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A very warm welcome to my teeny, tiny part of the huge world of blogging. This is where I share my passion for making hand made greeting cards. So - why "Always with a Heart"? Well this is for two reasons. Firstly, it is because every card I produce carries a heart on it somewhere. This can be big and bold or small and almost hidden - the fun sometimes is just trying to find it! Secondly it is because I put my heart into everything I produce. I hope that any visitors enjoy seeing what I post. If you drop by then please leave me a comment so that I know you called. It would be nice to know that you have found my heart in what I do.

Sunday 30 March 2014

SUNDAY SNIPPET

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a lovely day .... .... and particularly all of you Mums out there.  

I know quite a few blog owners for whom today will have been very difficult for various reasons.  I did think of you all and hoped you were coping OK .. .. and I also stopped and counted my blessings.

Of course the other big event of the day is the loss of that hour .. .. and boy have I missed it!!  I feel I have been chasing my tail all day.

Only recently finished my snippet makes even though I started them first thing this morning.  I took a look at my overflowing little snippet drawers and decided that it was the cream and brown that needed to be attacked this week .. .. but I have to admit my makes didn't make much of a dent in them!

But here they are anyway:





Back to my usual lazy Sunday mode and no listing of ingredients but if you need to know anything I will try my best to help.

Off now to link up to Pixie's Snippet Playground Challenge.

Thank you for all the anniversary wishes yesterday .. .. Mr Heart and I had a lovely day (and yes, we were both very young when we got married.  I was just 19 and Mr Heart was 20 ... .. .. .. so now you know how ancient I am LOL!!!).

Catch you again soon and enjoy what is left of the evening.

Love

Saturday 29 March 2014

VERY LATE SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!!

Here are my entries for Pixie's Snippet Playground Challenge .. .. I didn't get chance to enter last Sunday as we were in London (where did that week go?!?).



So I am running there now with minutes to spare and will come back later to write the rest of this post . .. I have to be somewhere special very soon and need to slap my make-up on.

Will fill you in later.

.................................................................................................................................................................

Back again to let you know what I used on my snippet makes above.

Images:  Papermania "Hampstead Collection Clear Stamps" and Penny Black "3741K" Filigree Tree
Sentiment:  Computer Generated and Pink Petticoat
Backing Papers:  Papermania "A Silent Night"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trust Sewing Machine
Cord from my Stash Box

Hopefully I will get chance to play along properly tomorrow in my usual super lazy Sunday mode.

Quite a few of you have been asking how I am getting on with my new Cuttlebug.   I am happy to report that I love it!!  It works just as well as my old one .. .. with the exception of the handle.  That is taking some getting used to.  The old one was fixed in place but this one is hinged so that it can fold into the body of the machine for storage.  Personally I would like something to allow me to lock/unlock the hinge.. .. but we can't always have everything we want can we?  LOL!!!

So where was I rushing off to this morning at the speed of light after hastily posting my snippet makes?

Well today is an extra special day in the House of Hearts.  Mr & Mrs Heart have been married for a whole 39 years today and we were treated to a champagne breakfast by my Auntie and Uncle.  So a gorgeous breakfast at the hotel where I do my wedding fayres, and a stroll through the gardens afterwards in beautiful sunshine.  I felt like Royalty!

A far cry from the weather the day we got married.  It was a bitter cold day then and it had been snowing in the week leading up to our special day. 

I don't know.  All those years ago and yet it feels like it was yesterday!!

I feel so lucky to have met my Mr Right so early and to be able to share my life with him for all of this time.

So a romantic dinner for two tonight and that will be the end to a lovely day.  Anniversary calories don't count do they?

See you tomorrow.

Love and hugs

Friday 28 March 2014

SWEET WISHES

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!!

I hope you have had a good day.

Mine passed by in the blink of an eye and involved me meeting what I am sure will turn out to be the most decisive bride I will probably ever work with.

We spent about an hour and a half together and she has decided exactly what she wants from invitations through to favours and a table plan .. .. ..  and has added herself to my working list of "happy couples". Yay!!!

She had a fabulous wedding organiser book with her that was full of all the things she has already booked .. .. each page having room to write contact details etc and pockets for storing the relevant receipts/invoices etc.  I had a lovely tour of everything.  Her wedding transport, flowers, and cake .. .. and all her inspiration pictures.  It was fabby and straight away my brain was working out how I could make one with my lovely binding machine I bought off Ebay the other week.

