Much Ado About Paper

Folksy Friday - Keyring Creativity!

2012-01-27T00:14:00.000-08:00

As I've recently added keyrings to my repertoire, I thought it might be nice to explore the diverse range of keyrings available on Folksy. Quite a few caught my eye, all very different in style but all equally appealing.

First off, campervan keyrings by LOVEFelts

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Handpainted slate by Sue Kyte

Crotcheted owl by Daisy Beth

Flourite Leaping Fish by NOfkants Curios

Butterflies by MadeWithLove X

Applique Fabric Cupcake by Plum Pockets

A lovely selection, I'm sure you'll agree. I wish I had lots of keys so I could have them all!

MMOM - The Return!

2012-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, after going AWOL from this nice weekly get-together, I have once again decided to join in with Meet Me On Monday! So, without further ado, this week I'm:

Making - Flowery cards, like this one, which would be suitable for birthdays, Mother's Day and Easter!

and

cat-themed notepads!

Eating - Mint chocolate cupcakes, made by me, but from a cheaty packet mix!

Listening - to this fab track by Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know"

Shopping - On Folksy and in charity shops! So much more satisfying than buying in high street stores!

Liking - the fact that the days are already lengthening

Reading - Wild Swans by Jung Chang, it's been on my wish list for years!

Watching - Call The Midwife, have read the book and it was excellent, the series is shaping up well too!

Have a great week everyone, be back soon!

Fruity Fiddlings!

2012-01-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoonage! Well, it's snowing on and off here but not lying yet, not sure what's going to happen overnight; will we wake up to a white world tomorrow? I did have a day of charity shop shopping planned for tomorrow but if necessary I shall just hibernate and craft!

I'm working on a range of sports-ball-themed cards and they're off to a good start - the golf one sold on folksy this morning!!

One of my fave items on the New Year Nutters listing today was this fruity purse by Edwina:

It's on my wish list and I think it would go well with the fruity keyring I listed today:

Finally, I just had to include a gem of a pic I found on Pinterest for all you dog-lovers:

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Pinterest

So pleased with himself!!

Non-Frozen Freezer

2012-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Bwurrr, there's a fair nip in the air round these parts at the mo! Apart from in my freezer, which malfunctioned yesterday, thawing all my Quorn products and the batch-cooked veggie casseroles I'd been keeping for those can't-be-bothered-to-cook days. Bah! The freezer seems to be working now and at least there weren't any expensive cuts of meat in it, but I hate waste of any kind, sob. I would have been better to store all my food outside, no chance of it melting out there!!!

I've been getting really into Pinterest; I'm verging on addicted, in fact, and at the end of last week I made these yummy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies after finding the recipe during a random pin-browse. There seem to be a lot of recipes on there which involve peanut butter. This I like!!

Nom!

There are more cakey things adorning this set of Valentine's notepads that is currently in my Folksy shop:

Getting hungry yet???

Folksy Friday - Nifty Nutters!

2012-01-13T01:42:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to Friday! I'm just about to add my listing for the New Year Nutters on Folksy and thought I would share with you some of the talented sellers who have caught my eye during my time in the daily listings club!

This has been inspired by my first purchase of the year; when I saw it I just couldn't resist, I had to have it!

Guess what this contains?

Cute, eh?

I can't decide whether to keep this for myself or gift it to someone! Either way, I must thank Jax at Gems Designs for this piece of prettiness!

So, other sellers whose items I find myself drawn to are:

Aunty Joan Crafts

Michele Webber Paintings

All stunning items, I'm sure you'll agree!

Have a great weekend!

Baby Cards Galore!

2012-01-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Helloings!!! And here we are again at the start of another week! Back to work and school for most, already the festive period seems a distant memory!!! But I've spent more than 20 hours crafting over the last week, which is more than I usually manage, so I'm quite chuffed!!

The New Years Nutters daily Folksy listings club is keeping me focussed and there are some really lovely items appearing there courtesy of other talented Nutters; I really must do a showcase of some of these soon!

Card-wise, it's all been about babies and christenings recently:

A wee bit tricky to come up with different ideas but I think they turned out OK!!

And a big batch of doggy/catty bookmarks ensured I used up lots of scraps!

OK, better dash, I've got a custom order to work on this evening; wish I could overcome the craving for some marzipan-filled chocolate bar though!!!!

A Windy Week!

2012-01-06T02:58:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I hope you didn't blow away in those horrible gales. Fingers crossed, I think Mushroom Cottage got off lightly although I have some dodgy-looking wet patches on my kitchen ceiling again! :(

It's been a pleasant week despite the weather. I completed and sold my big card order yesterday and I also purged my wardrobe which felt REALLY good! There's nothing like a clear-out to freshen the mind! Of course it means I've made room for new stuff but as I'm not an impulse buyer it will probably take a while to fill up again!

Card-wise, I came up with a design that I think would be suitable for Easter, Mother's Day, birthdays or general Thinking of You greetings!

And my Little Owls have turned all Valentines Day!

I have a full day of crafting planned for today - and it's 11.00 already so I'd better get started!

Hello 2012!

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 everyone, sorry I'm just checking in now but yesterday was a non-crafty catch-up-on-sleep and take-a-much-needed-walk-to-reduce-large-waistline day!! Hope you've all had a great start to the year. I'm looking forward to some intensive crafting, keeping my shops filled and hopefully getting lots of card orders!

I'm also looking forward to using my diary and calendar for the year:

And I'm undertaking the daily listings challenge on Folksy so I am now officially a New Year Nutter!!

My first listing was from my new range of Valentine's Day cards - it's not too early for those, is it???

I've not made any resolutions except to spend as much time as possible being Crafty Mushroom, and also to be more appreciative and grateful every day!

Whatever you have planned for the year ahead, good luck and best wishes!!

Bye Bye 2011!

2011-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

It may only be 3pm but it's SOOO dark outside, it feels like the middle of the night! Not conducive to taking good photos but I have a couple of "themed" cards to show:

For a rambler!

For an accountant!

For an airline worker!

I enjoy building up a collection of designs to keep in my "repertoire" - next time I'm asked to make an accountants card I'll have a design to hand!!

I'm always late to catch onto things, but I've just discovered Pinterest - fascinating stuff - I can tell I'm going to spend a lot of time over there from now on!!! Can't wait to start building my own pinboards!!

And so, another crafting year draws to a close. I hope you've all had a great creative twelve months. I certainly know what I'd like to achieve during the next twelve. It's an exciting journey!

Happy Hogmanay everyone, see you in 2012!!!! :)

Lazy Lingerings

2011-12-28T03:38:00.000-08:00

Howdy, peeps, how was your Christmas? I hope you all had a lovely time; I certainly did and I'm very grateful for that! Too much was eaten, too much was drunk, too little exercise was taken, so the waistline has expanded, but that's what new year's resolutions are for, eh?!!

I don't tend to give a lot of gifts at Christmas (bah humbug!!!), mainly because I NEVER know what to get anybody and as a result usually give something very uninspiring. The people that get presents for me, however, never seem to have that problem, and I received a very lovely array of goodies.

These included gorgeous toiletries to pamper myself with, some cute Pip items, a photography course (which is so thoughtful of Himself because I don't know how to use my camera properly!), a lovely lantern and lots of handy wee stocking fillers courtesy of Himself's mum. Thanks to everyone, I hope the presents you received went down as well!

As is usual after all the festivities, I'm feeling VERY lazy and completely lacking routine, so today I plan to chain myself to my craft desk and remain there until productive things are achieved. I have a large card order to fulfill by the 8th January so I need to get my act together!!

I'm not one to hit the sales (I accompanied Himself to the shops on a shoe-buying mission yesterday and it was frankly, headache-inducing, although he did treat me to a nice meal afterwards!) but craft-wise I couldn't resist a pack of pretty sticky notes that had been reduced in Sainsbury's! I made them into little books so they might make a good stocking-filler for next year!

Right, no more messing about - it's time to CREATE!!!! :)

Nearly There...

