WHAT A DIFFERENCE

A day makes

Last night was one of the most horrendous - weather wise - I've ever had.

Being away in the motorhome - with an awning up - in the middle of some of the worse gales for a very long time, was for me, a nightmare.

I honestly never slept a wink. 

I had my phone by my side and kept posting on FB how I felt and received support from my fellow FB pals. Thank you for keeping me going through the night you made me retain my sanity.

Thank goodness the worse has passed and it's reasonably quiet, so coupled with a few tipples I hope to sleep well tonight and make up for the lost hours.

I hope you are all safe because really the weather has been an 'ass' all over the country. 

ITS CHRISTMAS

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

To my family, friends and acquaintances all over the world.

I wish you all a wonderful time and the best 2014 you could ever dream of.

Xx

4 DAYS ON

It's 4 days now into our 2 weeks away. 

Lots of window shopping, a bit of buying too, a rather lot if drinking - well it is the festive season!!! - and a birthday - oh dear!!

We walked the few yards down the lane to the Rake on Friday for a meal which was delish and I was given a bottle of wine as it was MY day. How lovely was that. 

Most of our shopping had been over the road at Chester Oaks which this year boasts this

An outside and inside photo there of the massive tree on display for charity.

We also had the enviable treat of stroking these

WOW EH!

Having a lovely time so far

We are well battoned down incase the weather turns - expected storms - so will shop for fresh veg etc tomorrow then stay put.  Hopefully our web access remains. 

So far so good but I want to have a go at the crafty project I brought with me. It may work but then again may not!

ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!!!!

Yes, I've managed another year which means today is my birthday.

I have received THE most gorgeous cards and presents and I think by posting a photo on my blog is the best way I can thank you all plus let the world see the amazing works of art you have produced.

Being away in the motorhome means a nice lazy day but after this I must get ready and venture out me thinks. Here goes for the photo

Can you spot the amazing quilted table runner? SYLVIA this is incredible. I will not be able to put it away so you may see this on my table all year round. Thank you for the crafted card too because I know you haven't made many this year so to take the time for me is very special. THANK YOU

Notice the incredible canvas? GEZ how fabulous, you know I adore Stampotique so to receive this plus a crafted card too made this extra special and to have taken the time for me whilst all the things you have going on is even more special.

THANK YOU

See that little Tim Holtz binder? SONIA how could you ever part with anything Tim? How special do I feel and it's filled with Timmy papers, pockets, tags etc ready for me to complete. The crafted card is perfect too just like all your amazing work.

THANK YOU

Notice the 2 little girls on a swing card? HAZEL this brought a lump to my throat because the Matt says friends as does the rope holding their swing. Considering we have never met and the fact you won't give me your puppy (LOL) I am over the moon with it. 

THANK YOU

You cannot miss the box of top class toiletries nor the tea light lanterns and the adorable card. PAULA & QUENTIN I am so happy and excited with these. The lanterns will always remind me of a special and fun filled day out plus I know they will be part of extra fun when you design and make my new garden - kidding - not!!!!!!

THANK YOU

The tag card looks hand made but isn't. SUSI you are my pal and I didn't expect to receive anything from you so this card is special because it shows you care and I love you lots.

THANK YOU

The big card at the back is from my hubby.  He knows how I feel XXXXXX

To everyone wishing me a Happy Birthday on Facebook, THANK YOU so much. 

WOYWW LAST BEFORE XMAS DAY

Good morning all. I hope you are all done with the prepping for your Christmas festivities. How about you Julia?? I'm all done but not dusted, that horrid task is set aside for today after the ironing - yak! I hate both those chores. Got to be done today because we are off in the motorhome tomorrow for 2 weeks. Christmas and New Year just don't happen where we live and it's like living on a desert island without the lovely warm sunshine. So it will be away to do battle with the elements and watch all the caravanners running back and forth for fresh water, dumping their waste water and trudging to the toilet block in their pj's come rain or shine. Never ceases to amaze me why they bother when they've probably spent over £20k on their van and it has every amenity conceivable in it. Oh dear can you tell I'm not a lover of Xmas? I miss my kids too much. So, desk time. Not much going on today but it has been quite a sight to see of late.

My patchwork Eclectic Elements curtain in the corner, now waiting the New Year to arrive before I can do some more to it, my star Framelits prize from Ellison FB page which arrived this week, a pile of thread when a bobbin fill went wrong and all the usual inks, pens etc.. So I must away and get on with these chores and some present deliveries, but before I go. Please take a moment to have a look at my blog background. My lovely SiL, Quentin has worked his magic once more and re-done it using my 12 tags of 2013 and changing the colour to pale blue. THANK YOU once again. Right, I'm really going this time. Happy WOYWW.

