HS:MS crystal

'A substance with geometric regularity. Find ' crystal' in your space today.'

This is one of the glasses that were given to us as a wedding present from the school where I was teaching.

I stood the glass on a piece of silver mirror card and couldn't use flash because of too much reflection, so the silver doesn't look silver, but quite an interesting result:

DCM: Golden Highlights

I don't do the DCM dares every week (I'd like to, and the extras, but I can't do everything and I often don't feel like doing any more).

Anyway, I decided to do something for the 'golden highlights'. The first two are very similar, using K & Co papers and some epoxy stickers (not sure where they came from - had them for a while) and the copper strips have gold foil printed within them. The third card has a piece of mulberry paper matted on to a piece of card. The middle bit with the dragonfly was embossed from a metal embossing (run through my die cutter). (Poor photos I'm afraid, because it's pretty dull now and flash was glinting too much on the golden bits - and I didn't want to wait till tomorrow, because there will be a new dare then. I can promise you that it is gold foiling on the copper strips on the first and second card, although it doesn't really look like it.)

Salt: Light

Don't the days go by quickly. It doesn't seem a fortnight since the last Salt challenge launch and here we are today with a new one.

Ruth set the challenge this time and this is what she says:

Hi everyone, its my turn this week (Ruth).

It has come round quick, and I'm so pleased at how the Lord is letting us be Salt.

The theme for this week is

LIGHT

It is mentioned so many times in the Bible, and has many facets of meaning and symbolism.

I am the LIGHT of the World... The people walking in darkness have
seen a great LIGHT ...The LIGHT shines in the darkness, but the
darkness has not understood it...In the same way, let your LIGHT shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father
in heaven.

Please create a piece of work using it as inspiration and
leave us a message so we can see and link to your work.

Please take a look at Salt

For my contribution I used a 12" x 12" paper by Be Blessed as the background to my LO - it's called Sunwashed - and cut the stable scene on my robo (from a template kindly given on UKS - it was made from a dingbat). I was tempted to add more to the LO, but in the end felt that the simplicity was right so that the awesome message stood for itself.

It was inspired by the song:

"Here I Am To Worship"

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Chorus:
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor

Chorus (2X)

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross (3X)

Chorus (Repeating)

© 2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

HS:MS thirsty

'To feel a need to drink something. Find 'thirsty' in your space today.'

I managed to coax Josey to go to her water bowl and took a quick shot (I haven't edited this at all today, so wysiwyg - and I've very conscious that the bowl needs a clean - although she's John's guide dog and he looks after her, he doesn't see how it looks, but I do and I need to do something about it!)



The funny thing is that when I returned here to upload the photo, she went back to her water bowl and had quite a long drink - it would have been a much better opportunity to get a more decent photo - typical!

CBC big challenge prize

Carolyn kindly send a prize to each of us who completely the challenges during the recent big challenge on Crafts by Carolyn. This is what the postie brought me this morning:



Thanks again to Sue, Carolyn and the mods for all the organising - and, of course, thank you for my lovely prize.

HS:MS grain

'A rough texture on wood or stone. Find 'grain' in your space today.'

I didn't go far in my space to get these - just out of the back door to the fence - three photos taken at strange angles. The neighbours must think I'm losing it if they saw me go out and take close-ups of the fence (it's not even as if it's a lovely fence - needs a coat of something I think).

So definitely here is rough texture:

HS:MS alley

'A narrow passageway between or behind houses. Show us an 'alley' in your space today.'

It's very damp and dismal today - it's only now just gone 3 and it's getting dark. I went up the garden a little while ago to take this photo. It is an alley that runs along the backs of the gardens to where our garage is (there's obviously road access as well, but a longer way round). This is a neglected 'no man's land' alley, but very handy, although we only rarely use it because we don't have a car. Until recently we had quite a lot of stuff in the garage but now it has been cleared (what a load of useless info!!).

So here is my dreary dull alley photo:

At last (hangs head in shame!)

Big apologies to Elaine who should have got her Paper 'n' Lace CJ back well before now (but thankfully she is understanding and has been willing to wait - thank you, Elaine).

The title of Elaine's CJ is 'Birth Year'. This was an easy one for me because it was the year our Queen got married, and, of course, she and Prince Philip will be celebrating their Diamond Wedding tomorrow - Happy Anniversary to you both (just in case you read my blog .... how funny would that be!!!!!!!!!!)

So here's my contribution:

A late blog

This is a card I've been wondering about and working on. I was asked to do a card for a lad who regularly takes part in athletics, including javelin, hurdling and cross country. I managed to find some illustrations, make alterations in Paint, add the hurdler to the track and cut the cross country runner on my robo:



Somehow the scan has chopped the right hand side a bit, but the border is even irl.

