Such a pretty photo

Good morning blogworld,

So here we are it's Thursday again, and my last DT post of the week.  Don't think I'll be able to squeeze in another card before the end of the week, but you never know - I suppose I could always leave the hoovering!!!

And, as it's Thursday it's a new challenge over at MAWTT,our hostess this week is the wonderful Pami who has picked a photo inspiration challenge for us.

This is the photo:

and this is my card:

Front shot:

Her close up:

Another one that looked better in my head than in reality and my colours have not really matched the image either.  Hmmmm, a hide it card methinks!

My teamies have done much, much better than me so please pop over and see, you'll be well impressed - I promise.

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Pretty Bouquet

coloured with my Copics

Sentiment also Lili of the Valley - Sentiment Tags

Wot no dies?

Lots of corner punching tho

Papers:

Papermania - Blueberry Hill

Anything else?

Viva Pearl Pen

Wild Orchid Crafts - flowers

Pearls - from my stuff

That's all folks - I'm about all talked out and to be honest the most exciting thing that happened this week is that one of the cats has had to go to the vets.  It would appear that he (the cat not the vet) has a gum disease and so, after about 50 quids worth of blood tests to check all is OK, he's back in next week to have some teeth taken out.

Hope y'all have a lovely weekend and see you next week.

Sarah

Sketch Saturday: Week #301

Any furry friends?

Hi blogworld,

You'll be glad to hear (I'm sure!) that I am nearing the end of painting duties.  Second coat on the two end walls today and then the only painting left to do is woodwork, which there is still a lot of but nowhere near as much as those walls and darn ceiling (5 coats on that ceiling - just goes to show you should buy good quality paint.  Which we did not!!!).

Anyway I'm supposed to be here showing you my DT card for Moving Along With the Times not going on about our D.I.Y. efforts!

This week my Teamie Tammy has chosen the theme of 'Furry Friends' - so we'd like to see animals on your cards / projects please.

You would not believe how tortuous this card was to make!  It started out with loads of layers and patterned paper - but ended up as you see it now, very little paper and no embellies.  I don't know what I did (wrong papers, wrong colour card used to matt the layers, wrong Mojo!!) but it just didn't work - so I took it apart and started again.

Here have a looksie.

The front shot:

The close up:

The Arty Farty:

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Milly Cuddle Time

coloured with my ProMarkers

Dies:

Nestie (for the image)

Papers:

Not sure - it's a scrap

Anything else?

Frame from my stuff

We Are Memory Keepers - White Out collection; rub-on sentiment

Ha, and just as I'd finished it I decided to add the rub-on sentiment - well I almost went through the card rubbing on!!  It still looks rather dodgy in real life!

Hope you get a chance to come join in and will be back at the weekend probably with more D.I.Y. in progress pictures.

See you soon,

Sarah

Graph'It Marker Colour challenge: Wk 20 - Furry Friends

Crafty Little Fairies:  Top of the Pops (inspired by a song) - Queen's  You're my Best Friend (best band in the world - ever, well apart from Bon Jovi that is!)

Little Miss Muffet Challenges: Challenbe #73 - seeing dots

what do you do....

when the daughter is at school and going to a friend's after school so you don't have to go and get her until nearly 5pm?

Hello blogworld

Well the answer is - spend the day surfing!!!  Oh dear, I'm terrible aren't I!  I have nearly a whole day to myself, a very unusual circumstance, and I'm wasting it surfing and doing nothing!

The housework is talking to me, but I'm turning my back on it, the cards are calling, but I'm not listening, the shopping is whispering, and I'm tuning it out - the only thing I'm listening to right now is the lappy!!!

Ach well, I suppose I'll wander off eventually - and who doesn't deserve a lazy day every now and again.

So want to see a card - be warned it's a lot of one particular colour!

Here you go:
Front shot:

close up of image:

The arty farty:

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Maisie Two Balloons

coloured with my Pro and Flexmarkers

Dies:

Nestie Circle

lea'bilities - for the swirly circle

Paper:

Papermania - Rose Garden

Anything else?

