my head.  But I've always like that thought that you need the rain to get the rainbow.

See you tomorrow.

Sarah

Wednesday 19 June 2013

June - Day 19

Evening blogworld

Much later than I planned to be!  Another mum at SHMbO's school with a daughter in the same class is also having problems with another boy in the same class - so have been on the phone for ages comparing notes!

So prompt for today:

Day 19: A snap shot of your day. Can be words, words and picture or just a picture OR Craft something that has a lacy theme

Oooh busy day today!

06:20 start and about to go to bed now (10:06).

Up wash dress & same for SHMbO

Did school run which included looong gossip with my two friends about how the appt went with the head of SHMbO's school, back home to find hubby has broke the mower.

Party in the Garden cancelled due to weather and malfunctioning mower - phone local soft play centre and panic book party there (where SHMbO wanted to go in the first place).

Sit and read for a bit - deal with post (more pressies for SHMbO!), have lunch.

Go to dentist - got to go back next Monday and then 2 weeks after that - arrrggghhh!!!  I hate dentists.

Go sit at beach for a bit while we wait for bus to drop SHMbO.

Tell SHMbO about change of venue for party.  Text 8 other mums to tell them about change of venue - deal with replies from said mums.

Open parcel with new baking tins - very exciting!!

Cook dinner, eat dinner.

Get SHMbO into bath and bed.

Do dishes, surf.  Talk on phone for 1hr 19mins.  Do blog post.

Go to bed.

My day!

Cheerio

Sarah

Tuesday 18 June 2013

June - Day 18

Hello blogworld

So we've been off to school, again, and it would appear that our view of bullying doesn't tally with their view.

Still we've been re-assured that they can cope with this child in her class, so we start the 3 month merry-go-round again.  Hopefully there will be no more problems before the summer holidays and then get a new start in September.

On to more cheerful things - crafting blunders!!

Day 18: Crafting muck ups, tell us how you got round them OR Craft something that dots

Crafting muck ups?   Hmm well I don't sell cards very often, so if I do muck up it doesn't really matter that much as I just ditch it and start over.

But I've had my fair share of putting the papers and image on the back of the card blank, of marking an image after I've carefully coloured it for hours, of ripping my last piece of matching patterned paper / cardstock.

And I'm a terror for matting and layering wonkily (is that a word?) - stick the image / papers down then happily slice around it and find that I've sliced at an angle and I end up with wonky matting.

I don't generally get round them, I either just start again or see if I can hide the mistake!  Or I'm dreadfully honest and point out the mistake before anyone else does!!!

No card from me today - hopefully will get time soon.

Cheerio
Sarah

Monday 17 June 2013

June - Days 16 and 17

Hello blogworld

I warn you now this is going to be a long post!  Please bear with me, you may find some bits interesting ;-)

Ooops, fell a bit behind there!  Well I don't think you can blame me for missing yesterday - I had a very busy day.  SHMbO woke her daddy up around 7am - she was very excited that to(yester)day is/was Fathers' Day.  As far as she was concerned it was as good as his birthday!

We presented him with the cupcakes we made - made them with faces on!  Great fun!  Then we nipped to the shops and got him a couple of presents - a new T-shirt and some flowers - then in the afternoon we headed over to church.

The church that sits on the edge of our Hamlet held their flower festival over the weekend and as it was Rainbow themed the Leader of the Rainbows group that SHMbO goes was asked if any of the girls would like to do a reading for the Sunday service.  Emily and her friend Jessica were asked, and agreed, to do the reading.  Very excited they were as well - and they did brilliantly!  They loved going to Church and singing the Hymns - couple of my favourites as well.  I sing very badly, but very enthusiastically - oooh you'd wince if you heard me!!! I managed to slightly murder, Give me Joy in My Heart and Amazing Grace!  Not to mention the damage I did to We Plough the Fields and Scatter.

Then we headed home to make Daddy his favourite dinner - home-made Pizza.

Which all left very little time for blogging.

Then today we are back at the usual weekly grind.  Add into the mix that I've got a broken tooth and it's SHMbO's birthday on Saturday so we are winding up the pace getting ready for The Party in The Garden and you've got one busy week.

