TIME FLIES!

Oh grief ... almost another two months disappeared into nowhere as far as blogging is concerned!  Again we have been busy bees, not helped by Misha who I am sure thinks that she is Stirling Moss at times.  She likes to muscle in on all the acts that go on in our household and is not too pleased when she is ignored!

She is not longer the tiny ball of fluff, skin and bones that she was when we found her in the nettle patch at the bottom of the garden and we are pretty sure that we know who the Mummy is due to her increasing Siamese looks and characteristics!  The question is ...... WHO'S THE DADDY?!!!  Again, we THINK we know who it is but not sure on that one.  If it is our prime suspect then his name is Hitch and he roams around the lane by the cottage!

WHO'S THE DADDY?


So .... because of the fact that this really should be a crafting blog, I have a confession to make ... I haven't done much!  I seem to go in fits and starts and lose my mojo at regular intervals, after which I have a growth spurt (a bit like Misha!).  Some of this is because my back has been giving me some major grief over the last few weeks and as I mainly craft standing up, the times when I have been *pain-free* enough to do it have been fairly few and far between.

I have, however managed to wrap presents and make mini Christmas cakes to give away as gifts to family and neighbours ... again with Misha giving a helping paw.  I am not sure if she is a help or a hindrance but she is very entertaining.

WRAPPING CHRISTMAS CAKES

Anyhow, whilst we were up at the cottage the other week (putting Christmas decorations up) we took a little trip out to Sir Stampalot in Peterborough.  Hmmm ... it was hubby's birthday and the poor darling took me craft shopping as a birthday outing!  Whilst there I spotted some easel cards that had been made and when we got home I searched online and found some which arrived two days later.  I have been playing with them this week and these are what I have come up with.  They look a bit naff in the photos but IRL look luverly!  One is a footprints one, where I have put small seashells on the *canvas* and the other was done with various dies.  Each can be removed from the card and used as a standalone altered easel.  

FOOTPRINTS EASEL CARD

VINTAGE EASEL CARD

Phew, that's my catch-up for today!  

TFL,

Mandi xx

GETTING THERE!

Good morning folkies!  A few blog posts ago I said that I had to try and get various cards done, including a New Home card, and a New Baby card.  Well, the New Home card was done (and blogged) a couple of weeks ago and I have finally got round to doing the New Baby card.  Wth a little moggy around things seem to take at least 3 times as long and I have to pick my moments - ie when I *think* that Misha is asleep because otherwise everything gets sabotaged by 4 paws!  I have discovered the true meaning of the phrase *cat nap* because Misha seems to have an amazing ability to be fast asleep and dreaming of mice one minute and then bouncing around like something on springs the next.

At the moment, Misha aside, things are frantic.  Tonight we are driving down to Kent to take daughter to a hospital appointment tomorrow.  She became seriously ill over Christmas and it has taken them this long to finally get down to the cause of it.  This year has been a huge round of hospitals and more hospitals, with a bit of messy art thrown in for good measure!  I think that getting messy is my sanity check but at the moment the chances to do that are a bit few and far between, and when I do have the space I don't have the oomph.

Anyhow, enough whinging!  Here is the New Baby Card.  I really don't like the way that colours scan in, as they either look washed out or too dark and this card is neither.  

TFL until next time!

Mandi xx

IT JUST AIN'T EASY!

It just ain't easy ... crafting with a cat!

I wanted to play with some Heartfelt Creations dies and stamps but was somewhat hampered in the process by Misha who insists on eating all thing to do with paper.  If she was not chasing a pen-lid round, she was chomping on the cardstock.  I eventually managed to put this ...........

....... together, which is the heartfelt creations hydrangea die and petals.  I had to cut out 24 of the stamped petals to layer on to the card.  The scan doesn't really do justice to the colours.  All this was interrupted by *thunderpaws* ... aka Misha as demonstrated below!

NEW HOME CARD

FINALLY managed to get round to making a New Home card ... which is not at all housey!  It hasn't scanned in very well as it is so bulky but the background has got lots of home-associated words on it.

