Cardmaking: Bunting

On this card I masked off a few clouds & sprayed blue, shimmering ink over them. I then attached the bunting. As the flags were predominately white I inked the edges to make them stand out more. I finished off with stamping "Happy Birthday" on.

Bunting on some pretty papers with a touch of gold.

Cardmaking: Back to bunting

Heres some bunting cards, not in the usual triangular flag style. Both I think would be perfect for males.

Rocking My World Friday

I am writing this, feeling rather stressed out -                                                                                               you've probably heard about Game on the news, well Ryan works for Gamestation who Game also own- so contemplation on the positives will hopefully lift my mood.

First off is the lovely surprise I got through the post....

Lizzie makes the most beautiful books in a range of styles. People buy them for weddings albums, guest books, recipe books, I could go on & on. I admired such a book she'd made for her friend, a sketchbook you can find HERE on her blog. She made me an A6 journal with the same materials & sent it to me as a surprise, isnt she a darling! There was also a lovely card in the package and all beautifully wrapped, which always makes anything even nicer (you can send me your toe clippings & as long as you package them nicely I wont yell at you). I love how the lokta paper (is it made by orcs? you've got to be a WoW player to appreciate that lil joke) almost seems to blend into the grey suede spine. Not only made with me in mind it was also personalised with a "K" stamped with a lino stamp Lizzie had made, mine, all mine, see, the letter tells you so. It all made me feel very special and loved, thanks Lizzie xx
You can see better photos, & read more about the book HERE on Lizzies blog, she is very generous with her explanations & tutorials so well worth a look.

Last Friday Kai gave me my Mothers day present & card when he came out of school, he couldnt wait until sunday. He made me a lovely bead bracelet & told me he HAD to put a purple bead on to match my hair, this kid KNOWS to colour coordinate :-D

Sunday I had a lovely Steak dinner on salad, I cooked it to perfection even if I do say so myself. I love steak but havent had it in ages so treated myself, well, it was MY day.

The sun is out & its warm! I actually went to the school today in a light cardi & was still too warm.

Friends on facebook giving me support when I had a much needed rant, and others complementing me on my new fb photo (the same photo is on about me/about lil ol me), a nice lil ego boost.

We're all healthy (ish) , not starving, have heat & light, a roof over our heads, all the things we take for granted. So whats Rocked your world this week? Aa always, come link up at Celtic House.

Cardmaking: A bit more bunting

This idea I got from pinterest HERE, Not sure of it & have decided to add the recipients name to the front as I think it needs something extra.

Cardmaking: A Bit of Bunting

Our cardmaking lesson was inspired by bunting this week, & oh boy did I run with it!

Lynne showed us how to make a new type of step/concertina card out of 12x12 card that she had spent ages working out measurements for. & heres my take on them

 A clown party

& a fairy garden party.

Theres plenty more bunting cards for me to show you so pop back tomorrow :-)

YOUR queries answered :-)

I love getting comments, they make me feel acknowledged, appreciated & part of a crafting group that covers the globe. This week I've been asked a few questions, and feel I need to clear a few things up, so I decided a post dedicated to answering my followers questions & queries would probably be the best way about it so, without further ado...

Cardmaking: first steps lesson 1

Aw shucks, thank you Marg **blushes**. I have been cardmaking for 8 years, starting when Iris Folding was all the rage & the original red sizzix was the height of crafting technology. Over the years I have fallen out of love with it though & needed some inspiration that didnt involve stamps or ready made embellishments. Though I know a lot of people out there do beautiful work with these they just dont get my creative juices flowing very often (she says having treated herself to 3 digi stamps ;-)
Most of the ladies on the course do it every year as Lynne (the teacher) uses the same techniques but makes a lot of different styles. I cant wait for "Arty" week as we get to do Encaustic Art, I tried it once 8 years ago & ADORE it, one day I will buy myself an encaustic kit, one day.

Just one sketch - No photos & layering

Hi Aly **waves**. Its a paper scrapbook page, haven't got the inclination to try digi scrapping yet, I'm very tactile & like to feel the papers :-)

Ello me ol mucka! get it, mucka, mucky, pig, furry pig, no, ok forget it ;-p
The background sheet is one from My Minds Eye, Lost & Found Christmas
The green & gold papers are bazzil, the ones with journalling on are Bo Bunny Father Christmas "12" Father Christmas cut outs item # 12FCO944
Finally, the embellishments are all part of the Papermania "A Silent Night" collection
Ooo, its not often I can list what bits & bobs I use, lol, yay, go me!

Zack doesnt remember it at all Lizzie, he found it quite funny reading about it all, he was only ickle though when it happened. I did mention it to his teacher at the time & if I remember correctly it basically came down to school dinners being done by an outside company, & guidelines/rules/Health & safety etc wouldnt allow it. However they had a Christmas party a few days later with bang free crackers (gun powder is not allowed in school, lol), party hats, nice foods etc :-)

Arent my blog followers lovely, & I do appreciate them all.
Please feel free to ask any questions on my blog, about the items I show, or even if your just being nosey :-)
I love hearing from you.

200 Budget Meals - A review.

I was sent "200 Budget Meals" by Octopus books to review...

What's it all about?
This is a 240 page, colour, recipe book. The blurb on the back reads
"From Soups and starters to suppers and desserts, over 200 delicious recipes for chefs on a shoestring budget
Beautiful photographs and clear instructions make this book perfect for every cook."
It starts with an introduction that explains how to buy the right products, at the right time can help stretch your budget. It then leads onto the recipes, sectioned off under the headings "starters & snacks", "vegetable & salad dishes", "rice & pasta", "meat & poultry", Fish & Shellfish", "desserts"

How did I find it?
I've made several of the recipes from the book & find the instructions very easy to follow. I like how alternatives are given with each recipe so you can alter it slightly. The majority of the recipes are quite cheap to make, though some would be outside of my own budget. The recipes are not only cheap but also all seem healthy as well. There's a good selection of winter warmer type of meals and lighter summer salads, with varying degrees in-between. The majority also take less than 40mins to prepare & cook so great when you have time restraints.

The photos are clear and look appetising without looking too fussy or unobtainable

The recipes I tried were all very tasty, and I would recommend this book for people on a budget looking to try out some flavoursome new meals without wanting too much fuss behind it.

You can find this book on Amazon.co.uk HERE.
Thank you to Octopus books for sending me this book to try out
www.octopusbooks.co.uk