5 YEARS HAVE FLOWN

I really cannot believe that it's the 17th of December again. 5 years have gone by since we said goodbye to our Toby. It still hurts like you wouldn't know. I can still hear him saying 'hello' as he charged in the front door and he continued until you said 'hello' back - honestly. I can hear his loud purring and feel his velvety coat, and I'm sure his 'dadi' can still feel his freezing cold feet on his back as Toby tried his best to push him out of bed!! Any one who has had a wonderful pet will know exactly what I mean when I say there is a massive gap where he once was. So this year's scrapbook page is this:

I took inspiration from a gorgeous page in Scrap 365 magazine dated Aug/Sept 2013.

What an ingenious way to use thin dies. The #5 is appropriate for this year.

When I re-sized Toby's photo it took on the look of having been drawn. I think it's quite different and makes him look 'cheeky', which he was. Thanks for looking. I'd also like to dedicate this page to a dear lady who has never forgotten Toby's anniversary and who helped me get through the pain all those years ago. She is going through her own personal pain at the moment and I'm sending her the warmest of wishes and gentle cuddles. I won't tell you who she is but she means a lot to me and our internet friendship is one of the best.

A BIT MORE SEWN

In between doing other things - nothing very exciting but necessary, I've managed to sew a bit more curtain.

I tacked all the pieces together then carefully machined them. 

It's about time my trusty machine was used again instead of sitting in the lobby hole. 

Once that was done and the seams pressed I removed all the tacking.

That bit went on for ever.

I had some advice from the girls in our FB group - Hels Warriers from the Frozen North - who suggested putting black bands between the rows to make the material stand out more, but as getting the measurements right took me an age and a half I decided to use stitching instead. Black was a good idea so I bought more thread but when I looked at the curtain as a whole, brown seemed the better colour so off I went to buy brown thread instead.

I've just finished the fancy stitching along all the seams and am now ready for the next bit of embellishing.

There is a really tricky bit to come, not quite yet though, the lining. My pal Sylvia has told me how to go about it but it really does need to be perfect. I may wait 'til the New Year to do that.

AGAIN!!

You just don't know what each day will bring.

Late this afternoon I heard that I had won a set of star framelit dies from Sizzix. I am a follower on Twitter and Facebook and it was a social network prize offered to followers I won.

Thank you you lovely and talented die designers. 

One happy crafter here.

THE STORY SO FAR

I bought some of Tim's Eclectic Elements half fat quarters from AFTH a couple of months ago with intention of making a patchwork curtain for my craft room window to replace the old verticle blind. Never having made anything patchwork before except a duvet cover years ago, this was going to be a big challenge.

My friend Sylvia in Devon is a master at patchwork so I began by asking her a bit of advice about sorting out where to start first. 

I then made a graph paper plan which became Plan A 

Unfortunately I just couldn't make it work so quickly moved to Plan B which meant ironing the pieces which is something I should have done in the first place because the sizes were different once the creases were out!!

On to Plan C then because wanting to use every last inch of material meant increasing my layout.

Hubby came in useful by cutting 24 pieces of paper all exactly the same size which I then pinned to my 8 gorgeous pieces of material. The dreaded bit was next - cutting.

The first 2 cuts were a doddle but the 3rd was a disaster taking off most of the seam allowance - don't cry I said to myself so I carried on after abandoning the rotary cutter for my trusty Fiskars scissors (now at least 47yrs old).

Yay! All cut. I then laid them out on the floor and began to shuffle them into a decent arrangement.

For some reason the last photo is upside down!

I pinned 4 pieces together for each if the 6 rows and have just finished tacking them.

I now need to machine those before pinning and tacking the rows together.

I may be some time.

12 TAGS OF 2013 - DECEMBER

Oh my! have you seen Tim's December tag? It is so gorgeous. The effect of the frosted film is magical and a technique I shall use over and over. I've been making my tag whilst watching our Hels on C&C and she has been using lots of Distress products plus lots of Wendy Vecchi goodies.

I really love this tag and want to make more now. Another year of 12 tags is over and I've enjoyed making every single one. The November tag was made even more special because Tim picked my entry out as a winner - yippee! I won a $25 SSS voucher which I have happily spent this morning. So another great big THANK YOU for that to everyone involved. I am now eagerly awaiting the announcement from Tim that he will continue this exciting crafty adventure next year. Oh Happy Days.............