I used my Heartfelt Creations die, and cut 6 lengths, which I then glued together and scored at 1/2 inch intervals.  I then glued these together, and made them into a rosette to fill an 8x8 card.  The sentiment is from Lily of the Valley stamps, and finished off with card candy.

TFL!

Mandi xx

WHERE DID I GO?

Disappeared ... that's what!  Disappeared in a sea of journeys to and from Kent, March and London ... oh, and the vet's!  Misha Moo is now very much a part of our lives and has managed to take over most of the downstairs rooms in the house, as well as our travel plans!  We can no longer *simply* get in the car and go ... we have to delicately plan every detail which also has to revolve around Misha!  The latest escape has been a two week trip to Cambridgeshire with Bex, which is normally quite a simple process but not any more!  Having decided that Misha would not cope with the journey to Kent from London, and then from Kent to Cambridgeshire, we had to do it in two stages ... all very precisely planned.  No longer do we simply pack a weekend bag, but cat litter, food, toys, feeding bowls, litter tray, scratching post, worming paste ... and cat has to come too - with an overnight stopover in the middle!

I have only tried paper-crafting once with Misha around and for me, it was not a happy, stress-free event.  For her, however it was a small piece of heaven ..... chasing screwed up paper balls around the house ... remnants of a project gone wrong.  On occasions such as these I wish that she was a dog.  At least she might bring the darn things back after chasing them!  The house is now strewn with little balls of paper, mini tennis balls, ping pong balls by the bucket load ... and pen lids which are her latest fad!

I MUST make a new home card, a new baby card, and a birthday card within the next week ...... or maybe I will just go to Tesco's and buy them!  Let me go and ask the cat what she would prefer!!!!!

I will TRY and be back soon!

Mandi xx

FINDING MISHA

Apologies for being somewhat elusive - owing to having been on holiday for the past 10 days at the cottage in Cambridgeshire.  

We came back last night with rather more than we bargained for!

We went out into the garden where there is a bit of wasteground at the back which we have not developed yet.  It has double gates, leading to a supermarket carpark, which have quite a large gap underneath.  Hubby pointed to something in the wasteground and said *look at that*!  I said *oh it looks like a dead cat* to which he replied *yes but it's breathing*.  This was on Saturday lunchtime!  A closer look showed that it was a tiny scrap of a kitten which was pretty much too weak to move.  We are assuming it had been dumped as it was too young to be out.  We eventually managed to pick it up, after a lot of hissing and teeth-bearing and the rest is history!  A quick visit to the pet shop to grab some kitten milk and food, and one ravenous kitten was somewhat pacified and quickly decided that it had got lucky!  Having asked around the neighbours and local pet shop as to whether they knew of an owner, and drawn a blank, the lucky moggy has now been adopted.  The logistics of getting it home have been interesting and involved various visits to pet shops and supermarkets to stock up on basics!  150 miles later (via a trip to Bury St Edmunds to visit my elderly Mum) and *Misha* has a new home and a new name!  We are still uncertain as to the age and sex of it (that will be determined tomorrow at the Vets) so the name might well change but the home won't!  

I can feel a scrapbook page coming on!!!

Love Mandi

JUST ONE!

Just one card today, owing to the fact that occasionally I need to feed the family (shop), make sure hubby has clean clothes (wash) and that we can see the carpet (hoover)!  

Just a quick Christmas card, made entirely with Marianne D's dies.  The colour contrast does not show as well as it looks I.R.L but I was pleased at how clean the black, silver and white looks together.

God bless,

Mandi

CHRISTMAS COME EARLY?

Well I did threaten Christmas cards lol!  Having not sent any Christmas cards or newsletters for the past two years, there are now probably several relatives who think that we have just *dropped off the planet*!  This has not been laziness, but sheer busyness, as we have been bombarded with unexpected hospital visits for all members of the family, as well as the more mundane things.  I used to love Christmas but in many ways that pleasure has gone, largely through the shops beginning their Christmas sales plug earlier and earlier, and as soon as the school holidays are over we will begin to see shops re-arranging their displays to make room for Christmas Decorations and gifts.  It is one of my big *beefs* and drives me NUTS! 

