HS:MS SPS 12

Well, today is self-portrait Saturday on HS:MS and this is the 12th time of doing this (think I'd be used to it by now). Well, today is a blatant cheat.

Before we put the curtains up (yes, they are up now, but no photos of the room yet because it is still untidy - surprise, surprise!) I took a picture of the bare window looking into the garden and you can just make out the reflection of my head - so that is my SPS for today:



I intended it to look faded and mysterious, but perhaps I overdid the effects.

HS:MS disturbed

' feeling you get when something unexpected happens - or in my case expected!!! . Can you find it through your lens?'

I still haven't got curtains at this window. We did manage to get into Bromley yesterday afternoon and get them from Laura Ashley, but I've spent today crafting in between moaning about my back and taking painkillers (as usual) and so we haven't done anything to get more sorted out. I took the curtains out of the pack and they need pressing before putting up.

The upshot of this is that there is still a bare window and I feel a bit disturbed that I'm sitting here. This window faces our back garden, which is big, but to the right beyond is a road, a quiet close, and at the back is an alleyway that leads to where our garages are. So the only way really that we would be overlooked would be if someone was around who shouldn't be. It's more a feeling that something unexpected might happen than it actually is.

I took the first picture with the light on and the second one with it off - hardly any difference. The third picture was taken with the 'night portrait' feature, which has given a strange effect, mainly because it's not actually a portrait! Just thought I'd give it a go. I haven't edited any of them - they're just as they were taken (which is obvious really, because they're just snaps!):

CBC big challenge 13

CBC big challenge 13: peg it: 'and I NEED A PEG - not just any peg a fantastically tarted up peg!!'

Here's mine - handy for keeping receipts together:

CBC big challenge 11

CBC big challenge 11: it's a picture: 'I would like you to make a GIFT using a photo. Now the obvious one here is a PHOTO FRAME. SO AN EXTRA 5 POINTS if you make something other than a frame.'

So I decided to make a fan, based on a robo template. I printed out photos of roses that had been given to me in the summer and photographed (I think I showed them on here at the time):

CBC big challenge 7

CBC big challenge 7: another shape: '…….and a shaped card for this one NOT one that you used for the CBC crew challenge ooo and THIS HAS to be a CHRISTMAS card.'

This is certainly not one of my best efforts. It's a bauble card which puts together three pieces to make a 3D hanging card (from the Anna Griffin kit). It will sort of stand on its own or hang, but couldn't get a photo of it properly, so asked John to hold it - still didn't get any good photos, but it will have to do:

CBC big challenge 3

CBC big challenge 3: it's a gift: 'WE NEED A PRESSIE!!! so whatever you like a present for someone handmade and fabulous'

This is the result of the model car that I cut on the robo but only had oriental instructions to put it together! I sat and worked it out this afternoon (wasn't exactly rocket science but was fiddly):





A present for John - lol!

CBC big challenge 17

CBC big challenge 17: a picture: 'I want you to make a card using a PHOTO
You may also make a LO if you prefer. An EXTRA 5 points if you use NUMBERS on your project.

This is a card for friends' ruby wedding anniversary:

'

CBC big challenge 4

CBC big challenge 4: marathon project: 'And for the MARATHON PROJECT in this challenge I want you to create either a calendar OR a mini album.'

I decided to make a calendar which I can use for one or two presents. Each month shows a photo of one of our family pets, past and present.

CBC big challenge 9

CBC big challenge 9: tart a box: 'For this challenge I want you to alter a box/case/ tin - YOU DECIDE – you can use it as a gift box or for yourself – no other rules'

I took a box of Bendick's bittermints:



and covered and decorated it:



to house Quickutz dies - just the right size (and it has little groovy dividing bits too:

CBC big challenge 10

CBC big challenge 10: good enough to eat: 'so show me your 3 tasty Christmas cards yup 3!!!'

Here are mine (they are all square but taken at a funny angle to stop flash glaring).

The first one I did went a bit wrong - too much gap on the left hand side, so had to put a ribbon there:



The puddings were done on the robo.

CBC big challenge 15

CBC big challenge 15: more than one: '3 to be precise – I want you to make 3 cards. Each card must have the same embellishment or stamp used on it 3 TIMES. Ok so 3 cards all completely different.

Photos are poor, but show the general idea:

CBC big challenge 14

CBC big challenge 14: useful storage: Sue said: 'We all LOVE storage… I want you to make something USEFUL for storage – again it may be for a pressie maybe your nieces hair bands and clips or your nephews phone or perhaps for YOU'

I've got a couple of mesh pots that I bought that house things like pens, scissors etc, but, as you can see from the picture, tweezers and pokey tools sometimes got caught in the holes, which is pretty dangerous.



A day or two ago I treated myself to some apple crisps:



and thought that the container could be altered to house tweezers and pokey tools so that they could no longer poke through holes:



and, because I used paper from the DCWV posies range, it matches up with a pot for big scissors and brushes that I made a few months ago:

CBC big challenge 12

CBC big challenge 12: sew far sew good: '2 cards are required here – no theme at all BUT they MUST include items that you would normally find in a sewing / knitting box.'

