HS:MS SOS 8

Today is 'show off Sunday' on HS:MS. The idea is to show off a photo that you've particularly proud of.

I've chosen these, not because they are great photos (none of mine are anyway - lol!) - but because of what's behind them. A lady from church (who, bless her, isn't too young or healthy herself) called in to see me yesterday afternoon (she knew that my back pain has been severe recently) and she brought me this plant:

Di Hickman template October 2

I've never taken part in this challenge before, but have quite often seen other people's contributions and thought I'd have a go. So I did two very similar cards using the template:





As is often the case when taking flash photos in the evening, the colours aren't as good as irl.

Crafting kindness

I took part in a 6 x 6 paper swap on Crafts by Carolyn and this is what I received from Nicola in Canada:



Nicola sent me lots of extras (including more papers) as she knows I make cards and sell to raise money for TEAR Fund. I was so overwhelmed this morning by her generosity.

HS:MS SPS 8

Well, wysiwyg!!

I don't think this gets any easier (particularly as Saturday is usually the worst day of the week for me). I took this looking into the full length mirror on my wardrobe door, managing to keep the camera out of sight, but just getting the flash glinting at the base of the photo (where I cropped it):

The proper alternative Xmas!!

Having thought I'd achieved Nicky's challenge on Just Bex for making 5 cards with non Christmas papers and then discovering that they were (!), I started last night to make some more and finished them off this morning. This time, the first four cards are made using Craft Creations 'blue grid' and the fifth card uses Papermania Inspirations warm tones:











I've used some of my favourite Christmas stamps (I really love the Hero Arts Santa one) and the Mary and Joseph silhouette was done on the robo.

Oh dear!!!

Nicky has set a fab challenge tonight on Just Bex called 'alternative Xmas': 'It's time for another Friday night (well, afternoon) challenge with a Christmas theme! We like to keep you busy........... This time, we'd like you to make 5 Christmas cards using patterned paper - but NOT Christmas-themed paper.

So I went through my 12 x 12 papers and found some papers that were red and green and seemed to fit the criteria. So I made the following five cards and was really quite pleased with them:

'

It was only after I made them that I looked at what the papers were called. I knew that they were 'the goods' by American Crafts (I bought them ages ago), but when I looked to see what the individual names of the papers were I found that the one with squares was called 'holly' and the diamond one was called 'stocking'. So much for me using non-Christmas papers!

Oh well, I think I'll look for so more papers tomorrow to do the challenge again! (May be if I hadn't looked for the names of the paper, I might have got away with it!)

Daring Cardmakers: where the wild things are

I thought I'd try to do something for this challenge. The first two cards are very simply made using felt stickers from Poundland:





And this one took a bit more time, using a favourite lion stamp from Rubbadubbadoo:

JB Challenge 1 in June!!!

This template challenge was set by Bex back in June and I discovered that I'd never done anything for it.

Here's the template:



And here's my LO, using BG scarlet's letter papers (love them, but if I keep using them I'll just have to buy some more!):



The light is so poor this morning that I couldn't get a picture without flash, which has lightened the photo too much - looks much better irl.

JB September challenge 7

This LO is for the JB September challenge 7: mirror image: 'This challenge is to create a LO which features Symmetry / Mirror Images.'

I really should have put some journalling on it but need to speak to mum to get idea of dates - I know Grandad was born at the end of the nineteenth century (yes, really!) and he went into the navy at quite a young age.

HS:MS tongue

'A fleshy muscular organ in the mouth. Show us 'tongue' in your space today!'

Well, mine isn't fleshy or muscular but it's in the mouth of my trainer:

Daring Cardmakers: Santa's little extra helper 1

I often think that I'll do something for DCM and then time seems to disappear, but here is one for this week's extra:



Had to do a scan rather than photo with flash - why is it that colours aren't always 'true'?

JB challenge 5: a Christmas template

This is for Sue's latest template challenge on just Bex:


I tried to get a photo but the flash was making the silver look gold in places, so i resorted to a scan, but I'm afraid it's a bit blurry:

HS:MS game

A form of play or sport. find 'game' in your space today.

