Stampin' Write markers *4* Club

Do you love colours?

Have you just moved nearer to the screen to look more closely?

Does NEED, rather than WANT, spring to mind?

And now you see them in the handy horizontal storage case.

As a complete package (105541) , they cost £99.95 - worth every penny but a sizeable outlay, I would say. They are dual-tip markers and the horizontal storage case keeps both ends equally inked. Contents - 12 markers in each of the 4 colour families. They co-ordinate with all SU cardstock, inkpads and stampin' spots, and can be used to colour images with the brush end, write with the fine tip or to apply direct to rubber stamps to give a multi-coloured stamped image. By marking on an a glossy surface (acrylic block, saucer, rubber stamp set containers etc), the colour can be picked up with a blender pen or waterbrush and used to colour a stamped image. Quick and simple for fab results!

Each colour family can be purchased separately for £24.95 but the storage case is only supplied with the full set of 48 markers.

KEEP READING TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN SPREAD THE COST

AND

GET THE STORAGE CASE FREE

I have one lady who is interested in this offer of buying ' One Colour Family' each month for the next four months ie. £24.95 (+ £2.00 P&P) each month for the next 4 months. I need 3 more people who would like to do the same, and in one of those months, each member will receive the storage case absolutely free.

AND as a little added extra, in the 4th month each person will receive a surprise gift from the SU catalogue.

If you would like to take part, and build up your collection during the Credit Crunch, just drop me an email triciaablett@hotmail.com

This can start as soon as I have 4 participants.

Till next time

Tricia

When things go wrong....

So here's a Christmas card I taught at my last Tuesday afternoon craft class. A liitle die-cut decoupage church mounted on a tri-fold card with tearing technique for snow drifts, topped with dazzling diamonds SU glitter. So easy, but quite effective!

Then a simple A6 card with a stamped floral image from Simply Said SU set (£22.95 for 11 stamps) and greeting, Get Well Soon from the Sincere Salutations SU set ( £18.95 for 8 stamps), a little 5/8" grosgrain tied around scallop edged topper.

And that's when things started to go wrong.....

As I was not working this weekend, Saturday was to be a leisurely crafting day to get my 10 cards made for a 'card swap' due by the end of next week. Firstly, I couldn't find my new pack of Whisper White card. But not a problem, I thought, as I found the pack of ready scored 3" x 3" cards that I needed for the task. Now for the design - so I picked a stamp set which I hadn't used , along with my Stampin' Write markers and stamped the tall flower in Cameo Coral and Old Olive. Looked fine! Using the blender pen to colour the images, all 10 of them, still fine! Needed a little wording, so used the word 'bloom' with the stamp-a-ma-jig for accurate placing and all was looking good! A touch of dazzling diamonds glitter in the centre of each flower, and job done! Good!

Must take a photograph of these little cuties, I thought!!

So, armed with some black card for them to stand on , and some for the background, I got the camera ready but decided that there needed to be something at the sides to get the best picture. And then........disaster*/^'#*#. The sides collapsed, flattening the cards and bending some beyond repair.

Gutted!!

Well, here they are. The picture is so bad that you can't tell ,but they won't be any use for the swap. So tomorrow's first task of the day will be to look for that Whisper white card until I find it!

Wish me luck, coz I hate wasting time 'looking', when I could be crafting. !

THAT CARD HAS GOT TO BE SOMEWHERE !

So if you are listening (pack of card), please make your way to the dining room table during the night, so that I don't have to look for you in the morning....please?

Ready for Christmas......or not?

Hi Everyone!
My first post for a little while but at last life is calming down a little. I know Christmas is getting closer and I'm not totally prepared, but I'm feeling better about the prospect of having everything ready for the big day.

Here are three cards I made for an order, exactly the same Cuttlebug Christmas Tree, but a different coloured ribbon. The picture is not good but I have used Stampin' Up dazzling diamonds glitter to decorate the tree tastefully (hard to see!). This glitter is fab - just the one glitter but so useful for every card you make. At £3.25 a pot, it's a 'must have' and worth every penny.

