There is such a thing...............

.................as a useful bloke. Shame he's not real though. This little fellow is so useful he's one of my fave stamps.

The reason i love him is because i can make up lots of little captions and print them out then stamp him by the side. He looks like he could be saying so many things. His name is Floyd and i got him from Sir Stampalot HERE. I had an email enquiry about him this morning so i decided there could be a few more peeps wondering where i got  him from.

The papers are scraps and the card base is 6"x6". The printer i use has a continuous ink system and when i bought it a couple of years ago i went mad downloading and printing loads of papers, mainly from Summer Driggs. Eventually it decided to play up and no amount of head cleaning etc would stop it from printing everything with a blue tinge.I mainly use it just for black and white now but have decided to carry on printing papers until the ink runs out before buying another. I've got big bottles of the stuff so there'll probably be quite a few blue cards on the horizon,lol.

Jazz Quickie.

This has got to be one of the quickest cards ever. Great when you need a man card in a hurry.

It's made with a free image from TLC HERE. All i had to do was colour the drum skins with an ivory promarker but to be honest it looked just as good uncoloured. I printed the sentiment using  Hoola Boola font. The card base is 6"x6".
Speedy has been told by his doc to lose about 2 stone because he has kidney damage and if they went downhill fast and a family member offered a suitable kidney he could bypass all the dialysis lark and have a transplant if he was at a lower weight. He's been on a low potassium diet for 2 years and believe me it's not easy as everything that used to be healthy like fruit and veg contain loads of it. Cake and bread however contain very little, so guess what Speedy's been scoffing. He decided that he wanted a "last supper" before embarking on the diet so we went to a local Indian last night for a big scoff. So..............erm............

........Target weight 9st 2lb.  Today's weight 9st 5lb. Another 2lb back on.  Speedy's fault,lol.

Quick Jokey Card.

Speedy, the hubby is a mechanic. One of his customers (who drinks with him in the local pub ) rang him last week to say he'd broken down in his new car. Of course speedy's first question was " are you sure the fuel hasn't ran out. " Yes, there's fuel in it " was the reply. so off he goes to rescue this bloke and guess what? Yep....no fuel,lol. So of course, the poor bloke has never heard the last of it down the pub. Not wanting to be left  out, i made him a quick card.

Well, i uploaded this card and to my horror i realised i'd spelled diesel wrong but i've managed to prize the image layer off and quickly redo it. Phew, i would have been another laughing stock. The image is another of Meljens freebies and the papers are from my scraps. I've put an insert inside with "......... REGULARLY!"  printed on it. The printed frame was a freebie from Wendy,  HERE

Guilty Purchase.

I've been loving all the free digi stamps lately but it was only a matter of time before i started feeling a bit guilty about just nabbing them and not giving anything back except for the odd "thank you" here and there. So i've bought a few of Meljens designs from Whimsy Stamps.

This one is called lovebirds and cost $3 which is just under £2. I was never really interested in digi stamps until the last couple of weeks when i realised  they had quite a bit going for them. I'd always been a bit envious of Americans as their companies seem to have new release every few weeks. Digis eliminate the p&p costs and the waiting for them to arrive. Also they don't clutter the craftroom, So I think i'm becoming a fan.

The paper is from Craftwork Cards and the card base is 6" x 6". The sentiment was added on the computer before printing out. The font i've used is Freehand 591 BT.

I added a bit of pink chalk around the image on this one and cream on the wedding one.

It's so dark again today. I was going to do a bit of colouring this afternoon but i'll have to have a rethink on that one. Never mind..............................

Little Angel cards.

Hello peeps . Happy Friday. It's been really dark and dull around here for the last few days. I've had to to a few extra hours at work as the boss has had a week of but i don't mind if the weather is naff. I made a couple of cards on Wednesday from a free download HERE at Bodils.

I'm really grateful for all these free digi stamps as the cash flow isn't very good at the moment. Well, it is but i need clothes more than stash as most of my spring stuff from last year is a bit too big. Lucky me.

The card bases are 5"x5" and the papers and flowers are from Craftwork Cards. I'm sure some of you are familiar with the special offer goody bags they had in January. Not my cup of tea really but i got caught up in all the excitement at the Docrafts forum.
 Off to get ready for work now. Thanks for visiting.   Di.xx

Target weight 9st 2lb.  today,  9st 3lb.

Happy Valentines Day.

Or for the purists, Happy St. Valentines Day. At last the sun is shining and i've been able to photograph some of my cards. Every day off i've had lately has been dark and dull.
So here's Speedy's card.

