And finally for today ...

Here is my last challenge of the day - it's No. 9: multiple pages, an accordion card with at least four panels both sides.

The first four scans are the front panels and the next four are the back panels.

My next entry below was actually composed before this one - it's just the way it was published and I just couldn't face changing it to put this at the bottom.

So things are a bit topsy turvy!

At least I feel as if I've achieved something today. My back has been driving me crazy with the pain, but I've paced myself through these and tried to engage my mind and creativity in the hope it would ease the pain (it didn't, but it was fun!).

A bit of a challenge

After a poor night, I surfaced this morning and have managed to do some of the challenges on Just Bex. The first is a card for challenge 1: 'All four one'.

The brief for this card was that it had to include at least four pieces of ribbons, four flowers, four different pieces of patterned paper and four fasteners, also a photo or main embellishment. I'm hoping that the 'Thought this might brighten your day' sentiment will count as a 'main embellishment'!

I decided to use chipboard flowers as a change to blooms and made the central holes easily with my crop-a-dile (if you haven't got one, you need one!)

I'm back again! I've just finished challenge 3 'Oh Baby' LO:

The next challenge I've tackled is No. 10: 'Two contrasting four words' - create a SB LO that is made up of 2 strong contrasting colours that you perhaps would not normally use ........ AND it must include at least 4 Words!

So I chose purple and red as my theme colours. The photo is John and me at Paul and Mandy's wedding reception.

The next one is for challenge 6: a LO from a sketch - it had to include journalling.

This is what it says: 'Mother and daughter sharing a huge ice cream dessert. I'll leave you to guess who ate the most! It was certainly delicious and between us we managed to clear the lot - well, it would have been wasteful not to, wouldn't it!'

Oh dear

Rubbish crafting and rubbish photography - great combination!! (and that's with a new camera - blame the light!)

Since Friday I've done no crafting until late this afternoon and evening. I managed to get out to church Sunday morning, but apart from that have been indoors and feeling rotten. In rare moments like this morning I begin to think the back pain is more reasonable and then it quickly returns with a vengeance and with a headache too.

A friend rang up today to ask if I had a golden wedding card in stock (I didn't - probably could have adapted one, but decided to do one from scratch). It so happens that the person she's giving it to has asked me to make a card for her sister's birthday, so it has made me get on with that this evening as well.

The only thing I'm remotely happy about is the roses on the heart on the anniversary card. As for the birthday card, the person receiving it is a keen gardener, so I thought wheelbarrow, watering can, etc but the card is far too busy (although my excuse is that older people tend to like more rather than less on a card).

All I can say really is 'oh dear' - not my best efforts.




This one is in fact far brighter and lighter than this - the left hand is a silver holographic butterfly background and the right hand is a pearlised white card (I know, you would never guess!) - perhaps I'll get a chance in the morning to get a proper picture before my friend comes to pick it up.

I'm just hoping that tomorrow morning I'll feel like doing some crafting for fun - I'm really wanting to join in the challenges on Just Bex, but apart from a couple of cards on Friday evening, I haven't done anything else. Perhaps I'll bounce back a bit tomorrow.

Challenges on Carolyn's

It's been a week of challenges on Carolyn's - why not visit the website to see all the fabulous entries that have been produced by so many talented crafters! And my stuff's on there too.

I did a LO this morning depicting Josey - I've been wanting to do something with some photos of her for a long time and this was the spur I needed. Although it was our wedding anniversary today, John had to go to the chemist to pick up prescriptions and so I had just under an hour to do this challenge - I managed it. We were asked to produce a LO that had at least four photos and some journalling or labelling on the photos. The LO also had to have stripes.

Here are some close ups, so you can see what Josey's saying:

We then went out to lunch - I was glad that we were both able to make it, despite the back pain.

This evening a series of challenges have started on Just Bex and here are two cards for challenge 5: no reason at all:

I hope these fit the bill - the brief was to be bright and cheerful.

Brief health update

Yesterday I went for the results of my bone density scan - disappointing, the score indicates severe osteoporosis. Don't want to dwell on this though and will continue to try to make the best of things. Regarding the vertebral fracture the advice still is to go with how my body feels (and I won't tell you how that is most of the time!).

Enough said.

Mini book for our wedding anniversary

I've been working on this when I can throughout the week (have submitted some of it for various challenges on Carolyn's this week).

It's our anniversary tomorrow and I'm giving it to John with his card.

Think Pink

This was a quick card for the challenge on Just Bex.

Sunny day

The sunshine certainly makes you feel better, doesn't it. I managed to get out today - a friend picked me up and we went for a sandwich lunch locally - very enjoyable - nice to get out, and so glad I was feeling more like it than I have been.

