Bad blogger....

but I'm still not that well. Went back to work yesterday and just feel like going straight to bed when I get in. Still here's a little new home card I made for someone at work and a Christmas card I made for my 'let's get embossing' demo at our local hobbycraft. I'll upload a few more of the samples tomorrow morning. Off now for a week's holiday (this is supposed to be my birthday celebration/christmas shopping week but I don't have a thing planned) but, joy of joy, have to take 'youngest' in to hospital for X rays tomorrow so it will be Saturday before I get a lie in 0:(. Maybe if they hear me hacking away they'll keep me in.

a polar bear, a piano and a cup of coffee........

Well I did joke that the brief for this new home card for one of the manager's at work included a polar bear, piano, opera, strong coffee, chocolate and sci fi. Despite a very helpful suggestion from LLJ that I could cover most of the brief  by having a polar bear with an opera cape and glasses reclining on a piano with a chocolatte in paw and Yoda as the waiter, I decided to stick with the bear. The sentiment was a free digi from 'netty's cards' if you want to pop over and grab one for yourself.

Unfortunately despite extreme mocking up before I stuck anything down I ended up with everything too near the bottom of the page and I'm not entirely happy with the composition (but I wasn't about to re-do it).
Still the recipient liked it so that's the main thing!!

However, when I asked my OH what he thought, he said ' a piano place of your own...... I don't get it'.

So I guess I put the piano in the wrong place as well!!

And here is another commission card for a friend's daughter. This brief was pink with a fairy. MUCH easier!!

Have only just got up after deciding to take a sick day today. Just can't shake this cold and pesistent cough and am exhausted but feel a bit better after giving in and laying in bed all morning although I may be back there in an hour or so. My sympathies to everyone else who has or has had this bug, it's a real doozie - can't believe I feel this low and it's only mid November.  Still, onwards and upwards!! Have a nice day everyone!!

 

Try It On Tuesday - Christmas Sparkle!!

Well a very simple little card from me this fortnight as I am prototyping my all-and- sundry christmas card which needs to be flat to save postage and using my 'new' Christmas stamp - I say 'new' because it is actually an oldish Lily of The Valley image but I think it is very sweet, (and very quick to colour for mass production!!).

I did however try out a different technique on this card. It may not be obvious from the photos (I have a nice close-up but can't get it to load up the right way round even if I rotate and re-save it - go figure). After stamping and colouring the image with promarkers I put a double sided sticky sheet (? correct name escapes me) over the image and then glittered onto the sticky surface with a very fine white glitter. I thought I might lose the image but it comes through nicely and kind of looks like it has been done on glitter card. So a nice bit of Christmas sparkle for this Tuesday's challenge!!

Don't forget to enter your sparkly christmas projects by hopping over to Try It On Tuesdays and linking in. We'd love to see what you've been making.

 

Card update..

Been MIA this last week, just too much other stuff going on.

But here is the finished sewing card which was on my desk a couple of weeks ago:










and also the card I made my mum's 80th  (apologies for lousy photographs):

Now I will admit this card follows a design I saw on Anna Marie's stall at AP and I even used the same sentiment. I absolutely fell in love with it and asked her how she had made it - and it was so simple!! The curled back frame looks really effective so I think I will be making more of these with different centrepieces etc.

I have a little bit of friendly sibling  card making rivalry with my sister who for mum this year made a huge A4 card (I have to add I had to remind her to make it). When we were out on Saturday at the Blenheim Craft Fair she was telling another friend about her huge card and I butted in, 'yeah but it wasn't as nice as mine' (jokingly) and she replied 'Well at least mine was hand made'. LOL she thought I had bought it. Made my day to get one over on her, should have seen her face when I enlightened her!!

Anyhow, now I am in a suitably good mood (still chuckling over that) I am home most of this week, everyone is off about their business and I am going to CRAFT!! So, see you soon....
 

A bit of canvas work.....

After making all those flippin' cards for MacMillan I was desperate to get a bit inky. I also wanted to make a couple of pressies for friends whose birthdays I had missed. So I decided to get a bit inky and painty.

This one is a really mini canvas with an octopode image. I love the way the background turned out on this one  and as I am sure you know by now this is one of my very favouritest Octopode images.  

For the second one I decided to try out a bit of 'she art'. I love Christy Tomlinson's style (do check out her etsy store if you are looking for something lush for a crafty friend - she has lots of funky new merchandise using her art).

