My photo
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.

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

GAME ON

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.

The weather has been lovely .. .. so much so that I even managed to dry the towels on the washing line today so they smell gorgeous!  (Sad aren't I?)

Another quick card today as wedding work is high up on the agenda .. .. but hopefully it is one you will enjoy looking at.

So here we go:




This used:

Image:  Penny Black "4129J" Game On
Sentiment:  Elzybells
Backing Paper:  My Minds Eye  (no name on the football kraft card)
Nestabilities:  Scalloped Circle and Classic Circle Large
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Sizzix Die:  Stars #2
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Cord from the Stash Box

I know that the stars don't look very good on a photograph but hopefully they will look much better when standing on a mantelpiece!!  LOL!!

You can tell this little hedgie is a "top notch" footballer because of his designer footie boots!!!  Perhaps Hubby's football team should try and sign him up .. .. they need a bit of top notch play at the moment!!  

OK .. .. back to the dining room table .. .. 30 pieces of card to fold in half and 60 ribbons to tie before I am allowed to give in for today!!

Have a good evening everyone.

Love

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

HANDY HIPPO DAY - WEEK 22

Hi Everyone

Happy Handy Hippo day to you all!!  Sorry for the delay .. .. but it will have given you chance to get your ribbons out ready for a play later !!  LOL!!!

These Handy Hippo weeks are definitely coming and going very, very quickly!!

My share this week uses a clear stamp set that I really love and I enjoyed making this card so much:







I haven't used all of the images in the stamp set .. .. there are little birds, another tree and other sentiments that you can put onto that cute little sign post (or other places if you want to).

Just wish I knew someone who was moving house now so that I could send this card to them LOL!!  Never mind .. .. one day I will need it (if I can bear to part with it)  LOL!!

Below you can find the Handy Hippo magic button .. .. and if you click on it you can see all the lovely goodies I used to make this little project.  Everything I have used has been automatically added to a shopping basket and as always you can remove anything you do not need (or add anything else you can't resist).  




and now to the last in my little series of  "things to do with ribbons"

Firstly how about stamping on your ribbon.

Here I have stamped my sentiment
onto a scrap of ribbon using
black Stazon ink
Using a clear sentiment on an acrylic block
lets you see exactly where your image is going
to go

You can leave the ends of your ribbon rough
.. .. or even fray them a little if you want to .. .. or you can
stop the ends fraying by applying just a tiny amount
of clear nail varnish.

Here is one I attached to a card the other
day using my sewing machine.  I chose to zig-zag
over the ends to stop them fraying
.

This next way of using up ribbon gives a lovely look ... .. but can be a little bulky when finished .. .. but sometimes that does matter does it

Take a need and a piece cotton of cotton
.. .. knotted at the end
(I use my cotton doubled up so that I don't risk it breaking).
Starting a little way in do small running stitches.

Stop before you get to the end 

Then pull the thread to gather up your ribbon
and do a few back stitches to fasten
your cotton off and stop your
ribbon unravelling again.

Cut the end of your cotton off and you are left
with a lovely gathered ribbon.  I always
think satin ribbon looks particularly nice
but of course you can do it with any type.

Attach your ribbon to your card
by taping down the ends of the ribbon
that you didn't gather.

Turn your work over and this is
what you have .. .. all ready for mounting
onto some backing card.

The little strip that I did isn't going
anywhere .. .. but if you decided to do this
technique over a large area you could always
secure the ribbon down with a glue dot.
You just need to make sure that your
gathered ribbon is long enough for what you need
before you fasten it off with your back-stitches.

You can always not have your gathers
quite so tight as mine if you are short
on ribbon and need to make it stretch

just that little bit further.

.. .. ... and now for the last example in this little mini ribbon series LOL!!!

Take a length of ribbon

Cross the ends over to form a loop
.. .. I work right over left
but you can work left over right if you feel
more comfortable doing it that way

Pass the end you crossed over through your loop.

Hold both ends and pull to form a
loose knot

Play with the knot to make it neat and then you can
attach it to a card by taping it at
the back

That was the technique I used on this card here .. .. ..  using a piece of very wide ribbon.  Great when you don't have enough to tie round the whole of your card.



So that is me for this week.

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at the little ribbon ideas I have shared over the last three weeks.  

Have a lovely day. 

