Mole's Creations

Digi double

2012-02-01T13:25:00.000Z

I have managed to catch up with my digi Circle Journal entries and amazingly, met the final deadline in spite of all my hiccoughs on the way. The first is Cod Wars!

This was for a 'Year of my birth' entry and was a challenge as some of the topics I'd normally have chosen for this theme had already been used by other digi scrappers - and I wanted to make sure my page was different. I browsed around the website and looked for the defining events of the year in question ... and my fancy was tickled by cod!

The final CJ was all about 'my home town' (or 'why should I visit yours!). I live in a very small village but we're blessed with lovely walks, scenery, valleys , sunsets and all-sorts, so I thought I could create a page that celebrated all this.

I've had a great time taking part in the CJ. Maybe next time, we should do a digi round-robin scraplift theme! Any takers?

A real-life 'in-the-flesh' layout at last

2012-01-30T15:25:00.000Z

A week or so ago, I was lucky enough to get to a class run by Sue at PaperArts where we tackled a complicated set of tasks including cutting, masking, spraying, shrinking, quilling and inking (just for starters!). As it was quite a time-consuming challenge, I didn't get to finish the second layout I started, and it has been lying on my desk at home ever since, asking to be completed.

And at last, it is finished:

I tore, rolled and generally distressed the base cardstock, sprayed some Glimmer Mist in one area (I seem incapable of using this stuff without getting big blobs of ink on my work but hey ho, all adds to the character), and used scraps of patterned paper and cut-outs behind the photo.

You can't see too well from the photo, but the papers are stuck on using foam mounts to give extra dimension, and in the top left, I've scattered sticky gems around for extra bling (there are some to the right hand side, too!). The small flowers come from my stock - some Primas, some charity shop, and the checked bow came from a Christmas gift. The large flower was cut from the Tim Holz Tattered Floral die, while the centre is a button from my button stash tin (thanks mum!). Oh, and I used some roses cut from the rose ribbon stuff you can buy by the metre. I shrunk one using my heat gun.

Add some ribbon and ric-rac, and some letters from the My Mind's Eye Lush collection and Bob's your uncle!

Ooops! My mistake - but still a good result!

2012-01-27T13:42:00.000Z

To err is human, to misread the requirements for a CJ entry is also pretty stupid. That's what I did the other day. But you know what, although I feel a right plonker for getting confused and will have to complete not only one but two digi pages this weekend (to replace the erroneous page, and produce the final LO for the CJ 'trail' I'm following) .... I am actually quite pleased with my 'acidental' page anyway!

I have sat at my PC without my notebook where I've recorded the designers whose materials I've used so my apologies - I'll rectify this when I'm back at base. But meanwhile, hand up if you're a fan of the lovely old mini!

My first car was a mini so I've a soft spot for the wee beastie. It was a sort of mushroom grey colour, and my friend had one in exactly the same shade. We weren't too happy when we discovered that my key also unlocked the door of her car .... but we still both loved our wheels....

A digi update - and about time too!

2012-01-10T13:44:00.001Z

I am, as usual behind with this and that. This being my blog, and that being the digital scrapbook layout pages I should be making and sharing with my circle journal (CJ) friends on UK Scrappers. I didn't make any New Year's resolutions, but if I had, I might have pledged to be a better blogger. And so I will try, honestly, I will. But don't be surprised if I don't (always) succeed.

And so to my page above - that's me, enjoying the amazing peace and tranquillity, not to mention the fabulous scenery, during a holiday in New Zealand a few years ago. I could have stayed in this spot all day - it was just beautiful. This was my contribution to a journal focusing on 'places'.

My most recent CJ contribution is this - which as I'm writing my blog in the traditional sleepy lunchtime period, might most appropriately be called the 'graveyard slot'. These photos were all taken in the Victorian section of Stroud cemetery, which is also a nature reserve. I find all the tombstone inscriptions, stone designs and brief glimpses of past lives fascinating.

On my first visit I puzzled over the repeat appearance of tall, thin columns which were broken at their tips. Why was each memorial so damaged? I later discovered that these pillars were deliberately crafted in this fashion, designed to symbolise a life cut short. Other designs also tell stories - twisted ropes, anchors, angels and symbols, all with their own histories and messages.

