ONE TO USE THE BITS UP

Good Morning Everyone

I hope you are all well.

My computer saga continues. Thankfully the place we purchased it from have said that they will either pay for my laptop to be repaired or if this is not possible they will replace it. That is really good news .. .. .. the bad news is that I am having to take everything off my laptop before it goes away to be looked at as the chances are it is going to need a new hard-drive. I am getting there slowly but am having to divide my time between laptop content rescue work and completing my card orders.

Sadly I could not share the orders I did yesterday but I can share this little make I did this morning. An idea has kept running round my head for a few days and I just had to get it made so that I could stop thinking about it LOL!!

It is a great one for using up some of those scraps (of which I have a mountain LOL!!!)

This used:

Background card cut from Go Kreate Cutting Frame "151005"
Background papers: DCWV "Rose Tinted Christmas" Christmas Multi Stack
Sentiment: Woodware "FRCL009" Must Have Retro Words
Martha Stewart Punch: Daisy Edge Punch
Woodware Punches: Flowers x 3 sizes
Brads from the stash box
To make the background card I cut two pieces of card using the cutting frame and scored the card on the left. I then stuck the two pieces together to make my card blank. This in itself was made using scrap pieces and they don't even have to be the same colour!!

I also squared off the bottom edge slightly to help the finished card stand more firmly.

Loving this one and I can see them being quite popular at the Art Festival I am doing in a few months time. This will drastically reduce my scrap box!!! Yippee. I can see them all lined up in lots of bright funky colours.

Next I need to say a big "thank you" to all of those people who have offered me help and support in sorting out my computer problems .. .. .. blogland is such a friendly place with so many folks happy to help. If only the whole world was like this!! Thank you - I do appreciate you all.

The final person I need to thank is my smashing craft buddy "Shell".

Shell has given me the following award. Thank you for thinking of me Shell - you are so lovely.

Now this is called the "Your going places" award. I was a little surprised to receive this as I have been in slightly "bad books" with Shell's husband. (Perhaps he is sending me to Coventry LOL!!)

I told Shell about the half price DCWV paper stacks at Dunelm .. .. and it gave Shell's hubby a sharp pain in his wallet!! I have apologised (but I just know Shell is worth it and he doesn't mind really). If you get chance to pop over to Shell's blog then please do. She has some gorgeous creations on her blog.

I am now supposed to pass this award on to 10 other blog pals .. .. but as always I cannot choose. So if anyone visiting would like to accept this award with my love and thanks for visiting then feel free.

So that is me for now. Back to the orders and the laptop saga!!

I am hoping to catch up with my blog hopping tomorrow evening as I should have everything better under control by then.

Until then take care and thank you for visiting my little part of blogland.

Love Jules xx

MY FIRST OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPH!!

Hi Everyone

Well I have managed to take a photograph outdoors .. .. .. yippee. My creation didn't fly of down the garden in a gust of wind so that was good.

Not good news on the laptop front .. .. my lovely hubby has managed to repair some of the problems but it basically boils down to there being parts of my hard-drive that are useless and slowly these will eat into the rest of it and it will eventually pack up completely.

The good news is that when I got all the paperwork out this afternoon although it says on the base of my laptop that I had one years warranty on the paperwork the people we bought it off are saying they have covered it for a second year .. .. great news.

The bad thing now is that I need to remove everything from my laptop and what I don't print or save elsewhere now will be gone forever!! Plus I need to do it before my laptop dies completely. Eeek!!! Need to go through everything with a fine tooth comb and how much junk do we save on these things?!?!?!?

So although I will try to continue to post each day - I am going to be on a mammoth mission and may not get time to post and visit for a while. Sorry if that is the case.

In the meantime here is today's share

This used:

Image: Stampendous! "M217" Dandie Trio
Backing Papers: Memory Stor
Martha Stewart Punch: Valentine Lace
Distress Ink: Tea Die
Embossing Powder: Pirate Gold
Button and cord from the stash box

So off now to make a start on my massive computer sorting out job .. .. this follows having to do the same in the craft pod this morning after my cardboard storage collapsed yesterday.

I have had a re-shuffle of everything which now means I can't find anything LOL!! Strange how you expect too just put your hand somewhere and find what you need .. .. now I am having to remember where everything has moved to.

It's just like when you change the cutlery drawer to somewhere else .. .. you keep going back to the old place don't you. Well I do anyway .. .. .. and sometimes for months afterwards LOL!!!

Right off to make a start on the dreaded job. The sooner I start the sooner I will finish.

Take care everyone and I will catch up with you all again as soon as I get chance.

Love Jules xx

I'M NOT A HAPPY BUNNY !!

Hi Everyone

What a day!!

Things are just not going my way .. ..

Some of you may recall that I was having problems with my laptop a while back .. .. well hubby managed to get me up and running OK again but because I was worried about losing all my downloads and work we decided to invest in an external hard drive and transfer everything over to that as a backup. But my laptop just wouldn't do a backup and transfer things.

