MERLIN

Hi Everyone

Happy Saturday!

So sorry for my absence from blogland once again .. .. .. lots of wedding work has been happening here in the House of Hearts and there have been new "happy couples" to meet up with and make samples for .. .. all alongside more medical appointments with Mum.

My Brother and Sister take over sorting Mum at the weekends and today as I have no wedding couples visiting I have moved lots of crafty goodies downstairs to sit and play at the dining room table.

My printer, pens, box of stamped images, sewing machine and a mini mountain of snippets are there for playing with ALL WEEKEND .. .. all my ironing and washing is up to date so no reason not to just sit and play!!  Lucky me!!

This was my first make of the day:

This used:

Image: DigiStamp Boutique at LOTV "Merlin Valentine"
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using fonts "Back Black" and "Youngsook"
Backing Papers from my snippet mountain
Nestabilities:  Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle
ProMarkers
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Ribbon
Crystal Glamour Dust

As you will know due to other pressures I have chosen to step down from the DigiStamp Boutique DT (boo hoo!!) .. .. but that isn't going to stop me playing with their scrummy images and showing you how I have used them.  I just love colouring them sooo much and find it very relaxing and therapeutic!!

Sally-Ann's images are now sold via Lili of the Valley but if like me you also love the more watercolour effect / print images that Sally-Ann has been producing then you will find these on her "Etsy site".  These are on my "play list" for the weekend too.

So that is me for now.

We have actually had rain today and the air is much clearer and fresher .. .. which is the good news.  The bad news is that one of my "happy couples" were getting married today and the weather hasn't been very kind at all.  Such a shame because they were having a horse and carriage as part of their celebrations.. ..  taking the bride to the Church and then the newly weds to their reception.

They do live quite a long way away from here though so fingers crossed their weather wasn't quite so wet.

Hopefully catch you again soon with more of my weekend creations.

Hope you have a really good one too, and can find a bit of crafty time for yourself.

THANK YOU

Hi Everyone

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. 

Mine was weddings all the way!  A final collection saw my journey with one "happy couple" come to a close.  That always feels quite sad as we do build up such a lovely relationship .. .. this particular couple I have been working with for quite a while now and I can remember their first enquiry as if it was yesterday!  Time really does fly!

Their happy day is very close now .. ..  I am just hoping the sunshine is going to stay around for them.

So once everything had left the house for that wedding, I unpacked my next set of boxes and spent my time progressing the next wedding - working on the dining room table with the patio door and windows open.  I love it when the doors are open and the garden feels like an extension of the house.  A glance to the right lets you see the summer flowers and the birds feeding and drinking.  Simple pleasures!

I am on the final stages of this wedding too .. .. so everything for the Church service and the reception is left to complete and then that will be "bye-bye and happy wedding day" to another lovely couple.

I do love my wedding work and have been deliberating as to whether I dare do the next two wedding fayres I have paid deposits on.  My time is still being shared between home and Mum and to be honest I don't think our routine now will ever change.  Mum is possibly as strong as she is going to get.. .. but that is wonderful .. .. she has fought hard to get back to where we are and I am very proud of her.  Lots of folk would have just given in and sat there moaning.  But she is made of strong stuff and usually manages to surprise me most weeks with something new she has achieved.  I feel we may always be going on our "wheelchair excursions" but that is fine.  It is good exercise for me .. .. and I do need some!!  Just a bit worried about the days that winter will bring .. .. I might have to exchange the wheelchair for a sledge!!  Now there's a thought.  LOL!!  

Anyway, time for today's share .. .. which is a thank you card I am going to ask Sally-Ann if she would kindly add  to the DigiStamp Boutique Facebook Page.

I have decided that with everything else that is happening at the moment continuing on the DT with DigiStamp Boutique is going to be rather difficult for the time being.  There is so much wedding work looming that it isn't fair to remain on a DT if you can't give 100%.  

I don't do Facebook .. .. for some reason I avoid it like the plague .. .. so I can't reply and thank people personally.  That is why I have made a parting thank you card for all the lovely visitors who have called by there and acknowledged my projects that have been posted.

