Bring Me Sunshine (pleeeeeease!)

After a chat last night with my crafty friend Vanessa, (sorry again, V, about bowing out of the SECC trip - grovel, grovel!) I felt inspired to try entering a challenge. And because there has been what seems like endless snow and rain around these parts lately, what better challenge to cheer one up than this week's Daring Cardmakers one, which is all about sunshine!

I've had these papers from Cosmo Cricket for quite a while and they are perfect for this! Just looking at those zingy reds and oranges is enough to warm one's cockles (whatever they are!).

It almost makes me forget about the "Brrrrrrr!!!!-Factor of it being -900 degrees outside and the car park resembling Siberia.

Ah yes, 'tis certainly a day for scrunching up on the sofa with a packet of chocolate HobNobs and a cup of tea, whilst shouting "choice" phrases at the rugby match on TV.

Which is precisely what Himself and I plan to be doing later!

(Don't) Let It Snow!!

Howdy! Well, the snow was back today, with a vengeance - bah! At least I'm in the privileged position of being able to walk to work, even though that does come with it's own set of hazards, such as developing the gait of a deformed duck as one struggles not to fall on one's fundament in the slush. And soggy socks :o(

Never mind, I've just had some cheesy pasta, I was featured in an Etsy Treasury today and sold my item, and now I'm going to craft so wahoo!

The second attempt at the Dish-wash Brush Challenge was a tad more bearable to look at when it was finished:

I love the oval sentiment stamps from SU, I might have to buy my own instead of borrowing from Julie!

A slightly more muted card:

I'm so into sage green, I could use it on everything!

My downstairs neighbour is playing his guitar just now. But in a nice way, luckily. It's actually quite soothing. I do like a bit of classical guitar of an evening!

Byee!!

A Bracing Walk

Well, I tried making a card using the colours from my washing-up brush, but the result was so abhorrently hideous it will never see the light of day. Sigh. Back to the drawing board then.

At least my camera got some fresh air on Sunday when, after a delish brekkie of buttered toast and peanut butter (smlurch!), we took a walk around Linlithgow Loch. It was absolutely Baltic but the sun was shining.

The surface of the loch had frozen, broken, then refrozen.

Birds were standing on the ice-encrusted surface.

When people began throwing bread to the birds, things went a bit crazy!

The swans remained serene (Himself took this)

He took this "action" shot too.

And this. He's just too good. Bah.

It doesn't feel like a 2.3km walk around the loch. But it is.



This was rather poignant. A Valentine for a lost loved one? :o(

I wanted to take a good snowdrops shot,
but I guess this wasn't it.

I need more practice!

By the time we'd completed our walk and returned to the car, our ears had frozen solid and fallen off, but we were able to satisfy a craving for Heinz tomato soup and cheese sandwiches back at the house and that more than helped.

In the evening I made the aforementioned rubbish card. And then a better one but I haven't taken a pic yet.

My mojo may be AWOL but at least I've got some nice new ink pads to try, in my favourite "earthy" colours:

OK, I'm off to have another go at my colour challenge. Wish me luck!

Simple Pleasures

I don't much enjoy washing my dishes. It's one of those everyday chores I put off and off until there is a teetering pile of cat-food-encrusted bowls and mould-spore-producing coffee mugs on my kitchen worktop. Not very pleasant, I know. I could probably place the whole thing in a glass case and submit it for the Turner Prize. Or better still, wash it daily and therefore be able to find a clean teaspoon whenever I need one.

So to help perk up this mind-numbing chore, I have purchased this rather pretty item:

I got it from Morrison's for 99p and they even do a matching dustpan and brush should you have a similar aversion to sweeping up stray bits of cat litter (and I do). I love the colours so much that I am going to use them to set myself a cardmaking challenge. I will make my next few cards using this eclectic mix of shades.

So there!

Sorry...

....about last times' rather moany post :o( I was just having a crisis of confidence, but that's passed now, thanks to a great cardmaking night at Kim's (where we literally laughed until we cried) and a lovely (so far) weekend. Due to work commitments today, Himself and I celebrated our Valentine's Day yesterday. After I'd spent a nice couple of hours with girly friends and their kids at a playpark, Himself took me to Peebles where we had a twilight walk along the river, quenched our thirst in a pub and then had a fab meal in a delightful restaurant called The Sunflower. We were stuffed afterwards and verrry sleepy, but it was well worth it. So thank you, Himself!

I've decided I need to start entering more card challenges. So, although I was too late to enter this one, I used the Daring Cardmakers' challenge of last week to make a card with the theme of Amethyst. I enjoyed this as I love purple. It's the new pink as far as I'm concerned.