For us, last year's Christmas did not happen ...... well not on December 25th as daughter no.2 got rushed into hospital with very severe anaemia! (We only took her to the GP with a sore throat!!)  What with the snow, and the need for blood transfusions, Christmas Day got cancelled and we had it on 1st January to celebrate the New Year instead!!  I have to confess that I enjoyed it (preferred it even) as somehow it took the panic and exhaustion out of preparing Christmas dinner, and everything that goes with it.  

Back onto the subject of the aforementioned Christmas cards!  I spent the weekend making a huge mess, and so far have done 24 cards.  Thanks to the wonderful Cheery Lynn dies (Dies to Die For) and Marianne D, these were quite easy to make.

Cheery Lynn have a lovely *frame* and I discovered by accident when trying it out on fairly thick cardstock, that whilst it did not cut that thickness, it made a beautiful embossed impression, so I have used that as a background on a few of my cards.

Next job the newsletter!

And then maybe onto Easter cards? !!!!!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Mandi

MAYBE THINGS WILL CALM DOWN?

Maybe things will calm down now and I can get back to *business*!!!!!!  (In my case regain my mojo and make something but at this rate it might well be Christmas cards lol).

Living in West London we have been in the *riot zone*.  Just up the road from us a large PC World was looted, as was Curry's in the opposite direction.  We live on a main road and the number of police vans, cars and sirens passing the house have been unreal.  I have also been disgusted at the number of false reports and scaremongering on Twitter.  I imagine that less than 1% of Tweets have been truth ... and those posting questions to try and get the truth have been ignored.  I have never been on Twitter before this week, and will probably not go on it again, or certainly not as a regular occurrence after this.

*Calm down* also applies to having managed to get THE scrapbook out of the way and handed over ... it seems to have been well received and enjoyed by those who looked at it.  I did have some really neat comments and some not so neat ....... namely *you do realise that you will now have to make one for every wedding and christening that we have don't you?* and *now THAT would be an idea for my 80th*.  Ho hummm ...... and not on your nelly methinks!!!

I am hoping that I might be able to post something creative in the next few days, provided that someone returns my mojo to its rightful owner!

Until then, have a great weekend!

Love Mandi

ANOTHER DIGI

Another digi pic, this time of younger daughter in the garden!

GONE DIGI!

The other day I happened to read a Facebook post by one of the ladies from UK Scrappers, who gave a link to a lovely digital scrap website (digiridoo).  I hardly ever do digi nowadays but just fell in love with the clusters that she (Bernie!) had used on her page.  I got the kit, downloaded it, and in the 10 minutes I had before leaving for a hospital appointment, I came up with this which I really like and is now being used as my wallpaper (PC NOT Lounge!!!).  The picture was of eldest daughter going to a wedding.  I don't often manage to get photos of her but managed to persuade her outside to stand next to the sunflowers that she has been growing

The first sunflower is now out and it is fascinating to watch it turn to face the light.  We haven't grown sunflowers before (actually we haven't grown much before the last couple of years when we decided to get our *outside house in order* lol.).  Sunflowers do have a special meaning to Sarai as after the young lad that she had been caring for at school (she had been his Special Needs Assistant for 8 years) died from Muscular Dystrophy, his Mum and Dad kept being given things with sunflowers on, and sunflowers were put on his grave (I am fairly sure that is accurate ... if it isn't then I will change the post).  Ben's Mum gave a little packet of sunflower seeds to a number of people and they are currently having a *sunflower competition*!!!  

Tomorrow is *D Day* for the scrapbook being handed over.  It is now held together with ribbon as it is too fat to stay together!!!!!!!!  I think I may play around with a bit more digi  as it makes less mess and we are going to have *no fixed abode* for the next few days as we have various hospital appointments etc., so in the words of my favourite comedienne, *bear with, bear with* !!!!!