Craftwork cards - Card Candy and sentiment

lace from my stuff

Right well, I'm off now to turn the lappy off and go and do something less boring instead!!  Oh my showing my age now - badly mis-quoting names of ancient TV programmes.

Cheerio

Sarah

A challenge, or two:

I love Promarkers: Challenge #142 - Pretty in Pink

In The Pink: Challenge #7 - CaS.  Now then ladies, I'm not sure I've interpreted this in the right way - so if you think it's not appropriate I don't mind if you delete.  I'm not even sure myself that it's particularly CaS!

Sketch Saturday: Week #232

Totally Papercrafts: Challenge #142 - Cute and Girly

Birthday girl, or not?

Hmmm, now I don't know!

Hi blogworld

Firstly let me say thanks so much for all the lovely comments you've left on the passing of our old lady.  I think everyone is pretty much of the same opinion - 19 is a great age for a cat and Katie had a lovely life, but it's still sad to see them go.

Emily was told last night and spent quite some time crying, she didn't want to go to school today either but I thought it was best to send her - take her mind off things.  Only thing is she wants to go dig Katie up, I think to say goodbye - hmmmm not a good idea!!

Right then, chin up and on we get.

So this is my Lili of the Valley card that I made - I thought it would go to a little friend of Emily's whose 5th birthday party we are going to at the weekend.  Then when it was finished I thought not!  So I now have another spare card, which I'm not sure if it's for a girl or woman.

Hey, ho.

Here's the card:
Front shot:

Detail of image:

Arty farty one:

 Arty farty two: (trying to get the glitter on her jacket and skirt)

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Best dress

coloured with my Pro and Flex markers

(oh and inked with Cocoa for a change for a softer look)

Dies:

Nestie label

Papers: 

First Edition - Love Letters

Anything else?

Card blank - Craftwork cards

Trim, ribbon, sentiment - from my stuff

Glamour Dust

Wild Orchid Crafts - flowers

I decided to put my name forward for GDT at Lili's Little Fairies - don't think I've got a whiff of a chance, I've never won a challenge - but I thought why not!!

So see you again soon,

Sarah

A challenge, or two:

Lili's Little Fairies: Flower power

Stampin for the Weekend: Challenge 18 - Feeling Floral

oh diddle piddle it!!

Hello blogworld

I went with a couple of friends to re-start our swimming sessions today (after the summer off) and d'ya know what the swimming pool has gone and done?  They've only shifted their schedule about and cut all the early swimming off at 9am instead of 10am!!  So no more early swimming for us!!  We can't drop the kids off and get to the pool before 9, there's just not enough time.

Oh the joys of living in the country and having to drive 30 mins to get to the nearest swimming pool!!

Ah well, had a nice hour over a hot chocolate chatting with my friends and we will just have to find some other form of exercise to replace the swimming.

So anyone like to see a card?  Here you go then.

It's the one I made for the little girl whose party we went to first on Sunday.  Was a long day, by the way, but fun and Emily loved going straight from one party to the next!

You'll have to excuse just the one photo - I was in a terrible rush and the arty farty and the close up of the image both blurred.  Only found that out though when I checked my pics after the card had gone!!

Front shot - and that's it folks!!

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Cake glorious cake

coloured with my Promarkers and Flexmarkers

and

Vintage Labels - Occasions

Dies:

Nesties

Memory Box - Twirled Heart Border

Papers:

First Edition - Summer Breeze

Hope everyone is doing well and thank you for the lovely comments you have all left on my new DT position - watch out for some of my cards using the gorgeous digis soon!

Cheerio

Sarah

A challenge, or two:

Lili's Little Fairies - Black Magic + DT call ( y'know I dithered over whether to put my name forward, but in the end I figured you never know and LoTV stamps will always be up there as all time favs.  So I thought nothing ventured nothing gained and here I am).

