Kool Kitty Musings

From this

 

And this...

To this:

Yep, almost 60 odd photos, 1 calendar, numerous pieces of Cosmo Cricket paper, a good many sheets of kraft cardstock and 1 roll of ATG gun tape!

Welcome to a snapshot of 2009. :o)

I mounted all the calendar cards back to back on the dividers (I had 2 left over that found another use).

Then spent a while (er, day) cutting, sticking and clagging...

I included a good few "house" photos since I apparently didn't do much else September onwards...

Pretties and fun times... 

And a good excuse to get out the Jolly By Golly stash again. :o)

I've still got to add journaling strips and a few finishing touches but it is essentially done. By the end of Saturday I was ready to move on from the 2009 photos! Perhaps the journaling will be a future crop activity...

But I did have to amend my plans slightly.

Originally that album was going to have a random section at the back for the landscape shots I liked from 2009 - however it was filled to bursting with just the portrait shots. So with the spare divider pages I created another mini book:

 

A much more compact one. ;o)

I found the perfect use for those Maddox alpha stickers. Mmmmm...

More kraft and Cosmo...

Quite a lot of summer photos...

Family pics...

And yes, that John Lewis cushion! 

So there we go, bit of a 2 for 1 mini-book deal on that Maya Road binder album!

I totally enjoyed it despite making a couple of boo boos in my calculations. I may just have to use the same plan for 2010's photos...

It might not look much...

But this little pile of projects represents my creative output (between sleeping, eating yummy food, and gossipping of course) for the weekend at Gibside.

There are 2 mini-books (slightly underestimated the capacity of that sheer binder album) and a few cards (alas not totally caught up).

Many thanks, as always, go to Bev (and Bev's very-talented-cook-of-a-mum) for organising such a fab weekend.

I daren't unpack tonight (too tired) but would look to have the day off work tomorrow so I could still going while I have the cropping bug!

I will see about posting more photos later, but I am off for a browse of the John Lewis site for a certain machine...

Before I go...

Here's my card for this week's "Here comes the sun!" dare over at the Daring Cardmakers blog.

Nice and sunny colours, and we could really do with some sun this weekend - it is tipping it down outside!

Paper: American Crafts
Stickers: American Crafts
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Border punch: EK Success
Die: Nestabilities
Other: Stitching tool

Right, I suppose I'd best go pack the rest of my stuff - fingers crossed I've not forgotten anything.

See you Sunday evening!

Card a day prompts: February 26th - March 4th

Here's our next set of prompts, and because it's a new month, there is a bonus card if you are feeling über-creative. :)

Fri 26th - "Always and Forever" - Inspiration: Tone-on-tone colour scheme, bling shapes, square card, satin ribbon, elegant font.

Sat 27th - "Little Prince" - Inspiration: Hounds tooth pattern, gingham, crown, fabric rosette/flower, label.

Sun 28th - "Bucky the Beaver" - Inspiration: Woodgrain/wood, woodland characters/theme, twine, green.

Bonus card - "Good Luck to You" - Inspiration: Green/yellow/brown, journaling card/label, alpha stickers, badge.

Mon 1st - "Bird on a Branch" - Inspiration: Digi elements, dots/spots, embroidery thread/twine.

Tue 2nd - "Read" - Inspiration: Hobbies, brackets, metal hardware, knotted ribbon.

Wed 3rd - "Button Tree Thanks" - Inspiration: Button elements, spots and stripes, mini-greeting, kraft.

Thu 4th - "Love is Music" - Inspiration: Circle card, twill, inking, vintage elements, a quotation.

Nearly there

This is how things looked last night before I went to bed....

Looks relatively modest compared to my previous efforts of "packing light".

But now I need to go and make a little space for these....

Oh yes, they will definitely be coming, even if something needs to stay home in their place.

Also I need to print out my card prompt list so I can work on catching up at the weekend, I feel so behind now!

Right must get cracking.

Not even organised chaos

Just chaotic chaos.

This....

...is why I hate packing for crops and weekends away.

It is the tidiest part of the room at the moment.

