MSE Challenge - My Pet Dragon

Made this card for my Godson William for his 6th birthday. 

William truly is a miracle - he was born 11 weeks eaarly back in 2005

After much concern, and lots of love he's now happy 6 year old who loves Star Wars and Lego.  He's a fighter so I've sent him a car with George and his pet dragon on.
The stamp is by elzybells, stripy paper is from the Earth Love Collection at Cosmo Cricket.

MSE Challenge Card (kind of) - Mum

Whoopsie - just realised the challenge was for a "Mothers Day Card" not a card for your Mum.  Never mind eh - If Mothers Day is anything like her birthday I'll be finishing the mothers day card off at 11.30 pm on the Saturday before.

I'm going to claim it fit's the bill as its for My Mothers (birth) Day and hope no-one notices ;-)

I had big plans for this card - you know - pretty stamp, artfully coloured in, glittered and glossed up a bit. artfully matted up and then embellished to the hilt, lace flowers, pearls, the lot.  Sadly, my employer and my son had other ideas and so I was left to start it at 10pm the night before Mum's birthday.

So, cream card blank, punched with a MS punch at the bottom.  Cosmo cricket 'togetherness' background paper.  Alpha stickers by pink paislee, buttons from stash (I think the little yellow ones are by papermania), punched flowers from stash and label cut from the Cricut tags bags and boxes cartridge.  I really really want those punches but everywhere I've looked has only one in stock or charge a fortune for postage.  

Here's Mum's cake which we also made the night before.  Well I made the cake and "&son" iced it

I didn't even get a chance to buy her a present but I took her out to Elsecar Heritage Centre and she chose some pretty teacups and saucers.  Don't tell Dad but she also took a shine to a lovely yew cabinet which cost substantially more than the teacups.  "&son" was unimpressed that we were going to look at antiques until I said it wa slike going to a museum where you could buy stuff.  He was a bit obsessed with the militaria but his favourite item was a cobblers last. 

Better Late Than Never!

Finally getting around to posting pics of (some of) my Christmas 2010 makes.  Believe it or not, I still have one waiting to be given to my sister (I forgot to take it down to her house at Christmas)  So I'll post that after the weekend (don't hold your breath)

I made covered notebooks for my sister, my friend and her husband.  My sister and friend are both teachers so they got class record books,  My friend's hsband got an ideas book.

All papers by Cosmo Cricket
Ideas book - Cogsmo
Miss Brocklebank's Book - The Boyfriend
Mrs MArgett's book - Jack's World.

They're all covered in sticky back plastic to help them last a bit longer.  Remind me never to do that again - the air was blue!

May is Perry Birthday month

So my brother-in-law's gift is out of the way and ready to be given on Saturday when we meet up for "CampBrocklebank IV" our annual family camping trip.  My Mum takes her motorhome, my sister's family her caravan and I usually take my tent but the site we have chosen this year doesn't accept them so I'm slumming it in the motorhome.  Then we have a week of horrendous weather and come home.  We've had snow, high-winds, torrential rain, the lot!  But the kids love it and its nice to get everyone together for a week.  My other Sis is popping over from Germany for a little while too and we'll be nearer my Gran (who is still in hospital after her stroke - but definitely on the mend) so I should be able to get over and visit her.

So May is Perry Birthday month because my b-i-l, sister and nepher (all Perrys) have their birthdays within 3 weks of each other.  I'd hoped to make them all a little something but have had to admit defeat with my nephew - he's just gonna have to mae do with a "Woody" dressing up costume.  Let's be honest, he's 5 - he really won;t care what he gets.

Which leaves my sis.  I swore I would not make any more button necklaces after my first attempts - they're just too darn fiddly but both my sisters have been nagging me so I'll probably have to make anothe one before I can unstick my fingers from the superglue and hang up the blunt edge pliers for good.

