Kool Kitty Musings

52 Christmas Crackers 2014 - Week 36

Well it's just under an hour until tonight's no-doubt less sensational episode of The Great British Bake-Off, so the perfect opportunity to share my Christmas card for this week's sketch prompt.

Here's a reminder of the sketch:

{Pinterest pin}

I decided to reach for some festive stamps this week and the perfect set was the lovely Heartfelt Holidays stamps and dies from WPlus9's 2013 Christmas release.

Paper: Crate Paper, Pebbles, MME
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: WPlus9, MFT, Sizzix
Button: October Afternoon
Other: hemp twine, Stickles, 3D foam

I love that leafy wreath-like border stamp, and I've always liked the banner in this set. I dusted the top of it and inside the frame with dots of Frosted Lace Stickles to look like snow. The snowman is stamped on cream cardstock with Versacolor Cement pigment ink. It creates the illusion of a nice vintagey-white - perfect for snowmen!

Crate Paper - Love Notes - Checked Out paper	Pebbles - Front Porch - Breezy paper	My Mind's Eye - Find Your Wings & Fly - Sky's the Limit - Layered Ephemera paper	WPlus9 - Heartfelt Holiday stamps
WPlus9 - Heartfelt Holiday dies	Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Alterations - Mini Scallop & Pinking edge die	MFT - Die-namics Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX	October Afternoon - Farmhouse buttons
Memento dye ink - Tuxedo Black	Distress Ink pad - Festive Berries	Adirondack dye ink - Meadow	Adirondack dye ink - Salmon
PTI - Aqua Mist ink cube	Hemptique natural hemp cord

InLinkz.com

Well I've got to get my desk cleared off here, and then I might finally get a moment to play with these lovely new Lawn Fawn goodies.

I really need to get ahead with craftiness this week as it's going to be a very busy weekend!

Time for a little evening crafting

And I'm hoping that, just maybe, I'll be using some items from my recent Sarah's Cards sale order:

Oh yes!

Trying something new on the old blog

I've long been a fan of blog posts by crafters where they share the items they've used to create a project - and ideally images of the main products like papers, dies, stamps, etc.

I signed up at free user level to Inlinkz this weekend to see to what extent I could add an image product list to my blog posts as a UK blogger who isn't affiliated with any stores, etc. Since the Project Manager tool is geared towards US stores I don't think it's going to be too easy to do, but I'd love to be able to add links to the UK stores where I've actually bought the product so at least you can go for a virtual window shop. Sadly, this has been only partly successful.

But if nothing else it will give you a visual idea of what I've used and I usually mention where I've bought something - as you know!

In fact, my little order from Make the Day Special arrived the other day and I've already put everything away into new storage pockets, filed in my trolley ready for use.

More about those new product later, first I'd like to share a card for the day using very old and very new stash. ;o)

Paper: MME
Dies: Lawn Fawn, WPlus9, MFT
Alpha stickers: Doodlebug
Chipboard: Simple Stories
Other: 3D foam, Glossy Accents, Promarkers

I used some very old paper by MME, I think it's from an Abbey Road collection, for the background and then a cloud pattern from the Away We Go 6x6 pad cut with the journaling die by Lawn Fawn.

The little birdies and speech bubble stamps and dies are new to my collection. Believe it or not, the 1 numeral is cut from the same card as the branch, but Glossy Accents make it look like it's black.

Anyway, fingers crossed, here's the product list for the main elements:

Lawn Fawn - Spring showers dies	Lawn Fawn - Stitched journaling card	Lawn Fawn - Sophie's sentiments stamps
Lawn Fawn - A birdie told me dies	Lawn Fawn - A birdie told me stamps	Daily Grind chipboard stickers
WPlus9 - Modern Numerals die	MFT - Branch with leaves die

InLinkz.com

And as for the new product I purchased from Make the Day Special, there are a good few items to play with.... :)

52 Cards challenge 2014 - Week 20

Morning folks!

This week's theme is based on a very popular tradition that my crafty friends enjoy every time we meet up at a crop or for cake and coffee, etc.

It's the tradition of...

Show and Tell

That's right, if you've got something new in your crafty arsenal you are duty-bound to bring it along and share with the class!

So, this week I want you to make a card that shows something recently added to your craft department, it can be in the form of:

• Stash like paper, embellishments, etc.
• Tools (as I like to classify them as they are non-consumables and therefore exempt from the "stash" budget) like stamps, dies, and gadgets
• Or perhaps techniques that are newly discovered and ready to try out

So true to my words, here's a card with stamps and dies from my latest WPlus9 splurge via Make the Day Special:

Paper: MME
Stamps: WPlus9, Avery Elle
Dies: WPlus9
Pearls: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam

Here's the shiny new stash I used:

Looking forward to seeing what your show and tell items will be! :D

52 Cards challenge 2014 - Week 19

Happy (Bank Holiday Monday) morning! :)

With any luck I am currently enjoying a lie in or catching up on a few chapters of my current book before having to get up.

I've been away all weekend so not managed to make my card for this week's prompt yet - but if all goes to plan I shall manage a bit of crafting later and be back to share my creation.

This week we're delving into the prompt jar for our inspiration and here's what it yielded:

My mind is already whirring away. ;-)

Happy crafting!

ETA: Well, here I am back to share the card I finally managed to make today! :)

I spent some time this morning sorting and organising my stamp and die sets into my new Avery Elle pockets and then deciding what to add to my new Raskog trolley - I need to get some sort of dividers for the inside, but since Ikea no longer stocks any of the Antonius dividers it's very difficult to work out what could do the job instead. Hm... for now I have my Notudden boxes with most frequently used stamps and dies, and the 6x6 pads I reach for the most and other bits and bobs... very nice.