Mandi xx

FINALLY!

Well I have FINALLY finished THE scrapbook (all 56 pages)that I was asked to do for a fella leaving church on Sunday.  I can honestly say that I have NOT enjoyed doing it (wrong attitude??!) and I am not quite sure what he - or anyone else - will make of it but it is done now!  The problem is that I am all *created* out and havent really got too much inspiration for doing anything else.  Maybe I just need a rest! 

I dont know if anyone else goes through the *why bother* thing with creating.  I have a box full of the cards I have made, and in all honesty very few get sent, although I was really pleased with my sunflower card for eldest daughter as I know that sunflowers are really meaningful to her.  I have   scrapbooks full of pages that I did a while ago and are now sitting on a shelf gathering dust, but are scrapbooks *self-indulgent* (?) as they dont really benefit anyone else ...... so I am having a *why bother* day and can fully empathise with Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore!!!

I have a load of little sewing kits with pincushions that I made sitting in another box, (recycled GU jars lol lol) IKEA flower buckets waiting to be altered, chipboard things coming out of my ears and so on ..... but no inspiration and wondering why on earth I got them in the first place!  I had grandiose ideas of *stockpiling* handmade goods and then getting a table at a local monthly craft fair to sell them but for now the *oomph* has lost it's mojo!  If found, please return to owner ... thankyou!!!

*THE Scrapbook!*

EXHAUSTED!

Well I have now done 52 pages of THE scrapbook and never want to see another scrapbook page in my life!  I will be so glad when I can get back to doing my individual bits and pieces.  I have used loads of die cuts in the scrapbook, and also a bit of stamping, with a lot of digital stamps (thankyou Dee!).  I have recently discovered Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies which I really enjoy working with although I havent produced anything like the beautiful stuff in their gallery.  The only problem that I am finding is that you buy one set, and then discover that you need a bit of another set to finish it if that makes sense ..... very clever marketing on their part I have to say but I still like them!!!

I will get back to posting creations when I have finished the scrapbook, and slept for a year!

Have a wonderful day,

Mandi xx

GOTTA LAUGH!

Not a picture today as I have been working hard on the scrapbook, although I was a bit naughty this morning and got a couple of bits from one of my favourite shops *Dies to Die For*.  I just wish Tracy would not keep putting temptation in my way by adding new stock all the time!  I am a sucker for butterflies and dragonflies, all things natural really so I am in die-heaven on the DtoDfor site!

Anyhow, back to the title of *Gotta Laugh*.  No.1 Daughter works as a Teaching Assistant ..... a jammy job (NOT!) where she gets long holidays off whilst being paid!  Yesterday to celebrate the end of term, she and a few other TA mates had a party!!!  Various slurred phonecalls later we were vaguely assured that she had *3 very shober friends who are looking after me*.  When we went to rescue her from the pub her 3 *very shober friends* had probably drowned as much vodka as she had and they were all looking after each other!  She has just surfaced from her sleep this morning and assures us that she does not remember anything after 9pm!  She should hook up with Miranda and do a comedy duo, it was definitely worth watching!

Off to Bury St Edmunds today to see Mum (who is a QVC/Create & Craft Queen!!!) so probably won't be blogging over the weekend. 

Have a good one!

Mandi xx

TAKING TIME TO PLAY!

I suddenly decided last night to take time to play with my new Heartfelt Creations (Spellbinders) lace die.  It is gorgeous in its own right but I thought I would do something a little different as I have been experimenting with making rosettes out of various items.  I was so pleased with how this turned out, but it doesnt fit on a 6x6 card, or in an envelope!  I decided to tie some net ribbon round the rosette before mounting it on contrasting 6x6 paper and then placing it on an *easel* shaped base card so it can be displayed.  The whole thing has come out to fit an 8x8 card.  A while ago I decided that I would *bulk order* some plain white pizza boxes for this sort of thing so it will be given to someone *gift boxed* lol. 

