more cards

as promised here are some more of my cards
first one using my favourite bella stamp
the cherry one is a slight variation on the cherry card i made the other day, i normally make 6" x 8" but this is 4" x 6" and i think i may make this size more often, very fun and fast.
the last is one of my new house mouse stamps, again made using the smaller size card.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Ive had a busy weekend and today was no different, we wanted some plants for our hanging baskets so Mam and Dad asked if we would like a run to B&Q, we said yes, big mistake BIG BIG mistake, the bank holiday traffic was horrendous, once we got to the industrial estate it took us 15 minutes in traffic just to get into B&Q, but on the good side we got some bargains while we were there. They are remodeling the store so there were lots of reductions in a clearance section and what made it better there was a guy telling everyone if there was something you wanted he could reduce it even further for you, i ended up with a 40.00 pair of curtains for Ashleigh's bedroom for 3.00 and some butterfly decorations that should of been 10.00 for 2.00(sorry my pound sign isn't working) we also got the plants that we went for.

Ive also been making cards like there is no tomorrow, I had a few orders to complete but then i have cards in another outlet and the girl rang to say they had been selling like hotcakes and have i got anymore ready so I've had a marathon card making session. i will have to post them bit by bit as blogger will probably crash if i try to upload them all together. Let me know if you want any details of the card supplies used.

All Things Nautical

Today I've been playing with some new stamps and the theme is Nautical. As Fathers Day is slowly creeping up on us i decided to make a start on them as these stamps are perfect for the occasion. the stamps are a mixture of stamping up and stamps happen, i had real fun colouring them. I seem to be doing a lot of male cards lately, something that until recently i didn't make a lot of, if ever i had a commission to make a male card i always struggled i guess its because i didn't have the appropriate stash, but now i have plenty.

I also had a commission for a gran card the spec was favourite colour red and she grows fruit trees so i had this stamp that i have never used before (i knew it would come in handy) i think its turned out ok, the cherries in the corner are hand drawn and paper pieced.

I will be back with more cards tomorrow as i need to wait until better light to take pics.

more boy cards

Im loving these stamps by woodware, as sam has lots of parties to go to these stamps are perfect for all the little boy cards, but dont be fooled i also made a few that were suitable for adults too, only i forgot to take a pic! (typical)

the boy cards ar woodware stamps and making memories papers

the girlie card is stamped with a bella (winobella) the papers are sei , the flowers are prima.

Forgot to share

I forgot to share some of my cards from the weekend, i had to make these 4 cards very quickly and i had them packaged ready to go when i realised i hadn't taken a picture of them, in my last post i said i was going to take more pics and this is what usually happens i make them, package them and forget to photograph them. So i apologise for the reflection but better than nothing at all to share.

The 2 house mouse cards are stickers, i have had these for about 3-4 years and have not used them so i have vowed to try and use old stash up and I'm actually quite happy with the way they have turned out, even though it was like cheating not very hard is to stick a sticker down? Although i do like the look of my new ribbons on the card.

The other 2 cards were made using wood ware and autumn leaves stamps, stamping up card stock and again my new ribbon.

Ive added a ticker to my site as i didn't think anyone visited but i was pleasantly surprised to see almost 200 visitors in just over a week, yeah i know some bloggers get that in a day but its a big thing to me, so pop in and say hello so i know who you visitors are.

Cards to share

I forgot i said i would share a few more cards with you, a couple you will of all ready seen over on UK Scrappers. i have decided to start show casing on here and only post a few over on uk scrappers. It gets a bit boring when you see cards on UKS and then the same cards are on the blog also, unless its a tutorial or supplies list then thats ok sometimes its a great help.

I must remember to stat taking pics of all my creations half of the time im working to a tight deadline so i dont get chance to take pics, then i get dissapointed when i can't put my creations on here, i vow to try and take more pics.