The image is one of Meljens freebies ( don't you just love her) and can be found HERE. If you scroll down the page there is a link to 23 freebies. It's written in bright pink on the left hand side.  The little hearts are also Meljens but i re sized them as the original is quite a lot bigger.

I put a coat of glossy accents on the hearts and some stickles around the cookie. I was half way though making the card when i noticed the computer generated sentiment is placed slightly too low and the loops on the Y's have been chopped off a bit. Never mind Speedy didn't notice,lol.
We are going out for a meal tonight at a local Hotel. We always go there as they've had the same chef for 20 years and the food is always spot on.
I'm off into town now to do a bit of boring food shopping.

A card for Mo.

Well it's Friday again and time for a quick post before i go to work. It was one of my work mate's birthday last Saturday and this is the card i made for her.

The stamp is by Whipper Snapper and one of my faves to colour in. The bingo card stamp is from one of the Flippin Women sets.  I don't use them much except for the little sayings and add ons.I bought the whole men and women series last year in a sale.

The backing paper is Papermania Henbury Lane and the card base is 6"x6".  Mo has not long moved into some pensioners flats even though she's only in her early sixties and has started going to the little bingo sessions they have in the day room. She loves it ,lol.

Well, erm, as you know i was off my puter for a few days last week and upon realising i wouldn't be able to do the friday weigh in, i promptly stuffed my face!!  Result?  Target weight 9st 2lb,  todays weight 9st 4lb. That's a pound heavier than the last time.  I was a stone heavier this time last year so i won't worry too much but it proves that i need to keep doing this weigh in .

I'm Clean, and Thanks.

After a few days of not being able to click on my blog because of a pop up saying " threat detected and suspended" , "clean computer". Speedy's computer surgeon mate has freed me from disease,lol. He said it was something to do with the gadgets/ adverts and Blogger or Microsoft would probably spot it and sort it out. He meanwhile put me onto google chrome which didn't show the warnings but the warning still popped up when using Yahoo or my desktop button.. . This morning i clicked on my blog using my old desktop button and guess what? He was right the warning didn't pop up. It seems it's been spotted and sorted just as he said. Thank you so much John.

I was looking through my little card stand at work and i noticed , for want of a better word it was bereft of sympathy and thank you cards. I bought this little Thank You stamp by Inkadinkado from Hobbycraft in the sale for £2.,99. The papers and 5"x5" cards are from a goody bag from Craftwork  Cards, a bargain but not my usual stuff so i'm determined to get my money back from selling cards made with the contents.

The daisies are made from a punch and some Card Candy included in the goody bag

 Ohhh!!!,  Listen to this then. Me and Speedy joined a small ( 7 of us ) syndicate doing the 3 number Irish Lottery about 4 weeks ago. Well, our numbers came up last night and we all won about £70 each !! Probably beginners luck but as someone who works in a newsagent selling lotto, this is most encouraging.  I buy 2 lotto and 1 thunder ball every Saturday and have won nothing for at least 10 months. A lot of people have said the Irish lottery is better. We'll see how it goes over the next few months......................

Card for Mother in Law.

Speedy came home from work last week, whipped out a tenner and gave it to me. This is most unusual. I looked at him suspiciously and said " what's that for?" Yes, i might have known, it wasn't a gift from him but his mother had given it to him to pass on to me with a request for 2 cards. If only all my customers were so generous ! She always pays me far too much and won't take it back so i make what she asks for and give her a couple more from my collection.This one is for to give to my sister in law.

The image is an Inca Stamp flower Fairies and is quite large so i didn't need to do much with the layout apart from a bit of subtle DCWV paper. I coloured her with Promarkers and added a bit of stickles and some green chalking around the edge.

 The round sentiment is from Craftwork Cards and the card base is 6" x6".

I was going to go for a wander into town but it has gone really black and is pouring with rain so i think i'll wait until tomorrow. I 've got 2 pheasants simmering away in a jalferezi sauce in the slow cooker so dinner is sorted for tonight and tomorrow which leaves me a nice free day. May the sun shine brightly........

Funny Footy Card.

Here's another card using one of the captions i found at Gingers House. Again i'm guilty of not making a note of which page i found it on but i'm sure you'll have fun finding it as there's loads to be had.

The footballer stamp is by Papernation.The papers are from my scrap mountain and the cardboard embellies are by either Papermania or Dovecraft. I've had them for years and don't use them very often as most are either printed off centre or are creased and bent. Not one of my better buys. the card base is 6" x6".

 Guess what?  I hate football. Luckily, so does speedy..

Love This Freebie Image.

Morning all. Back to work this morning after my usual Wednesday and Thursday off.I managed to make a few cards. My mojo has been reawakened by the availability of free images. I get them from Free Digital Stamps, link at the bottom of my sidebar. I was a bit dubious about how this one would print out but i love it.

