Birthday Candy from me!!

It's kinda rushed up on me AGAIN this year. It's my birthday on the 11th and to celebrate getting even OLDER I thought I'd give all of YOU, my fabulous visitors, the chance of a little birthday present too.

I've even included three of my wonderful Peachy Keen stamps! It was hard parting with them!
If you'd like to have your name thrown into the ring for this candy, please publish it on your blog and link back to me using Mr. Linky and if you haven't already, please become a follower. It would be nice if you left a comment too, although not compulsory.
This candy will stay open until midnight GMT on 11th December. I will post worldwide.

Good luck everyone!
Viv xx

A new Peachy Keen challenge and a new team!!!

Welcome to Peachy Keen Challenge #17 with our new expanded, mega talented design team.......

Lorie Souther
Janice Wilson
Jacqui Dennis
Nikki Foraker
Emma Aguilar
Angelica Suarez
Kathy (The boss)
Oh and me. *grin*

 To say I'm excited to be working with these amazing girls, would be an understatement, you are in for a TREAT!

On to the challenge, which this week is a recipe.......
· Polka Dots
· A border
· Stripes
· Stamped Image

I reckon I've covered it pretty much with my sample card.......
.

(Here's a slightly different angle so you can see the sparkly bits a little better).

Easy Peazy!!!!!
Don't you just LOVE that snowman! He's one of my favourites. You can find him here. (PK-306)
You don't have to have PK stamps to play along. (It's great if you do, but it's not a requirement).
Please ensure entries are posted before midnight 13th. December to be eligible for a prize.
Add your entry via Mr Linky on the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog.
When uploading to a public gallery, please use the following keywords......
For SCS...PKS or peachy keen stamps
For SNR use pks or peachykeenstamps (all one word).

Have fun and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Bye for now..
Viv x

Cards For Men Challenge Blog is launched!

Today's the day!! Did you guess the theme for the first ever Cards for Men challenge?
Yep! It's a Christmas theme. Well....it HAD to be, didn't it! LOL

Here's my first CFM challenge card......

Recipe.....

Kraft card

Stamp - SU's 'Lovely as a Tree'

Brown velvet ribbon

DP - Papermania's ' A Christmas Carol', matted onto dark brown card.

Sentiment - Hampton Arts

The 'snow' is the stuff you buy in a big bag to put on your windows to mimic snow. It has glitter in it and is only 99p from a shop in the UK called B&M.!!! There's TONS of it in a bag!

OK, not tons, but LOADS!

I made a mask by punching out a circle and sponged over it in Bashful Blue ink, to form a watery sun behind the trees.

Please join in with this very first Cards For Men Challenge, we can't wait to see what you come up with.

This is the fantastic prize donated by Donna's Den Of Crafts,  The  Crafter's Companion Ultimate Pro, so come on and play!

Pop over right away and see what the rest of the DT have created and to get all the details.

This challenge will run for two weeks in the lead-up to Christmas and then it will run monthly for a while to see how it goes.

(Hopefully, it will be every two weeks eventually).

Have fun!

Viv xx

I should be in bed

Instead I'm on here! I need to get a grip! LOL

Well I might not have time to get on here tomorrow, got a busy day out of the house.
Gotta take one my D-i-L and new grand daughter for a check up at the surgery tomorrow morning.
(Think it's the 6 week check, seeing as she's 6 weeks now).
Alan has the Warfarin clinic at the same time, I have to go to Mum's 'coz she wants some stuff, then the rest of the day's my own. All one hour of it! LOL
Anyway, here's an extra card I did for Oscar's 4th birthday. (I forgot I'd made that one with the skateboard)! Doh! Ha Ha

I wrote that it was from my Mum, 'coz she has given up sending cards now. It's too much hassle for her.
It qualifies as a 'Cards for Men' card too, 'coz it's for a boy.

Well, I'd better get to bed or baby won't be getting to the clinic and it'll take me 20 minutes to get across town to go and pick them up, as Macclesfield is grid-locked at rush hour! The appointment is 9.30am!!!

Don't forget! Cards for Men starts it's first challenge on 1st December!
Viv xx

Here's a picture of Harvey...

It's hard work getting a decent picture of him as he won't pose properly at all.
I finally got this reasonable one after deleting about 20 rubbish ones.

He's got a really shifty look on his face here! Ha Ha!

That's one of my two cats Smokey, sitting with him.

He does look guilty, doesn't he!

Most of the time he's making the cat's lives a misery.

 All my pals love him to bits. He's SO cute.

Issy is all for kidnapping him! Yeah right.