Well this morning hubby was up bright and early (must have been excited about the football LOL!!) and he set to transferring everything over for me a folder at a time. But my laptop just didn't want to play. So we shut it down whilst we went out and about and when we came back .. .. well it was taking a lifetime for it to do anything and was giving us some very strange messages.

Hubby is now back on repair duties and he thinks my hard drive is dying !! Boo hoo!!

My laptop isn't that old .. .. but out of warranty.

Just hoping we can rescue what I need off it before it goes to the laptop graveyard.

So to cheer myself up I disappeared upstairs to make a little creation when what happens there .. .. .. my paper storage units decided to buckle and spill everything everywhere. Double boo hoo!! (Anyone would think I was storing too much in and on my cardboard units). So now I have craft things everywhere and I had to keep grabbing and catching things as they fell. What a mess!

Anyway I finished my make amongst the mayhem and have used the old PC to post it here.

This used:

Image: Messy Rabbit "MR132" Butterfly
Backing Papers: Dovecraft
ProMarkers
Woodware Circle Punch

We will see how things go .. .. laptop still on the operating table at the moment!! What would I do without my lovely hubby to keep rescuing me?!?!?

Catch you again soon.

Love Jules xx

A LITTLE DINKY ONE

Hi Everyone

What a great day .. .. I hope it has been a happy one for everyone.

Hubby has been toasting himself outside helping to put up some new fencing .. .. .. what do they say "Only mad dogs and Englishmen"?

So whilst he was occupied I did my DT work ready for the next Funky Hand - Get Funky! challenge (still time to enter this month if you haven't done so already) - and then I made this tiny little creation.

I quite like doing "tiny" .. .. not that it is filled with any less love!!

This little creation is only 3" by 4.5" and is so cute .. .. nearly don't want to give it away .. but I will!!

This used:

Backing paper: A little pack of mixed papers from Hobbycraft (yonks old)
Image: Hero Arts "CL375" Big Flowers Pattern
Fiskars Punch: Threading Water
ProMarkers
Ribbon and peel off from the stash box

The ribbon has a thread through it that draws it up into this gorgeous flower and you just tie the ends together.

This little creation is an acceptance card for delivering to our friends. They will soon have been married 40 years and have invited hubby and I to celebrate with them.

I first met the lady of this couple when I started my first job after leaving school.

It was working for the local brewery in their Engineers Dept and I can remember as clear as day being introduced to everyone who worked in all of the offices. I was taken into Sue's office (which she shared with another lady).

Once I had left their office I asked the person showing me round how old these ladies were and was told about 24.

Sue and her friend were the secretaries and were doing exactly what I aspired to do but I was gutted to think I would have to be "that old" before I would be able to do what I really wanted to do. She was a whole 6 years older than me and 24 seemed ancient. LOL!!!

Oh to be 24 again!! (But knowing what I know now of course).

Now she doesn't seem any older than I am .. .. how lovely to still be friends with someone I met all those years ago.

But tonight I am sharing my evening with a friend I have had even longer .. .. we went to school together and we met at infants school .. .. she is my oldest friend (but in terms of how long I have known her). Chinese meal for us tonight!! Yummy.

Right better go and get ready before I am in bad books with my hubby.

Have a good evening everyone and thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

SOME PEOPLE DON'T DESERVE A BLOG!

Evening Everyone

Well some people just don't deserve a blog do they?

They turn up whenever they like to post a creation at any time of day or night .. .. LOL!!!

Truth is I spent the morning putting inserts into a huge batch of cards and then this afternoon I was doing good deeds with my Mum .. .. so a whole day without making a single creation .. .. couldn't have that. I was getting withdrawal symptoms.

So a late creation and a late photo shoot. I think my photograph turned out better for there being no sunshine actually.

Here is what I made

This used:

Image: Magnolia "Pot with Spring Onions"
Dotty background stamp: Lakeland Plastics
Background papers: DCWV "Nana's Nursery Baby Boy"
Distress Ink Pad: Dusty Concord
ProMarkers and Whispers Pens
Cord from the stash box

I decided to try stamping the random dots around the outer edge of the card and on the background card of the image and was quite pleased with the result .. .. it was supposed to match the dots on the flower pot.

So I feel much better now I have had my "crafty fix".

Who knows what time I might turn up tomorrow!!!!

Have a good weekend everyone. The weather is supposed to be really good and there is mention of a BBQ for the house of hearts on Sunday .. .. alongside the football of course.

Love Jules xx

COWBOY IN TRAINING

Hi Everyone

A very productive day in the house of hearts craft pod today .. .. but I still don't want to give in!! Might not get a choice soon though as hubby will be back soon.

Today hasn't been quite so sunny here but can you believe the radio has been talking about hosepipe bans!! How many days of sunshine have we had?!?!?

Mind you the weekend is meant to be blisteringly hot .. .. especially Sunday where 30 degrees is being mentioned. All the supermarkets are expecting to sell out of anything BBQ related as it is going to be so nice .. and of course England will be playing again. I am so pleased this match has fallen on a weekend so that more people will be able to watch.

