Half a challenge

This is for the challenge on Just Bex: One template 2 tasks. Here is the template:
One task is to make a card using the template. I made this one using various K & Co papers and a padded heart.

The other part of the challenge is to make a LO from the same template - hopefully I'll be back later to show what I've done (have a lovely photo ready somewhere, but can't find it yet).

Sue's Card Template 3

This is a card for Sue's Card Template 3 (boxes) on Just Bex.

Here I am again

Here I am again, with a card for a challenge on Just Bex: make a Father's Day card without the word 'father' or 'dad' on the front.


My dad died about three and a half years ago, so I don't now make Father's Day cards, but it was lovely to do this one as a tribute to my dad.

A bit of advice

If, like me, you sometimes feel as if you are getting nowhere very much with your crafting, then have a look back over what you've done. I've just been looking back at my earlier blog entries and it has helped me to realise what I can achieve. Not that I'm very talented in what I achieve, but just encouraged. I appreciate other blogs I visit, for the inspiration and talent that people possess - I wish I had a bit more of it, but, nevertheless, I enjoy what I do.

Getting back into the rhythm

One of mum's friends requested a card for her husband's birthday - she asked for it to incorporate a Bible. He is keen on gardening, so I thought a little bit of something floral wouldn't go amiss. I'm hoping she'll like it. The Bible is actually gold foil, but doesn't show up on the scan.

It's one of my niece's wedding anniversary today so the first card is from us and the second one from mum. My brother and sister-in-law are visiting mum today and we're meeting up with them for lunch at the local Beefeater. Then they are going on to stay with my niece, so they will take the cards with them (thank goodness, because I hadn't got organised enough to do them and post). The layer with purple hearts on the second card is acetate.

With all that's been going on in the last week or so, I suddenly realised this morning that I forgot someone's birthday on Saturday, so this is a quick one made with a fabric embellie from a strip from Poundland layered on to magic mesh:

Another card

I managed to make another card this evening - this time for the challenge set by Sue on Carolyn's to make a card with green and blue for CAC005.

I used K-Ology papers, papermania mulberry flowers, flower brads and a selection of tiny buttons.


It's a very simple card, because the paper speaks for itself.

Rubber Stamp Challenge

Well, having not done anything much for a week or so, I felt I should haul myself out of the doldrums and get on with something. So I did a card for RSC011 on Carolyn's.

The idea was to make a card with stamping and more than one fold. I've had some concertina type cards for ages and have hardly used any of them, so thought I should take the opportunity. The swirly stamps are by Tanda. I put the white strip on the right hand piece of card, otherwise there would be nowhere to write on the card.

A bit of crafting at last

The last week has been a very difficult, fraught one and so it's been a while since I've done any crafting. I needed to do my flower ATCs for the swap on Paper and lace that Net is organising, so have spent some time this afternoon doing these.

I'm not that happy with them, but at least they have got in the post in time to (hopefully) get to Net by the deadline, tomorrow.

I haven't taken part in any of the challenges on Carolyn's or Just Bex (I've had a list of them ready, but just not been able to get on with any of them).

I need to do my DLO in the CJ for Carolyn's forum, which must go in the post next Monday - I'll try not to leave it to the last minute.

Having done the ATCs this afternoon, my back is feeling awful (the last few days have been really painful again), but I think it's done me some good to do something creative.

Hopefully I'll be back before long to blog about some more crafty efforts.

Swap cards received

These are the cards I've received in the monthly swap on Carolyn's organised by Melissa.

From Net:



From Alba-Jane:

From Janet (JAN1951):

And from SueF:

All lovely cards and thanks to Melissa for organising.

I haven't done any crafting this week. In preparation for moving my craft stuff out of our spare room for it to be fitted out during the last week of this month, we've been sorting out stuff for the charity shop to give us more room in other parts of our smallish maisonette to house everything. Neither of us are hoarders (we both used to be, but over the years have had to be more ruthless in deciding what we keep and don't), but it's amazing the amount of goods that we have just had collected to be taken to a local Cancer Research shop. We are so grateful that arrangements were made for someone to come by van to pick everything up - we just couldn't have coped with getting it there without transport. Disappointingly, John, because of his lack of vision, got up quickly from his chair last night to answer the phone, forgot that there were cases and bags of stuff ready for the charity collection and fell awkwardly on top of them - he now has bruised ribs.