What I hate, is going through everything that is well-organised, pulling out what I might need and finding a new temporary home for it. Half the stuff in that pic isn't even coming - it's just temporarily living on my bed....

At least the sleeping bag is out of the loft now!

But once I get this packed it is highly unlikely I'll be making anything until the weekend, lest I disrupt the perfect equilibrium that is my stash packing.

I just need to go reach that perfect equilibrium now!

This is the week...

Where it would be really helpful if more hours could be added into the day.

I have not made anything at all, I have not packed a single thing for the weekend, I have not even retrieved my sleeping bag from the loft!

This is not good people, not good...

I will be playing Card a Day catch up over the weekend, that is for sure!

Tomorrow night I will be packing, packing, packing.

Thursday night I will be repacking what I packed in case I forgot something.

(This is standard operating procedure)

Friday I will be gone! ;o)

But the reason nothing has been made tonight, is the fact I started this book...

 

...whilst waiting at the garage for a safety recall to be done on my car. Within 2 hrs I'd got half way. Now I am at the point where I need to finish it so it cannot distract me further.

Currently there is a battle going on between crafting and reading, and reading is winning...

What a day, what a day...

I daren't touch any pretty stash tonight in case I totally ruin whatever I try to make. It seems luck wasn't on my side too much today and I am glad tomorrow will be here soon.

I won't bore you with the details but a run-down of what wasn't so great today follows:

• Ungritted hill + Ice + Oliver (my Suzuki Swift) = Awful smell of tyre burn and thought I had broken my steering wheel!
• M&S fail to stock shelves with Californian Roll selection of sushi, good news I tried their Vegetarian sushi instead, prefer a bit of fish though.
• Needed to be at gym 1 hour earlier than expected, typically left kit at home.
• Car crash (not serious or anyone hurt) in front of work just as I leave the office - glass and debris everywhere and of course held up in traffic.
• Woman at traffic lights gives me the 2 finger salute when I honk to alert her to the fact the lights changed a while ago (thus interrupting her important phone call).
• 2 finger salute still being thrown at me by said woman as she can't get over the fact I dared to honk at her.... still giving the 2 finger salute 5 minutes later... wish she would just drive and stop arsing about. I smile inanely back at her.
• Gym car park full. Spaces only at the far back. And it is raining. Ugh.
• Now after 8.30 - back from gym - no arm power left. Cannot even lift glass of juice to lips. Have to have something to eat for tea, cannot face long cooking time! Must not snack!

So that is where we are at... the good things about today? Well there is a new TV show starting tonight I fancy checking out, Married Single Other - supposed to be the new Cold Feet:

 
  
Then it's America's Next Top Model (not really got into this cycle of the show yet), but still necessary viewing.

Also I found a bit of inspiration (hopefully) for getting back on track at the gym (I have had such a bad lazy attitude to it so far this year), but I saw that Slimming World have a Body Magic challenge on their site where you can put your exercise activity into fun goals like this first one, where I am getting around Central Park:

You can only use it for cardio activity, where you know your distance and duration, and since today was a core/weights session I've only entered my 10 minute warm-up... that looks quite satisfying to have got round 1.71 km of Central Park! LOL Just 8K to go... Not sure if I will get back into the gym before Gibside this week, but at least I have a goal for when I'm back. :o)

Wonder if there are any other fun fit logs out there like this, ideally free ones, where you can keep track of what you manage in real terms.

Anyway, suppose I should go and eat something healthy and filling - looks like it's soup!

Catch-up time

So I managed to make some head way with my cards today, and am all caught up now. :o)

I even did another card for Friday's prompt. <g>

Prompt: "Best Friends" - Inspiration: Journaling card, rub-on alphabet, decorative trim, brown background.

Paper: Pink Paislee
Rub-ons: 7Gypsies
Stamps: 7Gypsies
Brads: SEI
Trim: Fancy Pants
Other: Liquid Pearls

This one is for Mother's Day - I think it highly unlikely ma will see this before the day... so think I am safe to post.

Next up, yesterday's card. :o)

Prompt: "Love Your Pet" - Inspiration: Accordion-fold card blank, orange/green/blue, stamped character.

