A LOVE LETTER TO "THE MAN HIMSELF"

Hi Everyone

Flying in and out quickly tonight because someone isn't supposed to be posting at this moment in time  (well she wasn't supposed to even be making a card either) LOL!!

So before I am in trouble here we go with a love letter to "The Man Himself" and his trusty pal!!

This used:

Images and Sentiments:  Marianne Design - Eline's Owls EC0142 "Dear Santa"
Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Christmas Script"
Hobby Craft Punches:  Snowflakes
Woodware Punch:  Postage Stamp
Glamour Dust
A small envelope and scrap of paper from a shorthand notebook
Distress Ink:  Stormy Sky
Metallic Cord from my Stash Box

and that is me for today.

Short and sweet.  Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Catch you again tomorrow.

Love

BACK TO THE CHRISTMAS MAKES

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.  

A good chunk of mine has been spent putting all the wedding fayre goodies away .. .. and all the mess I made whilst making my samples etc.

It was actually quite a novelty to actually do a bit of housework .. .. now that is worrying!!  

Just a quick share tonight that is for entering into Pixies Crafty Snippet Challenge.

Because it isn't Sunday though I will have to list my ingredients (or those I know)

Image:  Pink Petticoat Flirty Christmas Tree
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat Tiny Christmas Sentiments
Backing Papers:  Sorry no idea .. .. they are just random ones from the Christmas Snippet Box
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Nestabilities:  Ovals and Scalloped Ovals
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
Ribbon, Cord and Tiny Bells from my Stash Box

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments on my wedding makes.  You are all very kind.

A few of you asked about the post box and what that would be used for.  Well it is for safely collecting  together in one place all the wedding cards and any vouchers or monetary gifts the happy couple may receive.

So that is me for today.  Rather late I'm afraid!!

Love

IT'S TRUE .. .. I AM RUBBISH !!!

Hi Everyone

It is a true fact .. .. I am rubbish!!!

Rubbish at taking photographs!!!  (Need your help Sally big time  LOL!!!)

The wedding photographers who were at the bridal fayre today have nothing to fear from my photography skills that's for sure.  I am fine at taking close up pictures of my creations but just have no idea how to adjust the settings on the camera for taking "normal" pictures.

Hence the rubbish one I am going to show you here .. .. ..

You can see a bit more of the post box (which attracted quite a lot of interest), the bird cage and my new black and cream table plan .. .. ..  then I'm afraid it is just a blurred collection of stationery :-(

Not a very good photograph at all really is it LOL!!!  

But I have spent a brilliant day with my lovely Sis and we have met lots of super friendly people.  Some strangers, some current customers who came along to see us and then potential new customers who were interested in our goodies.

Guess which of my creations got the most interest?

Yep .. .. .. the Rustic Collection I worked on yesterday .. .. with not a pearl or diamante gem in sight!!  People liked the "quirky nature of it".

Just off to soak my aching legs in a hot bubble bath with a G&T now whilst hubby fetches a Chinese Takeaway and then we are going to have an evening of relaxation.

What's the betting I fall asleep as soon as I have eaten?!?!?!  LOL!!

 I hope everyone has had a lovely day.

Love

SHORT AND SWEET

Hi Everyone

Have had a fabby old day in the House of Hearts today creating lots of new goodies to take to the fayre tomorrow .. .. my head is still buzzing and I don't want to give in!!!   So I won't!!!

Wedding invitations are certainly an awful lot quicker to create than the general cards I post that's for sure!!

I thought you might like to see one of my new creations that forms part of my "Rustic Collection". 

If you pop along to the Dovecliff Hall Hotel tomorrow between 12 and 4 you can see the whole Rustic Collection complete with all their hearts .. .. .. but not everything that will be on show has a heart on so you might get a bit bored LOL!!  

Off to do a bit more creating but first I am off to put my battery on charge ready for tomorrow .. .. .. and this time I am going to put a note on my camera case reminding me to make sure I take the battery with me!!

Catch you all with an up-date tomorrow .. .. .. and sorry Miss Di .. .. I am going to be late into the playground this week :-(

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

POST BOX

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well and ready for the weekend . .. and if you are not well that you feel much better soon.

It has been very windy here today.  Brilliant for drying the towels outside but bad news with regards collecting fallen leaves in our front porch!!!  I cleared them all up last night and hubby has just returned home to report it is full again!!  Oh well, I will let him clear them up tonight!!