I think these will qualify:




Btw the photo of the second one is crooked, not the card.

CBC big challenge 16

I've been asked to make a Christmas card that incorporates a Bible (the person is sending it to someone who has recently been bereaved).

CBC challenge 16: 'Make a CHRISTMAS card using DIE CUTS' seems to fit the bill, especially as Sue said: 'An EXTRA 5 points if you use something on your card that starts with A.'

I've used the quickutz angel di and also the Ellison thin cut Bible:



This is similar to one I did a couple of weeks ago, but with the addition of the Bible and angel.

Salt: From the hymnbook

Today is the fortnightly launch of the Salt challenge. This time it was Lythan's choice and she said:

'Thank you for all the ways you have sung out that "Jesus is Lord". It is so inspiring to see the diversity of ways we can praise through our creativity.
And I (Lythan) would like you to carry on singing through this week's challenge

From the hymnbook

take your inspiration from a hymn or song that means a lot for your faith, Old hymn, new song, overtly Christian or kind of hidden, God speaks to us in music in all sorts of ways.

I can't wait to see your response!'

Please take a look at Salt

There are many hymns and songs, both old and new,that sprang to mind when Lythan told us the topic for this challenge. In the end I decided for my contribution to make myself a prayer journal that I (hopefully) will put to good use (this means that for a change I can keep what I've crafted). I've based it on the hymn 'What a friend we have in Jesus'.

HS:MS anxious

'Whether the word anxious defines that you are worried or eager, try and capture this through your lens and your imagination.'

Sadly, there are situations within the family that we are trying not to be too anxious about - and to be honest us worrying will do nothing to change the situations) - but none of this can be captured through a lens.

So I'm choosing something that is trivial really. Having just had the decorators in, they took down the curtain pole that was in the room where I craft and we decided that it should be replaced. The decorators left the plates with screws for the fittings and we're just hoping that the new pole that's just been delivered has the same fitments as the previous one so that the plates that we there can be used. Otherwise it means we've got to ask someone to swap them over, because John can't see to do it and I can't reach (even with steps, I can't lift my arms adequately to do a job like that.

I went into Bromley yesterday and found suitable curtains in Laura Ashley, but couldn't carry them, so hopefully later today when John gets back from a foot health appointment at Guys, we'll go and get them.

So, hopefully, I'll be able soon to share pictures of my finished room. Meanwhile, here is the bare window with the plates and screws waiting for the pole fitments.

HS:MS confused

'This is something we can be almost everyday. But can you capture confused through your lens?'

I can do 'confused'! (doesn't take much - lol!)

A few days ago I downloaded a template to make a model car using my craft robo. The only problem is that the instructions for assembly are in Chinese or Japanese, so they are as useful to me as a chocolate teapot!



I'm going to attempt to put it together before Friday night because I wanted it for one of the challenges for the big weekend challenge on Crafts by Carolyn.

Anyone understand Chinese or Japanese?

HS:MS 'sad' and 'excited'

Yesterday's prompt on HS:MS was:

'This week we are going to focus on emotions. We prompt you with one word and you translate it the best you can through your lens. Try hard as you can not to use a human face to reflect that emotion. For instance - Sad. A dying plant, a messy corner, mucky windows (we all have them at one point!)'

Because of all that's going on I didn't get round to doing a photo (couldn't even get to my camera).

To be honest, there is much sadness at the moment within our family, but not something that can be easily shared or photographed. I could take some pictures of the muddle that we are in at the moment, but that doesn't really constitute sadness.

Today's prompt is:

Excited: 'One of the most happiest of emotions. Whats exciting through your lens?'

I'll have to think about that one. I'm excited at the prospect of rooms being decorated - I think the room where I usually craft might be ready by this evening, so perhaps I'll be able to take some photos then, although I haven't got any new curtains yet, so I think the grotty ones that won't match will have to go up, unless I can get out this afternoon to get some.

Enough twittering! (too much in fact!)

Crafting under difficult circumstances

Do you ever wish you'd done something earlier, rather than leaving it till the last minute? There's a new circle journal over on Crafts by Carolyn and originally the first posting date was scheduled for some time ago, but because there were postal strikes the decision was taken to delay the first posting until today. Now, if the original posting date had been kept I know that I would have got on and done it on time, but, because there was a delay, the pressure was off.

And, of course, on Saturday late afternoon we heard that the decorators were starting yesterday. Because the first room to be done was the room where I craft I had to rescue what I might need and the rest has been inaccessible. Yesterday I really tried to get on and finish my CJ, but nothing seemed to go right. I even had my robo on the dining table with my laptop, but what I wanted to do didn't turn out right. So even last night the CJ wasn't ready.

We had to be up early this morning, so I've managed to get it done - was even able to sneak in the room and rescue my camera and a few necessary bits.

So I apologise to the lovely people in my group that my CJ isn't very well decorated. I used material on the covers and the papers used are a mixture of mainly English Paper Company and Anna Griffin. The lettering on the front was from my recent purchase of decorated chipboard letters from QVC - they happened to arrive on Friday so they were nice and handy.









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