HS:MS SPS 13

This is me today:



Don't know whether I'm getting braver or more stupid!

Santa card and tags

I had a request to make a large Christmas card with Santa on (an musical insert) and some tags:

HS:MS away

Today on HS:MS Anita said: 'Friday, November 16, 2007
Away
Kirsty is over visiting me in Holland at the moment so we will resume with normal uploads on Monday. So she is 'away' which is todays word!!!!

Show us 'away' in your space today.'

Oh dear, I thought, this is a hard one.

At last I've thought of something. This is what my computer is like when I'm away from it (chose a new screensaver especially because I was bored with the usual one - although if I'm 'away' I don't see it anyway - lol!):

Christmas card request

I was asked to make an 'across the miles' sort of Christmas card. This is the idrea I came up with:



I'm pleased with it. I outlined the skates in Paint and then got the outline for my robo to cut out.

One more done

A friend asked me to make a card for a baby who is being christened, but didn't want 'christening' on the card, but 'special day'. The only other request was to include a Bible:



The 'on your special day' is actually silver and gold, not all gold as in the way the photo has come out with the flash.

This scan shows it a bit better:

One card done

I've managed to finish the card I started on yesterday. The request was for a 13 year old who is into computer games and likes dogs:



The surround of the picture is silver mirror card and the numbers are silver holographic - just don't show up properly on the scan (and I tried a photo and that was worse).

HS:MS miniature

'A replica of something in a smaller scale. Find 'miniature' in your space today.'

The only thing I could think of off the top of my head was my set of Russian dolls, the smallest, of course, being the 'miniature':




Just pausing today to thank all my friends on HS:MS for their kind comments - before I started the daily prompts, I would never have thought of bothering to take pictures like this - and, although I'm still only really a snapper, perhaps it's helping me to getting better.

And now I must get on and make some cards for requests I've had - why is it that they are always the hardest to make? I started on one of them yesterday and took quite a long while and still didn't finish it. And I also have a CJ DLO that needs to be done. I hope to be back later to show that I've achieved something.

CBC crew challenge: who inspires you? (another)

I made a card today for our daughter-in-law, who has just moved with the girls. This seems an appropriate card for the crew challenge on CBC: who inspires you? - as there are primas on it, I thought of 'prima flower':



Paper is from the English Paper Company.

HS:MS snip and collect

Yesterday's prompt on HS:MS was: 'To cut quickly. How us 'snip in your space.'

I intended to cut John's hair and take a picture of the clippers snipping, but because of the way the day went, it didn't get done. And John's been out at bowls today (he plays with a blind bowling club), so no haircut yet.

So I've abandoned the idea of a photo of the clippers in action (he'll probably have to wait a day or two more for his haircut) and decided instead to incorporate yesterday with today.

Today's prompt is: collect: 'To bring or gather objects together. Find 'collect' in your space today.'

Quite a while ago I bought a set of pliers from Poundland - four for a pound - absolute bargain - in the hope that I might do something with some of the beads I've got, but so far the pliers haven't been used, so it seems I collect them rather than use them!

CBC crew challenge: who inspires you?

Claire on CBC set a challenge: 'The CBC crew has very kindly allowed me to be a guest challenger this week. I recently made this card as I was inspired by *Joannes* signature poem!'

This is inspired by H (Helen):

The best laid plans

Nowadays I tend not to plan too much - I never know how I'm going to feel and whether I'm going to be up to what I think I planned. However, I have a few cards and artwork items that I need to do, requests from various people, and yesterday I promised myself that, not having done any crafting for a few days, I'd do what I could today.

Having eased myself into the morning I was just about ready to get on with something when I received a phone call to say that mum had had a fall and had been taken to hospital - so I went to the hospital to be with her and got back home at 6.30. Mum somehow gashed her left hand betweeen thumb and finger and had to have stitches and generally shaken, but allowed to go home after some concern about her lack of mobility (which is normal these days).

I was meant to be going out for a meal with a friend this evening, so that sadly had to be cancelled because I wasn't home in time.

And now I'm tired and aching and not able to get on with any crafting - so we'll have to see what tomorrow brings forth.

And I had a really good idea for today's HS:MS and wasn't able to do it - perhaps tomorrow.

HS:MS almost

'Not quite or very nearly, show us 'almost' in your space.'

This is one of my 'almost' sorted craft cupboards:



Hopefully, everywhere will be sorted/tidied enough to take final photos soon.

Carpet people have been today to lay the bedroom carpet - just got to get new curtains now.