Anyway, for this week's prompt I decided to use some of the new Basic Grey Mon Ami stash I bought recently.

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: Avery Elle
Dies: Avery Elle, Lawn Fawn, MFT, QuicKutz
Enamel dots: Teresa Collins
Other: sewing machine, 3D foam, glossy accents

So, plenty of navy in those BG papers, stitching comes in the form of the machine stitching round the angled bit, and the stitched vellum clouds which are Lawn Fawn dies.

I recently purchased this set by Avery Elle called Custom Panels:

...based on this video by Jennifer McGuire:

Anyway, not much got done in the grand scheme of things today, so I think I might just go and park myself in front of the telly and try and catch up with my DVD rental list!

52 Cards challenge 2014 - Week 17

Well, at long last I can finally post the prompt for this week to my blog. :)

It's the return of our trusty sketch prompt this week, and I've selected this one by PTI for us to play with - there sketches are very simple yet versatile so I always like them as a good springboard into more complex card designs or you can just follow the sketch to the letter.

{Pinterest pin}

Now, I had been itching to use some of the new lovely stash that I won as part of the April release give-away by WPlus9 - I've not managed to copy a photo over onto my PC yet, but this is what I won:

I never win anything like this ever, so I was well chuffed. :)

I've had a little play with the hand lettered hello die and stamps for my first card this week:

Paper: MME
Stamps: Wplus9, PTI
Dies: Wplus9, PTI, MFT
Envelope: Melissa Frances
Resin flower: Crate Paper
Other: 3D foam tape

I really love the Hello die and how just cutting it in another colour adds so much pop, especially when it hangs over the edges of the envelope - it really stands out more. I paired the WPlus9 die and greeting with Rosie Posie flowers by PTI.

Crafting is on hold

I have a visitor staying with me this week...

She doesn't look like she wants much fuss... but having done 5 walks today I can safely say crafting is on hold until I can get a moment uninterrupted to complete a project from start to finish, otherwise there's just no point trying! ;o)

In the meantime there's nice new stash to drool over:

I'll probably get round to playing with it next week during my week off from work. :D

More cards that restocked the card basket last week...

Well I only managed to get a few more cards made last week before the card basket went to our crop. :)

I was definitely feeling the love for my recent WPlus9 and a fab birthday set by Avery Elle purchases!

And here are those items in question:

Nice huh?

Well, here are the cards...

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Stamps: Avery Elle, PTI
Enamel dots: Studio Calico
Other: sewing machine, Stickles

Will definitely be getting those birthday greetings out again soon. :)

And the return of the balloons and happy dies:

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: WPlus9
Bow: Crate Paper
Other: enamel dots, Stickles, 3D foam

Really love this green paper from my Dear Lizzy 6x6 pad, a great spring shade!

And back to those embedded die-cuts - really love this look with the Happy dies:

Paper: Dear Lizzy
Stamps: WPlus9
Dies: WPlus9
Other: sewing machine, Stickles, 3D foam

I love this aqua and green together - both are by Bazzill Cardshoppe (which I sincerely hope will still be available now that American Crafts has bought Bazzill!). I have die-cuts of each of the "Happy" dies in the packet together with the stamps and dies so that I can use them for cards like this, where I need to stamp a line or other background image over the words before popping in the proper die-cuts I want to use. :)

Make the Day Special colour challenge

I love colour challenge, and decided to give this lovely palette a go the other night for the Make the Day Special challenge:

Some of my favourite shades. :)

Paper: Echo Park, Crate Paper
Stamp: Avery Elle
Dies: Avery Elle, PTI, MFT
Enamel dots: Teresa Collins
Other: 3D foam, felt, button, thread

I used some of my existing Avery Elle items from the store - namely Oh Happy Day for the greeting, and the Laurels dies to cut the felt flower and leaves. I die cut an aperture in the patterned paper tag, then matched up a lighter section of the same paper to create a shadow box style. Love a bit of aqua paper from Crate. ;o)

Well, lucky for me my order of shiny new Avery Elle and WPlus9 stash arrived from Make the Day Special today so I'm hoping for a little play tomorrow evening.

Saturday round-up

Well, it's been a while since I posted any non-crafty pics. :)

Nothing exciting has really happened this week, I've been working from home since Tuesday as I still have lots of work going on. But Monday I managed to pop into TK Maxx in hopes of finding some of the new AC products reportedly doing the rounds. No crafting stash at all in my TK Maxx local (which was very unusual) but I did see these fab pigeon holes:

There's no where I can put them, but they were awfully nice looking!

Tuesday night I popped over to my mum and dad's for pancakes - the last Pancake Tuesday in my mum's old kitchen. :)

Can't beat Nutella for a sweet pancake. :D My savoury favourite is Jambon-fromage from my days in Grenoble. Yummy!

So aside from the crafting I've also been enjoying some telly and reading a new book, which I finished in the very early hours of this morning having woken up at 2 a.m. and was still wide awake at 5 a.m. when I finished said book. Then I watched some TV on amazon prime on my iPad and finally fell asleep at 6.45! The lie in did not work out so well... but I'm hoping I can make it until this evening before drifting off.