Anyway round to one of my creations for today

This used:

Image: Digital image from Bugaboo (I cannot see it on their website at the moment and have a feeling it was a freebie a while back but there are other cowboy images)
Sentiment: Came with the image
Backing Paper: DCWV "All About Boys" Stack
Josy Rose: Nail Head Stars
ProMarkers
Crystal Stickles

I bought the paper stack from my local Dunelm Mill. It is opposite where my youngest son lives and I popped in whilst waiting for him to return from town .. .. meeting place .. .. the craft section. Great offers there at the moment - all DCWV paper stacks were half price!!! So if you have a Dunelm near you it might be worth paying them a little visit!! I asked if they were closing the craft section and they said not .. .. they must be making way for more goodies.

Now back to the digital image - I did abuse the image a little because the poor little chap didn't have a nose or mouth. You can't have a cowboy in training without a mouth now can you? How would you know if he was happy or not???!!!

So this is me for today.

Have a lovely evening, whatever you are doing, and I will see you tomorrow sometime.

Thanks for visiting.

Love Jules xx

WELL DONE ENGLAND!!

Hi Everyone

Very late this evening I'm afraid as I have been out and about watching the footie this afternoon and have also eaten out. What a slacker!!! But you know what they say .. .. all work and no play .. .. ..

No celebratory football card to share unfortunately so we will just go with a good helping of red and white.

This simple creation used:

Image: Penny Black "3199J" Poppy Fields
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Backing Paper: My Mind's Eye
Nestablities: Large Deckled Rectangles
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
Ribbon from the stash box

The poppies have been flowering in my garden this last couple of weeks but they never look this good. They always appear one or two at a time instead of in one vast array .. .. but looking on the bright side at least there is a gorgeous bit of colour over a longer period.

So after a day of excitement and socialising tomorrow needs to be a "head down and get lots done" day. Can't wait!!!

See you tomorrow.

Love Jules xx

BEAUTIFUL DAY

Hi Everyone

Another beautiful, bright and sunny day .. .. .. so what do I make? A non-summery card LOL!!!

I just couldn't wait to play with my PaperArtsy stamps again so once I had finished my DT work for the day I decided I deserved a treat .. .. and here is the result.

This used:

Images: PaperArtsy "HP1004EZ"
Sentiment: Woodware "FRCL128" Circular Greetings
Backing Paper: Memory Store
Sizzix Die "Bookplates #2"
Diamond Stickles
Brads, lace and button from the stash box

So this is me for today .. .. I hope you all have a lovely evening. It has certainly been very warm in my neck of the woods .. .. hotter than yesterday!! I wonder how long this beautiful weather is going to last?

Thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

YES, SUMMER IS HERE!!

Hi Everyone

Isn't it gorgeous? Beautiful weather and I think it is here for the whole week .. .. yay!!!

Most of my day has been spent putting samples together for Anice over at Funky Hand. There is a new CD due to be released and I have been having a good old play .. .. .. I love the papers and the digi images and am sure you will too. I am spoilt for choice as to what to work with.

So just a quick share of a little make (nothing to do with the new CD) .. .. just so you know I haven't been being lazy and spending my time lolling about in the garden.

The only time outside has been spent watering plants and hanging washing on the line!!!

This used:

Image: Penny Black "2353H" A Winner
Sentiment: Stampendous "CRE202" Cling Birthday Calories
Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder "Happy Birthday"
ProMarkers
Josy Rose Nail Heads
Diamond Stickles
Cord from the stash box

I hope everyone has had a happy Monday .. .. have a good evening and remember your sun cream this week. I don't want to hear any of you have turned into red lobsters!!!

Love Jules xx

NOTHING BUT MY PUNCH DRAWER

Hi there

I hope everyone has had a lovely Sunday.

I appreciate it is a difficult day for some people .. .. perhaps it has been a Father's day without your Father being here .. .. but these important, well loved men will always be here .. .. in our hearts. Mine lives on in memories, dreams and also in my children. I see traces of him in both of my sons.

I love and miss my Dad so much but am grateful that he was mine and that we shared special times together. Sadly not everyone can say that.

I often think back to things we did together .. .. just the two of us. We would go fishing for hours and I would spend ages trying to dig up worms for him from our garden or would mix aniseed with bread to form little balls of bait.

Then of course there were the compulsory maggots. He used to keep them in the garden shed because Mum wouldn't let him keep them in the fridge .. .. which is where he said they should be kept to stop them "turning".

I can remember thinking Mum was cruel to not let my hero do what he wanted but now I am supposedly "grown up" I appreciate that if my hubby went fishing there is no way his maggots would go in our fridge LOL!! (Sorry Mum).

So we would sit for hours in total silence fishing .. .. content in each others company. I would only be watching .. .. I didn't have my own fishing rod and never asked for one .. .. .. but I would happily sit and play with the maggots. I would race the different colours to see if one colour was faster than another or would grab a fistfull of them and sit and let them wriggle between my fingers to find their freedom .. .. .. oh what a lovely little girl I was LOL!!!

