AWARD FROM JACEE PLUS BY THE CUTE AND GIRLY CHALLENGE BLOG

Hi Everyone

Sorry but I have no creation to show today.

I go on my holibobs on Friday and have been trying really, really hard to get all my DT cards and card orders up-to-date in readiness.

I have been really busy today and produced lots .. .. but all creations will have to wait and be posted on to my blog at a later date.

I would like to share a couple of things with you though.

Firstly, I would like to thank Jacee (one of my blog buddies) for giving me a lovely award today.

This is very much appreciated Jacee..

Please try to go over and visit Jacee. She has a lovely blog and creates the most beautiful cards and lovely pieces of inspiration. Thank you Jacee for thinking of me.

Secondly, I would like to remind everyone about a brand new challenge blog that starts on Thursday, 1st October. (Only 3 more sleeps - or beds as my Sis and I would call them).

By the Cute and Girly is going to be a completely different and exciting challenge blog .. .. .. so make sure you visit to see what my team-mates and I have been working on over the past month.

We have all thoroughly enjoyed coming up with our various creations (and not just cardmaking!).

We look forward to seeing you (and your creations too). There is still time to become a follower and be in with a chance of winning a fantastic prize. Why not pop over and have a look here.

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS CHALLENGE - WEEK 20

Good morning everyone

Saturday again - which can only mean one thing .. .. .. another Allsorts Challenge. We are around to Week 20 already!!

Thank you to everyone who took part in last weeks challenge. We had lots of lovely creations to look at. If you took part in the challenge don't forget to go and check whether you were the lucky person who has won a month as a guest DT member.

This week the theme is "Autumn Days" and your creations need to be "inspired by Autumn".

Here is my creation

This used:

Backing papers and sentiment: Funky Hand CD "Funky Seasons"
Image: Whispers Stamp
Punches: Woodware "small label" and "medium circle"
Inkssential "Glossy Accents"
Flower, ribbon and brads from the stash box

This was quite a difficult card to photograph - I don't know why. My camera just didn't seem to like the colours - this is the best one I managed.

I used my circle punch to cut out a leaf from the backing paper and then added a thick layer of glossy accents to it and it has made a kind of dome embellishment. Quite like it!

Have a good weekend everyone.

Thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx

BECAUSE I LOVED THE RIBBON

Hi Everyone

A quick share. This is a card I wanted to make simply because I loved the ribbon. I wonder how many other people start with the ribbon and then work back.

It used to be that the ribbon was the last thing I put on but nowadays it is sometimes the first.

Quite a quick card really

This used

Image: Stampendous! P107 "Agapanthus Cluster"
Backing Paper: Funky Hand Download "Salt and Pepper"
Ribbon: From my favourite lady on our local market
Nail Heads: Josy Rose

Back tomorrow with my new Allsorts DT card - there is still time to enter last week's challenge.. .. .. "snowflakes in September"- the prize is a month as a guest DT member. (But you will have to get a shift on!!)

Love Jules xx

I MIGHT HAVE SPOILT THIS ONE?

Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a great day. Today is my Sis's birthday - and silly me forgot to photograph her birthday card before I gave it away!! Doh!! Hope you have had a great birthday my lovely, lovely Sis (xx). Love you mega much!!

I am on countdown to my holiday and am busy trying to get on top of card orders and DT work ahead of escaping!!

I did squeeze in one little play today - but am not sure if I spoilt it at the last minute.

Here is my creation

This used

Image: Woodware FRW005 "Pansy Sampler"
Backing Paper: My Mind's Eye "Wild Asparagus"
Fiskars Punch "Threading Water"
Woodware "Corner Punch"
ProMakers
Chunky Ric-Rac (if that is how you spell it) was a prize from Allsorts before I was on their DT


So why did I think I might have spoilt my card? Well I decided to try and doodle on the corner card the same as around the stamped image - but I'm not sure if I like it now - and stupid me did it once the card was finished!!