It's quite hard to tell from the pic but the buttons are muted blues and a silvery grey.  The box is made from a sheet from LLB Venaissance.

and wrapped up

My sisters have also both asked for a ribbon brooch.  I'm still trying to perfect the flowers on these but I think they're getting a bit better.

and here is her card

A beautiful gorjuss girl - my sister is so special I even used a sheet of my Cosmo Cricket "Earth love" for this one.  Rub-ons are by American craft.   Sentiment from Craftword Cards.  The little flowers are off cut's from a corner punch - I must have had them in a little pot on my desk for at least a year - I knew they'd come in handy eventually

Better crack on with the housework now - 11.12pm - is probably not a good time to start tho 

Completed Layout from Craft Den Scrapbooking Class

Before going on holiday I managed to make it to the Thursday night scrapbook class at the craft den.  I'd love to make the classes more often but struggle with childcare. 
Lynne came up with this design for us to work with.  If we'd have been at school I would have been in the remedial class, struggling with the pearl pens, messing up paper, etc etc but thanks to Lynne I came away with a nealy fnished page. (and a template for that lovely concertina butterfly.  The background paper is plain - we made the pattern using a doily and some tim holtz distress inks.  Will be trying that again just as soon as my inks arrive from the US.
I completed it today and it now has pride of place on my mantelpiece.  The only extra I've added is the heading - because I chickened out of journalling again.  It's taken from a Cosmo Cricket Strip-tease from the Gretl range.

The picture is of my darling boy aged about 3 and he's actually trying to catch a bubble.  I loved the Martha Stewart punch so much that I've asked my friend to buy me one from America.  The pearls on the swirls are made with a Viva Pearl Pen which would have been my favouritest thing n the workd if I hadn't just taken delivery of my cricut expression.

Christmas Catch Up Part 2 - Shadow Frames & Clocks

I'm glad I waited to blog these because at the time I was just too frazzled to enjoy it.  I gave myself too much to do and kept beating myself up about 'not being as organised as last year'.  It was nearly Christmas before it clicked that 'last year' I'd been signed off sick for most of December so had plenty of time to do lots of crafty things.  It's not so easy when you're working late, taking kids to Christmas parties etc etc etc.  Some of these went to the wire - I was up at 2 in the morning on Christmas eve finishing off one of the clocks but, in hindsight, they seem to have been worth the effort.

I bought the kits from home bargains (where else?) a while ago and they were ridiculously cheap.  From memory the clock ones were £3.99  and the plain shadow boxes were £1.99.  They came with paper, etc but I used my stash instead

First up - for my sister Jane.
this uses Crate Paper 'lil sprout

This one was for Mum and Dad using a mini-kit that my lovely friend Emma G gave me containing the letters, ribbon and bling.  The background paper is by Cosmo Cricket.  The bling by basic grey.

Next up, my other sister, Ruth's clock - she's moved to Germany now so she'll have this in her new flat as reminder of her darling nephew

The polka dot paper  and charm came with the box on this one, The other paper is MME - Bloom & Grow

And finally

A picture of my godson for his Mum, my best friend from Uni.  Crate paper again but Orbit range this time.

The Tower of Treats

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while may remember that I gave my Granny a scrapbook for her birthday and was going to make some extra pages dfor her Christmas present.  Well here they are.........oops I didn't have time (again) so I went for a compromise and have done a shadow box as a gift instead. 

I think its called a shadow box because when you take a picture half the inside is in in shadow!  So here it is without the box.  Papers and embellishments by Cosmo Cricket -  Jitterbug with co-ordinating background from stash.  The picture is of my Granny and Grandad when they first met - she's the one on the left) at a holiday camp on the isle of wight.  The other 2 girls are her friends.

I wanted to give Granny something else too but she is so hard to buy for - she's 85 next year!  So I decided to make her up  hamper of all the things she liked.  I didn't have a basket though and didn't have time to buy one as Mum is taking the presents doewn to Ipswich tomorrow so I hit upon the idea of a "tower of treats"

Golly that ribbon tying was hard but we got through it and I'm very pleased with the result - let's hope she is too.  The boxes were bought from Home Bargains (where else) a few months ago and were £1.99 for 6 (I've got 2 small ones left over) and the ribbon was from my stash.

