It's Weekend and Fat Club Update!

Here we are another Friday evening and the weekend is here. I went back to work today as I'm feeling a lot better (although I still have a bit of a cough) but I still had to play catch-up with all my jobs so it was head down all day as I beavered away clearing my desk.

I went to Fat Club yesterday evening with my fingers crossed after last week's horror of a putting 1lb on and the good news was a weight loss of 6lbs. Whoopee - I was so relieved. That is a total loss of 11bs in three weeks and I got my first half stone award (for 2011). I still got a long way to go so no slacking off but I'm starting to feel the benefit - I lost 3 stone last year so this makes it nearly 4 stone and finally some of my clothes are feeling too big, I found a top in my wardrobe I had bought 18 months ago in the sales but it was too small so I just threw it in the cupboard - I tried it on this morning and it fits - I felt like I had just won the lottery. My next goal is to start wearing trousers again but not just yet but hopefully by summer. Watch this space.

Under the Weather

Today I have been off work as I have developed a really bad chest with a horrendous cough. I have spent most of the day either coughing for England or fast asleep on the settee. I have a just started a course of anti-biotics that I'm hoping will sort me out but I still feel absolutely rubbish at the moment so I think I will have an early night.

Will post again when I feel a bit better.

Black & White !!!!

I took a half-day holiday today and had the afternoon off work - I had a doctors' appointment and it was in the middle of the afternoon so it was easier to take the afternoon off. When I got home I dashed into the craft room for quick card making session. 3 hours later as it started to go dark I'd finished - just where does the time go when we're crafting - it's like you step into time machine - it just disappears.

Anyway I apologise for the terrible photo but it was taken under artificial light and it has made all the white card look cream - not a good look when the card is suppose to be black & white with a bit of colour.

 

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
Sugar Creek Hollow - Black, White + 1 colour
Pollycraft - Black, White + 1 colour
Challenge up your Life - Clean & Simple
I Love Promarkers - Keep it Sweet & Simple

Just another Sunday

What sort of Sunday have you had? Mine has been very quiet - Bazzer was away up to Windermere with his mate Big Chris to do a spot of sailing on Chris's boat which left me all on my own-some. Mmmm now let me see - how can I fill my day!

What a surprise - I spent it in the craft room messing about and I made a couple of ATCs 'Do you believe in Fairies', I was playing with my new TH embossing folder I got in the Sizzix sale just after Christmas. I ran plain card through it and then inked up my brayer and ran it very gently over the top of the raised card. I rather liked the background effect it made so I cut it into ATC size and inked up a separate image of a fairy from Beeswax Rubber Stamps and coloured it in with Copic pens added a bit of bling in the form of stickles and added it to the ATC using foam pads. The saying also comes from Beeswax Rubber Stamps. In fact in my previous post I attributed the Silver Birch Stamp wrongly I'm sorry if you went looking for it but you will find it at Beeswax - I hope it didn't cause any problems to anyone.

 

I'd like to enter this in:-
CES Challenge - Angels & Fairies
Wag 'n' Whiskers Fairy Challenge
The ABC Challenge - M is for MAGIC

I then went on to play with a new addition to my craft stash - isn't it so cute - I love this Penny Black Stamp the cat reminds me so much of our old cat Paddy who was a real character and I imagine he is up there swinging on his own star now (he died a little while ago but I still miss him). When I picked this stamp up in our local craft shop in the bargain bin - I couldn't believe my luck:-) Anyway I stamped and coloured him in using copics then I used my MS Round The Page heart punch to create the mount added a background rosebud paper from Magnolia and some pink cotton drill ribbon with some shocking pink sheer ribbon down the middle topped with three pink hearts. I added a sentiment and a heart cut with my Sizzix with lots more stickles to add a bit of bling.

 

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:-

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - January Sales
Really Reasonable Ribbon = Ribbons and Hearts
Fab'n'Funky - Animal Magic
Fussy and Fancy Friday Sketch 28
Craft your Days Away Challenge - Love
Creative Belli Blog - 109 the letter P ... PINK

I made the Top 3

Waaaahooo - I made the top 3 at Simon Says Stamp and Shop Challenge blog this week with my Winter Treescape. I'm really chuffed - it's my first Top 3 blinkie.

