Jack Frost nipping at my toes...

... nose, hands, feet and everything in between!   I was shivering on Thursday in Chester - it was FREEZING.    I even resorted to wearing a hat, something I never do. 

But it has now warmed up thank goodness.  I had a friend staying for a couple of days which was really nice,  it  also helped perk mum up.  In Chester we, me and my mate Conny, enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner at the Victoria pub,  and when I say delicious I really mean it. Home cooked and locally sourced produce. 

I've also been enjoying opening up some early Christmas presents in the form of swaps,  and everyone has included some extra bits and bobs which have come as a lovely surprise.   My own swap has been a bit delayed,  but it is now almost complete. 

Today it was up to the craft shop to invest in a new versamark stamp pad, the two I had were way beyond their best.  While I was there I

invested in a Stamps Away blending mat,  and I love it.  Already made use of it and I can say it does make life much easier when blending, not tried it with the brayer yet.  I also got a bargain, this Tim Holtz die reduced from £16.95 to £9.95.   This example has been embossed, frantaged and then coated with utee.   I'm still waiting for the other die to come,  the seller took ages to send through the postage details - and I went back to look at the original sale and it did say free postage!  Oh well, hopefully it will arrive on Monday, but I won't be bothering with that seller again.

In the above photo is the new stamp I got... can't resist stamps!  I used a mix of embossing powders, it  hasn't photographed very well sadly, will try again tomorrow. Sort of got behind today as my cousin called in,  but nice to catch up with her. 

And here is the Christmas tree!   Conny helped me rescue the decs from the loft and then assisted with all the putting ups.  So the flat now looks a lot cheerier,   even mum's mood brightened a little.   She's still not too good and is now off her food,   I was supposed to be going to a party tomorrow, but think I'll stay at home,   I'm not really in the party mood anyway. 

My knee is still very sore,  hobbling around Chester probably wasn't a good idea,  although we were taking time out to keep warm in various coffee shops.   I thought maybe I'd get in the mood for some Christmas shopping, but really didn't feel like it,  so it is the old Amazon vouchers again this year.

Will have to get cracking on a few things tomorrow,   mum's card, for which I need that new die!   And get Xmas cards in the post. 

All for now,  hope you are all having an enjoyable weekend.   See you tomorrow.

Scraping away....

Uggh...  scraping time.  Car covered in heavy frost,  inside and out.   Old car took an age before it defrosted, new car was all toasty in a few minutes!   Sadly mum wasn't, she was still dragging her heels as she does every morning,  which then holds me up!    I had wanted to get to the supermarket early, but in spite of mum's early start I still didn't make it till nearly 11 a.m.  By which time she'd also talked herself out of meeting a friend for lunch cos it was icy.  I did suggest she delay her decision as the sun was beginning to melt the ice...   but she'd already decided.    Rather a depressing day all round really,  should I lumber you with this?   I was okay when I woke up,  felt happyish, sun was out, blue sky, yes it was blooming cold, but one of those lovely crisp days.    Left to my own devices I'd have had the supermarket shop sorted early,  then chosen to go have a hobble by the beach, then to have coffee with a friend.   Instead I end up twiddling thumbs,  listening to brother (who knows best) getting his way...  I'm just the hired help obviously. 

Then realised I'd forgotten that the Dec swap was red and green... ho hum, raspberries and all that.  Still needed a birthday card,  out of ideas,   then I had one!   Revamping Dec swap, first one was okay, then it all went belly up...   do I need this?    Nice Xmas card done, see pic,  looks much better IRL,  used some spray and shine on the poinsetta,  and ordered the die from ebay,  it said free postage so naturally I didn't pay for any postage,  half an hour later I get email from seller saying there was a cock up and there was postage to pay!  So paid it, hoping for acknowledgement...  nope, so no idea if die is on its way or not!    Brother's attitude still grating,  decide I am fed up of my family and wish to divorce the lot of them.    Look back at crafting and: I've completed two boxes for bookatrix cards, made Xmas card, and birthday card,  have some suitable presents...    just can't get to gift wrap which my stoopid sister decided to store on top shelf in cloakroom, I did ask her to take them off the shelf! 

So a decided lot of fedupness going on here,  got friend arriving tomorrow.   By 3pm we'll be knee deep in Xmas decs and I'll be laughing.   I hope.   December swap...  you may just get what I've made... tough if it doesn't match!

Sleepy Sunday

Had the usual toss/turn night, then fell asleep and woke up at 8 a.m.,  so warm and toasty in bed that I stayed there...  well I took a peep out of the curtain and it looked grim... 

When I finally woke up the sun had come out!  So it was up, out and at 'em... I wish!   Had my usual Sunday morning,   reading paper with cup of coffee,   getting dressed,  then bacon butty time,  stretch brain with crossword... then off to crafting.

