Hello!

Getting there now. Not done much crafting - more playing about really but not producing anything finished. Have loads of new goodies to play with and am feeling ready to make some cards.

Ben was 5 on Tuesday!! I am still in shock at how fast the time goes.

Hopefully be back very soon with something crafty.

Getting there!

I've got my operation date now for two weeks' time. Been pottering around the garden getting tidied up and spending time with Ben. DH just got a new job which is great news for him professionally but unfortunately does mean his leave being cut quite short at first and he won't really have a proper leave until late June.

Thanks everyone for your lovely e-mails and comments. I appreciate them so much.

I've not been doing a huge amount of crafting as I've been so tired lately but I hope to be joining in with a few challenges after I've recovered from my operation. Much love to all my friends.

Taking a Break

I'm having a few ongoing health problems and waiting for an operation so have taken the very difficult decision to take a break from my Design Team work for a couple of months until I have recovered.

I do hope to get around to say hi every once in a while and hope to share some stuff with you too occasionally but won't be participating in many challenges or blogging very regularly.

Thanks so much to all the wonderful people I have met and friendships I have made, especially to the wonderful members of Cute Card Thursday and Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges.

Cute Card Thursday #53 - Family Affair

This week on Cute Card Thursday we have a nice easy theme - make us a card for a member of your family!!

It's my fabulous husband's birthday today so I am sending him Edwin with much love.

Card is SU and DCVW and paper is from DCVW Rock Star pad.

We have another fantastic prize to give away this week and a new Guest Designer for the next two weeks plus the Design Team's usual stunners so pop on over to the blog and check it out!!

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - Spring Time

It's officially Spring here in Britain so we are celebrating with our theme of "Spring Time" this week over on Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges.

This lovely Magnolia Stamp has been coloured with Promarkers and Sakura pens with Glamour Dust for the wings. I have used Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps to make the background. Ribbon, flowers and brads from Scrapz.

Thanks for looking.

I'm not keeping too well at the moment but really am going to try and catch up on all the blogging at the weekend.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mums everywhere.

We had a fabby holiday and I am now working my way through the huge pile of laundry!!

As I haven't even got into my craft room yet I am sharing a picture of the Pinflair Egg I made for DH's mum for Mother's Day. It's one I made from my own design, using elements from different eggs in the Pinflair catalogue.

Hope to be round to see everyone tomorrow.

Holiday

I'm off on my holidays now for a week. Blogger was not behaving itself and wouldn't let me upload pictures to schedule my Design Team work (just for a change eh?!)

Keep well and don't forget to visit Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges on Wednesday and Cute Card Thursday on Thursday!!

Butter Wouldn't Melt!!

Look at this little cutie - if you didn't know it you'd think he was such a little angel eh? HA!!

All dressed up for Red Nose Day in his dressing gown ready to take Tom the Teddy to Nursery for the Teddy Bear's Picnic. He had a great time!!

I'm getting ready for my holidays next week - part of which entails having to put away lots of my stash ready for visitors straight after we come home. I have to finish a couple of Mother's Day projects first and then pack my suitcase.

Cute Card Thursday #51 - Happy Birthday CCT!!

YES!!! We are celebrating our first birthday over on Cute Card Thursday this week with some absolutely stunning prizes, the wonderful Marlene as our Guest Designer, absolutely amazing cards from the Design Team done to a fabby sketch by Katharina AND a whole new look. PHEW!!

We have not ONE but FIVE amazing sponsors this week to help us with our birthday celebrations so zip on over to the blog right now to check everything out!!

As this week's amazing sketch has been created by our very own Katharina what else could I use other than this beautiful Whiff of Joy stamp and sentiment? Maid Charlotte has been coloured with Promarkers and Sakura pens. I have used Bazzill card and wonderful papers from My Mind's Eye "Grow" collection. The little flowers and hearts were a magazine freebie. Thanks for looking.

Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges - One for the Boys

The theme this week from Tilda & Friends ATC Challenges is "One for the Boys" and I thought this cute Cuddly Buddly sailor bear would be just perfect for the challenge! I've coloured him with Promarkers and mounted him onto paper from the K&Co Sea Glass collection. A little raffia twisty thing and a Dymo sentiment finish him off.