2011-12-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

I've not been making much lately, caught up as I am in the seemingly never-ending Christmas preparations. This afternoon I did have a big sort-out of my stock ready for the new year as I'm planning to join a daily listings club on Folksy in order to get my shop filled up! I've not done one of these for a while but it's high time I was disciplined in my listing! I've also put aside a pile of images to work my way through and make things with, so that should keep me out of mischief!

Tonight I'm planning a quiet night in with the cat and a glass of wine and box of chocolates before the festivities properly begin!I hope everyone has a fantastically Happy Christmas, see you again soon! xxx

Weekend Wonders

2011-12-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed a very pleasant weekend, starting with my work night out on Saturday night (a tasty meal, bit of merriment and lots of dancing!)and yesterday Himself and I treated ourselves to a curry and then to the cinema to see a film/documentary that I'd heard about that really intrigued me - "Dreams of A Life". Unfortunately I can't post a link to any details because Blogger is playing up, but it's worth checking out. Himself and I don't usually come out of films deep in discussion; it's more like "So what did you think of that?" "S'alright." But this time we did have plenty of comments to make! It really makes you think!

Card-wise, here's a commission for someone who's worked in a variety of professions!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Winding Down...

2011-12-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

So my tree is up, along with a few meagre decorations. I've only got a few more cards to write and post and a couple of pressies to make. I've got a cinnamony-scented wax tart to burn later and a glass of mulled wine to slurp. There are pine cones and baubles scattered about the place and I've been thinking about what veggie treat I could make as a turkey alternative on the big day. I made this tonight and it's quite tasty but not very festive.

I'm as Christmassed as I'm ever going to be!

This card is one I made for a recent commission, all drawn from scratch:

In the run up to the festivities I'm planning to wind down my crafting and my shops, and just take some time to chillax, but not for long because I've already got some ideas for next year!

Sweetie Pouches

2011-12-10T07:41:00.001-08:00

There have been sniffles 'n snow hindering progress here at Mushroom Cottage over the last few days. I've been too preoccupied with trying to keep my feet warm and dosing myself with Lemsip to do much crafting. However, I did feel a tad creative yesterday and, when I spotted this template for cute sweetie pouches, I knew I had to make some to take along to an evening of chat 'n pizza with the crafty girls.

They went down a treat and can be easily adapted for any occasion!

They went down a treat I think!

I've also got a couple more jute bags on the go:

And tonight I'm planning nothing more than an evening of mulled wine, mince pies and X Factor! Hope you're all having a great weekend!

New Projects

2011-12-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Now that the year's craft fairs are all done and dusted, it's now time to concentrate on other projects, such as my Folksy and Etsy shops. I plan to rethink my stock, and this will include making sure I have available all my card designs, including this new-style baby card:

As you can see, this card can be personalised and it's also available in a boy version!

That's not to say I won't be making other items, such as these Holly gift tags:

I hope you all have a great week and don't get too much snow!!

Folksy Free Listings!

2011-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Folksy is having a free listings day today so I thought I'd take the chance to make some cards using a selection of toppers I created a while back.

Things are running a little slower than normal on Folksy; I would imagine there's a LOT of people trying to list items all at once!

But who would pass up the chance of a freebie?? Not me! :)

Craft Fair Creations!

2011-11-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

When I've not been making soup (lentil and mango - mmm!) or rushing off for long hot baths to combat this chilly weather, I've been working hard to get lots of products ready for the craft fair but it's been great fun coming up with new items for the Crafty Mushroom "range"!

First up, magnetic memo pad holders for the fridge:

And long shopping list pad versions specifically aimed at pet owners!!

And, using the same wee animal characters, a few keyrings, for pet owners that know their place!

I wonder how these will go down at the fair? If nothing else I might just have sorted out a few Christmas presents!

Post-it Crazy!

2011-11-25T10:46:00.000-08:00

With just over a week to go until the next Craft Fair, I decided it was high time I made some more stock! So I've been going a bit post-it crazy!

These cute little post-it books are inspired by this clever lady and are great fun to make!

I tried to make some bigger ones too, but the post-its were quite heavy and kept unsticking from the backing card so I decided to hold them in place with a bookring instead:

I've also been making loads of other things; no pics yet, but they are items in the same "vein" as this little calendar:

Right, I'd better get back to work. Those papercrafts won't make themselves you know!! :)

Cards Completed

2011-11-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of recent card commissions:

Hopefully the recipients will be happy with them!

A Wee Extra

2011-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've decided that the next three people to purchase from my Etsy shop will receive a set of cute animal mini notecards absolutely FREE!

The cards measure 4" x 3", are blank inside and there will be four designs similar to those shown in the pic. Envelopes will also be provided and there will be no additional postage charge for the item!

Happy shopping!

Steamy Windows!

2011-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

I picked up my new business cards and sticky labels today - woohoo! They feature my wee mushroom character and I can't wait to start using them!

I've got one jute bag and set of notecards completed, using nice wee butterfly wording tags from Craftwork Cards:

I really need to do something about the condensation on my windows!!

Cosy At Home

2011-11-13T06:54:00.001-08:00

I'm having a Cosy At Home day today, which means a nice lie-in, leisurely lunch (spinach and mushroom mini pizzas), crafty afternoon, an Irish Coffee, pasta for dinner and, later on, (hopefully) a bubble bath and X Factor! It's nice to have At Home days once in a while!

Craft-wise, I'm playing with felt again as I've decided to make more jute bag notecard gifts because they've sold well recently. Photos to follow...

Meantime, I've made another two sets of tealight gift packs:

Christmas Berry-Scented

and Cupcake Cinnamon-Scented

They're great fun to make!

Enjoy the rest of the day folks!

Muffs and Bings! (?)

2011-11-10T11:54:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy couple of days. I was helping a friend at her Bags, Jewellery and Accessories charity sale event yesterday and took along some of my tealight gift packs ; they were all snapped up pretty quickly but I forgot to take a photo of them beforehand - doh! There was some lovely stuff available. One item I had my eye on was something like this:

I thought they were fab but when I tried a pair on they just didn't suit me :( Pity, they would be just the thing to keep my lugs cosy!!

I said I'd show some photos of the walk Himself and I took last Sunday - we visited the landscape-dominating "bings"; huge piles of spent shale which are the result of extensive mining in the area for shale oil during the last century. Now nature has taken control and they're starting to grass over but the bright orange colour does lend an unearthly ambience.

It's a very popular location for motocross riders and quad bikes - they were whizzing about all over the place!

And once again, it was superb weather!

Today I've been approving the proofs of my new-style business cards and labels which should hopefully be ready soon - very exciting!

Meet Me On Monday #14

2011-11-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

My Uncle has recently moved into a new "pad" so I made him a card to wish him well; he's a big Doctor Who fan so I just had to incorporate this theme!

Not that I'm insinuating that A) His new place is anything like the TARDIS or B) My Uncle resembles in any way, shape or form the alien in the drawing! Just thought I'd better clear that up!

Himself and I took advantage of the lovely sunny weather this weekend to visit two very interesting places in my local area. I was inspired to take my camera on both occasions.

The pics I'll show tonight are from our visit to Bangour Village Hospital. I have a great interest in Urban Exploration and even though we didn't get to go inside any of the decrepit buildings, it was fascinating to wander around the extensive grounds of this abandoned hospital and to imagine it when it was fully operational!

I'll post pics of our second outing next time!

And now it's time for

Meet Me On Monday #14

This week I shall be...

MAKING: Lots of tags with Christmas Cupcakes on them!

EATING: More fruit and veg than I have of late. I think I've been eating too much brown and beige recently; it's time to reintroduce some colour!

DRINKING: Anything but coffee as I seem to have gone off it. Again.

PAMPERING: Myself with some new skin products to combat winter dryness and wrinkles!

BAKING: Absolutely nothing after the Whoopie Pie disaster last week. Bleh! Shop-bought cakes it is then! :(

HOPING: I get to meet up with a friend for a girly natter!

Join in here and have a great week!

Window Dressing!