I got the post box finished for Sunday and am happy with it . .. ... the only problem being that it is worse to try and photograph than the birdcage was!!  LOL!!

So here are a couple of pictures to be going on with and hopefully we will be able to take some decent pictures on Sunday as we will be sited in the conservatory .. .. which is always lovely and bright.

I am informed that nearly every couple have one of these at their wedding so I decided it was worth trying to incorporate one into our display.

OK back to the sample work.

Catch you again soon

Love

NO PEEKING

Hi Everyone

I hope your day has been good .. .. lots of work under my belt at this end so a good day!!

My Christmas card for today is one that I am entering into two challenges:

Sandra's Penultimate Rudolph Day Challenge

and

The Digistamp Boutique Challenge for October

So here we go:

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Winter Louie"
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Christmas Sentiments"
Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat "Christmas Script"
Sizzix: 656920 On The Edge Die "Snow Flurries"
Nestabilities:  Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle
My Trusty Sewing Machine
ProMarkers and Chalk
Hobby Craft Punches:  "Snowflakes"
Pearls, Diamond Stickles and Glamour Dust

Not sure I will manage a Christmas card tomorrow.

Still too much to get done ahead of the weekend so instead if I manage to finish (and I am happy with) a wedding post box I am attempting to make I will give you a peep at that.

Hope what is left of your Thursday evening is good.

Love

WARM WINTER WISHES

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a good day.  Quite dull here most of the day .. .. that is weatherwise not craft pod wise by the way. There is never a dull moment in the craft pod!!!

I am doing well in continuing the Christmas theme .. .. surprising how a sense of desperation can make you get your finger out and get cracking!!!   Two months today and it will be my favourite day of the year .. .. Christmas Eve!!!!  Oh my goodness!!  I think ten Christmas cards a day might be more in order than one a day  LOL!!!

So here is today's Christmas make:

This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Stampendous! "SSC1101" Snowman Flurry

Backing Papers:  Dovecraft Back to Basics Christmas "Vintage"  (this is fast becoming my favourite Christmas stack this year.  The green papers are such a lovely shade and because I bought the 12 x 12 pack I know it is just going to go on for ever!!).

Hobby Craft Punches:  Snowflakes

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

My Trusty Sewing Machine

ProMarkers

Glamour Dust

Glossy Accents

Ribbon, Buttons and Button Twine from my Stash Box

These Christmas hearts aren't very well hidden are they?

I am going to have to find some sneaky ones to keep you all on your toes!!!!  LOL!!!

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

MORE CHRISTMAS WISHES

Hi Everyone

Busy, busy, busy in The House of Hearts getting ready for the weekend .. .. still loads I want to do .. .. but I am determined to try and make at least one Christmas card each day too.

Today I have designed and made a new sample table plan and now I want to make some co-ordinating table stationery to go alongside it.  I am also partway through a post box.  I wish my days didn't fly by so quickly .... or that I could be satisfied with how much I get done in a day :-(

Never mind tomorrow is another day  .. ..  and for now here is today's Christmas card:

Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat "Nordic Papers" and "Nordic Snowflakes"
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Traditional Christmas Greetings"
Sizzix:  656920 On The Edge Die "Snow Flurries"
Glamour Dust (and lots of it LOL!!)
Ribbons and Pearls from my Stash Box
Diamond Stickles

So that is me.

Time to jump into the bath now and then tidy up .. .. . AGAIN !!!

I have even taken over half of the kitchen today!!!

Love

SENDING CHRISTMAS LOVE

Hi Everyone

I hope your Monday has been good.

I'm quite pleased with what I have managed to cram into today so far .. .. and I even managed another Christmas card. Woo hoo!!!

This is one that some of you may remember me making a similar version of last year .. .. but it didn't make an appearance until late into my Christmas makes and I didn't have enough of them to keep everyone happy .. .. so I am getting of few made nice and early this year to avoid disappointment.

I have had my Cricut machine on overdrive again cutting out hearts whilst I have been putting together some order of service booklets.  Oh I do love it when two jobs can be done at the same time .. .. and I now have a nice little pile of hearts for making some more of these little beauties.

This used:

Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Hand Written Christmas Sentiments"
Papers on Heart:  Random Pink Petticoat Papers
Heart cut using my neglected Cricut and the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Dovecraft Punch:  Holly Leaves
Glamour Dust
Self Adhesive Pearls and Cord from my Stash Box

and that is me for today.

Time for a tidy up now and an organisation session so I am ahead of the game for tomorrow.