Anyway - enough waffle for now moving onto the prompts:

Day 16: When you’re not crafting what do you do OR Craft something that celebrates marriage

Umm, what don't I do?  I clean our house, cook our food, take the daughter to and from school - take her to her weekly Rainbows group, her friends houses, trips out.  I go to whatever activity they want us to attend at school - I've also been roped into being a part of the Friends of the school, not so sure about that one!

I also clean the holiday cottage that we let, make up the welcome pack which includes cooking the bread for said pack. I don't do the meet and greet - makes me nervous!

I wash the car, visit with my friends - a once a month ladies who lunch group! - I go swimming (twice a week if I'm being good), I go for a walk on the prom, when I get time.  I don't do the garden (I'm a plant killer!), I don't put the washing in the machine (I'm a washing machine killer as well!), I do do the ironing and put everything away.

To sum up shall we say I'm a ~Wife and Mother; a Domestic Engineer and a Cleaner for a holiday cottage.  I'll let you know another day if I remember another one of my many duties!

Day 17: Tell us how to do something, can be a craft technique that’s as old as the hills but your take on it OR Craft something that has the colour red in it

Oh My Goodness, there's no way I'm going to tell you how to do something!  I haven't got the nerve or the expertise to do that.  Instead I'll show you a card I made earlier in the year, but didn't blog, that's got a touch of red in it.

Front view:

The close up:

The Arty Farty:

I used:

Stamp:
The Greeting Farm - Oliver & Amelia: Surprise
coloured with my Promarkers

Dies:
Nesties - circle and scalloped circle

Anything else?
Scrap of patterned paper
Embossing folder
Chipboard word - ages old
Bit of yarn

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow - we've got an appt with the Head of SHMbO school, again, to see if we can do anything about this boy who keeps bullying her - tho it will probably be late in the evening again.

Cheerio
Sarah

Saturday 15 June 2013

June - Day 15

Hello blogworld,

Cor, half-way through June and half-way through a blog a day already - gorn fast ain't!

It's also nearly SHMbO's birthday (this time next week) so I doubt you'll see any cards from me for the next week, as we get ready for the social event of the year - The Party in The Garden!!!

If I get time I will make a card, but I don't know if I will or not - so you may end up just with waffle for awhile.  Apologies in advance.

And here we go today - waffle only, no card!

Our prompt:

Day 15: A day in your crafting life. Can be just words, words and pictures or just pictures OR Craft something that celebrates love

Hmmmm, now I very rarely craft all day.  If SHMbO is at school, I've also got housework / shopping / swimming, etc.  If she's at home, well there's no chance to actually craft for any length of time - I'm lucky if I get an hour before she interrupts in some-way or another. So lets just say my crafting day is about 3 hrs at a go, max.

I'm afraid no pictures - so just words.

So once, I've got back from dropping SHMbO off at school and had a chat with 'im indoors it's generally about 10ish and I'll settle down for a bit of surfing, this normally takes around an hour!!  Then I'll remember what I was actually meaning to do!

Then I'll stamp, or print, my image, start to colour it in - by that point it'll be lunch time and I'll take an hours break.

We go back to the craft room (and a bit more surfing!) to my part coloured image, I'll then finish colouring it in.  Once that's done I'll cut it out (die-cut or hand cut) then I'll move onto picking papers.  By this point an hour or so has gone and I'm wondering where the hell the day's gone to!

If I'm lucky I'll get round to putting together the card.  What's more like is that I've now run out of time and have to go get SHMbO and that's the end of my crafting day.

I think that just goes to show how much time I waste surfing!!!

Back tomorrow.

Sarah

Friday 14 June 2013

June - Day 14

Hi blogworld


Bit of a tired Sarah today - we took SHMbO to an after school birthday party.  She's flaked out in bed and hubby & me are flaked in front of the telly.  Not the most successful party ever - she cried, I cried and hubby descended into saying that he doesn't understand women!

Anyway we'll gloss over the whole episode and move onto today's prompt.

