FOUND A NEW HOME!!

If you read the previous ramble about leaving one craft site and moving to pastures new, you'll have seen that I was quite disgruntled about the treatment we received at the hands of the moderators for no other reason than they were worried about upsetting their stockists.
Well, we've found a new home and so far it seems pretty cool. We've now taken up residence on TrimCrafts (http://www.trimcraft.co.uk/index.php) and quite a few of our friends are there, too! Take a peek and see what you think...

KATH'S BLOG CANDY

To celebrate over 5000 hits, KATH is giving away 3 blog candy prizes! Pop over and have a look - her cards are fab and she helped my mate, Mrs VH, get a blog.... AT LAST!!!! (http://vickyscollection.blogspot.com/),

A BIT DIFFERENT

So, a very good friend of ours sadly died last week. He wasn't so old and he didn't suffer, whichi is a blessing, and he was a priest. He was a true gentleman with a very dry sense of humour and one of the most genuine people I've ever known. There won't be a funeral as such; it's going to be a Service of Thanksgiving, with no black. A celebration of a wonderful person.

And I had to make a card for his wife. I really don't like making these cards. When Dad died, we got hundreds of them. I know they are to show that people care, but I couldn't look at them. And I've never sent one since, either. But I have made a couple.

But for this man, I didn't want to use lillies. So the idea was something cheerful and bright, just like he was. I made this very simple white and lilac card with just a touch of sparkle. His name is David Dicker and he will be very sadly missed. x

ANOTHER TAGGING!

Lovely Lorraine over at Scrapmetal's Retreat has tagged me and apparently I now have to tell you 7 facts about me and then pick 5 others to tag!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

1. I HATE shopping. Of any kind. Unless it's online. Even grocery shopping. You'd have to pay me to get to MeadowHell or anywhere... unless it's a craft shop, of course!

2. I used to live on a boat.

3. I grew up in the south of France and went to a French school.

4. I spent 3 hours in a flight simulator. I have actually flown a Chinook and a Gazelle helicopter for real, too.

5. My ambition is to drive an Aston Martin.

6. I have lived in France, Germany, Gibraltar and New Zealand and spent time in Holland, Tunisia, Singapore, Bali, Aruba, St Lucia, Grenada, Curacao, Greece, Malaysia, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Morocco, Japan; I've holidayed in many more but I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO THE U.S.!! Yet..... (and O/H has barred me from travel agents!!)

7. I have very long nails. I have never bitten my nails and I HATE fake ones. Always looked after mine and have a morbid hatred of squared-off plastic ones!!

Are you still awake? Oh good. Thanks for reading LOL!

I'm going to pass this onto Mrs VH, Foxcrafts, Vikki, Pink Gem and Shari, ha ha ha!!!

xx

THANK YOU!!

Just discovered that I've been nominated again for the Arte y Pico award by Manda over at http://mandxxx.blogspot.com/. Thank you so much for that!! It's really touching when someone thinks that your creations - which you know to be works of art!LOL - are actually good. xx

I've already passed this on to 5 other very talented and lovely peeps, so even though I don't think I'm supposed to, I want to pass this on to a good friend (who is also very talented and lovely) called Mrs V H and you can find her at http://vickyscollection.blogspot.com/. Go look at the handbags she makes, cos they're fab.

This is the inside of the card. I've added part of the 'Borders' paper to some pink card. The text is from my PC - the font is 'Eight Fifteen' and I really like it. Thanks for looking.

REALLY RUBBISH DAY.... BUT........

.... I actually managed to make a card I'm happy with!!

Today is just one of those days when everything I touch goes hideously wrong. Couldn't get the playlist to work for most of the day; no luck job-hunting; still smoking (yes, I know....); it's raining AGAIN... and my order from OhMyCrafts still hasn't arrived... boo.

Black 5 x 5 card cut from card stock. Then added a couple of strips cut from a printed sheet of PP's Lola's Boudoir collection. Then I cut two 3 x 6 strips out of the same paper. I folded them in half to make two square 'books' and stuck them together. Then folded back the corners on a diagonal. Inside, I put a 'happy birthday', matted onto black. Then I tied a ribbon around the whole topper and stuck it on. Inside, I used the same paper as the inside of the topper - it's also Lola's Boudoir and I really like the effect.

I'm just glad I was able to make something work today LOL!! xx

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS...

The bad news is that I seem to be allergic to the ruddy patches, so back on the fags and trying to think of something else ... (NOT smoking would be the obvious one, but hey..)