Crafty Cardmakers: Challenge 74 - Winged Things

The Squirrel and The Fox: Challenge #26 - Anything Goes

All done

Hello blogworld

So that's it Year Reception all over and done and dusted for my little Emily - now we have the summer holidays before I have to think about her going on up to Year 1, properly 'at school' not learning through play anymore!

She was very good, up until bedtime anyway!!  Poor thing was tripped up by her best friend yesterday and sent home early from school with a lump the size of an egg on her forehead and managed to bash it again when I was washing her hair tonight.  Such wailing!  School told us how the accident happened, but she wouldn't drop her friend in it at all - absolutely insisted that he had nothing to do with it!

Right I'm aiming on an early night so I'll pop up the card and the final version of the flower bouquet then I'm off to bed.

I know I've got loads of comments to reply to, I'm catching up on my DT comments and then starting on personal comments - so I should be round to visit you all before the end of the weekend.  Thanks for all your patience and hopefully I'll be better soon.  


Oh and hello to my newest follower - thanks for following and hope you see something you like!

So card:
Front shot:

Close up of image:

Arty farty side shot:

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley - Milly Flower Power coloured with my Promarkers and Flexmarkers

Sentiment - combination of Lili of the Valley and Blonde Moments

Papers:

First Edition - Boho Chic

Anything else?:

Buttons and pearls from stash

Shock horror - no dies!!!

Finished version of the paper flower bouquet:

Being held in my hand, to try and give size perspective:

I ended up making three of these, but they were all the same so I didn't see the point of showing all of them. Thank you all for your suggestions they were very helpful.  As you can see, I dropped the butterfly, green tissue paper wrapping and added the green base of the flowers and used 3 blooms in the posy.  They were very well received!!

So look out for me waffling on your blogs soon!

Cheerio
Sarah

A challenge, or two:

Sketch Saturday - Week #216

Papertake Weekly - All things girlie

Quickity, quick, quick, quick

Hello blogworld,

Last day of school tomorrow, one more card to make, paper bouquets to finish, presents to wrap and I'm off to T'ai Chi shortly and I've bread rising that needs to be made into rolls. 

So no waffle today, just cards.  Oooh and kittens!  We still aren't back in the dining room, but I've managed to make the mess even messier so I could get to my stamps and Promarkers (I was just fading away without making cards, honestly I was guv'nor).  I'm working on  my mat with no space anywhere else and I'm having to carefully step over boxes and around tables to get in and out.  No worse than usual then!!!

So card:

Font shot:

Detail of image:

Of flowers (can you see that I've tried to give them dewdrops?):

Arty farty side image:

I used:

Stamps:

Lili of the Valley: Pom Pom - coloured with my Pro and Flexmarkers

Sentiment set 9 - chalked

Dies:

Nesties

Memory Box - Bubble Daisy Border

Papers:

Melissa Frances - 5th Avenue (it's beautiful, was a real struggle to cut into it!!)

Anything else?

Wild Orchid Crafts - Flowers

K & Co - tag (it was part of a 1500 piece scrapbook kit I've had for years and re-discovered when we moved everything for kittens)

Anita's 3d gloss

Glitter

Now kittens - deep breath and awwww!!!!   No eyes open yet, but sure it will be soon.

A challenge, or two (then I'm going):

Lili's Little Fairies: Pretty in Pink

Stampin' for the Weekend: Challenge 13 - Tags

Sketch N Stash - Challenge 92

Part one of two

Hello blogworld

This is Emily's 5th birthday card, the personal waffle I'll keep for another post.

Front shot:

Detail of image:

Arty farty side view:

I used:

Stamp:

Lili of the Valley: Party Girl - coloured with my Promarkers

Dies:

Go-Kreate

Cheery Lynn - Fanciful Flourish

Paper:

scrap

Anything else:

Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts

feather, sentiment and '5' from my stuff and so old I've no idea where they came from
Glamour Dust on her shoes, belt and party hat

That's all folks.

Sarah

A challenge, or two:

I love Promarkers: Challenge #123 - Anything Goes

Moving along with the Times: Happy Birthday

Lili's Little Fairies: Time To Play (I figure she's off to a birthday party to play - it's what my Emily did!)


