Kool Kitty Musings

Thinking out of the box

Or maybe inside the box... because this week's dare on the DCM blog that Fran has set is to create a card featuring a box... oooh it was quite tricky and I wanted to come up with something more imaginative than my first thought - a gift box - but well, I'm just not that clever...

So a gift box it is!

Papers and stickers: Happy Day collection by Simple Stories
Other: Sewing machine, 3D foam

When faced with collection packs I always struggle to mix and match the items with products from other lines... but the items in this Simple Stories collection coordinate so well with each other it was a pointless task! LOL

I did love the balloon stickers and love how they pop out with a bit of 3D foam behind them.

Green for luck

With St. Patrick's day just around the corner, Samm has set us a well-timed dare this week on the DCM blog.

She wants to see you make a card featuring green and luck in some way.

Green isn't really one of my staple colours in cardmaking, but there is one particular design of patterned paper by KI Memories that I always reach for (and am glad I stocked up on with extra sheets for this reason!). So of course it is the design I went for yet again for this challenge. :)

Paper: KI Memories
Stamps: PTI, WMS
Dies: PTI, Cuttlebug
Ribbon: The Ribbon Girl
Resin flower: 3DJean
Other: Crackle glaze, paper flower, 3D foam

I love how the crackle glaze has dried on the butterfly die cut, will definitely have to use that crackle glaze on more projects in future. :)

Don't forget to check out the parade of green creations from the design team on the DCM blog today!

Happy creating. :)

A tessellating time

It's Friday again (one of the nicest days of the week) which means there's a brand new dare on the Daring Cardmakers blog!

This week Leo has set us a fab challenge, and that is to make a card with a tessellation pattern - I bet you're rushing to google what that means! ;o)

Well it's nothing more complex than a kind of tiled pattern.

I went for a quatrefoil pattern for mine:

Paper: MME
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, PTI
Dies: PTI
Felt: PTI
Punch: Martha Stewart
Other: button, twine

It's difficult to make out, but I stamped the coordinating leaf stamp on the die-cut leaf in a subtle shade of ink. I am loving the Compact Sentiments stamps from Waltzing Mouse Stamps, you'll definitely see them on quite a few projects to come!

Hope you have fun choosing your patterns, happy crafting! :D

Spring is in the air...

Over on the DCM blog this week.

Can I first just take a moment to say how very nice it is to finally see daylight on my drive to and from work. Oh I am soooo glad that the dark winter days are almost behind us! And soon we will be enjoying those long summer evenings. My favourite!

Anyway, before all that can happen we need to glory in the arrival of Spring. And what better way to do this in a crafty way, than with a spring colour challenge.

This week it's Kathy's pic and she chose this lovely chic duck egg, soft lemon yellow and mocha combo:

Here's what I came up with using some rather vintage paper stash. ;)

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: The Stamp Man, PTI
Dies: MFT, PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Buttons: PTI
Felt: PTI
Other: Glassine envelope, Liquid Pearls, embroidery thread

I put my pinking die to great use on this card, can't seem to get enough of pinked edges at the moment, I even chopped off the top of the glassine envelope using that die.

I hope you have a sunny weekend! :D

Oh la la...

This week we have a very chic dare over on the DCM blog.

Sharon has asked us to create a Marie-Antoinette-inspired card.

This can be anything from featuring Marie-Antoinette herself, taking inspiration from the décor of Versailles, the rococo period, fashion of the time to a "let them eat cake" theme - although technically she never said that!

For my card I have drawn inspiration from the décor and fashions of the time - lots of frippery and flounces.

Oh and a rather obscure fact I read that Louis the XVIth made keys as a hobby...

Kraft cardblank: Papermania
Flocked paper: My Mind's Eye
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye
Trinkets: Prima
Rose: Wild Orchid Crafts
Die: PTI
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Resin flower: 3DJean
Button: Upcycled from a tag by Ang (paper&ribbons)
Other: Cream and pearlescent white acrylic paint, chalk ink (grey and light beige), distresser

I was happy to find that one of the stamps in my recent PTI purchase nicely coordinated with the damask background, so I stamped it on the little greeting label.

The kraft cardblank has undergone quite a transformation to git it a vintage look. I first dry-brushed pearlescent white acrylic paint on, then dry brushed cream acrylic on to take some of the shine off. It looks very effective in real life.

I also brushed cream acrylic paint onto the flocked paper to age it a bit - love how that look turned out as it really complimented to overall look and feel.

I hope you take a moment to check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team - I think we pretty much covered all the bases on this dare. :D

Going postal

Well it is Friday... almost the weekend! :D

Thanks to everyone who joined in with the hearts and doilies dare I set last week. This week on the DCM blog Rein has set us the challenge to create a card using postal inspiration.

My card as a bit of a nightmare to photograph but looks much nicer in real life where you can see all the Distress Stickles:

Actually it may look a bit better lying down:

Paper: Crate Paper
Stamps: 7Gypsies, Waltzing Mouse, PTI
Die: PTI
Twine: The Ribbon Reel
Chipboard elements: Crate Paper
Other: Distress Stickles, pattern wheel, distresser

I rather love that heart + heart chipboard. :)

Hope you have a creative weekend!

Who doesn't like hearts and doilies?

Well I hope no one! As it's my turn to set the dare over on the DCM blog this week, and my choice was for my two favourite design features at the moment.

Pretty hearts and paper doilies.

Lovely stuff.

Now, as many on the team will attest creating the card for your own dare seems to be a cursed experience. It becomes a herculean task and rarely turns out how you'd planned or hoped.

My card this week is no different. It bares no resemblance to what I had in mind and well I sure hope the next card I made is a lot easier!

But here it is...

Ppaer: Crate Paper
Die-cuts and chipboard: Crate Paper
Doily die: MFT
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse
Other: Vellum, sewing machine

The vellum greeting is sewn on at the side and lifts to reveal bride and groom silhouettes.

Anyway, I hope you give this week's dare a go! Looking forward to seeing how these two elements get combined. :)

Feb colour challenge

This month it's Jo's turn to choose the colours for the DCM monthly colour dare and thankfully she has gone for a combo I am rather partial to!

Pink and red

If you're in need of extra inspiration, check out the colour prompt:

And here's what I came up with for my pink and red homage!

