CRAZY DAISY FLOWER LOOM

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!!!

I hope your day has gone well and your week has got off to a good start.  This is a scheduled post so I don't know how mine is going at this point in time.

I had a play with the lovely Crazy Daisy flower loom yesterday that a very kind person sent to me last week .. .. this time using narrow ribbon!  Very pleased with the result!

This used:

Backing Papers:  Nitwits "Cottage Charm Too" (I think the blue paper is gorgeous.  It looks embossed but it isn't)
Sentiment:  Hobby Art Stamps "GR1833B" Happy Birthday
Martha Stewart Punch:  Deep Edge Flower Bed
Marianne Design Creatables:  Fence, Bird and House (but I only used the fence so don't search for the rest LOL!!)
Sizzix Die:  "656521" Flower with Leaves and Stem #2 (I just used the stem)
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
X-Cut tiny daisy punch
Hobbycraft "Knit and Stitch" flower button
Diamond Stickles
Ribbon from my Stash Box
My Trusty Sewing Machine

and there we go.

I wonder what my next flower will be made from?

Enjoy the rest of your day!!  See you again soon.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Well what a beautiful day!!

I hope the weather has been as lovely where you live as we have had here today.

I was up bright and early so had chance to make two snippet creations today for taking over to Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge.  Woo hoo!!!  

  

As always I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients .. .. but if there is anything you would like to know more about you know you only have to ask.

Off now to cut lengths of ribbon and pieces of card to prepare for this week's wedding makes .. .. and then it will be time to get the dreaded ironing board out!!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Love

XMAS KISS

Hi Everyone

Well I was a good girl today and used lots of those images I coloured whilst away in York .. .. and this one was my favourite makes of the day which fits in nicely in with Sandra's  Rudolph Day Challenge.

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2754H" Xmas Kiss
Sentiment:  Computer generated using font "Zipty Do"
Backing Papers:  Lili of the Valley "Classic Christmas"
Martha Stewart Punch:  Glacial Snowflake (may no longer be available)
Die-namics:  Traditional Tags Stax
Spellbinders Nestabilities:  Classic Oval and Scallop Oval
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Glamour Dust
Ribbons, cord and Eyelet from Stash Box

Yes, Christmas needs to arrive in the House of Hearts big time .. .. lots of makes needed!!!!

I was asked a few questions yesterday:

1.  Do I always colour with ProMarkers?  I would say probably 90% of the time.  Perhaps I should show some of the makes I do with other colouring mediums sometime!!

2.  Did I find any craft shops in York?  I have to say I didn't purposely set out to find any craft shops .. .. I am sure my lovely hubby must be sick of the sight of craft shops LOL!!!!  .. but he never complains.

However, we did "stumble upon" a few places that I enjoyed looking in .. .. one being a little place called "Duttons for Buttons" who stocked lots of lovely buttons and ribbon.  An artists supply shop at the end of the Shambles called "The Art Shop" .. .. and then Paperchase.  I had a fabby time in there and parted with a few of my hard earned English pound whilst hubby went into HMV.

Catch you again soon and have a lovely weekend everyone.  I hope you find some crafty time!!

Love

BACK FROM A NEW CRAFT DESK

Hi Everyone

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

Mine has been super exciting as we escaped for a three night break on Monday to York and had a fabby time!!!

The weather wasn't super sunny .. .. just nice and pleasant .. .. and dry!!!  What more could you want?

It is many, many years since I last visited York and it was just as lovely as I remembered it.  We found everyone to be so friendly. Especially the shopkeepers and hotel/restaurant staff.  Much more appreciative of your trade than some of those more closer to home that's for sure.

But of course even when I escape from my craft pod I have to take something crafty with me to do .. .. so my craft pod desk was swapped for a much more luxurious one .. ..  I have never had so much clear crafty space to play on and here is my little gallery of the images I coloured .. .. just look at all those little hedgies!! LOL!!

and here are all the images I stamped to take with me .. .. and didn't get time to colour .. .. slacker!!

I also had a little cutting out session of those little flowers I use quite often.  It is always nice to have a ready supply of them for a quick card (plus it is good for using up some of the old snippets).

and the last thing I took to make were some of those twine flowers which I posted about a few weeks ago. 

I decided it was probably time I gave my lovely Sis the little gadget back again so thought I would make a few flowers on the train journey there and back.  Here are a few of them.  

As I started making them hubby asked "How many of those have you got to make?" Normally when I am making something I need "ten(s)" or sometimes "hundreds" of something .. .. but this time I simply said "as many as I can do before I give this little gadget back".

But then what happened?

Well we arrived home and there was a package through the door.  I was expecting the contents to be for a magazine commission but no .. .. look what was inside .. ..

my very own flower making gadget!!!  How lucky am I?  By special delivery from Anony Mouse !!!  I have no idea which naughty person posted this to me .. .. even the postmark on the envelope was smudged so I have no clue there either .. .. but of course I would like to say 

THANK YOU
SO VERY, VERY MUCH

That was very kind and so totally unexpected.  My lovely Sis can now have the one I borrowed back when I see her tomorrow.