2011-11-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was able to be a bit creative in my day job (at an optician's) this week, when I was asked to do a window display for kid's spec frames. So I brought some bits from home and set to work and was quite pleased with the result.

I covered each shelf with bright-coloured paper, added a card featuring my fairy princess design to the "girl's" shelf, a card featuring my robots to the "boys" shelf, and I made some paper bunting and a sign. I think the bunting came out pretty well! Hopefully it will catch people's attention!

Also this week, a crowd of friendly-looking monsters have found their way onto my desk:

They will be appearing on a new set of cards soon!

Cupcake Delights!

2011-10-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you, readers, for the various suggestions as to how best to manage my, er, wind problem at the craft fair the other day! Sadly, perhaps my bean-induced billowings did keep people away as my wee stall didn't do quite as well as it has on other occasions! Never mind, it was a fun day, the fair as a whole was busy and there were lots of lovely crafty people there to chat to! Roll on the Christmas Fair!!

Yesterday, Himself and I were out rambling around in the countryside (as we do) and we came across a little gem of a place called the Cupcake Cafe Bar! We just had to sample the wares and we could hardly bear it when we came to the last mouthful!

On the subject of cupcakes, I couldn't not mention the delish banoffi cupcake I bought from this lady who had the stall next to mine at the fair. It was to die for and made the perfect treat to cheer me up when I got home after the event! So it's been a heavenly cupcake weekend!

Now, onto Meet Me On Monday #13 !!

This week I'll be...

Eating: Onion bhajis, vegetable pakora, samosas and naan bread left over from curry night, with lashings of mango chutney - yum!!

Drinking: Another flavoured cider by Magner's - Spiced Honey and Apple - slurp!

Buying: Ingredients to make Whoopie Pies as I really fancy trying it!

Making: Christmas tealight gift sets, once I've bought the tealights!

Listening to: For the first time, my music collection on an Ipod lent by my Dad - yes, he's embraced the technology of the 21st century quicker than I have!

Printing: New business cards and labels for Crafty Mushroom - that's the plan anyway!

Join in with MMOM here!

Bean-Induced Blushes!

2011-10-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had a productive day, finishing off notepads for the craft fair I'm attending tomorrow. I made some long ones for those Christmas lists:

And you can never have too many cupcakes so here's another:

I've also made use of some pre-patterned notepads from Studio G, by adding my own embellishments:

I think I'm all set, packed up and ready to go. Only thing is, it's been a day of comfort food-eating and I'm beginning to wish I hadn't consumed so many beans (baked ones on toast for lunch and butter beans in a veggie curry for dinner!) This could have some unfortunate consequences for any potential punters visiting my stall tomorrow and also for my fellow crafters who have to share the hall with me!

PARRRRP! (oops, sorry!) :)

Shoes 'n Bags!

2011-10-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

I had some girly birthday cards to make this week so I went with the old shoes 'n bags theme -

After all, I'm sure there aren't many girlies out there who don't like shoes or bags or both!! (I hope!)

Meet Me On Monday 12

2011-10-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Evening All! The nights are fair drawing in but I have my trusty hot water bottle underfoot, the blinds drawn and I'm ready to create! That's if I can get my printer to work as it's been giving me some problems lately :( Don't let me down, technology! Especially as I'm just about to make personalised Christening cards available in my shop!!

Now, without further ado, on with this week's....

Meet Me On Monday!

Over the next seven days I'm going to be -

Making: A final lot of stock for this event on Saturday! More long notepads waiting to be decorated and calendars to be bagged!

Drinking: Spiced pear and ginger cider; one of several autumnally-flavoured ciders I hope to sample on these cold, dark nights!

Watching: Tonight, a programme called Mummifying Alan. I'm a bit weird and am interested in things like this!!

Reading: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson. I read the first book in the trilogy earlier this year and was hooked. Great bathtime reading!!

Wearing: Cosy knitwear - once I've bought some! Nothing in my wardrobe feels warm enough at the moment!

Remembering: That I've also listed some Little House gift tags in the shop - great for making New Home cards!

You can join in with MMOM here - it's great fun!!

Love It When a Plan Comes Together!

2011-10-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

I love it when a day's productive, I really do! Once I'd got my food shopping done, I put the heater on in my craft room and there I stayed, making things.

My pig characters have been revamped:

As have my robins:

And frogs:

I've also managed to fix a problem with my printer, and I've just enjoyed a lovely, unhealthy dinner of nachos (yum!) and homemade Chocolate and Chestnut Tart.

I'm now preparing to light a scented candle and curl up on the couch to watch Kirsty's Handmade Britain!

Bye all!

Meet Me On A Monday #11

2011-10-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

This week I will be/have been:

Wishing: It would stop raining as Mushroom Cottage is in danger of being washed away!

Eating: Mushroom Stroganoff - yum! And fajitas - double yum!

Drinking: Vanilla-flavoured coffee out of my Pip the Cat mug.

Watching: My cat playing with his toy, even though he's 14 - cute!

Making: Notepads galore!

Visiting: The National Museum of Scotland with Himself then taking a lovely walk through the Meadows in Edinburgh, with the autumn sunshine dappling through the trees and russet leaves fluttering down from their branches as we passed. Sigh. I do like autumn.

Feel free to join in with MMOAM here !

Time Is Flying

2011-10-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

More extra days worked this week, a now-unwonky floor, and a mammoth sort-out of my book collection - it's all added up to a very fast week!! I have been making things but the pesky ever-darkening evenings aren't conducive to good photo-taking, plus most of my cards have been commissions, so there's not much I can show you.

I did put together a quick baby card using cute elements from Buzzcraft:

I just added the bow for a finishing touch.

And, once again, it is the weekend. I hope you all have a lovely one!

Not Enough Hours...

2011-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my recent lack of blogging, folks; extra hours at work and unexpected happenings in day-to-day life (including needing to get a man in to sort out my wonky floor!) have somewhat compromised my crafting output. Even a Crafting 'n Chinese night with my ex-Paper Mill Shop colleagues didn't actually, er, involve any crafting!! Sigh. I just can't wait to get some time at my desk to create!!!

When I did allow myself 2 McSquillionths of a millisecond to put pen to paper, I worked on some designs that I hope will be suitable for Christening cards:

I've taken to using some fab watersoluble metallic pencils given to me by my Uncle for my birthday. They apparently look brilliant on dark paper but I haven't had time to try that yet!

I am trying to add more hours to my day though - I've recently reduced my TV package so I'll get less channels and can't record anything! Hopefully less choice of things to watch will mean more time spent crafting!

That's the plan anyway!!!

Cake Overload!

2011-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Brrr! What wild, wet, windy, absolutely freezing weather we're having today!! I had to dig out my gloves and scarf for the first time, but at least the sun has made some appearances! I have overdone the coffee ' n cake today, treating myself to cappucino and scone whilst out and about this morning, and this afternoon I travelled over to Fife to meet my friend Michelle, and we had more cappucino and huge slabs of Victoria sponge at Potter About in Burntisland. My waistline will remind me of that tomorrow!

We had a good natter and we swopped birthday pressies. My card to her featured my pig design as she keeps two of the critters (as well as various other farmyard species!):

There'll be no more cake for me today, instead it's a healthy stir fry for tea and fruit for dessert! To get me in the mood I've made some fruity bookmarks:

These will be listed in my shop later!

My Weekend

2011-10-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Helloings! I told you I'd return with a quick recap of my weekend, so here it is!

SATURDAY

morning - work

afternoon - crafting

evening - Elvis! A retirement do for a colleague, held in a local pub, with a meal (I think I may have unwittingly eaten meat, the lentil soup tasted suspiciously "hammy" - horrors!!) and much boogieing on the dance floor! (My middle-aged, male boss, bopping around to "Sex on Fire" - now, there's a sight I didn't think I'd ever see!) The Elvis tribute act was extremely good and I discovered a liking for "the King's" music that I didn't know I had! My retiring colleague had palpitations with the excitement of it all, I drank Coca Cola all night, took several drunk people home in my car and got about 4 hours sleep. Pleh.

