CBC tag swap

I haven't done much for a few days - not been very well.

This morning I did the remaining two of my tags for the swap being organised by Jackie on CBC. Here ar the five tags I'm sending:



The only other craft related thing I've done in the past few days is prepare for the advent swap on BF, which is secret, so enough said!

HS:MS:HS catch up

I've not been playing along at HS:MS:HS for a week or so, so I've done a catch up. But before I show the photos, I must make a big apology to Sue Nicholson, who gave me an award a while ago - at the time I was busy preparing for the minimarket etc and this is the first opportunity I've had to make a HS:MS:HS post.

Sue left me a comment: "There's a little something for you on my blog. We have been "blogging friends who snap away and improve" for quite some time now :-)" So this is the award that I've been given:



And here's my catch up, which ends with today's prompt:

Button:



Fake:



Italian:



Spanish:



French:







SPS in B & W:



SOS:





Scottish:

I've been given an award

Wow! Gez has given me this award:



Thank you, Gez, for the lovely things you said.

And these are the conditions:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Gez said she found it easy to nominate - I'm not finding it quite so easy, not because I can't think of enough fab talented people to award, but because throughout my time of being involved in craft forums and visiting blogs, I've got to know so many extremely creative crafters.

In the end, I've selected five people who have become dear crafting friends, four of whom I've met in real life. I very much value their friendship and greatly admire their creativity.

Adele
Kathy
Lythan
Sue
Maddy

If you've never visited their blogs I urge you to do so - you're in for a treat - their crafting is outstanding.

I feel these five girls deserve this award much more than I do, but feel honoured that Gez chose me - thank you.

Having just visited the blogs of these friends, I've discovered that Kathy has already been given this award, which means I can choose someone else in addition - another very talented lady, whose crafting I greatly admire and who, over the years, has become a good crafting forum buddy:

Ellen

There are many more people I'd love to award, but I'll stick to the rules!!

Salt: comfort in suffering

For this time's Salt challenge, Kim has chosen the theme of 'comfort in suffering'. You can read what she's said here.

This is a very moving and emotive topic - and one that I thank Kim for at this particular time.

I chose to focus on thoughts about my dad, who suffered with dementia and died nearly five years ago, on mum's birthday. This time of the year is a particularly sad time of reflection - it would have been dad's birthday on 29 October and it's mum's birthday soon, but, nevertheless, it's also a time to reflect and be thankful for the way God sustained us through those difficult times. Dad had always been a very quiet, shy man. He had a strong faith, but wasn't one to say very much. However, when he was in the grips of dementia, it was just as if his inner being overflowed and expressed the depths of his faith, recalling hymans and scriptures and affirming his assurance in his Lord and that he would be going to heaven. I learned a lot from dad in this time, more than he could ever be aware.

For my LO I used a background of papermania 'ornate cluster' and added pieces of Be Blessed 'be thankful'.

I haven't been feeling well for a few days and so it was a bit of an effort to do this LO and I kept it simple, but am grateful to Kim for this topic. If you click on the image you will be able to read what I've written:

Cuttlebug embossed butterfly

This card is for challenge 7 on the Cuttlebug challenges blog and also for Rainbow Lady's challenge 'things with wings'.

The challenge on Cuttlebug is to emboss a die cut, so I chose a butterfly that was originally die cut (ages ago) with a die that I got with my QVC pink peril (long gone now). On Rainbow Lady: 'This week I have THINGS WITH WINGS for my challenge to you. This could be birds, bees, butterflies, angels - the list is endless' (this is my first challenge for that blog).

I used BG sultry papers and silver holographic card inked with alcohol - left over from making my previous 'inchies' card.

The picture doesn't show the true colours - irl they are more pink on the inked card - might replace with a better photo tomorrow.

Yummy RAK

What a kind lady Carole is - she is a member of CBC forum. I was able to help her a bit recently when her computer died and she has sent me this 'thank you RAK':





Carole remembered that I love dark chocolate, so she has sent me three bars. Although I'm trying to lose weight atm, I still enjoy some dark chocolate, so this is most welcome.

I was so taken aback when this arrived - thank you, Carole.

Blog inspiration + alcohol inks

I made this card last night for two challenges, but it has been very difficult to get a photo - last night was impossible with a flash and the weather now is so dull that it wasn't easy to get a daylight picture, but here it is anyway:



The challenge on Created Byhand was to make something using alcohol inks - I didn't need much persuasion, as I love playing with them. I used butterscoth, wild plum and meadow.

Challenge 60 on http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/was 'blog inspiration'. I took my inspiration from Crissi, who had shown an inchie set.

So I inked up a piece of holographic silver and chopped it into inchies that I then used on the card. The background is a BG sultry paper.

One for the boys - a child's card

Challenge 11 this week on the basicgreychallenge blog is 'one for the boys'; also on A spoonful of sugar this week challenge 25 is to make a child's card.

I used BG archaic papers (love them), with the addition of a few stickers - the dinoasuar is on a spring, so it wobbles when you touch it.

Remember

'Remember' is the theme for the ATC monthly swap on the Tanda forum. It's also challenge 15 on UKStampers, so these are for both.