That's all for now but I will be posting more this weekend. So drop in again to see just what I've been up to!

And here's another!

Well!! Two posts in one day is unbelieveable!
A cutesy Tilda from the new Winter collection. I just love her and my collection of stamps just keeps growing - it's like there's a Tilda tree at the bottom of the garden and I keep picking them!
They're coming from somewhere anyway.

And having just received my wonderful new Martha Stewart lattice arch punch, I just had to use it. It's absolutely wonderful, just a shame they are not readily available here in the UK. I was using the Pocket Silhouette set again and came up with this.

When I sit down to make a card, I don't really know what it is going to be like. It just tends to evolve, and this was my latest result.
What do you do? Do you have a plan in mind when you create?
Please let me know so that I don't feel alone in my ways.

Thanks for looking.

Pocket silhouettes

Pocket silhouettes - such a useful little set!How's this for simple but I loved making it and just had to carry on making more. The designs stamp beautifully. I used my ink spots for these images as I can have each colour range for just £17.50 - that's 12 stamp pads. Gives me a taster for the colours which I know I will use the most.

This one shows the background clear embossing a little better but my photography is not up to much!

And here's all three - the centre one using my dearly loved scallop border punch. And the tag punches, 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and co-ordinating cardstock.

Why not check out my 'Ribbon share' and 'Cardstock share' and 'Brads Galore'.

That was the beauty of making these cards - I was able to reach for just the colours I wanted at the time. Inspired by the tag design on the front cover of the SU catalogue, I decided to try a few colourways myself. And I think they work!

If you would like to take part in any of my shares, I have a few remaining places, so just let me know. And this lovely set, Pocket Silhouettes, is one of the die-cut sets for easier mounting, and costs just £15.95.

Thanks for looking.

Be back soon!

'tis the Season to Host

EXTRA FREEBIES!!

From 1st November - 31st December

when you host a workshop totalling £150 or more, you will receive a FREE stamp set (from the list below, in addition to the already wonderful hostess benefits.

109647 Page 17 Wondrous Gift £19.95

107930 20 Snow Flurries £9.95

110528 56 Friendly £14.95

110536 60 Seasonal Wishes £15.95

109324 91 Dotted Autumn £12.95

105979 91 Cold Play £24.95

If you live in or around Northamptonshire or Bedfordshire, please give me a call or email triciaablett@hotmail.com

BUTTON BOUTIQUE

BUTTONS GALORE!

By popular request, I have decided to start a Button Share. Who would like to have a selection of all the Stampin Up coloured buttons? Always have the exact colour you need? Well here's how -

The deal is -

5 of each colour (assorted round and square) x 20 colours

= 100 buttons

ALL FOR JUST £7.25 inc FREE P&P

I need 4 people in total, and one place has already been taken. If you would like to take part in this share, please let me know, either by calling 01933 353695

or email triciaablett@hotmail.com.

Tale a look at my previous post for other

SPECIAL OFFERS

for ribbons, brads and cartdstock

SPECIAL OFFERS - Ribbons, brads + cardstock

Take a look at these! The Stampin Up ribbons - every colour in 1/4" grosgrain, gingham and taffeta. Then there's the 5/8" grosgrain and 1" double-stiched grosgrain!

And brads in every colour of the four colour ranges!

And all of them together - wow!! Wouldn't you like some?

As a SPECIAL offer throughout November, you could take part in my ribbon , brad and cardstock share.