Happy days and what wouldn't I give to have just one of them back again.

Anyway, on to my creation of the day.

This one has been made for the Sir Stampalot Challenge . The theme this month is "punch it".

I decided to take this challenge one step further than was actually requested and limited myself to only using the contents of my punch drawer (along with a pen and an old ink pad) .. .. .. everything on my project has been punched. Even the little dots in the middle of the small pink flowers at the bottom are taken from the leftovers of the border punch.

Here is my entry

This used:

Punches from Woodware, Martha Stewart, X-Cut and Fiskars

So now this is posted and done I can sit and have a good old blog hop!! I didn't get chance yesterday as my Sister was staying over and today food shopping, visiting the cemetery and making my creation has taken its toll. But not to worry .. .. I can catch up now.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

See you tomorrow.

Love Jules xx

SUNNY SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Sorry, but I am a little later getting here today.

All action in the house of hearts .. .. hubby has been cleaning the cars "inside and out" .. .. and I have been ironing, collecting a few weeds and getting the spare bedroom ready for my lovely Sis to come and sleep over tonight. All those clean covers for one night!!!!! Good job she is worth it!! LOL!!!

I must admit I don't really want to take yesterday's post off the top of my blog .. .. I still really love that one and could leave it at the top for ever .. .. but I suppose that would become boring eventually.

So today I am back to a clean and simple one.

This used:

Image: Pink Petticoat Download
Sentiment: Hobby Art Clear "CS016D" General Greetings
Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles

So that is me for today. Now back to the cleaning jobs .. .. .. oh woe is me!!!! LOL!!

Have a good weekend everyone.

Love Jules xx

BET YOU THINK YOU ARE ON THE WRONG BLOG!

Good morning all

I bet you will think you are on the wrong blog today as I share my favourite make from yesterday. Not my normal style - but there is definitely going to be more it. Just totally loving this .. .. and I was so keen to show it off that I nearly posted it last night LOL!!

But I hung back and here it is now:

This used:

Stamps for flower, leaves and sentiment: PaperArtsy "HP1004EZ"
Tim Holtz Alterations Sizzix Die: "656635" Fanciful Flight
Backing Papers: Memory Store
Papermania: Dew Drops
Woodware flower punch for the black centre of the flower
Brad from the stash box
Edited to say that the stamping was done using a Versafine Onyx Black Ink Pad

These are the first PaperArtsy stamps I have used and I can honestly say I have never used such beautiful stamps. They are simply gorgeous and they stamped perfectly first time.

I love the flower very much. I stamped and cut it out and then wet it, screwed it up and dried it with my heat gun.

It would be fantastic if I could think of some way of making this out of fabric so that I could wear it on a jacket. But it would need to stay scrunched up like it is on the card.

My background paper already came with the green images on it .. .. I haven't stamped those.

I will need to see what else I can create using the other stamps that came with the set now.

Have a good day everyone and thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE 105

Good morning all

Hey .. .. I'm getting into this lovely weather .. .. another day of blue skies and sunshine. We have had a beautiful few days this week and even though we have had glorious sunshine it hasn't been too hot .. .. my idea of summer.

My order came from Paper Mill Direct yesterday .. .. .. thankfully no bad surprises this time .. .. I loved everything that came and when putting it all away I came across the orange card I told you I was disappointed with from my last order.

I decided that I needed to do something with it as it couldn't just sit there for ever .. . so I set myself my own challenge. Make something using the dreaded card (and why not fit it into the Penny Black Challenge at the same time).

There is a sketch to follow this week so the work was already half done for me (thank you ladies .. .. really liked working with this sketch).

Well here is my make:

This used:

Image: Penny Black "1652J" Cheesecake Wish
Sentiment: Penny Black "30-013" Critter Party
Backing Papers: Pink Petticoat
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles

Here is the sketch:

In the end I decided that the orange card was fine once incorporated with my backing papers. Oh well .. .. .. that is one sheet down (but I dread to think how many more there are to go at. Perhaps my next challenge should be orange Christmas cards this year.. .. .. LOL!!!).

The only problem I was left with was in photographing my creation .. .. the camera definitely didn't like working with orange. How many photographs in how many different places has it taken to get this half decent one? I dread to think.

Right then, off to water my garden tubs and baskets before I hit my craft pod.

Have a good day everyone.

Thank you for calling by and I'll see you again tomorrow.

Love Jules xx

WEDNESDAY ALREADY!

Good morning all

Wednesday already? Where is the week going?

In fact where is June going and where is 2010 going? My life is flying by!!!!!! Must be a sign I am enjoying myself (and I am LOL!!).

I have the promise of another sunny day today .. .. .. yay!!!

Today's share is a little creation I came up with yesterday afternoon. I love starting a new project and am normally thinking of the next one whilst working on the current one. (Not always a good idea though).