The pics a bit dark, sorry, but I've used a lacy trim from the (cough) Laurence Llewellyn Bowen collection and a felt flower topped with a purple gem brad. I used the sketch from CPS #153 for my positioning.

At the moment I'm putting together some products with a view to trying a new sales venture, and I've enjoyed packaging up some sets of notecards and envelopes:

It's great having a colour printer after years in the monochrome wilderness! Thanks to Vanessa for helping me out there!

Because I'm feeling cheerier, I've put together another set of bright and breezy mini cards for my Etsy shop also:

Sometimes we all need a bit of a boost!

Rant, Moan, Blah.

One question I'd like to ask all of you crafters is how do you make the time to be creative? I'm in a moaning mood today and I'm getting annoyed at myself for what I feel is a constant lack of productivity. We all have the same hours in the day and I read so many blogs where people have made fab cards on a daily basis, yet I'm usually lucky to come up with one a week!

This, BTW, is this week's card:

I'd love, for instance, to keep my Etsy shop more regularly updated, and to enter challenges and to share ideas, but I always seem to prioritise a million other things over cardmaking. Has anyone got any tips regarding how they motivate themselves and make the time? Does anyone else feel guilty if they sit making cards when the toilet needs cleaning? I'm in need of advice on this one!

OK, moan over. Despite my little rant there, I've had a pleasant weekend. Himself and I began decorating his man-pad and a good few hours were spent on Saturday rollering walls and ceilings in the lounge. There is still a good way to go but at least it's a start. We didn't even fall out and start throwing paint at each other! Even better, we got to stuff our faces with pizza afterwards!

Sunday I was working so no rest for the wicked there. It was quite "invigorating" though. I'd forgotten how hectic weekends at work can be. And through all this there have been cat bowel worries (againnn - zzz!) as I hoiked Ben to the vets for the millionth time. He's so crabbit when he's there, he turns into Devil Cat within seconds. You gotta love him though. Maybe.

Sorry for the lengthy waffle tonight and lack of cards to show. Normal service should resume soon!

Waa-choo!!!

Snuffle. Snort. Parp. Etc.

Yes, people, it's that time of year again and I have a cold. A fuzzy-headed, stuffle-nosed lurgy. There was me thinking I'd escaped the nasal bugs this winter too. Oh well. It's a good excuse to bundle up cosily at home and drink Lemsip. "Yum"!

When I've not been beset by sneezing, I've been planning a class for March called Spring is Sprung, using the new range from Daisy and Dandelion entitled "Some Bunny Loves You". No pics yet but watch this space!

Elsewhere, my colleagues and I have been inspired by some Card Candy we were shown at a Stampin'Up party the other night, and I have subsequently made a selection of Baby-themed embellies:

As soon as I've purloined some acetate to back them onto, these will be a new feature in my Etsy shop. They are assembled from various bits and pieces from my stash and, once more, it's a great way of using up scraps.

OK, time to go and evacuate the nose area.

See you soon!

A Good Weekend!

Hi, I'm back in blogland after yet another unexplained abscence!

Actually it's just been a busy few days and I'm only just stopping to draw breath now. The retirement party was a good night out, with a live band and amusing conversation with friends being the main source of entertainment. Along with the retiree donning a blond pigtailed wig (the retiree was a man!) and leading the band in lively renditions of Abba numbers. In a dramatic moment of exhibitionism he flung the wig asunder and it landed with unfortunate preciseness on a lit tealight!! My reflexes were like lightening as I plucked said wig free from a firey doom. It wasn't even singed!

Oh, and I still enjoyed the evening, despite the fact I had to undergo a nightmare "someone-else-wearing-same-frock" situ. The embarrassment did not stop me from "hitting" the dance floor, although I could not bear to make eye contact with the identical-outfit-wearer. Himself said it looked better on me. That was the right thing to say!

Sunday was a quiet affair, with a pleasant, but bitterly cold walk in the nearby country park. After getting up early to watch the Federer/Murray match whilst munching toasted waffles with cream and syrup. Yurrrm!

I've realised I never showed a pic of my diary for this year, well, let me put that right!

Just a plain black diary from Asda, that I covered with Doodlebug papers and stickers from the Pretty Kitty Essentials Kit.

It matches nicely with this notebook Kim and Julie made, which, for some kind reason they gave to me:

Today I took the day off to get my car serviced, and then a kind man fixed my craft room light switch so I can now see what I'm doing - wahey!

Tonight these cute (I know, I know!) animal mini cards will be going in my shop:

The stamps are from Jolly Nation and I think they're Jolly Nice!!