Paper: Crate Paper
Rub-ons: Crate Paper, Basic Grey

I rather like how this accordion fold card turned out, plus the little sun using the Basic Grey rub-on. 

Only a couple of rub-ons left from this collection, I think it has been one of my favourite paper lines to use recently.

And last but not least, today's card.

Prompt: "Grateful For You" - Inspiration: Hot pink/brown/white, stamped flowers, heat embossing, bling.

 

Paper: Sassafras Lass, Luxe Designs
Rub-ons: Prima
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Dies: Nestabilities, Sizzix

 

I also watched Ironman today whilst sticking and clagging, pretty good so I'm quite looking forward to seeing the sequel on DVD as well. :o)

Right, well best tidy up a bit here and call it an early night - that 4 a.m. Olympic viewing is finally catching up with me.
 

Typical!

I have come down with a flipping cold. Gaaah! And will soon be floating on the Sudafed cloud, how flaming annoying is this. It better clear up before Friday is all I can say.

I was going to sort out my stuff for Gibside today, but I feel like doing zero and just huddling under the duvet the rest of the day. But I suppose I should really get some urgent projects out of the way so I can vegetate later.

I suppose it didn't really help that I only went to sleep around 4 a.m. I was reading and watching the Olympics live (wow that team GB bobsleigh crash was pretty spectacular, amazed the guy that fell out only sustained ice burns) and couldn't sleep once I'd hit the one a.m. marker. LOL

But at least I finished this, which was a good read:

I think this is only the second Lisa Jewell book I've read so glad I have some more on the TBR pile. :o)

Where has the day gone?

I had planned to get creative at some point today but the day seems to have disappeared.... I've nothing to share other than a couple of items I bought recently for my little 2009 mini-album:

I really wanted the chipboard alpha for the front cover, but I didn't realise until after I got them that there are no zeros in the set, 1-9 only, but I suppose they expect you to use the O's, and since there are only two of those I don't think I will be! LOL

And I was really after the cream mini alphas but they were out of stock - typical with ordering online that one store will have 95% of what you want in stock, and another will have that missing 5% but not the other 95%. Oh well, I am just very happy to have some of those Remarks stickers to play with, may just have to get another pack if I find myself using them a lot.

Anyway, tomorrow will hopefully be a slower day and I can play serious catch-up. I also need to get stash properly sorted for Gibside. Less than a week to go!!! Yaaaay! 

Wintry Wishes

This week's dare over at the Daring Cardmakers is Winter Birthday. Well I moved all of my Winter/Christmas stash over to the new house last month so I had to think outside the box a little. ;o)

Paper: My Mind's Eye, We R Memory Keepers
Rub-ons: Maya Road
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Other: Brads, 3D glitter paint, Stickles

Can you spot the subtle snow?? Well there are white Stickles and 3D glitter paint in there... ;o)

Also for extra effect I doubled up the zig zag edge and added even more glitter paint!

Will see if I have time to make a card for today's Card a Day prompt after my tea, if not you know I'll be playing catch up this weekend. ;o)

Quite contrary...

I rather love the papers I bought from the Jack and Jill collection from My Mind's Eye. Well I thought it was time to try them out tonight so here are a couple of cards done and dusted. :o)

First up the one I should have made yesterday.

Prompt: "Celebrate" - Inspiration: Red/white/blue, stars, gingham ribbon, decorative edges.

Papers: My Mind's Eye
Label: Prima
Stamps: Prima, Papertrey Ink
Border punch: Martha Stewart
Other: Glossy Accents, Promarker Pens

I added glossy accents to the owls for extra detail - I ended up having to gut that Prima label as the texture of it with Staz-on and Promarker pens was not a perfect combination. Read - everything bled into a big much of murky ink. So I made it into a frame and used good old KI white orange peal Bazzill instead!

And for today's card the other half of that sheet of American Crafts cardstock.

Prompt: "Pink Birthday" - Inspiration: Stitching, inked edges, 3 different patterned papers, rub-ons, bling, felt flowers.