XMAS CARD WITH A DIFFERENCE

I planned to make my Christmas cards and stocking fillers before our long holiday which began at the end of August and I actually achieved my goal. The idea was to be 'in control' at the end of the year so as not be in a rush like 2012. Also, we are going away again for Christmas and the New Year so I need to be sorted for that too. So far so good except it's December on Sunday and I've not started my present shopping yet!!!!! arghh! the best laid plans eh? My lovely hairdresser, Erica, keeps the cards I make her and proudly displays them in the salon each year, so I decided to make her something very different this time. It started in the sunshine around July like this:

progressed a little more indoors:

then it was all out on the embellishing: front

back

I bought some balsa wood when were in Worthing from a model shop which is slightly wider than the letters and after painting it white stuck them to it using a crystal bead to help steady the letter 'Q'. I've just taken it to the salon and it now takes centre place in the window. It's nice to bring a smile to someone who perhaps is having a rough time of things, I know it always helps me, so I hope some of my other pals will enjoy their little stocking fillers this year: This is one that did just that:

XMAS STENCILS

These arrived last Wednesday

I couldn't wait to play but was out most of the day so when I saw that Tim had made a card on Thursday using his 2 new stencils, I was more than happy to have a go too. I tried to make the same background

which turned out just fine. I then die cut a holly wreath and bow and covered them with distress glitter. After a good old rummage in my metal embellishment box, I found the muse token and hung that to the bottom of the card with some string. I then cut some red and green card to size and stuck the finished tag to it all.

Its a lovely crispy morning and at long last Mr & Mrs Blackie have returned. I'm happy and content now!!

RUDOLPH THE RED BODIED REINDEER

I've finally managed to finish off both reindeers. The little one was going to be all white and covered in snowflakes so I began by painting it with Snow (Titanium) White Americana acrylic paint by Decoart. This paint is so creamy and easy to use and not too expensive either. However, the white theme wasn't going to work too well so I mixed some Distress Paint with some Studio Dash of Red acrylic and came up with a gorgeous shiny luscious colour which I used on both sides of the reindeer. A rummage through a flower embellishment drawer came up with a few Poinsettias, some leaves, a bit of gold elastic and a golden bell. Here is the result:

Here they both are:

A big thank you to Hels for picking my name out last Xmas for the giveaway of the Paper Reindeers. I've certainly had fun altering them.

I WAXED MY REINDEER TODAY!!!!!

It was a little late to decorate my 2 reindeers, which I won around last Xmas, for 2012 so I have started to decorate them today. Actually, I took them on holiday with me in August/September and primed them ready. The large one took first place and - as mentioned above hehe! - I decided to wax it. I bought some lovely Xmas napkins which have birds, a tree and some juniper branches on and after de-laminating one, tore it up around the images. I painted the reindeer with a combination of 3 DecoArt acrylic paints and then began to wax on the napkins. A few die cut Poinsettias, juniper branches and a pine cone cut from card plus some holly leaves cut from alcohol - inked scrap acetate made the decoration. It seems to have worked ok, what do you think??

I've partly painted the smaller reindeer and hope to continue with it's decoration tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL

Bill is a neighbour and keen gardener.

I made this card for him following inspiration gained on an online class.

WOYWW 6/11

Are you all safe and sound after the fireworks last night? It was a 'soggy' one in my part of the country. For those of you who don't know what I mean, the 5th of November is Bonfire Night in the UK when we break the majority of any health and safety rules by allowing the public to play with gunpowder in their own gardens and gather as many children around bonfires as is possible. Can you guess I am not a fan. Sorry about that Julia but after reading about a rocket that went through a kitchen window some years ago injuring the children who were watching and then setting fire to the house I hate the things. Rant over its back to what today stands for, showing off our work spaces to the world.

My little 274mph craft sewing machine takes centre place. I've been trying to sew some bits onto card for a birthday card I'm making - that was Monday. The thread broke and I just can't seem to get it back into the needle to have another go!!! Looks like I may have to get my big machine out after all!!! The tissue paper is to put inside some boxes I am decorating in the hopes of selling them. The folder beneath the tissue holds my Chemistry 102 information which I was referring to for one of the techniques I am using on the said birthday card. I've been missing for a while now which I knew would happen and is why I had to plan Xmas cards and stocking fillers so early in the year. Thank goodness I did that because the days are flying by once more. Its just over 6 weeks until we are away again and then only 3 weeks at home before another jaunt. I hope to link properly today and maybe get round to yours for a change as I'm using my computer rather than my phone. Still have to learn how to link properly on that. Have a wonderful WOYWW and keep warm.