The stamp is one that I purchased from a local craft store just before it closed - it had been "well used" in craft classes and was being sold off cheap because it was no longer needed. Poor thing!! So I adopted it and this is my first time of trying to do something with it. (I hope I am never sold off because I am no longer needed LOL!!).

I always smile when I do anything that involves pansies as when I was a child our next-door neighbour wasn't very happy because my Mum and Dad had planted pansies in their back garden. (In those days fences only seemed to come up to your waist - they weren't the huge barriers we all put up around our homes nowadays).

The neighbour wasn't happy because she found pansies "frightening" and didn't like to be able to see them over the fence when she came out to hang her washing on the line! They always looked like strange little faces looking at her!! I think I can see what she means.

Catch you all again soon and thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE - WEEK 67

Hi Everyone

This week the Penny Black Challenge is to use "Lace and Pearls".

Here is my creation:

This used:

Image: Penny Black 3947K "day-dreams"
Backing Papers: My Mind's Eye "Bloom and Grow"
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Papermania: Adhesive Pearls
Lace: A present from blog buddy Brenda (thanks matie x)
Martha Stewart Punch: "Valentine Lace"
ProMarkers
Star Dust Stickles

Lots of cards I need to make ahead of a holiday in a couple of weeks so I apologise for this being a quick post. Needing to make the most of every minute LOL!!! Fortunately I was able to use the challenge alongside one creation I needed to make.

Thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS DT CARD - SNOWFLAKES IN SEPTEMBER

Good morning everyone

Here is my DT card for the Allsorts Challenge this week.

The theme is "Snowflakes in September".

As a team we all enjoyed this challenge. I am thinking that we all love snowflakes!!!

Here is my creation

This used:

Image: Inkadinkado "96856 - DD" ~ unfortunately this little chappie doesn't seem to have a name ~ but I love him anyway and I call him "the snowman I can't sell". (this gorgeous little chappie has a copyright clause on him - so I just make him to give away at Christmas to "special friends etc").
Backing papers: Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Penny Black 3535F "snowflakes"
Snowflakes: Cuttlebug dies
Promarkers
Crystal Stickles Glamour Dust
Inkssentials "Glossy Accents"
Ribbon and brads from the stash box

I hope you take time to look at my fellow team mates collections - they are wonderful - and that you perhaps find time to take part in the challenge .. .. .. .. but most of all I hope that you have a lovely weekend and that you take time to make some special memories.

But remember if you take part in this challenge you will have at least one card ready for Christmas.

Happy weekend everyone, and happy crafting.

Love Jules xx

MONY CANTY RETURNS

Hi all

A share tonight featuring a card I have made for a good Scottish friend of ours.

I am sure he will love it - just hoping that we have translated our good wishes into Scottish correctly (if not please shout up!!!). We will be delivering his "haggis" and "red wine" later tomorrow - so plenty of time to change it if needs be!!!!

The sentiment reads: "Mony Canty Returns An' Hae A Stoat Birthday" (just in case my piccy isn't up to you reading it properly).

This creation used:

Image: The Greeting Farm "Ian Laddie"
Backing Papers: Papercraftworld "Crafting Classics 1 ~ Earth patterns"
Sentiment: Computer generated
Inkssentials "Glossy Accents"
ProMarkers
Crystal Stickles
Brads and thread from the stash box

I wanted to put tartan paper and tartan ribbon to this card - but forgot to pick them up on my travels. Doh!!!

So I trawled through my backing paper Cd's and downloads and came up with this paper from one of my Papercraft World Cd's. So pleased I did because it reminded of all the other fantastic papers that are on the Cd's I have. (I feel a printing session coming on).

We did look to see if our "birthday friend" has his own tartan - but unfortunately not.

So that is me for today.

Yes, I did have another bath!!

Yes, I will be back tomorrow with my Allsorts Challenge creation. This challenge is getting lots of entries now - if you haven't played along yet then make sure you visit tomorrow and consider joining in.