Especially as I now have these lovely items arrived from Sarah's Cards ready to play with this weekend:

Got to love a month off from council tax and the water bill as it allows a little selfish spending. ;o)

So a little show and tell:

Some lovely packets of Basic Grey Basics enamel dots. They are just lovely colours, especially loving the kelly green and aqua combo, and the seafoam in with the navy. :)

I decided to take the plunge and purchase some more of the Oh Darling collection by Crate as I've loved using the papers from this line I already have, and fingers crossed the quality will be fine. I went for the 6x12 stickers (includes mini alpha stickers), the ephemera pack, the chipboard pack, and the journaling cards - I looked at these to see how much was really about kids/little girls and most of the cards are really versatile and will work with other everyday stuff. :)

A little restock of some of the Crate papers, plus the Styleboard journaling cards for my collection, and a set of teal alpha stickers by Elle's Studio that I absolutely love - you get 300 stickers on the sheet and the colour is just perfect - a bit less blue than in the pic above. Gorgeous!

And finally some more papers and stickers.

• 12x12 alpha sticker sheets by Basic Grey - think this is a great option for extra colours - 6 alphabet sets to a sheet and a good size for pocket scrapping.
• A selection of Basic Grey Mon Ami papers and the 12x12 sticker sheet - shame there weren't more embellishments in this line - just stickers as far as I could see.
• A couple of sheets from Basic Grey Capture - love the blue and green one - great for spring!
• And a sheet from MME Now and Then (navy stripe) and those lovely hearts from Elle's Studio. MME paper is so expensive these days that I can't splurge on it especially if the other side isn't something I totally love. But I think I'll get a good few cards from that navy stripe sheet!

Anyway, time to get the stash sorted into its new home and grab some lunch before starting my playtime. :)

Most of my time today has been spent...

...living up to this skill set of mine:

Such as finishing the book I started earlier this week:

I had to stop yesterday at a crucial point after reading The Letter when I had to go out, but it was a good point to stop and give my mind a moment to digest what I had just read.... this morning I finished the book and have to say it has been the best read so far this year. Yes, I know it's only February but it was a very good read and the tissues were out a lot.... I am not ashamed to admit it!

After that I needed a bit of a lift, so I got out some crafting items - including some of the items in my recent order from Sarah's Cards:

I bought a handful of sheets of paper from the recent Crate Love Notes and Oh Darling releases and 1 sheet from Styleboard. I wanted to finally get on the enamel dot bandwagon and bought all the new Studio Calico sets as they were the cheapest per dot, they are a fair bit flatter than other brands - the colours are a good mix... I also threw in a Freckled Fawn selection (alas no blue to choose from there) and also one pack of MME enamel dots, but I just don't understand why MME enamel dots need to cost almost £5 a pack these days. The ones I had were from an older release and the cheapest I could find. Also there were two sheets of alpha stickers by Studio Calico, but seriously I think they are expensive for what they are. So difficult to find nice mini alphas on a par with the October Afternoon mini market stickers.... :( But pricing is all relevant to what you consider good value and worth the expense... with paper almost costing a pound per sheet in some cases these days you have to be a lot pickier about what you buy. I'm glad I didn't invest any more in the latest Crate Paper release save the above sheets of paper, reading online the quality really has gone down hill sadly for non-paper products.... even more so than with previous releases. I was sad to hear yet another booboo for Crate Paper quality control while reading TwoPeas the other day - I am getting really sick of online photos not being representative of the final product and really wish manufacturers would provide videos showing their products or even properly photographed images of the product so you can see it in some form rather than the mocked up design views they provide at present.

After also reading about the problems with the Styleboard dies not cutting properly, I was apprehensive about how my embossing folder would turn out:

Well, you can tell the quality is inferior to Sizzix and other brands, my main gripe is that the hinge on the folder isn't very sturdy, it feels like if you opened it too far you would ultimately break it into two pieces, I would be a bit worried to use PTI/Cardshoppe weight cardstock in it on a regular basis, but vellum and paper would be ok.

I may sound like a right moaning Minnie, but more than anything I am just disappointed that my go-to company for the last few years has now become one that you are taking your chances with when purchasing anything other than paper, as there is no consistency in quality and even with online images you can't be sure that what you think you're buying is in fact what you'll be getting. I really hope it's not going to be going the same way for Pink Paislee now they are part of the American Crafts group, but I suspect the same issues will crop up there too.

But hey, I at least have some of that new Basic Grey product to look forward to - at least the quality of embellishments is usually top notch there. ;)

But moving on....

While playing with my stash in the afternoon I finally watched one of the DVDs I currently have out from Lovefilm:

...which provided a great transition into the closing ceremony of the Olympics this afternoon.

Now I need to get a couple of things sorted and then it's back to my big translation project tomorrow - it's going to be a long week!

Just stamping...

The other day I wanted to try and see what the Laurels set of stamps by Avery Elle looked like stamped out and layered:

I wasn't planning on making a card or anything, just stamping some random colours - so nothing was masked off, nothing is neat... I have the matching dies for the set, but didn't want to use them on this... in the end I thought I might as well use it for something after all:

Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: Avery Elle
Other: Stickles, 3D foam, sewing machine

It's not the most balanced card, it's even a bit wonky, but that's fine for this one. Next time the dies will be coming out for a bit of extra pop. ;o)

Sunday sun!

Well, it's about time - I thought we were never going to see the sun again this month.

I've even got the washing out on the line I am feeling that optimistic about the day.

Yesterday the only sunshine to be found was indoors:

It did mean that it was a great excuse to read the rest of my book on the sofa by the fire with the Olympics on in the background under the watchful eye of my little deer book ends on the mantelpiece that I got for Christmas from my brother:

Later it was back to my craft room/office to get back on with some projects with the aid of a nice hot choc:

This time under the watchful gaze of Oliver Owl:

I played a bit more with this week's new arrivals - yep, I have been unable to resist temptation and bought some new additions:

Have to say those rose stamps by WPlus9 are amazing to work with. I'm so glad I got them. :) Will be sharing the first results very soon!