TFL!  Mandi xx



BEING ELUSIVE

It's been a few days since I posted, mainly because I was given a rather mammoth task to do.  There is a fella in church who is part of the Careforce Team (a team of volunteers from overseas placed within churches to do the donkey work lol) who is leaving after 2 years hard graft to go to Bible College.  Yours truly has been given the task of doing a scrapbook page for each and every member of the church to give to him as a leaving gift .... in about 2 weeks time!  Ho humm, needless to say it has kept me more than fully occupied, exasperated, bald and with an increased vocabulary of bad language as there have been mishaps along the way.  I am nearly finished on my first lot of pages (making something out of mostly not so good photos and better messages!) but it has meant that everything else including housework has been neglected!  Alongside all that there have been birthdays and hospital appointments to fit in (NOT in that order!)

Anyhow, I am now getting round to posting the card that I made for  eldest daughter's birthday which has come out really well and she loved.

TFL!  Mandi

EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE DAYS?

Did you ever have one of those days when you are still in your PJ's at 2.40pm, the hoover has not touched the floor and the washing up hasn't been done never mind the ironing pile?  I have and I am!!!!  The reason for this is that I have been highly industrious and made a birthday card for my daughter (which I can't post until Friday when she opens it as I think she might look at this blog occasionally!!!).

It took forever, much longer than expected but I am sooooo pleased with the result and really hope that she loves it!  (If she doesnt then I will personally tell her to spend all Saturday making ME a card for MY birthday which just happens to be two days later on Sunday!!!)  She is pretty good at making cards, in lots of ways much better than I am as she has the patience to sit for hours and cut out her stamped images.  I can't be doing with that a)because my eyesight isn't as good as hers b)because I am not particularly knife happy when it comes to crafting and c)why cut out when you have nestabilities??!!!!!

So ... until the time comes when I can post the picture (and for once the scanner behaved!) I will have to keep everyone in suspense.  Now for the hoovering!!!

TODAY'S OFFERING!

I have itchy fingers - the kind that needs to play with paper!  I had a *little* package arrive from Dies to Die for which contained some *confetti* in my beautifully wrapped parcel of dies.  This was one of the *confetti* bits which I played around with a bit and embossed.  At Newbury last week I was so pleased to be shown a way round of using the TH distress inks without the foam as I had not had much success with that previously and kept getting lines when inking.  There was a demo going on using Dreamweavers stencil brushes instead of the foam and that is now keeping me happy!  I then decided to use a brush to apply clear embossing ink before the powder and I will be using that method from now on!

The colours from the scanner have come out a bit dodgy on this for some reason, as the background is on navy coloured card.  The swirl and small butterflies are also from Dies to Die for.  Metal charm was from Mei Flower (I think!) at Ally Pally.



LAST ONE FOR TODAY!

I have just been having fun playing with two *quickie* cards.  These are simple for me ... very little bling involved (just a bit of glitter in the papers as I have to get it in somewhere!)  The butterflies were from Dies to Die For (I am just a little bit hooked on Tracy's stuff!) and the tulle netting from Hobbycraft.  I have finally managed to work out a sandwich that cuts first time with these dies, using my Grand Calibur.  I still havent worked out the combination for the Big Shot.  I have used a magnetic sheet as a shim and have rubbed over the dies with tumble-dryer sheets before use as it seems to wax them a bit and the cuts just *fall out*! 

Thats all from me today!  I feel like I have posted a week's worth so I might have a day off tomorrow!!!

 Mandi x

HERE GOES!

Please excuse some of the colours on these, I decided to scan the cards in rather than take numerous photos which normally turn out wonky anyhow!  I am hoping that these will show up ok on this post especially since they are in the ubiquitous cellophane bags!! From now on I will attempt to keep up to date.

Many of my more current *messy creations* will not scan because they have bulky items on them.  If anyone could let me know the best way of displaying such things (eg the fabby flowers from Wild Orchid) please shout!