Paper: MME, Crate Paper
Flower: Prima
Stickers: Crate Paper
Dies: Magnolia (zigzag and scallop lace)
Other: Sewing machine, pattern wheel

A rather girly Polish birthday card!

I went with black and grey as my other colours with this one. Have to say I am rather loving the edger dies I bought on sale made by Magnolia, they have a lovely teeny scallop and zigzag. I cannot believe the original price for Magnolia dies but for £13 (still pricey) I knew I'd get some use out of them. :)

And look at this using up one of those beloved Prima flowers I bought a few years ago - just had to have the red and teal packs and finally one has made it onto a project. Just 3 more to go!

Happy crafting!

Wishi-Washi...

Jo has set a fab dare over on the DCM blog - to use washi tape on your card. :D

I didn't have any tape in my stash, but lucky me, I remembered that Jo had done a great tutorial on her blog showing how to make your own with tracing paper.

Well, this is what I made (shame about the photos, I cannot wait for daylight to return so I can photograph projects on a weekday! lol

Paper: Digital papers by Crystal Wilkerson (Vintage Cupcake), MME, Fancy Pants
Dies: PTI
Stamps: PTI
Rub-on: Basic Grey
Resin flower: 3D Jean
Twill: The Ribbon Girls
Other: Double-sided tape, tracing paper, distresser, 3D foam, Corner Chomper

Sharon's card on the DCM blog uses another cool idea - patterned vellum to make your own tape, I see a whole new opportunity for using up some of that ca. 2002 vellum stash!

Something's cookin'

Over at the DCM blog today. :D

The theme of the week is Kitchenalia in honour of Kathy's new-look kitchen - lucky girl!

Here's what I made:

Paper: Crate Paper
Printable: theprettyblog.com
Stamps: PTI
Stickers: Crate Paper
Die: PTI
Ribbon: The Ribbon Girl
Other: Svarovski gem, 3D foam

For the cuttlery I used a wonderful placemat printable I found online:

Source: theprettyblog.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

I resized it so that I could print it onto my die-cut label, and then used a journalling sticker from Crate Portrait collection as the plate.

Hopefully the hostess in question will like it. :)

Miraculous social networks

Or the dare that stumped a lot of us!

Yes, the wonderful Zuz set a dare this week to use social networks as your inspiration.

Well, after initially thinking of going with some "hip" text speak stamps, I suddenly remembered that I had something in my stash that looked very much like the Twitter logo on my phone.

And so a card was born:

Paper: October Afternoon
Journaling card: October Afternoon
Die: PTI
Stickers: October Afternoon
Stamp: My Cute Stamps
Other: Sewing machine, distress glitter, 3D foam

So yes, the twitter birdie and a "tweet" ticked the box. :D

Don't forget to check out the rest of the design team's wonderful cards!

A new year, a new monthly theme...

..over on the DCM blog that is! :D

Yep, after birthstones and flowers the dare on the first Friday of each month will be a colour challenge.

I just love all the colour inspiration photos and palettes on Pinterest, not to mention the blogs where they are originally posted.

To kick off the monthly colour dare, Fran has picked this palette - perfect to chase away those January blues!

My take on this allowed me to play with a couple of Christmas presents from my lovely die-addict-in-crime, Angela. She knows what I like and what I almost bought until she told me not to!

Paper: MME
Dies: Marianne, Memory Box Dies, PTI
Stamps: PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Other: distresser, pattern wheel, 3D foam, Distress Stickles

I am rather taken with that "snowflake" die, but I think it could work as a nice doily-esque accent and not just a snowflake.

Hope you get chance to play along!

Spots, stripes and all things nice

This week's dare on the DCM blog is from Keilly and on the theme of spots and stripes.

A wonderful design combination!

I have combined the two on my card, but it was quite easy really since there are so many stripes to choose from at the moment with all the peppermint-themed papers out for Christmas.

I have loved my Crate Peppermint papers more than I ever thought I would and really wish I'd gone for the collection pack now, but never fear there are many more chipboard accents still for me to use. :D

Paper: Crate Paper, MME
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Memory Box Dies, Spellbinders, MFT, PTI
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Distress Stickles, Stickles, sanding file, 3D foam, sewing machine

Have to say I am slightly addicted to making snow globes now that I've used up the snow globe chipboard piece from my Peppermint set, so that Memory Box die and the library tab from MFT dienamics make good substitutes.

Also in other news I have had a couple of card projects published in the current issue (#92)of Simply Cards and Papercraft. :D It was nice to see the mag drop through the letterbox the other day and have a good flick through at all the projects including some fab ones from fellow DCM teamies. :)

And on that note, make sure you go check out the cards from the rest of the team!

Nordic inspired

We have a lovely dare over on the DCM blog from Fran this week, just perfect for getting you in the festive spirit.

It's all about Nordic inspiration, style trends, colours and well reindeer! Fran's even provided wonderful photo inspiration to get you in the mood:

I'm offering up two cards this week, here's the more traditional Nordic look complete with a Swedish greeting:

Paper: KI Memories
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Velvet Thickers: American Crafts
Dies: Marianne, Spellbinders
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Ribbon: The Ribbon Girl
Other: Acrylic paint, embossing powder, sewing machine, felt, button, twine, 3D foam

It's a bit difficult to pick out the white felt scallop around the heart but it's there. I love how the white embossing with the WMS stamps has come out on the red cardstock, looks like it actually has been knitted. LOL And that zigzag stitch on my little sewing machine, I will be using that more often!

Oh and I actually cut into some old KI frosty papers, but dry brushed cream paint on it to make it more subtle and less frosty for this background. And I did say I'd be using that Marianne bough die a lot more!

And the other card, well it's a more modern colour twist:

Stamps: Waltzing Mouse
Dies: Spellbinders
Paper: American Crafts
Other: Stickles, white gel pen, twine, 3D foam

And if you need more inspiration, here are some twinkly shots of a few old and new additions to my tree this year:

This is one from last year, but I think it fits today's prompt rather nicely!

The festive mushroom is a new addition this year.

As is this gorgeous church ornament my mum bought me. Not quite Nordic, but very glam!

And can I just say I totally love RadLab for these bauble shots, soooo fab to be able to save your own recipe and just apply it quickly to a bunch of photos.