Got a fair bit done today.   Made some tags,  more cards and got a bit more of the Christmas/birthday present done.

This effort was from yesterday,  took me an age to put together.  Much faffing was necessary.  Used dylusions for the background,  then added more distress ink,  some stamping,  frantage... it was endless!    Then using the Slice glue, intended for the glass plate (to hold the card in place) I used a peel off with some gilding flakes for the nativity scene.   For the frantage I sprinkled some silver glass on,  I was then intending to heat it from behind the card, tried that it was taking an age so sprinkled on some UTEE,  just a light dusting, and it sort of gave the silver glass a 'key' to hold on to, and made life much easier.  I added a few more peel offs, the wise men and the stars, the large star was stuck to some silver mirri then cut out.

Next was some brayering.  I got this stamp set last year, a very simple set of stamps but so effective.   I got brave and used my pilot pen to add some interest.   Just happy that the super smooth takes the brayer nicely.     It is also good to keep my hand in with the brayer.  I am wondering what difference the splodge mat will make,  I've watched Barbara Gray use hers,  and can see that it does help, but then again she is the expert.  I've also tried just inking up the central bit of the brayer,  and that does make a difference, keeps the ink to a minimum. Brayering is really about adding ink in small amounts, not slapping it all on at once.   Never use a hard brayer, go for the speedball,  it is more forgiving.

And my Christmas cards!  More of the simple stuff.   The stamps are from Indigo Blu,  it is a lovely set.    I used peel offs for the sentiment.  Inside is stamped the sentiment at the top of the blog, also included in this set, so you can see why I bought it!   These will be the family cards,  need to make one for mum as well.  Or I may buy one - yes, shock horror,  but I often like the verses in the shop cards. 

I'm still wondering what I did with all my Christmas embossing powders, I had a tinsel range which were lovely to use, but they seem to have gone AWOL.  And I have now searched through all the Christmas stash.

This is a tag, and a mix of two sets of Indigo Blue Christmas stamps.   I wasn't sure if they'd work together, but they seem to.   Santa and his reindeer have been embossed, and on later versions I added the Merry Christmas.   No brayering,  just some cut and dry stuff.   Hey, whatever works! 

I do need a new craft mat,  mine is now on its last legs. 

The craft mat has also seen much better days,  and it was a fancy one!   May go for one of those glass cutting mats.   Well think that just about covers my crafty weekend.    Back to it tomorrow,  a few more cards,  and two in need of finishing touches.

Thanks for stopping by

Saturday shivers

It was time to get out the snuggly boots and thick socks.  Some lovely sunshine but the temperature is definitely going down. 

Not a good night either,  sleepless in painland.  Not sure the knee replacement was as painful as this. 

I have been crafting, mostly the Christmas cards,  got half of what I need made.   Just kept to simple designs,  like this, which is for a friend.  I used the frantage stamped image,  and simply attached to a square scalloped card,  then added the white ribbon.  The two new indigo blu Xmas stamps both have nice sentiments on them,  the front stamp came from a set I forgot I had.

More crafting today,   managed some brayering,  more frantage and got messy with the dylusions.  Also found some further use for my Slice glue,  which is tacky and so great for the gilding flakes.  I also used up some peel offs that have been hanging around for ages.   No pics,  the light was going by the time I finished,  the sun disappeared to be replaced by a very dull grey sky, and then of course it began raining. 

More cards tomorrow,  in fact must really get a move on as I've got a friend staying for a few days this coming week. 

Hope you're all staying safe and warm.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Think Jack Frost has arrived, it is blooming freezing!   No snow,  but lots of frost and icy rain.    I do need to get something to keep the knees warm,  metal and cold do not a good combination make! 

No decs up yet,  they are still in the loft, awaiting rescue.   I may attempt it.  If I'm not around next week then you'll know it all ended in disaster.  

I had a play today with new craft stuff.   The Frantage arrived :-))   And yesterday I popped up to craft shop for more white supersmooth card stock,  and ended up also buying a background stamp.  I also spotted the splodge mats, the new heat guns and all the other new goodies....   my Christmas list is getting longer by the minute.

So here is my simple effort for today,  using the new frantage mix,  the chunky stuff,  got myself into a bit of a to do with the utee, but then sorted it out.   I do need a two speed heat gun if I am going to do this frantage thing properly, so it is on the wish list.   Or a melt art pot... I think that would be the better option really.   I used the new background stamp,  I'd call it crackle,  just used some versamark and silver powder - yes it looks like gold,  poor lighting I am afraid.    But it was fun just to mess, last few days have been a bit serious with getting some swap stuff done,   now I'm geared up for some Christmas cards, which will be tomorrow's task.   Not sure if I am up to it but next on the list is to come up with a festive/birthday present,  have the idea, just not sure I can execute it.   If not then I do have a plan B!    That nice Mr Tesco also sent me a voucher for £4 off a magazine,  so I grabbed a craft mag,  Papercrafts, as I liked the wooden embellishments. 

