PENNY BLACK SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!!

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

Today was a big printing day in the House of Hearts and a day for getting proofs ready for signing off by "happy couples" .. .. but whilst those printers were churning away I had a play and created a card for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for August where the theme is "Bright and Sunny".  I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't get chance to play this month .. . but hey .. .. I actually managed it.  The challenge doesn't end yet so you still have time to play along if you fancy it.

Here is my entry:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "1652J" Cheesecake Wish (my much loved and very first Penny Black stamp)

Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Celebration Sentiments"

Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat "Isabelline"
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
Joy Craft Dies:  Curved Edge Flowers
Martha Stewart Punch:  Daisy
Diamond Stickles
Flower made with twine and a quirky thing I will tell you about below.

So what about this quirky thing?!?!?!

Well here is a picture of it .. ..

I don't know what it is called but it is something I found when we were clearing out my late MIL's home.  I had no idea what it was .. .. but as it was stored alongside buttons and sewing cottons I guessed it was something crafty.

It is made of metal (as you can probably tell) and when you turn the knob in the middle those metal spikes move in and out of the casing.

I showed my lovely Sister and she knew exactly what it was and once she described to me what to do with it I remembered seeing flowers amongst my MIL's belongings .. .. but hers were made of very fine pretty thread .. .. unlike my twine!!  I wonder what she would think if she could see this one!

I gave the gadget to my lovely Sis as I knew she would use it to make flowers for her bags .. .. but did ask if I could borrow it to make a few flowers.  My Sis made the flower on this card for me yesterday to show me how to use it (thank you Sis xxxxxx).

Working on the side of the gadget without the knob you make "figure of eights" around the spikes all around the circle and then using a bodkin stitch the centre to hold the petals together.  Once finished you turn the knob to lower the spikes back inside the metal casing and you are left with a flower.

I think I will have to have a bit more of a play with it before I give it back!!  LOL!!

If anyone knows its proper name it would be great to know what it is please.

Plus if anyone finds a heart tonight (without blowing my picture up out of all proportion) then you deserve a hundred team points!!!

Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow with my snippet make.

Love

DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!!!

The weekend is here again .. .. .. woo hoo!!!!

General cards were the order of the day today.  Lots needed!!!

The radio was talking about Summer being over soon :-(  .. .. I am so not ready for that yet!!  I just love days when it is lovely enough to have the windows wide open all day and get lots of fresh air into the house and to walk out without fear of needing a coat.  

So if Summer is going to be making an exit soon I decided I would have a play with the Pink Petticoat Beach Cottage images whilst I still felt summery!!

This one is my favourite out of the set of images.  I just love the sentiment so much!

So .. .. the order is to do more of what makes you happy.  That means more crafting and less ironing and housework for me then!  LOL!!  (Is that possible?!?!!?).

This used:

Image and sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Beach Cottage"
Backing Papers:  Beach Cottage
Nestabilities:  Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
Cord from my Stash Box

I am going to sign off now as I want to try and have a little catch up in blogland as I am so very, very behind.  I know I won't be able to catch up with everyone but I can make a start.  

But before I go you know how I love to share a bargain .. .. well at the risk of causing harm to people's bank balances .. .. Nitwits have a fabby sale on at the moment, for those like me who like to print their own backing papers (over and over again!!!).

Have a lovely weekend everyone. 

Love

TIME FOR A LITTLE PLAY !

Hi Everyone

Happy Bank Holiday Monday!

I hope your long weekend has been a good one.

I seem to have got quite a bit done and today used the last of my chocolate dragees in my favours .. .. so a couple more pictures for you to see later .. .. .. but first my snippet card for this week for taking over to Di's Crafty Snippet Challenge and also for entering into Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge.

Christmas seems very close now that September is in touching distance!!!  Eeeekkk!!!

I am being Bank Holiday lazy and not listing my ingredients properly!! But the background papers are from Nitwits, the image is from Bugaboo and the sentiment was computer generated using the font "2Peas Barefoot Professor".

Oh well .. .. a few more snippets culled and another Christmas card to add to the box.

Time now to go and clear up after my mammoth favour making session.

I have made about 55 of these little beauties .. .. so hopefully there will always be some that are the right colours for displaying alongside my stationery at the wedding fayres and in the wedding cabinet at my lovely Sister's salon .. .. .. not that I am expecting to need them all straightaway .. .. that would definitely be overkill LOL!!! .. .. it will just be nice to know they are ready and waiting (unlike my Christmas cards!!).