Holly Jolly Christmas

We've reached the end of our year of flowers series on the Daring Cardmakers' Blog - with the option of Holly or Narcissus for December.

Well, it was an easy choice for me this week, plenty of holly-inspired items to choose from. :)

Papers: MME
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Tag and glittery brad: Making Memories
Other: Distress Stickles, buttons, twine, 3D foam, corner chomper

Have to say I am really glad I bought Picket Fence Distress Stickles, they are just lovely and really frosty when they dry out.

Don't forget to pop on over to the blog and check out the fab cards from the design team, plus our lovely new guest designer, Gez. :D

Movember madness

Over on the DCM blog this week Samm has set a wonderful dare in honour of this month, the month of Movember, the month of the moustache.

Oh yes.

Personally, I am not that much of a fan of the moustache as a permanent feature... I think the 80s and the popularity of the extreme moustache due to such examples as this:

and the Genghis Kahn looks sported by many a young man about town has a lot to answer for. Although saying that, Magnum without his moustache would have been very bizarre indeed.

Mind you there is room for some moustache admiration:

Uh-hum...

But moving on... to my card in honour of Movember:

Papers: Echo Park, Basic Grey
Stamp: PTI
Die: Spellbinders
Alpha stickers: October Afternoon
Other: 3D foam, Distress ink, Moustache printable

Very dapper eh?

And if after visiting the other Design Team blogs you're looking for more moustache inspiration, well how about these little gems from Pinterest:

The ultimate Movember style guide:

Source: somethingshidinginhere.com via gillie on Pinterest

 

My favourite Movember homage:

Source: glamour.com via Vaishali on Pinterest

 

Some great props for some wacky photo shoots: 

Source: google.co.uk via Julie on Pinterest

 

A very graceful way to wear your moustache, if you're so inclined: 

Source: wanelo.com via Laura on Pinterest

 

These really make me chuckle:

Source: gthegentleman.tumblr.com via Carlos on Pinterest

 

Source: etsy.com via Gigi on Pinterest

 

And I would love to see this in action - hilarious:

Source: etsy.com via Glenda on Pinterest

 

And of course, there had to be a Keep Calm and...

Happy 'taching!

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

My it feels like the week has flown by since Monday...

And I am really thankful for the scheduler function in Typepad as I am typing this very late in the evening/early morning... it has been that busy this week.

I attempted to start my Christmas shopping this week... for gifts for others... and ended up just buying stuff for me... deary me. But I have made quite a few lovely purchases, made a couple of nice new crafty items that weren't paper-related and had my fill of festive Starbucks in ONE day... and tonight I am off up to my friend's after work armed with 6 bottles of vodka for a vodka tasting evening (they are all different flavours - only the best don't you know - and one is the famous lemon vodka my Uncle in Chicago makes) and a nice meal, so should be a very good night. Then the weekend to recover and recharge and who knows, get some real progress in my Christmas card making!

But anyway, on with today's crafty creation. This week's challenge on the DCM blog is based on the theme of water.

Paper: MME
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, Banana Frog, PTI
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Other: 3D foam, Copics

Cute little whale, bless! Of all the dies in my arsenal, of which there are a few..., I get the most use out of these scallop edger dies from PTI. This is the medium one in action. Now I just wonder if the MFT scallop edges are similar or just different enough to require a purchase! I am also after a pinking edge die like the new one from PTI... wonder if there are any other manufacturers out there who have one. I cannot cut a straight line with a pair of regular scissors never mind ones with a zig zag edge!

Also while I was at it, I used up the scraps from this card to make a matching gift tag, with a nice bit of felt too...

I have a feeling I also need to start on my Christmas gift tags too!

Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. ;o)

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

Or any jewellery really...

Which is a good thing as this week's dare is from my fellow PTI stash lover, Sharon. The challenge is to make a card inspired by jewellery, and this is the item I used as my inspiration:

Source: etsy.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

And here's what I came up with:

Paper: MME
Dies: Die-namics, PTI
Stamps: My Favorite Things, Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Other: Twine, button, 3D foam, pattern wheel, chalk ink

I love this new paper pad from MME, the greys are lovely in it and those doily patterns very lush! I used my little tag die from MFT to create the little birds on one of the tiny tags from PTI. The main greeting is stamped with the dark grey Prima chalk ink and I really wish I'd stamped the "so tweet" with grey ink too but too late for that!

Still loving my pattern wheel for tracing stitch lines... very handy. :)

Happy weekend crafting!

Happy birthday daring cardmakers

It's a rather special milestone this week for the DCM blog, hard to believe but this week's dare marks a special anniversary for the DCM dares!

Also it's the first Friday of November, so this week's dare is a return to our flowers of the month series.

November's flower is the chrysanthemum and since I need all the help I can get with my Christmas card product right now, I've gone for a festive number...

Card blank: Kraft from Papermania
Paper: Basic Grey
Stamp: Waltzing Mouse Stamps
Felt: PTI
Dies: Marianne, PTI, Spellbinders
Brad: Crate Paper
Other: 3D foam pads, White chalk ink, Distress Stickles, white brilliance ink, Versacolor Celadon

I think you can only just see in this pic that the felt is indeed a dark green, and not black! That would make for a rather spooky Christmas card... ;o) I love the branch die from Marianne, great with felt through the Cuttlebug.

Also making the flower was a doddle. You need 3 sizes of flower die or punch, cut 2 each of the large and medium flowers, and 3 of the centre flower. Then ink the edges and cut into the petal dents, crumple them up a bit and assemble with a brad. I really like how the blue of the reverse side of the paper shows through as well.

And those Waltzing Mouse festive label stamps are lovely to use and so yum with a bit of Rock Candy Stickles for vintage sparkle.

Roll on the next Christmas card when I can try out my new Spellbinders tags from yesterday's little trip to the Hobbycraft sale. ;o)

Friday felties

Well it's my turn to set the dare on the DCM blog this week... and I have gone for felt!

Yep, I want to see handmade felt embellishments, pre-made felt accents, or anything felt-a-licious on your cards this week.

As is the norm for DT members, when it comes to making a card for your own it seems doubly difficult! But I have gone for a very CAS card - quite a departure from my usual stuff. However I made the felt mum from scratch and did sew the leaves...

