Saturday 30 June 2007

Introducing our little Holly

After the loss of Asti last month, I wasn't too sure about getting another dog, but with one thing or another, we decided that we would wait until after our holiday. Well, with it raining so bad, we cancelled our camping holiday to Wales next week, and bought the puppy buying forward by a few weeks - we were going to wait until the school holidays.
Anyway, I'd like to introduce you all to Baby Holly. She is a liver and white English Springer, and is absolutely adorabubble!! A little bundle of affection, who is slowly starting to come out of herself a little bit. She came home with us yesterday, and was terrific from the start. No wee or whoopsies anywhere.. even last night, she went to bed at half eleven (yawn!) and cried for around 10 minutes, until she settled, then woke this morning at around six. Still no wet or poops to be seen, she went straight out to do her business.
So... here she is.. isn't she just divine? And best of all.. she smells of puppy breath.. if only you could bottle that scent eh? ahhhhhhhh...

Wednesday 27 June 2007

40th Beach Party card

This one was made for the same lady who ordered my India v Pet shop boys card... I was asked to create something wild and wacky, for a 40th beach party theme birthday..
I loved doing this one.. what do you think???

Indian - v - pet shop boys!

For those I have chatted to about my extraordinary (and challenging) request for this card, you'll know I've put it off for a while.. but I gave in to my fears, and this is the result.. what do you think? The card is for a special friends birthday, and I was asked to incorporate the fact the lady had lived in India, was an indian head massager, quite spiritual, and loved the pet shop boys ... So.. this is it..






Yoo hoo I'm still here...

I haven't washed away with all the rain, but my poor craft shed did get a wet floor.. Oh well, it's all dryish again - well until the weekend! There's expected to be another deluge, but I'm fine with it... just cancelled the holiday... we were supposed to be going camping in Wales next week, but I think we'll give it a miss.. lol..
Right I'm off to put up some of my projects from this last couple of weeks.. soo TTFN

Friday 22 June 2007

What does my birthdate mean?

Just got this from Jackie's blog and thought it described me quite well..

Your Birthdate: June 3
You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper.You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality.Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure.Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone.
Your strength: Your larger than life imagination
Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered
Your power color: Lime
Your power symbol: Lightening bolt
Your power month: March

Complete Cardmaking Fame!

Well.. i'm in print! Wow what a feeling.. apart from the mug shot at the back that looks like I'm on valium.. but hey! a small price to pay for a bit of fame.... You'd have thought they would have sent me to South America to lie on a yacht or something for a good portraity pic, but no.. in my dining room, on a ten minute turnaround.. hahahah...
Anyway onto the matter in hand. As you may guess, I'm published - this time with the official title of 'designer'. I've been in many other magazines with my work, but on an ad-hoc basis, not a commission. This is my first of a few over the next few months, and hopefully a few more after.
This is the mag.. Complete Cardmaking - it's out this week.

Friday 15 June 2007

Finally a Bex Challenge Card!

I did this one yesterday after being inspired by Sue's challenge on the Bex's forum
We want you to use this template and complete BOTH our tasks. Here's your template and we need a LAYOUT - minimum size 8 x 8 and a CARD

BUT you must remember the template rules - there are NONE twist it, flip it shrink it YOU DECIDE


Everything's coming good!

Oh boy what a few good days I've had!
I was approached a few months back about teaching parchment craft and other stuff at a complex where the more mature (?!) amongst us live, that is due to be opening in September in Sheffield. I said I was interested and the lady who rang said she would get back in touch later. Well., that was quite a while ago now and I began to think it was just a wind-up... only for her to contact me again last week or so to ask if I'd definately be interested - of course I said yes - and what pay scale I would be on. It's very good pay and she said that people can work what they can work, some can only manage one hour, some more hours.. So, I've got her company's name and phone number and she will be in touch ready for September.

Then... again, a few months ago, I decided that teaching craft was the way to go (well.. last year actually, but thought there was no future in it!!). I chose to be very very brave and phone our local FE centre to see if they were looking for tutors, which came back with the reply of 'well, if you'd like to drop me an idea off of what you'd like to do, and some samples, I'll get back to you'. I did that, and over the last weeks or so decided she had changed her mind, and wasn't running any courses, or had someone to do them....

At the beginning of the week, I got the shock of my life when the phone rang and she offered me the job!!! I was asked to go in at half seven yesterday to talk it over in more detail, (me the ever pessimist thought maybe.. oh here's the interview.. no thankyou) but decided to go anyway if not only to pick up my cards and scrapbooks.
She was very interested, and basically gave me the details of pay, classrooms, register marking etc, and asked if the samples could be kept for the time being.. Well, of course I said yes.. feel free. LOL.

So.. from going from hoping that I could get a career using my crafting, and despairing of the efforts I'd made, to becoming a commissioned designer for magazines (on what seems to be coming a regular thing), becoming a designer/demonstrator with the brilliant crafting company, Docrafts, to now teaching parchment craft, card making and papercrafts!

Oh boy am I loving my life at the minute!!!

Thursday 14 June 2007

Birthday Box

Here's a box my daughter wanted me to make for her friend's birthday... well, in fact I got asked by her friend too if I was making her a card because she loved the one I made her last year (I made her a corset lol).
Well, this is what I did for her yesterday. She is a bright and bubbly lass, so thought I would go a bit more funky.. I wasn't too sure about the colours, but my DD thinks it's ace, and that's all that matters I guess..

Wednesday 13 June 2007

ATC's and circle journals..