I used a stamp that came free with Craft Stamper (I don't think it's actually a poppy, but for my purposes today it definitely is!). I stamped and embossed, using the masking technique and then coloured in with lipstick red copic and blender. The poppies on the first ATC are darker than on the second because I stamped them on a piece of paper the same as the backing, whereas the second one was stamped on white. In both cases I cut round the poppies and swiped them with versamark and embossed with clear to give them a sheen that, unfortunately, doesn't show on the scans.

The background was stamped randomly with a HOTP swirl stamp and the 'remember' epoxy stickers are some I've had for quite a while and can't remember where they came from.





And I've just remembered (ha ha) that 'remembrance' is the theme on Lots to do this week, so these ATCs are appropriate for that challenge too.

Mixed Media Monday: the human body or parts thereof

I couldn't resist using this lovely face stamp by JudiKins, stamping it with Stazon saddle brown on to Papermania antique cream creative tones and the words printed and cut from a matching paper - for the current challenge on Mixed Media Monday:

Rosie Dee's challenge 9

Last Sunday on Rosie Dee's challenge blog, Deanne said: 'Something different for this week tiddly peeps.

An altered project you can do just for fun, for you craft room, for a gift, the list is endless...'

Well, when I was in Orpington the next day, I bought a little clock (didn't want a big wall clock) that can sit on my bookshelf in my craft room. It was very, very expensive - 99p lol!!

I don't know why I didn't notice it had such a dirty face until I took a photo:



Having taken off the front and cleaned it, I was really stumped as to what I could do to alter it - in the end, out came the crystal stickers elements and primas and here in the (pathetic) result:

It was worth the effort

Now I'm back home and the minimarket is over, I can reflect that it was worth the effort, even though I'm feeling tired and my back has been playing up. Mum sold a few cards for me at her Christmas fair, but most of the people went from one to the other, so they tended to buy from me, so I did much better than she did. However, it means that I've been able to give some of the takings to mum's sheltered accommodation and some to the BMS that the church minimarket was supporting.

I had two tables at the minimarket, one was just cards and the other one (a dear lady from church helped with this) consisted of calendars, notebooks, etc, some of which I made and some I bought in.




Yes, it was worth the effort.

Time and energy have run out

Isnt it typical?! Tried to use my robo this morning and I got an error message saying the robo controller wasn't ready (everything seemed to be normal) - all I can think is that a windows update has interfered with the setting or something - I even tried a system restore and then gave up. In any case, there's only so much time in the day and I wouldn't have been able to get any more done than I have today, especially as I'm not feeling too great - my back is really playing up today.

Anyway, here are a few cards I made this morning:



and one of the notebooks:



Everything is now labelled, bagged and ready to be picked up at about 6.30 this evening - going to the church to set everything up ready for tomorrow.

What I haven't done now won't get done (and I wonder if someone will ask for something that I haven't got?!)

CBC weekend challenge 6

'This fab challenge is one from Carolyn
Now I know we often make notepads - but this one must have a closure of some kind - the more inventive the better...there will be some bonus points on offer for the most inventive.

You can use any kind of notepad or even post it notes. Don't forget Calv has added a step by step on the main site, if you need a bit of help www.craftsbycarolyn.co.uk under projects'

I've made two notebooks tonight - covered chipboard and used my BIA.

For the first one I've threaded ribbon through one of the wires and wrapped it round before then tying to secure the notebook - so that the ribbon doesn't come off when it's undone:





The second one is secured with a jumbo paperclip:





I need to make more BIA notebooks tomorrow for Saturday. This final challenge gave me the nudge I needed to start making some more.

CBC weekend challenge 15

'Now I would like you to make a piece of wrapping paper (any size you like), also I would like you to make a matching Gift Tag.'

Papermania paper again stamped with Brilliance pearlescent ivy - the wording of 'do not open until Christmas!' shows up better irl.



As you can see, I've been taking a bit of a breather from getting ready for Saturday.

'You must make any kind of scrapbook you like ready for photos, but it must have 5 Double Sides and be a Christmas theme.'

I've covered chipboard tag shapes with papermania papers (some of last year's that I'm trying to use up) and sanded and inked the edges with chalk ice jade:

CBC weekend challenge 11

'I want you to make your very own delightful peg fairy !'

I've taken a little time out from getting ready for Saturday (I've made quite a few more cards - might show some later - to do another challenge just for the sake of it:

Sympathy cards

Three I made last night (terrible, out-of-focus photo, but in a hurry):

Baby cards

This evening I've made a batch of ten baby cards, using various papers and bits (picture will enlarge with a click):



Now, sadly, I need to go to the other extreme and make some sympathy cards because I've got none in stock.

CBC weekend challenge 16

Challenge 16 involved making a card to specific instructions by Helen (and they are so clear and the card is wonderful).

All papers and other bits used were Brenda Pinnick except for the journalling piece on the inner card, which is DCWV.





That's another Christmas card done for Saturday.

CBC weekend challenge 14

'Here is a fab challenge from Sue.
and for this challenge I want you to HIDE something on your creation

you can make ANYTHING you like so long as a piece is HIDDEN obviously the hidden piece will need to be revealed so we know it was hidden in the first place IYSWIM'

I need to make some more new home cards, so that's what I did for this challenge. The papers are K & Co Brookfield. The pocket on the front was one that was already cut, but I made the tag and then layered it with the handwritten sentiment. And out came the primas again (I seemed to have neglected them for a long time, but have used them quite a bit recently).





This also fits the Arty Girlz challenge 59: 'hand drawn element' although it's officially too late for that.