OFFER 1 - 1m of each ribbon shown = 1/4" grosgrain in 11 colours
5/8" grosgrain in 8 colours

1" double-stitched grosgrain in 3 colours

Taffeta ribbon in 8 colours

Gingham ribbon in 6 colours

ALL FOR £25 inc FREE P&P

OFFER 2 - 10 brads in each colour in the 4 colour ranges

= 160 brads in a four compartment container

ALL FOR £7 inc FREE P&P

OFFER 3 - 1 x 6" square of cardstock in each colour in the 4 colour ranges

= 48 colours of card

ALL FOR £5 inc FREE P&P

OFFER 4 - The ULTIMATE DEAL

Offer 1 + Offer 2 + Offer 3

ALL FOR £36 inc FREE P&P

All I need is 3 more people who would like to join in to fully subscribe the purchase. If you are anything like me, I wanted them ALL - ....NOW!! So if you are a like-minded crafter who is obsessed with SU, just let me know and I may be able to partly ease your obsession!!

You can contact me, Tricia, on 01933 353695 or by email triciaablett@hotmail.com .

Thanks for dropping by - and I should really be making some cards to put on my blog now , so watch this space to see what I come up with!!

Bye for now

STAMPERS *10* CLUB

~~~ STAMPERS *10* CLUB - NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED~~~

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I know I love rubber stamping but sometimes you just have to do something using purely papers - so here's todays offering. Back to Stampin' Up tomorrow as I have some ideas and need to put them to the test. But for now...............

Just a quick note to let you know that there is ONLY one space left in my

Stampers *10* Club

If you are interesting in this fantastic opportunity to start building your collection of SU products, please email me as soon as you can as I will be ordering on Tuesday 21st October for the other members, and I shall be taking up this space.

REMEMBER

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Don't miss out - contact me today!

triciaablett@hotmail.com

Time to start Christmas cards?

I know there's at least a couple of months until Christmas, but now's the time to play with those stamps just to get a feel for what you might be creating later on. With a few hours to spare, I decided to mount a few of my new sets (I love doing this!) and use Perfect Presents for a quick card. This lovely set is just £21.95 and has 11 stamps giving endless possibilities for designs. Using Always Artichoke cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon and silver embossing on white card, this is the result. The new Scallop Border punch is fab and so easy to line up perfectly, and centre perfectly, as well as the faithful, much used and essential Scallop circle punch. And not forgetting the Pricking tool and template from the Crafter's Tool Kit. I know that you could have a set of stamps and more for the price of the CTK but the tools contained in the zip up case are quality. Why not think about holding a demonstration in your own home and you could buy this at nearly half-price with your free goodies? Bargain!!
The next card I made uses Season of Joy stamp set, just £24.95, which contains 8 stamps, which are die-cut for easy mounting. The flowers are embossed with silver and an easy shape to cut, mounted on the same white cardstock as the base card, using the new Scallop Square punch. Also sturdily made and so easy to punch out the shape. Surely another must-have?

Well thanks for dropping by, but the roast needs attending to now and it's my 3rd son's birthday today, so the cake needs icing - oops! sorry I mean taking out of the box, kind thanks to Mr Sainsbury. So, if you had the choice of making CARDS or a CAKE, which would you choose?
Exactly!! Thank you once again, Mr Sainsbury, for letting me do the things I love!

STAMPERS *10* CLUB

STAMPERS *10* CLUB
For those of you who love SU, the Stampers *10* Club is the easy way to start collecting without breaking the bank! I only need 3 more people to subscribe and the first order can be placed. If you're thinking "What's this all about?" , I have put together a FAQ so that you can decide if you'd like to join.

How long do I need to be a member?

The S*10*Club lasts for 10 months

How much does it cost?

Your monthly commitment of placing an order of at least £15 from the new SU catalogue will guarantee that you will receive a FREE level 1 hostess set + £15 of goods from the catalogue in one of the next 10 months. There will be a minimal P&P charge of £2 for all orders up to £40 (1st class recorded delivery) and any orders over £40 will be P&P FREE (1st class recorded).

If you would like your order shipped direct from SU, they will charge minimum £3.95 or 5% whichever is the lower.

Can I spend more than £15?

