Birthday Wishes

Sunday 28 April 2013
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend. It's a shame that the nice weather we had during the week had to disappear for the weekend.

Thank you to everyone that commented on my last card, they are very much appreciated and I will reciprocate those kind words.

Today I've a card that I've made for a very good friend I work with.  It's her birthday on 1st May and I know how much she loves to receive one of my cards.

I've followed the sketch over at this months Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  It's a great sketch and one I would definitely think about using again. I've used the sweet Dreamweaver stamp and coloured it with copics.  I think this most only be the 2nd or 3rd time I've used it!  I can't remember the name of the Martha Stewart jumbo edge punch, but again, this is the first time it's been used!  I think the embossing folder is called Falling Daises and it's been embossed on Centura Pearl cardstock.

 
I apologise for the darkness of the photos.  I thought I'd try photographing on the empty shelf of my new unit but I don't think it worked out so well!  I don't think I'm ever going to be destined to photograph straight either!

This little bear was such a dream to colour.

I'm currently working on my granny strip blanket for the lounge.  I've only recently learnt to crochet, so this is a big project for me. It's started with a 240 chain and it covers the whole width of the largest sofa in our lounge, which was it's purpose!  I'm only 9 rows in at present, so there's a long way to go!  I will try and factor in some blogging time too.  It's so nice to be doing different crafts away from papercrafting.  It helps keep everything fresh and I'm a lot happier in myself too.

Thanks again for stopping by and for any comments you may leave, they are greatly appreciated.

xx :0)

Happy Anniversary

Wednesday 24 April 2013
Happy Wednesday everyone! I don't know about you, but by Wednesday afternoon, things don't seem so bad, it's Hump Day after all!  For those of you that haven't heard this expression before, it's nothing rude!  Monday and Tuesday are the climb up to the top of the hill, by Wednesday afternoon you've reached the top and Thursday and Friday are downhill towards the weekend.

I do have a card to share with you today.  I made this at the weekend, but didn't want to post until today as it was for one of my best friends on her 3rd wedding anniversary.  My posts feed to my Facebook page so I didn't want her to see it before she opened it!

I've used some different colours for me today and I really liked the outcome.  I might have to use them a bit more often! 

 
The image is Popcorn Bear and I'll admit,it's been coloured up for a while, I've just been waiting for an opportunity to use it.  The papers are from a Papermania wedding set and the embossed panel is using the D'Vine Swirls folder.  Popcorn has been coloured in with copics.

This is one of those cards that I just loved when I'd finished it.

I'm entering the card into the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - Sketch
Crafty Bloggers Network - Anything Goes

Thank you for stopping by and for any comments you may leave as they are greatly appreciated.  I will try and get by and do some blogging in the next evening or so, but I might be distracted with my next crocheting project!

Sarah xx

1 Today

Friday 19 April 2013

I know, it's been over a week since my last blog post and I've not visited much either.  In my defence, things have been really busy and I've been working on the baby blanket for my sister.  This has been completed now and I will post photos shortly.

This is a card I made for my friends little boy's first birthday last month.  I know the LOTV stamp is usually for a new baby, but I thought it also worked well for a first birthday card as well.  He's been coloured up with my copics and cut out with a nestie set I've not used in a long time.  I can't remember what the papers were I'm afraid.  I finished off with a panel of large dots using a Sizzix embossing folder.

 The usual close up of the image is below.  I really like the blues.

Do you ever feel at times like you're not allowed to say what you feel is happening in your life on your own personal blog, or facebook page for fear of upsetting people.  I made a comment in my last post about falling out with a friend, who isn't a crafter, in my last post, but I'm now unsure whether she has seen it.  I want to be able to get things off my chest and now feel I have nowhere to be able to say this.  It's my blog and I should be able to speak my mind.

Sorry for going off topic and for being quiet.  This has been playing on my mind and might also explain my absence.

xx

Learning New Crafts

Sunday 7 April 2013
I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I don't know about you, but I always  feel down Sunday afternoon as it's a reminder than in a few short hours we are back at work for another week.

My posts are becoming infrequent again and I apologise for that, but I've not gone off crafting again, I'm trying to teach myself to crochet! I would love to be able to make something for nephew (yes, it's a boy!) when he arrives.  I tried to teach myself to knit last year when I had my op, but I didn't stick with it.  However, I'm determind that I will not give up on this.  I wish my gran was still here as she tried to teach me when I was younger, but I was more interested in football then!

The card I'm showing today I made a few weeks ago for my boss's birthday.  I won't say I was entirely happy with it, but it's not terrible.  I used one of my Penny Black transparent sets that have not seen an ink pad!


The colouring of the parcel could've been coloured better, I wasn't sure on the shading, but hey ho, I'm not perfect!

I will try and do some blog hopping later today, Jon isn't very well though so I will see. 

Things with a friend took a real bad turn for the worse this week, to a point of beyond repair.  It hurt a lot, but I've some amazing friends who've made me realise that I'm not a bad person.  I'm looking forward to next Saturday as I'm going to the Cake International show in London with one of my very best friends, also called Sarah.  We'll hopefully get to see Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, fingers crossed!

Anyway, enough waffling from me. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon and thank you for stopping by, your visit and comments really mean a lot.

Sarah xx

Tidied up Craft Room

Tuesday 2 April 2013
I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter break and, for those of you back at work today, I hope it hasn't been too bad.  Jon and I both took today off so have had a little exrtra break.  We were meant to start decorating our lounge, but I've had a nasty cold and haven't felt up to it.  However, I did feel up to finally putting up the furniture I bought for my craft room last year!  It gave me the incentive to get it all tidy!

I hope you don't mind, but I thought I'd share some photos with you.  It's not as glam as a lot of those out there, but it's mine nad I love it.

My very clean desk and one of my new bookcases that also houses my cook books.  The paint pot and dust sheets are for decorating the lounge.  I also have my little tv and dvd player in here now for company (and sometimes distraction!)

 My sofa bed with some of my Pooh Bear collection. Also shows my two drawer units.
 My other new bookcase.  I saw this on Michelle's blog and just had to get it.  I'm glad I did as they don't sell it anymore.  On the top are my flowers, the bottom two shelves contain cardstock and papers, as well as my little box of beading stash.  The drawer has been filled with some card blanks, cello bags and other bits and pieces.  On the top shelf are some craft cd's.  Jon looked at the empty shelf and said "Is that ready for new goodies?"  Hmmmmm.......!
 This is a close up of the first book case with my cook books. On the second shelf are some cd cases with my Elzybell stamps. The other boxes are full of stamps. The bottom shelf has some knitting and crocheting books and the folders where I had started to organise my stamps.

Close up of the drawer units. The one nearest the sofa is chocful of stamps (what a surprise!) The second unit has some stamps in the top drawer, ribbons in two drawers, some gems and sentiment ovals and the bottom two drawers has a mixture of ink pads, punches, and other bits and pieces.
 
I have got some cards to show you too, so I think I will save them for later on in the week.  Apologies for having been quiet the past week.  I've had a bit of an upset from someone I thought was very special and it has rocked me a bit, but I'm starting to feel strong again.
 
I hope to do some blog hopping later on and see what I've been missing.
 
Thank you for stoping by.
 
Sarah xx