Day 14: Name your favourite smell, taste, view, sound and texture OR Craft something that has a music theme

So no time to craft, here's my favourite:

Smell
Now that's got to be new print, you know the smell you get when you open up a new magazine, catalogue or book.  It's an odd choice I know, but then so am I - and odd choice I mean!


Taste
hmmm now I suppose it's going to be a proper full fat Coke.  It's not something I allow myself to have very often - leaves a horrible coating over my teeth.  But I do like it!

View 
Oooh I love either a good sunset or a twinkly night sky.

Sound
That's got to be my daughter's throaty giggle.  She has a normal laugh, but when something really tickles her she gives off the most adorable throaty giggle - it's so infectious and cheeky!

Texture
Oh goodness me, a texture?  That one's had me stumped for ages, I suppose I'm going to say sand between my toes.  I do like sitting on the beach and digging me toes in!

Can't believe we're nearly half way through already - looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Sarah

Thursday 13 June 2013

June - Day 13

Hello blogworld

Y'know just as I was typing this post I realised just how fried my brain is - I've been using the prompts to work out what day of 'a post a day in June' we are at, why didn't I just look at the date each day??  Oh dear, early senility calling me thinks.

Anyhow, today's prompt - and I've been a good girl and managed to do the double!!

Day 13: What do you want to learn to do? Can be crafty or non-crafty OR Craft something that has stripes

What do I want to learn to do?  How deep and meaningful do you want to get?  Be braver, be more ambitious, be happier?

How about, seeing as how we've had a lot of angst and problems this week - I just go for a simpler learning ambition.

To colour better!  I've seen lots of on-line courses for improving colouring with Copics (look at people's side bars - a lot show some sort of Copic certificate) but I've not seen an on-line course yet for Promarkers. Why are there no courses that I can find for Pros, am I not looking hard enough, or do they not exist?   Oh and I'm sure someone will say look for one locally - I live near Gods waiting room, no-one round here colours - they all do flowery decoupage, honestly, they do, honestly!

So in lieu of a proper course, I do a lot of YouTube looking and staring at other people's colouring, trying to work out how they did that, what colour they used, and how on earth they get their light source shading to work!!!

I would also like to learn how to take a better picture, I got a digital SLR bridge camera a few years ago, with the intentions of taking marvellous pictures - it pretty much only comes out now to take pics of my cards.  Sad, very sad!

Anyhow there you go - my learning ambitions.

Now for some card-candy:

Front shot:

The Arty Farty:


 The Close Up:
I used:

Digi:
Some Odd Girl - Tiny Princess Tia
coloured with my Promarkers (apart from the pink - that's Copics)

Dies:
Wot no - again!  I must be feeling ill!

Papers:
My Mind's Eye: miss caroline - all dolled up
DCWV - The Garden Party

Anything else?
Ribbon and sentiment from my stuff
Distress Inks - edges of papers
Glamour Dust - crown

Do y'know I didn't like this one when I first made it, but I think it's a grower.  I still think my cutting out skills and colouring of pleats need a lot of work, but I'm starting to like the colour combo.  And I certainly prefer it to the last SOG card I made, I used the same sketch that time - but something went seriously wrong that time!!

See y'all tomorrow,
Sarah

A challenge, or two:

Some Odd Girl: June Sketch Challenge - Was so pleased to be a winner last month, thank you!


Wednesday 12 June 2013

June - Day 12

Hello blogworld

Funny how it goes isn't it - you think you've got everything sorted and then life goes and trips you up again.

I think my regular waffle followers will remember the the trouble we had getting SWMbO to school a few months ago, the trouble ended up being that a boy in her class was picking on her - thought we'd got it all fixed and back to our happy SWMbO.  Not, unfortunately.  Yesterday said boy decided, after a group of them were playing a game, to get a thorn and scratch her leg and ankle.  One minor step forward is that after this happened she went and told a teacher on duty in the playground.

Not happy are we - spoke very briefly to head this morning, now waiting to see what the school does this time.  I'm on the point of changing school, hubby wants to ring the Local Education Authority.

On the builder front - we've decided to go back to the bloke who was originally supposed to come out this week but couldn't as it was too short notice.  Hopefully work will start in a couple of weeks when he's free again.  We'll see.