You can spend as much as you like each month so long as you reach the minimum of £15. If you can commit to at least £30 per month, you can take up 2 slots and then receive the same rewards, but twice. So, 2 x level 1 hostess sets + 2 x £15 of goods.

Can I choose the free gifts?

Yes! It is your choice of hostess set and your choice of free goods.

When do I place my order?

All orders must be placed by the 20th of each month for delivery by the end of each month. Either by email triciaablett@hotmail.com or call 01933 353695.

Where can I see SU products?

There is an online catalogue http://www.stampinup.co.uk/ but as a member of the Club, you will receive your brand new catalogue FREE from me (normal cost £4.95).

How do I pay?

You can pay directly into my Paypal account (email me for details) or by cheque to my home address on the back of the catalogue.



If there are any other questions you may have, please let me know and I will answer them by email or phone call.

If you live in the Bedfordshire/ Northamptonshire area, you may want to arrange a demonstration in your own home with crafting friends; and if sales of £150 or above are reached, you will receive the free goodies (hostess set + £15 goods) for yourself, as the hostess.

If your school or local organisation would like a demonstration, I am more than happy to arrange this for you. Just let me know.

Rainy day = Productive day

Here are the results of my productive day - 4 mini albums, 1 decorated paper bag and 8 jumbo paperclip/bookmarks. All made with the latest download from Funky Hand ,Salt & Pepper - black and white papers - because my SU order is not here yet.
A close up of the bookmarks I made today after demonstrating at the 'Make and Take' yesterday for WCMDay. From the new SU catalogue, the stamp set 'One of a Kind' together with the co-ordinating 'Boho Blossoms' punch are a must-have for anybody! The very useful scallop circle punch formed the base of layered circles of 1 3/8", 1 1/4" and 1" and a stamped image of a flower from 'One of a Kind' on the top. With dimensionals to secure the paperlip, another scallop circle was stuck to the back to cover the dimensionals. So quick and easy to make, and great for fund raising events.
I cant wait for my new SU 'Scallop border' punch to arrive so at this point in time I had to use a substitute 'Threading water' punch for the top edge of the bag. The centre embellishment was made exactly as the bookmarks above and matted on pale plum card, paper pricked at the corners, the remaining flowers from the 'One of a Kind' 3-flower stamp adhered in the corners, whisper white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon tied at the front, and a bow tied at the top to seal the bag.
And the four Bind It All albums made in an hour with beer mats! Who would know! An ideal size of 90cm square, the pages were cut at 85cm square and bound with 5/8" O Wires. The front embellishments were either flora doodles, layered ,or the same SU scallops and circles as the bookmarks above. So useful and a joy to make - so neat and pretty!

Thank you for stopping by - and if you would like to leave a comment, it would make my day!

World Cardmaking Day Coffee Morning

After a hectic week, the Coffee Morning was here and now its over. A lovely time was had by all!

And about £30 was made for one of my favourite charities - Macmillan Nurses.

With much chatting , eating cake and drinking coffee , six lovely ladies took part in the 'Make and Take'. And this is what they made.

An idea which I had seen on another person's blog (thank you!) was stamped and assembled with the new SU set 'One of a Kind' and wonderful co-ordinating 'Boho Blossoms' punch. A must for anybody! This is an ideal item to make quickly and cheaply for those school fundraising events and should sell well.

The Stampers *10* Club is filling up quickly. With only 5 spaces left, please let me know as soon as you can if you would like to take part in this cost effective way of building up your SU collection. And remember that the brand new catalogue is FREE to those taking part, and is a fantastic recource for ideas, at your fingertips. If there's anything you desperately need at any time, just drop me an email or give me a call. I'll be happy to help.

The workshop on 25th October is now fully subscribed. If you were interested in attending but missed this opportunity, please give me a call because I will be repeating the day during the month of November .

ALSO watch this space for details of up and coming Christmas workshops using the wonderful stamp sets from Stampin Up.

Thanks for visiting me today - keep dropping in so that you can see what's happening at Victoria May Cottage over the coming months. And if there's anything you need, just let me know.