So to finish here is a picture we took in York .. taken looking up The Shambles .. .. with the little shop we dreamed of me owning showing on the right (but I would have to re-paint it).

and the view I would have if I was to be inside the shop looking out LOL!!!

That is one dream that can't come true .. .. but it is lovely to wish and dream.

We also spent time round the York Castle Museum where for part of the time we were transported back to Victorian England. That was a really enjoyable few hours and at one point I found myself standing next to a young gentleman who was blind and was being escorted around the exhibition by a lady who was describing everything to him.  What a true gift that lady had.  She could describe things so fantastically and made me notice things that I had missed .. .. and the dressed up mock shop owners would get things down from the shelves for the young man to feel .. .. gosh we take a lot for granted when we can see don't we!!!

We arrived home this afternoon in time for a happy couple to collect their order .. .. and they have just left.  I certainly had to work hard to schedule in three nights away.  But it was worth it!!  What a lovely escape.

So tonight I am going to rest my aching legs from all that walking, have a womble around blogland and look forward to a night back in my own bed ahead of needing to hit the ground running again tomorrow! 

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS MEET SKETCH SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

What a fabulous weekend.

I hope the weather has been as gorgeous for you as it has been here.

It was a fabby day for my "happy couple" who got married yesterday.  Beautiful sunshine that wasn't red hot and sweltering.  Just perfect.

Today has given me time to have a little play along with Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge and I used the sketch from the Sketch Saturday Challenge too.

As always on a Sunday (when I actually post!!!) I am lazy and do not list my ingredients but I am sure you all know where my goodies have come from.

If you fancy playing along here is the sketch I used:

Love the cute image I used for my card but I struggled to colour the water .. .. it is nothing like true to life!! 

Never, ever, when I went fishing with my Dad did the water look like that .. .. it was always murky and a dull browny green colour  LOL!!!

OK just time to link up and then give in for the day.  

I hope you have all had a good weekend and I wish you a good week.

Take care.

Love

LOVIN' AND HUGGIN'

Hi Everyone

Stranger alert!!!

Life has been .. .. and still is .. .. super busy here in the House of Hearts.

No time for general makes and blog posts .. .. just wedding work and commissions .. .. none of which I can share at the moment.

But today I did need a birthday card for someone who would be very disappointed not to receive one I had made, so I thought I would see if I can remember how to post to my blog and share it here LOL! !!

It is a card for a man .. .. and when in a rush I find these two images go perfectly together.  In fact the two stamps sit side by side in the drawer.

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2863J" Lovin' and Huggin'
Sentiment:  Penny Black "1743F" It's your Birthday
Backing Papers:  DCWV "Black & White Prints"
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
Metallic Cord

and that is it!!

Thanks to everyone who checked in on me and wanted to know that all is OK.

All is good and super exciting.

It just makes me feel really bad when people leave me comments and I cannot return them.  I have so many stacked up to return that it is getting embarrassing.  I'm so sorry .. .. I will get there eventually .. .. but for now my happy couples have to come first.  One happy couple get married this Saturday.  I do hope the weather picks up for them.

Not sure when I am going to get back to regular posting as the wedding are still going strong and I have an October wedding fayre to prepare for.  

Never a dull moment in the House of Hearts.

Hope everyone is well.

Love

SKETCH SATURDAY

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!

Is it just me or is everyone feeling a tad chilly?  My winter cardigans have been dragged out already .. .. and been worn!!!  Shock horror!!!

I am so not ready for summer to end yet.

A quick play with the sketch from over at Sketch Saturday kicked my day off today:

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3377K" Whispers  (I bet you all thought I had lost this much loved stamp as it hasn't appeared on my blog for a while LOL!!!)
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Celebration Sentiments"
Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Snow Daisies" part of a Christmas Selection
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder:  "Stylized Flowers"
Memento Ink Pad:  Rich Cocoa for rubbing inside the embossing folder before Cuttlebugging
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads and Acrylic Domes
Diamond Stickles

I was asked after my Sunday Snippet make how I manage to get my stickles so straight around the edge of my image and sentiment edges .. .. and do I use a ruler.

The answer is no.  No ruler.

In an effort to help here are my little tips:

1.  I store my Stickles upside down so there aren't any air bubbles in the nozzle

2.  I test on a piece of scrap before I get anywhere near my project

3.  I run the nozzle of the Stickles bottle along the edge of my work - squeezing gently in one continuous run.  If any is thicker than I want I either push it back in line or remove it with a scalpel

4.  This might be a case of sharing too much (sorry if it is but it is all in the name of artistic creativity and sharing) but the bottle contents work much better if the bottle is warm.  So as I start my card I pop the bottle into my rather ample cleavage to warm the contents up.  By the time I need to use them the Stickles are warmed up perfectly LOL!!!  The embarrassing thing is when you forget you put the bottle there and open the front door to the delivery folk with an extra bulge in your top!!!

and that is it.  Hopefully everyone will get on better with their Stickles now. 

If you fancy playing along with the Sketch Saturday Challenge then this is the sketch for this week

That is me for today.

