I am SOOO pleased!!!

I've won Gina's (The Card Kabin) challenge!!!!
This is extra special because it was picked out! Thank you Dave! :)
I'm SO chuffed I can't tell you!
Pop over to Gina's lovely blog and you'll see all the beautiful cards that were entered.
Off to tell anyone who'll listen! ;)Ha Ha

Alternatives to swearing!

Now we all swear don't we!
For instance 'Sewing', 'Ironing' (sorry).
Well I have some words that will stop you having to wash your mouths out with chocolate!
Try 'cloth piercing' and 'de-creasing'. Anyone got any others?
Haven't come up with an alternative to H******k yet!
All suggestions welcome. :)

It's Saturday!!

Don't get all excited about weekend now. No need now I've retired. Every day is like the weekend. Yummy!!!

I received my lovely candy from Nicola yesterday. Thank you SO much Nicola. Here's one card I made almost as soon as I got it!!!
It's very similsr to Nicolas but I couldn't help it, 'coz the flowers led me to the colour of CS I wanted to use.
Surprise surprise the patterned paper is exactly the same too! Didn't notice that till I compared them side by side!!! :0 Another reason I'm so pleased to get the candy is.... I never knew how ribbon got tied round a tent fold card!!!!*blush*.
Now I do!! :)

The 'cow' card is for a special friend who is daft on cows! She has anything and everything to do with cows in her house. Right down to splodgy black and white salt and pepper pots!
I did one with the cow watercoloured, but it didn't look right, so I decided to leave well enough alone. (Think it needs something on the end of the tag).
Pam and I are off to see her this weekend. We decided not to trust Royal Fail with her cards and pressies!
Also off to the chinese supermarket in Manchester, as dear hubby is running short of ingredients. ( He cooks some delicious chinese meals)!!

Well that's all for now peeps. Have a lovely weekend!!! Thanks again Nicola!!! :):)

Birthday card

This is for my daughter-in-law to be. It's her birthday tomorrow.
I've used that scroll stamp set from Basic Grey again. I'm in love with that set! :)
Bazzill bling CS. with a picture of a Stargazer Lily. Claire's favourite flower.

I hope you like it. :)

Introducing my first 'Nestie' card

Ta-Da!! I've been cutting Nestie shapes for all I'm worth this afternoon and couldn't wait to make a card with them.
Here we are! Tilda 'nestled'.

I hope you like it. ;)

Arte Y Pico Award!

Julie has given me the Arte Y Pico Award. I am SO thrilled.
I feel totally honoured to have been chosen for this and I'm not sure my head will fit through the door now! lol. Thank you soooo much Julie.

Here's how it happens:

There are 5 rules and they are as follows-


1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.


2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.


3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.


4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.


5) To show these rules.

Now, how on earth do I choose between you lovely ladies!!!
You've all treated me like a long lost friend and I've only been blogging for two weeks! No wonder I love crafting. :)


I, in turn, award it to.....

Pam _ Handcrafted With Love(without her, my best friend, I wouldn't be blogging yet, I'd still be thinking about it)!

Nicola - My Paper World

Gina - The Card Kabin

Jennifer - Jennifers Sweet Designs

Claudia - Pretty Cards and Pretty
Pressings

Do check their blogs out, they are fantastic.

I would also nominate Michelle Short and Julie as they have been my guiding light for a long time on Do Crafts.

EVERYONE who has been kind enough to visit my very new blog, deserves this award though. :)
My thanks go to all of you. :)
Luv
Viv
xxx

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Busy day today.
Got the Sky man here at the moment. We're with Virgin Media at present but were offered a free Sky+ and a free installation foe coming back to them. Whoo hoo!!
I've had some help re the Nestabilities (coming today I hope).
The lovely Gina and Tara have sent me some great links and I truly thank them.
Now if someone can help me turn a name into a clickable link, I can send peeps to them directly.