I am always looking for little ways to change the look of what I do and decided yesterday that I always stamp in black and decided to try another colour instead .. .. .. must admit I am quite pleased with the result.

This used:

Image: Penny Black "3817K" Tigress
Backing Papers: Papermania "Exquisite"
Versacolour Ultimate Pigment Ink "54" Brown (for stamping)
ProMarkers
Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Ribbon and buttons from the stash box

Once I had stamped the image, and shaded it in, I covered the coloured areas with a thin layer of Glossy Accents and when dry went over it again to give a thicker layer. Really pleased with the result .. .. my photograph does not do it justice. I hope you likey, likey.

I am hoping for a delivery today. My local (well it was still 45 minutes drive away) Paper Mill Store has closed down and I am missing them so much .. .. .. so this week I have had to resort to an "on-line" order from Paper Mill Direct. Hopefully this will arrive today.

It always feels scary ordering card on-line. I like to feel and see what I am buying but no longer have that option.

After a rather awful flimsy and insipid orange card appearing in last times order I asked if there were any samples I could make my selections from and Paper Mill did, very kindly, send me some. So I know that most of what I am receiving is what I want .. .. .. but there might be a couple of surprises!!

I have been asked for some "bright and bold" colours .. .. and as you will see from looking at my blog I don't do bright and bold very often. I do find it challenging to work with colours that don't fall into my own "personal favourites" .. .. but the results quite often persuade me to widen my horizons and use "different" colours more.

So, off to work some craft magic and await my delivery.

See you again tomorrow and thank you for calling by to see what I have been up to.

Love Jules xx

COULD TODAY BE SUMMER?

Good morning all

What a beautiful start to the day .. .. .. could we be having a bit of summer today do you think? Beautiful blue skies here with sunshine and a bit of wind for drying that washing .. .. .. it doesn't take much to keep me happy does it?

I was quite disappointed the other day to hear on the radio that the nights will be starting to "draw in" next week!!! What is that all about?!? I haven't even spent a summer evening sitting in the garden yet!!!

Anyway on that depressing note let me see if I can brighten up your day with a little share.

This used:

Image: Stampendous! "Q131" Ruffled Bloom
Sentiment: Woodware "FRCL 128" Circular Greetings
Backing Papers: Funky Hand CD "Dreams Come True"
Sizzix Die: "655217" Decorative Accent, Swirl
Josy Rose: Nail Heads
Promarkers
Diamond Stickles
Beads and Ribbon from the stash box

I am on a mission to try and use up some of the scrap bits of paper I have in my craft pod .. .. far too many of them now but I can't possibly throw any away. I find that I save the smallest scraps .. .. well lets face it you don't need much paper to cut out a heart do you? LOL!!!

Have a lovely day everyone - I hope the sun shines on you!

Love Jules xx

FOR ALL THE CAT LOVERS OUT THERE

Hi Everyone

A quick share today as I am in "Father's Day" card mode and need to crack on with a few orders ahead of the weekend.

I thought it might be nice to break off for a moment though to share this little make with you (nothing to do with Father's Day LOL!!).

This used:

Image: Rubber stamp by Anita's - no name or reference number I'm afraid
Sentiment: Hobby Art Clear "CS016D" General Greetings
Backing Paper: Funky Hand CD "Dreams Come True"
Nail Heads and button: Josy Rose
Diamond Stickles
Ribbon from the stash box
Sorry it is short and sweet today .. .. but at least I managed time for a share.

Going to rush to the post office now before the rain starts !!!

Have a good Monday everyone and thank you for taking time to visit.

Love Jules xx

SUPER SUNDAY

Hi Everyone

Here is a mega quick share today.

Simple and clean .. .. .. my favourite kind of card .. .. .. and perfect if you are in a hurry!!

This one used:

Image: Pink Petticoat download
Backing Paper: Pink Petticoat
Sentiment: Pink Petticoat
Nestabilities: Classic Scalloped Circle Large
Nestabilities: Standard Circles Large
Diamond SticklesCord from the stash box

Hopefully you won't have any problems finding the heart LOL!!!

So what news do I have today:

1. My car passed it's MOT yesterday without needing further funds spending on it Yay!!!

2. My hubby is managing to paint the fences today Yay!!!

3. The soon to be released new Funky Hand CD arrived on my doorstep yesterday Yay!!!

4. There is a brand new Penny Black challenge for me to take part in. Yay!!!

My great blog buddy Brenda has some mega news. I am so excited and pleased for her. She has been asked to set up a brand new challenge by Penny Black called "Penny Black at Allsorts".

Please make sure you pop over and read what it is all about .. .. after all we can never have too many opportunities to get our Penny Black stamps out can we? and judging by the number of followers the new challenge has already gained I am not the only excited one!!

Well I think that is enough fun and news for one day don't you?

Have a lovely Sunday everyone and I will catch you all again tomorrow.

Love Jules xx

EARLY BIRD ME !!!

Good morning everyone

I am up bright and early today (as is Mr Sunshine .. hurray!!).

