I don't believe it!!!

Yes! I made a card!! Woohoo! Actually, I'm not very happy with it, but my mum seems happy, and she commissioned it, so who am I to argue? It's for her next door neighbour's 60th, and apparently it's a perfect match with the party invitation, so 'twas obviously meant to be!

The brief was black & silver, so I ran the Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder through my Big Shot with a piece of black card, distressed the edges a bit, and roughly rubbed an Encore metallic silver inkpad over the surface to pick out the swirls and add to the distressed appearance. I used a flourish stamp underneath the panel (which I raised on black foam), and I think it's that part that I don't like... the flourishes, I mean. Was done in a hurry, and it shows. Not much thought or design gone into it. Ah well.
Used an embossed silver punched heart in the middle of the black flower, a couple of pearl sprays and some pinched ribbon bows tucked in behind. Also suspended a crackled-glass heart bead from the flower, as well. The double spiral clip and the silver foiled sentiment (Craftwork Cards, I think) were from some blog candy.

Well, thank you for popping by! I will be back with a couple more cards very, very soon.. I hope! :o)

Enjoy your bank holiday!

Desperate and sooo jealous!

Oh, do you know how much I ACHE to be doing what most of you seem to be doing most of the time... making cards and blogging? This longing has been growing and growing and has reached a point now where it can no longer be ignored. I HAVE to find away to make this work and find a balance with work so I can make some cards again, and open my blog comments up again and start commenting on others. There has to be a way. Envy is a sin, but I have to confess that I am so very jealous of those of you who have all day to indulge your crafty cravings, whether just for fun or for a business. (sigh) (groan) Aaaaaaaaaaaargggghhhhhhhhh!!

So.. now I've had a good whinge, it's time to take action... what's to be done about it? Well, I have bought some additional storage for my craft room, swept away the cobwebs, blown the dust off my rubberstamps/brads/ribbons/primas/papers and started clearing the debris from my craft desk. I am committed to making a couple of cards for my mum tonight for a friend of hers, and I have my niece's birthday coming up on Monday, so there is NO CHOICE! I WILL be making cards tonight!! Woohoo!! :o)

Can't wait to get back in the swing! See you all again SOON! Yayyyy!

Love n'hugs,

Still here...

Yep.. still here.. lurking in the shadows.. still missing everyone and your beautiful creations... still hoping to 'be back soon'. Famous last words. (sigh)

Nope.. no cards this time. Have only managed to make one card since Christmas! Waaaaahhhh!! Still, I'm not complaining. I have a job I enjoy and that pays the bills, unlike so many people these days. I have suffered redundancy in the past, and it's no picnic, so my heart goes out to everyone in that position now.

On my hols this week, and trying to get the house straight. I can't relax and get crafting if the house is a tip. And it is.

Any road up, I hope you lot out there are OK and trolling along nicely. Not that any of you are trolls. Erm.. you know what I mean! lol ;o)

Happy Spring!

Hugs,

Now don't fall over with shock, but....

.. Yes! I made a card!! Woohoo!! This is for my sister-in-law, Sonya, who lives with my bro in Dublin while she completes her PhD at Dublin Uni. It's her birthday today! :o)

But I then didn't have chance to go to the Post Office to send it!! So I emailed a picture of it to her today! How bad am I? Not only a bad blogger, but a sorry excuse for a sister-in-law as well. (sigh)

Eeek!!

Just thought I ought to actually post something on here before it all disappears in a puff of smoke through lack of use, or it heals over or something, so came into the blog and nearly had a heart attack!! No Posts!! But then, of course, I realised it's because I haven't posted anything yet for February! Dozy mare that I am!

Anyway, I haven't made a card in months, and I MISS IT!!! I also MISS BLOG-HOPPING!! (sigh)(sniff) BUT.. it's not because life is bad.. on the contrary. Life is good. And there is a speck of light at the end of the time tunnel, and I feel my zing returning... so hopefully won't be long. If there are any of you left.... I hope to be back soon.

Ish.

Hugs...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I know I have been a horrible blogger in the past three months since I started my new job. I do miss you all a great deal, and wish I could spend hours every day like I used to, visiting blogs and being inspired so much by your beautiful artwork and stories that made me smile and sad sometimes, too.

Just wanted to come here in the last hour of 2008 to wish you all the happiest 2009. Times are hard for many people right now, but I hope that in the midst of whatever you are facing, that you remember to treasure whatever small miracles there may also be amongst the ashes. I have had some very difficult times myself in the past seven years, so I know something about it, and all I would say if you are also going through tough times is please try, try, TRY to be as positive as you can. It really does help.

My miracle came when I stopped looking down at the mess I was in and being angry, stopped looking at what I didn't have, and started instead to look up and realise that I still had so much and started thanking God for it. I know it sounds really cheesy, but that really was the break point. Whatever you make of it, I believe that something was released... broken.. call it what you will, and blessing was allowed to come in. I had a new job within two weeks.

So, anyway.. a bit preachy, I know, but y'know what? I'm not sorry. If it helps one person, it was worth the mockery of others.

Once again, I wish you ALL a very happy 2009. Keep looking up.

God bless..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas!

A Belated TOOT!!

This is for my mega, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, "I'm not worthy" talented Funky Hand DT mate, Kath Stewart, who has only gone and won the Cardmaker of the Year 2008 comp in the Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine!!! Yaaaayyyyy!! You go, girl!

I can't imagine that anyone in crafty blogland won't have heard of Kath or visited her blog, but - just in case - you'll find a treasure trove of wonder HERE.

Congratulations again, Kath. :o)

Hugs,
Chris xx

Funky Birthday...