Pam and I had a fantastic day yesterday.
We didn't actually make a card, but we descended on Craft Central in Congleton and bought a few bits *cough cough*. lol.
I got a bottle of Glamour Dust gold, a stack of six ColorBox chalk cat's eyes in a range of earthy colours, a Basic Grey paper pad in reds and oranges, another pad of patterened papers called Little Twinkle Toes, by Design House. Very cute!
A roll of DS tape. (Got TONS of rolls of this, but it's a great width for ribbon this one). Two rolls of ribbon in pink and gold. Daren't tell you how much ribbon I've got!! Hubby is going to make me a ribbon cabinet. Basic but functional.
My best buy was Two scoops/swirlie stamps from Basic grey. Can't WAIT to have a play with THEM!
Called at a newly opened craft shop based in a garden center on the way to CC.
It's still in the process of stocking up, so there wasn't much choice.
I got a couple of sheets of 12X12. (The pattern being small enough to get away with on a card). A craft knife by Fiskars that slots onto your finger! and two sheets of pictures suitable for standard cards. Phew!!

We came back to mine, had a bacon butty and set to stamping and watercolouring different Tildas. Hubby made us a curry and we kinda faded after that! Ha Ha.

Got my son and daughter-in-law over for a couple of days later today, so my crafting will be severely curtailed.

Well, I suppose I'd better go and make the Sky man a cuppa.
Have a truly happy day everyone!

Help please!

I've just ordered the Oval Nestabilities. I Have a Wizard (which I'm selling 'coz I can't get my head round it), A Sizzix and a Cuttlebug.
Which is the easiest to use on the Nestabilities and more importantly, does anyone know where there are instructions for use on these machines? Pam has ordered them. She has just the Sizzix so is sweating in case we can't find any instructions.

I've ordered the small ovals. Are these the optimum size for cards? I hope so or I've wasted me money!!!! Oeerr!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

Thanks Viv
xxx

Happy Easter Monday everyone

Hello!
Pam is coming over today for a crafting 'sesh'. (Session). ;)
We will, of course, be visiting one of our very few craft shops at some point in the day. Assuming they are open!!! OH NOOO! What will we do if we can't have a 'fix' of some new craft goodies!! Ha Ha, it's not as if we haven't got most things out there! *rolls eyes and smiles*.

The weather here is lovely and sunny. No sign of the snow now. It's as if it had never been.
Well I'd better crack on. Don't want her to arrive before I'm even dressed!!
It's not a pretty sight. lol. Have a peaceful and happy day won't you.
Luv
Viv
xxx

Bea's Challenge card (Megastamper)

I loved doing this one too! It's all girly and pink, lovely!
Hope Bea likes it. :) (and you too of course)!!! :):)

My 'My Paper World' Challenge card..Take 2!!

I thought these papers were such a pretty colour, I didn't want to waste them, so made another for Nicola's challenge. :)

Got cracking on the next 'My Paper World' challenge

I didn't come very far out of my comfort zone for this one. (It's early days) Ha Ha.
Hope you like her. :)

Happy Easter Sunday All

Oh Boy! I am SOOO chuffed at winning the draw in Nicola's challenge. :):):)
All the cards submitted were of the best quality. I count myself VERY lucky indeed.
I'm going to be scouring them for techniques and ideas. ;)
Thank you for all your kind messages. I really do appreciate them all.
Is it like a winter wonderland where you are? 2inches (5cm)fell overnight here in Macclesfield. Woke up to a lovely winter scene. It's doomed though. The snow here is very 'wet' if you know what I mean and is thawing almost as fast as it fell.
Well, I am going to come out of my comfort zone and try to be a little different in my cardmaking today. I'll probably have a full bin by the end of the day, but I don't mind....'Nothing ventured, nothing gained', as they say. :)
Back soon.
Viv
xxx

Pretty in Pink

This is a Pink Petticoat image watercoloured with Marvy Le Plume pens and Sakura glitter pen on the bag flap and icing.

Happy Easter everyone!!!!

