More little cupcakes.

I so loved making that little cupcake card yesterday that i had to make another one.I have a set of cake stamps somewhere i'll have to find them and have a play.

Chocolate cakes this time. At least i can't eat them! You can't really see very well in the picture but the scalloped squares are lime green to match the tiny gems. The paper is from Clare Curds signature stack.I need to go to Tesco now before the rest of the world get there  with their yarling kids.
             See you later.  Di.xx

Inspired by Julie.............yes you!!

I was having a little blog nose the other day and i came across this little card by Julie at Rainbow Days.It was nice to be reminded that we don't need to dress our cards to the nines and that sometimes less is best.Thank you Julie i loved making this card and i'll be making heaps more like it.

The little cupcakes are from the papermmania clear set i got from Hobbycraft the other day.I've got a square punch and a scalloped square one and they just about fit each other. A bit of colouring, a bit of stickles and 2 bits of ribbon and that's it, done.

I popped them up on 3d foam and finished off with a couple of score lines which weren't really necessary but i couldn't resist.
Thanks for looking.     Di.xxx

A womans work................

Update on the housework. We live in a long flat as opposed to a square one. We have a long hall and all the rooms are on one side. This hall is Speedy's dumping ground,he comes in from work and dumps coat on floor (mechanic, too oily to hang up with the others) also his bags of paperwork, shoes,endless peoples car keys,newspapers,meter readers, bottles of beer,bills,stuff of "don't throw that out i'll take it to the garage" type. Just loads of embarrassing tat. I spent a whole hour cleaning behind everything, shuffling stuff around as i daren't lob it out, and generally trying to make it look nice. After the hour i stood back to admire my handy work and do you know what? It looked......................the same!!! Oh except for the addition of a load of lime blossom which had blown in through the window from the tree outside (we're 3 floors up).Still it's all calories burned i suppose! Bedroom today, his side of the room looks like a teenagers room and always will, no matter what i do. His chest of drawers is littered with coins receipts, bits of cars,bits of wire etc. I have to lift them all up to dust under them and put them back so he can find them without looking.I gave him a fancy box to put it all in but it's full. He's just so messy, love him to bits though.
Anyway this is supposed to be about cards.

This is for my stepson Neil ( the gannet at the restaurant on sunday). His birthday is on the 12th but i wanted to get it done so i can just play, willy nilly. This lad is supposed to be a daddy to baby Micheal who is due today but we shall see, the Speed males are always late.

The stamp is by Stamps Happen and the papers are DCWV. The sentiment and the arrow were from my new papermania stamp set.
 Thanks for looking. Di.xxx

Meaty, beaty, big 'n' bouncy !

Yeah, that's me!!  That meal we went for yesterday was definitely on the "go again" list. If you've got a young son and you live anywhere near Chester, Tropeiro is the place to take him. The meat just kept coming to the table every 5-10 minutes, big chunks of it on skewers all freshly barbecued, and the waiters sliced it at the table. I'm not exaggerating but there were at least a dozen visits from the waiters with a new piece of meat every time. Speedy's youngest lad who's 24 ate and ate for a whole hour! Dirty little horror !! Mind you the rest of us didn't do so bad either.
Today is the first day of my 2 weeks off so i nipped to Hobbycraft to see what the final reductions were. The pricing was a shambles. They had sale areas here and there but loads of the stuff was still marked at full price. I asked an assistant how much something was and was told I'd have to take it to the till which was downstairs. No way matey.

This was the only thing I could be bothered doing the trip for and the price was £4.99 not £13.99 as it was marked. I've had the bags version of this, you just pop them out fold on the score lines then glue and decorate.

I've had a little play but now i must go and do a spot of housework as I've left it all last week thinking "oh I'll do it next week when I'm off". Well the time has come, if i get at least half of it done now and the rest tomorrow I'll be able to do some guilt free crafting. I just need to make card for my stepsons birthday the all my orders and specific cards will be done so I'll be able to just make anything that comes into my head.

Oh, i also got these. The stamps were £2.99 and the punch is Hobbycrafts own brand. It was £2.85 which is the normal price. I've got a couple more of these and they're great on paper and light/medium card. I haven't dared to try heavy card as I think that may be pushing my luck.
  Right....... hoover out !  See you tomorrow. Di.xx

Another simple card.

Just as i thought, my hands are a bit on the shaky side today after yesterdays naughtiness so i'm glad i saved a little card just in case.