So my last official DT card might have been posted .. .. .. but don't worry.   I will still be creating with Sally-Ann's gorgeous images and sentiments .. .. I love them too much to stop .. .. and she knows she is free to lift them from my blog if there are any she wants to share.  It will just be a case of me creating when I get chance.  I am very fortunate in that the door has been left open for me to return to the DT (thank you xx) .. .. so it doesn't feel quite as sad and painful as it might.  Just a bit sad and painful!

So here we go:

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Truffle Heart"
Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique - one of the sentiment in the "Special Occassions Messages" Set.  I used it (along with a heart) to create a sentiment sheet of backing paper
Backing Papers:  Make and Create - Mix & Match "Sweet Garden Roses"
Sizzix Die "658226" Botanical Flourish (treated to a few layers of clear embossing powder)
Hobby & You:  Flower Punch
Do Crafts Punch:  Flower Doily
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Buttons
Crystal Glamour Dust
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
Ribbon
and an un-branded tag die from E-Bay.

.. .. and that is me for today.

Back to the wedding work for a little while now .. .. 170 hearts to stick down!!  LOL!! and I also need to get in touch with a new bride that I have been recommended to.  Can't wait to learn who the kind person is that recommended me!  See .. .. there are still kind people in the world!

Enjoy the rest of the evening.  It is looking like we might be going to get a few drops of the "wet stuff" .. .. which the garden will be very grateful for.

Hopefully catch you again soon.

HAPPY NEW HOME DIGISTAMP BOUTIQUE

Hi Everyone

My apologies for being absent from my blog for a while .. .. ..  lots of lovely wedding work and a couple of hospital appointments with Mum have been keeping me well busy!

But I am here now to let you know that

DigiStamp Boutique has moved home today!!  

The lovely Sally-Ann is taking up residence with Lili of the Valley and going forward her gorgeous images are going to be sold from there.

To celebrate the launch there are two new gorgeous characters added to the range.  A cute hippo and a beautiful mermaid .. .. and because I couldn’t decide which to play with .. .. I played with both!  LOL!!

This used:  

Image and Sentiment DigiStamp Boutique "Mermazing Mermaid" 

Backing:  Created with Distressed Oxides: Twisted Citron, Faded Jeans and Broken China and splatters of water

Sizzix Thinlits Dies:  Garden Greens
Glitter Card

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

Metallic Cord

Charm

Pearls

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Dimension Pads

Peel-Off Circles

I created the background first and then once well dried printed the sentiment directly onto it.

and this is my second card.  Such a cute little character. :

 This used:

Image:  DigiStamp Boutique "Hippo Birthday"
Sentiment:  DigiStamp Boutique "Hippo Huge Wishes"

Backing Papers:  Make and Create "Sweet Garden Roses"

X-Cut Corner Rounding Punch

First Edition Craft "Bunting Die"

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

Chalk

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Ribbon

I really enjoyed making these little creations.  One card that I simply coloured and layered up and another where I had fun inking up an ocean background  .. .. and that is me for today.  

It just leaves me to wish a 

"Happy New Home" to  DigiStamp Boutique!

BESTIE

Hi Everyone

Happy Sunday .. .. .. and happy July too!  

That means another month has flown by in the blink of an eye!!!

One of my lovely happy couples came to collect their invitations this morning so that was another line I was able to cross off my crafty do list.  One little line of writing on a list .. .. but hours and hours of work!

So with a nice clear dining room table I decided to bring some supplies downstairs and get some of my general orders crossed off my list .. .. they certainly get crossed off much quicker than the wedding work does   .. ..  but the general cards are just a short reprive .. .. it will be weddings for nearly the whole of July.  

This one is a lovely flat card that is nice and "postal friendly".

this used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Alyssa"

Sentiment:  Digistamp Boutique "Large Girly Word Art" set 

Backing Paper:  Dovecraft "Serendipity"

ProMarkers

Crystal Glamour Dust

X-Cut Palm Punch - Small Daisy

My Trusty Sewing Machine

Pearls and Ribbon from my crafty stash box

Love the large sentiment image (which being a digi image is re-sizeable) .. .. especially liking the watercolour look.  It comes as part of a set of four sentiments in a variety of colours.  

Time now to do a little bit of gardening .. .. which I have been threatening to do all week and have got nowhere near.  In fact I had better hurry up and get it done as it looks like we might be going to have a spot of rain this evening (not that any is forecast).. .. .. but it would mean the plants and the very brown lawns will get a much needed treat!!

So that is me for today.  Catch you again soon.