I bet hubby is pleased I have finished making them because after each one I made I would go "ahhhh" and say "oooo I love that one!!"  Tee hee!!!  Even though I made loads I could have carried on .. .. I think I have a new addiction!!

It is probably a good job I have ran out of fillings as I now need to go and rummage round for a box big enough to store them all in .. .. .. and then a place to store the box!  Oh dear!!

Enjoy what is left of your evening everyone and have a great week.

Love

I AM ALIVE !!!

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all happy and well .. .. and if not I hope that you will be soon.

I bet you thought I had disappeared off the face of the earth .. .. but no .. .. just majorly busy .. .. and from my orders and do lists it looks like it will be like this through until mid-October at least.

Hence no blog posts and no blog visiting.  The computer has been on only for emails and printing sessions :-(

But having said that a few weeks ago I took a bit of time out and had a "business development meeting" with myself to review where I was going with my wedding work and what new products I wanted to add to my range ready for the next wedding fayre in October.

One of my many lists shows what I want to do in the future and I decided to allocate this Bank Holiday weekend to pursuing something off the list.  So I have been collecting my goodies together to make some of these .. .. ..

I don't know if they will go down well or not .. .. I will be testing the water to see come October.   

I started making them today and all I know is I love making them so much.  These are just a handful of what I have made so far.  There are another 20 or so lined up in a variety of colours and designs. They are filled with five sugar coated chocolate dragees .. .. and I haven't eaten even one of them!  What a lovely shiny halo I have (not) LOL!!

Enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend everyone.  I hope you get to see a bit of sunshine.

My hubby is hoping for rain as he has put weed and feed on the lawns today!! Personally I think he should just water it in and leave us with nice weather!!

Have a good one.

Love

THANK YOU

Hi Everyone

I hope you have been having a really lovely weekend.

Mine has been super enjoyable.

Lots of happy couples and wedding work, catching up with friends last night, and family stuff today!!! The ingredients of a fabby weekend!

My snippet share today uses up a die-cut that was sent to me alongside an order from Dies to Die For. Tracy always kindly pops a few die cuts into her lovely little packages and I always store them ready for use at a later date .. .. but of course you then end up adding the die to your "one day I would like" list too.

So because the die-cut is from Tracy I suppose I have used some of her snippets .. .. but quite a few of my own too LOL!!  So I am heading across to share my make in Pixies's Crafty Snippet Challenge.

Time to go and dish up the evening meal now.

I hope you have a lovely evening.

Love

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Hi Everyone

Happy Friday!!!

Another weekend looming .. .. woo hoo!!

Whizzing in and out super quick as there is a  lot to be done here over the next couple of weeks.

This creation uses my very favourite heart stamp.

This used:

Image:  Hero Arts "K5298" Blooming Heart
Sentiment:  Hampton Art Stamps "19" Love is in the Air
Backing Paper:  Nitwits "Always and Forever" fqb
WOW Embossing Powder:  Super Fine Bright White
My Trust Sewing Machine
Diamond Stickles
Twine from my stash box and a scrummy button that came in a lovely free pack from Josy Rose when I stocked up on my nail heads and twinkly gems!!

OK that is me for today.

Time to make some serious organisation happen and some dents in the "do list"!!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.  I hope you find time for a bit of crafting!

Love

WHOOPS A DAISY!!!

Hi Everyone

Happy Tuesday .. .. another day nearly done and dusted.

I had a thank-you card order collected today and decided I would make a quick "new baby" card before starting the next batch of "thank you cards".  What a lovely polite set of "happy couples" I have been working for.  All remembering their manners!  

So I printed off my image and thought . . . should I make a boy or a girl card?  Through choice I would always make a boy card.  I don't know why but I always like the look of the boy cards more once finished .. .. so I decided it had better be a girl card.

I make my card .. .. take my pictures and just opened up the Digistamp website for linking only to find I have used "Bathtime Fynn" .. .. a boy baby .. .. on a baby girl card!!!  What am I like?  I am going to have to make a tiny pink bow and stick it on Flynn's head!!!  LOL!!!

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Baby Fynn" (whoops!!!)

Sentiment:  Computer generated using font Mister Sirloin

Backing Papers:  Digistamp Boutique "Ditsy Rose Papers"

Sizzix Die:  "657188" Tiny Tabs and Tags

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

ProMarker

Glamour Dust

Diamond Stickles

Ribbon from my stash box

I will now hang my head in shame and link my creation up to the Digistamp Boutique Competition for August and also into the Papertake Weekly Challenge where they want you to create a card for an occassion .. .. and what better occasion than the arrival of a new baby .. .. whatever sex it is!!!