SUNDAY

morning - Up at crack of dawn to support Himself and his siblings who were taking part in the Great Edinburgh Run. I wasn't running, no, no no; indeed, we had to run for the bus to take us there and that just about killed me! Once I'd got my breath back and stopped seeing black spots in front of my eyes, we met up with his brothers and sister, they rather fetchingly attired themselves in bin bags to keep them dry in the pouring rain until the start of the race, then they were off! I chased round half of Edinburgh to take photos and videos of them at strategic points along the route, but, alas, I didn't make it back in time to see them cross the finish line! Doh! Well done, though, guys!!

afternoon - Coffee and cake at Craigie's farm with Himself's family. We were spellbound by the cuteness of Himself's little nephew, but the proceedings were curtailed when I had to take H's sister to the airport before she missed her flight.

evening - Had a table at latest Matalan fashion show charity event. Sold quite a few notepads. Ate more cake. Came home. I was beyond tiredness at this point but still had orders to package before falling into bed!

So that's my blow-by-blow account of the weekend! Luckily, I have been taking it a little easier since and have been doing some gentle crafting. And tonight I've listed my newest creation - Christmas Owl gift tags!

Sorry about the greenish tinge to the photo - I don't know what's going on there, but it's making me rather queasy!!

Now I'm off to put my feet up!

Meet Me on a Monday 9

2011-10-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was a whirling maelstrom of activity and rushing from one thing to another (and not getting very much sleep) so I am somewhat exhausted tonight and looking forward to curling up on the sofa to watch my recordings of X-Factor. I'll give more details of my weekend happenings in another post, when I'm feeling more energetic and my brain can string a coherent thought together!

Meantime, it's:

Meet Me On A Monday!!

This week I shall be...

MAKING Lots of little paper critters, hopefully - including piggies

and angel cats:

as well as more Christmas notepads as these have proved popular.

COOKING A Quorn, coconut and chilli curry - yum!

WEARING A nice tunic dress with my leggings; I found it in a charity shop and am well-chuffed!

WATCHING The highlights of the Great Edinburgh Run - more about that next time.

MEETING Crafty friends for an evening of Chinese food and chat - yay!

If you want to join in with MMOAM, have a look here

Back soon with more Mushroomy madness!

Lots Happening!

2011-09-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

There's nothing I like better (well, actually, there are a few things I like better but I won't go into those on a blog that children might read!) than to sit down with a pile of plain notepads and turn them into something cute:

Feeling Fruity?

Christmas Cupcakes!

Also on my workdesk today are some happy frogs:

Useful for whipping up a "Hoppy Birthday" card or two!!

And in the design stages, an "angel cat", which I thought might work on a pet sympathy card perhaps:

I'm showing all these photos today because I might be AWOL for a few days; a busy weekend coming up, including an Elvis tribute night (!), a 10k run (not me, I hasten to add, I'm just supporting Himself!) and a craft sale, so it'll be all go!

I'm off now to make up to my cat for the fact that I thought I'd set his automatic food dish to open while I've been out all day - in fact, there wasn't a battery in it so the poor wee soul has starved for hours! Honestly, he's already had one brush with death recently!! I'm a bad, bad owner!!

Byee!

Another Week!

2011-09-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a fabby weekend. I know I did! I met up with my old schoolfriends on Saturday night for tapas and chatting. We were supposed to go and see a film too, but the chatting took over and was way more fun! Somehow we always manage to dredge up the memories of the hideous hair"styles" we all had, and my "Leo Sayer" phase causes the most hilarity! Well, we've all had bad perms, haven't we???!?

Yesterday Himself treated me to lunch at the veggie bistro Henderson's in Edinburgh for my birthday, and although he felt he wasn't given enough falafels with his pitta bread, I was more than happy with my spicy bean pate and quiche! Then the poor soul had to drag round every shop on Princes Street with me whilst I searched for the shoulder bag of my dreams (my pressie from him). Unfortunately I didn't find it at that time so the search continues!

I can show you the cards I made for my aunt's birthday now as it's been and gone:

I'm not a great one for decoupage, but this range is pretty!

And here are my fave Tweet Twoo stamps again!

I hope she liked them.

Now as it's Monday it must be time for.....

Meet Me On A Monday!

This week I'm:

MAKING: A card for someone who's passed their British Sign Language exam - now there's a challenge!

EATING: Too much spicy food - blurrgh!

READING: An intriguing thriller called The Cypress House.

WATCHING: Both weekend episodes of the X Factor in one go!

DRINKING: Peppermint Tea - good for bloaty tummy after too much spicy food! (see EATING!)

VISITING: My Dad, so that we can both inpsire each other in creative projects!

If you want to join in with MMOAM visit this blog!

Catch up with you later!!

Today's Makes

2011-09-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've really got into the swing of making calendars!

I don't think I've ever used so much ribbon in my life but it's made me realise how much I like grosgrain - I'll have to stock up!!

I've also, randomly, made some cheerful-looking fruit:

This is definitely more than my 5-a-day!!

EDIT - I wonder if the eagle-eyed amongst you might notice that I've made a boo-boo and stuck a 2011 calendar on the ladybird one! I've only just spotted that - Oopsy!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2011-09-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

It's my burfday today and it's been very lovely so far. My parents treated me to lunch and I've received some fab gifts and some nice cards and messages from friends and family. I don't worry about getting older, I'm just grateful to have been around for another year, and I think about what I hope to achieve in the next one!

Himself knows me too well, because last time we were in a gift shop I gushed about this little character:

Cute cat and coffee - perfect combo!!

Luncheon was a carvery; my non-meat-eating Dad and I opted for the broccoli and brie parcel and piled our plates high with the veggies - always a winner! And the desserts were to die for:

We were stuffed after the main course, but "somehow" we managed to force this sort of thing down!

I'm going to give myself the night off from crafting and go for a long bath and even longer drink of toffee apple cider instead!!

Meet Me On Monday

2011-09-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Whilst perusing some lovely crafty blogs, I came across this great idea - Meet Me On A Monday - which involves sharing some thoughts and happenings from the weekend and the week ahead with other people. They're already 7 weeks in, so I hope they won't mind little old me joining them now!

So this week I'm...

Making: 2012 Calendars - it's not too early, is it??

Listening To: Snow Patrol. I love Called Out In The Dark, even though he appears to be singing about "a choir of beautiful cheese"!

Wearing: Two hoodies, one on top of the other. Cold? Moi?

Drinking: Anything that can be made as a result of boiling water in a kettle. (I'm not cold - honestly!)

Remembering: That the man is coming to check my boiler this week. Woo Hoo! Not that I'm cold just now, or anything....

Join in the fun over on Jumbleberries blog!

Cold = Creative!

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've got the Bank Holiday off work today - wooo! - so I've been happily crafting away for most of it. It's a tad chilly though, so I've felt the need to consume hot liquids continually (coffee, soup, drinking chocolate) and I have my HWB in place under the tootsies.

I do find that the decrease in temperature does make it easier to get focussed on those festive items, such as these gingerbread man tags:

I've even made a start on some 2012 calendars by covering squares of chipboard in patterned paper:

Now, the fun part - choosing embellishments to adorn said calendars!!

Over-Indulgence :(

2011-09-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ooh, you know when you've been a bit overly decadent in the eating department whilst out window-shopping (a Subway Veggy Patty sandwich and a Starbucks Creme Brulee Macchiato forced their way down my throat today!) and then you feel revolting for the rest of the night?? Well, that's me, I'm afraid! I should know better than to over-indulge! Having said that, I enjoyed it at the time and it means I won't have to cook anything for my dinner as I don't think my stomach will feel empty for quite some time!!

And that should leave more time for crafting this evening, so that I can make more of these little Christmas notepads:

I don't often use rub-ons but these wording ones by Studio G are pretty good for 99p!

Right, so I'd better get on and ....what - surely that's not my stomach a-rumbling?? *grmmmble mmmmmble* Oh well, looks like I'm cooking after all!!!

Happy Birthday Mum!

