Absent but not idle - 2 new firsts - Weddings and Charity Work

Evening All,

Hello Stranger I hear you cry.  Yes I know…sorry…I know I said I was going to get better (and more frequent) at posting on here, but life overtakes and then in a blink it’s 3/4/5 weeks or more down the line from the last post!

Firstly – and to get it over with – I’ve not been finding this pregnancy as easy as it was with Sophie. This boy – yes it’s a BOY – is very active, gives me no rest and is lying/kicking so low I would say 80% of the time I’m in discomfort.  The midwife isn’t worried though and says there is no reason to worry, just try and take it easy (!)

This really is a catch up post to let you all know what’s going on here. Although I haven’t been posting, I haven’t been idle either.

My Auntie and her partner went on holiday to Scotland in August, came back engaged and decided to get married less than a month later!  She asked me if I would do cake/flowers/favours and always looking for a challenge, I said YES!  After a few (many) hours later and lots of help/advice from Mum in Law these were the results:

 

The cake, Bridal Bouquet and Table Decorations...and the gorgeous Bride and Groom!

 

 

Flower bracelets - these were made for Ray's 2 young grandchildren, I thought they would appreciate these more than a formal adult buttonhole.

 

 

 

 The Exploding Box card we gave them on the day

 I was very pleased with the results and so were the Bride and Groom and everyone who attended. It was a fabulous day with great people. Congratulations Kit and Ray, you make a great couple xxx

I also recently jumped into the realms of Charity work.  I have been following Logan’s Olympic Torch Relay for Let’s Hear it for Deaf Children on Facebook for some time now:  I have had an interest in deaf people ever since I studied Sign Language at University.   They put out a plea a while ago for some help. Logan’s granddad wants to run the London Marathon next year to raise money for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, but he needs £2000 to enter.  They were going to hold an Open Garden Party at Lift the Latch in Chard to raise funds.  They asked if there was anyone who could help them out with 50 personalised invites for the event, ideally free.  When I saw it, I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading – what an opportunity to support something that means a lot to me and do my craft work. I contacted Kerry the organiser and she accepted my offer of help.

I wanted to incorporate the Hearing Dogs Logo with a garden/party theme and this is what I came up with:

 

Again I was very pleased with the result and so was Kerry – she kindly phoned me to let me know when they arrived and that she thought they were great. That phone call made my day – it’s so nice to get praise as a crafter, especially when it’s something personalised and in your own eyes you think they’re good but you don’t know what anyone else thinks!

The event went ahead on the 20^th October and they raised £315.70 towards their goal. If you would like to support this worthy cause, please feel free to donate at

http://www.justgiving.com/Kerry-McKerrow

 

You could also join me and many others following Logan on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/logansolympictorch?ref=hl

 

I have got some other photos to get on here of more things I’ve done recently, which I will post by the end of the weekend.

That’s all for now

 

Embossing Folder

I know it's been a while again. Feeling a lot better recently, less sickness and eating more, so getting back into crafting again.

I've been wondering for a while if there is a way of making my own embossing folders on my Cricut:  I would love a really good large embossing machine, but they are so much money, then you have to buy all the mats , folders, etc. Not possible at the mo.

So I sat down with my Cricut today and cut a design I've loved since it was produced by Bird. I then dug out my Impress - I've had this little machine for years but never used it. I was actually going to sell it, but for doing borders, it's fine.  Luckily, I'd kept all the boards as well.

Well, I'm over the moon. It's come out so well.  It's definitely given me some enthusiasm to try a few more.  Thank you bird for your great design, you give me so much inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for now

Website Delay

Morning All,
Well I've been feeling crap!  So, so tired and then last Thursday morning sickness kicked in :-s
So once again I've put the website back, just to give me some more time to get everything sorted without rushing or stressing.

I've also just been asked to do the stationery for my cousins wedding :-) 
A good start to my wedding stationery business next year!

Just a quick share for you today because of everything that's going on. The Father's Day card I made for my stepdad.  Hope all you Dads and Grandads out there had a good day.