It is my baby boy's 30th birthday today .. .. and as he is playing at a gig tonight we are having a birthday snack in his lunch hour .. so I had better make myself look respectable for him .. .. and make sure the Stickles bottle is no longer nestled down my top!!!

Have a good day everyone.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you have had a lovely weekend.

A busy old few days here .. .. hence no posting for a bit .. .. but I certainly can't let Sunday pass by without sharing a snippet make for taking over to Di's Crafty Snippet Challenge.

We gained some much needed rain on our garden yesterday and once some of the flowers started to fill up with rain I decided I should cut a few and bring them into the house before they spoil.

I grabbed an old pair of kitchen scissors that I keep especially for the purpose and once finished and arranging the flowers in a vase my lovely hubby said .. .. you should have used the new cutters we bought .. .. and he swiftly produced a pack of two brand new secateurs. Nothing heavy duty.  One pair being the bog standard ones you would use for small twig type branches and the other were more like scissors for cutting flowers and soft stems.

Hubby opened the packet so they would be to hand for another day and whilst doing so he noticed the "Health and Safety Warning".

Whilst using them you need to wear SAFETY GOGGLES and A HARD HAT!!!  LOL!!!  What on earth is that all about?   I could hardly lop down a tree with them!!!

Anyway back to my snippet make for today:

As usual I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients.

Off to link up now and I notice that there are already ten crafty playmates lurking round the playground .. .. what a popular place to play .. .. and so much inspiration too!

Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

Love

MID-WEEK SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

Happy Wednesday!!!

A beautiful sunshine filled day here today .. .. I hope you had the same.

Just a quick share today that uses up some more of those ever increasing snippets that seem to enjoy breeding whenever my back is turned.  

This used:

Image:  Bugaboo "AKV Moving-Car"
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Youngsook"
Backing Papers:  Just out of my snippet drawers - not 100% sure of their origin
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
X-Cut Punch:  Small flower
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles

and that is it!!

Back to ribbon tying for me.

Another 25 pretty bows to tie and that is another job ticked off the list!  Woo hoo!!!

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Love

FREE TO ANYONE WHO CAN LOVE HER

Hi Everyone

Whilst having a rummage in the craft pod today I came across a stamp that I know I will never use .. .. and I feel sure someone can love her and do lovely things with her.

I think she is called Tilda with Petticoats (but I am not certain of that) .. .. my one and only Tilda stamp.

I bought her many, many years ago .. .. before I even started blogging .. .. .. but I just cannot say I love her no matter what I do with her .. .. so she has been neglected for long enough and deserves to live with someone that can do beautiful things with her.

All I can say is that Penny Black stamps stole my heart and Tilda got pushed to one side.

So if anyone would like to own her please leave me a comment below that contains the words "I can heart her" and she could be yours.  If more than one person would like to own her I will simply do a lucky dip for her new owner.

Once a new home is found I will amend this post and announce the new owner so we can all look out for her being put to good use:

NO MORE COMMENTS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE STAMP 

AS A NEW HOME HAS BEEN FOUND

THE LUCKY DIP HAS TAKEN PLACE AND TILDA IS GOING TO WING HER WAY TO BE LOVED BY:

MRS  A

IF YOU COULD LET ME HAVE YOUR ADDRESS MRS A 

I WILL GET HER INTO THE POST TO YOU 

She stamps perfectly as you can see:

No make to today I'm afraid .. .. it has been all wedding work and a couple of orders .. . none of which I can share :-(

Have a good evening everyone and hopefully I will have something for you to look at tomorrow.

Love




PLEASE NOTE TILDA HAS NOW FOUND A NEW HOME SO COMMENTS WISHING TO ADOPT HER WILL NO LONGER APPLY .. .. SORRY :-(

AHOY THERE . . .

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!!

A great day here in the House of Hearts today with lots crossed off my list  .. ..  so  I decided to have a play along with the Sketch N Stash Challenge.

I desperately need some general cards rather quickly so challenges with sketches are brilliant for me as half the thinking has already been done for me!!  Lazy Madam!!! LOL!!

The idea of the challenge is to follow the sketch but use your newest or neglected stash alongside it.

Well my newest piece of stash is the fabby backing paper and embellishments which I downloaded from the Nitwits sale that I told you about at the weekend (though of course there are lots and lots of other elements to the download) .. .. and my little boat could be classed as a little bit neglected as he has sat in my "things I want to play with" basket for quite a while patiently waiting for me to stop tying wedding ribbons and ink him up!!

So here is my make:

This used:

Image and Sentiment:  Woodware Clear Stamps "FRCL037" By The Sea
Backing Paper, decorative strip and anchor button:  Nitwits "The Coastal Collection"
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
ProMarkers
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accent
Charm and Cord from my Stash Box

My little anchor button was just re-sized and printed onto normal card and then cut out.  I stuck it onto another piece of thicker card and then gave it a good helping of Glossy Accents and once dry stuck it to the corner of my image panel with a bit more Glossy Accents.

This is the sketch I worked to .. .. just in case you fancy playing along.  It is definitely one I will use again!

Have a good evening everyone.

Catch you when I do.

Love