Good news is that I have a whirlygig of my cards on here now, as well as a playlist - yay!! Stick around for a listen - it's about the most eclectic mix I have! Enjoy x

THIS TIME I'M GOING TO DO IT.... I HOPE!!

I don't mean work out how to emboss text off the printer. Oh no, gave up on that idea. The embossing pen was a great idea (thanks, Foxy) but it's just too thick and I couldn't make it look neat. So I'm sticking with the idea of printing it in a shade of grey that looks silver. Thanks for the ideas, lovely peeps!!

NO!

Today at ten o'clock I will put on my patch and stop smoking. I hope. After 20-odd years. I'll feel better, I'll be able to breathe properly, I'll have more money, I won't be one of those sad folks standing outside in the rain and wind like a social pariah, there won't be fag ends everywhere AND Lil G will stop nagging me!! I'm doing it for her as much as for me.

I've tried before, many times. But this time, I HAVE to do it.

I only started cos I was living in France and all my school friends smoked. I was already the odd one out, being English, and I thought it was a cool thing to do. How stupid is that?

So spare a thought for me today. Off for a final fag now!!!

HELP!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!

I really am pulling my hair out now...

I've got an order for three wedding cards, which is great. And they all need the names of the happy couple on them, which is great. The only problem is that I've tried the method of printing onto card and then sprinkling (or rather, chucking in a mad panic!) the metallic embossing powder on the text the very nanosecond it emerges from the printer, and I just can't get it to work...

I've set the printer to use the maximum amount of ink, I've set the font to BOLD and it just doesn't work!!

So if you have any great ideas as to how I can get their names embossed in metallic silver onto the card, please let me know!!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!

PASTURES NEW...

Well, feeling a bit brighter today. I've registered on some new forums, so we'll see how that goes...

Had so many lovely messages from folks from the other site and I'm really touched and grateful for your support. Voted with my feet, folks, that's all. I may only be one person, but I'll be interested to see what happens when my intended new home for crafting comes online on 1 May!!

TIME TO GO....

Bit upset this afternoon...

After many happy months of belonging to a certain well-known craft website, it all got too much today. There have been a few 'storms' over the weekend on there, but this one was the last straw. So we have de-registered and won't be going back. Such a shame.
Some have said that by leaving I have let them win, but the way I see it, I've voted with my feet and moved on.
The shame of it is that I made so many lovely 'friends' on there. We shared everything: jokes, sympathy, support, hugs, tears, laughter and from time to time some crafting stuff too!!! I left my blog address so hopefully some of them will stay in touch, but I will not condone or be part of an entity which gags freedom of speech. It all boils down to some negative comments made by a user about the shocking service received from a supplier.
If you get excellent service, you shout about it. You should also be able to shout about poor service, too. SUPPLIERS, TAKE NOTE!! We talk to each other!
Hope to see you soon xx

SO, AFTER SOME THOUGHT.....

1. If a movie was being made of your life who would you like to be cast to play yourself? and why? Got to be Dame Judi Dench. Although she has quite a few years on me, she's a fantastic actor and she has the same sort of attitude as me!
2. You are spending a whole month on a desert island for charity and you have to choose your favourite celebrity to spend the first two weeks with & your least favourite celebrity to spend the second two weeks with, who would they be & why? First two weeks would have to be Jason Statham and if I need to tell you why, then you've obviously never seen the bit in 'Transporter' where he fights a gang, all covered in oil!!! Second two weeks would have to be the ex-Lady McCartney (is she actually a celebrity?) cos I think it would be fun to watch her try to dig herself out of a really big hole!
3. What are your three favourite crafting products? Oooh, ribbon, glue roller and GlamourDust, I think.
4. If you could invent something to do anything what do you think it would be? A self-replenishing bank account!
5. What are the last three books that you read? Easy, three 'Jack Reacher' novels by Lee Child.
6. Qvc or create & Craft? Probably C&C, but with the volume muted!!
7. Docrafts or Dovecraft or DCWV? Dovecraft for products, DoCraft for chat.
8. What is your claim to fame? I'm Lil G's mum?? Or the episode with Romper Room (see below, cos I'm too embarrassed to repeat it!!)

I'VE BEEN TAGGED - AGAIN!!

Well, after a pretty shocking weekend (Dad's birthday), I've kind of brightened up a bit now. I had so many lovely messages of support from my fellow crafters and bloggers, it really cheered me up. So thank you all.

Anyway, the lovely Lisa at Lavender Stamper has very kindly tagged me!