Now to put people out of their misery regarding my Sunday Snippet card.  Quite a few of you contacted me asking about the image and sentiment I used.  I think I have managed to let everyone know who asked but a few more enquiries have come since .. .. so here you go:

Well the image was Pink Petticoat "Lola Rose - Pretty"

and the sentiment .. .. well I feel a bit guilty about this now because it was free on a magazine years ago.  It was as the "Born To Shop" range was launched.  But if you keep your eyes open on Ebay it does quite often make an appearance there.  I don't want to start a bidding war but there are a few available here at the moment (and I hasten to add that none of them are mine!!)

OK I am off now to add a pink ribbon to Baby Fynn .. .. poor chap :-( .. .. I hope I don't inflict any lasting damage on him

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely relaxing Sunday.

I feel I have spent far too much of mine in the kitchen :-(

The request for today was a home made steak and kidney pie with a puff pastry topping .. .. I seem to have been working on it nearly all day as the meat and shallots have been slow cooking in the oven .. .. and how long will it take to eat!?!  Minutes!!!  and then there is the clearing up again afterwards.

I don't mind putting the extra effort in on a Sunday because I do "wing it" a bit during the week .. .. but today feels a little above and beyond the call of duty LOL!!  

But the day started off much more exciting .. .. I played with my snippet ready for taking over and sharing in Pixies Crafty Snippet Challenge.  The playground is definitely getting busier with lots of lovely new playmates appearing.  

Here is my share for this week:

As always I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients (because I am chained to the oven and kitchen sink LOL!!!) but just ask if there is anything you want to know about my creation.

Enjoy the rest of your day and I hope the week ahead holds some crafty time for you.

Love

LOVIN' FLOWERS

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are having a good weekend.

It has been quite a busy one here in the House of Hearts for lots of different reasons, but a very enjoyable one too.

I had a major die cutting session today which means I can now sit and make a mountain of thank you cards for a now married "happy couple".  That will hopefully be one of tomorrow's tasks.

Hubby went out into the garden to give some conifer trees a haircut .. ..  he has like hedge cutters on a huge extending pole .. .. but even with this there were some parts he just couldn't reach .. .. so I said if he held the ladder I would go up and trim them with the hand clippers .. .. just to finish the job off properly.  That felt much less responsibility than me holding the ladder for him to climb up.

After a bit of persuading he agreed .. .. and when finished I said "don't you tell my Mum I have been up there".  He laughed because he knew my Mum never allowed me to climb on anything.  Even now she tells me off if she knows I have been up in the roof!!

Once as a child she let me climb nearly to the top of a slide but she just wasn't brave enough to let me climb right to the top, clamber over and slide down.  She insisted I comeback down the steps .. .. and of course you would never dare argue.  You did as you were told. So all the kids climbing up behind me had to get off the steps so I could climb down again!!  How embarrassed was I?!?!  LOL!!!

Anyway, time for a little share:

 

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "1037K" Lovin' Flowers 

Sentiment:  Docrafts (no reference on the stamp and this is just part of the image).

Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat "Isabelline" and "Woodgrain"

Sizzix Die:  "657188" Tiny Tags and Tabs

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

ProMarkers
Glamour Dust

Pinking Shears

Twine, ribbon and button from my stash box 

Well it smells like my curry is well on the way to being cooked so I had better wander and get the rest ready.

Have a lovely evening and I'll catch you tomorrow with my snippets.

Love

FOREVER

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday!

I hope the weather is suiting everyone and you are having a good week.  After me moaning about the rain the other day we seem to have had some lovely sunshine filled days .. .. without it being too hot!

My week seems to have disappeared again in the blink of an eye!  I can't believe it is Friday again tomorrow!!

I met up with a lovely new bride and her Mum yesterday .. .. and if all goes ahead I will have a Valentine's Day wedding to add to my list!! How romantic will that be?  I guess that means in the years to come her husband will have to remember to buy two cards for the same day.  An anniversary card "and" a valentine card!!  But he might save a bit of money on the "romantic meal" front as they will be able to celebrate both at the same time won't they. LOL!!

Before I share today's creation with you I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments on my previous post about my Son's music.  I am so happy some of you were able to listen .. .. and yes, I am proud of him.  But then again I am proud of my whole family, (I don't want any of them thinking I have a favourite!!  They are all super special and make my life complete!!).