2011-09-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's my mother's birthday today and the weather has been gorgeous, I'm glad to say. We had nice morning coffees and cakes here and were actually able to sit at an outside table in the sun, which was lurvely. Then we went a wee walk here and got so hot that an ice lolly was definitely justified!! I've still gone on with my plan to make carrot and butterbean soup this afternoon, even though it doesn't feel autumny enough for that just now!!

Mum was pleased with her card:

I used my fave Tweet Twoo stamps from Craftwork Cards, and liked it so much I went on to do a set of wee notecards too:

Long may that sun go on shining! (even though I should be painting another coat of oil onto my decking - but I can't be bothered!!)

Still Here!

2011-09-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, I just wanted to drop by and let you know I'm still around, it's just that all the cards I have in progress at the moment are for people's birthdays (September is suuuuch a busy month!) so I can't show any today. I hope you didn't get blown away in the gales; my hair will never be the same again!

Just being added to my Folksy shop tonight are the handbag tags I made the other day:

I'm itching to show you other stuff, so please bear with me!!

Handbags and Gladrags

2011-09-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I took my tealight holders to an event on Wednesday and they went down very well; I took six and came back with one! So I'll need to get making another batch!

I've got quite a few birthday cards to make this month. The first is for Himself's mum, who, along with her friend, runs a wee business selling handbags and scarves:

I hope she'll be able to tell that the black object on the right is supposed to be one of the display "necks" that they put the scarves on! It was hard to get right!

I've gone a bit mad making little handbag paper piecings after that so I'll need to find something to use them for. Some gift tags, methinks!!

Tealight Gift Pack Tutorial

2011-09-06T10:46:00.001-07:00

As promised!

First cut your card to size:

Then, score along length as shown:

Use your trusty scalloped border punch along the edge just before the 3cm score line:

Turn over your card and adhere paper panels and an embellishment as shown (my paper panels measure 6.5cm x 5.5cm)

Take 3 tealights, stack them and wrap with cellophane (I used a small cello bag), twist tightly at the top and tie with ribbon. Stick four glue dots to the base of the tealight stack once wrapped.

Stick the tealight stack down as shown. The glue dots should hold it in place:

Bring the package together as shown. Use a mini stapler to hold the top of the package shut:

Cover the staple with a strip of patterned paper and an embellishment (I used a punched button)

Voila!

I'm planning to make quite a few of these tonight!!

Bears, Bears, Everywhere!

2011-09-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I was up to my ears in bear heads again, thanks to an order from a lovely customer!

I managed to get them all cut out during X-Factor, then I had a plateful of profiteroles to celebrate! Hooray! :)

Hope you're all having a fabby weekend!

Little Packages

2011-09-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

I've been "fiddling" again, and I've come up with these:

Little packages that contain...

Scented tealights! (these are rose-scented and, no, I didn't make them!)

Unfortunately I forgot to take step-by-step pics as I was creating, but I am definitely going to make more of these so watch out for the tutorial!

They're ideal for quick and easy gifts!

Scentsational!

2011-09-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned scented candles and it got me thinking. We all love a nice smell, don't we? So for my first Folksy Friday in ages, I thought I'd feature some scented items!

There was an astounding array of lovely creations but these in particular caught my eye:

This scented cat hanger from Millicent:

This sheep soap by Bits N Bobs:

These lavendar lally cats by LittleBirdhouse:

These spiced mug mats by Hunny Crafts Primitives:

This lavendar owl by Art & Mabel:

and this Walnut Whip candle by Cherry Blossom Candles:

Mmm, I can just imagine the yummy aromas!

Autumnal Sympathy Cards

2011-08-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I used a versatile tree stamp and some lovely papers to create a selection of Sympathy cards; it did take me a while to come up with the right "look" because I'm not used to doing more downbeat stuff, but sadly, it is a fact of life that such cards are needed from time to time.

There has been a definite chill in the air these last few days. I've taken to curling up with my throw wrapped round me to watch telly in the evenings; autumn must be on the way! Brrr!

90th Birthday Card

2011-08-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

My mum asked me to make a 90th birthday card. I knew I wanted to keep it quite subtle and delicate so here was the result:

In the end there was rather more going on in the card than I had planned; if I was making it again I probably wouldn't have plonked the Happy Birthday right there and might have made more of a feature of the 90, but overall I think it came out ok, considering I don't do a lot of stamping!

Quick cat update - I'm pleased to report that he's still continuing to eat and seems much more like his usual self; I am totally nonplussed by it as he seemed at death's door just a few days ago! But if it means I have him for longer than expected, that's fantastic! Thanks to everyone who left such kind comments, they were much-appreciated!

Making The Best of It

2011-08-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

I took Ben to the vet's yesterday as he was no better, and they did a scan and more blood tests, the results of which seem to point strongly to some sort of tumour process in his abdomen :( At 14 there is only so much I'm willing to put him through, so I decided to bring him home and keep him as comfortable as possible. The vet gave him a steroid injection and, from the minute I got him home he was prancing about, miaowing for food, which he hadn't done in days! He tucked into frequent small meals throughout the evening and we cosied up on the couch to watch tv with a hot water bottle and he did lots of purring and was much more his old self.

This afternoon I feel he's slipping back a bit, but the injection is probably wearing off. I'm to try giving him steroid tablets but I know he's living on borrowed time so for however long he has any quality of life I will cater to his every whim!

Sorry this is turning into a bit of a cat blog instead of a craft blog but I did manage a little bit of making - some festive matchbook notepads which are great stocking fillers!

One good thing to come out of the depressing cat situation is that it's reminded me what lovely, caring parents and friends (both online and off) I have, so many people want to be kept informed of his progress and it's been very touching.

So thank you! (proper crafting will resume soon, I promise!)

Cat Update

2011-08-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

I managed a wee bit of crafting today and made some Christmas cupcake gift tags:

My cat Ben is home after spending a couple of nights in the vet's, but I'm not sure he's really any better and I'm going to struggle getting him to take his medication and eat his food :( It's so hard when your pet is ill. I feel so helpless. I don't think I'll ever have another pet. It's too painful when things go wrong.

Anyway, he's seeing the vet again on Friday so we'll reassess things then. In the meantime I'll try to carry on as normal so I'd better go and make a card!

Feels So Strange....

2011-08-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Sigh. Well, my precious wee cat has been ill over the weekend, which has been quite hard-going. The vet thinks it may be pancreatitis so I've had to leave him at the surgery over -night to receive fluids and medication. It feels so strange without him but it was even stranger seeing him ill so I know he's in the right place and I hope he's comfortable and not feeling too stressed.

This means my crafting news may be sporadic over the next few days. All I have to show you tonight is the card I made for my kind cat-owning friend Angela on her birthday:

and a set of Christmas bookmarks:

I'm off now to catch up with everyone's blogs, and then, I think, a bath. And off to bed without my furry friend - sniff!

Punchin' and Stickin'!

2011-08-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

At the craft group I attend, the lady sitting next to me was amused by the "production line" of embellishments that I was churning out:

I'm never happier than when I'm punching (paper, that is!) and sticking loads of things all at once; it means I don't have to think too much! And there are lots of items that I can use these embellies on!

I also found that the Christmas cupcakes I made recently fit very nicely onto dinky 3" x 3" cards:

Only problem is, I don't have any envelopes to fit! Anyone know a good source? Or maybe I'll just make them into gift tags instead!

Boats and Notes!

2011-08-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

I hope my friend won't mind me sharing this card, it was a commission and I was quite pleased with how it came out. Her Dad is very musical, in particular the piano/keyboard, and he lives in a coastal town which has a ferry, so I wanted to combine the two elements!

The piano keys are hand-drawn, the little boat (which I think looks a bit like a ferry!) comes from a cute stamp set by Woodware. The musical notes are (horrors!) peel-offs!

I like it when a plan comes together!!

A New Week

2011-08-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

After a busy weekend spent soaking up some of the Edinburgh Festival (hanging around in a beer tent, eating cheese and mushroom crepes and attending a comedy show) and visiting the newly-refurbished National Museum of Scotland (so busy it seemed as if the entire population of the world was there at the same time as us! A bit.), it's high time I got down to some crafting!!