Here are some sneaks:

Well I'd best go get some lunch and do the washing up - great view this morning from the sink!

52 Christmas Crackers 2014 - Week 4

Just popping in quickly to share my Christmas card for this week's Pinterest inspiration pic:

{Pinterest pin}

So the Christmas inspiration I took from the pic were the doily patterns and the biscuit that looked a bit like a snowflake, the lacy details, the little white dots, the woodgrain pattern, and the leafy accents.

And this is what I created:

Paper: MME
Dies: Marianne, Sizzix
Stamp: PTI
Die-cut strip: Crate Paper
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: 3D foam

I quite like how it turned out. :)

In other news I was really glad to hear that Make the Day Special had re-opened after the Christmas break and had stocked up with the latest WPlus9 release, and a few other items. :)

I love the font in the Valentine Wishes set by WPlus9 so had to get those Avery Elle greetings, I hope more greetings in this style will be coming out as they are very nice!

And at last I bought an Easter egg set - hoping to put it to good use this year and in good time!

I also had a bit of an 80s flashback moment the other day when I managed to buy a box of these:

Used to love Nerds until they disappeared from our shores - wouldn't mind some of the sour cherry ones, so will have to look out for them. :)

Feeling creatively overwhelmed - but why?

Hm, it looks like my annual creative slump has started.

Usually around a month or so into the year I end up feeling unable to come up with anything new and that anything I make just isn't cutting it. Pardon the pun!

It's really daft, but most of all frustrating - especially when I have just put away my lovely crafty items purchased during sales and special offers - and of course a few Christmas presents in there too:

So, I have spent the day trying to come up with something I like and trying to kick start the creative flow again.

I think I need to get back in doing some challenges that aren't for the 52 Cards and perhaps do some evening crafting as well, and not leave it to the weekend.

My first visit for a challenge took me to the current Monday Mood Board (#25) over on the WPlus9 blog.

The inspiration is this photo:

I knew I could go the Fresh Cut Florals route, but I fancied trying to use my lovely Heartfelt Holiday stamps and dies for something non-Christmas related, like a new home card! ;)

Paper: Elle's Studio, MME
Stamps and Dies: WPlus9 - Heartfelt Holiday
Sugardot hearts: Prima
Other: 3D foam

Daylight was fading fast when I took these pics, so the little hearts are a bit more mustardy than in real life, but I liked the block of grey and white stripes in the inspiration pic.

Right, I'd best get the desk tidied - there are scraps everywhere!

Almost back to the everyday :(

Well Monday and the return to real life is just around the corner.

I was lucky enough to be able to work from home Thursday and yesterday, which meant that Lola and I could manage a last walk at lunchtime in the sun and very windy weather.

We had our final wander around the much visited bandstand:

Then wandered down to the lake where the ducks and geese plus a few cormorants were observing our progress around the path.

Alas we had no food for them.

Lola then was reunited Zoe and drove off home. :)

Today I've had a lazy day in fleecy PJs - it included unwrapping this lovely package:

Containing this!

Yep, my album for 2014 - it's official I am trying to hop on the PL-style bandwagon and get more recorded during the year rather than just keep photos on my computer and online.

Looking forward to seeing what photos from January make it in there as I'm hoping to do a monthly style catch-up and January is usually a quiet month of activities but if nothing else I'll be snapping away at random things with my phone.

And this evening I've got one more card to make before I go down and enjoy the Christmas tree for the last time, it all needs to come down tomorrow. :(

Day 13, 14, and 15 Deck the Halls

Well the weekend has sure flown by - Friday after work it was part 1 of the big food shop with my mum for Christmas.

There is now a turkey wedged (after 5 attempts) in my freezer...

So needless to say it was late by the time I got home Friday - but I did manage to get a snap:

It's my winter Russian doll set from Accessorize - I love this set and it's always out on this shelf in the kitchen over Christmas.

Yesterday I was out all day then decking the halls at my mum and dad's - there may be a guest spot soon! So knackered though that I totally forgot to take some snaps.

But before I left for the day I took a pic of my lovely Toadstool tealight holder on the mantelpiece - definitely rocking that Animals of Farthing Wood meets Nordic/Polish colour scheme:

And that brings us to today - which has been a PJ day while I have been finishing off writing Christmas cards and making this week's cardmaking projects.

It's this Polish Goral ornament that my mum finally found after 2 weeks of searching where she had put it in a "safe place" in the summer... Here he is in his woodland setting:

And as for those cards, I wanted to make them using these lovely items:

Best get back to my to-do list!

It's beginning to look a bit festive....

So, this weekend has been spent getting a few festive tasks done, and some other things.

Friday I was definitely in the mood for some pre-weekend baking:

Over ripe bananas = banana loaf. I tried a recipe by Mary Berry, but have to say the cinnamon spiced on with brown sugar in the Hummingbird recipe book is one I'll try again as I think that one was just little bit nicer and more bannana-ry.

Needless to say once it was out the oven I was enjoying a nice wedge with some custard as a late evening pud - fabulous combo! And best enjoyed by the fire:

Yesterday I wanted to get all crafting out of the way so I could concentrate on Christmas decorating today.

First up using some of my new Flea Market 6x6 and ephemera:

I must say I am slightly cheesed off at the 6x6 pad, it features 2 of of some designs and typically 1 of my favourite designs in the pad. The Ephemera pack is missing the gold doily, instead you get a scalloped circle, but the worst part is that a lot of the labels are printed crooked and chopped off in the wrong place. Also a lot of the gold elements aren't cut right through and are torn and bent. :( I think I will need to contact Crate Paper CS about it with some photos as it's a real shame that so many elements in the pack aren't perfect.