Hey ho, onto brighter things:

Today's prompt:

Day 12: What’s your favourite medium to work with OR Craft something with a sporty theme

Favourite medium to work with -  ummm, well stamps, Promarkers and paper!

I love stamping, either 'proper' (as in rubber) or digi - I'm happy with either.

Then colour in with Promarkers (tho sometimes I use my Prisma pencils).

The play with paper.

This all equals one happy Sarah - well apart from when it doesn't go right, but that's another story!!

See you tomorrow,

Sarah

Tuesday 11 June 2013

June - Day 11

Good morning blogworld

Firstly I wanted to say thank you for all the very kind comments you left yesterday on my 'have a rant post' about the builder.  Straight after posting that I went off and took out a lot of frustration on my hoovering and I now have very clean carpets!!!

Hubby is making phone calls as I type trying to find a replacement builder, but so far no luck - even tho we can't actually get one to come here, they all appear to be super busy and unable to help.

I'm not sure what will end up happening, but we haven't given up hope yet.  There may even be the faint possibility that he and I will be out there sometime soon taking the roof off ourselves!  I will share pictures if that happens.

Still looking on the bright side it does mean I still have crafting time for an unspecified length of time ;-)

So onto Day 11 and our prompt is:


Day 11: Dish the dirt on your biggest craft spend OR Craft something for a child recpient

Oh dear, what hasn't been my biggest craft spend!! The latest one would've been the E-bosser - hubby got that for me for Christmas, before that it was my Cuttlebug and before that it was my Craft-Robo.

I would say though that my two cumulative biggest spends would be my collection of dies and my ProMarkers - I shudder to think how much I've spent on those over the last 5 years or so.

And I've made a card as well!!!  Yes, I think I can hear the gasps of surprise from here!

My card for a child:
Front shot:

The close up:


The Arty Farty:

I used:

Digi Stamp:
Some Odd Girl - Big Pressie Tia
coloured with my ProMarkers

Wot no dies??!!

Papers:
Do-Crafts - 'Happy Birthday to you'

Anything else?
Create and Craft - swirl
Craftwork Cards - sentiment
Ribbon from my stuff

The good news is that I actually won a prize over at the Some Odd Girl challenge and this digi is one of my picks from my prize - first time I've won anything this year!!!  I was starting to think my luck had completely deserted me!

The bad news is that my favourite base colour pen for skin tones ran out just as I started this card and so the skin tone colours are a bit off.

Anyway, super long post from me today - congrats if you made it this far and see you again tomorrow,

Sarah


Monday 10 June 2013

June - Day 10 - Want a rant, you got it!

Before I start - if you're looking for my Cutie Pies DT card it's in the post below - please avert your eyes and head on down to that post if you don't want to know anything about what is making me fed-up

Now that disclaimer is out of the way - Hello blogworld


Well it's day 10 and the prompt is:

Day 10: Have a rant; go on get it off your chest OR Craft something that has the colour purple in it


And I think we all know what I'm going to rant about - guess what's happened with the builder - oh yes there isn't a builder!!

Well the chap who was supposed to be brought over yesterday and introduced and then start work today - he's not coming.  Hubby spoke to our regular builder today, was sorting out things he had to order, and was given the bad news.

So we are builder-less again.  We've done our bit - the single story is cleared - the electrics have been found - the builder let us down - again.

I must admit I'm more disappointed than angry this time - it's just slightly beginning to feel like a bit of a joke or something you see off one of those dreadful daytime rubbish builder programmes.

I don't think I'm ever going to get my kitchen and the house is now a complete mess with all the stuff we've had to move out of the office and other rooms.  Cupboards are crammed, the conservatory looks like a shed, hubby's in here with me and still nothing is happening.

We are now taking recommendations for builders.

Bloody cr@p that's what it is.  Cr@p.

I'm off now to re-adjust my mindset and take some stress out on the hoovering.

I will be back tomorrow,

Sarah

For the kids!

Good morning blogworld,

As things have not completely gone manic here I had time to join in with the cutest Cutie Pies for the new challenge that starts today.

