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

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Hi Everyone

Happy Thursday.

I hope your week has been good so far!

Mine has been super productive on the old wedding front .. .. quite a few jobs crossed off the old list .. .. and quite a few new ones added too !!  I would be lost without my lists and diary!!

Just a quick share today to let you know I am still in the land of the living:

This used:

Backing paper that has stayed in a drawer for far too long.  There are only so many times you can stroke a piece of paper before it deserves to be used and loved by someone else.  
Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font "Scriptina"
Spellbinder Nestabilities:  Classic Heart and Classic Squares Large
My Trusty Sewing Machine (I didn't do all the stitching on the background paper it came like that).
X-Cut Butterfly Punch .. .. used on card and then on patterned vellum
Glamour Dust Gold.  It is the first time I have used this .. .. not sure if I like it!  I much prefer the Crystal one
Eyelet, Gems, Ribbon and Cord from my stash box 

and that is it.

Have you all been baking in the heat today?  I ended up closing the windows and drawing some of the curtains to keep the heat out!  It was cooler inside than the air that was coming in!!  

Enjoy the rest of your evening and I'll catch you again soon.

Nearly the weekend AGAIN!!!  

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a good Sunday.

Just a quick post from me with my Sunday snippet make for running over to Di's Crafty Snippet Challenge with.  A great place to play. Always lots of mischief and a great gang of crafters all eager to use up those sheets of card and paper that we have "snipped into" previously and then cast to one side!!! 

As always I am lazy on a Sunday and don't list my ingredients but if there is anything you want to know about my make just ask away.

Lots of lovely jobs out of the way today, and a bit of a crafty clear-up .. .. but I now need to do the dreaded ironing!   That is one sure fire way to spoil a Sunday evening don't you think?

My bride from yesterday has emailed me a lovely photograph of her special day .. .. and as I guessed she wasn't the slightest bit bothered about the thunder storm and mega rain.  She said it made the disco in the conservatory more "atmospheric".  What a lovely positive attitude she has!

Enjoy what is left of your weekend and I will catch you when I do.  Not sure when that is likely to be.  I have a mega wedding work week ahead of me .. .. lots to keep me out of mischief!! 

Love

ROSIE WITH ICE-CREAM

Hi Everyone

I hope your weekend is going well.

We are in the middle of an horrendous thunderstorm with mega rain .. .. I have a feeling the water butts will be overflowing tomorrow!!

One of my brides got married today.  Thankfully the weather was nice for her during the day but this evening's weather will have put paid to any celebrating in the lovely gardens.  But I am sure that won't spoil the special day.

A quick share this evening .. .. not for anything in particular .. .. just because I wanted to colour this scrummy image.  There hasn't been much colouring happening in the old House of Hearts recently and I have to admit to missing it a little.  So this was a lovely treat.  

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique "Rosie and Ice-Cream"

Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Everyday Sentiments"

Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Beach Cottage"

ProMarkers and Chalk

Diamond Stickles

Ribbon

Tomorrow needs to start with a huge crafty clear up!  Lots of tidying up and putting away needed!!

At least I won't need to water the garden though.  LOL!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Love

XMAS KISS

Hi Everyone

I hope the week is treating you nicely .. .. what is it with all these thunder storms and rain?!!?  So much for St Swithun's Day predicting 40 days of glorious sunshine!!!  That theory has been blown out of the water that's for sure LOL!!!

But every cloud has a silver lining because this morning instead of spending ages watering the crops in the garden I made a card to fit into a few challenges instead .. .. 

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "2754H" Xmas Kiss
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat "Tiny Christmas Sentiments"
Backing Papers:  "Christmas Selection" Snow Flurry and "Christmas Script" Twas the Night
My Trust Sewing Machine
ProMarkers
Punches
Ribbon, Cord,Charm and Gems from my stash box

I have a few challenges to enter this into:

Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge (I should have done a Christmas card every month on the 25th .. .. but haven't manage many months so far .. .. shame).  Happy Rudolph Day Sandra xx.

Sketch Saturday .. .. and if you fancy playing along here is the sketch I used (but I flipped it).

The Ribbon Girl Challenge .. .. and if you fancy playing along here is the inspiration picture.

.
Penny Black Saturday:  whose theme this month is "Christmas in July"

Wow!!  I don't think I have ever entered so many challenges with a single card.

That is it from me for today.  Time to start work on some Save the Dates for happy couples tying the knot next year.

Have a good day everyone.

Catch you again soon.