My Son enjoyed reading your comments too and he was well chuffed that one young lady was going to put it on her iPod for listening to in the car!

Anyway, round to my share for today, which is for entering into the Sketch Saturday Challenge for this week:

This used:

Image and Sentiment:  The Greeting Farm "Cake Topper"

Backing Papers:  Pink Petticoat "Tiniest Pretty Little Hearts" and "Pinstripes"

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

Spellbinder Nestabilities:  Hearts

ProMarkers and Chalk

Crystal Stickles

Ribbon, cord and eyelet from my stash box

and here is the lovely sketch I followed .. .. in case you fancy playing along.

Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll hopefully see you again soon.

Love

IN PASSING

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well and having a good week?

It's a sign the kids summer holiday is here .. .. the rain has come .. .. in abundance over the last few days .. .. though I have to admit today has started out quite promising!!

What happened to the sunny days I can remember when my lovely Sis and I were kids?  We would spend nearly the whole six weeks playing in the garden.  Mum would fill the paddling pool up for us and we would share our time playing "in and out" of the pool.  I can see all the blades of grass floating on the top of the water even now and we would scoop them out with a sieve and splat them across the garden LOL!!!

Anyway, round to my share for the day

This used:

Rubber Stamps:
Hero Arts: " S5316" Silhouette Grass
Penny Black:  "4304H" Polka Dot Sprig
PaperArtsy "HP1004EZ" Hot Picks

Distress Inks:
Tea Die, Old Paper and Spiced Marmalade

Memory Box Dies:
Moonlight Butterfly
Kaleidoscope Butterfly

Josy Rose:  Nail Heads

In fact this is a double share because I took the inspiration for this card from an image that came from my youngest Son .. .. Steve.

All of my family are musical .. .. with every one of my gorgeous men folk having played, performed and written music.  But it is the youngest who is the most dedicated to it and he simply "lives for his music", playing alongside lots of different folk to satisfy his love of different styles.

So I thought today I would share some of his music with you as last month he released an EP he has worked on with a mega talented chap called Cyrus Reynolds.

To think they can put all this together and yet they have never met!!!  Cyrus is London based and Steve is in the Midlands just a short distance from me.

Isn't technology a wonderful thing?

I hope you get chance to listen to some, or even all of the tracks.

Steve has a Facebook page dedicated to his music https://www.facebook.com/stevegibbsmusic which shows other work he has done with Cyrus .. and some great photographs .. .. but the main reason for mentioning his facebook page is simply so you can read a lovely little anecdote he posted yesterday from a fan called Nathalie.  I thought it was really special.

I am not very computer savvy so all the talk of the whys and wherefores of Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp and Soundcloud etc goes way over my head .. .. all I know is I love what he is doing and am very proud of him.  I hope you enjoy listening too.

Who knows, perhaps one day I will get to hear his music in the background of a TV drama.  Wouldn't that be just fabby?!?!?

Have a great day everyone.  I hope the sun shines on you at some point!

Off on "Save the Date" duties now!  

I wonder who I might give the card I have created today to?

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS - TIMES TWO!!

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Mine has been super busy.  Not all work though.. .. we have met up with special friends who live too far away for us to meet up as much as we would like .. .. we have managed a bit of retail therapy too .. .. but of course weekends are always busy where "happy couples" are concerned because that is their "free time". The time when they find my website or have time to come and look at samples or check through proofs that have been sent through .. .. or send me pictures of their happy day.  I love looking at wedding photographs so much!

But amongst everything else I found time to play with my snippets whilst hubby watched his team play the first game of their football season.  Sadly he doesn't have a season ticket any more but they were on TV today so he got to watch them.

I listened on the radio in my little craft pod whilst making a couple of snippet makes for taking over to Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge.

I love making this card .. .. and have made it so many times it is unbelievable.  But still I faff about for ages with the colour of the flowers LOL!!!.  I end up with loads cut out ready for using another time and the individual stamps are never removed from their acrylic block!!

As always I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients but if you need to know anything about my makes then please ask away.

Time now to go and get dinner plated up.  It is our first taste of our home grown runner beans today!! Always exciting .. .. but I just know that the next few weeks are going to involve freezing the surplus. Not my favourite job in the world .. .. until it comes to eating them at a later date .. .. then I am pleased I did  them.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone and I hope your week is going to hold some good things.

Love