HS:MS Show off Sunday

This is the day when Kirsty and i take a little rest and you can post any photo (past or present) that you are particularly pleased with. It could be that you are pleased with the composition of the photo, a technical aspect, or it is just a moment that you are glad that you captured. It doesn't have to fit any theme, so you are completely free to choose and tell why.

I've chosen this photo of John's former guide dog (he was early retired and has been adopted by a friend). It's not a great photo but it's a favourite. It was very unusual to get a shot of him with his mouth closed!

Christmas cards

I decided today that I ought to seriously get down to making Christmas cards ready for the sale I'm hoping to have at the end of September. I do this to raise money for TEAR Fund - I give a percentage of the money taken. I usually do well and raise quite a bit of money.

However, I've found that people don't want to pay too much for Christmas cards even if it's in a good cause (I don't blame them when you can get packs cheap in the shops). I therefore make some 'special' individual ones that are higher priced, but have found over the last couple of years that it's best to sell packs of 5 at a realistically low price. To make these cost effective (and I actually lose on these - but consider it part of my giving to TEAR Fund) I keep them quite simple - less is more kind of style.

So today I've almost completed 100 of these cards. One day a while ago I'd already cut out some base mats, so it was a question of sticking them on the card blanks and adding an embellishment. They've all got inserts in with a greeting (ready done from PDA - cuts down on the work, but is still quite tedious sticking in).

Last year I made a lot of packs of A6 cards, but also cut white card to make cards about 120 x 120 mm. Because of my health problems I knew that it would be wiser this year to get ready cut so I got some brilliant white card blanks 120 x 120 mm from PDA and the quality is superb.

Although the cards I've made today are simple, they have an air of quality about them because the card blanks are so good - I'm pleased with them.

Decoupage cards

Well, here they are. I took the photos first thing this morning, thinking there was enough light as the sun is out but it hasn't really reached in here yet. I took the flash off because I didn't want rebounded light, so I'm afraid even with trying to make balance adjustments, the white background is still looking decidedly blue - nevermind!

Build up of layers:

A closer look:

HS:MS Self Portrait Saturday

This weekend we are introducing two new features to HSMS, just to keep ou on your photograpgy toes! The first of these will be a new regular 'Self Portrait Saturday'. Take the opportunity once a week to practise your portrait skills and make a record of your changing self.

Well, I'm either totally mad or brave!! Having played along everyday for a while now with the HS:MS photo challenge, I was almost horrified to find today's prompt! For a start, I don't like having my photo taken by others, let alone by myself! And as my camera is relatively new I hadn't yet discovered how to use the self-timer - but actually it was very easy (so I've learned something this morning).



I've just realised that one of my earrings has come out - must go and look for it! The photo will have to do as it is - I'm not repeating the performance just for another earring!

As this is going to be a regularly Saturday task, it just adds to the trauma of the day!! It's the day when I take my once-weekly tablet for osteoporosis - 30 minutes before any food or drink (so no cup of tea first) and keep upright - this morning the sun is shining - yay!! - so walked around the garden.

Decoupage update!

I've actually made three decoupage cards! I can't show them till tomorrow because I need daylight for the photos (obviously can't scan them because they are built up). All the bits for all the other cards are now cut out, but I'm not sure when they'll get made into cards - fiddly, fiddly ...

Decoupage

I've never been a big fan of decoupage (I mean doing it, not the results of what others do), but in a mad moment recently I bought some packs of papermania decoupage from QVC, thinking they would make good cards for the sale I'm hoping to have at the end of September. So I spent some armchair time yesterday cutting and cutting and cutting ... you get the idea ... fiddly, fiddly, fiddly ... the bits might eventually get on to a card (perhaps!) There's enough for 24 cards!

HS:MS stone

A hard solid mineral. Show us 'stone' in your space today.

I looked no further than my left hand!

'Craft Queen' card

Quite a few people have commentede on this birthday card (and Sue on here even commented that it looks like me!), so I thought I would show it all by itself. My friend Christine buys a lot of my cards and she had this card made by her daughter-in-law especially for me. I love it:

Just Bex CJ

I was fortunate enough to get my Just Bex CJ back early - thought it was about time to show it here. Thank you so much to Net, Jo (paperlily) and Andrea for their lovely contributions.

Front cover:
Welcome:
Rules:
My DLO:


Net's DLO:

Jo's DLO:

Andrea's DLO:

Sign in:

Back cover:

HS:MS white

The palest colour and sign of purity. Find 'white' in your space today.

This may seem an odd choice, but as soon as I went into the kitchen I knew I should take a photo of this kettle. It's a little lightweight kettle that we used to take on holiday abroad so that I could have my morning cuppa before breakfast.

Because of my vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis, I find our regular kettle too heavy to handle, so most of the time John is the chief tea and coffee maker. But if he's out (this morning he's had to go up to Guy's for a foot health appointment) I use the little kettle to make myself a hot drink. So, although it's very ordinay, it's of mega use to me.

My Birthday Cards

View Album

Get your own

I've just received two more cards in the post this morning - from my stepson and wife and their children - very special cards - I've now added them.

You may have noticed that I had two cards the same - they were from my two nieces who live in different parts of the country - chose the same card!

HS:MS friend

A person you know particularly well. Show us 'friend' in your space today.

Here is our faithful friend: Josey, John's guide dog. She plays hard:



and she works hard - ready to work:

Bumbleberrycrafts CJ

The next CJ should have been in the post yesterday, but I think I've been forgiven for not queuing at the PO on my birthday! I have to confess that my DLO had to be finished off today and it was only when I uploaded the photos that I realised how blurred the first one is, but it will have to do because the CJ is now done up ready for me to go to the PO in a short while. These were pages in Beckie's superb CJ (I hardly dared to touch it!) Beckie's title is 'Strokable Stash!' - we were asked to choose a fav paper and say why, and to include a picture of ourself. So here is mine, using BG 'Scarlet's Letter' papers.