Mandi x

Mixed Media card ... using pre-cut floral decoupage on embossed chipboard (Tim's movers and shapers dies) and rubbed over with Inka Gold.

One of my earlier creations .. with lots of things thrown on for good measure!



Pocket card.  Image coloured in with watercolours and irridescent medium. 

Dreamweaver stencil on black card with metal flakes.  The stencil was then removed and the *bare* areas filled in with black flocking powder.

Another mixed-media type of card using a digi-image.  Flowers from Wild Orchid crafts.

Another of the same, this time with flowers from HobbyCraft and a fiskars combination border/corner punch using just the corners by accident!!!

Waltzing Mouse stamp used with corresponding Nesties Labels 4 (gotta love the WM designs!!).  Used some lush new petaloo flowers that I got from Newbury last week.

This was a fairly recent card, and the first Easel Card that I have made.  I used a purchased Digi Image and then cut it using a print and cut technique on the cricut which worked fairly well.  I combined the image with a pre-cut decoupage flower.  I have to say that I love this card as it is quite touchy feely!

New Baby Card.  Die cut decoupage set from Dunelm of all places!  I also experimented with the little peg dies to make the border which turned out ok (much better IRL).  The babygro and lettering was a sizzlets die.

Another of my favourites.  Footprints poem stamped onto tissue paper and then placed on to canvas chipobard.  Painted with watercolours, added shells and glitter and some more stamped images of shells.

And finally .......

Wedding card created for BIL .... Easel Card using Digi Image and lots of Bling.  Nestabilities labels 4 used with Nestabling.  Right up my street!!!

Phew!  Thats it for now!

TFL!

Mandi x

 

PLAYING CATCH-UP

I started this blog a long time ago, and did not get any further than the first page, mainly because in many ways I am not that technically minded, and had not found all the editing functions of the blog!!!  Now I will need to play catch-up and post piccies of some of the cards that are sitting in my *hand-made to die for* pile waiting for some poor unsuspecting person to receive such a wonderful creation through their letterbox!!

Ever since childhood I can remember loving the feel of paper and pencils, despite not being able to draw even a stick person, and flunking spectacularly at art through school.  The now eclectic mess of paper, pens, paints, glitter, chipboard, glue, clay, paper-mache objects and a LOT of other stuff demonstrates the different routes that I have been down in trying to discover a particular style.  7 years ago I *found* scrapbooking, in the run-up to my wedding.  My poor unsuspecting hubby-to-be found himself coming home to a sea of half-cut bits of paper, glue sticks, photos and peel-offs. I swore that I would never be able to do anything except for 12x12's but how the mighty have fallen!  Now, 4 full scrapbooks later, I have evolved and *found myself*!!  I havent done a scrapbook page for 18 months and have now settled in to various forms of altered art and cardmaking.  At least these get to be displayed or posted .... and I am doing my bit in keeping Royal Mail in business.

Now to attempt to scan in the various creations that are sitting around in those little cello-bags and to prove that I do actually do something other than drink coffee and eat chocolate whilst creating an indignified, glittery mess.

Mandi x

WHY THE TITLE?

Why the title? Because there are some things that I simply cannot do without! Coffee and glitter being just two of them. Chocolate is probably a third. Not being the tidiest and most organised of crafters, there are generally numerous coffee cups, scraps of paper, little squares from double sided sticky dots and half a pot of glitter liberally thrown over the table at the beginning, middle and end of a creative session (not to mention hubby going off to work in a posh suit with bits of glitter glistening from his nose and occasionally resembling something of a pearly king). All this usually leads to a decent result .... and a lot of head-scratching when I see people put up proud pictures of a totally spotless, organised craft space in the midst of making something wonderful.

So what is my style in the midst of all this chaos?? A sort of strange mixture of vintagy, grungy, lacy, glittery stuff, with lots of die cuts and a bit of digital work thrown in for good measure. I have yet to make a very simple *clean* creation but keep promising myself that one day I will try. Until then, I will throw everything possible on to one piece of paper and hope for the best.

Happy Following!
Mandi xx