Here are details of the above cards

The scooter boy card

stamping up card stock

East of India ribbon

woodware boy stamp, autumn leaves star stamp.

celebrate card

penny black stamp, greeting is HOTP stamp

the papers are from my scraps so not sure what they are (sorry)

wedding card

SEI card stock

hero arts heart stamp

More to share tomorrow (hopefully)

East of India ribbon

Oh! im in Ribbon heaven. I have been admiring ribbons from the make East of India, i have had an online supplier in my favourites for ages i keep adding things to my basket then not going through with the checkout as i always think do i actually need more ribbon?

so where is this leading? I went to Middlesbrough yesterday and my Dad dropped me off just outside of town so as i was walking into to town i passed a shop called changing rooms, i know its been there for ages but ive never took much notice, as i peeped into the window i saw the sign East of India, quickly i opened the door to sheer heaven 3 floors of nicknaks ribbons a whole shop of gorgeousness. The shop lady was so sweet after picking up many rolls of ribbon the lady passed me a gorgeous basket to place my wares in, i then ventured to the other 3 floors, i know this is a shop i am going to frequent more often, who would of thought after searching the Internet for east of india ribbons there were some on my door step all along. For anyone in the area Changing rooms are having a late night on Thursday till 8.30pm, all new stock will be showcased and there is 10% off all orders. The picture is a few of my buys ive hidden some of them as i know what Martin will say, they will just start appearing in my craft area and then he will know no different. LOL

I would also like to say a big thanks to Monica for getting mu stamping up order to me so fast, if anyone is wanting to order id highly recommend Monica her blog link is on the right.

Back To The Gindstone

Its back to work for me tomorrow after having 2 weeks off, as are the kids back to school too. Dont you just hate going back to work after having time off, i know i will be back in the swing of things after one day its just the initial getting up out of bed and dragging myself there. We have had 2 weeks of unstructured days, PJ days and really just doing nothing. But looking on the bright side in 2 weeks we will have another day of for may day and then another 2 !?@ weeks later we will be off for whit week, so cant complain.

I also forgot to tell you of my misfortune the past week, i was round my mams last week when i got a phone call from Martin telling me the cooker wouldnt work so after having it looked at it turns out we needed a new one. At the moment we have electric but ive always wanted gas i did have a gas cooker years and years ago but since that have always bought electric,(weve actually been through 3 electric cookers in the last 7 years) when we went shopping for a new one i decided to go for gas it arrived and we didnt go for connection as we know a gas fitter already (who will also be cheaper).
The cooker arrived on wednesday all ready for fitting and our gas fitter is on holiday so now we have a new cooker but no means of cooking until next week (just my luck) on the plus side to this we have been getting lots of meals cooked for us :-)
In the same week you wouldnt belief it but the computer chair broke and to top of the bad luck my makeup bag fell down the toilet (YUK!) so everything went in the bin and it cost me an arm and a leg just to replace the basics let alone the sparkly, dazzley bits i had collected along the way, that you wear on a night out in the town.
Hopefully that was the end of the bad luck run. I will be back with a few cards i have made today.

Gran & Grandad

Remember i told you about the 2 babies about to arrive in our family?

one was my cousin and i told you i would let you know about the other.

Well now is the time to tell you, I'm not sure weather you know Martin has an older son Chris.

He and his girlfriend got engaged last year and now they are expecting, we have known for a while and I've been shopping like crazy as they know they are having a boy, i know it takes away the surprise but its great to know for shopping reasons.

The baby is due at the end of June hopefully it will wait until we get home from our holidays its due on the 29th and that's the day we are due home.

so now you know why Ive titled my post Gran and Grandad, i know I'm far to young to be a gran but a gran i will be. In my extended family everyone is a gran, i had a gran my mam had a gran etc etc. its just the way it is.

And also we are very proud of Chris as he has passed all his tests to join the RAF, its something he has always wanted to do and with the baby due we thought he would give up on the idea but no hes more determined, hes worked hard for 2 years in a steady job but he wants more out of his life and we are really proud of him. He starts his Basic training in August so we will get lots of pics at his passing out parade.

On a crafting note I've downloaded a set of images from charmed cards and crafts they are called George and they are fab for mens cards so if you like pay a visit here http://www.charmedcardsandcrafts.co.uk/acatalog/Digital_Downloads.html

feeling great

Its amazing how a few days off can make you feel. I have been feeling quite lethargic and yuk for the past couple of weeks (and the weather doesn't do much to help). Ive been off with the kids since Monday and apart from a stinking headache yesterday I have been feeling great, I wish it was the school holidays more often LOL

Yesterday i dug the boys bedroom out (that's what probably brought on the headache) it took me 4 hours, i took the bunk beds apart, (so now they have individual single beds) threw out or recycled toys that they had out grown, recycled clothes that no longer fit, and got rid of a load of rubbish. 8 bin bags later and we have a tidy new bedroom (any bets on guessing how long it will stay that way?)