Love




and all the lovely friendly people at Handy Hippo

Monday, 13 February 2012

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY

Hi Everyone

Sorry .. .. but as you might have seen my Handy Hippo post is delayed this week .. .. not sure which day will be my Handy Hippo day .. .. but hopefully it will be worth waiting for.  (Just keep your bits of ribbon to one side and play with something else .. .. especially you Di!!).

So a quick and easy substitute card tonight.

In fact I think it is going to be a week or two of quick and easy ones as I have quite a bit of work to get through.

So I will cut the chatter and just get on with it LOL!!!

Here is my share .. .. and I think I deserve a team point because I was even brave enough to delve to the very bottom of the papers and grab some of those never ending Papermania papers that nearly everyone in blogland seems to have in their stash collection from years and years ago LOL!!





This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2863J" Lovin' & Huggin'
Sentiment:  Penny Black "1743F" It's your Birthday
Backing papers:  The never ending Papermania ones and DCWV "Black and White Prints"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Crystal Stickles
ProMarkers
Cord from the Stash Box

So that is me for today.

I celebrated having an empty ironing basket for at least 3 hours today.  I even ironed two pairs of trousers that needed the creases putting in that I washed yesterday!!  Boy did that feel good to see the back of those.

But of course I then did more washing.  So there is more to be done ... ... so I don't feel quite as smug as I did this morning!!!

Have a great evening everyone and get to bed early so you are wide awake to receive all those Valentine treats tomorrow morning.

Love

CHANGE OF PLAN

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday morning.

If you are here for my Happy Handy Hippo post .. .. the happiness is a bit delayed this week.

I will be back tonight with a different share (once I have conjured up something LOL!!).

Guess what?  It is Monday morning and my ironing basket is empty!!  Woo hoo!!

Have a good day.

Love

Sunday, 12 February 2012

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Sunday!!!

Hope you are all having a lovely relaxing day.  

We had a lovely evening out last night .. .. and stayed out later than we thought we would .. .. and Mr Heart didn't even switch the football on when we got home!!!  Wow!!!

So today is a lazy Sunday .. .. though it is going to have to liven its ideas up in a bit as this lazy madam didn't do any ironing last week and needs to make amends.

Of course hand in hand with Sunday comes a play with my snippets for Pixie's Crafty Snippets - Challenge 7.  Gosh seven weeks already and Di is getting lots of lovely new playmates for us all to play with.  At this rate she is going to have to look for bigger premises to hold us all!!!  LOL!!!

So here are my snippet shares for this week.






The first one uses a stamp that I have heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Quite pleased with the finished look and of course the second is me still trying to be good on the Christmas card front.  Even one a week will make a big difference come November.

I hope you like my shares for today.

Off to see what the oven is doing to my culinary efforts of the day and hopefully I will catch up with lots of blogs later.

See you bright and early tomorrow for my Happy Handy Hippo post and the last part of my "things to do with ribbons" feature. 

Love

Saturday, 11 February 2012

SHOULD I CHANGE MY NAME?

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all having a good weekend.

Still pretty nippy here .. .. but no snow .. .. so that is a plus!

My share tonight is for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme this week is "Love and Kisses" .. .. quite a hard one for me but I have done my best LOL!!!

Here is my creation







This used:

Image:  Penny Black "4030K" The Park Bench Affair
Sentiment:  Funky Hand "Love 'n' That"
Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Chalks

and that is me for today.

Hubby and I are off out in a bit to celebrate Valentine's early!!  Much nicer when you don't have to get up early the next day (plus we can celebrate again on Tuesday!!).  Tee hee!!

So, why do I think I should change my name?

Well I registered with a local hotel a few weeks ago to do a wedding fayre with them.  I think they must have put me into their database because now I keep getting sent emails of special deals and events they have coming up.

They must have entered me into the system as "Always With A Heart" .. .. which is the name I booked the wedding fayre table under .. .. .. and now I keep getting emails addressed to "Mrs Heart"  LOL!!!

Mmmm..... wonder if hubby would consider us changing our names .. .. I somehow think not!!

Have a great evening everyone.

Must dash and get ready .. .. .. but we are back early so hopefully I will get chance to catch up with your lovely blogs whilst hubby catches up on the football .. .. again!!!!

Love

Friday, 10 February 2012

MILO PATCHWORK MONKEY

Hi Everyone

Late again!!!  

