Today's post

I received this from Christine (Charliecat) for the postcard swap on Carolyn's.

I also received a gorgeous keyring from my secret sender on Carolyn's (I'll take piccie later when time permits).

And I received another page for my Style fat book on Paper n Lace - this time a gorgeous page from Susan. When I've received all my pages (and made my own) I'll show them.

Beside the sea

Here I am again after an absence of nearly a week. The past week has been taken up with sorting my craft stuff and getting it moved out of the spare room ready for the room to be fitted. We're waiting for the phone call to tell us whether the workmen will be here tomorrow or Friday. John has been so good moving my boxes (because of my back I'm unable to help much) and now we have piles of books and boxes in every available space in the lounge (plus quite a few boxes in odd places in bedroom wardrobes). It will all be worthwhile when the room's done, but at the moment I'm trying to catch up with some crafting and I can't readily find what I need.

Anyway, here is my CJ for the group on Just Bex. It's a small group (just four of us) so it won't be too long to wait to get this baby back.

I've enjoyed doing this and am so glad that the seaside QVC scrapbook papers etc arrived in time (began to think they were lost in the post), although in the end I've used a fair bit of other supplies because I had to get started before it arrived.

Masking

I don't really know whether this is worth showing, because the scan is quite poor and doesn't clearly show one shoe behind the other. This card is for the RSC012 on Carolyn 's. I used one of my favourite stamps by 'My Sentiments Exactly'. Firstly, I stamped a piece of white card that had a gold shimmer with tattered rose distress ink and clear embossed it - which left patches that I then dabbed with Brilliance galaxy gold, going over the top again with clear embossing. I then stamped one shoe image with Stazon blazing red and then used a masking paper to stamp the other shoe behind it . (The only problem was that because the stamp is wood mounted I couldn't see exactly where I was placing it, but, fortunately, it went where I wanted it.)

Perhaps a photo, instead of a scan, would show it better (might have a try in the morning).

Apart from this, over the past few days I've still been trying to sort my craft stuff ready for having our spare room fitted. I did some 4 x 4 pages for fat books on Paper n Lace - for five different people in the group - and posted them off today. I forgot to take scans of them, so I can't show them.

I've got my 'What a day!' CJ back - it is beautifully done by my friends in the green team on Carolyn's - thank you so much, everybody. When I've got time (which might have to be after the room's done) I'll put pictures on here. Actually, I'm the only one to have their CJ back because someone did their bit early, so I might even leave it till everyone else gets theirs, which will be two or three weeks' time.

Sorry - I think that's enough waffle!

Circle Journal DLO

I've finished the DLO on Nick's CJ in the group on Carolyn's. The subject was 'A great Saturday night'.

I admit that I just wasn't sure about this one, but now I've done it I think it's OK. I was afraid that mine would be too much like an earlier dlo, but I think it's sufficiently different (hope so). Only one more to go and then we'll be getting our own CJs back!

I haven't done the other half of the challenge I did yesterday. Went to church this morning, but haven't felt too good today. Was disappointed not to be able to go out this evening - it was cafe church and I've missed going along to that.

Half a challenge

This is for the challenge on Just Bex: One template 2 tasks. Here is the template:
One task is to make a card using the template. I made this one using various K & Co papers and a padded heart.

The other part of the challenge is to make a LO from the same template - hopefully I'll be back later to show what I've done (have a lovely photo ready somewhere, but can't find it yet).

Sue's Card Template 3

This is a card for Sue's Card Template 3 (boxes) on Just Bex.

Here I am again

Here I am again, with a card for a challenge on Just Bex: make a Father's Day card without the word 'father' or 'dad' on the front.


My dad died about three and a half years ago, so I don't now make Father's Day cards, but it was lovely to do this one as a tribute to my dad.

A bit of advice

If, like me, you sometimes feel as if you are getting nowhere very much with your crafting, then have a look back over what you've done. I've just been looking back at my earlier blog entries and it has helped me to realise what I can achieve. Not that I'm very talented in what I achieve, but just encouraged. I appreciate other blogs I visit, for the inspiration and talent that people possess - I wish I had a bit more of it, but, nevertheless, I enjoy what I do.

Getting back into the rhythm

One of mum's friends requested a card for her husband's birthday - she asked for it to incorporate a Bible. He is keen on gardening, so I thought a little bit of something floral wouldn't go amiss. I'm hoping she'll like it. The Bible is actually gold foil, but doesn't show up on the scan.

It's one of my niece's wedding anniversary today so the first card is from us and the second one from mum. My brother and sister-in-law are visiting mum today and we're meeting up with them for lunch at the local Beefeater. Then they are going on to stay with my niece, so they will take the cards with them (thank goodness, because I hadn't got organised enough to do them and post). The layer with purple hearts on the second card is acetate.