As you may have guessed this week we would like to see your cutest cards for any child or children.

We are sponsored this fortnight, with a fab prize, by:


Again, the DT were kindly allowed to pick an image - this is my pick and the card I made with it.  I'm afraid it's not my best effort (again!) but it was made in a bit of a rush after another card I'd been trying to make just wouldn't come together - I'll share that one soon!

So the front shot:


The arty-farty shot:

The close up:

I used:

Bugaboo digi - BBrat ballerina
coloured with my Promarkers and Copics

Dies:
Nesties and Die-namics

Papers:
Do-Crafts

Anything else?
Craftwork cards - sentiment
Ribbon and pearls - from my stuff

See you soon,
Sarah

Sunday 9 June 2013

June - Day 9


Hello blogworld,

Well haven't I had a busy day today - we've been carrying on clearing out the office and rooms beyond (which are a utility room, shoe / coat room  and toilet) and bashing holes in plaster looking for where wires come in!

Me and SHMbO also went to a birthday party for one of her classmates - it was held at a local soft-play area.  Oh My Word I don't think I will ever get used to those places!!!  When you add in 25 children (from one class) plus a dozen others who were just playing there it was manic!!  Also SHMbO wasn't feeling too good either, so we had a few tears and arguing - we're doing it all again on Friday for another party.

Anyway enough of my day,  I'm really here to do my 'post a day in June' post.  Today the prompt is:

Day 9: Tell us who your favourite crafter, doesn’t have to be anyone famous , just sing their praises OR Craft something for a male recipient


Now then, I really couldn't begin to tell you who my favourite crafter is - there are so many people's blogs that I follow for various reasons - their colouring ability, style, chat, eye for paper matching.

I don't really follow any 'famous' crafters, I might watch some craft TV but the people I do see on it don't really appeal to me.  Maybe it's because they aren't given enough time to properly show what they're doing, as I like colouring stamps and they aren't given time to colour with any detail!, or because there's a lot of CD crafting out there which I don't do.  So they don't do it for me.

If you are looking for a bit of inspiration tho - I can thoroughly recommend just  a few of my favourite bloggy peeps:

Rebekah - Rebekah's been my bloggy-friend pretty much since I started blogging, she gave me my first DT post and I will always be grateful.  Also she is amazing at colouring and embellishments.

Coops - Nic is just out of this world for colouring using Promarkers - I always drool over her colouring - she manages heavily embellished to CaS in a snap and is a really lovely person.

Faye - Well what this lady can't do with Copic's ain't worth knowing.  She has an amazing eye for detail as well - her cards are always just so and just perfect!  She's quite bonkers as well, but (shhhh) we don't mention that!!!!!

Catherine - And now for something completely different - if you are looking for arty, go see Catherine.  Love her style, can't do it, but love looking at it!!  She's also a lovely person in real life too.

Susan - Another bloggy-friend who makes wonderful cards.  Just don't mention the word 'pink' - it's banned!

Lisa - Just amazing colouring -again (can you see a theme here!) - I would love to have just a touch of Lisa's style as well.  I think I'd die happy!!

Christine - Another fabulous lady and a Princess of Pink living in a Pinkie Palace.  Tho at the moment I'm green when I visit as she's just got onto the DT over at Sugar Nellie and I'm envious!!!!

Well there you go, you can sort of get an idea of what sort of crafting I do / follow from looking at these ladies blogs - I promise a wander around them won't be a waste of time.

I hope I don't offend anyone by whom I haven't mentioned - this isn't an exhaustive list and it could've been miles long - you just have to see who I'm following to see that!  But the wonderful ladies above give you just a flavour of what my bloggy world is like.

Got to go now, got school run in the morning and more blogging and demolishing to do!!

See's ya

Sarah


Saturday 8 June 2013

June - Day 8: My mess!

Hello blogworld,

Still here, still doing a post a day, still waffling - hope everyone else is well also?