Totally Gorjuss: Challenge 137 - Something Yellow

Hello

Hi everyone

Sorry it's been a bit quiet in the life and times of Sarah-land just lately.  Not only did I have a stinking cold, thankfully mostly gone now, but as said in last post I've completely lost my interest in cards right now.

I still am wandering into the dining room and looking at all my stuff and wandering out again having made nothing, nada, zilch, not a sausage!  I know I've got DT cards to do and I will do those, but I seriously can't find any enthusiasm for making anything for me.

I don't know if it's the stash diet - I am sooooo missing my little parcels of happy - those internet baskets are getting heavier and more difficult to delete!!!  Maybe it's the good weather and not wanting to be indoors while that lasts! Maybe it's the looking at the dies and papers that I want and having to put them back that's making me fed up.  I'm keeping an eye on the diary counting down the months to the craft fair, but oh dear I'm weakening.  Even the beads aren't calling me right now, how pants is that!

Anyway I've been through this sort of creative dry patch before, and come out again (obviously!) so until then I'll leave you with a card I made a few weeks ago but haven't blogged yet.

Front shot:

Detail:

I used:

Lili of the Valley - Milly Flower Power, coloured with my Promarkers and Flexmarkers and sentiment stamp

First Edition paper pad - Hideaway

Gems and ribbons from my stuff

Craftwork cards - card blank

Ho hum, so depressing again!  I'm surprised I haven't frightened you all away!  Lets hope some of this sunshine makes its way into my dark dining room and inspires some more cards, eh!!!

Hope you are all doing well and apologies that I've not been visiting you all very much - I will do, just as soon as I don't spread the depression with me!!!!

Cheerio

Sarah

Still learning

Hello blogworld

Well here I am again on this swish new laptop which, as the post title suggests, I am still learning about.  I'm not quite comfortable with the keyboard mouse pad - don't think that is the technical term but it will do!  It is amazing that the laptop picks up on our BT home-hub and the wireless printer that we have so I can access the internet and printer from anywhere in the house.  Have been banned from taking it in the garden though as I'm a bit of a clumsy so and so, and Peter thinks I would probably drop and break it, I have to agree with him!

I'm also in the midst of transferring emails from my PC to this and, although I'm now answering emails on it, old ones still came into the other machine.  So if you left me comments before, or on, my birthday and I've not commented back, please don't think I'm being rude - I just am jiggling two comps right now.  Hopefully I should have it all straight by the end of the week.

Enough computer waffle then, onto the card.  This one is not for any challenges, I just thought I'd share so that the old bloggette doesn't feel neglected.

I know that the person I sent it to has now received it, so I'm OK to share here!

It's another Lili of the Valley freebie, coloured with Promarkers die-cut onto a nestie.
The border punch is Martha Stewart, ribbon from my ribbon box.
The swirl is a Marianne die.
Craftwork card blank and sentiment.
The papers are from one of my favourite packs at the mo - First Edition, Hideaway.

So hope all you lovely people are keeping well and I will sign off now.

Sarah

I'm done!

Hi folks

This is the last of my little spurt of cards.  I decided in the end that I needed to make a thank you card for each of the nursery teachers, I've made all three now and so should go get on with all the housework that I've ignored this week.  You could write your name in the amount of cat fur that is lurking on the hallway upstairs, it really needs hoovering.  That's my job for the rest of the morning, before heading off to pick Emily up from nursery and then off swimming.

This is my final card and although it is a Lili of the Valley image it's one of my stamps - not a freebie!  Once I'd decided to use these images I thought I might just as well do all of the cards with them.  I'd totally forgotten what a joy they were to colour and how much I like my Promarkers.  Oooh I'm so fickle, moving from one toy (Prismas) onto another (Promarkers).

Anyway cut the waffle Sarah, show the card:

Detail shot of glitter on the headband:

Please excuse the wet glue on the first picture - I am so impatient I can't always wait for things to dry!