With all that's been going on in the last week or so, I suddenly realised this morning that I forgot someone's birthday on Saturday, so this is a quick one made with a fabric embellie from a strip from Poundland layered on to magic mesh:

Another card

I managed to make another card this evening - this time for the challenge set by Sue on Carolyn's to make a card with green and blue for CAC005.

I used K-Ology papers, papermania mulberry flowers, flower brads and a selection of tiny buttons.


It's a very simple card, because the paper speaks for itself.

Rubber Stamp Challenge

Well, having not done anything much for a week or so, I felt I should haul myself out of the doldrums and get on with something. So I did a card for RSC011 on Carolyn's.

The idea was to make a card with stamping and more than one fold. I've had some concertina type cards for ages and have hardly used any of them, so thought I should take the opportunity. The swirly stamps are by Tanda. I put the white strip on the right hand piece of card, otherwise there would be nowhere to write on the card.

A bit of crafting at last

The last week has been a very difficult, fraught one and so it's been a while since I've done any crafting. I needed to do my flower ATCs for the swap on Paper and lace that Net is organising, so have spent some time this afternoon doing these.

I'm not that happy with them, but at least they have got in the post in time to (hopefully) get to Net by the deadline, tomorrow.

I haven't taken part in any of the challenges on Carolyn's or Just Bex (I've had a list of them ready, but just not been able to get on with any of them).

I need to do my DLO in the CJ for Carolyn's forum, which must go in the post next Monday - I'll try not to leave it to the last minute.

Having done the ATCs this afternoon, my back is feeling awful (the last few days have been really painful again), but I think it's done me some good to do something creative.

Hopefully I'll be back before long to blog about some more crafty efforts.

Swap cards received

These are the cards I've received in the monthly swap on Carolyn's organised by Melissa.

From Net:



From Alba-Jane:

From Janet (JAN1951):

And from SueF:

All lovely cards and thanks to Melissa for organising.

I haven't done any crafting this week. In preparation for moving my craft stuff out of our spare room for it to be fitted out during the last week of this month, we've been sorting out stuff for the charity shop to give us more room in other parts of our smallish maisonette to house everything. Neither of us are hoarders (we both used to be, but over the years have had to be more ruthless in deciding what we keep and don't), but it's amazing the amount of goods that we have just had collected to be taken to a local Cancer Research shop. We are so grateful that arrangements were made for someone to come by van to pick everything up - we just couldn't have coped with getting it there without transport. Disappointingly, John, because of his lack of vision, got up quickly from his chair last night to answer the phone, forgot that there were cases and bags of stuff ready for the charity collection and fell awkwardly on top of them - he now has bruised ribs.

I'm hoping that later today/this evening I'll be able to do some crafting and take part in some of the challenges on Carolyn's and Just Bex that I've been itching to get on with.

A quick blog to show the inchies I made and sent to Jo (Paperlily) for the swap on Just Bex. Her dear Asti had to be put to sleep recently so Jo said she would like some inchies spelling out Asti's name. As Jo had quoted the Rainbow Bridge poem, I thought the picture would be nice and included Asti with the other dogs.


I'll come back and blog again later, but I haven't done any crafting to speak of for quite a few days. In readiness for our spare room being fitted at the end of this month, we've being having a 'turn out' and getting stuff ready to be collected by a charity shop. In fact, someone has phoned this morning to say that it will be picked up on Friday morning, so we now need to make sure we have everything ready for then. We already have two case loads of books and videos and a fair number of bags of other items. Neither of us are hoarders (used to be, but have learned over the years to streamline things) but it's still amazing how much stuff there is.

Card for a man

I did this card for the 'card for a man' challenge on Tanda Stamps.

I also did some inchies for the swap on Just Bex, which I'll be posting tomorrow, but can't show here until they are received. In fact the inchies are very basic because of the rest of the content - all will be revealed soon.

"Secret sender" notebook swap

Yay!!!! I've received a fab, fab, fabulous altered notebook from my secret sender on Carolyn's.

The front:

The back:

Inside the back cover:

Thank you so much, secret sender (I'm trying to work out who you might be - I have my suspicions!)

Just one more

Just one more for the Haute Couture comp on Just Bex. This is another of the Tanda Stamps (but I don't have any more of the prize ones!) - again stamped on an evenweave material. I actually started this one days and days ago and thought I ought to finish it.

Just Chill

I cheated a bit with Just Bex challenge 2 - it's meant to be a fridge magnet, but I wanted to do a tag with both sides written on, so here it is.

Summertime ATCs

These are for Challenge 7 on Just Bex: 4 summer ATCs.

Altered photo frame

This is for the Just Bex challenge 8: Picture it. I've gone for the 'distressed' look on the wood, but I'm not sure that it's worked really - but, hey, I had a go and it's the first time of doing a wooden frame like this.

Haute couture competition

Another card for the Haute Couture competition on Just Bex.