Lots to fit into this weekend so I decided to get cracking on it as soon as I can.

The first mission .. .. which is hopefully going to be painless .. .. is to take my car in for an MOT and service. So I will be spending all morning hoping that the telephone doesn't ring to report an expensive repair before I can have my MOT certificate. We checked all the obvious things and they seem OK so it will just be a case of "wait and see".

Here is my little share of the day

This used:

Image: Penny Black "4035K" Letters and Flowers
Backing Image: Elusive "32531" Script Background
Backing Paper: Funky Hand CD "Dreams Come True"
The punched strip of paper is a scrap from my "bit box" - but I think that is Pink Petticoat
Martha Stewart Punch: Valentine Lace
Faded Jeans Distress Ink
ProMarkers
Cord from the stash box

I enjoyed making this one .. .. I think I will be making a few more of it.

It doesn't look like there will be any fence painting here today .. .. it is too windy (hubby has bought one of those fence sprayer thingys to do it with) .. .. I can just see the paint landing everywhere but on the panels.

He will have to make do with cutting lawns and trimming hedges and trees (but I will still be trying to keep out of the way .. .. after all I will have to stay in doors in case the garage call with bad news won't I?).

Have a good weekend everyone.

Thank you for calling by.

Love Jules xx

BABY, BABY

Hi Everyone

A share of a baby card I have made today .. .. one of my favourite types of card to make (I have probably told you that before LOL!!!).

Whenever I make new baby cards I can always smell the delicate whiff of baby powder .. .. love that smell!!!

This little project used:

Image: Penny Black "1453C" Bear Blank 4
Image: Magenta "61700" Small Flower
Letters: Hero Arts "LL245" AL: Sunshine Upper Case
Backing Papers: Pink Petticoat
Go Kreate Die "120005" Concentrics Scalloped Squares
Nestabilities Classic Squares Large
ProMarkers
Cord from the stash box

I thought I was going to have an extra little piece of wildlife on the photograph today. This little bird was sitting on the ledge of my bay window peeping in at what I was doing.

With feathers all fluffy it sat there chirping away for ages. I think it was not long from the nest which is in a conifer hedge between ourselves and next door. We have seen the Mummy bird taking yukky goodies into the hedge for a while now.

The ledge sitter was calling for Mum who was hopping around on the ground and jumping up on my car to be nearer. She was chirping back in response.

I tried to get a photograph but it isn't that good as I had to take it through the glass (and my windows could probably do with a clean LOL!!!).

Not long after the baby bird flew in rather a clumsy fashion to a little fence not far away .. .. .. what a feeling that must be .. .. .. flying for the first time.

I used to be able to fly in my dreams .. .. but haven't done that for ages now!! I wonder what that means?!?!?

Catch you all again tomorrow folks. The weather forecast for the weekend sounds good so let's hope we are in for a treat. Hubby can then paint the fence panels .. .. and I can hopefully keep well out of his way LOL!!!

Thank you for calling by my little part of blogland.

Love Jules xx

QUICK SHARE AND EXCITING NEWS

Hi there

I hope everyone is well this morning.

Still dull and chances of rain here today - makes you feel extra happy to be sitting warm and dry at the craft desk doesn't it.

Just a quick share as I have quite a lot I need to pull in today.

This creation features a new stamp that I bought as a "second hand bargain" from Julia at Stampers Supermarket .. .. and you know what it is like when you get a new stamp .. .. you just have to do something with it. Just love this one (I think I say this about every Penny Black stamp in existence LOL!!).

So here is my share of the day

This used:

Image: Penny Black "1644L" Say Cheesecake
Sentiment: Hobby Art Clear "CS016D" General Greetings
Backing Papers: Funky Hand CD "Dreams Come True"
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles

Aren't those little mice just so cute (though I don't say that when one gets lost and wanders through my garage on its way to the fields!!!).

So now to the exciting news .. .. .. there is another CD to come from Anice at Funky Hand called "Colour me Happy".

If you would like a sneaky peek at some of the images that are on it then click here as Anice was teasing us with it yesterday. As a DT member I should be getting a version to play with very soon (hurry up postman) .. .. and then it will be released soon afterwards.

Personally I haven't yet tired of the Dreams Come True CD .. .. so for another to be coming along is brilliant news.

So I am now off to make a start on my day .. .. .. catch you all again tomorrow.

Have a good day and thanks for dropping by.

Love Jules xx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE - WEEK 104

Hi all

Has everyone been suffering from lots of rain over the last few days? We have certainly had plenty in my neck of the woods. But to look on the bright side it does at least mean that I don't have to bother travelling round with my little watering can!!

What doesn't seem normal is having to have the lights on during the day!!

Today's share is my entry into the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where they would like to see some "swirls" on our creations.

This creation used:

Image: Penny Black "4023K" Love is the Message
Background Papers: Pink Petticoat
Swirls: Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Doodle Parts"
Woodware Flower Punches
Swirly brads, pearls and ribbon from the stash box

So that is me. A project with swirls and I have just realised - no colouring!!! I simply used a versafine ink pad and clear embossed over it to give it a lovely sheen (which doesn't show too well on the photograph).