Details of card:

Lili of the Valley image coloured with Promarkers and highlighted with Stickles glitter glue, die-cut with my Go-Kreate die.
Lili of the Valley sentiment die-cut with a nestie.
Buttons and ribbon from stash.
Don't know where the stripy paper came from but the dotty one is K&Co, Brenda Walton.

Only one challenge for this card:

Sketch Saturday Week#164 - 16th July - I have rotated the sketch to suit the image.

Sarah

Still going!

Hello again!

Well whose a good girl then?!  Not quite a post every day, but getting there.  Still no cards for challenges though, I think maybe I'm going at this the wrong way round.  I should probably make a card with a challenge in mind, rather than making a card and then wondering if it would fit any challenges!

So card for today is another Lili of the Valley one - surprise, surprise!  Still working my way through the freebie images.

Here we go:

 Detail shot of the flowers in her bouquet:

The details:
Freebie LoTV image, coloured with promarkers.  Die cut onto nesties
Marianne Creatables swirl
Main paper is from My Minds Eye - wild asparagus paper pad, the back panel is a K&Co scrap, the front one no idea just from my scraps box.
No idea with the ribbons either - they are just out of my big box
Ditto for flowers!
Sorry not much detail is there!

Now onto my waffle - today was the end of an era for us.  Our last ever PEEP group - Peers Early Education Partnership - it's a particular type of children's group that focuses on early learning and our one was run by the local SureStart centre.  It was absolutely brilliant, I made many friendships there, and today was the last one that we could go to as Emily is now too old with her being 4 and starting school in Sept - we have been going to the various stage groups since she was 6 months old.  There was a lovely little party and they all got certificates - so cute!

The start of the end - so many things we won't be able to go to now that she is starting school.  I know there will be a new stage in her life soon which will replace the things we won't go to - but at the moment I am missing my baby!

I will get a grip and get over it, but tonight I am going to wallow in memories.

Best wishes to all

Sarah

Peek-a-boo!

Yes, can you believe it a post two nights running!  Can't promise the same service for tomorrow, have to get the holiday let ready for this weeks guests and we've got the School sports day.

I brought a copy of Papercrafts Inspirations for the freebie and am using them up rapidly.  The gift is a pack of 20 LoTV images - now the paper they are printed on isn't the best, not that smooth, and I'm finding the Promarkers are giving me less work to colour with than the Prismas.  At least it's giving my poor neglected Promarkers a new lease of life!

So here is the card, not entered into any challenges (I just can't get my head around trying challenges at the mo when I'm struggling to even get one card done) but probably going to be the Nursery teachers Thank you card:

 Close up on the glitter on the mirror and her hat flower:

So card details:
Freebie LoTV image, coloured with Promarkers and die-cut with Nestie.
Craftwork cards blank, sentiment, flower and Card Candy.
Papers are First Edition Paper - Up, Up and Away stack.

I'm wondering if maybe part of my problem with getting cards made is that I've just got too many stamps as I'm finding it much easier just to go to this pack of images and pick one.  Too much choice leads to a sore head me thinks.  No way am I getting rid of any stamps (apart from eventually the ones I very first brought a long time ago) though, I'm slightly addicted. One day I might well post a pic of all the boxes, crates, folders and more boxes that hold all my stamps.  I'm also thinking about getting more for my birthday present.

My waffle -  Emily is running in the Nursery race at sports day tomorrow.  There are going to be two races for the Nursery kids, one for the ones moving up (Emily's group) and another for the little ones staying in Nursery.  Em has been practising she tells me!  There has been lots of standing still in the classic start pose and then zooming from one end of the kitchen to the other.  Wonder what she will do if she looses!  Does any child really believe that it's the taking part that matters - I never did and was always devastated when I lost (which was lots, I'm not sporty at all!).

If I get time, I may well post tomorrow with the Thank you presents we made for the Nursery teachers and let you know how the race went, can't promise though.

Hope everyone had a good weekend,

Cheerio
Sarah

Oh dear!