Oh well, once crafting was out the way it was time to get sorting the pile of handmade Christmas cards ready to match them to recipients:

Thank god for post-it notes - they're all done and ready to write:

But I need to feel the festive love again before I get on with that. ;o)

Today has mostly been spent battling with decorations.

I also had the idea to Instagram one decoration a day and share my love for it.

The decoration for December 1st is this new one from M&S - my Santa tree topper:

He is a very wise and cheerful looking fellow. :) He even looks great atop a silver tree!

And another pic, this time of my folky shelving unit where I usually keep my Polish items, now added with some traditional decorations and of course my festive nested dolls and that Pottery Barn Santa mug:

Right, well I'd best get the lights on now that it's getting dark outside, I wonder how many homes will be lit up on the street tonight. :)

A list as long as my arm...

...of things I need to get done today, because tomorrow I'm flying off with my mum, brother and Kate for 4 nights in Krakow my city of birth.

The weather is set to be oh so fiiiine so am hoping that not taking a winter coat and other winter warmers will not prove a big mistake, and with highs of 17 degrees expected I might get some more pretty shots like this one from August 2012 when it was 30 degrees plus!

But before that happens, I need to get ticking things off my to-do list - not just packing either!

Alas not much time left to play with the yummy delivery from WPlus9 I picked up (and paid for!) at the sorting office yesterday morning at 7 a.m.

Looks like customs are getting brutally efficient and slapping duty on everything coming through now. :o(

But I look forward to getting some more Christmas cards made with this lot when I get back from Poland:

But for now - best get back to my list!

Another little one...

With the left-overs from yesterday's card I made a little notelet that was much more up my street. ;)

Paper: Crate Paper
Dies: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Other: Sewing machine, 3D foam

Yep, the return of the front aperture. :o) A nice way to use up scraps it has to be said.

I've also added a new power house to my die-cutting line up.

My poor little original Cuttlebug was starting to struggle with some dies and it also doesn't cut as well in certain areas of the rollers... it has well and truly been put to the test over the 6 or so years I've had it and has been used constantly. But I had been wondering about getting a Big Shot to replace it at some point and saw the great offer at Hobbycraft that's currently on and thought the time was right. Especially what with the colour and extended mat. Also what's nice is that my extended Cuttlebug mats work OK in it so I can still cut my longer PTI border dies without needing new cutting plates. And even my annoying QuicKutz speech bubble dies that never cut properly in the Cuttlebug cut ok in the Big Shot. I am having a little bit of an issue with my doily dies which cut a bit deeper with the Cuttlebug, but think I'll just have to use some extra paper as a shim for those. But overall I am happy, especially because the new machine fits (just!) on my craft room window sill which is my die-cutting station. No re-jiggling required!

Anyway, I am sure I will be putting the Big Shot to good use this week!

But first, Bake Off time!

Picture catch-up

Well, there's not much been happening in these parts other than work, tv catch-up viewing, staying out of the rain and cold, and dusting off my Remoska ready for the return of winter meals!

But here are some recent pics of this and that.

Ma and I went for a bimble round the Metrocentre on Sunday and at long last I managed to get myself the paper pad I've been searching for! The Pier 12x12 pad from Crate Paper:

It was a bit battered around the edges and I only got 99 p off, but £7 was fine with me!

After more walking and no buying we finally went for lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen - it was our first visit so had no idea what size things came in.

We ordered a few sides just for test purposes and I had a free sauce with the app so we were well and truly happy with our meal! Next time we will just get the onion rings and homeslaw plus the garlic mayo as that would have been enough and lovely as the fries are they got cold very quickly.

Ma had a small blue cheese...

And I had The Taxi Driver - seriously yummy!

We weren't up to much more shopping after that so headed home.

I admired the last of the cut roses at my mum and dad's:

Then it was off back to mine to stroke my paper. ;o)

Autumn must be in full swing because Monday marked the first seasonal hot chocolate in Starbucks - the barrista wasn't kidding when she said she'd put a bit of extra cream on it!

I am rather partial to a hazelnut hot chocolate, but it's always best enjoyed with a slice of something - raspberry and coconut loaf in this case!

Tuesday onwards I've been working from home and next week looks like it's going to be a seriously busy week with work and birthdays. Eeek. Think I am also going to have to work some of this weekend just to keep on top of things but I've definitely got birthday cards to make!

Right, best tuck into my dinner and see what's left of the evening. :)

Some Wednesday pretties

I have no crafty makes to share - still not feeling 100% and I think it'll definitely be a very early night tonight. Only 7 p.m. and feel like I should be tucked up in bed.

Buuut...

Here are some pics of some pretty things I'm liking.

First up I failed to share this lovely collection of pamper products my mum put together for my birthday:

Lots of Elemis goodies plus my old favourite, the night treatment oil by ADS skin synergies. Lovely stuff. Even a nice Nails Inc shade to enjoy. I am having to exercise some patience right now because I need to use up what's left in some existing moisturiers/cleanser bottles.

Next up, yesterday I managed a mini haul in TK Maxx, but still no elusive Pier 12x12 pad from Crate - I hear they are out there!

But I got these lovely Crate 6x6 pads and the yellow corner chomper to complete my collection.

And finally, I picked up some lovely iced tea at M&S yesterday - they have them on 3 for 2 so it would have been rude note to.

This is the one I am trying tonight which is just the tonic in this heat.

It's such a shame you can't get iced tea from green tea so easily in the UK. My favourite one that we stock up on in Poland is this:

Most refreshing!

Right, think I am going to head for bed and take the iPad with me. :)

Ooops, bye-bye Sunday morning

I can't believe it's already 1 p.m. and all I have to show for the day is my newly sorted cardstock scraps.