Paper: American Crafts
Felt: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Leaf dies: PTI
Other: Embroidery thread, 3D dots

Apparently you can now get dies to make these mum flowers from fabric or paper, but a while ago I saw the technique on youtube when I was randomly flicking through things, and have now lost the video... although it creates a very lumpy card I really love the end result. Would make for a nice hair accessory too eh?

Foxy Friday...

For this week's fab sketch-based dare over on the DCM blog I have gone a bit random...

I don't know what it is, but I am currently finding foxes very cute for crafty projects, not quite surpassing owls just yet! But I was happy to see that I had a very handsome foxy character in a chipboard set from Cosmo Cricket, and I needed to make a relatively manly card... save the butterfly...

Papers: Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon
Chipboard: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, PTI
Die: Spellbinders
Other: Corner Chomper, needle and thread, brad

I rather like the grey/green/red colour combo.

I hope you pop on over to the DCM blog to check out the sketch and the cards from the design team. :)

Happy almost-weekend!

Friday how I love you...

Not only is it almost the weekend, but there is a lot else to like about Fridays...

Starting with this week's dare on the DCM blog that has been set by Rein this time around.

And if you are a fan of ribbon and other goodies, you will definitely want to check it out!

The theme we are working with this week is birds... never a problem to find birdie related items in my stash!

Here's what I came up with:

Paper: MME
Stamps: Inkadinkado, PTI
Dies: PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Pearls: Prima
Other: Button, twine, Distress Stickles, pattern wheel

The "stamp" is actually just a stamp die cut into a corner of the MME paper, handy that it had that crown already printed on it eh? And I am quite taken with how that stripy crumply banner came out. Glad to see it looks just as good with paper as it does with ribbon.

That Friday feeling, hoping it arrives soon!

Well, a good way to start off the Friday feeling is with a new dare over on the DCM blog.

As it's the first Friday of the month we are going back to our flowers of the month theme.

October's flowers are the Calendula and Cosmos.

I have gone for the Calendula as my inspiration.

Paper: Crate Paper, Making Memories
Stamps: PTI
Dies: Cuttlebug, Spellbinders, PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Brad: Crate Paper
Other: Distress ink, 3D foam, pattern wheel

The flowers are made using the Cuttlebug daisy quilling set, I cut the plain strips from grey cardstock and then used two of the middle petal details for the large flowers, and one petal strip for the smaller ones. A lot of crumpling on the leaves but I really like the end result. I am rather partial to grey at the moment, mixed in with aqua tones, coral or yellow... so expect to see more grey in the future!

Unfortunately the ink on the background doesn't show up so well in the photo (hate photographing on an evening) but it all works quite nicely together in real life. :o)

Don't forget to check out the cards from the rest of the design team - so many different interpretations of this month's flowers.

Happy creating!

Happy International Day of Translation

If only we translator's also had the day off! ;o)

But in honour of today's celebrations on the theme of language, Lythan has set a wonderful dare over on the DCM blog.

You need to make a card featuring a foreign language. But which one to choose?

Well, I went for Polish in order to plan ahead for upcoming name day celebrations.

Here's my card:

 

Papers: My Mind's Eye
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Pearl: Prima
Punch: EK Success
Felt: Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Other: Liquid Pearls, Stickles, Distresser, 3D foam, pattern tracer

 

As for the greeting, it goes a little something like this:

May the sun keep you warm, may your smile last long, may your face remain filled with joy because today it's your name day!

Well, it sounds a lot nicer in Polish, and it rhymes!

On a side note, any regular visitors to my blog will know that I am a great fan of Papertrey Ink (PTI) product.

Much as I love their products, unfortunately for a number of years I have been less thank overjoyed with a great many other aspects of the company, especially the shipping policy for international orders and well ordering in general and have seen things deteriorate to an all time low this week. 

The biggest personal disappointment I experienced was back in the day when ordering 10 of the ink cubes to try them out but had added in the comments that if it was truly going to cost $30+ to ship just ten ink cubes then to cancel my order, well I got charged that $30+ dollars shipping for 10 ink cubes which arrived in a huge box nestled in lots of wrap to pad it out, thankfully no customs charge (that really would have been insult to injury!).

I got right on the e-mail to enquire why my comments hadn't been taken into consideration and was told after some delay that the comments aren't read until after an order has been processed. Full stop. It was their policy so I didn't follow up with further complaint, just sucked it up and made a note that those were the goal posts for any future transactions with PTI (needless to say it took some time before I placed another order).

In all my years of online ordering I was used to retailers having a policy where comments included with an order were read and dealt with before an order was dispatched (a rather normal assumption I thought since a comments box was provided there during ordering) and actually someone would get back in touch to follow up if there were questions attached. But obviously that wasn't the way of doing things at PTI.

Fair enough.

But to rub salt into those smarting wounds, the ink cubes I had bought were next to useless when it came to testing them on various paper and cardstock, and I have rarely used them since. What a waste of money, but more importantly a huge loss of faith PTI.

Anyway, many years have passed and I have ordered from PTI since then, only a couple of times to the UK as really you have to make a big order to make the postage "bearable", as inevitably there is a £60~ customs charge also to factor in. So where possible I have ordered when I could get stuff shipped to the villa in Florida when on hols, or another US address if someone was coming back and had space in their case (those were the days).

To cut a long story short any followers of PTI will be aware of the appalling customer service that has been shown to a huge customer of PTI. All for the sake of $20.

It has disgusted me so much that I have even found it hard to enjoy using my PTI stash this week to create something knowing how this person has been treated and in fact reading on the PTI forum how many former and current PTI customers are out there who have also been left disappointed after issues have not been resolved to their satisfaction.

And until PTI addresses the issues regarding their returns policy for defective product/supply of the wrong product (so the end customer isn't paying for their mistake), huge shipping delays, constant stock problems (had been hoping this might be resolved with the new website), lack of communicating accurate information (plenty of promises of change but nothing to show for it), and most importantly customer service that services the customer I won't be buying.

I truly hope PTI turns it around - they have some of the best product on the market and their style is one that most closely fits my tastes.

I have had a lot of people ask me about the PTI products I use and I have always raved about them (with the exception of the ink) but I have only felt it right to also tell them what to expect when wanting to order to the UK as I would feel very guilty if I had recommended a company and then that person had ended up having the same experiences as me and many other customers (frustration with out of stock items, very long turn-around on dispatch of orders, high postage, very high customs charges).