I've got some new baby toppers on the "go", finally using the improvised rattles I made the other day:

I have a list of cards to make for friends and family who have birthdays coming up, so I'd better get a move on.

Meantime, talk amongst yourselves and here's a photo of some lily-type flowers that have finally started to open in one of my outdoor pots:

Woop!

Great Inspiration!

2011-08-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I made this card for my uncle's birthday and I'm putting it on here mainly to show my parents who gave me the original idea for the image:

It's supposed to feature my uncle (who likes cars and driving) and his dalmatian cross Keira. I think there are parts I could have drawn better, but I hope it hit the mark!!

I've also been glued to this lovely blog, which features lots of ideas for notebooks and other altered items, and it's inspired me to do slimline notebook covers and post-it notebooks:

It's nice to find great sources of inspiration, just the thing when your mojo is playing up!!

Cheerier Things

2011-08-10T07:57:00.001-07:00

Because this is a cheery craft blog, I'm not going to make any comment about the unspeakable events that have been going on in parts of the UK, apart from to repeat one from somebody else who said they were planning to go and see Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes next week but felt they didn't need to now! My thoughts are, of course, with those people whose homes and businesses have been affected. What is this world coming to? Sigh.

I've been "fiddling" again, and, using various of my trusty punches:

+ an idea spotted on't internet, I made some baby tags:

Which will then be turned into cards like this:

With all this rain we've been having, everything's looking very lush and green, including these weeds that I can see from my craft room window!

That isn't my garden, I hasten to add; it's the garden of the neighbour directly behind me. I think someone needs to get their strimmer out!

Wax Tarts Excitement!

2011-08-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on various dog and cat-themed cards to give to my friend Michelle who runs a boarding kennels and cattery. Hopefully some of her clients' owners might need a card or two from time to time, so it would be useful for her to have a stash of them around. Animal-themed cards are my fave, so making them is no hardship!

I'm making several of these doggy toppers to fit DL cards, a size I don't often venture into!

Much as I'm not looking forward to the inevitable descent into autumness, the approach of the season has been eased by the arrival of this batch of wax tarts:

I'm going to try and resist using them until September, but I can't wait to fill my home with spicy, warm aromas!! Plus, I've never used wax tarts before so that'll be a new experience!!

Still Lazy!

2011-08-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Another lazy day yesterday, absolutely nothing achieved. I went along to the craft group where we were supposed to be making cards for a table sale in November, but the sum total of my creations were some pink Christmas cupcakes:

A few days ago, however, I was experimenting and made some baby rattles using various punches:

I'm not sure what I'll do with them - probably add some baby bears!

I think I've been slightly less useless today - at least the decking has been painted! Yay!!

So Lazy!!!

2011-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

I've had a shopping day today - just groceries and toiletries and some basic craft stuff, nothing exciting. I also treated myself (after a week of relatively healthy eating) to coffee and a rather crumbly scone, and I treated the car too, by paying the valeting bloke in the shopping centre car park to wash it for me! Shh, don't tell Himself, I know it's very lazy of me!! But it really needed a more thorough wash than I'd have been able to give it. Even it's tyres are nice and black and glossy now!

It's been lovely weather all day and I've made some summery dragonfly tags:

Just wish I'd got out there and painted my decking whilst there was plenty time for it to dry. But it felt too much like hard work! *feelings of guilt*

I'm such a lazy-pants!!

Feeling Festive?

2011-08-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, not really, considering the lovely weather we had here over the weekend, which allowed Himself and I to have a little barbecue for two on my decking on Saturday. Very pleasant, except I forgot to warn my neighbour - who had his washing hanging out, oooerrrr! Despite this mishap, the same neighbour kindly lent me his pressure washer thingy yesterday so that we could clean up my decking in preparation for painting it. The latter task I should have done today, but I, er, gave it a miss. Sigh. I'm not a gardener or a DIYer (I'd much rather be crafting), but these things really have to be done...

However, I must be feeling a little bit festive, because, this morning, I created some Christmassy items:

Cupcakes.

And some other Christmassy characters.

They still need to have "bits" added to them, but I'm pleased with how they came out and I plan to use them on lots of things between now and December!!

I don't think I've ever done Christmas this early!! I feel faint!!

Cardmakers Block

2011-07-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a card as a late entry for CPS #228 and the sketch was perfect for using my little paper-pieced house on a New Home card!

I really enjoyed making this one, it took no time at all!

However, I am really struggling with a particular commissioned card at the moment. You know when you just get that mental block with a certain card and you feel as if you're never ever going to be able to make anything? I can't say what the card is in case the person who's asked for it is reading, but I'm desperately hoping for a spark of inspiration.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Lunchbox Scoffing

2011-07-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

In a further attempt to improve my eating habits, I undertook to create one of the recipes from The Lunchbox Diet today, the idea being that you "graze" from the box throughout the day, which supposedly keeps your cravings for unhealthy snacks under control.

Only problem, when I had this box of absolutely delish salad (mixed leaves, beetroot, roast butternut squash, mushrooms, peas, Quorn ham and a cider vinegar and basil dressing) in front of me, I was going back every 5 minutes to eat it and it lasted no time. And I'm still hungry!!!

I think it will take a lot of work to wean my body off the naughty snacks!!

Meanwhile, despite the wet, miserable weather, a "flock" (?) of dragonflies has landed...

They will get their antennae later!!

Fruity Frenzy!

2011-07-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's anything to do with the fact that I'm consciously trying to eat more fruit and veg whilst cutting out sugary stuff, but I've been in a crafting frenzy this evening!! I normally wind down about 9.00 and go and watch telly, but I've got some commissioned cards to work on, so I'm hoping my craft energy will hang around a bit longer!

Having said that, there's not much I can show here at the moment, but I have been playing around, making little houses out of the tiniest bits of paper imaginable:

I adapted them from my birdhouse design and I think they have a certain charm! I'll be using them on New Home cards and gift tags.

I mentioned earlier that I'm trying to cut down on sugary stuff. One way I'm doing that is by ordering myself not to buy anything sweet - if I want something yummy I have to make it myself! So this week's delicacy is Chocolatey Pistachio balls - slurp!

Lovely Days

2011-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

With the news headlines being nothing but utter grimness over the past few days, it was at least nice that the weather was kind, and we did our best to make the most of it. On Saturday Himself and I sat outside a cafe in Morningside (how terribly posh we are!), drank cappucinos and ate deliciously huge truffles in the sunshine. Later on we attended a barbecue thrown by friends who are an old "hand" at it so there was a great spread laid on, picnic blankets on the lawn and much cute kids-and-dogs antics to keep us entertained.

Yesterday, H and I took a picnic up into the Pentland hills and sat in a grassy meadow (which didn't do much for his hayfever - oops!) where the simple pleasure of eating fresh raspberries in the sunshine made me glad to exist. Wibble.

Now it's another week and I have a plethora (that is one of my fave words!) of male cards to make over the next wee while. To say I'm worried about it would be putting it a bit strongly. More like "mildly anxious"!! The only "boy" themed cards I've made lately are my dinosaur ones and I think the males in question are a bit old for those....

*All these designs can be personalised with names and ages. Oh, the technology!!!*

Folksy Friday - Bookmarks

2011-07-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I did a Folksy Friday, so, to mark the overhaul of my little shop, I've decided to blog some faves in the theme of "Bookmarks". I love reading and am never without a book in the bath or in bed last thing at night. Despite the fact that I make bookmarks myself, I only ever seem to use a scruffy old bit of card to mark the page! So here are a selection of my personal faves from the wide variety of bookmarks that Folksy sellers have produced!

This embroidered cat by Helen Jane's Designs:

This Bunny bookmark from Original Art by Clare:

This encaustic art bookmark by Wax Art:

This denim and dots fabric bookmark by mollyjump:

Yummy liquorice allsorts on this bookmark by pyroangel's sweet trinkets:

and this felt cupcake page marker from LovefromCarrieb:

Happy reading!!!