Happy crafting

Tricia

STAMPIN UP is here

Well its taken over 3 weeks for me to let out my news - and here it is! I've found

Stampin Up!!

Wow - rubber stamping at its best.
SU in the United States is 20 years old this year but has only been available in the UK for just over a year. As you are probably aware, SU craft items are only available from demonstrators , either through holding a demonstration in your home or direct to your door from a demonstrator. You won't see them sold in shops or online but you will be seeing some of the fantastic goodies advertised in our UK craft magazines in the not too distant future.

SU offers co-ordinating stamp sets that you can't find anywhere else! The images in each set are designed to mix and match, so you handcrafted creations will come together beautifully. The deeply etched deigns and foam-backed rubber on each stamp ensure that your stamped images remain sharp. Some stamp sets are double mounted, with two stamps sharing one block. And a number of stamps come die-cut - no trimming is required!

With the release of our new catalogue on 1st October, its a very exciting time. I have the catalogues ready to go out next Wednesday with fantastic new additions that you will want - that's a sure thing!

***Beautiful new stamp sets***

***Scallop border punch***

***Co-ordinating stamp sets and punches***

***Brand new designer series paper and cardstock***

***Grosgrain ribbons , colour co-ordinated***

and

***Wonderful new Hostess stamp sets***

***And MORE***

The catalogue (full of ideas and techniques) retails at £4.95 but throughout October, you can purchase your copy for just £3.25 with FREE 1st class P&P. And what's more, this will be refunded on any order of £30 or more.

Any orders of £150 or more will receive a FREE hostess stamp set (your choice of level 1 sets in the catalogue) PLUS £15 of goods (your choice) from the catalogue.

With Christmas just around the corner, you could have your Christmas shopping sorted for the family in one easy step, and get FREE crafting goodies for yourself as a bonus!!

OR

if £150 is just a 'step too far', take a look at my STAMPIN *10* CLUB below.

So don't delay, order it today, by contacting me triciaablett@hotmail.com .

If you are desperate to see the new catalogue before yours arrives, take a look at

www.stampinup.co.uk

to view the current catalogue, due to end 30th September. Saying that, many items are continued in the new catalogue as they are so versatile and popular. Some have been retired at a discounted price, so if something interests you, just let me know and I'll give you more information. See the colour families and how the stamp sets work so well together - you will never look back.

STAMPERS *10* CLUB

As the SU range is so collectable, I will be starting a STAMPERS *10* CLUB for those people who are willing to commit to spend £15 a month for the next 10 months. How easy is that?

How it works:

You commit to buy items from the catalogue to the value of £15 or more each month,it and then you receive a FREE hostess stamp set + £15 of goods from the catalogue for ONE of the the 10 months. If you feel that you could commit to £30 or more, you would take up 2 slots and receive 2 FREE hostess stamp sets + £30 of goods from the catalogue.

AN OFFER, TOO GOOD TO MISS!

Just let me know by dropping me an email

triciaablett@hotmail.com

Thank you for dropping by today - please pay me a visit soon as I shall be uploading projects and designs on a regular basis, to hopefully give you new ideas for your own creations.

Happy crafting!

Exciting news.....

Well, I am a really naughty blogger! I haven't posted for a month - not that I didn't want to but just the time wasn't there. With only one daughter left at home now, my new larger craft room is coming together. But when you condense two small rooms into one bigger room, don't you find that nothing is ever in the right place! I can't find anything at the moment and it's so frustrating.

And, I've been making HUGE roman blinds for my son's apartment, 5 down and 4 to go! It's amazing what you say 'Yes' to when you've only made one small bathroom blind before - but they do look a treat.

And with great interest in my new Craft Club, I'm quite busy and have to be very organised finding different projects for each session - Tuesday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm and Wednesday evenings 7pm to 9pm - on a weekly basis. But it's great fun, sharing all the ideas that I have in cardmaking.

Well, you'll have to wait a little longer for the exciting news I have, but as they say:

'All good things are worth waiting for' !!