 

That's all for now.

 

 



Baby News

Morning All,

Only a short post today.  Sorry it's been a while again. We've been on a much needed family holiday and I came back pregnant!  Baby number 2 is due early next year and is currently making me feel very tired and achy, so I'm going to push the cards website launch back. Only one month. So it will be online on the 1st of August 2013. 

Lots of new ideas floating around inside my head, so I'm hoping today will be the last day of post holiday cleaning and tidying and then I will be able to get back to crafting :-)

Wedding card

Evening all,

Finally finished a Wedding Card  today which I wanted to try as something new. It's also one of the few I've ever made with no sentiment on the front.

 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

 

Cute Card Thursday - Challenge #265 Cakewalk

 

 

That's all for now.

 

 



Monday madness

Evening Folks,

After a busy weekend with family, it's time to get back to crafting again with enthusiasm...and there it goes: my inspiration out the window again.  I had a Belated Birthday Card to make today and no idea where to start.  So it's back to an old favourite, the 'With Love Flowers' from Pink Gem Designs. I changed the wording and coloured it in with my Promarkers, getting used to them now :-)

It went in the post today for a dear Auntie of mine and I'm also entering it into the following Challenges:

Fab 'n' Funky CHallenges #167 - 1,2,3

 

 

That's all for now.

 



Tying a flat knot...

...isn't as easy as it sounds. This is my first real attempt as part of a Sympathy card for a male friend of ours.  It took me several attempts to get it to look this good and I definitely need to practice it more.  I used parts of the Black Floral Set from Digistamp Boutique, with a simple floral background and ribbons, working on the less is more idea. I really like this card; it's taught me that my cards don't always have to be so busy and intricate.

 

 

I have entered this in the following Challenges:

Bearly-Mine Challenges #81 Anything Goes

Digistamp Boutique April 13 Customer Competition

Fate

Morning Peeps,
Yes I know it's been a while again. Another round of illnesses has hit us all here, an emotional low and sheer frustration in that my countdown to website launch day seemed impossible.  Then last Friday we had our first chinese for ages and our first in our new house. So I opened my fortune cookie...

...and my belief in what I'm trying to achieve renewed itself. Since then I've been having a real tidy up and clear out of my craft room, sorting out some storage issues and designing like mad. I'll be selling things that I don't use/don't interest me any more, so that my room is very much focused on what I want to do. Frustrations over the website have been resolved by breaking it down into section launches - why didn't I think about that before? - the first and most important being my cards on the 1st July 2013.  Hubby very kindly sorted out my Cricut, thank goodness.  I feel so much happier :-)

Trying new Things

Hi, hope you're all keeping warm in this chilly weather.

So, my Cricut is still poorly - my cutting issue still isn't resolved - so I've put my card making aside for a little while and got my beads out again. Lots of jewellery planned for the new website, but while I'm still recovering I thought I'd just have a play around.  Beaded beads seem to be quite popular. So does wire jewellery. I haven't had a go at either of these before so thought I'd experiment.  I needed a starting point, so spent some time browsing the web for help. Thanks to Cindy Holsclaw and Ross Barbera for free patterns, video tutorials and inspiration.

 

On the mend

Yes I know it's very late but I hope you all had a good Christmas and Merry New Year. We spent most of the holiday and January recovering from a burglary on the 22nd December.  Not much sentimental was taken, mainly electricals and hubbies photography equipment. All of it's been replaced now and we have had an alarm system fitted, so feeling a bit safer in our own home again.  We made the most of Christmas for Sophie's sake, she was a very spoilt little girl.

I went in for keyhole surgery yesterday to have my gall bladder removed after going through numerous bouts of pain since having Sophie. Got home about 9pm last night. Didn't have a particularly good night but just glad to be home. Sore today, so dosed up with painkillers and will be taking it easy for a few weeks. But it does give me a chance to get some craft sorting done and ideas ready for when I feel up to making again.

Well that's just about all for now. Will catch up soon with some more crafty makes, promise.