Honey and Hugs

Well, hello there, I'm pleased to report that there has finally been some craftage around these parts, beginning with this set of stamped fern notecards:

And following on with a couple of cards made using the Honey and Hugs notelets from Papermania:

I've not got any of the backing papers for this range yet but I'm loving the notelets - this range is sooooo c...(banned word!)!!!! The Hug embellishment is from the Cricut Paper Pups cartridge and is not part of the notelet, I must add.

Also a set of tags for my shop using purple and orange stuff:

And that's about it really. Geoffrey hasn't seen the light of day yet, but Frank has been enjoying the view from the window:

The other furry residents of Mushroom Towers, however, are less than impressed with the new boy:

Ben: "Gruh!"

Corrie: "Yawn!"

Join me next time for another "exciting" instalment! (Yes, I really have lost the plot now!)

Colours Galore

I just love collecting different colours of card and paper.

I'm lucky that my job enables me to do that quite nicely.

It's good to see some spring-like shades coming in!

I am going to help Himself to decorate his flat. So yesterday we B&Q'd. H is depressed at the thought but I am going to be his Motivator as I enjoy painting. I don't think he'll let me loose with a palette of colours like those above though!

Today I feel like I don't want to leave my craft room. I'm making tags. Cup of orange mocha coffee beside me. Feet on a hot water bottle. It's a good feeling but I'm going to have to tear myself away in order to make curried parsnip and coconut soup for tomorrow's lunch. Plus, I have eye strain in the crepuscular gloom. I really have to get that light switch fixed soon!

Using Up Scraps...

...by making Valentine's tags. Only problem is, I'm now left with even smaller scraps! I'll have to make some mini tags!

I can't believe the week is whizzing by so fast. The weekend was very enjoyable, with the housewarming party turning into a reunion of schoolfriends who have known each other for nearly quarter of a century (scary!) and a comparison of hideous hairstyles we have all "sported" in the dim and distant past. My "friends" particularly like to remind me of my "Leo Sayer" phase, when I had a very unfortunate perm. Why does no one tell us at the time how bad these things look??? At least, for some, it was not long before they went The Way of The Straightener. It took me somewhat longer to be enlightened, sadly.

And, yes, there are photos but they are not for viewing by those of a nervous disposition!

Love Is In The Air...

The light switch in my craft room met it's death last night and that's mildly annoying, as for the time being I will have to craft by lamplight. I can feel some eye strain coming on.

Never mind, the snow is melting ( a bit) and the sun is shining wanly and last night I came out of enforced hibernation to go to Card Night at Kim's.

Where I made 7 cards.

Woo!

Continuing the wedding/anniversary/romance theme:

All made using Cosmo Cricket Everafter papers and embellishments from the Paper Company Studio.

I think the reason for the success was that we decided to have no nibbles all evening, which allowed us to focus purely on the crafting.

Or maybe I was just on a roll, which doesn't happen very often!

Tonight I'm off to a housewarming party which is also a Christmas-present-you-liked-least-swapping party.

Which gives me a dilemma.

Because I liked all my presents :o(

Error 99???!!!

Just stopping in briefly tonight to show a couple of pics while I can. My camera froze yesterday when I was using it and the code ERR 99, which has a vague sense of foreboding about it, came up on the screen :o( I went straight on the phone to my friend who has a Canon-owning husband and he told me a couple of things to try. Which seem to have worked. Phew. For the moment. I've just got my camera baaaacckk! Don't fail me now, trusty camera, I need you!

Ahem.

Anyway, photos...

These were made using a range of embellishments from The Paper Company Studio, which just so happened to be a perfect match for the Everafter papers from Cosmo Cricket. I've got loads to use as well, so expect a few more like this!

The other cards I'm currently working on are commissions so I will show them when they have been dispatched! With regards to felt critters I have one in the production line. He's green and he's going to be called Geoffrey. And hopefully he'll be better-stuffed than his counterpart!

OK, I am just rambling now. I must go and partake of my current favourite "tipple", which is Morrison's Keg Shandy.