Oh dear .. .. another item added to the .. .. when "I have time list".   Believe me that list is HUGE  LOL!!!  I really do need more days in my week!

But for now we will just have to make do with a little card .. .

This used:




Image:  Penny Black "1670K" Sugar Sweet Dreams
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat (no longer available)
Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat
ProMarkers
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trust Sewing Machine
Twine and Charm from my Stash Box

I love colouring this image but for some reason always feel it has to be accompanied by red gingham paper! I wonder if I should get out more??!?

Have a lovely weekend everyone.  I hope the sun shines for you and you find a bit of crafty time.

Love

Thursday 27 March 2014

CLUSTERS

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday!

I hope you have had a good day and have dodged any raindrops!.

A super busy one here .. .. but I have managed to make something to share with you.




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3633K" Clusters
Sentiment and Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat
Die'sire Dies:  Scalloped Tags
Distress Ink:  Spun Sugar
Diamond Stickles
ProMarkers
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon and Pearls from my Stash Box

and that is me for today.

Time to get my wedding head on now and get my samples together ready to meet up with a new bride tomorrow morning.

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Love

Wednesday 26 March 2014

WORN OUT AND IN NEED OF A REST

.. .. No not me!!!

As usual I am annoyingly full of beans  .. .. .. fresh as a daisy .. .. .. and hyper-active.

But the same cannot be said for my faithful old Cuttlebug machine.


This poor chappie has been a very good and loyal friend but is now well and truly past his best and ready for a rest.  Have you ever seen such a sorry sight?

But it owes me no favours at all.  

I purchased it in November 2007 and it has been used nearly every day ever since .. .. sometimes for hours and hours on end!!!

Just look at him all held together with duct tape to stop the ends plinging off and to hold a huge crack together that seemed to appear from no-where.  Originally Mr Heart put duct tape into the opening too .. ..  .. ..  but of course the plates slowly rubbed the tape away to leave a horrible sticky mess behind  (you can't get the staff these days can you LOL!!).

So the time has come for a new model (Cuttlebug not hubby) and this has arrived on the craft desk today.


A brand new sparkly clean one.  I feel super posh now.

It doesn't seem as solid and robust as my old one but I have to admit it is very, very quiet and smooth running in comparison.

Of course I shall still keep the old one .. .. just in case .. .. but I did feel very cruel taking the new one out of the box and putting the old one in its place to store in the roof.  

So it is time to put the new one through its paces for the first time .. .. lots of cutting to do for a wedding job.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Love

Tuesday 25 March 2014

RUDOLPH DAY CHALLENGE - MARCH

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a good day .. . all the sunshine of yesterday has been replaced by rain here today :-(

Oh well .. .. at least that stopped me doing any more washing LOL!!!

I am all prepared and ready for sharing two cards for entering into Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge for March. Gosh we are a quarter of the way through 2014 already!!  Can you believe it?!?!  I know I can't.

So here are my two makes for this month:







These used:

Images:  Penny Black "X2754H" Xmas Kiss and "2995F" Stocking
Sentiments:  Papermania Urban Stamps "PMA 90180" Christmas in the Country Tags
Backing Papers:  First Edition Papers "Silent Night"
Impression Obsession Dies:  "DIE100-F" Snowflakes
Die-namics Dies: Insert it - 3 x 4 Notepad
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Snowflakes
X-Cut Punch:  Corner Rounder
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Distress Ink Pad:  Old Paper
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Glamour Dust
ProMarkers
Pearls, Twine, Metallic Thread, Gems and Ribbon from my Stash Box

As you can see the "Jaunty Angle" therapy is starting to take effect and I am finding it a little easier to work through the pain.  LOL!!!.  

So that is me for today .. .. with two more cards into the Christmas box.  Woo hoo!!

Love

Monday 24 March 2014

BUTTERFLY CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a wonderful Monday!

The sun has had its happy hat on today and been shining beautifully .. .. in fact lovely enough to make myself loads of ironing .. .. grrrr!!!  As if I don't have better things to do LOL!