Yes, hubby is making me fish, chips, potato fritters and mushy peas .. .. .. LOL!!! I am just so spoilt!! (but at least I know it).

Yes, I will see you tomorrow and yes, I am counting down to my holiday. Two weeks today and I will be somewhere else!!

Happy weekend.

Love Jules xx

PLEASE FORGIVE ME .. .. BUT .. ..

Hi everyone

Please forgive me for being late with tonight's post .. .. .. but I have been very busy!!!! Very busy relaxing and enjoying myself!!

My first bath in 10 days!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!!!! It was lush.

I stayed in for ages - until all my little fingers and toes went crinkly and then some.

We thought we would be able to have a bath last night - but no (even though I looked forward to it all day). Things didn't go to plan - but today they did. One lovely hot bath and three candles .. .. .. .. oh I know how to live it up!!!

I have never gone 10 days without a bath in my whole life - even in the olden days I used to have a bath once a week. Every Sunday in front of the fire in a tin bath in the living room. (I was lucky because I was always second to use the water. Poor Dad - he was always last!!!).

Mum would have a little water boiler going in the kitchen and keep emptying and topping up the bath after each person indulged.

Anyway enough of that - here is my card

This is a card style which is ideal for using up the scrap bits in your boxes - which is what I did. The only problem is you never know where all the scraps came from - and because the pieces you can use are so small you end up never throwing anything away.

The things I have used that I do know are:

Baby.. .. .. Sentiment: Debbie Moore (stamped in pink and embossed with Transparent Crystal embossing powder).
Baby face and It's a Girl Sentiment: Woodware FRCL019 "New Baby"
Heart: Anita's Stamps
Safety Pin: Quickutz
Button and Ribbon from my stash box
Kiss Heart: Quickutz

Thanks for calling by to catch up with a "well chilled" and "very clean" Jules.

I am hoping to get lots of crafting done over the next few days so will have a few more things to share soon.

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE - WEEK 66

Hi Everyone

I am a little late with my Penny Black Challenge this week due to my super exciting weekend .. .. but better late than never.

This week the challenge is to work to a sketch.

This is what I created

and here is the sketch for working to

My card used

Image: Penny Black 1758E "Garden Buggy"
All Backing Papers: DCWV "Floral Prints"
Mulberry Street "Mini Delphiniums"
Nestablities: Classic Scalloped Circles Large and Standard Circles Large
Inkssentials "Glossy Accents" for the snail shell (but it isn't showing up too well in the photograph)
ProMarkers
Brads, Gems and ribbon from the Stash Box

I have started on the "clean up campaign" but it is a waste of time. As soon as I clean one part and move on to the next another layer of plaster dust has settled where I have already been .. .. .. so that is it. I'm not going to be doing much more until the bathroom is nearly finished.

We are at the stage of a lovely plastered room with a loo and no lights but hopefully the bath can be connected for tomorrow - though not in its proper place. Luxury .. .. a bath by candlelight!! Not long to wait now.

Have a good evening everyone and thank you for calling by. I am hoping to have good old blog hop catch up tonight .. .. yay!!!!

Love Jules xx

REPORT ON THE WEEKEND

Good morning Everyone

Well what a fantastic weekend I have had.

Beware a lot of reading coming up and no pictures!!!

My cards went down really well at the festival - with the first day being much busier than the first. I think the glorious weather on Saturday had a lot to do with it - Sunday wasn't quite so beautiful weather wise .. .. .. .. but did hold a great surprise for me.

I was nicely set up for business and "titivating" my cards when a lady came along and started asking me about my cards. She pointed out a Penny Black hedgehog card and enquired as to whether I used ProMarkers.

I replied that I did and thought I was in for a nice craft conversation when the lady then asked if I used all the shades of grey that are available (the number of greys goes into the teens!!!). I replied that I didn't have all the grey colours - but that my friend did.