12 TAGS OF 2013 - NOVEMBER

Another fun technique from Tim this month. I did this one on creative chemistry 102 and had fun with it then too. However, I don't have the sizzlet and stamp set, infact, I doubt they are in the UK but can't wait to see them and maybe acquire one or two!!! So for this tag I've used the Xmas Tree from the Blueprint CMS 135 collection. I know it's not time for Xmas trees but if you had seen my big trees covered in frost this morning you would have thought it was Xmas. Here is my tag:

Right, I'm off to wash the chalk from my hands now.

A LITTLE PLAQUE

I made some UTEE flowers this morning using 3 amazing moulds I bought last weekend. The technique I used was one of the 15 Hels taught us at the workshop, it's one I need to practice more because despite using a heat tool to disperse bubbles I seem to have gained lots more during the pouring.

Anyway I made a little wall plaque with them as part of the decoration and although simple it is reasonably effective. 

Hope the glue dries or I shall have to heat my glue gun up!!

WHERE HAVE THE WEEKS GONE???

I have been all round the country and back across to the NE since last August. Not much time for my blog I'm afraid which is why I was making Xmas cards every month until then plus a few little presents for friends. My feet have just touched the ground following THE most wonderful weekend in the company of Hels' Warriors from the Frozen North. Hels taught her amazing melt pot techniques to 16/17 of us and we laughed a lot, learnt a lot and then played a lot - I might add though - we never 'played' with the melt pot, we were all very careful and listened to Hels intently. The learning bit was Saturday but Sunday saw us put all that into practice and make a decorated memory box using UTEE and wax. Here is my finished box.

and here is a little twist

Added lights. I have had so much fun making this box and even managed to include some of the things I made years ago at a Suze Weinberg workshop. So much has changed with the melt pot since then and the colours of UTEE now available just blow your mind. Thank you again to Hels for this workshop. I know we all had a ball. Roll on January and the next weekend. Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN to you all. My Apothecary has taken pride of place in the front window alongside some rather scary skulls and a massive spider. Nightime will see it all come to life - or not!!!LOL

ONE DAY TO WAIT

 Only today to wait then tomorrow is FUN day with the girls on Hels Sheridans melt pot weekend. 

An awful lot of prep has gone on all done by Sue Tucker so a big thank you Sue for all your hard work.

One more sleep !!!!!!

WOYWW 23/10

I missed last week as one thing led to another, and never realised it was Wednesday until Thursday, if you get my drift. So dear Julia, I have no idea what your desk looked like or anyone else's for that matter. 

This week is similar because I am away again in the NE ready for a melt pot crafty weekend with Hels Sheridan. Roll on.

I do have a titchy bit of craft with me for those spare moments but can't get near the table because this is what it looks like

Hubby brought one of his guitars with him to keep him occupied this weekend .

Well it's pouring with rain but we are going to go out anyway.

Happy WOYWW everyone. 

CREATIVE CHEMISTRY 102

The class may have finished today but I still have a few samples to make. However, I now have a head full of another 30 techniques all thanks to our professor Tim Holtz. Thank you for the classes and all that information. I just hope I get to make some better projects now using all my amazing crafty stash. One of the last bits of information Tim gave us was how to utilize our tags, after all, if like me you participate in the 12 tags of Christmas now the 12 tags of the year and have completed both creative chemistry classes, you will have dozens of tags showing all kinds of techniques. I now plan to use one of Tim's tips but have already found a wonderful way to display my tags. Please take a moment to have a look at my blog background because thanks to my son-in-law who owns Quentin James Design, I have a tag display showing all the time.

A LITTLE WALL HANGING

I made this over the last few days in between my Creative Chemistry 102 lessons.

The inspiration came from Craft Stamper magazine and together with my own twist on the sample given I set to and created this 8"x8" canvas.

The flowers are made using the tattered florals die, the dark leaves are also die cut but the maple leaves are stamped and carefully cut out. 

I have used distress inks, gesso and distress stains to create colour and shading. After spending ages dismantling an old chain bracelet in order to use the chain as the hanging method, the bloomin' thing wouldn't go through the holes so I had to resort to ribbon.

I had fun so that's the main thing.

CREATIVE CHEMISTRY 102

Doing a little catch up this morning as Day 4 - yesterday - didn't happen for me.

My computer decided to perform 7 updates which took an hour, by which time I was doing other things and just never got round to the joys of lesson #4.

Tim is being so patient with some student questions but I did see a photo if a rather large mojito (sp?) the other day!!

I thought I would try one of the techniques to make the start of a Xmas card.

I'll put this to one side and complete it later.

Off to watch some more videos now and get ready for day 5.

ECLECTIC ELEMENTS

At last my Tim material has arrived.

It looks gorgeous

The plan is to make one curtain to replace the verticle blind in my little craft room. Thing is, I can't do patchwork but I know a girl who can. I wonder whether she will accept a commission request????