I might not be a big fish to PTI, they probably won't miss my custom, I'll probably miss their product a lot more, but it's the principle of the thing.

PTI have a few wrongs to right - both personally to the customer involved in this latest incident (an apology would be a nice way to start) and publicly by listening to their customer base and bringing the quality of their customer service and policies in line with the high standard of design and product concepts they offer.

You're a mean one, Mr Grinch!

Well, I hadn't quite planned on starting on my Christmas cards just yet, but this week's Dare over on the DCM blog, set by the über-talented Jo Kill, was the perfect excuse.

Because this week we're visiting Seussville - aka the land of Dr Seuss.

And for my Dr Seuss inspiration I used a printable from the Seussville site that included that most grumbly of characters - the Grinch.

 

Paper: Crate Paper - Peppermint Collection
Chipboard elements: Crate Paper
Stickers: Crate Paper
Speech bubble: MME
Die: PTI
Punch: Marvy
Twine: The Ribbon Girl
Other: Stickles, Distress Stickles, 3D foam, Distress ink, white pen

 

There isn't much that didn't get Stickled on that card, but it all adds the frosty grinchness. I wanted to create a little Grinchy scene and the fireplace was the perfect starting point. It's hard to see in the photos but the little rug I punched out has 3D foam dots under it at the bottom to make it pop out so the floor looks less flat. Looks much more effective in real life.

Anyway, I much as I loved breaking into my lovely new Christmas stash, I am not sure that I'm quite read to go into full Christmas card mode... however it it stays this cold I may just have to rethink that. The Christmas playlist will soon be on!

How many candles?

This week's DCM dare is all about birthday candles... well it's all about a card featuring birthday candles!

The design team were lucky enough to play with a new collection of digi papers from Funky Hand - I got to play with the Winter Birthday set, featuring ice blue, lime green and purple:

 

Paper: Funky Hand
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Stamps: My Cute Stamps, Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Stickles, cardstock, notepaper, 3D foam, Copics, Corner Chomper, Distress Ink

 

It's probably difficult to see in the photos but there are Stickles around the greeting label, on the cake, and dotted down the edge of the blue spotty paper. There's always room for Stickles!

Happy creating!

Fluttery inspiration

Source: birthdaygirlblog.com via Jodie on Pinterest

 

Friday has rolled around quite quickly - and the weekend is nigh!

This week over on the DCM block Keilly has set a lovely challenge using the pin above as colour inspiration. You also need to feature butterflies on your card. Sweet! :oD

Here's what I came up with - in fact it was a little exercise in using up scraps:

 

Paper: KI Memories
Dies: Die-namics, Papertrey Ink, Cuttlebug
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Felt: Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: The Ribbon Reel
Punch: Martha Stewart
Other: Pattern wheel, 3D foam

 

Even the felt is scraps, well actually the little flower bud I made ages ago when I was trying out a few things and have had it sat in my scraps bowl ready to be used.

I think my halo needs polishing! ;o)

Happy creating and happy weekend!

What's the story...

morning glory? Aster?

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but this is the first Friday of the month and as such is the month of flowers dare over on the DCM blog.

In September you have a choice of morning glory or asters.

I went with asters for mine:

 

Papers: Create Paper
Dies: Cuttlebug, Spellbinders, My Favorite Things, Papertrey Ink
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Other: 3D foam

 

No matter what I tried I just couldn't get nice photos of this card - but I am still happy with the end result. Think it does quite well as a more manly birthday card than my usual creations!

And I got to play with that Cuttlebug flow quilling set, might have to use it a bit more as I really love the combo with the matching leaves.

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderfully creative week!

Feeling Krafty

Fran has set a wonderful dare over on the DCM blog this week.

You need to make a card that features at least 3 natural items such as wood, burlap, twine, and of course kraft!

My card features a few upcycled things!

 

Paper: MME
Stamps: MFT, PTI
Dies: MFT, PTI
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Button: Crate Paper
Rose: Wild Orchid Crafts
Lace: The Ribbon Reel
Other: Clothes tag, fabric sample swatch, pattern wheel, distresser

 

There is indeed a Mantaray clothing tag on that card - I love Mantaray tags, they are made from this really thick, distressed card and the fonts and artwork on them are very vintagey. I also used an M&S fabric swatch that resembles burlap plus there's twine and kraft galore. :o)

Happy creating!

So Kawaii...

There's a seriously fab dare up on the DCM blog this week - it's time to get your cute on, or should that be kawaii on!

This week we're making a card that celebrates Kawaii - all things cute and bright and Japanese. :)

My main bit of Kawaii inspiration came from a little badge I received in an old Poppy Ink kit many moons ago. Anyway, what I ended up making didn't come out anything like what I thought I was going to make. lol

 

Papers: Echo Park
Stickers: Echo Park, Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts
Badge: KungFuCowgirl
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Twine: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Ribbon: May Arts
Other: 3D foam

 

I mean, what else are you going to use a toaster badge on right? ;o)

Happy creating!

So glad!

So here I am briefly popping in to share my card for this week's DCM dare - August has crept up on us and as it's the first Friday of the month we're focusing on the flowers of the month.

Poppies and gladioli!

Now, I have to confess, I was quite tempted by poppies...

 

Especially after finally seeing them out in the wilds of Northumberland.

 

So pretty...

But it was actually my jug of glads in the kitchen that had me itching to create a card using the colour tone...

 

I'm still in a very peachy mood, and buying flowers is no different!

So I got out the new stash and got creating with a peachy, linen and cream colour palette.

 

Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Stamps, PTI
Paper: Fancy Pants
Ink: Pink Grapefruit Versamagic, Vintage Cream (PTI), Versafine black
Seam Binding: The Ribbon Reel
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: Distress Stickles, 3D foam, distress sander, Corner Chomper

 

I had a good play with the Cameo Maker and oval frame stamps I bought in my little haul from WMS - the best wishes and little heart are from PTI as I needed something teeny but noticeable to add the last elements in. And those rose distress Stickles were the perfect colour match and I am amazed I actually managed to stamp the background so it's more or less straight!

And I suppose those spiky leafy accents in the frame and background stamps are sort of gladioli-like... ;o)

Buttons galore...