Been at Mum's twiddling flowers and was determined not to pack my wares away until I had done them all!!!

As I walked through the front door (later than I meant to be) I could hear that football was on the TV so I knew hubby would be happy .. .. but what a surprise when I saw what he was watching!!  For the first time in his life he was watching the World Cup from 1966 when England won!  Yay!!

Such a young Queen and young players with very short, shorts and of course all in black and white. The picture was so bad that you felt you nearly needed to put 3D glasses on to see it clearly.  LOL!!!

It seem really weird because as I came in and out of the room I kept looking at the top left hand corner to see what the score was .. .. but of course they didn't show it in those days .. .. and I am sure the pitch was bigger.  

Then at the end when the players went off the pitch I noticed that they all just had huge numbers on the back of their shirts.  No names at all and each number looked really tacky like their Mum had hand stitched them on the night before LOL!!

Anyway, football report from 30th July 1966 over and here is my card for tonight  (remember that date you might need it for a pub quiz one day)!!!




This used:

Image:  Woodware "FRN009" Milo Patchwork Monkey
Sentiment:  Hero Arts "CL171" Sparkle Clear Tickets
Backing Papers:  DCWV "Nana's Nursery" Baby Boy
Martha Stewart Punch:  Embossed Zig Zag
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Ribbon from the Stash Box

So after the snow scare of up to 10cm we managed about 10mm .. .. so much for hubby putting the snow shovel in the front porch ready for digging himself out this morning!!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Stay safe and warm.

Love

Thursday, 9 February 2012

LINE DRAGONFLY

Hi Everyone

How goes it with you all?  Good I hope.

We are under threat of more snow before morning here .. .. so as usual I keep peeping through the curtains to see what is happening (just like my new little blog buddy Rach.  Rach is a "new kid on the block" so if you get chance to share a bit of bloggy love and encouragement with her that would be nice).

So far apart from a little sprinkling of snow at around 5.30pm there hasn't been anything else .. .. so we will just have to wait and see if we get the "up to 10 cm" dollop they were talking of.

In the meantime round to my creation .. ..







This used:

Image:  Magenta "73604" Line Dragonfly - Large
Sentiment:  Woodware Clear Stamps "FRCL009" "Must Have" Retro Words
Backing Papers:  Memory Box "Minuet"
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder:  Swiss Dots
Woodware Punches:  Daisy
Leone Em Pty:  Ash Branch
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Scrag end of ribbon for stamping my sentiment onto (using Stazon)
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze "Waterfall"
1 Promarker
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (I think it was bundled sage)
Cord and charm from the Stash Box

My favourite bit on this card is the bit of ribbon .. .. it doesn't take much to please me does it!!!  LOL!!!

Well I got all my printing done last night .. but not much commenting .. sorry :-(  I did make amends and manage a bit bright and early this morning .. .. I promise I will catch up with everyone eventually but these Spring brides are keeping me super busy .. ... yay!!!!

Oooooo .. ..  hubby has just been out to the garage and he said the snow is just starting .. .. just teeny tiny snowflakes at the moment.

I had best go and have a look.  Go check and see if you have any Rach!!!  LOL!!!

Have a good evening everyone.

Love

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

THANKS A BUNCH

Hi Everyone

Well here I am .. .. much earlier today.

I'm just about to start a big printing and cutting job so decided I would post first (if only to make sure that Katina can get to bed early .. .. she won't go to bed until I have posted and she has found the heart .. .. .. and I have been making her very late just recently!!  Sorry Katina!!  LOL!!).

Tonight's share uses a stamp I bought from the sale at Dunelm .. .. such a cute image and one that can be used for lots of occasions.  Mother's Day, birthday, congratulations, thank you, get well soon .. .. sorry I'm late .. .. and just plain sorry!!  

I think I had better stop there or my hubby might say I don't need any other stamps .. .. I can just use this one for everything!!  Eeeeekkk!!!





This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Fizzy Moon "FZCS01" Thanks a Bunch
Backing Papers:  Pink papers = Pink Petticoat   Brown Paper = Nitwits
ProMarkers
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Pearls from the Stash Box
White Gel Pen

So that is me for today.

Time to get the kettle on for a cuppa ahead of clearing the decks ready to get cracking .. .. then hopefully a blog catch up later if all goes to plan.

Have a lovely evening everyone.  

Love