Ive no need to tidy Ashleighs room as she keeps her room spotless, she just moans that she hasn't got enough room and i do feel sorry for her as she has the box room so there is not much room in there, i have promised to do a little touching up in there next week and maybe get a new light and lamp shade just to shuzz it up a bit.

After yesterdays spring clean i decided to craft today and have made cards ive had quite a few requests so i made a start on them,i managed to complete 3 baby cards, 3 get well cards, 2 new home a few general b/day cards. Ive also had a request for something to do with music for a girl and a mountain bike one for a man, I'm a bit stuck so they will take a little thinking about, they are not needed until May so i have time.

Talking of babies we have a couple due in our family. First due is my cousin on 2nd May this will be her first baby and we are all hoping for a girl as we have lots and lots of boys in the family the last girl we had is now 9 so we are desperate for a girl. The second i will blog about later (no its not me!)

Jump!

Oh wow, I haven't scrapped in months but last night I had the urge to complete a page. Ashleigh had all my scrapbooks out yesterday looking through them I think it was this that urged me to scrap.

I had bought the sassfras lass papers absolutely months ago and had only ever used some on cards but there were a couple of papers I wouldn't cut into as I did want to scrap with them at some point.

The picture was from almost 2 years ago so nothing on the page was up to date ( and as we know in the world of scrapping you must be seen with the most up to date stash) well not me I am using what appeals to me and not just whats new on the market.

It felt weired filling up the huge amount of space because for months now I've only been creating cards, I pushed the papers around the page for a while and then it just all came together, I think I may just complete some more today, could this be the onset of more scrapping? watch this space!

Blog Testing

I voluntered to be a blog tester for a craft related product. and as i said in my post yesterday it was for E-Z runner scrapbook adhesive by 3L, we had a series of questions to answer about the product and here are my answers.

1. How often do you use adhesive? almost every day
2. What is the main type of adhesive you use? double sided tape, pva glue and glossy accents
3. What do you look for in an adhesive? mainly strength
4. How easy is the product to remove from its packaging? very easy no problems at all
5. Does the product appeal to you – i.e. does it look good? looks great and the colour is

nice and bright so no loosing it on your craft table.
6. How easy is the product to use? very easy, i dont normally use tape dispensers as i often

have problems with the jamming of breaking, this one i took to immediatly
7. How well does the product perform? its runs very smoothly, its time saving and strong
8. Do you like this product? yes
9. Do you consider it good value for money? Mmmmm good question i like it for the fact that

it is time saving but 4.99 for 28' its a little expensive
10. Would you consider buying this product in the future? if it were on offer somewhere

definatly yes
11. What would make you more likely to buy this product in the future? if the length was

increaded or the price decreased or it was made into a refillable version and the refills

were reasonably priced
12. What would make you less likely to buy this product in the future? the price

I must say it is a great product i like the fact that it has very small cut sections of adhesive but im not sure i could justify the price as a full time adhesive, but it is very handy to have on hand to use for time saving moments, or when you dont have time to let a wet adhesive dry.

It made making cards a little quicker than normal, was great for adhering ribbon, and strong enough for securing chipboard.

All of the above cards were made using the E-Z runner, stamps are cupcakes and birthday messages by hero arts (coloured with water colours) papers are a selection of s.e.i jolie chocolat and bazzil card stock, all finished off with a little accent of stickles, doodlebug sugar coating or liquid pearls.

Creative Weekend

Wow, its the weekend and ive got some new stash to play with, (just look at that sei paper pad isnt it just lush every paper is gorgeous, foil and glitter so luxurious) i received some goodies in the post this week and ive managed to keep my hands off them as i was waiting untill tonight, Ive got no plans for the weekend so i have a full 2 days of inunterupted crafting, infact i may have longer as we broke up from school today for 2 weeks. I also have another parcel due from the states with lots more stamps (i cant wait) im so easily excited.

I also got a small parcel from becks and the design objective ( do crafts to me and you) the parcel may of been small but im expecting big things from the product, I signed up to do a blog review on a product and after the weekend i shall be giving my review on the E-Z runner scrapbook adhesive.

On my last post i said i might have some news to share well unfortunatly i havnt although i will tell you about it. I had applied for a new job as i was unhappy with my salary in my current job, out of 70 applicants i managed to get an interview i got down to the final 2 but was pipped to the post because i didnt have shorthand skills, but it all worked out in my favour as my current employer doesn't want to loose me so i am having my salary reviewed. (yipee)

Have a great weekend.