We've got a fab dare over on the DCM blog for all you button addicts out there. :oD

Sharon's dare is to use buttons as a main design on your card, and with that objective in mind I knew just which buttons I wanted to use for my card.

That unopened pack of Crate Neighbourhood buttons!

 

Papers: Crate Paper
Buttons: Crate Paper
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Button twine: The Ribbon Reel
Other: 3D foam, embroidery cotton, Distress Ink, Copics, sewing machine

 

I really do love the book paper in the Emma's Shoppe 6x6 pad - in fact I think I've used my 6x6 pad more on cards than I have the Portrait collection and that was the collection I absolutely loved!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your button fun!

Wish you were here... as long as it's sunny!

Those of you visiting this blog post from the DCM blog are probably wondering what on earth my card for Lynda's "Wish you were here" dare has to do with holidays...

Well, it's like this - I'm currently on my "holidays" which are actually a Staycation this year. In fact the only concrete plans I had for my Staycation were to spend any sunny times lolling about in the garden on my lovely beanbag, scoffing strawberries from a handy bowl nearby as I steadily munched my way through my current reading list.

However, this biiig plan has been very dependent on the weather and there has been no sunshine so far, well until yesterday.

So the Staycation card naturally features strawberries twinned with some nice summer colours! Had I been venturing somewhere further a field this year I might have been tempted to do a more exotic spin on the dare... ;o) But as I'm having a lazy summer holiday, I've made a lazy summer kinda card!

 

Papers: October Afternoon
Stickers: October Afternoon
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Pearls: Kaiserkraft
Other: Copics, 3D foam

 

Mind you, it does make me yearn for a nice garden party complete with bunting and lawn croquet to go with those strawberries and cream.

Happy creating!

Pinspired!

This week it was my turn to set the dare on the DCM blog and I went for something based on my current addiction.

You've guessed it, Pinterest!

The challenge is to make a card using a pin for inspiration, and well... there were just too many lovely pins to choose from, I couldn't narrow it down to just one.

Here's the little selection I was torn between:

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Source: pinkpaislee.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Source: flickr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

 

Source: inreda.com.au via Natalia on Pinterest

 

So with all that eye candy to look at what did I go and make??

 

Paper: My Mind's Eye
Stamps: My Favorite Stamps
Dies: My Favorite Stamps, Papertrey Ink
Seam binding: The Ribbon Reel
Flower: Wild Orchid Crafts
Punch: Martha Stewart
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: Distress Ink, 3D foam

 

For a bit of extra dimension I made a slit in the typewriter to feed the greeting into it, then curled the "paper" coming out so it looks like it's been through the rollers.

And I did warn you I'd be using this stamp and die set for some time to come!

Happy pinning and creating!

How old does it have to be for it to be Retro?

I only ask because for my DCM card this week I am supplying you with a real blast from the past.

We're going back baaack baaaaack in time to 2002/2003 when at the height of my stash shopping jubilation I discovered Jolee's stickers.

Yes.

I do not jest.

I bought a number of these packs. Including the wonderful Beach Bikini set... And with it I have made perhaps the most expensive card of all time in my repetoire... for these little beauties cost me £3.50 a pop! All that hoarding has paid off though, for they were the perfect accessory for my suitcase themed card:

 

Papers: October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket
Dies: Cuttlebug (leaves), QuicKutz (handle)
Bling: Prima
Stickers: Jolee's Boutique
Other: Distress ink, white pen

 

So yes, a veritable dimensional sticker sneeze but once you start clagging those Jolee's on, it's hard to stop!

I'm quite pleased with how my little DIY palm tree came out, complete with blingy coconuts!

Since I'm not going anywhere on holiday this year, I might hang onto this for my stay-cation in hopes that there will be more sunshine....

Summer time...

Well, the first of July has arrived and let's hope it heralds the return of the summer weather as June was a bit of a wash out in these parts!

And as it's the first Friday in the month, it's another flower of the month challenge over on the DCM blog. :o)

July's flowers are Water Lilies and Larkspur.

I think the little guy on the front of the card kind of gives away which one I went for. <g>

 

Papers: Cosmo Cricket, SEI
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Resin lotus flower: Webster's Pages
Ribbon and twine: The Ribbon Girl
Paper edge: Making Memories
Brads: Lasting Impressions
Other: 3D foam, goggly eyes, Distress Inks, Promarkers, Corner Chomper

 

Mr Froggy looks even more cute after the addition of some goggly eyes. I think I will need to add goggly eyes to more projects as I have quite a few to use up!

Don't forget to check out the fabulous cards from the rest of the design team (<------- on left there) and our wonderful guest designer for the month, Angela.

Happy creating!

Hopefully the end to a manic week

It has definitely been one of those weeks for me - won't bore you with the details but I have been wondering if I've been living my own life at times! LOL

And another example of how manic it's been is the fact I had to take my photo for this week's DCM dare as soon as I got up this morning... in fact I need to hurry or I'll be late for work.

So this week's theme set by Lythan as "Something old, something new..." and here's my interpretation:

 

Papers: Crate Paper
Stickers: Crate Paper
Dies: Spellbinders, PTI
Sticker: Crate Paper
Ribbon: The Ribbon Girl
Rub-on: Basic Grey
Metal frame: Ranger
Rose: Wild Orchid Crafts
Pearls and bling: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam, Distress Stickles, Crackle Glaze, Distress Ink

 

And my elements for the challenge?

Something old... Basic Grey Rub-on and that little frame
Something new... Crate Paper products
Something borrowed... The black thread was from a clothing label, I find them very useful to hang onto!
Something blue... Well, aqua blue, ribbon and paper details

And now, I need to get dressed and get to work!

Here's hoping 5 p.m. today marks the start of less manic times. ;o)

No your eyes do not deceive you...

 

It's a Christmas card.

And why is there a Christmas card being featured on my blog today?

Well it's Friday, so that means it's another DCM dare! And my fellow Christmas-stash-lover-in-crime DT teamie Jo has set a challenge to feature Father Christmas on a card. Go check out all the fab cards on the DCM blog, even if you don't fancy contemplating Christmas cards there is one cool card that's definitely going to make you smile. ;o)

Anyway for my card I used:
Card blank: DCWV
Paper: Echo Park, American Crafts
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Sticker: Echo Park
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Felt: Papertrey Ink
Bling: Prima
Other: Striped ribbon, Frosted Lace and Platinum Stickles, 3D foam, Copics, Sanding file

 

It doesn't really show up so well in the photo but I used Frosted Lace Stickles all round the tag and to accent the lines inside.