I don't have any idea what I'm doing really, I just watch a lot of u tube demos and then wade in using any old paper, paints and inks I've got in my stash. Actually used some really old inks I bought when an art shop was closing down several years ago - I think they are designed to go in an artist pen, probably some kind of early promarker as they stink so much they must be alcohol based. So glad to find a use for them at last!!

The added attraction of this style of course is no faces, although it's then hard to give your image some character without. I like the angle of the face on this one although (and this is so typical) imo the original sketch was even better.

November Art Draw - A bit of Christmas spirit!!

Well I suppose we had to mention the 'C' word sometime soon! In an attempt to be more organised and get this month's offering out to the winner before the festive season is over, I have  a Christmas themed project for November.


The item in question is this festive wreath, much influenced by samples I have seen using Mr Holtz's dies. These ones however are from Marianne Creatables. The wreath is not very large, being about 8" across but hopefully someone would like this in their craft room or home.
 The art draw will run until 9.00 pm on Friday 30th November. If you want to play please leave a comment on this post to that effect - this will secure your name going 'in the hat'. Feel free to link from your own blogs and if you let me know you have I'll put you in the draw twice. Overseas players welcome but please make sure I have a way to contact you should you win as posting dates might be tight for overseas delivery.

I think that's all for now, and err.... merry christmas??
(Anybody know how many sleeps??)

What's On Your Work Desk, Wednesday?.........#179

Goodness it's Wednesday again!! Time for our weekly snoop around the craft desks of the world, courtesy Julia Dunnit of Stamping Ground. Pop on over to find out more and join in.

Here's my desk, kinda the calm after the storm this week. I have been making poinsetta's for this month's giveaway - just a little tease, and it's just drying off so will probably post it this evening.

My trusty circle cutter has died (well the blade snapped and I don't seem to have any spares) and the poor lollipop tree is still not finished and is now listing rather alarmingly. And for those who care, I have covered my gravy tub scissor holder. That rather funky covering started life as a sheet of kitchen roll in the bottom of my spray box.

Leave me a message and if you have a blog I'll repay the favour, whether you join in with WOYWW or not. Home today, so hopefully will get a bit of crafting done as I have two very important cards to get done, one a commission new home card (brief: polar bear, piano, opera,strong coffee, chocolate and sci fi. No problems there then.) and the other an 80th birthday card for my mum. As I'm about I hope to visit a few desks before lunchtime rather than the middle of the night as often happens!!






And finally a word of warning. This is what happens when you try to grow out your acrylic nails and then play with mica  sprays.
Very attractive n'est ce pas?

Happy WOYWW!!


 

Try It On Tuesday - 'Memories' DT Piece

I have to 'fess up. When I sat down on Sunday morning (cutting it fine as usual) to make my DT piece for Try It On Tuesday I was completely mojoless and uninspired. When that happens I find the only thing that gets me making is to follow a 'recipe', a sketch or try out a technique.

I have quite a few new stamps that have been looking at me reproachfully for some time now as they haven't seen ink yet so I thought I would make myself use some of these. I bought them at Ally Pally from the Paper Artsy stall and this particular set was  the last choice I made for a 'buy 4 get 1 free' offer. The first four were easy to choose, the last one was more difficult because although all the sets are gorgeous none of them were screaming 'you have to have me'. So I chose something that I wouldn't normally. If that makes sense. Still stuck for inspiration, I then looked over the photos I took at the Paper Artsy stall of all their lovely samples.  I didn't see anything using the stamps I had bought but saw a fairly masculine looking little piece with lots of bits and bobs on - something I find very difficult to do myself although I love the look.  (I would have put in a picture but it's just in one of the whole wall and a bit fuzzy even before cropping so I'll spare you that).


So new stamps in hand, and using that layout as a sketch or recipe I came up with this. And to make it fit with the theme I just used the word 'Memories' on it. A bit of a cop out I'm afraid!!

Anyhow, it has way more elements than I am usually confident at adding but works I think though I should probably have stamped the clock onto a slightly thicker piece of card to put crackle glaze on it as it's gone a bit crinkly.  Oh well, it's just vintage!!


So, if you would like to join in with us at Try It On Tuesday we'd be very pleased to see your 'Memories' projects. Have a great day!!