Bet you'd all thought I'd dropped off the planet! Nope, still here. This is my birthday card for my lovely Funky Hand DT-mate, Jozza, whose birthday is today! Happy Birthday, matey!! Hope the card arrived on time. Check her blog. She is a super-talented and well-published cardmaker.. You may recognise her work from the Crafts Beautiful magazine.

The paper I've used is from the wonderful new 'Funky Daze' CD-rom from Funky Hand. Fab!

New Blog... I mean, 'FLOG'!! ;o)

Like most people these days, I need to supplement my income a bit, so I have decided to start a slow clearout of - well, just about everything, lol - from jewellery, clothing and surplus craft supplies, to more obscure items, like some of my dad's old RAF uniform and mess kit, to some bits of old mechano! That's pretty obscure, wouldn't you say? ;o)

So... I have started what I am calling a 'Flog'... Craftling's Flog. HERE.

I have started this evening with some items of diamanté jewellery.

Tip Top Toppers' Blog Candy!

Hi, all.. Just to spice things up a bit around here, wanted to draw your attention to some fab blog candy up for grabs on my Funky Hand DT mate, Ruth's blog HERE. She is celebrating 5,000 visitors, and wants you to share your proudest crafty moment with her. Some lovely things on show.. Go see!! :o)

Mum's Anniversary Card... Sneak Peak!

I can't show you all of this yet, as it uses papers from a soon-to-be-released download from Funky Hand, called 'Hearts & Flowers'. Not sure yet when this will be available, but it won't be long, and you'll love it when it is! You will be able to obtain it HERE.

Funky Daze # 5.. Happy Birthday, ????!

Hehe!! Can't show you this one yet, but it is already made, and yes, it does use Funky Daze paper, and yes, it is for yet another Funky Hand DT-mate who also has a birthday quite soon! You know who you are... J... O... Z........................

Cards to come... Got to make an anniversary card for my mum on Sunday. Dad passed away three years ago, but it's still nice to mark their anniversary. Unfortunately, dad missed their golden wedding anniversary by two weeks!!

Then it's my sister's birthday on 10th December, so those are my two most urgent cards.

I haven't made any Christmas cards yet (except those I have made for challenges), but time (and the inclination) is not on my side, so will most likely.... (whispering)... BUY my cards this year!!! SHOCK HORROR!!

I will leave you with that hideous thought, and wish you a happy, creative weekend! :o)

Funky Daze # 4.. Happy Birthday, Allison!

Card number four using lovely spotty paper from the FUNKY DAZE CD-rom, and a Martha Stewart zig-zag border punch which I won from my Funky Hand DT-mate, Enfys.. Thank you, En! :o) This card was also my birthday card for yet another Funky Hand DT-mate whose birthday was this week! Hope you had a lovely day, Allison! :o)

Funky Daze #3.. Happy Birthday, Anice!

Card number three using papers from the lovely FUNKY DAZE CD-rom, and a birthday card for Anice, the owner and creative talent behind Funky Hand, and, of course, my DT boss! :o)

The photo doesn't do this beautiful paper justice. Winter daylight is not the best for photography, sadly.

Funky Daze #2.. Happy Birthday, Enfys!

Card number two using papers from FUNKY DAZE, and it was for my Funky Hand DT mate, Enfys (or En, as we call her), who spends half her year in Florida, lucky thing!

Funky Daze #1..

Hooray!! Here is the first of the cards I have made in the past few weeks using papers from Funky Hand's lovely new CD-Rom, FUNKY DAZE. You can find it on the Funky Hand website, HERE. Watch out in particular for the Word Book templates. You can now make your own, using any word you like up to five or six letters. Brilliant!

Temporary closure of Comments facility...

Hi, everyone..

I am closing the option to leave comments on my blogs. Hopefully, this will just be temporary, and my blog-hopping mojo will return. The lovely comments everyone leaves are humbling but I am completely embarassed that I don't have the time or the energy to respond. All my focus is on work right now, and the last thing I want to do in the evenings is spend even more time on the computer, so it's not fair to you to have your kindness ignored.

I hope you understand, and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your sweet thoughts and awards.. You are all stars, and I appreciate you greatly!!

The comments option will go back on when I feel I can reciprocate. Meanwhile, there may be the odd card posted, as I have a bit of a backlog that I couldn't post before, as they are for a bunch of birthdays that are nearly all this week!

So watch this space in the next few days! And thanks again for understanding.

More resignations... :'o(

Finished work at 9.00pm again, and my days just seem to be getting longer. Not that I am complaining.. I am loving my job, and it's not that anyone is asking me to work long hours... I choose to. But it has totally squeezed my cardmaking mojo dry, I'm afraid.

So - with heavy heart - I have chosen to resign from another couple of teams..... the Basic Grey Challenge blog and the Inspirational team. I have loved them, but I don't want my cardmaking and blog-hopping to be a source of pressure and stress because I am letting people down. It should be fun!

I am sticking with Anice at Funky Hand for as long as I decide to continue cardmaking, as she was the first one to offer me the opportunity, but - to be truthful - I am feeling like my mojo has gone for good, and I am beginning to look at my craft room and thinking what else I could do with it..... hmmm.

Maybe after I've made a few cards just for fun, my muse will return, but we'll see.

Basic Grey Challenge #10 ~ Glitter

DARK SNOWFLAKE

For the Basic Grey Challenge blog. Probably the simplest card I have ever made! Uses Ambrosia paper. Would be a great option for mass-producing a lot of cards, as it was very quick.

Cut paper to size, ink the edges, and stick down. Stamp two large snowflakes in Versafine Onyx black ink. Use a small paintbrush to paint Craft Planet silver glitter glue over the snowflakes.