Where has the time gone?

Wow where has the time gone its ages since i last posted but then again i have been busy.
here are the updates to what ive been upto.
The first Westlife concert in Newcastle was fantastic, Ive never been to any that ive said it was only alright, only the boys can outdo themselves year after year, I never tire of them.
Then last weekend i was at Manchester to see them but this was a very boozy night (or should that be weekend) we travelled by train on friday morning (very early i might add, 7.20 am)we arrived just in time to geo to weatherspoons for breakfast, that set us up for our retail therapy, a few hours of shopping and we were in need of refreshment, how lucky were we to find a pub that sold cheap beer, Lager was only 1.60 a pint needless to say we didnt do any other shopping.
We prized ourselves out of the pub and made our way back to the hotel where we had a sandwich and a little more refreshments ;-) then it was quick upto our room for a shower and ready for the big night out, we arrived at the arena just in time for a drink and to find our seats, the concert was fab and they done a few extra bits as it was St Patricks weekend, well to cut a long story short we went back to the cheap pub, got to bed at 4.30 and was in no fit state the next morning to shop. Later in the afternoon we arrived at the train station to find that our train had been cancelled so instead of 1 train journey home it took 3 trains and a bus, so i didnt get to sleep all the way home as i had expected to :-(
so that was my excitement, and its took me untill this weekend to catch up with every thing.
Ive also got something exciting in the pipeline in the next couple of weeks (not craft related) so fingers crossed i can spill the beans at the begining of April.
Although on the craft front i cant wait to recieve the mystery parcel from becks http://www.scrapgenie.blogspot.com/that i have signed up to blog test for her, i remember she said they will be posted at the end of March so watch this space.

One more sleep

I haven't got much to blog about today so thought id remind you of my excitement for tomorrow Only one more sleep until i go to my annual westlife jaunt, those of you who know Me know that every year when westlife are touring i go to see them at least twice at different venues, i know i can hear you all shouting why would i do that, the answer is simple, they put on a fantastic show like none I've ever seen before and once is never enough.

It was Ashleigh's birthday on Saturday she had a great day and got lots of goodies and with her b'day money she bought her self a new phone, she was a little disappointed as she thought she would of got to find out what secondary school she was going to but we didn't find out until today, she got her second choice school (which was actually my first preference) at first she wasn't too happy about it until she heard her best friend has also got into the same school as her

I havnt got much to share on the crafting front as ive been helping in Mams house again today and yesterday i mad e a roast dinner and had everyone round so i was cooking for 12 (poor me, where was my mothers day treat?) well i did get to have breakfast in bed, and Martin has given me some money so i can treat myself, if i dont buy anything tomorrow in the Metro Centre i might treat myself to a stamping up stamp set.

All Good

Hospital went ok, Kidneys are fine but im still not drinking enough, i go back in 6 months for xrays just to make sure all is well. Im really thankfull for the NHS.

Have been busy with mothers days cards the past few nights, i had lots of orders from work to fulfil i think i made 14 in all, a few of which i repeated, ive posted a few pictures (although not good, still waiting on a camera)

Its Ashleighs birthday tomorrow she will be 11 she is really growing fast i dont know where the time has gone, we are going to town shopping tomorrow and then we are all going out for tea somewhere nice. Shes got lots of pressies off friends and family waiting for her and she is so excited for tomorrow she said its like xmas all over again.

Im really excited too as its now only 4 days till i go to see westlife (i know im like a big kid) at newcastle metro arena, roll on Tuesday.

Hospital

Tomorrow i have an appointment at the hospital, to check out my kidneys, in August i had Kidney stones and ended up being hospitalised so now i have to have 6 monthly checks, and tomorrow is the day. What they will do i dont know! I will get a lift there but will have to get a bus home so thought i might as well pop into town on my way home (any excuse for shopping)

After the hospital i will then need o go round to mams newhouse to paper the hall way then that will be all the papering completed, the kitchen fitters are going tomorrow to plan the design then she can get it ordered and hopeflly fitted before the week is out.

All this work means im having to create in the evenings if i can be bothered, well tonight i was bothered and ive made lots to share.

cards

Here are the cards i completed last night, thre were a couple of others but they didnt scan too well.

Ive got to go and iron te school uniforms now as its back to school tomorrow after a week off.