JB challenges

Today I've been making cards to improve my stock levels ready for having my sale for TEAR Fund. So I've tackled quite a few of the challenges on Just Bex.

August challenge 19: slip 'n' slide: 'Your challenge is to make a card featuring a slide mount - any colour, any size, decorated in any way you wish.'

This card is cut away on the top right corner:

Open:

August challenge 16: tropical turquoise and pretty pink: 'Your challenge is to create a card or a layout using a turquoise and pink colour scheme.' This is another card cut on the right top corner:

Open:

August challenge 20: fun with felt: 'Felt is a big trend in papercrafting at the moment, and felt flowers are very popular - so this challenge is to make a card using felt for something other than flowers!'. Well, I used a flower on each of the next two cards, but I also used another felt embellie on each:

August challenge 17: gorgeous gingham: 'Your challenge should you choose to accept it is to produce a card incorporating gingham this can be card, paper or ribbon...it`s up to you.' These are two quick children's cards:

August challenge 12: easy as 1, 2, 3: 'we need you to make a CARD or a LO with BIG NUMBERS.' I hope the '60' is big enough!

August template 1: three squares: 'a template for the card makers you know you can do WHAT YOU LIKE!! have fun.' This is a sample for some of my Christmas card packs. I rubber stamped quite a few of these squares a week or so ago, but until now hadn't started to actually use them on cards. This is the template:
And here is my card:

August challenge 9: 'button it': 'Cards, LO's or whatever you want for this challenge as long as you use buttons.' I've had these two yellow buttons for quite a long time and thought it was about time to find a use for them:

August challenge 13: 'carry on corrugating': 'Your challenge is to make a card using...............corrigated card.' I enjoyed doing this card - it's a bit different:

Friday night challenge 24 August: monogram madness: 'Your challenge is to make a card and include a monogram of any size.'

HS:MS cloud - evening ones

Having taken photos of clouds this morning for HS:MS, I couldn't resist taking these this evening:

HS:MS cloud

A mass of water vapour. Show us 'cloud' in your space today.

There are a few clouds in my space today - taken from the garden:

Some more ATCs

These are my 'transport' ATCs for this month's swap on Tanda Stamps:

ATCs

I've done a little bit of crafting - managed to do my ATCs for the monthly swap on Crafts by Carolyn. The subject is 'knights of old' and I used from stamps from Rubbadubbadoo - stamped with Versafine black and embossed with fine detail black and silver. The second one has a patch of silver mirror card beneath the knight, which doesn't photograph well - looks better irl.

HS:MS apple

A red or green fruit from a tree. Show us 'apple' in your space today.

Yesterday a neighbour came round with another lot of apples from her garden, so I certainly had plenty to photo. Mind you, John is such a keen apple eater that we are never without them.

HS:MS sun

An object that gives light and warmth. Find 'sun' in your space today.

The battery has now been charged, so I can play! The sun is shining (what a change for a Bank Holiday!). This is a view from the room where I do my crafting (and blog hop etc) - with my flowers in the foreground, looking out up the garden - I love it when the awnings come out because it means the sun has his hat on!

I'm a blog candy winner!!!

What a surprise to log on this morning and find the comment from Chris

This is what Chris wrote:

"Okay this is what you all waited for... I had intended there to be one winner, however DG picked out two names that were stuck together so the prize will be shared between Tassycrafty and Hazel. Congratulations ladies!!! and thank you for entering.!

Thank you so much, Chris!

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.