On another note - it was Fat Club tonight and I was gutted I'd been really good all week (not even a glass of wine) and I've put a 1lb back on. What is that all about?

On a positive note I did stop to do my version of the exercise class - I struggle with some of the dance moves as my hip is too painful but I have been given some chair exercises that I do while everyone else gallops about. It was fun.

Anyway I will continue on with the diet and hope for better results next week.

What - Another Card!!!!!

I hope you have all had a good weekend despite the rain - honest it has rained and rained and has only just stopped about an hour ago. Not to worry I have put my time to good use in the craft room and managed to have a play.

I have for many years struggled to get to grips with my speedball brayer but after watching Barbara Gray again (I recorded her last week) I decided I was going to have another go. I already had a similar stamp to her Silver Birch (mine came from Stamp Francisco in the US) and so I was set.

I made a prototype card that was an absolute disaster and I got ink over everything including my hands - don't ask! - and left a trail of inky blue fingerprints all the way to the bathroom - Bazzer was not best please. Anyway this is the final card I don't think it turned out too bad and I'm going to make a few more - hopefully they will look similar to the one here but who knows :-)

I'm going to enter this into the following challenges:-

Crafty Hazel's Challenge - Trees
Stamp, Scrap Doodle - Anything goes
Lets Ink Up - Anything Goes
Blog-a-doodle - Winter in the Woods
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Masking
Lots to Do - Brayering

 

Hi from a very wet and rainy Satruday morning here in Lancashire - as I type the rain is lashing against the craft room window - it's not very nice. A good day to stay in a craft but unfortunately I have to go out and do the weekly shop - a day for the wellies and the umbrella I think.

I was up early and have just finished this card - I started it for the Polka Doodle Challenge which was a sketch & Red White & Blue but I haven't got an oval shape cutter yet (next on my list) so I had to interpret the design my way. I hope this is ok. I have entered in several different challenges see below.

 

Polka Doodles Challenge Red White & Blue.
Stamp Something Anything Goes
Craft Your Days Away Anything Goes
Our Creative Corner Lets Play Dress up
Speedy the Cat's Challenge Use a Heart

What are you doing today - crafting - leave me a comment and let me know and I will pop over and checkout your blog. I love looking at what you all do I find it so inspirational.

Have a good day. X

Weekly Weigh-In - It's all good

Just a quick post this evening with an update from the Fat Club weigh-in. Well I'm off to a good start - I've lost 6lbs and I was 'Slimmer of the Week'.

Wahoo - I feel really pleased I came home and celebrated with 4 fish fingers for my tea. lol. How exciting is that!

Image via Wikipedia

What a "Bug"ger of a card!

Whoppeeeee Enfys having a Party - check it out there are all sorts of things happening - mini competitions every day until midnight Saturday 22nd January and the winners will be annouced on Sunday 23rd. Loads of prizes to be won.

I decided to make this card for Going Buggy's first mini-challenge and I have managed to get 3 different bugs on my card a snail, a ladybird and loads of butterflies. There are two prizes on offer I'm entering the UK prize please.

 

On another subject I have been back on my diet for a week now - I rejoined my local fat club last week and found out I had put on 3lbs over the Christmas period (well it could have been worse). Tomorrow is weigh-in day and I face the dreaded scales! Oh-er I do hope I have been good enough. Please keep your fingers crossed if I haven't lost anything I'm going to get my lips stitched together. Lol. I'll let you know in my next post.

Bye for know.
X

I Don't Believe it !!!!!

Well things are looking up I managed to make 4 Christmas Cards yesterday:-) No I'm not crazy but I'm keeping to the New Year Resolution to make some each month.

 

I have made this with freebies I have collected which and I have never used - I really pleased with the results. The reindeer stamp was free in a Crafts Beautiful Magazine last year and the paper was free in another magazine but I have had it that long I can't remember which one. I used my new MS snowflake flurries border punch and the snowflakes that were punched out I stuck on randomly. The reindeer was coloured in using Promarkers and I used my Marianne oblong cutter to create a base to sit the deer on and then mounted the whole thing on silver card.

I want to enter this in Crafty Hazels Christmas Challenge using freebies and also Pollycraft Monday Challenge using something new
(my new Martha Stewart Snowflake border punch.) and Cupcake Craft Challenges also using something new.