 

Papers: My Mind's Eye
Die cut: My Mind's Eye
Stickers: My Mind's Eye
Flower: Making Memories
Other: Bling

And there we have it. I must admit I am more than a little in love with those alpha stickers, I wish there were more vowels on the sheet, now it will be like a game of Countdown trying to work out what words/greetings I can use them up in.

I'm off to watch Masterchef, then the main viewing event of the evening My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. :o)

Card a day prompts: February 17th - 25th

So here's the first set of prompts. I will share them every Friday as I like being able to catch-up or get ahead over the weekend - that's what works. :o) All the elements are of course optional and can be combined with other challenges out there. They just give that extra little push.

Wed 17th - "Celebrate" - Inspiration: Red/white/blue, stars, gingham ribbon, decorative edges.

Thu 18th - "Pink Birthday" - Inspiration: Stitching, inked edges, 3 different patterned papers, rub-ons, bling, felt flowers.

Fri 19th - "Best Friends" - Inspiration: Journaling card, rub-on alphabet, decorative trim, brown background.

Sat 20th - "Love Your Pet" - Inspiration: Accordion-fold card blank, orange/green/blue, stamped character.

Sun 21st - "Grateful For You" - Inspiration: Hot pink/brown/white, stamped flowers, heat embossing, bling.

Mon 22nd - "You're so Sweet" - Inspiration: Lime green/pink, fruit, twine, polka dots, circular greeting.

Tue 23rd - "Black & Pink I Do" - Inspiration: Flock texture, chipboard frame, white greeting, one design of patterned paper.

Wed 24th - "Be Yourself Flower" - Inspiration: Kraft card blank, stamped greeting, die-cut/punched flower, felt/fabric.

Thu 25th - "Heartfelt Love" - Inspiration: Dry embossing, triple layering, ribbon/button combo, brown/pink.

Wow. Just writing all that down has made me feel more inspired, so it'll be back to the cardmaking tomorrow night! :o)

Fancy a challenge?

I have come to the realisation that I can't really get as inspired as I want to without some daily prompts. I can look at the daily card ideas in this book but end up just thinking up designs and looks that are too close to the original. So without the 2Peas worded prompts I feel a bit lost.

I really don't want to give up my card a day ambitions, so I'm going to create my own prompts in advance from the book so I don't get too tempted by the pics! LOL If anyone fancies having a go with me, you are more than welcome, also I think I'll post the prompts as a weekly challenge on UKS.

Best go and check out the remainder of this week's ideas and come up with some prompts for next week. :o)

Sweet Holy Pancakes, Batman!

I am sure the evenings are getting shorter... or maybe it had something to do with the pancake and Nutella event that happened when I got in from work today. Oh yes, the one day of the year I have Nutella pancakes. Mmmmm... no photos to share, as it was either scoff those pancakes or let them go cold! Tsk.

But something nice to share, I received a lovely RAK from Anna, complete with fab card!

I have always had a soft spot for those Mommy and Me owls, so looking forward to using them on a card this week. :oD Thanks Anna!

Also much of my evening was spent looking for a set of alpha stickers I was sure I had, turned out I never bought them. Shame as they would have worked really well on today's card project.

So, remember I was trying to use up items from my scraps bowl? Well I decided to make a card using just cardstock/papers from the bowl and here it is:

Papers: SEI, Luxe Designs
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Other: Perfect Pearls, Bling

Simple I know, but at least those little scraps are used up. :o)

And here's todays...

Papers: My Mind's Eye
Die cut: My Mind's Eye
Stickers: Doodlebug
Other: Bazzill Just the Edge

You can't really tell in the pick but the alpha stickers are the glittery ones, so they pop much more when the light hits them right - I know they look a bit busy on the card... but hey, I think it looks alright.

Right, off to watch some Olympics, think the pairs skating is on tonight. :o)

Yum yum

Look what I took delivery of today:

Hoping to have some quality time with this little addition tomorrow night. Was out tonight for Pizza at Pizza Express - where once again it took longer to deliver dessert to our table than the main course... 20 minutes to slice a piece of cake and add a strawberry to the top. Good job I bought the movie tickets beforehand as we arrived in our seats just as the trailers began. And the movie...