Hope you like my fur-baby and if you see me on SCS as Harvey's Mum, you know who Harvey is now!

Viv xx

Thank you Clare....

Clare has honoured me with this lovely award, I'm deeply flattered.

I would like to pass this on to all the brilliant ladies that visit me and leave such lovely comments,
even though I'm a naughty blogger, as a lot are still waiting for me to return the favour! *sigh*.
(I'm rubbish at time management lately).

Thank you again Clare! You are a STAR!
Viv xx

Not long now!!!!!

Until Cards For Men  posts it very first challenge!
It starts on the 1st December, so make a note won't you. It will be monthly to start with to see how things go.

Here's a sneak peek at what the challenge is to be......

Cards for Men is a much needed addition to our blogging enjoyment. How much do we struggle with men's cards!

Hopefully, we will be able to provide some inspiration and enjoyment.

Remember...1st December for your first challenge. We look forward to 'seeing' you and giving you all the details.

Please meet the design team.....

Donna (owner)

Lisa

Patricia

Shirley

and Me

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Viv xx

Three at once again.

I made these last Sunday when we had a crafting day at Jackie's. (If you visit her blog, you'll see how excited she was) Ha Ha.
Had a brilliant day with some, sadly not all of my dear friends. (Some live too far away to meet up with regularly, which is a shame).
We were dined and dined, not wined, 'coz we were driving. LOL The food was scrummy, the company 1st class and the ritual trip to the craft shop expensive! Don't care, it was well worth it. Ha Ha.

Here we are then. My quick and easy three cards.

 They are all pretty self-explanatory except the last one. I made the scene with elements from a stamp set called 'Winter trees' from Stampendous.
I got the idea for the scene from watching a video made by the uber talented Sandy Hulsart.
It's the first one of her videos in the left hand column of her blog.
(Alternatively, you can see it on You Tube, HERE).
Mine is nowhere near as good as hers, but I was trying to remember as I was at Jackie's and couldn't access Sandy's blog. Not too bad for a guess, I reckon.

I have to fly as I am taking Mum Christmas shopping today. As she's 91 almost, that could take a while.
Thanks for your visit. As always ,it's lovely to see you and I'll return the favour just as soon as I get 5 mins to myself. Have a great day!
Viv xx

MTSC49..The last one

Aww this is my last card as Mercy's November Muse.

I've had a blast working alongside some of the nicest and most talented ladies in blogland and I want to thank them all for making me so welcome once again.

Here we are then..... Yep it's a Christmas card, well it IS almost December!

Recipe....

Kraft card base

Poinsettia stamp by haven't a clue, (as usual)
A dash of burgundy Mulberry paper with gold dots on.
Snowflake punched in gold mirri
Branches by McGill punch
Gold Sakura for the seeds in the centre of the plants.
The striped DP is from a pad called 'Wassail' by Basic Grey.

Please join in with Mercy's Sketch Challenge. When you've completed your project, please use Mr Linky on Mercy's blog, here. When uploading your entry to a public gallery, please use the keyword MTSC49, so we can all find you.
Don't forget to check out the fabulous Muses samples! They are to die for and you'll get so much wonderful inspiration from them.

Mercy Kerin (Mega Muse)
Cindy Haffner
Crystal Birr
Jackie Pedro
Jessica Diedrich
Julie Lacey
Pam Speidel
Pam Varnell
Shannan Teubner (Taking a much needed break)

Thanks for joining me this month on my little adventure as Mercy's November Muse. It's good to see you as always.
Viv xx

Happy Birthday Alan!

It's hubby's birthday today and he's always saying 'when I was a lad', so I've made him a card that's ALMOST his era!!! Ha Ha.
He was born in 1938, so it's not TOO far out!  Yep! He's 71 today! Happy birthday Love!
I've used the sketch on Crazy 4 Challenges #12

I sponged everything with Tim Holtz 'Tea Dye' distress ink.

The 'Newsprint' is a piece of 12x12 DP from Monk's Den craft shop. Wish I'd got more now 'coz I like it a lot! VERY 1930's which suits that digital image a treat! That's from Digital Two for Tuesday.

I made up the sentiment and printed it off the PC.

The mount was done using a Nestability label die. (Can't think which one it's called now).

The Basic CS was picked up at the Papyr Box in Somerset, while we were on holiday.

I tarted the corner up a bit with a scroll that looked quite 30's and put two brads on the sentiment for the hell of it.

(I've since, stamped 'happy birthday in the blank column on the 'newspaper').

Hope you like my bit of nostalgia. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to catch up with you soon.

Viv xx