Well the wind blew and the rain...well err, rained, last night.
It was nearly as bad as the gales we had a few weeks ago!! :0 It seems to have blown the rain away this morning though 'coz the sun is shining. Always a feel good factor.
I've been 'wandering' again this morning. Started off on Ebay looking for Nestabilities and ended up in the US! Found a lovely blog on my virtual trip over the 'big Pond'...'Jennifer's Sweet Designs' and have added her to my growing list of lovely bloggers.
On a completely different tack, I've got one of my grandsons tomorrow night. Nothing spoecial about that you might say, except I don't see them very often, so it's a rare pleasure. :)
I'm off to rummage around in my stash to find some funky papers. The inspirational cards I've come across lately are getting me all fired up!!!! :)
Back soon. xxx

Happy Day

I feel so good today. I helped a neighbour who had a blocked sink and didn't know what to do!!! Got the trusty plunger and job was a gud'n 10 seconds later :)
Then my son rang and asked me to pay a bill, 'coz he couldn't get out of work.
Then the best bit..... I made another Tilda card!!! You know!!!...the Tilda that I didn't like the look of when it first came out! Ha Ha.*rolling eyes to the ceiling* :)
I keep coming in my craft room with every intention of giving it a good tidying, then I see a bit of card that takes my eye and before you know it.....more mess!!!

Well it's teatime, so I'd better stir me stumps.
Have a great Easter everyone!!!

My 'My Paper World' Challenge card

My second ever challenge! Haven't seen faux stitching before so was keen to try it out. Used some of my beloved Bazzill card and Craftwork Cards' bronze shimmer paper, embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots. Tilda is watercoloured.
Hope you like it. :)

Been to Mum's today to put her hair in rollers ready for her club tomorrow.
Had to laff, coz she was telling me about a man who sat next to her and put his arm round her. 'There was nothing sexual about it' she said......(don't know YET if she was pleased, or sorry). She'S 90 at Christmas!!!! Ha Ha. Bless.
I've finally managed to do the challenge from My Paper World, which I'm glad about. I've been trying to do it all week but keep getting sidetracked.
Well, as it's 12:50 I think I'll get ter bed. Night night. xxxx

My first Tilda card

Didn't like the Tilda image when it first came out, but after seeing what everyone did with her, I've had to change me mind!
I only bought three to start with, to see how I get on.
Practically threw this together this morning. :0

My first blog challenge card

Dipped me toe in the water with this challenge by Gina of the Card Kabin.
Hope it passes muster Gina!! :0

Managed to squeeze another in.

It was half done and since I'm all ready for tomorrow, I finished it off. :)

Might change type of card now. Done enough DL for a bit.

Last one of the day

Got to get sorted for picking Pam up and driving over to Derby for our stamping day with the Derby Dabblers so this is the last one for the day.
I've used my Rotatrim on the edge and put an edging of the bronze paper on the inside to make the contrast.

Hope you like it. :)

Back now, but not for long...

Got to get ready for a day of stamping with the Derby Dabblers tomorrow.

Can't wait! Pam and I are travelling down together with trusty Sally Satnav doing the honours.

Anyway, here's my latest offering. The bronze paper is the booklet of strips from Craftwork Cards and the pad is too. Gotta get more!

I chalked the 'birthday' on the Cuttlebug embossed paper but I'm not sure about it.

Any comments would be welcomed. :)

No playing 'till later!

I'm off into town for some decoupage varnish for Pam that I should've got yesterday.
Then Hubby and I are off to see my youngest son's wedding venue this afternoon. It's at Adlington Hall's lodge in Macclesfield. It's just down the road from us, so thank heavens we won't have far to travel. Just as well, 'coz they are getting married on 2nd January!!!!OMG!!! Freezing!
Then when we get back, I can play!!!

Think I will do some more bronze ones. Kinda like the one I've posted, so I'll see where that theme takes me. ;)
Have a happy and crafty day everyone!

Grateful thanks to Michelle

At last I think I'm getting the hang of things now.
Still need to check everything umpteen times, but I'm getting there finally.
(Thanks for the education Michelle. I think I may be able to fly solo now and give you some peace)!!!
I'm in the process of uploading some albums at the moment, so watch this space!
Well actually, the space on the right hand side lol.

My first attempt at blogging.

I'll try and keep it simple.... note I said 'try'. :)

Here (hopefully) are the cards I made today.....
I owe a debt of gratitude to one of my favourite cardmakers, Michelle short.
She has inspired me no end.
I've taken the plunge as my best friend Pam has dipped her toe in the blogging water and I wasn't about to be left behind. ;)