Nice to see Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane cast against type. ;o) Anyway, it was very enjoyable and a good chick flick - just right for the day after Valentine's too!

And I kind of would like to one day have a Boston Terrier! LOL I am sure this will pass... but man, they are kinda cute! 

Hm, bit of a manly day...

Ooer!

No, I mean the cards I've made today are all rather manly looking and not a sign of pink or glitter or cuteness, well, except maybe the Mr Campy caravans!

I'm now completely up-to-date with my Card a Day activities, but definitely craving some girly prettiness now.

Here's the first one using Cosmo Cricket's Wanted again.

Papers: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Sassafras Lass
Die cut accents: Cosmo Cricket
Brads: Making Memories

This card is actually pretty huge as it was made to fit a blank unused envelope I recycled and the inside and back are fully covered in Wanted papers (the perfect way to use up stash in a no-fuss fashion - just cover your entire card blank with it!), mind you it weighs a bit what with that and the screw eyelets. Yep, using up those eyelets too!

And then the Mr Campy came out!

Papers: Cosmo Cricket
Die cut accents: Cosmo Cricket

I think this would work as a Bon Voyage card, or even something quirky for Father's Day - since I am sure there are many dads out there who got harassed with this question from the backseat on long car journeys!

And finally, more Mr Campy:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Die cut accents: Cosmo Cricket
Rub-ons: Doodlebug
Stickers: KI Memories
Ribbon: May Arts

And at last, I have used up what remained of that May Arts ribbon (purchased ca. 2004) - the relief!

Now, I had hoped to be more productive this afternoon - but I put on a DVD while I was crafting, and ended up forgetting the stash and concentrating on the movie. It was one of the best films I've seen in ages, absolutely beautiful to look at and totally engrossing. Definitely see The Fall if you have the chance. :o)

 

Demolished...

Remember I mentioned that we'd be having Faworki Friday night? Well that kind of didn't happen, instead we had them last night and although the original recipe was halved.... we ended up with 3 platefuls!

Behold the before photo:

It wasn't that long until the "after" shot looked like this:

I'm now over my faworki fix for at least another year!

Raiding the really old stash

Since I have a little order coming through. :D Nothing big, just some of the MME papers/dies I really wanted... owls and umbrellas! Yum.

But to make room and ease the guilt, I sought out some really old stash to try and use up. Cosmo Cricket Wanted, wow that must have been many moons ago now!

Prompt: "S.W.A.K." - Inspiration: At least 4 different heart-themed embellishments, Valentines card with non-traditional colors, and/or "kiss" theme

Papers: Cosmo Cricket
Stamp: Papertrey Ink
Sticker: Heidi Swapp
Die cut accents: Cosmo Cricket
Brads: Making Memories

I even opened a pack of Heidi Swapp silhouette stickers I got in a kit sometime. Crikey!

I really feel like using up more of this Wanted line - we shall see how that goes. <g>

That Friday Feeling!

Has arrived! :oD

Also it being Friday, the latest dare has been posted up at Daring Cardmakers. This week's dare is Have a Heart. Yep, more hearts and flowers coming your way, literally. *Ü*

Papers: Cosmo Cricket, Doodlebug
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: Colorbok
Die: Nestabilities
Button: Making Memories
Other: Satin ribbon

I really need to get some more of those hearts, never seen them in the UK, they were a Michaels purchase, but they are very handy!

Also, for those of you who have a soft spot for fab fabrics, get ye to Fabric Rehab. They have some Cosmo Cricket prints (like Girl Friday), SEI, and a lovely range of Japanese and retro designs. I love the green seed pod design, would love to make a cushion from it.

Strewth

Well my relaxing evening of movies, pretty paper, and a nicely scented candle burning away in the background has gone to pot.

The drive home was mightily hampered by a broken down bus at peak rush-hour on the flyover... Luckily I had Confessions Live to keep my car rockin', whilst we were stood still, and my spirits high. By the time I was back up to 65 mph Lucky Star was just coming on...