Bye for now, but watch this space........

Junkitz book Workshop

Well, here it is! The result of the a workshop with Traci. And what a fantastic day! Plenty of tea , coffee and biscuits, friendly people to work alongside, an inspirational tutor, wonderful materials to play with and an impressive end result. I found it hard to believe that I had actually made such a quality item but it was Traci who shared the techniques to give that professional finish. Thank you Traci - it is embedded in my brain forever!
And here's a shot of a few of the inside pages where the photographs will eventually go (at some point in time!!) We made pockets, doodled photo frames, used acrylic daubers, rubber stamped (some fantastic new stamps coming very soon) ,cropped pages vertically and triangular and used tearing techniques to wonderful effect. All in all, a fab day and hopefully one of many more to come .
And to show how much I enjoyed the day, I went home and started to make some more albums with the wonderful Bind it All and some handy papers already printed and of course , my flora doodles. My head is full of ideas for more, so watch this space.

No mojo!

And I thought I was going to craft all day long. WRONG!! After a late start, I went down to our local craft warehouse (not needing anything but £75 later), into the supermarket next door for bread flour, visit a very sick friend and then it's lunchtime.Oh dear, just remembered its QVC's craft day so best have the TV on, just in case there's a 'must have'. Yes, there were a few and yes I had to have them! Turn the TV off before there's a disaster - too much money spent.


So sat down to make a card or two and couldn't decide what. Printed a few toppers from Triple Treasures Christmas CDs that came yesterday but no - not quite what I really wanted to do. So got the recently acquired Prismacolors and Sansador to have a play with the stamps I had bought this morning. All cute of course. And here's the results - very quick cards but quite pleased with the results for a first time with Prismas, Sansador and cotton buds. More practice needed me thinks!!

Very quick 50th birthday card

Well, it had to be done. The plumber image from CardToonz by Andy Carolan ,on Joanna Sheen's website, was ideal. Backing paper printed, image cut out, plunger and pencils on 3D foam pads and a few handy peel offs. Done with half an hour to spare.
Would rather stay in and craft but gotta go out. Never mind , there's always tomorrow.

At last....

I've actually got round to making a card and putting it on my blog -hurrah!! I was watching TV last night and wanted to be doin something as well so got the newly acquired polychromos out with a few ready stamped images and coloured to my heart's content. Trying to use colours I would not normally use, once it was done I immediately knew which backing paper I was going to use - a CraftWorks pearly pastel harlequin paper I'd bought in Harrogate about 3 years ago.
Just matted on a shiny card with a narrow border showing to 'lift' it and a flora doodle with a large brad centre. Three clear sticky butterflies and here it is. Easy!
I just love those polychromos but have to master the art of using Sansador to blend. So... back to the drawing board. Must make a male 50th birthday card for the party tonight and it's 5 to 5 now!!!

Blog candy at Andreas World

Haven't had a chance to post lately but have still been browsing the wonderful blogs. Whilst doing this, I visited Andeas World and she is giving away some awesome blog candy. Why not pay a visit, its so inspiring - wonderful works of art.
I WILL be posting this weekend, I WILL be posting this weekend, I MUST.....

Teddy and Tilda

As I haven't posted for a couple of days, I felt I must put two cards on my blog to show I haven't been lazy! Tilda coloured with watercolour pencils and aquabrush mounted on a pccrafter scene (so useful when in a hurry!), a few mulberry flowers and pink organza ribbon bow to add the finishing touch.

A card made in a hurry for a birthday tomorrow. All I was told was that the recipient likes teddies, so no plan in mind. My cards always evolve - add a bit of this and a bit of that - and here's the result.

Passion For Crafts: Challenge Ismaki - 25

Passion For Crafts: Challenge Ismaki - 25
Your interpretation of that sketch is wonderful. Cant wait for the Sarah Kay stamps to arrive in the UK -must have some.
Tricia

Two quick cards

A new CD arrived today and I know if I don't take a look straightaway, it will get lost under another mountain of papers until it's rediscovered! And I'll try my first challenge ever at Daring Cardmakers





So one printed sheet of pyramage later.... and two quick cards made.