So let's get down to business - the prompt for today is:

Day 8: Take a picture of or describe your craft space OR Craft something that has a Christmas theme


And here you go - this is where I craft. Firstly my side of the room:


Now where hubby has moved his office in (you can just see the back of SHMbO on her 'own' computer - my old PC now that I use the lappy):


And, for my long term suffers of my waffle - this is the current state of what used to be the office.  All that's left to clear now are the signs off the ceiling and the junk on the floor.

Ooooh and the builder is coming over tomorrow (Sunday no less!!!) to introduce us to the chap whose going to be here day-to-day - from Monday!!!  Whey-hey, excited or what!

Am off now to do my second favourite thing - baking.  Cake pops today, you never know if they go well, I might even show pictures.

See you tomorrow,
Sarah

Friday 7 June 2013

June - Day 7 - I'm h-a-p-p-y,....

 I'm h-a-p-p-y, I know I am, I'm sure I am, I'm h-a-p-p-y!

Hello blogworld,

It's the prompt for today that's done it to me!  Oh and me age! The prompt is:

Day 7: Tell us ten things that make you happy OR Craft something that has a food theme

I do have cards waiting in the wings, but not yet.  I don't get to make cards every day really, just a couple a week or loads in a sudden spurt - so I'm still doing the talkie thing.

So lets do a list - have to warn you this is more hubby's territory than mine, but I'll give it a shot:

1 - Well of course it's got to be SWMbO (my daughter for those who have no idea what I'm going on about - She Who Must be Obeyed) - she can be the cutest, cleverest, funniest little thing going.  Of course she can also be very infuriating as well! Oh and 'im indoors is not bad company either!  I think that counts as spending time with my family.

2 - Chatting to my two good friends - I do love a good gossip (nothing nasty you know, I'm not like that)

3 - Crafting, of course!  I do like loosing myself in the old stamping and colouring.

4 - Baking - I love making cakes (of any sort) and bread is another favourite.

5 - Reading - I've always loved a good book, anything I can get my hands on - but mostly SciFi / Fantasy with a good dollop of romance mixed in.

6 - I love sitting in the sun and doing nothing as well, it's good to warm the old bones ain't it.

7 - Listening to music - I've got wide ranging tastes, so anything from Bon Jovi to Classic FM on the school run.

8 - I love getting a new gadget as well!!  I'm angling for a new phone for my birthday - whether I get it or not is another question.

9 - I swim twice a week (when I can) and I enjoy that as well.

10 - Being at the beach is another favourite of mine.  I love listening to the sea breaking on the beach - digging my toes into the sand and ice-cream!!!!!  Tho not sand and ice-cream mixed together -yuk!!

There we go, now that was easier than I thought!  Maybe I am a lists person after all.

See you tomorrow,
Sarah

Thursday 6 June 2013

June - Day 6

Hello blogworld,

Well with B day (Building day for those of you are wondering what on earth I'm going on about - we are having a lot of work done on our house and it's due to start on Monday) fast approaching my crafting time is getting limited.  Good days work done today - hubby's office is now officially in the 'craft' room and there is a big space where his desks used to be!

It's not completely cleared, but lets just say the bulk of it is done - hopefully it should be ready for the builders - of course I've still got to clear my shoe cupboard and I can see lots of black bin bags in my immediate future, full of shoes!!!

Anyhow, we are on Day of 6 a post a day - and, as I'm sure you're beginning to get used to with me, no card and therefore I'm doing the word side.  However, I'm hoping to show a card soon!

So the prompt for today is:

Day 6: Tell us how you/where you get your inspiration OR Craft something with an autumn theme

Hmmmm, inspiration - isn't that a fickle thing?  I used to buy magazine after magazine after magazine - it probably made up 90% of my craft inspiration but gradually I've been turning to the Internet and more specifically blogs /challenges for my inspiration.  To the extent that I've only brought two magazines in the last 18 mths - well done me!!

So, my craft routine now generally goes:

Find an image I like, colour it in, pick the papers, go find a challenge I like the look of and blog the finished card.

Or

Find an image, google it to see what other people have done, colour it in, find the papers, put it together and then blog - then panic when I can't find a challenge to join in with!!!!  Alternatively panic when I've taken a picture of it as it's so terrible, blog anyway (I do like to over share!) and then not join in any challenges as I'm so fed up of how terrible my card looks!