Have a lovely evening everyone and thanks for calling by.  Catch you again soon.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Sunday snippet time ... .. yay!! .. .. and as promised my run of Christmas makes continues .. .. and will be ongoing for a few weeks now.

I don't use my Cricut half as much as I should (good job I got it half price when a craft store was closing down) but it always comes out in the run up to Christmas if only to cut out this fabby reindeer .. .. I lurve him!!

Plus the Cricut is ideal for using up those snippets and I have been cutting a little mountain of different shapes ready for future use (shame it makes such an annoying noise but I will let it off).

So here we go with my entry into Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge for this week.

As always on a Sunday I am lazy and don't list any ingredients .. .. but if there is anything you want to know then just ask away and I will do my best to answer.

Plus whilst I am here my lovely blog buddy Sharon has got two giveaways happening on her gorgeous blog.  Sharon's blog is worth following just for her beautiful cards and super neat style .. .. hope you pop over to see her here.

Enjoy the rest of Sunday everyone.

Love

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!! AT LAST !!!

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a good weekend.

I am really struggling to get my head out of wedding mode at the moment as I have quite a few weddings on the go along with my head buzzing with new ideas I want to put to good use ahead of next weekend's fayre .. .. .. but then there is Christmas quickly looming too and I need to get my stocks of Christmas cards boosted big time!!!

So here is my Christmas share for today:

This used:

Image:Penny Black "3737J" Star Dance
Sentiment:  "3555D" Merry
Backing Paper:  Dovecraft "Back to Basics Christmas Vintage"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Embossing Powder
Diamond Stickles
Ribbon, Cord and Button from my Stash Box

"That's a lovely colour embossing powder Jules" I hear you cry.  What colour is it?!?!?

Well it is one that was formed by accident.  It is a mixture of Pirate Gold and Silver that accidentally got mixed with each other!!  Doh!!!  I now need to buy more plain gold!!  Clumsy me!!

So that is the first in what is probably going to be a long line of Christmas makes!!

I'll be back tomorrow "hopefully" with a Christmas snippet but for now I am off for a womble around blogland!

Love

HOW LONG HAS IT TAKEN?

Hi Everyone

Well?!?!?!

Question:     How long has it taken to show you what I did with those flowers I posted a picture of on Friday?

Answer:   Far too long!!!  Especially considering it was finished on Saturday morning!!  Tut tut!!!

What a super busy and exciting week it has been in the old House of Hearts.

Hardly time to catch my breath.  All I can say is "thank goodness I now have a super organised do-list on an excel workbook, with multiple tabs showing where I am not only today but going forward for the next 12 months!!!"

I am super paranoid about my list and it gets constantly saved on two computers and an external hard-drive.  If I lost this file I would be well and truly scuppered.

You may wonder why I need a do list that covers this time next year . .. .. well believe it or not there are already tasks and orders entered on it as far away as "next October" !!!  I think I may need to extend it to cover the next 18 months.

No general cardmaking has happened at all this week .. ... it has been all weddings and happy couples.  I am beginning to wonder if the weddings will eventually take over completely.

The flowers I mentioned earlier were for making a prop when taking photographs and to use as decoration on our display next week.

The cage was very kindly given to me by a lovely bride after her wedding (thank you so much Marie xx) as she thought I could use it more than she would.

When Marie used the cage it was covered in real roses that smelt gorgeous along with pearls and gems .. .. but I stripped it bare and added artificial flowers as I knew I wouldn't be able to keep replacing the flowers on it.

I am well pleased with the result .. .. ... just sorry it has taken me so long to get a picture of it here.  The pictures aren't brilliant as it is quite large and difficult to get a good photograph of .. .. but it gives you a good idea of what I did.

My lovely Sis was going to take pictures of her bags alongside it on Saturday evening but she wasn't happy with the results.  Never mind. We can always try again.  Any excuse to be together!!

I will have to try and get a picture of it on wedding fayre day.  Only 10 more sleeps!!!!  Eeeekkkk!!!!  Back to that "do list" quick!!!!!  LOL!!!

Have a brilliant day everyone and thanks for calling by.  Sorry I am not getting any visiting in at the moment .. .. I will make amends eventually I promise! I wonder what you are all up to?

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Well what a wonderful weekend I have had .. .. just a few more hours left before my lovely family all disappear to different parts of the country :-( boo hoo!!

It has been brilliant to all be together again just like the good old days.  Our youngest slept over too on the sofa downstairs .. .. what a lovely feeling to have everyone here under one roof.  Aren't I soppy?!?!?!?  It doesn't take much to make me the happiest person on the planet!! 