So, it's 8.15 p.m. already and I've been dealing with annoying spam from some random person on Facebook (where I never really venture anyway) and getting wound up over that, meaning I had to venture to Facebook to sort it out and put them on ignore, whoever they are.

However, the nice thing about today is that in Poland it is Tłusty czwartek - the equivalent of Mardi Gras, but on a Thursday. Traditionally today we'd be eating "proper" doughnuts and my favourite, faworki. Now, faworki take some effort to make, so these will hopefully be in production tomorrow night (perhaps a pic will follow tomorrow, I make no promises)! But I weakened and bought some yumyums at Sainsbury's in lieu of a doughnut...

Also, for some reason it feels like February has been going on forever - this tends to be what happens to my brain when it's busy time at work, you feel like you've lived an entire month in a week! But since it is only the 11th, I'll post a pic of this month's calendar - hey this is the only pretty thing I shall be posting today... ;oP

Unless you want me to go take a photo of a doughnut before it is demolished!

But this month's cherry blossom is most pretty.

Anyway, I promise a card catch-up will be coming this weekend. After all I have an excuse to be indoors and merrily crafting away, the Winter Olympics! Can't wait - hope the snow starts up in Vancouver soon. Not sure what I am looking forward to most, the Figure Skating is always a must... but after watching a documentary this week, I am now looking forward to seeing the Downhill Slalom events too...  

On the verge of chucking it out the window!

Gaah! I have struggled the best part of 2 hours to get my QuicKutz anime birds 4x4 die to actually cut all the way through first cardstock and then paper, I took the foam off, added a shim, tried a different thickness of card for a shim, doubled up cardstock with a shim, almost broke my wrist trying to get everything through the cuttlebug and in the end still couldn't cut the legs out cleanly and had to use a craft knife on each attempt. I wonder whether I have a duff die or if these 4x4 dies from QK just do not cut properly in a cuttlebug. Because my other 4x4 speech bubble die also doesn't cut cleanly.

Anyway, it will be a while before you see this die cut on a card again, I can tell you! Blasted thing.

{Calm, calm deep breaths}

So normal service hasn't exactly resumed but here is the card I should have made yesterday! ;o)

Prompt: "Just For You" - Inspiration: Layered, embossed shapes, shapes die-cut from patterned paper, and/or bow embellishment

Papers: My Little Shoebox, Chatterbox
Dies: Quickutz
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Other: Ribbon, kraft envelope

And now, I am off to pick up all the discarded beaks and bits off the carpet!

One of those days

And it has definitely been one of those days! It was obviously just a bit too predictable with work ticking along OK today until suddenly at 4:30 p.m. when the e-mail went wild with a couple of urgent orders (busy week ahead!), the phone went berserk and all of a sudden everyone was calling. Now it would have been nice if the events of 4:30 to 5:10 had been spread evenly over the 7 hours prior to that time frame... but never mind.

I also had to pick my ma up from work on the way home and got caught up in traffic, had a book to pick up at the library, had my tea and have had a few things to sort out. And now, it's 8:00 in the evening, I've done nothing creative... however, this will be getting my attention in a moment:

Alas, I am not sure if the frame around the photos worked as well as I'd hoped after they were resized for printing, but at least I won't have to trim white bits off which would have been more annoying.

And this would have been one of those times when I'd have been very happy for Photobox to have sent my order in a plastic wallet... I've only ever received photos once in one of those and I really liked it. I may swap the paper wallet out for one I have around the place.

Now I'm off to watch Big Bang Theory and sort these photos out ready for going into the album - in order! I may be optimistic thinking they will all fit into that little sheer binder... let us hope they do! What I am not looking forward to is the mathematics, for want of a better word, of working out how many pieces of 12x12 kraft cardstock I need. I have a pack of about 15-20 sheets of a nice dark kraft we bought in Florida... I hope there will be enough! I am rubbish at working stuff like this out and always discover my mistake 3/4 of the way into a project!

Your order is on its way

Those are the kind of e-mails I like receiving... granted it's just a photobox order, but soon I will have my little stack of photos - hope all that editing was worth it!