I knew those Sharpies would come in useful for something, but it appears that I am getting that September organisational buzz and well, the cardstock scraps were a good place to start. In theory now that any sheet of PTI or Bazzill Cardshoppe I cut into makes it here and into smaller little ziploc baggies if the scraps are small but still usable I won't keep on cutting into new sheets of the same colours - namely cream and white! Yes, talk about OCD. ;o)

I'll have to test that theory soon when I get onto my next card.

But first up, I managed to do a bit of crafting yesterday afternoon after finishing this lovely book:

A lovely summer read and enjoyed cover to cover in one sitting. :)

Naturally the sun finally came out again after I turned the last few pages. But I felt up to doing a bit of cardmaking and checked out the new challenge over on the CASual Fridays blog. I was really happy to see I'd made the contender list for from the last challenge. Nice one! :oD

This week's challenge is entitled "She's krafty and she's just my type" and I have a feeling I might have another go at this challenge. I've been a bit neglectful of kraft of late. 

Anyway, here's the card I made for an upcoming big birthday for my friend's husband.

Cardstock: PTI
Number dies and stamps: PTI
Fishtail die: MFT
Paper: MME
Other 3D foam

And as it was meant to be a manly card I really had to resist the temptation to add anything else that made it start looking too froufrou... but it was very hard to resist!

So, just to readdress the balance I may very well go for a more girly approach!

Anyway, best get down to it before the afternoon passes in a blur!

ETA: I managed another kraft + text card that fits the bill. Here it is:

Dies: MFT
Stamps: MFT
Paper: MME
Other: vellum, sewing machine

I thought it would be nice to combine a stamp set that actual fits the title of this challenge "just my type" and also have some more fun with those peek-a-boo chevron dies I got, this time with vellum. Also I wanted to add a little dimension without using 3D foam, so scored the "paper" coming out of the typewriter to give a bit of lift. :)

Not how I expected my week to go...

From the highs of last Friday's birthday celebrations I am now feeling my "advanced age" (:oP) and suffering with a rather uncomfortable and problematic trapped nerve down my left lower back into my thigh. Ugh, sitting has been a real problem ever since Tuesday morning when I must have jarred myself between getting dressed and arriving at work. I just couldn't handle sitting at my desk as it was so painful plus I overstretched when trying to (ironically) move my monitor to a more ergonomic position. Thankfully have managed do some work from home in my PJs between stretching on the floor and applying arnica, etc. I've managed to get some high strength anti-inflammatory tablets from Boots now and they really helped last night in addition to the pain killers and heat pad. I thank heaven that lying stretched out in bed is fine so I can at least get some sleep, but sitting at a desk isn't great... am hoping the weekend will help get me sorted as I don't need to drive anywhere or be seated a lot. If the lovely weather sticks around I could at least get some vitamin D therapy while I tackle my book pile...

But anyway, here's a look back at the halcyon days of last weekend.

Friday I enjoyed a lovely trip to Fountain's Abbey with my brother and Kate. The weather was nice for us and not overly warm as there ended up being a few hills to climb whilst trying to avoid the pheasant population.

We started off in the manor house which included a rather nice dressing up area that someone took advantage of:

There were some lovely dresses indeed:

We then set off for the abbey ruins:

Including a look at the rather formidable cellar:

I think my brother was getting ideas for how to store his beer collection...

Then we wandered further... lots of photo ops, especially for those who like to play hide-and-seek.

We then wandered to the lake to enjoy a nice scone with a view:

Before heading right back round on the other side and snapping a few more pics from across the river:

I think Kate and I were rather in need of a nana nap in the afternoon, but I managed to stay awake long enough to get ready to head on over to the parentals where ma had cooked up and prepared a veritable feast of Polish favourites for us all:

We started off with cold meats, cheeses, breads, salads, etc. Including my current favourite combination of very thinly sliced Polish yellow cheese (mmmmm) with tomato and sweet onion salad.

Naturally every course was accompanied by vodka, and we put one of the latest additions to the family collection to the test:

I'm afraid I much preferred Belvedere, but we got the job done... After my fave soup in the world - gherkin soup - we moved onto the main course. Not much left here, but ma had made Polish pork schnitzel, a roulade of pork in a lovely sauce, buttery grated beetroot (mmm), new potatoes, and French beans with lardons. All very lovely and very filling!

Naturally the vodka was rather low by this time:

So much so that by the end of the main course we'd finished the bottle and my dad had decided we needed to polish off the rest of another one so the bottle could be put to use in the making of home-made lemon vodka ready for Christmas. We were happy to oblige.

Last on the agenda was my birthday cake - a gorgeous triple chocolate mousse cake:

Saturday of course was mostly spent recovering from the food excesses of the previous day - no hangover - you don't get that with good vodka. ;o)

Sunday afternoon I had a nice trip out with Zoe and the girls, plus Lola:

Lola even perfected her mountain goat dog routine.

It's a good job we did all that walking - because we went for tea to The South Causey Inn near Beamish, and oh my word - if you want to get your money's worth in dining this is definitely the place to go. Very generous portions and I have never seen such a large dinner plate in my life - in fact it was larger than the clock on the wall:

So large I couldn't get it all in shot - and this was after I'd loaded up my plate with the veg I knew I could manage.

That's not to say of course that dessert was off limits... It would have been rude to ignore that aspect of the menu.

However I think I would have been just as happy with the Mr Whippy option the girls had on their menu:

BH Monday was definitely a day of rest! In fact I finished off a book and got a few things sorted at home, including putting my lovely gift from Zoe out in its new home:

My lovely Babushkups are now residing on what has become my folky shelf.