I spy a bit of a theme here - images.  So shall we say my inspiration is either my rubber stamps or my digi stamps and then take it from there.

Not really got into Pinterest - I waste enough time on the computer as it is.  I'm trying Facebook but that's really more to see what crafting companies are up to or join groups (stamp companies or colouring groups).

More tomorrow,

Sarah

Wednesday 5 June 2013

June - Day 5

Hi blogworld

No craft again today - too busy sleeping off this cold and a nasty headache + I was up late last night finishing off the invites to my daughter's 6th birthday party.

So words for me and the prompt today is:
Day 5: What’s your favourite quote and why you love it OR Craft something that has the colour green in it


Now I'm not really into quotes - I remember those naff looking pictures hanging in various offices when I worked (yes I did use to be part of the ordinary 9 - 5 office world) and they always turned my stomach - so patronising I thought.

So if I was really pushed the only one I would use, and seriously tongue in cheek here:

'Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow.'

Did I tell you that as well as a waffler I'm just a tad lazy?????

Off now, see you tomorrow.

Sarah

Tuesday 4 June 2013

June - Day 4

Hi blogworld,

This is going to be, for me, a real flier - have been moving hubby over into my craft / mess room all day and still got cake to ice, invitations to finish and a bit of relaxing to do before going to bed!!

But I really wanted to try and keep up with a post a day - and I have a card to show as well!  So I'll do the post and then see tomorrow if I can find any challenges to link up with.

So Day 4 - our prompt is:

Day 4: What is your craft/s? What is it about this craft/s that floats your boat so much OR Craft something that has a flower theme


Well at the moment - it's card making (it has been both cross-stitch and scrapbooking) - I'd have to say, for me, it's not the actual card that I enjoy making so much as the colouring and the giving of the card (tho that's not strictly the craft bit, is it?).  I'm not that brilliant at colouring, but I'm improving and, when I can de-stress about how much I'd like to colour like so and so, or that person is just brilliant, or doesn't that person shade well, I actually enjoy the process of going from a b/w image to a fully coloured one.

Just wish I could draw the actual images - wouldn't that be something!!

And the card to share - hope it's flowery enough for the theme?  It's also a new one for me - a shadow card!  Oooh, er missus!

 I used:
Stamp:
Sarah Kay Image - Rosie's Garden
coloured with my Promarkers

Dies:
Nesties - Ovals and Floral Frame

Papers:
No idea

Anything else?
Wild Orchid Crafts - flowers and leaves
Create and Craft - gem swirl
Gotta go - loads to do!

Sarah


Monday 3 June 2013

June - Day 3


Hello blogworld,

So the mission for today:

Day 3: Describe yourself in 5 words OR Craft something in the colour blue

Still no crafting done, so I'm on the word side again.

Oh my this is harder than I thought, I'd decided to go with a phrase about myself - but I've just deleted a couple of paragraphs that made me sound like a complete wimp and very self-centred.  So I've decided I'm not going there.

Instead you get this:

What is Me?

A bit wimpy

A large bit shy

A large bit lacking in self-confidence, but wanting not to be

A very large bit happy to colour (not creative, I like to colour but I struggle to create)

A huge bit someone's wife and mother.

How's that?

Sarah

PS - I know, I cheated that's not 5 words, I couldn't do it!!!  I can't do short.

Sunday 2 June 2013

June - Day 2

Day 2: Tell us all about your favourite craft gadget and why it’s just the bees knees OR Craft something that has a summer theme

Hello blogworld,

Oh dear I'm suffering today - full of cold, again!  I'm really looking forward to when summer finally, properly starts and I am not getting colds every two weeks!

Right, I thought I'd do this one earlier in the day as my weekends hardly ever go to plan and I find I run out of time all the time!!!

So, as I joined this late, no craft from me - but I can tell you what is my favourite craft gadget.  It is my Cuttlebug!!!

Oh my how did I ever get along before it??  I have to admit to getting one fairly late on in my card-making career - only about 4ish years ago, before that I stamped and cut those images out into squares (mostly) or I stamped on any old scrap of shaped card I could find.  I used stickers a lot and pre-cut shapes and heat embossed if I needed embossing.