I'm hoping that later today/this evening I'll be able to do some crafting and take part in some of the challenges on Carolyn's and Just Bex that I've been itching to get on with.

A quick blog to show the inchies I made and sent to Jo (Paperlily) for the swap on Just Bex. Her dear Asti had to be put to sleep recently so Jo said she would like some inchies spelling out Asti's name. As Jo had quoted the Rainbow Bridge poem, I thought the picture would be nice and included Asti with the other dogs.


I'll come back and blog again later, but I haven't done any crafting to speak of for quite a few days. In readiness for our spare room being fitted at the end of this month, we've being having a 'turn out' and getting stuff ready to be collected by a charity shop. In fact, someone has phoned this morning to say that it will be picked up on Friday morning, so we now need to make sure we have everything ready for then. We already have two case loads of books and videos and a fair number of bags of other items. Neither of us are hoarders (used to be, but have learned over the years to streamline things) but it's still amazing how much stuff there is.

Card for a man

I did this card for the 'card for a man' challenge on Tanda Stamps.

I also did some inchies for the swap on Just Bex, which I'll be posting tomorrow, but can't show here until they are received. In fact the inchies are very basic because of the rest of the content - all will be revealed soon.

"Secret sender" notebook swap

Yay!!!! I've received a fab, fab, fabulous altered notebook from my secret sender on Carolyn's.

The front:

The back:

Inside the back cover:

Thank you so much, secret sender (I'm trying to work out who you might be - I have my suspicions!)

Just one more

Just one more for the Haute Couture comp on Just Bex. This is another of the Tanda Stamps (but I don't have any more of the prize ones!) - again stamped on an evenweave material. I actually started this one days and days ago and thought I ought to finish it.

Just Chill

I cheated a bit with Just Bex challenge 2 - it's meant to be a fridge magnet, but I wanted to do a tag with both sides written on, so here it is.

Summertime ATCs

These are for Challenge 7 on Just Bex: 4 summer ATCs.

Altered photo frame

This is for the Just Bex challenge 8: Picture it. I've gone for the 'distressed' look on the wood, but I'm not sure that it's worked really - but, hey, I had a go and it's the first time of doing a wooden frame like this.

Haute couture competition

Another card for the Haute Couture competition on Just Bex.

No reason at all

Just a few more 'no reason at all' cards for Just Bex Challenge 5:







Will be back later to show a couple of other attempts for challenges.

ATCs

This morning I've finished off two lots of ATCs to get in the post. The first is for a swap on Tanda Stamps, with the theme of butterlies:

The second is for the swap on Carolyn's, 'haute couture':

In both cases I used alcohol inks (good to get them out again and have a play). As ever, better irl than on scans.

And finally for today ...

Here is my last challenge of the day - it's No. 9: multiple pages, an accordion card with at least four panels both sides.

The first four scans are the front panels and the next four are the back panels.

My next entry below was actually composed before this one - it's just the way it was published and I just couldn't face changing it to put this at the bottom.

So things are a bit topsy turvy!

At least I feel as if I've achieved something today. My back has been driving me crazy with the pain, but I've paced myself through these and tried to engage my mind and creativity in the hope it would ease the pain (it didn't, but it was fun!).

A bit of a challenge

After a poor night, I surfaced this morning and have managed to do some of the challenges on Just Bex. The first is a card for challenge 1: 'All four one'.

The brief for this card was that it had to include at least four pieces of ribbons, four flowers, four different pieces of patterned paper and four fasteners, also a photo or main embellishment. I'm hoping that the 'Thought this might brighten your day' sentiment will count as a 'main embellishment'!

I decided to use chipboard flowers as a change to blooms and made the central holes easily with my crop-a-dile (if you haven't got one, you need one!)

I'm back again! I've just finished challenge 3 'Oh Baby' LO:

The next challenge I've tackled is No. 10: 'Two contrasting four words' - create a SB LO that is made up of 2 strong contrasting colours that you perhaps would not normally use ........ AND it must include at least 4 Words!

So I chose purple and red as my theme colours. The photo is John and me at Paul and Mandy's wedding reception.

The next one is for challenge 6: a LO from a sketch - it had to include journalling.

This is what it says: 'Mother and daughter sharing a huge ice cream dessert. I'll leave you to guess who ate the most! It was certainly delicious and between us we managed to clear the lot - well, it would have been wasteful not to, wouldn't it!'