Love

SUNDAY SNIPPETS AND A TREAT FROM HUBBY

Hi Everyone

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

Today has been much cooler here and we have even had a touch of the "wet stuff" .. .. but we still managed a much needed session in the garden pulling up some of those dreaded weeds that are daring to show themselves!

I also had chance to have a little play with my snippets whilst waiting for the final instructions from a "happy couple" to "stick their table plan down".

This is what I came up with:

As usual I am lazy and don't list my ingredients on a Sunday .. .. but I will tell you that the papers were some I had left over after doing the cover gift commission for Quick Cards Made Easy this month. These papers are just part of a fabby free gift this month and I love them!

I was also a super lucky girl and received a treat from my hubby this weekend.  Was it a new car? Was it a diamond ring or a huge bouquet of flowers?

No.. .. .. ..  it was a new waste paper bin for my craft room .. .. and I love it as much as I would any of the above .. ..  and here it is

Isn't it super lovely? Just perfect for my little craft pod. It is almost a shame to hide it under my desk LOL!!

Ooops .. . in my rush I forgot to mention that I am running over to Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge to share my make.  Hopefully I won't be put straight into detention because I missed last week :-( bad girl!

Have a great rest of the day and a good week everyone.

Love

A BIRTHDAY FULL OF SUNSHINE

Hi Everyone

I can't believe it has taken me all week to get another card posted!!

Where did this week go?

I can always tell I am busy if when I wake up in the morning I have to work out what day of the week it is!! LOL!!!  I seem to have spells where they days and weeks all merge into one .. . and July has been like that all month so far. But that is a good thing because it means things are going well.

There have been quite a few new samples needed this week for new "happy couples" and I am starting to get booked up for Summer 2014 now!  That is a lovely feeling because it makes me feel I am definitely on the right track. 

But aside from my wedding work there is always a call for general cards too and when I saw a new download appear in the Pink Petticoat Boutique late yesterday I just knew I could do lots and lots with it!! It warranted a quick download and printing off session and now I have lots of summer style cards in my head!!

Here is my first creation using the download:

This used:

Image:  Just Inklined "Seaside Beach Huts"

Image:  Sunshine stamp taken from Woodware Clear Images "FRCL056" On The Move

Sentiment:  Computer Generated using font Zipty Do

Backing papers:  Pink Petticoat "Beach Cottage" (with a free sheet of sentiments until Sunday)

My Trusty Sewing Machine

ProMarkers, Chalk and Glamour Dust

Cord and Charm from my stash box

So that is me for today.  All posted nice and early .. .. and now I need to get onto table plan duty ready for a bride who gets married next weekend.  I wonder if the sunshine is going to hold for her?  I hope so!

Have a great Friday everyone and a brilliant weekend.

Love

HAPPY ST SWITHUN'S DAY

Hi everyone

I hope you are all well and had a lovely weekend.

We had a lovely BBQ late yesterday afternoon after visiting a new Hobbycraft store that opened up near us. A lovely relaxing day.  No cardmaking .. .. I just satisfied my crafty yearnings by trying to learn how to make a crochet flower, like I used on my card the other day, whilst sitting on the "swingy sofa" in the garden. Bliss!!

I have a long way to go before I will be happy enough to use my attempts on a card though .. .. I only really want two layers to my flower and for them to be much finer and delicate.  But I will get there .. hopefully!!!

I used this You Tube video here and dread to think how many "hits" I will be responsible for!!   LOL!!

So today is St Swithun's day .. .. which supposedly means that whatever the weather is like today, we will have the same for the next forty days.  Well it is looking like we are in for a lovely, lovely forty days .. .. though I fear a hosepipe ban being on the cards and very brown lawns!!!

Another of my brides got married over the weekend.  She and her now hubby went down south to Devon to get married at Coombe Farm in a Cider Barn and had a Handfasting ceremony under the oldest oak tree in the forest.  What beautiful weather for an outdoor ceremony.

They sent me a message yesterday to say they had had a wonderful wedding weekend. 

I can't wait to see some photographs.  The bride's bouquet was made from buttons .. .. I had never seen anything like these .. .. aren't they amazing (unless you have a phobia about buttons of course - in which case don't click on the link!).

So as you can imagine this couple's invitations involved, buttons, leaves, acorn charms and a lovely rustic look.  I love coming up with invitations for themed weddings.

You would be surprised how many couples get in touch whilst on .. .. or about to start their honeymoon. Wouldn't you think they would have better things to do LOL!!!