Easel birthday card for Rainmac

I'm not uquite sure that I've done this right because as usual I couldn't get youtube to work on the instruction dvd but it looks similar to everyone elses so I assume I got something right.

Papers are cosmo cricket jitterbug with a little bit of crate paper behind the stamped image.

Glutton for punishment

Well after all the soul searching about knocking my friends Christening card off the "to-do" list, I put myself back to square one today by deciding that i HAD to make a card for my sis for when she goes away. So back to 2 cards to make then. I got them both finished but suspect I'll be up till the wee small hours now - I promised myself I'd stop a 8pm - yeah right!

Both cards are pocket cards but they're very different.

First up is the one for my sis. She's being deployed on Tuesday to somewhere grim and is coming to say goodbye and drop her boys off in Wales at the weekend. I'm planning on putting a teabag and verse in the card on the front - we girls like our "nice cupsy-tea". Main paper by doodlebug.

The last card of mine for a while is for my boy - I ummed and aahed about what to make for him as he's my crafting buddy - its nerve wracking - I guess a bit like when you gie a card to someone who yo know makes cards themselves. He's my best critic. I even considered buying a card from him from the shop because I thought the task was too much!

Anyhow, I made him a pocket card in the end with some paper that he knows is saved for best so I'm sure he'll appreciate it. The lift off tag is going to have a secret message on the back - written with his UV pen just as soon as I can sneak it out from under his pillow. The papers, tag and die cuts on this one are by Cosmo Cricket - Cogsmo: Cogs.

It's done! (and only just in time)

Mum and Dad are travelling down to Granny's tomorrow so I had to finish the album tonight. Her's the final 3 pages

Fisrt up is my favourite of them all - it's photos of me and my sisters when we were little. Photos from this era seem to be a bit thin on the ground. The papers are so beautiful that I really didn't want to do too much to them in case I spoiled them. They're from Cosmo Cricket; Gretel. The background paper is called Butterflies, the frames 'Woodland'. Lettering from Basig Grey - sugared.

Secondly 'Mum'

The first photo is from Granny and Grandad's 40th wedding anniversary celebration in 1998. The second one is of the family on holiday with Grandads trusty Standar 8 car by the side. Papers are by Crate Paper. Went a bit wild with the embossing on this one - have just treated myself to a cuttlebug as an early birthday present and embossing everything in sight!

Last one - 'Great Granny'. Photos of my Granny nowadays are few and far between - she's really not keen on having them taken but I managed to find 3 photos that between them have pictures of all 3 of her great- grandsons. Paper by Chatterbox: Paper Walls. Background paper is called Pebble Stripe, Frames are cut from 'Sunny Pinwheels.

I've posted the album in its entirety on my 'pics only' blog here

Glückwünsche!

My sis called me from Germany this lunchtime to tell me that her interview was a success and she'll be starting a new job teaching over there next January.

She's back home tomoz so I had to get work quickly on a congratulations card. She'll have to get going learning German so I thought I'd give her a head start. My german is v limited - I only remember 2 songs from my German gcse! One about having an auntie in Morocco and one about about the hat with corners. Had to go to google translate to find the German word for 'congratulations' .

~Edit - just realised I'd forgotten the umlauts (sp?) - they're on now.

The flowery paper is one of my faves - I only have half a sheet left now (sob!). ITs from Cosmo Cricket's jitterbug range.

Shadow Frame for my sis's B'day

It's not quite ready but I'll be picking up the real photo for the middle just before I go away so this was poss my only chance to take a piccy before I give it to her. If I get chance I'll update it.

My sister's birthday was deemed an important enough occasion for me to cut into my belove Mr Cogsmo papers from Cosmo Cricket - well she's worth it! The wording down the far side says 'Boys are 90% mischief and 10% dirt. I think those figures need checking

I've also uploaded her birthday card which is a little more refined and sophisticated - but not as much fun!

Those robots with my nephews faces in them make me chuckle every time I look at them!