The lady then said "I know". By this time I was starting to get a bit confused and I said "You know?" and for the first time I looked at the lady properly .. .. ..as before this we had been looking at my cards and just occasionally glanced at each other. The lady then said "It's me" and when I looked at the lady it suddenly struck me that this was actually the lady who "owned all the grey ProMarkers" who I had been blog following and emailing for weeks.

I then said "Brenda"?

Brenda said "Yes" and then WOW!!!! Excitement just filled the room and we were hugging and laughing and .. .. .. well we were like a couple of school kids!!

(The ProMarker greys are a bit of a joke between Brenda and I. When her set arrived there were so many greys in it that Brenda had said - what on earth would you do with so many greys and I had replied - colour in Penny Black hedgehogs).

Brenda then gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and the day just went on from there.

We had such a fantastic time together. Brenda's hubby came along and it was great to meet him too - although I felt like I half knew him anyway LOL.

Brenda went off wandering around the village visiting the various "places of interest" and would keep calling back at different times. I managed to sneak off duty a couple of times and we shared a bite to eat and a couple of coffee breaks (my lovely Sis covered my stall for me - thanks Jo).

We just talked for England about anything and everything crafty (what else is there in the world) and our lovely hubbies sat talking about all things men. I think they got on as well and Brenda and I did. It was like we had known each other for years!

I didn't want the festival to finish or the day to end. It was so lovely.

Thank you so much Brenda for taking the trouble to travel all that way to see "little me". Thank you for the gorgeous flowers (and for the lovely padded heart that you bought me whilst shopping around the village). You made my weekend really special and I will never forget it!

Thankfully I never read Brenda's blog yesterday morning .. .. I was too busy frantically making more stock as I had ran out of some types of cards .. .. otherwise I might have wondered whether her visit to a blog friend was me .. .. and that would have spoilt a special moment.

Strangely enough yesterday morning my hubby had said "Do you think Brenda will come and visit the festival?" and I had replied "No, it would be too far to travel" - how wrong was I LOL!!!

So now the festival is over for another year and I can try to settle down to a bit of normality. I seriously need a clean up and re-organisation in my craft room, a major attempt at clearing the ironing basket, a relaxed visit to all my bloggy friends who I have missed out on visiting whilst getting ready for the festival and a thorough clean up of all the plaster dust that is settling around my house.

I am at work today and off tomorrow - so tomorrow starts the "clear up campaign".

I am sorry there are no pictures to share but hopefully I have painted a picture of a fantastic fun and happy weekend.

Thanks again Brenda for making it so special. (I can't wait to read your recollection of our lovely meeting).

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS DT CARD - WEEK 18

Good morning everyone

Here I am with my DT card for the Allsorts Challenge this week.

The challenge has been set by Emma and the brief is to work to a sketch as well as use a two colour combination of your choice.

Here is my creation

This used:

Image: Penny Black 1652J "Cheesecake Wish"
Backing Papers: The English Paper Company
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Nestabilities: Standard Circles Large
Cuttlebug flower die (but didn't use the whole flower)
X-Cut small flower punch
ProMarkers
Gem from the stash box, diamond stickles and faux stitching

Here is the sketch for working to:

There are some beautiful creations by the DT this week so please take the time to pop over and see their creations. We also have the added excitement of Kath joining us as a Guest DT this week. (Thank you Kath).

So pop over everyone and have a look - it would be nice if you played along too - we love visiting and looking at your creations.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Love Jules xx

NEW CHALLENGE BLOG - CUTE AND GIRLY

Hi Everyone

Major excitement in my household today.

I have been asked by Jane to join the "Inspiration Squad" for a new challenge blog she launching. It is called BY THE CUTE AND GIRLY and Jane has so many exciting things planned. Starting off with some wonderful candy - so pop over there and see what all the excitement is about.

Woo hoo!!! It sounds like it is going to be great fun and I am so pleased Jane has chosen me to join in alongside so many other great "Squaddies".