Don't forget to pop on over to the blog to see the lovely creations from the Design Team and our Guest Designer, Kellie.

I've done it again!

Combined challenges that is! It's getting a habit which I am going to try and stop BUT saying that we are away next week and I have rather a lot to do before we go so I think I can be forgiven (again!).

This card is for Penny Black Saturday's 3-2-1 Recipe, Daring Cardmaker's "Patchwork" theme, Stamp Something's "Favourites" theme (the fabby papers) and I have used the wonderful sketch by Mumur from Friday Sketchers.

I have coloured this lovely Penny Black patchwork dress girl stamp with Polychromos Pencils and Sansodor and have used these wonderful papers from My Mind's Eye - "Grow" collection. I love them sooooooooo much right now!! They were from Craft Obsessions and they also sell a pack of co-ordinating Bazzill card! The flowers are Flora Doodles and the crochet flower is from Poppicrafts. Sentiment is from a Hero Arts set and I have used chalks to create the background.

Thanks for looking - I'm off to do this week's DT work and then coming round for a blog hop as I didn't get on the computer at all yesterday. Doing my Martha Stewart thing in the kitchen.

Gothic Arches - Fantasy

I am so honoured to be the hostess on this week's Gothic Arches!!

I have created the arch background using Adirondack inks and some bleach. I used embossed vellum for the wings and a bottle top filled with Diamond Glaze and some Beadazzles. The beautiful Faerie stamp is from Lavinia Stamps and I have used Beadazzles to accent other areas.

Thanks for looking.

Rainbow Lady #50 - Recipe

A recipe from Cynthia this week on Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog.

Take one white card.
One rubber stamp.
A hand made flower or two.
Some ribbon.
A couple of corner peel offs or peel off strips.
Colour scheme of RED, BLUE AND SILVER

I found this HARD! I am not used to making "simple" cards these days!! It did me good. I do like to step out of my comfort zone every once in a while and I am pleased with the effect of this card.

Tilda with Tulips has been coloured with Promarkers and I have triple embossed her tulips with clear EP. Corner punch is X-Cut. I made the flowers with Woodware punches and finished them off with a Swarovski crystal. Peel-offs and ribbon are from Joanna Sheen and I have used a Craftwork Cards sentiment, coloured with dye ink and again triple embossed. Thanks for looking.

Cute Card Thursday # 50 - Wine and Dine

A nice and easy theme this week from Cute Card Thursday - just show us some food or drink on your card. We have an amazing prize this week from Michelle of Poppicrafts for one lucky entrant - a £20 voucher to spend in this wonderful shop!! Pop on over to the blog to see the DT's amazing submissions and see our GD's lovely creation.

I got the Polychromos pencils and Sansodor out for these cute Cuddly Buddly teddies and have added clear Sakura gel pen accents here and there. Sentiment is Hero Arts stamped in blue Brilliance and triple embossed. Paper is Basic Grey Marakesh and I have used a Wizard die to cut out the flowers. The jewelled brads and filigree centre were from Poppicrafts. Thanks for looking!

Windy Tilda

Well maybe this doesn't cover a zillion challenges like I said yesterday but it does cover 3!! The windy Tilda image is for this week's theme "Cold Winter Wind" on Stamp Something, the edges are for the "Torn Edges" theme from Spoonful of Sugar and the circle sentiment and punched corners fit in with this week's Daring Cardmakers theme of "All Things Circular".

This lovely Magnolia stamp was sent to me by my fabby friend Sue as Tilda and Sue just weren't getting along and Sue very kindly sent Tilda to a new home here. I have coloured her with Promarkers, White Fun Flock and Sakura Glaze and Stardust pens with some paper piecing on her dress and hat. Paper is from Basic Grey Marakesh collection. Loving this!! Card is Stampin' Up. I have punched out the flowers and leaves using the same paper and card. Sentiment is from Cuddly Buddly and ribbon from Poppicraft.

Thanks for looking!