I have my car back with me,  she seems to be 'cured',  so far no bill from garage,  I'm wondering if they forgot to do something when they replaced the faulty part?  My mechanic was muttering something about how you need to 'reset' these newer cars, as you do with a computer, when you've replaced a part.  I'm lucky to have a good mechanic, and one who is also honest,  he's always admitted if he has made a mistake - I call that good customer service.  But lovely to have some freedom,  walking is out of the question right now, so having the car is a bonus.  Managed to hobble round the supermarket the other day,  so nice to just get out and about. 

More crafting tomorrow, and maybe more pics.  Stay safe and warm.

And it's Monday!

Just 22 days to 'you know what',  I've got two presents, no cards and the decs are still stuck in the loft!   But my Advent Candle arrived,  so we lit it tonight. 

I had my brother here breaking up a chair - don't ask.  He's crocked, I'm crocked, but between us both we managed to dismantle it.   Like to thank my nephew and nephew in law for being SO BUSY,  to offer any assistance!   Busy as in playing 5 a side football etc. 

Today I got to post my Advent pic on a FB group I belong to, so here it is!  Used three of the new set of Indigo Blu stamps.  Rummaged through the Christmas stash for the dotty paper,  also found some mirri board, and gold thread,  plus some glitzy ribbon, oh and some reindeers.  The latter will do for the two young nephews.

Had a quick look round the challenges,  think I can manage a couple this week.  The old mojo is flowing now,  best keep it that way.   Still no car, it is waiting for the computer to say yes... there is something to be said for old motors,  you can lock them when the battery is flat,  and the fault finding is easier. 

I have all the components cut out and stamped for the December swap,  just need to assemble them all now.     I do have some craft goodies on the way,  I'd forgotten that my membership for CnC was automated,  so I had ten quid to spend yesterday,  fancied more fran-tage,  and had a nice surprise when the bill came to £1.79!   The postage was only a quid. 

Hopefully I should have the blog suitable attired for the festive season by tomorrow.   All for now... stay warm

Blessings

I haven't had the best week and was feeling a bit down in the dumps.   Then the car broke down - again, same fault!   So I was pretty cheesed off.  I intended to enter the Simon Says challenge,   which was to include a heart.   I had my heart but no idea what to do with it,  so I put my down in the dumps mood to some use, turned it around and thought about counting my blessings. 

For the picture I used some canvas board for the base, some bits of paper,  die cut the music thingy,  stained some white lace with tea.    I coloured the big heart and after letting it dry then I stamped on it adding gold embossing powder.   Craft Artist came in handy to generate the 'blessings', which of course I can add to it as I choose.  I stained the canvas board, then while wet pressed some bubble wrap on it.  The other bits of paper were embossed and stamped on.

It felt good to do this.  It came about after I'd read a chapter in a book I'm reading,  the chapter explained the need for struggle and how we can emerge from it stronger and wiser.  It certainly banished the blues. 

I had quite a day on Thursday.    I had a hospital appointment,  to get a taxi there and back would have cost me £16,  so I wondered if I could manage to drive my car.   We'd had a hard frost overnight so the car did need to be defrosted and started up.  Once I'd done that I felt that my knee would be okay to drive, so I just did a test drive down the street, did an emergency stop and all was well.   I left for the hospital in plenty of time, in fact I made sure I gave myself extra time to get there and get a parking space.  At the hospital it was chaos, one car park had been dug up to be made into a heliport!  That means 200 LESS spaces...  it was mayhem,  the security guards overseeing parking were a joke and clueless,  the disabled section of the multi storey had plenty of spaces, but they weren't checking to see if anyone had a disabled badge,  I showed mine to one guard but he just shrugged.  It was now near my appointment so I rang the clinic and explained I'd be late.  So I drove round a few times, still no spaces,  then the car conked out!    Some chap shouted at me, so I told him why I was stopped and asked him to go do something useful like get someone to help push the car into a space - and he did! So rang my mechanic, we both knew what the fault was, same as last time,  something is causing a fuse to blow.  So I cancelled my appointment, even though I was just yards away from the clinic, without electrics I can't lock the car, so much for modern day techonology!   Got home feeling fed up and cold,  hence the down in the dumps mood.   But as I said that changed when I read the book,  plus the sun was shining,  my jeans are fitting much better (lost my appetitie since the op),  I've got good friends,  a nice place to live, money in the bank (not a lot, but enough), food to eat and I am cared for.

The Craft Barn cheered me up, my order arrived on Friday,  very fast service, and with a freebie, which left me very impressed.   The new stamp set is gorgeous,  so are my two new dies, one of which I've used on the above picture.  I'll put up some examples of my new stamps tomorrow. 

Right best post this on Simon Says!   Enjoy your weekend all.