The base image used alone, matted on antique gold textured card plus one Prima flower with smaller flower in the centre - fifteen minutes.

Simple!



The second one uses the other five prints, layered in the normal way with 1mm foam pads plus one Prima flower, button brad in the centre, and a touch of organza ribbon. Twenty minutes for this one and my WHOLE printed sheet used - that makes a change! Most of that time used to find a large peel off!

Quick and simple!

Impulsive - that's me!

Having not crafted at all today because of that four letter word 'w..k', hubby had made my dinner, and nothing on TV, browsed a few blogs, I decided I wanted to take part in my first challenge. 'Dotty' I saw, so off I went to my craft room.

There was the huge pile of freshly printed papers (yes ,all of them from Funky Hand's Shabby Saturday because I couldn't choose any favourite). Sifting through, I came across two spotty papers which contrasted well. Thought I must use Swiss dots CB folder and luckily enough, I had already got an off white square already embossed. A piece of matching organza ribbon hung from the drawer behind me and inside , a box of brads. Now I needed an image. Down to the dining room (my second craft room) and six images I'd played with the other day were just waiting to be used. Five Tildas and an H&S. The H&S was just the right colours so I carefully cut it out ready to be the centre piece.

Back upstairs, I put it all together and tra..la..la.. here we are.

Well not quite - just as I'm about to photograph it, the battery dies. So at the minute, battery is charging while I go back to the challenge site and find out that the 'Dotty' challenge is a Tilda one!!

Impulsive - that's me!

Going to check that battery now coz I must post today as I didn't do yesterday.

See you soon.

Miserable weather means happy crafter!

Well it's that fine drizzle this morning when you don't actually feel that it's raining, then suddenly, you realise that you're completely soaked! I suppose I ought to feel miserable coz it's not sunny but the garden needs some rain (no need to water the plants and can't do any gardening), no point in putting clothes in the washing machine(coz it's raining I can't hang them out)therefore no ironong to do(fantastic!) and the football match, that my boys wanted me to watch, has been cancelled(what a shame!)

So.... one happy crafter can make cards all day long! Here's my first two - Tilda of course.

I used a long pccrafter back ground, cut in half so it looks like two different scenes and Tilda coloured with copic markers. My dear friend Denise put me on to these pens and now I just can't get enough of them. Tilda on the left is the image where she is holding an easter egg but I've covered that part with tiny button flowers to form a bunch.

Well back to the drawing board to see what else springs to mind.

Lets get started!

Well the time has come when I really must do something about a blog. I have kept putting it off time and time again. But now it's crunch time - basically, I'd rather be making cards than talking about them. However, cardmaking is about sharing tips and techniques as well as getting pleasure out of giving them, and as I browse many blogs for inspiration, it's about time I tried to perhaps give others some ideas that they may not have thought about.

Now, I am just a 'normal' (some people may not agree!) cardmaker, no art training or qualifications , just an overactive mind that loves to create. And if I can do it, I tend to think that everyone else has already done it, coz I'm not special by any stretch of the imagination!

When I fall in love with a craft, I become obsessed. I have to have every necessary piece of equipment that exists and MORE! Because it would be disaster to use something and have none left. If it's available in 6 colours, then I must have 6 colours even if I don't particularly like two of them, because I might like them or need them one day. And it would be a catastrophe if I needed it and I didn't have it.

But the more I read about cardmakers, The more I realise that I AM NOT ALONE. It makes me feel good and I chuckle to myself when I read something that relates exactly to me.

Enough words for now, so here's the picture of last nights creation. My friend pccrafter.com have come up trumps again. The background oval is an image from Summer Picnic and has inspired the use of numerous Tilda stamps for this one. Watercolur pencils were used , fine gold peel offs to edge and some lovely co-ordinating flowers ,from a lady on ebay, found in my stash. (You can never have too many flowers!)

Off now to make some more cards, ready for my next post, now that I'm up and running.

Happy crafting!