HS:MS plant and water

A green living organism. Show us a 'plant' in your space today.

I've cheated a bit with yesterday's prompt. This is a photo of a lovely little plant growing among the pebbles on Bognor Regis beach, taken during our break there a few weeks ago:

Covered or saturated with water. Find 'wet' in your space today. This is also a cheat - a zoomed photo taken at Bognor, showing activity on the end of the pier - I think the expanse of water qualifies for this prompt!

My birthday

Mum wrote in my card: 'Where have the years gone to?' 60 today! (That reminds me, I must update the bit I wrote about myself at the top of the blog.)

We were very undecided what to do today and had nothing booked because we just didn't know how we were going to feel on the day. Having decided last evening that we would go to Tunbridge Wells today, we got up and started to get ready, only to be greeted by rain. In the end we decided it wasn't a very good idea, particularly as my back is really painful. On Saturday my main laptop had died (it's been playing up for ages and John's been suggesting I should have a new one). So I've been researching for a while and picked out one I really liked - we went into the Sony shop in Bromley and they had that model in stock, so we bought it. We then came back home and had a taxi to a nearby Harvester restaurant where we had a leisurely lunch (forgot the calories today). As the restaurant is near to where mum lives we called in to see her - which was a complete surprise for her because she thought we'd probably gone out for the day. She was meant to be coming out to lunch yesterday with us as an early celebration but she's got a poorly leg and was unable to come with us.

On the way back home we had to change buses - it just happened to be by a shop in Orpington that sells craft stuff, so I bought a glue gun and a rubber stamp. When I got home my pda order had arrived - just routine cardstock etc.

John bought me a beautiful 'egg' pendant and a bracelet as well.

I know this is 'my crafty outlook' and I usually confine the blog to craft, but just for today I think I'm permitted to chat about my day.

I had lots of cards (including gorgeous ones from forum friends) - I'm going to take photos of them and perhaps try and make a slide show to put on here - won't be today though!) and some lovely presents, including some money that I'm itching to spend!

Nothing crafty to show

Nothing to show for the last few days. I decided this evening to do a bit of stamping and embossing (didn't really feel like doing anything but thought it might help me feel better). So I did quite a few of the Whispers series of 'There's no business like snow business!!', which has one stamp with the words, one with a cute snowman and one with just snow.

I really should be more careful when working with black ink pad and black embossing powder - results look quite good - but my top doesn't - I should wear older clothes when I'm doing crafting like this. I'm not sure whether it's Versafine onyx black ink or black embossing powder smudged on my top - I'm hoping it will wash out, but I'm doubtful.

I'm using Sakura white souffle pen for the snow. I'm hoping that in a day or two I'll be able to incorporate them into cards - it won't be tomorrow, because that's a bit of a special day.

HS:MS can

A container for food or liquid. Show us 'can' in your space today.

I have a 'love-hate' relationship with sardines! I buy them thinking that they will be good to give me extra calcium to help my osteoporosis, but I'm not really keen on them. However, if I actually eat them, then I find they're OK! I chose this tin because I like the shape:

HS:MS Fly

To move through the air. Find 'fly' in your space.

I found this a difficult one today. I was hoping for some birds to come into the garden - but where are they when you want them? Nowhere to be seen. So I went for a wander with my camera and almost straight away saw a beautiful butterfly settle on the path in front of me, but, of course, it flew away before I could get a shot. I then discovered a bee hovering around some lavender - I took quite a few shots, but by the time each had been taken the bee had moved on, so I ended up with shots of lavender minus the bee. Eventually I managed to take this one and then moved on elsewhere to capture the next bee in the following two photos. None of them are much good, but they were taken in difficult circumstances - lol! I was going to go out and have another go, but it's now started to rain, so these will have to do:

HS:MS Lock

'A mechanism for keeping something closed that is operated by a key. Show us a lock in your space today.'


Not a good photo, but my contribution for today.

Commissioned wedding day card

I've managed to finish the wedding day card I was commissioned to do. I was asked to use ivory and or pale yellow - I'm hoping this fits the bill - I quite like it anyway. I used one of my favourite stamps for the bride and groom. It was stamped on the same paper as used on the left and then cut out and mounted with foam pads on to the paper on the right (irl it stands off the paper more than it looks in the photo). It was quite a fiddle doing the letraset letters of the names, but it turned out OK. The flowers are some Crafty Bitz ones I've had and not used any for a while.

The photo is poor because I didn't want to use flash because it would end up with reflection. If I have time tomorrow before the card is collected, I'll try and take a better photo and replace it.

Commissioned cards

A friend rang last night asking if I could do three cards for her. These are for a wife and husband who will both be celebrating their 50th birthday (I don't think there's any chance of them stumbling across my blog, so I think I can safely show them). The brief was for the lady's card to incorporate blue and a touch of pink:

The man's card was more or less left to me to decide, except I was asked for 'something quite bright' - I'm hoping that this will be OK. The little shirt and waistcoat are from a pack I bought at Lakeland when we went to Chichester from Bognor - thought they would come in handy sometimes when I haven't got time to fiddle making my own. The bow tie is a brad from a set that I bought earlier this week - I didn't know then that I'd be asked for this card, so it's worked out just right - and just the right colours for the scheme:

Papers are DCWV.

It's taken me so long to do these cards and I've got stuff all over the place now. I need to have a rest, then a tidy up, before I tackle the wedding day card that's been requested.