Gently Does It!

2011-07-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm taking it easy this afternoon, after another visit to the dentist this morning. I still possess the offending molar at the moment - he's doing his best to save it - but the procedure seemed to go on for ever and, while I'm not too scared of the dentist, I was glad when it was all over!

So I thought a nice way to spend the afternoon would be planning the tidying -up of my Folksy and Etsy shops, which have been a little neglected of late.

With some gentle crafting in between.

I say "gentle", because whenever I plan a session of "intensive" crafting I always put myself off!

So far, so good!!

It's Been a While...

2011-07-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

...since I entered any challenges, and because I liked the look of the sketch for CPS #227, I thought I'd give it a go:

The papers are by My Mind's Eye. The colours are inspired by the latest selection from Colour Throwdown but I was too late to enter that challenge! There are lots of busy patterns going on in this card, don't you think??!

Glue Gurnings

2011-07-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, poop! Once again, I have committed the cardinal crafting sin of allowing myself to run out of double-sided tape!!!!! Aaargh! This has severely curtailed my ability to create; at the moment, something that is supposed to look roughly like this...

...has ended up getting no further than this....

I was severely tempted to throw in the "towel" at various points this afternoon, but I eventually persuaded myself to be patient - I will be able to stick things again eventually!!

Meantime I have busied myself making various "props":

They aren't stuck yet either (I am also lacking a glue pen!!) but I dream of the glorious day when I will be "with adhesive" once again!!!!

The Early Bird Catches the, er Mojo!!

2011-07-15T02:05:00.000-07:00

My mojo was MIA yesterday, much to my frustration, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I didn't even have much to take with me to the craft group, but I'm glad I put my grumpiness to one side and went because it was worth it for the entertaining chat!!

Anyway I was up bright and early this morning, with a positive attitude and applied myself to sketching out a plan for a Golden Wedding card order:

And the finished card:

Normally I don't tend to use gold or glitter card in my creations but I guess when you've got a Golden Anniversary card to make, there's no getting away from it!!

Owy Owy Ooyah Ow!

2011-07-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I developed toothache and I have to say it was deeply unpleasant! It got worse as the day wore on and I was almost at the point of wanting to remove my own head to make it go away! Luckily the dentist managed to fit me in this morning; I've had a dodgy filling for a while now and he thinks the tooth may need to be removed :( Luckily it's at the back but it's still a traumatic thought!! To cheer myself up I'm making a batch of cherry chocolate brownies; er, possibly not the best thing to eat when your teeth are already being dissolved by sugar, but what the heck!!!

The baby bear toppers I made recently have been very well received so I've created some more:

Baby bears wearing bibs! I'm hoping they look ok!

I've also just discovered that I've received a blog award from the lovely Toni . Thank you, missus! In order to accept it properly I have to share 7 facts about myself and pass the award onto 8 other people, so I'm off to have a think about that and to put my brownies in the oven! Watch this space!!

Chinese, County Park and Cats!

2011-07-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

Well, that was a pleasant weekend, beginning with an evening of Crafting ' n Chinese at Julie's on Friday night. This is an annual event and a delightful one which I think should become a regular; say, once a week???!!! Not that we actually, aherm, did any crafting!! Once we'd stuffed our faces we settled down for an evening of girly chat and before we knew it, it was nearly midnight! Rock 'n roll!!!! The mushroom chow mein was to die for and tasted even better the next day - mmmmmmm!!!!

Saturday and Sunday were punctuated by some of the heaviest downpours of rain I've ever seen! Luckily our outing to Muiravonside Country Park yesterday was almost monsoon-free, although we had to eat our picnic in the car! Whilst we followed a riverside-path in sweltering humidity, akin to that of a Bolivian rainforest, we were bitten by large flies and today my bites have come up like saucers! And they itch like mad. Pass the Calamine Lotion!!

A card I've made for someone who has got themselves not one, but three black kittens!

I hope the recipient likes it!!

Topper-tastic!

2011-07-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

At the moment I seem to be going through a phase where all I want to do is make card toppers. A few years ago I spent all day, every day making hundreds of toppers for other people to use - they're great for those that want to create quick and easy cards, and it's a good way to share my wee designs with others.

I don't know if there is such a market for toppers these days and I'm certainly not going to pursue it to the exclusion of my other creations, but for the moment, that's what I'm focussing on. So, to start, I've revamped some of my old animal characters and here they are in the first stages, ready to be assigned to toppers of various themes:

Don't worry, they come with rather plump bodies too!!

Owl Be Monkeying Around!

2011-07-07T10:00:00.001-07:00

I've had some spare owls and monkeys hanging around on my craft desk for ages, so today I thought I'd make them into toppers.

At least they have a purpose now!!

Mushroom Cottage Bird Sanctuary

2011-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was so lovely that when my friend came round in the evening we were able to sit outside comfortably until 9.30pm! It was almost like being on holiday again! And because she's bird-knowledgeable, she pointed out various types that appeared while we were sitting there - swifts, whitethroats and a heron! I've never before been able to appreciate the wildlife that exists in the vicinity of my home; now, thanks to her, I can!!

Card-wise, a creation to celebrate my cousin's graduation:

My day job has kept me largely out of the craft room so far this week; blah. I've got a list of crafty projects on my desk and I want to start ticking them off!!!

Day of Doing Nothing!

2011-07-03T02:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm doing absolutely nowt crafty today because the sun is shining and I feel like being lazy!!

I had a lovely day yesterday at the Midlothian Crafters summer fair. It was sadly rather quiet but that's not surprising; most people were out taking advantage of the sunshine and who can blame them!

But my stuff generated some interest, I had a few wee sales and found lots of lovely crafters to chat to!

The jewellery isn't mine; it was the work of the nice lady from Strawberry Fountain Jewellery who I was sharing a table with!

And to my right was the lovely Iona from Exceptional Cakes. I couldn't resist her cute iced biscuits:

Almost too cute to eat!!!

Many thanks to my Parents for all their help and to Himself for popping along to support me!

I have lots of projects planned for next week so I think a day off the crafting is allowed!!

Oh Andy!

2011-07-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not, and never will be, a big sports fan. I can take and leave most things. But my mum does love a bit of Wimbledon so, as I was visiting the Parents this afternoon, it was pertinent that I should join her in supporting Mr Murray in his semi-final. I don't think I've ever stayed sitting in one place for so long (since the Royal Wedding, ahem!), especially not for a sports event, but one does have a degree of National Pride. It would have been nice to see him get through to the Final.......I'm saying no more in case some of you haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure you can guess!!!! Suffice to say, I haven't done much crafting, but at least the sun has been shining.

And yesterday I made these Happy Sun toppers hoping they would chase away the clouds (it worked):

And I finished my paper-clipped bookmarks:

It's the Craft Fair tomorrow and I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so I think for the rest of this evening I'll plonk myself back in front of the telly and have a big bit of cake!! :)

Another Try!

2011-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

I gave the photo upload another try and here's the third notepad. Behave yourself in future, Blogger!!

Chilled Out - or maybe not!

2011-06-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to give myself a wee treat today because I had a pamper voucher for a mini back/shoulder massage at my local beauty salon. It was only a wee fifteen-minute treatment but it was very pleasant and, along with my yoga session this morning (at home, I don't go to a class although I'd like to!!), I should be feeling really chilled out! And I am - I think! Whatever effect it had, I felt inspired to do a whole load of housework when I came home - which is most unlike me!!

Luckily, I've been inspired to make things as well, so here are some new cupcake tag embellishments:

And three new decorated notepads:

Except I'm only able to show you two of them because something's broken in Blogger and I can't upload any more photos!! This is just another of several problems my blog has experienced lately - grrrr! Maybe I'm not so chilled out any more!!! :(

Money Wallets

2011-06-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

I recently bought some plain brown money wallets in the hope of jazzing them up a bit and today I finally got round to it!

The cute animals were punched from some patterned papers from my stash and of course I used up lots of scrappy strips!!

It was a quick but fun project for today!

Whirlwind Weekend!