Hello,

Yes I am still here, but I do seem to be having real difficulty getting to update the old blog at the mo.  I don't remember the run up to the school holidays being as bad as this last year, but maybe that's because Emily wasn't moving up into big school.  I seem to have had a lot of running around looking at uniforms, parents evenings, school fetes, and Monday it's the school sports day.

I did finally manage to make a card yesterday, not for any challenges but for a friend's birthday so I thought I would share it here:

It's a free Lili of the Valley image from a mag, coloured with my Prismas and bit of stickles for highlights.  Die-cut onto nesties, ribbon from my big box.  The papers are Blonde Moments: Sugar Dumpling, I have had them for years and am getting to the last of them - will have to buy the pack again as I think they are just beautiful.  The card blank and sentiment are Craftwork Cards.  Flowers and pin from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Now my waffle!  Our apple trees are just starting to give us apples and I'm desperately looking for recipes for apples - loads of them went off last year.  I don't like pastries so apple pie is not on the menu - or crumble either - yuk! The same happened with the plums, which I why I took the plunge and tried jam making last year, really loved doing it and am planning another batch this year.  However, I don't think I've ever seen apple jam, but have seen loads of apple chutneys - maybe I'll branch out and try chutneys this year.  Any good recipes anyone?

Will wander now as have dishes to do, hopefully I will be able to get more crafting done soon and update more regularly than once a week!  What on earth am I going to do during the school holidays!!!

Sarah

Its funny isn't it

Isn't it funny how the strangest things are triggers for your memories?  I was wandering around blog world and looking in on various blogs when I made a regular visit to http://aloadofoldpickle.blogspot.com/ another docraft forum member and was looking at the card she had made.  Her comments on a family dog made me remember our dog Sally.  Sally died many, many moons ago but I remembered a picture I have of me, my sister and her sitting on the doorstep.  I dug that picture out and was laughing at the very children of the 70's my sister and I look like.  That in turn reminded me of the stamp and I dug it out to use for the first time today on a card for one the challenges that I take part in on the Docrafts forum.  It's a Lili of the Valley stamp (surprise, surprise!) and the first time I've used it.  I brought it ages ago as I thought it was just so cute but then so are many others and this one just got left.  It shouldn't have really!  So here we go, here is the card I made.

I'm having real fun practising with the Prismacolor pencils I got recently, they give a very different look to the card than my Promarkers which I have pretty much been colouring solidly with for the last 18mths.  The paper is from a Basic Grey pad, the ribbon and trim are Papermania.  Sentiment is Craftwork cards and I made the big flower the other two are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Anyway, that was just my ramblings for today.  Hope everyone else had the glorious weather that we did and you are all having a good week.

Sarah

PS, If I get enough requests I might even post up the pic!
PPS, I'm wondering about trying out for a Design Team, I don't know tho.  I am so new to this blogging lark, would I be able to cope?  Will ponder some more!

Lili of the Valley - Challenge 88

Well I decided to enter the Lili of the Valley challenge again, I really like working from sketches.  They help me to stop dithering over placement on my cards, so all I'm left to do then is hunt through boxes and boxes of paper to pick what I'm going to use!  This time, as I remembered about the challenge, I have actually managed to make a card in plenty of time.

I've used It's my Party, coloured her with promarkers, cut with a circular nestie and chalked round the edge for some definition.  All the papers and the sentiment are from Craftwork cards - don't ask me what the papers are though I've had them for ages and can't remember!  The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and my stock (of which I have loads of flowers).  The lace is also from Wild Orchid Crafts and ribbon from stock.  Am a bit dissapointed that the ribbon moved when I stuck it down, as it's not even now.

I still show my cards to hubby, although I swear everytime after I've done it I'm not going to do it again.  His comment this time?  "That's going to cost a fortune to post" - not the point I reply.  Can you see now why I set up this blog, I like talking to myself, I get the right answers.  Show card - correct response is "Oooh, how lovely aren't you clever". Pat on back ;-)

Anyway, I'll stop waffling now, may well be back later with more cards depends on how much time I have. 

Cheerio

Sarah