Classy, eh?

Let Me Be Frank...

Yay!!

I am reunited with my trusty camera so all is well (fingers crossed)!

I know Christmas is sooo last year, but I just want to share a couple of the handmade items I was given:

A fabby Yuletide log made by the fair hand of kennel-owning friend Michelle. I've told her she needs to go into business making these!

And the selection of goodies I received from my "Secret" Santa, who was in fact Kim. Such a lot of work went into these.

I got a lot of other lovely pressies too. The cat book has been put to good use, although there has not been much sign of intelligence from my two so far!

OK, so enough about Christmas! Now onto the next big event, which is, of course, Valentine's Day. My project for Daisy and Dandelion this month is my version of a wee basket I've seen on some stamping sites and I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out. There are some really lovely projects from the other girls too. Makes me feel quite romantic! (!!)

Talking of romance, Himself not only willingly sat through Notting Hill with me on Saturday evening, he was the one who actually suggested it! I was quite impressed!

It was a pleasant weekend, marred only by yet more feline bowel unfortunateness :o( I've read that owning cats is supposed to reduce your chances of having a heart attack by a third. I'm inclined to disagree. The stress mine cause me is likely to send me to an early grave (or at least a headful of grey hair!)

Perhaps a cat like this might be slightly less trouble to own:

Meet Frank.

He's my first attempt at making a felt critter and although he could do with a tad more stuffing, I think there is something cutely devilish about him. He is a prototype for, I hope, more felt creations so watch this space...

Right, I'm off to stir a huge vat of Quorn chilli that will hopefully see me through the week.

Byeee!!

Still Here!

Still no camera :o(

But while we've all been basking in this balmy heatwave (cough) I've not been slacking, no, indeedy. The enforced hibernation of this last week or so means that I've got cards and a felt creature to show, but, as yet, no photos - sob!

The arrival of new spring stock in the shop has perked us up; I'm particularly fond of Papermania's Honey & Hugs range which features owls, sheep, piggies and chicks. I would use the word "cute" but I'm not allowed to, I'm on a ban :o(

Nothing much to report here really. I've just collected Corrie's medicine from the vets and slipped in the car park, which was hurtful to my pride, although a small boy did ask me if I was OK, with genuine concern and no sign of a smirk, which touched me greatly. It's a pity I was a bit abrupt in my reply as I got up from the ground, nursing my embarrassment. Oops!

Now because I have no fresh photos to show, I thought I'd step down memory lane and find a pic of what was on my craft desk this time two years ago:

My cardmaking was still very much in it's infancy and, as you can tell, I didn't have a very good paper trimmer - those rough edges! But I loved making animal toppers and I think this one is quite cute! (Oops, that's a pound in the swearbox!) I might start "dabbling" in that again!

See you soon - hopefully with some new pics!

Happy New Year!!

Hello All, I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and a great New Year! Mine were very pleasant indeed; on Crimbly Day I went to my parents' and made my non-meat-eating Dad and I Melty Mushroom Wellingtons to go with Mum's delish veggies. I didn't take a photo but the pastry parcels were near enough the size of Bolivia and there was hardly room for anything else on the plate. We didn't let that stop us though!

Hogmanay was spent with Himself and friends, playing the Wii, eating curried rice crackers (yum!) and watching the fireworks that were going off at Edinburgh Castle.

And of course, all through this there has been snow :o(

Will it ever end?

No matter, I've found some photos to show you even though I don'thave my camera yet..

My Daisy and Dandelion New Year projs:

A Birthday Book for recording all those important dates, and a wallet to keep the book and a pen in:

And a New Year's Party Invitation card with a secret flap:

You'll find these and the other team members' fantastic projects here .

Also, here are a couple of the pressies I made:

I drew a piccie to decorate a memo block for my dog-owning friend.

And made a calendar look a bit like an iphone for my, er, iphone-owning uncle:

And a handbag calendar for my - you've guessed it! - handbag-loving friend:

I hope everyone enjoyed receiving these gifts as much as I enjoyed making them!