Anyway .. .. round to my share for today .. .. and as you can see I now have my light box back up and running yay!!!

This used:

Image:  Digistamp Boutique:  Seaside Dan
Sentiment and Backing Papers:  Nitwits:  Happy Bornday (isn't that a great name for a collection)
Nestabilities:  Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle Large
ProMarkers and Chalks
Button and ribbon from my stash box
Diamond Stickles

I am going to enter this into the Digitamp Boutique Challenge for July.

Off now to try and cross some more jobs off my every increasing crafty do list.  Ooooo... I love being busy!!

Have a lovely evening everyone.  I am slowly catching up with you all.

Love

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

Hi Everyone

It looks like it is going to be a lovely day .. .. and a warm one too!!!

One of my brides got married yesterday and I have been emptying out her work boxes this morning :-(   Weird but it always makes me feel a little bit sad when I do that.  Silly really because if I am emptying her box it means her special day has arrived and she will be super happy!!!

Her colour was beautiful sunshine yellow (it must have been a lucky colour because the sunshine definitely made an appearance for her). My share today uses up some of the snippets from her boxes .. .. ..

This used:

Image:  Penny Black "3864F" Bohemian
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat .. .. I don't think this download is available anymore - I have had it years and years!
Backing Paper:  Pink Petticoat "Pinstripes"
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder:  Stylized Flowers
Spellbinders Nestabilities:  Oval and Scalloped Oval
Josy Rose:  Nail Heads
My Trusty Sewing Machine
Memento Ink:  Dandelion (Rubbed inside my Cuttlebug embossing folder before loading it up with my card)
Flowers and Ribbon 

I used the sketch from over at Sketch Saturday for my make today.  I haven't had chance to join in with this challenge for a while so it was nice to download the sketch for a play .. .. and I am also running over to share in Pixie's Crafty Snippet Challenge before the playground gates get locked!

If you fancy playing along with Sketch Saturday then here is the lovely sketch . . . defo one for using again!!!

Have a lovely weekend everyone .. .. slap that sun-cream on!!  You don't want to end up like some of the people I have seen recently .. .. red raw!!!!  Eeeeekkk!!!!

Love

OMBRE WITH DANDELION CLOCKS

Hi Everyone

I hope you are all well and haven''t melted in all this glorious sunshine we have been having.

One of the brides I have been working for got married last Saturday .. .. I bet they were able to take some amazing photographs .. .. and another gets married this Friday .. .. hopefully the weather will be equally gorgeous.  

July is certainly a busy month for me wedding wise and as you can tell from my photographs I still haven't got my light box set up again yet :-(  The table still has seating plans on it!  Two have now gone as two of my weddings finished this last week .. .. but there are still more to be done and I need the space.

But I also need some general cards in a hurry too so whilst waiting for a delivery to arrive I thought I would have a play with a new Pink Petticoat download and came up with this:

This used:

Pink Petticoat downloads:  Ombre and Dandelion Clocks
Sentiment:  Pink Petticoat:  Tiny Celebration Sentiments 
Crafter's Companion:  Die'sire "Scalloped Tags"
Sewing Machine

Pre-made Crochet Flower (but really need to find a pattern to make these!!!)

Glamour Dust .. .. that you can just about see

Brads and ribbon from my stash box

I printed the background by using the Ombre download printed in Cafe Creme onto smooth ivory cardstock and then put the printed background sheet back into the printer and this time printed the Dandelion Clocks download in Soft Truffle.  The beauty being that because of the way the designs are presented once the paper is trimmed you can made two cards.

Well my delivery still hasn't arrived .. .. it is promised to be here by 16.00hrs so not much time left!!!  Hope the driver is OK .. .. he is normally much earlier than this.

Can't wait to open the box .. .. I have ordered some goodies for making samples for some new "happy couples" that are coming on board but also added some new cardstock to experiment with for a new range ready for the next wedding fayre in October .. .. no doubt that will be here before we know it.

What else has been happening in the House of Hearts?

Well, we ate our first ripe tomato yesterday!!  Half of a small cherry tomato each .. .. gosh it was filling LOL!!!

All the crops seem to be enjoying the sunshine .. .. and the midges are enjoying nibbling at me.  Good job I am not a bride this week - I have a lovely bumpy bite on my left wrist.  Just imagine stretching your arm out to receive a wedding ring with that showing!!  I would have to learn to make one of those lovely crochet flowers quick and put it on a band to cover up the glowing monster!!!

Have a great evening everyone.

I am looking forward to the Lord Sugar interviews tonight.

Love