It has felt like a little mini Christmas.

Last night we had a meal, along with my lovely Sis and her chappie .. .. we let the men folk go off to "the local" and sort out a Chinese takeaway whilst us "ladies" stayed at home and did a little photo shoot of my lovely Sister's wedding bags.  It was great fun.  If only you could see all the rubbish that was "out of shot".

Hopefully my Sis will be sending me over some of the pictures she took as my little project with the flowers I posted on Friday were part of the photo shoot  (up-date before I even finished the post .. .. the pictures weren't as good as my Sister would have liked so we might be back to square one there). 

In the meantime here is my snippet make for Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge .. .. one which I made this morning whilst everyone else in the House of Hearts was fast asleep.  

As always Sunday is super lazy in the card making department and I simply post what I have made without any ingredients .. .. but feel free to ask about anything other than the sentiment stamp.  This is part of a stamp set I bought at the NEC years ago and I have no idea who made it. All I have are the stamps and no packaging.  Sorry :-(

OK .. .. so now I am off again and we are going to catch up with the X-Factor results (behind time) and to make the most of all being together ahead of an early night along with a very early goodbye .. .. ..  at 3.00am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love

HERE THEY ARE !!!

Hi Everyone.

Well some of you are getting far too good at this heart spotting malarkey .. .. .. and someone this end needs to find new ways of disguising them LOL!!!

But just a few of you have still  been having torture treatment in finding the heart(s) from Wednesday's creation.

So here we go .. .. your misery is ending

So that's another hiding place gone!!

Well done to everyone who spotted them.

The London kids have sent me a text to say they are on their way .. .. am I ready?  Nah!!!

I am flying around like something demented.  I did find the bed yesterday because I wanted to wash and iron the bedding  .. .. but that only involved putting everything onto the floor  .. so now I am trying to find the floor LOL!!!

At least I will be nice and tidy (but a little lonely) when they go back to London early Monday morning.  But I am not thinking about them going .. .. they haven't even arrived yet!!!

I am unlikely to have anything to post for a bit.. .. ..  unless a special little project I am working on gets completed over the weekend.  If it does then it will be here in a flash because I think I will be well chuffed with it when it is done.. .. .. .. ..  and this is my starting point!!

.. .. .. and before you ask . .. no .. .. I am not getting into floral arrangements for my happy couples .. .. the stationery is more than enough.

Have a lovely Friday everyone and a great weekend too.

Time for me to get back to that spare bedroom!!!

How come they can do 60 minute makeovers on TV which involves decorating practically the whole of a house when I can't even re-organise one bedroom in double that time?!?!?!?!?

See you soon.

Love

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL

Hi Everyone

A special day .. .. .. and a very special weekend ahead in the House of Hearts.

Today is the birthday of our eldest Son.  Happy Birthday Paul!!

As he lives in London I won't be seeing him today :-( .. .. .. but he and his wife are coming home for a long weekend tomorrow and should land with us around tea-time  .. .. .. woo hoo!!!

It will be lovely to see them both again and have some tight squeezy hugs.  

Paul has been cycling to work for the last few months .. .. ..  though I am not sure which could be worse .. .. driving or cycling in London .. .. but he is happy to do both.  He wasn't quite so happy yesterday though because he got his first puncture!!

This used:

Image:  Teddy Bo "Cycling Bo"  (With a personalised T-Shirt LOL!!)

Sentiment:  Computer Generated using Font Claritty

Backing Papers:  Docrafts "Wellington"

Martha Stewart Punch:  Embossed Zig Zag

ProMarkers and Chalk

More of that gorgeous Button Twine I told you about yesterday from The Ribbon Girl

Buttons from my Stash Box

I have just been speaking with the birthday boy and he has opened his card so I am now safe to post it here without spoiling any surprises.

So lots of happy hours spent together are heading our way, but I will need to find them a bedroom (and bed) to sleep in.  The spare bedroom has become the wedding stationery and wedding supplies store room and photo taking area  .. .. but I can't clear any of that away until tomorrow.  Today it is get my head down and get on with wedding invitations and samples for two new "happy couples" I have met up with this week.

Finally, it would seem that quite a few people struggled with the heart yesterday.  Well to add insult to your injury there were actually four of them!!!!

I will leave you in torture a little longer and show you where they are tomorrow LOL!!!

Have a good day everyone.

Love