All was well Tuesday evening as I enjoyed the latest instalment of the Great British Bake Off.

The only bright side to Wednesday morning was receiving some lovely post from Ang over at Paper and Ribbons.

She'd very kindly swapped some die cuts from me for these handy PTI dye ink sample charts and a couple of cubes she no longer needed. And best of all, a gorgeous handmade card using her new PTI goodies accompanied these pretty items:

Anyway, I am just hoping my back and hip will be ok enough to enjoy a little craft activity this weekend as I am behind on making a get well card for my grandma in Poland who now has her wrist in plaster, and I have other thank you cards still to make and well... at this rate they will be Christmas thank you cards! Plus I want to do better for next week's DCM card since I have been out of action this week and couldn't craft in time.

Right, best go and apply some more arnica as I am feeling the need!

52 Cards challenge 2013 - Week 30

Morning everyone!

It's the first Monday of my staycation, so I am hoping that I will soon have the opportunity to catch-up with the cards I'm behind on and also make the card for this prompt!

This week with all of the Papercrafting Industry heading to CHA summer 2013 - or whatever the new name for the show is - there's been a lot of buzz about new products, lots of pretty sneak peeks, and some questions regarding new trends.

Well, with that in mind I thought it would be nice to try and make way for the new products that are making your wish lists. If there's one particular company or brand you're excited about then get using their products to make way for new stuff! Or if there's one particular brand of items or type of product you use again and again, get using it this week so you can stock up on more!

Alternatively, look to the sneak peeks as a source of inspiration - there's a great list with links here. Use the colours, items, designs you see as a springboard to the card you make. :)

The company that has excited me and continues to for a while now is Crate Paper - you'll be well aware of that no doubt since I use a lot of their products on both my regular cards and my Christmas ones, not to mention in my scrapbooking of late. So it's the new Flea Market line from Maggie Holmes that has caught my attention especially.

It looks like it'll combine so nicely with the previous Maggie Holmes release that I used a lot over the last few weeks making the mini album.

These papers will definitely fit right in alongside the existing ones:

I especially love the shade of gold being used to accent embellishments and other bits and pieces:

And with the Project Life mini pack in the same line, I might finally start on some Project Life-type scrapping!

Lots of creative possibilities!

Yeah, so it definitely looks like I'll be having a Crate Paper fest for my cards this week. ;o)

ETA: Here's my card for this week:

Paper: Crate Paper
Chipboard: Crate Paper
Die: PTI
Stamp: PTI
Pearl: Kaisercraft
Other: Sewing machine, seam binding

For me, it's always about patterned paper. You can do so much with paper that often additional embellishments just aren't needed. But saying that Crate Paper collection reveals are always the most anticipated for me as I find even if you don't want the entire collection there's often something you just have to have! My downfall is usually paper. ;o) I am a big fan of the chipboard elements too. They can add the right finishing touch and don't even have to be from the same collection. Currently I am loving roses!

Packed and ready to go!

So tomorrow morning it's the big exodus as me and my crafty friends are headed for a weekend away in Whitby - who knows what the weather will be like - we can only hope it's a repeat of today.

But no matter, because there certainly is enough packed to keep me busy:

I also managed to pick up a nice bargain in TK Maxx:

Just wish they had the Pier collection pad as I am really after that one - especially if it's at this price!

Right, best go get the last bits sorted for the morning. :)

I really should be packing for tomorrow's crop...

But as usual procrastination has set in!

I even have a project planned that involves photos:

And this collection kit from Echo Park:

And my PTI order arrived earlier this week:

Lots of scope for new crafty projects but quality time is required...

I have already organised all my new items and even tried a few out - namely these two:

But I also picked up my entire reserve list from the library - basically everything I have reserved the past month and a bit all came in today and well... there is a big temptation to just dive into a book and pack for the crop tomorrow. ;o)

So what's it gonna be? Book or packing?

Well, it depends on tonights telly - so I'd best get sorted!

Saturday snaps

Well, I am nearing the end of my to-do list and waiting for a few things to happen of their own accord before I can complete it.... So thought I'd pop on the blog and share a few snaps.

Despite the cold weather this Easter weekend, there has actually been - gasp! - sunshine!

And although I've not had time to sit in the conservatory and enjoy it all day, I managed a bit of reading session while my weekend bake was in the oven.

I have had some fun playing with some papers that I ordered along with the Echo Park Sweetest Day kit for an upcoming project. The papers were just add-ons to my order from the latest Crate release as I wasn't feeling the love for the entire release and had nothing in mind for those other patterns, but I liked these a lot:

I even got down to getting my card for this Monday's prompt sorted... I wonder if you can guess what the theme will be...

Then once I got my project photographed and ready to blog I turned my attention to the big item I needed to do today.

The all-important Easter bake for tomorrow's Polish Easter celebrations. I'd been umming and ahhing over trying this recipe from Mary Berry a while, as I love Yorkshire curd tart and Polish baked cheesecake is very similar to this recipe but I wanted to bake something that was aimed at the British baker (and my temperamental oven) rather than a seasoned Polish domestic goddess - which I am not!

It is currently on its second hour cooling in the oven and while that is happening I cannot put my last minute zesty flapjack hodge podge traybake in.

I ended up raiding the cupboards trying to work out if there was something else I could "bake" to use up the rest of the butter and unwaxed lemons I'd had to buy for the above recipe (since no one sells them loose around here and you have to buy a bag of 5 and I don't use lemons all that much except for baking) plus the porridge oats I had left-over from some other bakes... and well, a lemon ginger flapjack recipe was found online but unmercilessly doctored to also include dessicated coconut (since I ran out of loose oats and had to resort to plain oats so simple packets and some other dry goods to make up the measures...) and mixed chopped nuts (needed using up...) in addition to the sultanas in the recipe.