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

Love Jules xx

OK - IT CAN HAVE A HEART NOW!!

Hi Everyone

First of all a very big "THANK YOU" to all you lovely blog buddies out there who took time to encourage me yesterday and left me such lovely comments regarding my lack of an instantly perfect brayering technique.

Lots of truth in what people wrote actually. I am quite hard on myself and expect to be able to do things pretty much immediately

Eventually I started to feel sorry for the poor piece of card as everyone seemed to like it other than me. So I decided not to give up on it and worked with it a little more to create something that I decided was now worthy of sporting a heart.

I do not know what stamps I used at the workshop but this morning to rescue my work I used:

Little bird image: My Mind's Eye "Bloom & Grow"
Nestabilities: Deckled Rectangles Large
Brads and cord from the stash box

So I now actually like this. Thank you everyone for encouraging me not to give up on it. I'm now beginning to feel like I might need to invest in a decent brayer and at least one Big and Juicy ink pad now!!!

The finished look is definitely an improvement on yesterday.

Thank you for calling by everyone and for being such great blog buddies.

Love Jules xx

TIME FOR A GOOD OLD LAUGH

Hi Everyone

I have taken a photograph of one of my "lovely" makes from my Stampalot workshop .. .. .. along with my reject of the weekend.

You know - that blasted brayered card that I am so ashamed of. I decided that you can't just share the good in this life .. .. you have to share the bad too. (Plus we could all do with a good laugh on a Monday couldn't we).

The first creation was made using a huge cutting template that fits into the Big Shot Pro machine. The die itself is about the size of one of the shelves from my oven!!!!

Once taken through the Big Shot Pro the die produces all three pages for this little booklet - including the little holes down the spine and the circular tabs.

We started off with plain cream backing card and clear embossed onto this. Then we used whatever distress inks we liked the look of and distressed the paper and stamped inked images alongside the embossed ones.

This was done on all three front sheets and these were stuck onto cardboard that had also been run through the Big Shot Pro too. On the reverse of each page I stuck backing paper - otherwise I would have been there all day just distressing all the pages.

My front page carries a lovely Penny Black sentiment that I might have to invest in one day.

The second page I though would be nice with a special photograph on it.

The third page is for me to write a special message - if I can ever bear to part with it.

My backing paper had a flower as part of the design so I ripped this out of the paper and distressed the edges along with the strip along the bottom and I stuck them on the back.

All the pages were then tied together with ribbon. It was really strange how all of us had exactly the same materials to work with and yet they all looked so different by the end due to different colour choices, stamp choices etc.

I am sorry but I do not have all the image makes and numbers etc.

Now this is something I was actually pleased with at the end of the day and doubt that I will ever part with. I had never done this resist embossing technique before but will definitely be doing it again.

But now to the thing I wasn't so pleased with - and something I am unlikely to try to do ever again. Just how hilarious is this .................................

LOL!!! Don't bother looking for the heart .. .. .. .. it didn't deserve one.

This was my second attempt at brayering the background - the first one went in the bin almost immediately as it had lines and repeat moons and all kinds of things wrong with it. Apparently I was too heavy handed. The technique is nothing like rollering emulsion on my walls!!

I did a bit of ink work to try and produce "mountains" and attempted to make the moon look a bit mystical but once the background was as good as it was likely to get I stamped onto the background with clearly the wrong images.

The first one was OK .. .. the one at the top .. .. but then the bottom ones went all wrong and I tried to hide my mistakes with another stamping session .. .. what a mistake. LOL!!

I then resorted to using a bit of ribbon to hide some of it.

Hardly any improvement at all .. .. and this is where I just gave up. I didn't even stick it to the backing card - I have just ledged it on top to take the photograph this morning.

Sorry I failed you Brenda .. .. I did try. Thank you for your patience in trying to teach me.

Well have you stopped laughing yet??? How horrendous is that?

Although I can just imagine showing it to my Mum and she would say "Well, a blind man would be glad to see it" - which is true!

I still have one beautiful creation to share - which isn't 100% finished yet and another one that is only 50% finished. I will hopefully get these completed and share these with you later this week.

Have a happy Monday everyone and from now on I will admire and appreciate much more any cards I see that feature the use of a brayer.

Thanks for calling by for a laugh. I hope I have cheered up your day.

Love Jules xx

THE END OF A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

Hi Everyone

Well I am back home safe and sound after a lovely weekend away.

We had a great time at the workshop on Saturday and did some great makes. What an abundance of patience Brenda and Chris have. Thank you for a lovely day of makes ladies.

All I can say is I don't think brayering is ever going to feature in my list of "accomplished techniques". I was so ashamed of my creation that I didn't even finish it and have only flashed it quickly .. .. whilst in a fit of laughter .. .. under my hubby's nose. Never mind.