So there you have it, possibly my only Christmas card of the summer. ;o)

June flowers

Hard to believe that we're at the start of a new month - where on earth did May go?

Well, the nice thing about a new month is that it's another flower of the month dare over on the DCM blog - and June's flowers are roses and Honeysuckle. I would love to see what honeysuckle creations are out there as I went for a delve in my mulberry rose basket... ;o)

 

Papers: Fancy Pants
Roses: Wild Orchid Crafts
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Punch: Martha Stewart
Ribbon: The Ribbon Reel
Other: Liquid Pearls, 3D foam 

 

I used a blush pink cardstock to make the card blank and tinted it with chamomile ink from PTI just to give it a more aged look - I also did this over the cream silk ribbon I threaded through my punched border.

Well, I have plenty more roses in my little Ikea basket, so no doubt they'll be appearing on another card soon!

Ooh la la!

It's a very stylish affair over on the DCM blog this week - because this week's dare is all fashion-focused!

For my little fashion accessory I made a little handbag embellishment from scratch...

 

Papers: Crate Paper
Ribbon: SEI, The Ribbon Reel, The Ribbon Girl
Trim: Webster's Pages
Resin flower: Webster's Pages
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Brads: Crate Paper
Stickers: Crate Paper
Rose: Wild Orchid Crafts
Pearls: Kaisercraft

 

I'm rather happy with how the little handbag turned out, it opens up a little so you can slip a message inside, and that resin flower from Webster's was just the perfect embellishment - I really hope they bring out more of these flowers in different styles and colours, they were such a good buy!

Zuzana's dare is such a creative one, and the card samples from the DT are just stunning!

And speaking of the design team, go check out the exciting news!

Chasing cars and other pursuits...

This week over on the DCM blog the very talented Samm has dared everyone to take inspiration from this song to make a card...

 

Personally for me that song is intrinsically tied to much of the best of Grey's Anatomy... I can't help it.

But don't worry, I've not made a Grey's-Anatomy-homage-card or anything...

No, I chose the lyric "show me a garden that's bursting into life" as my inspiration. Because there was a shot of my one and only allium that I took and the allium bursting out always means the arrival of summer to me...

 

So the nearest thing I had in my stash to allium was some left-over rub-ons from Hambly - in fact they were my favourite ever rub-ons they made (the white ones especially) called mod flowers.

 

Paper: MME
Rub-ons: Hambly
Stamps: PTI
Pearls: Prima
Other: Distressing files

 

And with such bold rub-ons, you've got to keep the rest simple, right?

Happy creating!

Darling bugs of May....

Well just as long as it's not the leaf-munching variety that have been plaguing my roses and tulips!! Grrrrr...

No, these bugs are of a nice crafty variety, as this week's DCM dare set by the wonderfully talented Lynda is to feature bugs on your card... bees, butterflies, the lot...

So I had to go with butterflies right?

 

Papers: MME
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Punch: Martha Stewart
Dies: Papertrey Ink
Twill: The Ribbon Girl
Other: Stickles

 

I do indeed love that Martha punch, it's so nice to have diddy little butterflies to choose from too...

Anyway, happy crafting folks!

By Royal appointment...

Well, I don't know what everyone else is doing to celebrate the Royal Wedding today...

We were originally hoping for a BBQ later in the evening, but that would have required me to have bought a BBQ prior to today - but the weather is so cold and blah at present in these parts that if we'd had a BBQ we'd have most definitely been eating indoors!

However, one place I know is celebrating is the DCM blog - because this week it was my turn to set the dare. And of course I went for a royal or patriotic theme!

The girls on the design team really pulled the stops out - some really gorgeous cards indeed.

For my royal theme I went for a little princess card:

 

Papers: MME
Stamps: PTI
Felt: PTI
Dies: PTI
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Prima
Other: Stickles, Distress Stickles, 3D foam, Copics, embroidery floss

 

I cracked open some of my "new" PTI stamps - the tiny birthday treats for the main design and the tiny tags set - which I just totally love. I shall definitely be using this set a lot especially since the matching die cuts all the tags in the set at once so I have 9 other tags already cut and ready to stamp on.

And I couldn't resist adding some regal red felt into the mix. I'm hoping for some more creative playtime this weekend so you know what'll be appearing on my next card no doubt!

Have a lovely Friday!

Spring is in the air!

At least it is on the DCM blog this week.

Today's dare is to create a Spring or Easter-themed card and well, I had had a little play with some of my new stash to create my card.

 

Papers: My Mind's Eye
Stamps: Pink Paislee, Banana Frog, Papertrey Ink
Dies: Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink
Flower: Webster's Pages
Trim: Webster's Pages
Brads: Doodlebug

 

Those De Louisville tadpole stamps from Banana Frog are still my all time favourite alpha stamps... just perfect for cards and these little Grommet tag dies.

Ah the weekend approaches and I am happy to report I have next week off from work - here's hoping the weather improves and it's not the week of April showers!

Draw a birdie...

Apparently it's national draw a bird day today - who knew?

Something I'd never heard of, but it sounds rather fun!

And to mark this occasion Lythan's dare over on the DCM blog this week is to create a card with a birdie drawn on it... stamps and paper-piecing are allowed...

But I have bent the rules a little... I have had a half used pack of Sassafras Lass birdie felties hanging on my wall for some time now, and this was the perfect excuse to crack open that pack... not to mention some of my brand new stash:

 

Papers: Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants
Feltie: Sassafras Lass
Felt, dies, stamp: Papertrey Ink
Heart: Jillibean Soup
Resin flower: Webster's Pages
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: Distress Stickles, Stub corner chomper, 3D foam

 

Must say I am really loving those resin flowers from Webster's in particular - they are just so dainty and not too chunky to add to a card.

It was so nice to break into all this new stash - nothing quite so nice as playing with the brand new stuff in your collection...

Just need to get it all sorted into its new home... hehe

Happy friday! :oD

It's no joke...

April 1st - the start of a new month and hopefully no practical jokes on the agenda today!

With the start of a new month we have a Flowers of the Month dare on the DCM blog. This month it's the turn of daisies and sweet pea.