I got it from Arthur's Clipart. Go get it !! I added the " best friends" before printing it out. It had to be re sized and i printed a couple of sheets of  6 because it can be used for so much, like anniversaries etc. The circle sentiment was another freebie from Sentiments 4 You. The backing papers were from my scraps and the card base is 6" x 6".

Target weight 9st 2lb.  Today's weight, 9st 3lb. Another one back off, ( again by the skin of my teeth).

Another male card.

I've made 3 cards this morning but the light is so bad i only took a pic of this one in the hope that it might be brighter tomorrow.

The funny little chap is from a set called Ethel and Murray. I bought it from Create and Craft years ago . I should use it more often as there's some cheeky old dears in the set as well as the captions to go with them. I used a 5" x5" card base and the circle greeting is from Craftwork Cards. The wonky faux stitching is done with a gold Sakura gel pen.

Completely off the subject, Speedy is a mechanic and works for himself. All through our marriage i've had to guess what time he's coming home for his evening meal. Even if we agree on a time someone turns up at the garage wanting a quick job done, so i've been limited to making stuff that will hang around the stove top, ie curry, chilli, casseroles etc. Anything which has to be cooked for a precise length of time is out of the question. I'm totally against reheating food as it carries on cooking it. I also like us to eat our meal together at the table. A few weeks ago i was in B&M and i spotted the solution. It was only £21.99 so it was worth a try. Here's a pic of the Argos version.

 What a godsend it is ! We can have roast dinners. The meat is carved in the gravy in one tray, carrots and sprouts in the other and cauliflower cheese done and the top browned under the grill in the third. Voila! all the pans and roasting dishes are washed and put away. And the roasties?  Cooked and ready to blast in a hot oven when i get the "i'm on my way" phone call. Bliss! I would even pay the £49.99 from Argos. The cookery books are out and plans are being made. Look out diet,lol.

Thank You Card.

I was having a look around Meljens Designs Blog last week and noticed a link about a quarter of the way down the left sidebar to a free download. There are 23 digi stamps to be had. I already had some of them but was ever so grateful for the rest as they woke my mojo.

I love this little giraffe. I opened it with My Craft Studio and added the caption before printing it out. The backing paper is a scrap and the daisies are made with a Personal Impressions punch. The card base is 6" x6".
I'm going to get myself something to eat then grab myself another bin bag and go on the prowl for more stuff to chuck out. Wish me luck..........................

And one for the men.

Here's a version of the card i posted on wednesday, this time for the men.

There is a link to the site where i got the word art from on my last post but as i said, i didn't have the brains to keep the page it was on so happy hunting. There's loads more to be had there anyway. I printed it out and then stamped my image next to it. My favourite "blokey" stamp is by Art Impressions, i love him to bits, i suppose he reminds me of Speedy,lol. The beer barrel and the pints were from Papermania, "it's a mans world" and " stamping for him" clear sets. The backing paper is from DCWV Retro stack and the card base is 6"x6".

I decided to brave the cold and the fog yesterday and get the bus to Wrexham. I got there and it was cold but the sun was blazing, so much so that i had to shield my eyes to see where i was going. I got half way home and entered back into the fog zone. Strange how 2 neighbouring towns can have such different weather. I was a bit disappointed in what the shops had to offer so i've still got Christmas money burning a hole. Lucky me.

Target weight, 9st 2lb. Today's weight 9st 4lb. 1lb back off by the skin of my teeth.

A simple statement.

Here's a card, albeit a simple one. About time too, i think the old mojo could be sneaking back,lol. A little snoop around the freebies at Free digital stamps (see badge at the bottom right of my page) has helped a lot.

I found the free word art at Gingers House. I collected quite a few but i forgot to take note of which page this one was on. Silly me but at least you can have fun looking for it and collect a few along the way. the papers are from Clare Curds signature stack and it goes quite well with Dolly Mama's hair. i did the feathery thing in her hair with a black glitter pen but the photo doesn't show it very well. The card base is 6" x6".

You'll never guess what i did on monday. I sewed !! I was fed up of the horrible fake pine table and benches that came with the flat. It's worse for wear but i don't want to get rid of it because i keep my bread maker, food processor and knife set on there. So i went to Abakhan up the road and got some material and made a tablecloth and some curtains. I hated every second  (lord knows why i've got a sewing machine,lol) but the kitchen looks much better now. Still crap though as it has old late seventies cupboards. We've paid over 40 grand in rent and it bugs me that when we move out that money will probably pay for a revamp.
Never mind, such is life....................