Before I went I managed to finish off the cover of the mini book I started for one of the challenges on Carolyn - to celebrate our wedding anniversary this coming Friday - and I also did the introduction pages. Don't know whether I'll get it finished before 'the day'. Things have kept going wrong with it - all part of a learning curve.

(I've deleted the pictures of the mini book cover etc because I've now put them all together with the rest of the book in a post above.

When I came back from lunch I made a cuppa and settled down in my armchair to have a go at Challenge 14 on Carolyn's - to incorporate sewing on a card. I decided to use a paisley pricking stencil that I've had for a while but never used. Having done the silver backstitch on the pricked outlines, I outlined the paisley patterns with pen and then decided to try doodling in the patterns. I'm quite pleased with the result.

I did manage a few other bits and pieces for the Big Challenge yesterday and might show them later. Time now to go and have some more painkillers and rest. I know this blog is just about the crafty aspect of life, but I will just mention that I had a call from the doctor's surgery yesterday to say that the results of the bone density scan are back and the doc wants to see me - so I have an appointment late tomorrow afternoon. I just wish the pain from the fracture would calm down.

Bad day today

Well, although I managed to get to church yesterday, I felt worse as the day went on and had to go to bed about 8, although I did get up again. I'm having a really bad day today - feeling so unwell in myself as well as the back pain constantly nagging, despite the painkillers.

I've tried to rise above it this afternoon and produced this for the Haute Couture card competition on Just Bex. The price is a set of Tanda stamps (kindly donated by them). The stamp I've used is a Tanda stamp, but I haven't got all of the set, so would be pleased to win the prize (although I don't think there's much chance of that).

For the first time, I stamped onto linen, which I then frayed round the edges (It looks better irl, but you can get the idea):

The Big Challenge on Carolyn's

Firstly, although I know this is a blog to share my crafty outlook, I just wish to say that I was so glad to be well enough to go out to church this morning. Since coming back home, my back is really playing up and I'm waiting for the second lot of painkillers for the day to kick in, but, hey, I managed to get to worship with my church family.

Thanks (mainly) to Sue, yesterday the Big Challenge started - a week of crafting challenges. Whilst the FA cup, followed by rugby, was on, I ploughed my way through some of the challenges.

Challenge 1: Make a card incorporating a buckle:


Challenge 3: Make 3 men's cards:



Challenge 4: Make something to hang, incorporating a word or phrase (my photography is not good!):

Challenge 5: Make a card using the same stamp or embellishment at least three times:

Challenges 2 and 6 are yet to come - involving a mini album. I tried to start one using a kit I bought with some others a while ago and the rub ons wouldn't rub on (!) so I ruined the front of the book. One made by me is on its way ...

Earlier this afternoon I did:

Challenge 7: Make a card for no reason (i.e. not for birthday etc):

Challenge 8: Make a LO according to the given template:

And a scrapbook challenge

Bex has challenged us to do a LO on an advert with the optional twist of a link with music.

My advert is the shake n vac which was an advert with Jenny Logan dancing along to the lyrics of the jingle (which is printed at the bottom). I did this as a digi-scrap.

A quick hello ...

... to show a card I've just finished for the latest template challenge on Just Bex

This is the template:




And my interpretation of it:

Some crafting at last

It doesn't seem three days since I blogged - how time flies, even if you don't seem to be doing or achieving very much.

I managed last night (finished off this morning) to do the DLO on Nicky's CJ in Carolyn's group - I really enjoyed doing it - there is some secret journalling on it, but I'm not revealing it because the CJ isn't being returned yet.



I did the next card for a card package swap on Bubbly Funk Forum, from the lovely bits that Karen sent me - I enjoyed doing this card. I also made my card and sent the bits off to Ann, but I can't show my card until Ann has done hers. The idea is to use the same bits and see how the cards differ (or not).


The next three cards are being submitted to the 'Think Pink' challenge on Just Bex (I hope they qualify).



The scan on the next one makes it look like a blue surround, but it is actually a silvery white.

I've also finished off my four cards for the monthly swap that Melissa is hosting on Carolyn's - and the theme is 'pink' (and they are four different cards from the above - but I don't think I can show them yet).

Not too good a day today

I'm not feeling brilliant today. The pain in the back isn't too bad today, but I just don't feel too good in myself.

Nevermind - I managed this afternoon (once I'd surfaced into the day!) to make an altered notebook for a 'something different' swap on Carolyn's being organised by the lovely Melissa called 'secret sender'. And because it's a secret who it's going to, I can't show it here!

Apart from that I've managed to bag up and label a few cards that needed just bits put on them, but nothing worth showing on here.