Practise will make perfect - but I just know I won't be practising.

It was lovely to meet lots of new crafty pals .. .. more blogs for me to visit now .. .. but the worst part was looking around the store afterwards - I fell in love with more things than I could ever possibly have. But it was nice to at least be able to see them.

We had lots of fun at the workshop and more food than we could possibly eat. I think everyone at Stampalot can forget taking any "pack up" in for the next couple of days or more!!

Most people were far more sensible than me and kept going to look round different sections of the store throughout the day - whereas I sat in my seat trying to learn new things (how much time did I waste on that blasted brayer card!!! and I was the one that suggested it as a technique to learn).

So come the end of the workshop I raided the store and most people had disappeared before I got a photograph to share with you all.

But my hubby managed to take this one for me which features Mrs Stampalot at the front and then the remaining scallywags at the back.

I am the one at the back that looks like I come from the land of the giants. I didn't think I was that tall and even then I was wearing my flat flip floppy shoes.

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful day and to my hubby for a wonderful weekend.

Love Jules xx

MY GOODIES FOR TOMORROW

Hi Everyone

Well my creation of the day is a bit different to my normal creations !!

As explained yesterday I am off to a workshop at Sir Stampalot in Peterborough and participants have volunteered to take something for us to nibble on during the course of the day. (Personally I have a feeling we will all be far too engrossed in our crafting to remember to eat LOL!!!).

So here are my contributions towards the day.

Firstly, cheese and mustard scones (heart shaped of course)

and

Vanilla heart biscuits dipped in chocolate (only two squares popped in my mouth before the melting process started).

I probably ought to explain those bobbly bits. I bought a bar of white crunch chocolate and added a couple of milk chocolate squares and melted it all together - the bobbly bits are the crunchy bits (not badly melted chocolate LOL!!!).

I have made more than five biscuits .. .. they are all sat around the kitchen in little batches.

My kitchen smells lovely and I am just hoping that the chocolate on the biscuits sets before I have to pack them away .. .. .. .. .. and that it doesn't melt again whilst on the way to Peterborough .. .. .. eeekkkk!!!!

I hope my playmates will like what I have made. The scones will probably need a bit of butter - hopefully someone else will be taking some of that as I don't think it will survive being out of the fridge for some 20 hours if I take some.

So no posts from me now until Sunday, when hopefully I will have a few pictures of my special weekend - and no doubt very dirty ink stained hands.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Love Jules xx

BRING OUT THE HERO ARTS

Hi Everyone

A quick share of a creation that is a bit "different" for me!

Different colours and no outlined image to colour or paper piece .. .. .. .. and the Penny Black drawer stayed closed!!! Must be this heat going to my head!! LOL!!

So here is the creation

This used:

Images and sentiment all Hero Arts as listed below
"F3255" Showy Blossom
"F3256" Three Gems
"G4917" Dandelion
"CL158" Clear Design Cupcakes (sentiment)
Backing Paper: My Minds Eye
Nestabilities: Scalloped Circles Large and Circle
Cosmic Shimmer Mica Pigment
Ribbon, buttons and flowers from the stash box

I took another photograph "at close quarters" as the original photograph doesn't show very well the Cosmic Shimmer I have added to the main image.

Quite liking the look of the image.

I have an exciting weekend coming up. I am attending a workshop at Sir Stampalot being run by Brenda and Chris. There will be other blog folk there too .. .. I haven't met any of my fellow classmates before (other than Brenda and Chris) but know some from their blogs. I can't wait to meet up. Funny how you feel you know some people and yet you have never met them.

I have a feeling I am going to be taken well out of my comfort zone and will be doing lots of "messy" techniques .. .. .. so much I need to learn and what better people to learn it from. Just hoping I don't embarrass myself too much.

So tomorrow I may not be showing you a card but a culinary creation!! Eeekk!!! We are all taking something for us to eat during the course of our special day but because hubby and I are travelling the day before and having a little mini-break nearby I need to take something that doesn't require a fridge.

Mmm... what might I make and take??? Any ideas????

Catch you tomorrow with a photograph of my offering(s) (hopefully)!! But if my cooking turns into a disaster then I will just be picking stuff up from the supermarket on the way LOL!!!!

Take care everyone.

Love Jules xx

GET FUNKY! FOR JUNE

Happy June everyone!!

White rabbits and "a pinch and a punch - first day of the month" etc etc. LOL!!!

Today starts off another challenge at Get Funky! and this month the theme has been set by my lovely teamie Allison.

Allison has asked that we work with a colour combo of brown, pink and cream.

Here is what I have created

This used "The Huge Funky Love Word Book Download"
Woodware flower punches
Lace and thread from the "sewing and needlecraft" area of my craft pod
Brads and buttons from the stash box

I hope you get chance to take part this month .. .. but please remember that you need to use at least one Funky Hand backing paper or digi image on your creation.

The prize is £20 to spend in the Funky Hand on-line store!! Woo hoo!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Catch you again soon.

Love Jules xx