The stamp is another one from Joanna Sheenes messy rabbit village scenes.I love being able to use my scraps on cards like these but my scrap pile is still getting bigger. The card base is 5"x5".
We are going out again later with Speedy's daughter and two sons. There is a Brazilian restaurant in town where you help yourself to side dishes and the waiters keep coming round with big joints of meat which they carve at your table. You can eat as much as you like for £20. I've never been before but everyone who's been says it's brill. I'll report tomorrow.   Di.x

Happy Birthday Speedy !

Speedy's a big birthday boy today, big kid as he is. I made his card ages ago, it's this one but with "to my lovely husband" on a printed banner along the bottom.I gave him money in his card as he couldn't decide what he wanted but in true child fashion he likes to have things to open so i got him a few bits.and made this.

I got the instructions from SCS here. Don't be tempted (like i was) and try to make the base bigger as the 12" paper won't fit around it. It may look small but when you've made the bag part there's plenty of room. I put a bags worth of mini daim bars (Tesco) in this one. The paper is from my DCWV stack number 6.I haven't got one of those fancy tag punches so i used a scalloped square with a circle punched in the middle.The sentiment stamp is by Inkadinkado.
I also made him a big jar of shallots in balsamic vinegar which he loves. We are about to have smoked salmon and champagne for lunch ( something we always do on our birthdays) and later on , about tea timish we'll be off for a couple of drinkies and to the local Tapas Bar. It's a hard life...........................
 

Simple cards.

Do you know what day today is in work? It's  S.I.D.  That is Sod It Day ! As in "sod it, i don't care, i'm off for 2 weeks after today". Yep, 2 weeks off folks. We're not going away on hols as such, but we're going on another mystery trip on the 16th for 3 days. It's speedy's birthday tomorrow so he's off, no doubt i'll be piling on the pounds somewhere nice.
I thought i'd better take some cards into work to fill up my little stand. I rustled up a couple of quickies for the tight ones who won't part with £2

The stamps are Joanna Sheen messy rabbits village scenes. I don't use them as often as i should. I don't waste too much time on colouring properly for these £1.50 cheapies. If they only want to pay for slap dash that's what they'll get lol.

I made a couple of each plus some others which i'll save for another day, perhaps sunday when i might be too hungover to make any cards.

 I'd best go and get ready, i may even buy Patrick a cake today.    Di. xx

Friday weigh in,stuck at 9st 8lb total loss still 8lb.   I thought i might get stuck this week, mums birthday bash didn't help. I've done a total of 18 miles this week on the treadmill.................that'll be it ..........it must be leg muscle, lol ! There's no way i'm going to lose any next week either as we're going out twice for birthday meals with Speedy and his family . Oh well, thats life.

Birthday bug.

Yippee this is the last of the 4 card orders. I'll take it to work tomorrow and hopefully he'll come and pick them all up. He's cutting it fine as one of them needs to be posted to someone who's birthday is on sunday.....typical bloke

The papers are Papemania Hamstead and the stamp is by Funstamps.I'll be able to go back to making cards without pressure now. I moved the ribbons closer together after doing the photo and they look much better.I'm still in need of male finishing touches. I've got birthday money coming next week and have stash signs in my eyes !
  Mum had a lovely, if not ovewhelming day yesterday. It started at half eight in the morning with the neighbours calling in with cards and pressies so she was well knackered when we left at half three in the afternoon. She didn't want to go out anywhere so we took a little buffet lunch to her house. I strutted 4 miles on my treadmill yesterday morning, i think i need to strut all day today if i want to lose a pound this week.                          Di.xx

Happy 90th birthday you wonderful woman!!

Today my mother is ninety, 90, nine oh. Whichever way you put it it's an achievement. Do you know what she's been doing for the last couple of weeks?  DIGGING THE GARDEN !!  She won't wait for us "kids" to turn up to do it for her, it's done when we get there.Mother doesn't do cameras and neither do i so i wouldn't dream of unnerving her by taking mine today.

This is the best i can come up with. It was my wedding day 10 years ago and she still looks the same now, dad is no longer  with us but , oh look there's Speedy !!! Non of us are camera lovers, lol, but these pics have to be done and there were about 5 cameras all saying "look here".This is a pic taken from a pic so it's not vey clear.