We shall see whether it is fit for human consumption later this evening when the oven is finally free or whether the birds in my area will have their work cut out trying to find nourishment!

In the meantime, I'd best get some tea...

Is it or isn't it?

Ma and I were hoping to head up to the Metrocentre for a day of relaxing retail therapy - but it appears a snow cloud is hovering and causing disruption, until I can find out whether snow has fallen over Gateshead and is sticking around our plans are on hold...

So much for a nice Mother's Day outing including a trip to Ikea - that's the way we usually roll in this family on Mother's Day!

But back to crafty-related things. I can't share the card I made for Mother's Day just yet. Instead I had some time yesterday to play with some of my new PTI stamps and started on some Easter cards. The one I'm sharing today was inspired by the Passion for Papertrey 50 Shades of Grey challenge and so I made a card to fit it.

OK, so mine is more like Three Shades of Grey, but there is grey in there! ;o)

Paper: MME, Bo Bunny
Stamps and dies: PTI
Other: 3D foam

The branches are from the Stitched Sentiments set, as is the banner die, and the other stamps are from Polka Dot Parade #1. I used the heart from the inside of a Tremendous Treats Tag as all my other heart dies were just a bit too big.

A shame the light was a bit poor when trying to get this photo, as the colours of the flowers and leaves are so much clearer in real life.

Anyway, I was so chuffed with how it turned out that I even Instagrammed it last night:

I still need some practice aligning those branches better. But it's definitely not a candidate for mass production! LOL

I also got a couple of other cards made, including the cards for this week's upcoming 52 Cards Challenge prompt:

And I am looking forward to trying out my new ink order, the latest Prima Chalk inks in pastel to complete my collection and am giving this Adirondack red inkpad a go in my continuing quest for the perfect red inkpad!

Right, I'd best go try and determine the snow situation again...

A few snaps

So it's been a while since I shared some non-card pics.

Last weekend I went up for a visit to and some lazy time with little Miss Anja:

She was a bit of a tricky customer when it came to the camera. Every time I hit the shutter she totally changed her expression from a wide smile or laugh to a glum or confused expression. LOL But we spent a lot of time playing peek-a-boo over the top of the jungle gym and she has discovered how to roll over but isn't so keen on ending up stuck on her front after having rolled over.

We had a couple of walks out in the pram including a nice late breakfast on Sunday:

Then it was back to work Monday - I've been working from home this week on a few projects that needed some extra hours putting in. But it did mean I managed to actually see my lovely spring bulbs in daylight and notice how quickly they've changed:

Yesterday brought with it some rather nice surprises in the post.

Firstly a lovely Easter surprise from Angela over at http://paperandribbons.blogspot.co.uk:

Such a gorgeous card but also an egg box filled with a surprise I don't want to discover until Easter weekend. :) It's almost too nice to unwrap, but the suspense will win out by the end of March!

The other package that arrived was my PTI order. And best of all - no customs charge!

I really like the way dies are all packaged together in a dedicated envelope now so they don't fly about the inside of your box:

Here's a snap of what I ordered:

Lots of fun playtime ahead - well, time permitting!

I have also recently bought the pictapgo app designed for the iPhone but being used on the iPad. I really like the filters but wish it was more compatible with Instagram and would allow you to crop the image to Instagram size and save it that size. I think more playing is required, but would be great if they could make it possible to enlarge the app just like Instagram can be enlarged on the iPad so you can see everything better.

Oh well I am sure feedback from users will lead to lots of new updates and improvements, but it's rather nice to have RadLab on your smart device. ;o)

I don't think today has really been my day!

So much for best-laid plans...

I have had a bit of a tiring day at work and didn't leave till well gone the usual time. Popped over to pick up my lovely order from Sarah's Cards at my mum and dad's then headed home - thankfully without stopping off to purchase some food as I had been intending... because I'd only gone and left my wallet at work.

This was deduced after much frantic searching of the floor and seats of the car to make sure it hadn't fallen out and also a call to my mum and dad's to make sure it hadn't fallen out of my handbag when I put it on the chair in the lounge... oh no... it was definitely still at work.

So off I went fully prepared to have to battle with the alarm system, but thankfully the cleaners were still in so I was in and out like a shot and back home for 8 p.m. wallet in hand.

It was time to finally open my lovely box of goodies and think about the project I wanted to get done tonight.

Lots of lovely Crate Fourteen, Basic Grey True Love and other assorted papers - including the new lines by Elle's Studio... But alas the paper I'd been intending to use is missing from my order. Never to mind, I will give them a call in the morning and see if they can send it through as typically it was my favourite pattern from the line and the one I had in mind for this project.

So after all that I don't feel fit for anything other than nodding off in front of the telly tonight. Will just have to hope I have my creative hat on tomorrow evening and work doesn't tire me out completely.

I also need to avoid TK Maxx like the plague.

I popped in yesterday to look at bedding and there was a lovely chevron set in aqua blue but only in Superking... so en route home I visited the larger TK Maxx store and they had it in King Size, but the Harlequin set I really wanted was only in double or super king. Boo hiss... I will have to make do with my nice aqua chevrons, new sateen sheet and matching pillowcases... but I have to wonder at the RRP prices they quote on the labels sometimes:

£120?? For a duvet cover and matching pillowcases by a company I've never heard of and cannot find any mention of online... hm... slightly suspect. But £24.99... I'm happy to pay that... I just need to draw the line at further bedding temptation!