Then the world of the 'bug opened up and I was in heaven!!!!  I have to admit here the only reason I picked the 'bug over the Big Shot was the style of the 'bug - I thought it looked nicer than the Big Shot.

I emboss with it, I increased my die collection astronomically and I use it to help make almost every single card I make.  OK I might not use it every time, but if I don't use it, it's only because I'm using a shape I've already pre-cut.  I almost had a fit when I broke my C-plate recently - hubby was going food shopping past a local craft shop and I made him go in and get me a new plate same day!

So there we go - my favourite craft gadget.

See you tomorrow.

Sarah

Saturday 1 June 2013

A post a day in June

Hello blogworld,

I was just having a few minutes checking my Dashboard before switching off and saw that Jo was joining in with this little project:

Craft Blog Everyday in June

Well I popped across (I think you're all aware of how nosey I am by now!) to see what it was all about.  What got my attention was the phrase - 'Do you need a kick to get you blogging again'.  Ummmm, yes??!!

So within 5 seconds I'd decided to join in - lets see if I can keep up!  It's either a word or craft prompt.  Now I think it's unlikely I'll be able to keep up with the craft prompt everyday (do you know how long it takes me to make a card?!) but I can talk, oh yes I can talk.  So I think I will probably being doing the words, but you never know.  

Day 1: How did you get into crafting / Craft something that it pink.

Well it's unlikely I'll make something at 10.25pm - so instead how did I get into crafting.  My first proper craft project was many moons ago - a tiny little cross-stitch kit from a magazine.  I was 19 - newly moved out of home and newly married and bored on the train journey home.  Plus a friend of my then hubby's (yes he is now the ex!) was expecting a baby and the little project was a picture of a duck.  That then slightly escalated to many years (15 in fact) worth of cross-stitch projects - many of which adorn the walls at home.

The complete end of cross-stitch was when I was in hospital having my daughter  (nearly 6 years ago) - I'd taken in an Aida fabric blanket and was stitching a Winnie the Pooh design for her, realised quite a way into that I'd counted wrongly and was stitching across two threads instead of four, got very p'd off and threw it in the back of the cupboard.

I'd dabbled in cards, from around 9 / 10 years ago, a very bad day at work one day had prompted me to get a card making mag and make the little project on the front, but it had been a side hobby to the cross-stitch.  So there I was, 6 years ago, at home with a baby, annoyed with cross-stitch and found QVC and Creat and Craft - well, as they say, that is history.  Now I nearly have a craft room to accommodate the paper craft and am on the point of selling my cross-stitch kits on ebay!

Looking forward to tomorrow now - maybe I'll try and keep the posts shorter though.  Gawd don't I waffle!!!!

Night all.

Sarah

Here we go, here we go, here we go...

heeeere we gooooo!!!!

Hello blogworld

And how are we all today - first I want to share some good news before I do the serious stuff - guess who actually turned up yesterday and gave us a start date???? Yessss, it was the builder (and the Building Inspector) and the building works start a week on Monday!!  Next week we are clearing out the office and other rooms -Monday 10th June is B Day.  Yipppeee!!

So now we've got that bit of excess energy out of the way - lets get down to business.  I'm here on this lovely June morning with my DT card for the new challenge over at FlatFriends - this month Emma has drawn us a fabby sketch.


I think it can be kept very simple or dressed up with accessories and below is my take on it.  Apologies in advance this is a very lacklustre attempt at a card on my behalf, doesn't do Emma's digis justice at all.  It's been a busy old week what with it being half-term and I just ran out of time to do something better.

So here we go:

Front shot:

Close up:
The Arty Farty:


I used:
Emma Canning - FlatFriends dig : bit of a sneak peek here I think as it's not out yet!!
coloured with my Promarkers

Dies:
Memory Box

Papers:
Unknown

Anything else?
Brass flower and brad

So there we are - why pop over to the challenge blog and see the fab creations from my Teamies, they are much, much better than mine!

Hope everyone has a good weekend and hopefully I will be back next week with cards and building pictures ;-)

Sarah