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.

Nothing new today

Nothing crafty achieved today (not much achieved today fullstop!). I did manage to go over to see mum this afternoon for a brief visit (because she wasn't well enough to come to us yesterday). I didn't stay long and was really tired and achy when I got back home.

This evening I've sat with my lap tray and tried to bag up and label a few cards that had been done quite a while ago (don't like doing these bits, so it tends to get left) - I haven't got very far, partly because it's quite boring and partly because I just don't feel like doing much.

The LOs below are a couple I did for challenges on Just Bex forum. The first one is 'Where I'm at' and the second one is 'Who inspires you?' I used one of my new swirl stamps from Tanda in a light pink, but it doesn't really show up on the scan.

And this is another one done earlier for the Halfmap challenge - something quite different.

Maybe I'm beginning to be a scrapbooker (at last!)

Scraplift

And this is for the Scraplift challenge - armchair crafting today has been fun, despite the pain in the back that just won't go away.

Ad Inspiration

This is for another challenge on Just Bex - a LO inspired by an advert. This is based on that one that's often on before Corrie, with the policewoman - ad for Cadbury's melts. The expression on our grandson's face just seemed to be saying this!

Dipping my toes ...

into scrapbooking - only dabbled in this from time to time (mainly just circle journal LOs). Most of my paper crafting till recently has been cardmaking, but I must say that I quite like the idea of scrapbooking - it means that I can keep the results!

So, I'm still very much at the 'dipping my toes' in the water stage, but this is what I've made for one of the challenges Jen set on Just Bex. It was to spin the colour wheel and create a LO with the three given colours. The colours I got were turquoise, blue and green - which, I must say, I was pleased with, particularly as I had some K-ology papers that fitted that colour scheme perfectly. The picture is a favourite one of two of our granddaughters.

I got up this morning and tried to get ready to go to church, but in the end had to admit that I felt too poorly and so I stayed at home. So I really wasn't up to doing anything until after lunch. I'm now off to take some more tablets and sit in my armchair, hopefully to do a bit more crafting later.

Jen's challenge on Just Bex

These are my three cards for Jen's challenge on Just Bex. The final card is using the 'spin the colour wheel' - pale lilac, deep purple and deep rose pink (hope it qualifies!)

A man's card

This is a card I did a couple of years ago. The only reason I'm showing it here is because someone on Carolyn's was asking for ideas for men's cards and I told her about this one and hosting here is a way of being able to show her the picture. (I think I added a hammer after the scan.)

My new lap desk

Because of the problems with my back, I'm having to sit in my armchair a lot. My mum gave me the money to buy a nice posh lap desk from Lakeland so that I can do some crafting in relative comfort. It's just been delivered!

In case you wonder, 'tis not me in the picture - it's from the Lakeland site.

I managed last night to do my card for the Chinese whisper group, but I can't show it here because we have to wait for everyone in the group to finish.

Just Bex Sue's competition

I don't feel up to much today, but decided I'd have a go at Sue's card template competition on Bex's forum.

As often is the case, the card didn't turn out exactly as planned in my head (although tbh I rarely have a fixed plan!), but I think I'm quite pleased with it. I used some of my precious Far East stack (added a bit more colour here and there with Color Box chalk inks). The flourish in the corner is a 'fancy pants' rub on which I received in a RAK from a kind member of the group on Carolyn's.


I'd like to take part in some of the challenges set on Bex's - I had no chance of getting anything done by the original deadline over the weekend, but perhaps I might be able to achieve something by the revised deadline of this coming Sunday.

Thanks for the comments and good wishes I've received. I wish I could say that I feel much better, but nevermind, I'll keep taking the tablets!