I went with the daisy for my inspiration - but it's quite easy to miss. ;o)

 

Paper: Echo Park
Chipboard: Cosmo Cricket
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Pearl: Prima
Felt: Papertrey Ink
Button: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Papertrey Ink, Cuttlebug
Ribbon: Making Memories

 

Those bunnies are just so cute... I think this may be one of my only Easter cards this year. I don't seem to have any other Easter-related stash on hand...

But now for some exciting news, the Daring Cardmakers are looking for two new card addicts to join the design team. If you're interested in giving it a go - check out the blog for more details!

Happy Friday everyone!

The Book Club dare...

This week's dare over on the DCM blog is very exciting... I can't wait to see what people do with it, because the inspiration comes from books... and you know what a bookworm I am!

Well I must confess I didn't know where I was going to go with this dare, as I really wanted to do something regency-esque as an homage to all those flipping regency era hist-ro books I have been devouring of late...

But no... my mojo went into another direction.

Back, back, back... to my childhood and one of my favourite books (although I can't find a picture of the edition I had, it was a rather vivid pink cover - very 1970s!)...

Oh hang on, the wonders of google have found it:

 

I wonder if it's still somewhere at my mum and dad's as the "other nonsense" in there was rather entertaining as well but I can't quite remember what it was...

But anyway, back on track, here is my creation inspired by the above tale for someone who is growing up way too fast:

 

Paper and stickers: Echo Park
Rub-ons: Prima - Nancy Kubo
Journaling card: Prima - Nancy Kubo
Die: Sizzix
Other: White gel pen

 

Those Mommy and Me rub-ons are so cute... so much so I just had to decorate the inside too...

 

I hope the birthday girl will like it when she gets it....

Happy creating!

Going postal...

With this week's DCM dare - you need to feature postage stamps in some form on your card, and after my clear out the first thing I found that fit the bill was my little Tin Can Mail stamp by Inkadinkado, have had it years and rarely used it but I just love it. :)

 

Papers: October Afternoon
Stamps: Inkadinkado, Waltzing Mouse, Purple Onion, Papertrey Ink
Die: Nestabilities
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Pearls: Prima
Other: Distress Stickles, Distress Ink

 

It's very subtle there in Memento grey ink, I also found a huuuge background stamp in my unmounted collection from my Self-Addressed days that is a big kind of telegram postcard and that did the trick for my little label!

I rather liked the vintage look of all these things combined so next time will have to use these stamps and my new little rosettes together I think. ;o)

Have a happy creative weekend!

Getting there...

At long last I am starting to feel much better and hoping to get back to normal service now here on the blog.

First up I have played a little catch-up with this week's DCM dare which was to create your own embellishment and use it on a card.

Well sometime at the start of the week I had a really good idea of what I wanted to do for this dare. Then Thursday came and I'd promptly forgotten what I'd wanted to make by then.

Then I went to make my card with a certain embellishment in mind, a DIY crocheted flower I was going to design my card around.

Another spanner in the works happened when the rest of the card just didn't work with the flower on it!

So I have admitted defeat and this card features a little DIY banner that at least adds the finishing touch in a nice way. :o)

 

Papers: Crate Paper
Ribbon and twine: The Ribbon Girl
Stamps: My Cute Stamps
Die: Papertrey Ink
Other: Promarkers, Liquid pearls

 

Also I thought I'd share some odds and ends photos...

 

My Christmas present amaryllis has been doing very well positioned over a radiator and close to the boiler - so much so it has had two sets of flowers and has now moved to the conservatory where it is less hot.

 

Last weekend at our scrapping retreat I had something nice and new to stroke.... mmmm the AC cardstock swatch which is just lovely and means I can now easily identify my favourite shades for when I run out.

Last weekend was rather a productive one. I got my Chicago Mini-album made from scratch including some time spent painting those blessed chipboard pages!

 

But I think the shabby chic white paint look was well worth it - and the mix of Cosmo Togetherness with OA Thrift Shoppe was just perfect for my photos... so here are a few snaps of the inside:

 

That first stop - a trip to Bath and Bodyworks right before a tornado hit and we were evacuated to the basement to wait it out. Never a dull moment shopping with us.

 

That holiday we seemed to go up quite a few tall buildings for a view of the city...

 

Ah that bead shop - an easy way to part with a lot of money in a most pleasant way!

 

My Uncle Wlodek's homemade lemon vodka is famed in his neighbourhood, so he always has mini dixie cups on hand for entertaining... It was very potent but very nice stuff!

 

This photo of me and my cousin Basia really cracks me up as both of us have the exact same pose without having realised it... apparently my mother believes this to be genetic... I just think we'd do quite well at synchronised standing.

And as you saw on the cover of the album I used the Tim Holtz rosette die kindly loaned for the occasion by Gill - well... you know what happened don't you... I just needed that die and the new one to play with:

 

So watch out for these on many more projects to come!

I also started and almost finished my snaps of 2010 mini-album at the weekend too. I had a major boo-boo mistake on punching my jan/feb calendar pages - the kind of boo-boo you can't easily come back from and find yourself having tantrum breakdown and swearing fit over... but it all came good in the end and I paid better attention punching the rest of the calendar pages!

I still need to do the cover and journaling and other bits and bobs but here are a few shots of the inside as it is:

 

Ah, marble slab ice cream and words of wisdom - a perfect combination.

 

I used some filters on my photo prints and was really glad I did as they worked much better with the BG Blush papers I used.

 

I just love that strawberry shot - it just sums up summer for me.

Anyway, depending on my progress with my new read I might finish this album off tomorrow, we'll see!

Back with something creative...

Well, I've been off work most of this week still recovering from my chest infection and thankfully now armed with high-strength antibiotics... so I am very happy to say that I'm off on my scrapping weekend now that I'm feeling closer to normal. :o)

Last week I missed the £1 shop dare for the DCM blog, but I thought I'd use what I bought for it on this week's card.

With a new month comes a new flower and this week's dare is to make a card inspired by the flowers of March - the Daffodil or Jonquil.

 

Papers: MME
Seam binding: The Ribbon Girl
Ticket: MME
Ribbon flower: Hair grip from the £1 shop

 

Right, I'd best go add the finishing touches to my packing (and not forget my cough syrup!).