More exciting Cute and Girly details to follow - but I was just desperate to share.

I may be a bit quiet "comment wise" over the weekend as I am taking part in the Melbourne Festival (hopefully selling creations I have been frantically making over the past few weeks/months).

I took part in this festival last year but wasn't quite so well prepared and practically ran out of cards to sell by the end of the first day. I just never envisaged how busy the festival gets. I hope it is as busy this year!!

Have a great weekend everyone - if Mr Blogger is my friend he will post my Allsorts Challenge card in the morning whilst I am setting up my stand ready for a 10.00am start.

Thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE - GET FUNKY CHALLENGE

Hi Everyone

Just thought I would share the birthday card I have made for my youngest son - Steve.

It is Steve's birthday tomorrow but it is ok to share. He doesn't have internet access where he has moved to so he won't get to see it here and spoil the surprise. As you can tell from his card he is "music mad" and this is his real passion in life. He is such a talented musician and I am really proud of him.

I am also going to enter this card into the Get Funky! Challenge. The challenge is to make a card for a boy and use Funky Hand design paper. Not a problem for me .. .. I love Funky Hand papers as you can probably tell from the number of times I use them on my blog .. .. .. and this is the DP I would have used anyway. Just perfect. I have used it so many times.

So here is my creation (you won't have any problem finding the heart - it needed to be a big heart to represent my big lurv for him and now I have embarrassed him I will move on LOL!!!)

This creation used:

Backing paper: Funky Hand download "Salt & Pepper"
Image and You Rock Sentiment: Inkadinkado "98693 "Rock Star/La Star"
Core'dinations "Black Magic" (put through the Cuttlebug and sanded with a nail file to show the blue background)
Son Sentiment: Woodware FRCL079 "Male Relatives"
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder "Allegro"
Cuttlebug Heart Die
Hot Fix Deco "Metal Studs"
Star Punch: Woodware

I have inked the Cuttlebug Folder prior to running blue card through and then used this card for cutting out the heart and stars.

So back to the Get Funky Challenge. This is well worth entering as there is a fantastic prize on offer of a £20 gift voucher to spend in the Funky Hand store. Lots of goodies - CD's and downloads (for those that can't wait for the postman LOL!!!).

You do need Funky Hand papers to take part - but don't worry if you don't have any. Anice has very kindly provided "free" papers that you can download and use. A challenge where you are well spoilt and with a whole month to enter. So .. .. .. what are you waiting for .. .. .. off you go!

Thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx

HAPPY NEW HOME STEVE & KATE

Evening Everyone

A quick post this evening with a card I have made tonight for my Son and Niece - now all the cleaning and moving and sorting out is done (with the exception of the electricity supplier problems) I have finally got around to making them a "Happy New Home" card.

This used:

Image: Inca 8335-c "Homestead"
Backing Paper: Papermania "For Him" Border Pack
Sentiment: Computer Generated
ProMarkers and chalks
Stars from Josy Rose

Came home today to find the whole contents of our bathroom on the drive .. .. .. all we have for probably the next week is a toilet (sometimes) .. .. .. and how romantic is this .. .. .. we will soon have no light in there either .. .. .. so it will be toilet duties by candlelight!!!!

I have a feeling we will be stealing a few baths in the "Happy New Home"!! LOL!!!

Catch you again soon.

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE - WEEK 65

Evening Everyone

Here I am with my Penny Black Challenge card for this week.

The theme is "Hearts Desire". Lots of options as to what you can do with this. But I have chosen to make a Christmas card with a lovely sentiment. I love Christmas very, very much (and all that it entails) and as a family we look forward to it all year because it is a time when we know we will all be together - so this would be my "hearts desire" - for everyone to have a wonderful Christmas.