Anyway . Happy Birthday mum, and many more.  Next birthday is Speedy on Saturday, then mine and my twin next friday and Speedy's son Neil on the 13th. It's almost like Christmas in July.

 No cards today as i showed you mums last week. Oh,and the bloke didn't come for his cards yesterday. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Sex change.(!!).

Here is the female version of yesterdays card.

The papers are Papermania Creative Tones. Looking at it now i reckon i should have swapped the papers ie the one with the bigger pattern should have gone to the back and the plainer one at the front so the pots and trowel showed up better, never mind, too late now, i'm past caring anyway lol.

 I'm taking these to work to be collected, he'd best turn up, it wouldn't be the first time i've rushed only to find i could have had a couple more days. Men !!

Two down, Two to go.

As i said yesterday i have an order for 4 cards. The prospect of the stash money is great but i hate making cards to order unless the person wanting them gives me about 2 weeks notice. Of course this never happens does it. The first ones are needed by tomorrow, one for a man who loves gardening and another for a lady who's just got an allotment.I tried to start them yesterday but it was just too hot and the windows in my room have been painted shut from the outside and we live three floors up so we just have to live with it.

I thought i'd just make a male and female version of the same card with my "emergency layout" to make life easy. The watering can is by Magnolia and the wellies and pots etc were from Lakeland a few years ago. They were in Lakelands own packaging but i think they could be made by Woodware, i'm not sure. Edit, they are woodware clear magic available from sir stampalot.

I just need the finish the one for the lady now. He also wants one for his daughter and luckily i've found one suitable in my box, i just need to put her name on it, then he wants one for his son who's birthday is next week so he can wait until friday for that one.

    Thanks for visiting.  Di.xx

Stinkin' hot & stinkin' cute.

No cards today as it's like an oven in my den so i'll give you a link to a sweet video save you coming all this way for nothing!  I'm not really into babies and kids which is why i never had any but i thought this was quite cute.
I need to get my act together tomorrow because my ex boss rang last night wanting 4 personalised cards for tuesday. Typical bloke, i've got loads of ready made cards but he has to have the little woman make them up specially for him. Not good for the mojo is it? Never mind, tomorrow is another day. Enjoy your sunday and if you're a fan (which i'm not) enjoy the footie.    Di.xx

Oh boy.

Oh bless!! My third Lilli of the Valley stamp has been inked up and what a sweetie he is.

That dog looks a bit ferocious though, good job he's glued to the cart! Maybe he's just seen the postman.

The card base is 6"x6" and the buttons and paper are from my stash. I think i'll save this card for when my stepson and his girlfriend have their baby which will be in the next couple of weeks.

 As usual on a satuday it's work until 1.30 then a few drinkies with my bessie mate(Speedy)

New quickie layout.

On wednesday i was stalking the galleries at SCS and noticed a simple but effective little layout for the latest clean and simple challenge. As my main challenge is my missing mojo this was just what i needed. "A new serving suggestion" as they say on that irritating Philadelphia advert.

Ain't that simple? Th stamp is my new one from Lily of the Valley. There was a set of 4 but i was very good and only ordered one.

I put some liquid pearls on the mistletoe and some glitter glue on the snow.The card base is 5"x5". I reckon i'll be making quite a few more from this little layout. If you want more inspiration there's plenty HERE.

     Off to get ready for work now. See you soon. Di. XX

Friday weigh in. 9st 8lbs. That stubborn pound is off making a total of 8lbs. Happier this week, i won't be quite so horrified if Patrick makes me eat a cake.

Edit for Sarah. Most of my cards are blank inside. Chrismas ones have merry christmas and a happy new year, which i print onto an insert an i'll do one for specials like mums 90th. Not easy to get these centered but when done they can be saved fo future use.

Oh Sweeeeeet!!

As usual, I'm always the last to get the latest stamp, papers etc and just as everyone else is getting bored with theirs,I receive mine through the post.This is my latest example. This little Lilli of the Valley baby girl stamp. I also ordered the boy which I'll have a play with later.

I used my fiskars border punch after forgetting I had it for ages.The buttons were a bit too pale so I coloured them with promarkers. The paper is from my DCWV stack number 6, not getting fed up with it yet as it has so many styles. The card base is 6"x6".

Before I can play with the little boy stamp I've go to make 10 more wedding invites as the bride and groom miscounted. Luckily I thought this may happen and have got some ready to assemble, I think I'll make a few extra just in case.

     Thanks for looking in. Di. xx