2011-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm just chilling out this evening, after a hectic, but enjoyable few days. On Friday night my friend Michelle and I went to see this at the Playhouse:

As longtime fans of Mr Pellow, we like to indulge ourselves in his vocal talents (and his yummy, devilish grin!)whenever possible! The previous time it was the Witches of Eastwick; these dark, sexy roles suit him very well! So we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; the cast all had fab voices and the music and effects were superb. Wibble!

From time to time I help out Himself's mum and her friend on their stall where they sell handbags, jewellery and scarves. Yesterday we were at a school gala day which was good fun, and today I did a stint at the Royal Highland Show! I've never been to this massive event before
so it was great to be involved and to soak up the atmosphere in between being very busy selling things! I couldn't believe how many people were there, and this was just one day out of four! I've gained some valuable insights into running your own business and the buzz of selling has got me itching for more!!!

So this next week, with a craft fair coming up, I'll be working my fingers to the bone, getting stock ready. Which means lots of paper-clipped bundles!

These ones are going to be bookmarks!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!

Bunty's Birthday

2011-06-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love receiving specific commissions for cards, and a favourite one recently was to make a birthday card for an 88-year-old lady who has a fondness for a waggy-tailed dalmatian-type dog called Keira!

It's great to see the sun shining today; I've had my hair cut so my head feels about 100kg lighter, I've got some new library books to look forward to and I'm assembling paper-clipped piles of scraps again! Bliss!!!

Re-jigging

2011-06-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Every so often when I'm stuck for a project, I take a look around at items I've had hanging around my craft room for yonks, and decide whether a transformation from one thing into another might do them good!

For instance, these mini notecards were looking for a good home but just weren't finding one...

So I dug out a template I'd made, for a teabag-holder card:

(If you can't read my horrendous scrawl, the base card is 10" x 3 1/4". Score at 3 1/4", 3 1/2" and 6 3/4" and crease the folds. Cut the third panel in half as shown.)

And soon I had some nice wee teabag gift cards!

Maybe they'll find a home now!!

You Know It's Summer When....

2011-06-19T12:38:00.001-07:00

.... your town holds it's gala day parade and your neighbours have a barbecue - all in the rain! It's admirable that we don't let the dismal weather put us off, but I'm hopeful there is drier, warmer weather round the corner so I can stop wearing jumpers and carrying my hot water bottle around!

I might even be able to wear my flip flops!! These tags are just about to be listed on Folksy!

Flip Flop Fun!

2011-06-16T08:39:00.001-07:00

I had a couple of holiday-related "thank you" cards to make, so it was the ideal chance to road-test my new flip flop design!!

I've already picked out loads of pretty paper scraps so I can make a plethora of these tags!!!

Components

2011-06-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

After my holiday, I had lots of Eastenders episodes to catch up on, so I've multitasked and been preparing the "bits" which will go together to make a bulk order of baby gift tags.

Lots of bear heads:

Tags with pretty baby colours on them:

And baby wording strips:

Now I'm off to undertake the main part of the assembly process, bows will be added in the morning and - voila! I love doing things like this!

Good Old Blogger!

2011-06-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from a week away on holiday (sun, sea and sand - yay!) and I'm glad to see that scheduled blogging worked a treat! I had a great time away, but it's fab to be back, with orders to work on and all your blogs to catch up with! I'm looking forward to getting down to some intensive crafting; it feels like forever since I brandished a pen and a pair of scissors!

The parrot's not my creation - he came with a sparkler in Himself's pudding at a restaurant - but it has put me in mind of some summery, holiday-themed designs so watch this space!

Daniel's Dinosaur!

2011-06-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've mocked up one of my dinosuar cards to show that they can be personalised.

It's a pity I don't actually know anyone called Daniel who's six!

If you do, please let me know!

Piles of Scrap!

2011-06-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was still having a dilemma over my scrap box so I decided to start grouping random bits together:

Once I had several groups I cut the bits into strips and stuck them down:

Then I used yet more scraps to make rosette-style greeting tags:

Once assembled, I had a set of scrap-friendly cards for general use!

Result: A slightly emptier scrap box!

Bundles of Joy

2011-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love prepping lots of little projects to take with me to the weekly craft group I attend. I like to have little bundles of things ready-cut and folded thus:

So that on the night I don't have to think too much, I can just sit and listen to everyone discussing their medical conditions (!) whilst assembling the contents of my paper-clipped bundles!

It's good fun! (apart from the medical conditions!!)

Scrap Box Distress Call!

2011-06-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, whilst searching fruitlessly for a particular shade of patterned paper, I felt suddenly overwhelmed by the contents of my scrapbox. In fact, I could have wept. So many bits of paper building up, spilling over the top, drowning me in scraps (slight exaggeration here), with no planned use for any of them. I was distraught (again, a slight exag). I had to do something.

So I set about choosing some random pieces and turning them from this:

Into this:

And finally this:

Phew!

My mission in life, more than ever, is to work my way through that box until it is nearly empty (I say "nearly", as I don't think it will ever be completely scrap-free!).

Wish me luck!!

Productive Day

2011-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to go with the mini paper piecings and made some embellishments which can then be used to make mini cards, gift tags or bookmarks...

And, yes, the original designs were made using teeny tiny bits of paper! I'm sure making them brought on a bout of severe eye strain!!

And, continuing with the doggy theme, I've created some bookmarks and gift tags:

Normally I have something tasty to nibble at my craft desk but I'm trying to be a bit healthy at the moment so there are no cakes and only a very tiny amount of chocolate in my treat cupboard - aaarrggh! I'll just have to make up for the lack of sweeties by keeping extra busy!!!

Man's Best Friend (don't tell the cat!)

2011-05-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

My friend asked me if I would make her a set of doggy cards similar to ones I have made for her in the past. I no longer had the stamps that I used for the previous ones so I came up with my own doggy designs!

I hope she likes them!

Kim and I had quite a successful stall at the Matalan charity fashion show event on Sunday night. A lot of money was raised and, apart from a bit of a nail-biting wait at the beginning to get a table brought down in time for us to get set up, there was a great atmosphere and we had fun. And the contents of the home-baking stall were to die for! We would definitely do it again!

I'm currently up-to-date with my orders which means I have the fun task of choosing a new project to work on. Dinosaur cards or mini paper-pieced embellishments? Decisions decisions!!!

More designs...

2011-05-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

....for weddings and engagements, featuring my happy couple - I need to think of names for them!

George and Mildred?

William and Kate??

Fred and Wilma???

Anyone got any better suggestions?? :)

Friday Already??

2011-05-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

How is your week going? Yesterday I helped Himself's mum out on her stall at a craft fair organised in aid of Maggie's cancer charity. It was a long day but I got to meet some lovely local crafters with fabulous products, which really inspired me in my quest for crafting success. Thanks to all who turned out in the yucky weather to support the cause!

I've not done much myself apart from adding legs to my wee bag bird:

and Crafty Mushrooming a couple of notebooks:

I've also made my wedding cake design card available in my Folksy shop; it can be personalised if required. More designs to follow!!

Now I'm off to indulge in my current naughty addiction - peanut butter on toast! *smacks lips* Byeee!

Gusty!

2011-05-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've made a couple more card bags and cards to go with them:

I think the bird needs some legs but I'm not sure quite what to use!

I also need to start using a bag colour other than pink!

Last night I had a rant about sewing on Twitter because I'm not very good at it and the cat's eye button was going on squint. I got there in the end but it was touch and go!

Hope you all had a good weekend and that you weren't blown away in the terrible gales yesterday! Where's the summer gone??

The Birds and the, er, Cats!

2011-05-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

After another busy day yesterday, I'm having a more chilled-out, crafty time today! My wedding designs are completed and here's a sneak peek:

This and the other designs took me an age to get right but now I'm really looking forward to making some cards with them!

My next project is to make some more card bags because they're starting to sell quite successfully - hooray! I think they make great gifts and the bag is reuseable!!

So my craft desk is currently covered in items you normally wouldn't normally see sitting happily together in the same place:

Cats and birdies!!