Now, as for the papers to use... originally I was just going to use Cosmo Cricket's Nutmeg... but I had an epithany on the Crosstrainer earlier this evening (it takes your mind off the fact you still have 20 minutes of sheer torture to go...), and since I have the papers from 4 Cosmo Cricket releases in one form or another, I think I will go with a spring/summer/autumn/winter combo using:

The question is how will the end result actually love. Oh well, just a few weeks to find out I suppose!

Monday Mornings

Much as I hate them, I'm starting this Monday off with a creative post to share today's card.

It's kinda based on the current sketch over at CPS (#153) which is sponsored by Papertrey, speaking of I am quite intrigued by the sneak peeks of their new dies and felt, but really like what I've seen of the Japanese influence set.

You may be wondering whether this card really was created with the sketch in mind, I promise it was. I kind of went with the organic approach and I'm not sure the end result looks that much like the sketch, but the elements are there! ;o)

Papers: Cosmo Cricket
Stamps: Papertrey Ink

I can't seem to use this Earth Love paper with anything but Kraft card blanks at the moment, I just love the combination, that and creating banners for my greetings... It's become a bit of an addiction!

Anyway, hope your Monday is a good one. :o) 

Today's card

So here's the creation for today, decided it was time to wheel out that Prima line from Nancy Kubo... always cheery. :o)

Paper: Prima
Cardstock: American Crafts
Rub-ons: Prima
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Other: Mini kraft envelope, Bazzill Just the Edge, Promarkers

The little tag in the envelope comes out, so there's still room for a message. Also, I've always thought that owl in the rub-ons set looked a bit embarrassed... perfect for a belated birthday card!

Anyway, best change the DVD, just finished watching Make it Happen, which was somewhat the poor man's version of Save the Last Dance. 

The catch-up beings

Here's the card I should have made yesterday... The prompts for this week aren't up yet at 2Peas, so I went my own route again. Since everything seems to be Valentine's oriented, I had a look through the stash... but this card could be for any occasion really I suppose.

Papers: American Crafts
Cardstock: American Crafts
Badge: American Crafts
Ribbon: Making Memories

What a relief to finally use one of those badges from American Crafts. LOL Oh and that rather old Making Memories ribbon that I've had since about 2004! Cripes.

I've had to stop

Before I get pulled in too far!

I cannot have another day "misspent" - so I have had to completely resist the urge to keep reading my current book:

I got up to Part Two this morning, where the story is about to really start after some revelations, and looked at the clock and debated the pros and cons, looked at my poor desk under a pile of "stuff" and thought no, I have to make something today!

So the book is now tucked under my pillow where I cannot see it and cannot be tempted to pick it up again. 

And now, I am off to make something. At least one thing! 

Oh and a lip balm/gloss recommendation:

 

I have been using this for the past week (mainly when I have been stuck indoors as me and lip gloss outdoors do not go - my hair always blows into my lips and it is a real mess and seriously frustrating) and there has been a real difference. You apparently only need to use it 1 to 2 times a day but I am getting in the habit of applying it when necessary and it adds a lovely bit of colour and tastes very pleasant. :o)

68 photos later

All that remains is to upload them to photobox and put the order through, I hope they all fit in that little binder! :oS

So much for actually making something today, I have had to take time out to give various people lifts to various places and am on call for another 2 lifts later this evening, so will have spent about 3 hours of my life going up and down the same stretch of road today! LOL

I daren't start anything as I just know the mobile will go...

Got to get organised

At the end of this month I'm off for a scrapping retreat - so looking forward to a weekend away!

BUT the big dilemma now is what to take to work on. I've not "scrapped", well... since last summer, and if I only plan to make cards then I will need a trailer to cart up all my stash! I seem to need access to everything in order to be productive when it comes to cards.

So the answer is this:

A Maya Road sheer book, my Papersource calendar from last year, and now I need to get selecting, editing and ordering the photos to go in it. I fear the selection/editing process is going to take some time! But a retrospective look at 2009 is what I'm aiming for... I hope I have enough photos for each month.