Although this isn't a game in the conventional sense of the word, it is something crafty to play with:

Salt: Creation

Today is the fortnightly challenge launch on Salt. Kim chose the subject this time and this is what she said:

Joyful greetings to all of our readers! We've all been so blessed to be able to share our faith-based challenges with you and have been especially thrilled to see what you have created!

This week it's my (Kim) turn and the theme I've chosen is:

Creation

We see God's sovereignty in His creation each and every day, from the beauty of nature to the miracle of birth. God has lovingly and mercifully created all that we see, hear, smell, touch, and feel, to bring glory to Himself and to bless His children.
"For thus says the Lord,

Who created the heavens,

Who is God.

Who formed the earth and made it,

Who has established it.

Who did not create it in vain

Who formed it to be inhabited

I am the Lord and there is no other."

-Isaiah 45:18

We'd love to see what you create based on this week's theme!! Please leave a comment and link back to your blog or gallery so that we can all share in your "creation!"

Please take a look at Salt

I still don't consider myself to be a scrapper, but enjoy opportunities to create LOs and this was a particularly poignant opportunity to express my thoughts and gratitude to God for making me as I am.

I've had physical disabilities all my life; I remember years ago a consultant saying that when I was conceived I 'came together all wrongly'. However, God knew and understands and gives me the grace and strength to cope with life as it is and the verses I have used from Psalm 139 are very precious to me (and to my dear mum).

The background papers and tags I've used are from beblessedscrapbooking.com - appropriately called 'wonderfully made' and 'knit together' (they were crying out to be used!).

I'm afraid that I did make a mistake on my LO (I only saw it after I had rubbed on some swirls that prevented me from moving the wording) - I got the first two parts of the verse the wrong way round, but there was no way I was going to do it all again,so here it is:

Crafting

Nothing to show for a couple of days, partly because I just haven't felt well enough and partly because what I've achieved this morning I can't show because it's for the Salt challenge that will be launched tomorrow morning - please come back then and have a peep. I'd like to think that I'll have something crafty to show by the end of the day, but I can't promise. I need to get some swaps ready for posting.

HS:MS steps

'A series of flat surfaces to enable movement from one level to another. Find 'steps' in your space today.'

How come that I now get quite excited over trying to get a good angle to take a photo of an old stepladder (I know, I know, I need to get out more!!).

Thanks to Anita and Kirsty on HS:MS, not to mention lots of others on there who are now firmly among my cyber friends, I have got into the daily habit of taking photos.

As for steps in our space, they are limited because we live in a ground floor maisonette. The only step we have is one that we use to come into the back door - and as it's raining (again), I'm not venturing out there atm. So here's today's offerings:

HS:MS crockery

'A collection of ceramics, porcelein and china. Show us your crockery.'

This cupboard with crockery is in an inner hallway, so it was difficult to get a photo without the flash rebounding off the glass doors at the side. In the end I had the light on and the flash off for this one:



I then put the flash on to take a couple of closer shots:





Before joining in HS:MS I would never have thought of taking such photos.

CBC October swap

The theme for this month's swap on Crafts by Carolyn (organised by Melissa) is orange and black, particularly with Halloween in mind. As I don't do Halloween, I've gone for general autumnal colours that I hope fits in OK:

What a picture

Today on Just Bex, Sue has set challenge 4: what a picture: 'this time we would like you to make ANYTHING apart from a LO so NO scrappin for this one and we want you to use a PHOTO but NOT of a person of a THING or an ITEM.'

I took a picture of a little Greek urn ornament that I bought in Crete when I went there on holiday (I think about 1980ish - seems a looooong time ago now). I then used some Publisher clip art pictures as background, combining three different ones:

JB Friday night challenge:Hearts

This is for a challenge set for 14 September: 'We are being kind to you this weekend with this challenge. A nice easy one ......Please make a card using hearts.'

As this was a nice easy one, I've done three very similar cards:

HSMS: autumn

The third season of the year. Show us 'Autumn' in your space today.