1. If a movie was being made of your life who would you like to be cast to play yourself? and why?
2. You are spending a whole month on a dessert island for charity and you have to choose your favourite celebrity to spend the first two weeks with & your least favourite celebrity to spend the second two weeks with, who would they be & why?
3. What are your three favourite crafting products?
4. If you could invent something to do anything what do you think it would be?
5. What are the last three books that you read?
6. Qvc or create & Craft?
7. Docrafts or Dovecraft or DCWV?
8. What is your claim to fame?

Crikey!! This is going to need some thought!! I'll get back to you!

In the meantime, I'm passing this on to Zoe, Ruth, Janet, Vicky and Cass - ha ha!!!

For those that have never been tagged it's easy, you just copy & paste the questions twice onto your page, you answer the second set of questions.You then need to make a list on the posting of the five people who you are going to tag. Lastly go onto their blogs and leave a comment to let them know to look at your blog as they have been tagged. xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD. MISS YOU...

Today would have been my lovely Dad's 76th birthday.

Lil G still talks to him and I know he's laughing himself silly watching her antics as she grows up (she was only just 1 when he was killed), but I really wish he was here to teach her DIY and other stuff she loves. He would have been thrilled to see the cards and stuff she makes!!

Miss you, Dad xx

WOW! ANOTHER AWARD!

I can't believe this one!! Thank you so much, Shari, for this award. The 'Arte y Pico' (Art and More) is awarded by bloggers to other bloggers who share their art and creativity with the blogger world. I'm quite new to all this blogging malarky so I'm really chuffed to get this one!

The rules of this award are as follows:

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) To show these rules!

So I now need to find 5 others to pass this on to, but most of the ones I love already have it!! Okay, hopefully before anyone else gets to them, I'd like to pass this onto Zoe, Ruth, Kerry, Sue and Donna .

These are just some of the sites I look to for inspiration and whose work I admire!

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR LIL G'S FRIEND

For some reason, I got a total blank when I had to come up with something for Molly's birthday. I find cards for children really difficult to make. All Lil G would say was that Molly likes pink and sparkly.

I must have made about 6 different cards and scrapped them all! Then I remembered that I had some Pink Petticoat (who else?) papers that I've been dying to use. So I added the text on the PC, watercoloured the image and finished it off with some Glamour Dust (don't you just love that stuff and doesn't it get everywhere!?), matted onto the card. I decoupaged the present, too. I actually printed the card itself rather than sticking backing paper on it.

Hope she likes it!!

MY MOTHER'S WORK AGAIN

This is another of hers. It's of the main street in Hackthorn about a hundred years ago and I love it.

I think I might make a set of note cards out of her pictures - what do you think?

A PAINTING BY MY MOTHER

Just wanted to share with you a sample of the art my mother does. I think she's hugely talented, but she doesn't think her work is very good! I don't know if this is from her imagination or copied from an original artwork by someone else, so I can't credit it properly. I think it's her own idea - no matter, it's a brilliant picture and she's going to kill me when she sees that I've put it on my blog!!

A BIRTHDAY CARD FOR A DAD

I sadly don't have my Dad anymore since he was killed in a car crash nearly 4 years ago, but going back to the issue of 'different' masculine cards, I made this one in a similar vein to the Father's Day card below.

I really like the double-sided ribbon as the effect is quite dramatic.

SOMETHING FOR THE MEN

Not really done much in the way of masculine cards before. I really struggled trying to make something for hubby's birthday and the shop-bought stuff is all golf, racing cars, yachts, etc.



So I had a play around with some Pink Petticoat papers and images and a bit of lovely ribbon from Ribbon Oasis and came up with this.



The 'Dad' is made of chipboard letters from the American Crafts' Thickers set. I really like them because they come in a variety of colours. I also have white ones which you can colour with Whispers pens.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!

The lovely Cass has tagged me! Apparently, I have to tell you seven random things about me and then tag someone else! Quite why you would want to know these is a puzzle, but here goes!:

1. I have a screw in my left ankle, holding the ligament in place, which should have come out after a year. That was ten years ago and I'm too big a wuss to get it removed.

2. I am totally terrified of spiders.

3. My three favourite things in the world (not including my friends and family) are baby animals, Aston Martin cars and diamonds.

4. I am totally allergic to all animals (which makes some of item 3 quite interesting!).

5. I once appeared on Romper Room in Gibraltar as a child and was too scared to ask for the loo, so........... yep, that was me.

6. I grew up in the south of France, living on a boat.

7. I hate sweetcorn with a passion and am petitioning to get it banned from the face of the earth.

So there you go.

I now have to pass this on, so I'll tag Zoe, Janet and Stacey. Enjoy!!