 

This second card is a slight variation on a theme and I like them both. I have another 4 images coloured in but I used lavender to be a little different. I will post when I have finished them hopefully before next christmas. He He He

Are you watching Barbara Gray?

Just a quick post - are you watching Create & Craft TV - the lovely Barbara Gray is on demonstrating her stamps. She is very clever and I try to watch her when ever I can as she is so informative and uses different techniques with loads of hints and tips. She is also doing an internet demo between 2 and 3pm this afternoon - not sure how this works but I think you can watch it live on the Create & Craft Website.
Be back later.

A Little bit of Beading

I've not had time to make any cards this week - it's been so busy at work that I have felt a bit wrung out (like a dishcloth lol) when I finally get home. Hopefully it will settle down next week - I think we have been playing catch up from Christmas and New Year it's absolute mayhem!!!!!

Anyway I have decided to show you a bit more beading that I have finally completed - I have a lot of half finished pieces that I really must finish most of them only need a fastening but I always in too much of a hurray to start something else:-) I'm really pleased with this necklace, it is quite a simple pattern but I think it works really well with the turquoise and gold colour scheme.

 

I'm sorry the picture is a bit pants but I'm using my little digital camera and to be honest I think it is passed its best. Until I have save up a few more pennies buying a new camera is a distant fantasy. Big sigh

I have also put my blog on Crafty Blogs - Rankings which is a great site that lists loads of UK craft blogs. A great place for a bit of blog surfing. Unfortunately I'm right down the bottom at No 975 I really will have to try an get a few more visitors to look at my blog - I want to rise through the ranks just a bit. I'll have to get my thinking head on about what to do. Any ideas will be gratefully received!!!

See you all later.

Crafty Hazels Christmas Challenge

I found some more images that I stamped before Christmas and decided to make them into Christmas cards and to enter into Crafty Hazels Christmas Challenge . I have decided to try and make at least 10 Christmas cards every month so I get a bit ahead of next December's mad rush. I did this last year but only managed until June then I fell by the wayside - this year I'm going to try harder. Watch this space!

 

First ATCs of the Year

Morning all just a quick post before I dash out the door to work - first day back after Christmas break:-(

Here are a few of the atcs that I was unable to post yesterday. I was still in a Christmassy mode for the first couple, both the cat stamp by Kars and the Robin stamp from Hero Arts were new stamps that I had purchased before Christmas but hadn't used for my cards this year but as I had stamped these images out felt I had to finish them off. I coloured them in with Copic colours.

 

 

This was made using a couple of inches stamps from Inkadinkado Winter wonderland selection but unfortunately the photo doesn't pick up the image very well.

 

Finally for this post this is my interpretation of steam punk! It is my first effort and I was well outside my comfort zone but this year I have decided I have got to try new styles and not be afraid to push my boundaries. The butterfly stamp is from Elusive image and although again it hasn't photo'd too well the foil was embossed with a little alphabet - a Quickcutz embossing die I picked up in the sale last year and had never used!

 

Have a good day - I better go as I shouldn't be late on my first day back.

The sign of things to come !!! I hope not.

Have you ever had one of those days when all your plans goes to pot! Well today has been one of those days. I had my day plannned out to go shopping first thing this morning - restock the cupboards that had been picked clean by son No 1 while we were away. Bazzer had other plans and started to remove all the lights that were outside the house so I took myself off to the Craft Room and made an attempt to catch up on my ATC swaps. He eventually reappearred at lunch time so my early start was a little late. We did the shop and the kitchen is now restocked and we can eat for the rest of the week.

This afternoon I finished off all my ATC swaps and got them ready to post but before I parcelled them up I did my David Bailey impression and took photos of them to post here on my blog. I downloaded the pictures, tried to crank up the internet and nothing. There was no connection. After much faffing about and telephone calls to our provider(Smallworld) it seems that the fault was at their end where someone had tried to vandalise some equipment and obviously succeeded.

Smallworld said they were working on it but weren't sure when the connection would be back up. How frustrating is that - not even a sorry for the inconvenience - how rude!

The system is now back on-line but I will have to leave the pictures until another day as I'm off to watch Dr Brian Cox explain the the stars on TV - he is so cute;-) - lets hope that the TV is going to work - fingers crossed.

Until later.