I have been quite busy over the last few weeks with magazine commisions, so thought I would take a bit of time out and do something for myself.
I decided it was time I had a play with ATC's, so these are a few of what I made I must admit, I quite enjoyed making them too.

I am also signed up for a circle journal, with some fellow docrafters. I called mine "Guess who's coming for dinner". here are my first pages.......






Feathers and flora

I thought as I was being creative earlier on the computer, I would share a few of my photographs.. they are quite varied, so I hope you enjoy them..

This one was taken yesterday. It's a starling which sat waiting to go onto the feeder. I was really taken with the irridescent colouring on the feathers.







Keeping with the 'furry' theme, here's my son's tarantula in close up.. This was taken last year, she died a few months ago. Suprisingly, she sat still whilst I pointed the camera at her, which is most unlike the children..






This was a close up photo of a lily. My eldest daughter bought them for me when we lost Asti the other week. They were in bloom for two weeks, and looked lovely.






This is a bit of an oldie picture now, but thought I would share it to brighten up my blog haha..
I took this one for a commision for the Amateur Photographer magazine a few years ago. I did a set of close up flower portraits, which were spread over a two page feature in the magazine.
How chuffed was I??? My first bit of fame

More birthday cards...

I thought Iwould just come and share two more birthday cards I recieved from my friends at Docrafts
These are from Jill and Becky, fellow designers with me at docrafts. The yellow one from Jill, has satin flowers and lovely gem brads. The border is one of our new punches. The greeting was made using an ornate stamp and wording. The red one is from Becky, who has used the ornate stamps to create a fan, the effect is lovely.. well done to both, and thank you.

Monday 11 June 2007

Oh how Tweet!

After a busy couple of days in the garden over the weekend, from general weeding to cleaning out and reorganising my craft shed, we decided to treat our feathered friends to some meal worms. Urgh! Wriggly awful little critters, but by 'eck the birds loved them. They were fluttering around for hours after them.. So I thought I'd grab my camera and take a couple of piccies. Mmmmm... how yummy do they look?????



Thursday 7 June 2007

Oooooh new ideas!

My friend Katy invited us over to her blog, and this weeks challenge was to scrap lift some ideas.
This is my attempt.. I decided to do a Janson-esque type layout, inspired by Carole Janson. Must admit.. I think it's quite pretty.. Here it is.. and thank you Katy!



Wednesday 6 June 2007

Totally different!

I was asked a few days ago to make a wedding card. The lady who asked me is going to their wedding up in a castle in Scotland on Friday. The colour scheme was a golden-tan colour and cream, so this is what I came up with.. it also gave me chance to have a play with my sakura glitter pens I got from Jo Sheen aaaaages ago, and not really used, and also some new stamps I have acquired recently. I know you can't see it too well on the card, but the design was stamped onto the card itself, and the writing and verse were printed onto acetate and attached using a gold organza ribbon.

My very first Inchies!

well, actually my second lot.. but first ones that turned out really well. It was for a challenge over on Bex's forum, and my swap partner was Hazel. The rules were to use a certain number of inch square bits of card, make them into inchies and mount them to give as a present for your partner. I thought they turned out pretty well. The papers were Sarah Papers, and I used 3D gloss to give a raised shiny effect on the letters.

What a day!




As some of you may or may not know, last Sunday was my birthday. I had had a demo in Chesterfield the day before, and I reckon I must've swallowed too much glitter, because I came home feeling not too brilliant. Anyway, to cut a long story short, on the Sunday I wasn't feeling too well, so spent a few hours in bed, and now have a terrible cold, and chesty cough.. Oh well..
Anyway, I thought I would just share a few of the cards I have recieved from my fellow designers over at docrafts. We have just started a belated birthday club... we have a list of who's birthday is when, but then came up with the idea of exchanging addresses so we could send cards. ... only thing is, when talking together, we discovered that most of us are terrible remembering to send things (me?? never!!!) and always just miss birthdays..These are the ones I have recieved on Saturday. They are lovely.. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in cards to me. I really appreciate it.



This one was from Janna. I must say I love the stamp.. very different.







This was from Mandy. The die cut flower is so pretty..

















This cutey little mouse card is from Tina. The mouse is decoupaged, and looks really nice.

Friday 1 June 2007

more upset!


Well, for the girls mainly. Our Daisy Bunny passed away yesterday morning.. well, I think it was overnight really..

We don't really know how old she was, as Asti 'uncovered' her from some undergrowth down on the industrial estate a couple of years ago. She was very tame, friendly and very cuddly, so we knew she had been dumped... but even though we advertised to say she had been found, noone came forward.
Anyway, she had been with us around 2 years and was probably the most spoilt bunny there could have been.
Oh well.. rest in peace little Daisy, with Asti.

Oh what a lovely morning!

I was up bright and early this morning, 5.30 actually, and what a glorious start to the day!
So.. I donned my camera and off I went to take some misty photos, and these are the result.. This one was taken alongside the canal.




I just missed taking a photo of a heron that was flying above my head.. story of my life really.. wonder it didn't poop on me too!











This was taken at the local park. Because it was so early, I didn't go too far away from my car, as I had no dog to take for walkies...







Awww I like this photo.. not the sheeps bum however, wish it would have faced the other way !!!! But the little lamby was feeding and it's little tail was going ten to the dozen.. ahhh








This photo I really like. It is just a quick shot of the wood's where we used to walk Asti. It is a lovely walk around there, and we haven't been up for a couple of weeks now.. we must really go and have a look round again to see what's growing.






Well that's it for today me thinks.. see ya's. x
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