So sunshine makes you think of flowers .. .. and flowers make you think of butterflies .. .. and then I suddenly realised I hadn't played along with Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge this time round.  Best put that right as there aren't many hours left to enter Challenge Number 3 where the theme is "A Stitch in Time" .. .. which is stitching .. .. either real or faux!

So here is my make.




This used:

Sentiment Stamp:  Hero Arts "H4938" Happy Birthday!
Backing Papers:  First Edition Paper:  Daydream
Memory Box Dies:  Moonlight Butterfly and Kaleidoscope Butterfly
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
X-Cut Punch:  Small Flower
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon and Pearls from my stash box

Now round to those little twine flowers I promised to give away.  I was very surprised and touched by how many of you lovely blog buddies liked my little flowers enough to want to use them on your creations


 .. .. so a lucky dip it was .. .. with the dip being performed for you personally by Mr Heart.


 .. .. and the winner of the 5 twine flowers (all nestled in their own little storage box waiting to be loved)


is


In fact you will have 6 flowers to use Bernie if you pull the one off the top of the box !! 


I hope you like them and enjoy will enjoy using them.  Just email me your details and I will get them into the post for you.  My email address is on my profile page.

So that is me for today.   Thank you and commiserations to everyone who joined in but didn't win.  I will have to do the same again sometime.

I suppose some of that ironing will have to be tackled tonight :-(  I hope your evening is going to be a little more exciting than mine.

Love

Sunday 23 March 2014

FLOWERS ANYONE?

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a lovely weekend.

Mine was super fabby.  We had a great time in London with "the London kids".  The show was brilliant.  I would certainly recommend it.

We arrived home about an hour ago .. .. to find the boiler had decided to have a little "hiccup" and stop working.

Luckily a neighbour has been able to sorted it for us .. .. and the House of Hearts is "very slowly" warming up.  I should hopefully be able to take my coat off in about an hour!!!  LOL!!!

On the train journey home I made some more little twine flowers with my Crazy Daisy Loom and here are a few of them alongside a fabby little calendar block I bought in London.


As I started making my flowers I decided I would give half of whatever I made away (if anyone would like them).  So between eating, talking, texting and changing trains I managed to make a grand total of 10.

So there are five up for grabs (but not my little calendar block I'm afraid .. .. just the flowers).

If you would like them just leave me a comment by 7pm on the 24th March saying "yes please" to let me know.  If more than one person would like them I will do a lucky dip tomorrow evening .. .. and if no-one wants them .. .. .. well then I will use them all  myself LOL!!!

Have a lovely evening everyone.

I think it is going to be a case of having a bath to warm up!

Love

Saturday 22 March 2014

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Hi Everyone

Happy weekend!

Trying to post this whilst on an adventure.

Tonight's the Night or rather today's the day I get to see the musical


with my eldest Son and Daughter in Law .. .. .. and afterwards we are out for a lovely meal.

Sorry I didn't get chance to schedule or post any makes ahead of my escape - I have been working very hard on things I can't share.  Sorry :-(

Catch you again tomorrow all being well.

Have fun.

Love

Tuesday 18 March 2014

ONE OF EACH

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has gone well.

A quick post from me tonight showing two new baby cards .. .. one of each!





These used:

Images:  Digistamp Boutique "Baby Dan" and "Baby Rosie" (I love colouring these little characters so much)
Sentiment:  Computer Generated
Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat
Nestabilities:  Rectangle and Scalloped Rectangle
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
X-Cut Punch:  Corner Rounder
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
Ribbons and Charm from my Stash Box

I am toddling over to add these makes to the Digistamp Boutique Challenge for March.

So that is me for today.  A little late .. .. but here at last.

Catch you again soon.

Love

Monday 17 March 2014

SKETCH SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

I hope your week has got off to a good start.

Did you hear the promise of the hottest summer on record coming our way?!?!?  I wonder if that will come with a hosepipe ban too?!?!

I am in need of a few quick cards so I used the sketch over at Sketch Saturday to create this:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "1655K" Ups & Downs
Sentiment:  Hobby Art "CS016D" General Greetings
Backing Papers:  Docrafts "Kraft Notes"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
X-Cut Punch:  Small Daisy
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon and Pearls from My Stash Box

and here is the sketch I followed if you fancy playing along


I turned it around for my make.

So that is me for today.  Short and sweet.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.

Love