Here is my creation:

This used:

Image: Penny Black 1873H "Xmouse Ornament!
Sentiment: Penny Black 3502F "A wish"
Background paper: Pink Petticoat "Tis The Season"
Quickutz "Swirl Swirled Heart Die"
ProMarkers
Brads, ribbon and Glamour Dust from the stash box

I bought this little chappie last year and didn't get chance to use him - but I know he is going to be a very busy little mouse this year!!

I hope you all had a great Sunday. Mine has been spent visiting my Mum as it is her birthday today and helping to clean the house my son moved out of .. .. .. they have to hand their keys over tomorrow and hopefully in return will receive no deduction from their deposit.

I arrived not knowing which of the two women I was from the TV programme "How Clean is Your House". But they were happy for me to be either or even both!!. Thankfully nothing was bad enough for me to have to send a swab to the laboratory LOL!!!

It was quite sad to leave at the end - the parting of three good mates who have now "moved on" in their own directions but they will stay good friends .. .. I just know.

Catch you all again soon and thank you all for calling by.

Love Jules xx

PANCAKE RESULTS

Good morning everyone

Well here I am with our pancake results.

We had a lovely time - which finally finished at around 1.00am!!!

After the pancake eating we moved on to playing Little Big Planet with 4 players on the Playstation 3!!! We were all well and truly "stuffed" and had a great evening.

We ran out of mixture 3 times and it was a big debate as to whether we should mix up a 4th lot!!! LOL!

The trophy gets to travel back to London today as my DIL "Cat" was the winner of the day!! I had a feeling that it would be making its way to London with one or other of them somehow.

How many pancakes did the winner manage to eat? A whole 19!! - but there were some close runners-up (but I wasn't one of them - I only managed 8).

So enough waffle .. .. how many did we make in total.

Well here is our score sheet (we started these in the year 2000 and wish we had started them earlier - but better late than never)

So in total we made:

136

So who amongst you guessed the closest?


Lisa - who guessed 135

If you email me your address Lisa I will post off to you the following little goodies. I hope you like them as much as we liked our pancakes.

I must admit we did think that we would make more than we did but there was one shock result. The trophy winner last time was Jaymie - last night he managed to eat a grand total of 5. Last year he ate 25!! What is going on here? Is the lad growing up or what!!!! He won't be allowed to marry into our family if he is going to be sensible.

Thanks for playing along in out little game. It added a bit of extra fun to our day seeing how many people thought we would eat.

Lots of people were determined to beat their own "personal best" - even if they couldn't win. So a few records were broken in this department.

I just wish I could share our computer statistics and graphs with you. We can check on personal bests, how many have been made each year, what percentage of the whole of the pancakes have been eaten by any one individual .. .. .. oh it is so sad .. .. .. but so much fun.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

If all goes to plan I will be back with my Penny Black challenge card later.

Love Jules xx

ALLSORTS DT CARD - WEEK 17

Good morning everyone

Another Saturday and another Allsorts Challenge.

We had a record number of entries last week and thank you to everyone who played along. We really enjoyed visiting your blogs and seeing your creations.

This week it is the turn of Debs to set the challenge and she has chosen the theme "Something for the boys". Male cards are always more difficult .. .. .. but we know our Allsorts buddies love a good challenge so let's see what you can come up with.

Don't forget to look at the inspiration from my fellow DT mates. They have come up with some wonderful examples.

Here is my creation:

This used:

Image and sentiment: Rubbadubbado SNSDS-KN "Knight"
Backing Paper: DCWV "Wedding Prints Paper Stack"
Sizzix: 654526 "Latches"
Josy Rose Nail Heads

I also have a couple of awards to share. They have come from two of my Allsorts pals (thank you very muchy Lisa and Debs - I am so touched you thought of me)

My first is from Lisa

and my second is from Debs

If you have the opportunity please go and have a little peep at their blogs. There are some gorgeous creations to be seen and lots of inspiration to be had!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

I am having a pancake making session later today (see my post below). If you would like to join in and guess how many pancakes will be made by the end of the day then please put your guess onto my post of yesterday - you might even win a little prize! I will let you know the grand amount tomorrow morning and announce the winner of my "little prize". Closing date for entries is today.

Thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx

HAPPY RUBY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Hi Everyone

I have been a bit of a busy butcher this week and not had chance to post any creations for a couple of days .. .. sorry!

Work has been very busy, we are still gutting the bathroom ready for work commencing on Monday and I am trying to get ready for the festival next weekend where I am hoping to sell some of my cards.

Separate to this there is a mad "family occasion" happening tomorrow. Will share this later .. .. it will give you a glimpse of the strange (but very close and happy) family I am a part of!!

First though my creation

This used

Image: Stampendous! V080 "Dove Charm"
Sentiment: Woodware FRCL107 "Wedding Anniversaries"
Backing Paper: Papermania "PMA 308 "Love"
Nestablities: "Classic Scalloped Circles Large and Standard Circles Large"
DecoArt - Glamour Dust
Crystal Stickles
Sticky gems and ribbon from my stash box


So what is my family occasion that is taking place tomorrow?

Well every year we have a pancake race. Normally this happens on or as close to Shrove Tuesday as we can manage but this year it has been harder to arrange as some of the participants live far away and others have been at university etc.

So tomorrow is our "Pancake Day".

No big deal you might think .. .. but our pancake races are different.

We don't run with the pancakes (that would be far too energetic) .. .. no the race is to see who can eat the most pancakes. It is a well serious event and there is a trophy involved which the winner gets to keep for a whole year! Although this year the winner won't be keeping it for that long.

We make and consume a vulgar amount of pancakes. We eat nothing beforehand - it is pancakes all the way.

This year - provided everyone turns up - we will be making pancakes for 11. We (my Sis and I) make loads of the little beauties and all are snapped up as soon as they come out of the pan. No chance for them to stack up or go cold!!

I know we are mad but we have charts that go back years saying who took part, how many they ate, how many we made in total and who ate the most. Last year my eldest son turned all the charts into a computer file so that he can show graphs of all the statistics year by year!!!

I will let you know tomorrow how many pancakes we make and how many the winner ate. But in the meantime if you want to have a guess as to how many pancakes you think we will make in total I will send a little treat to the person who is the nearest. (Don't worry it won't be a cold pancake).

It is always a real fun time with so many laughs. I have never won .. .. .. I think that cooking the little blighters means you don't fancy quite so many.

So now you know what a mad family I am part of .. .. can you believe so many people are excited at the thought of taking part? (My son and his wife are travelling from London especially and I think that they are secretly hoping to take the trophy home with them).

So come on .. have a guess. How many will we make in total?

I'll see you in the morning with my Allsorts Challenge DT card - which this week "does" have a heart on. I checked - lots of times LOL!!!

Happy Friday night everyone and I hope you get chance to do a bit of crafting over the weekend.

Love Jules xx

COPYCAT !!

Hi Everyone

I hope today went well for everyone. It is always difficult getting yourself going at full speed after a Bank Holiday isn't it?

I needed to nip into town for work at lunchtime and whilst there the heavens opened and there was a tremendous thunderstorm and downpour. I ran to take cover in a nearby craft shop (how convenient) and spied a card that I thought .. .. "I could do something like that!!"

So here I am .. .. .. being a copycat! Although my finished card now looks nothing like what I saw! LOL!!

This used:

Cuttlebug embossing folder "Swiss Dots"
Sentiment Docrafts
Silver Dollar Embossing Powder
Cuttlebug "Flower Die"
Martha Stewart punch "Frond"
Clip Punch CP008 "Butterfly"
Circa Punch "KPS16 "Funky Heart"
Gems, Ribbon, wire and thread from the stash box

Apart from the butterflies everything on this card is silver and white - although the silver isn't showing up too well. I am beginning notice that I am losing my natural daylight earlier and earlier .. .. boo hoo!!!

Thanks for calling by.

Love Jules xx