I realise that graveyards might not be everyone's idea of great places to explore - but I think they are a treasure troves, providing tantalising clues into lives gone before. They're also great for practising photography skills and spotting wildlife and lichen, as well as contemplating those whom we have loved and lost ... but not forgotten.

Oh, the shame ....

2011-11-23T16:02:00.000Z

I am a bad person: I have not blogged for ages. I have no excuse other than life, and stuff happening. But just because I have not blogged, doesn't mean I've not been crafting. I've made some cards .... sadly no photos as they were were all snaffled straight away for various birthdays and get well soon postings. You'll have to trust me when I say they looked ok.

Now this digi page I've uploaded here is one of the pages I've done for the digi circle journal over on UKS. The theme for this one was childhood memories. I wasn't sure what to do for this as I didn't have any photos to illustrate the theme. Then I started thinking about what I spent most of my childhood doing - and the answer is probably reading. Which led me to remembering all the books I borrowed from the local libary to feed my hunger for words. And so my page idea was born.

Nature was the theme for another circle journal which seemed a perfect excuse to use one of the photos I took earlier this year of poppies growing in the fields near my home.

A similar CJ, called Nature's Glory, gave me the chance to use a different shor altogether, of the lovely holly growing in a local wood, dressed with snow.

Hope you like my creations ..... I shall try not to stay away from my blog for so long, next time!

Butterfly card

2011-07-30T22:40:00.001+01:00

I made this card in response to an on-line challenge. Can I remember who set the challenge, or where? No! Doh .... But never mind, I enjoyed making it. I do recall that there was a sketch to use and the idea of 'circles' as a prompt.

I used white card for the card base and stippled it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink. Cut a section of checked card and used my threading water border punch on one edge before mounting it. The three punched circles have had the edges inked and are mounted using sticky pads for dimension. The cardstock comes ready glittered, so there's a nice bit of built-in bling!

I have used a second ribbon-style strip of the checked card towards the bottom of the card, leaving a small amount of the white card below (you can't see this on my scanned version, sorry).

The small frame is cut using my Sissix die and Big Shot, and the added sentiment is a rub-on from my collection. Two pearl 'jewels' add the finishing touch to the frame.

A digital creation

2011-07-25T16:24:00.004+01:00

While I've been out of work, I've had much more time to explore the capabilities of my Photoshop Elements 8 software. I am, I admit, a little bit addicted to just playing around with it, mostly on photos, but also, it has to be said, with other elements that could be useful in digital, or in-the-flesh scrapbooking.

And here is my latest 'test' creation, which I was quite pleased with. I do have another, grungier version (postmarks are seldom crystal clear and perfect, are they?!) but I am not sure where I filed it (doh!). I don't think I've perfected the technique yet - I couldn't see to get the 'sent with love' text to appear the right way up, but hey, in my book, any progress is good!

I made the image with the help of the fab people on elementsvillage.com. The site is well worth a visit if you want to got more from your Photoshop program, and everyone there is so helpful.

http://notesonpaper.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-going-postal-how-about-you.html

I've posted this link as one of my UK Scrapper companions has gone all postal, and when I read her blog, I thought my creation would be just perfect to share and add to the collection of all thing maily.

And here is a photo of one of our dogs Kalika, framed by moi, using masks and brushes. I did have fun doing this!

Another week, another card ...

2011-07-18T13:28:00.000+01:00

This is yet another of my photos which fails to do the card justice. It really does look better in real life, honest!

I made this in response to sketch challenge here:

http://scrapology-adventuresinscrapb....blogspot.com/

The card base is simple white CS, and I've rounded the corners with a punch.I used some of my Papermania paper for the three-block background - the patterns and colours in the set are lovely, but because the paper is quite thin, I tend not to use it often. This seemed to be a great opportunity to put it to use.

Then I punched two scalloped circles, inked the edges and mounted them with sticky fixers to give dimension. The sentiment was created in Word and printed on a light card stock. Then I used a circle punch to cut out the required shape before mounting that on top. The white ribbon and thinner blue ribbon came from my ribbon stash drawer.

Thanks to everyone for looking, and for the lovely comments many of you are leaving for me - it's so encouraging.

Saturday update

2011-07-16T14:34:00.000+01:00

OK. Today's card features a sparkly butterfly cut using a lovely Marianne's Creatables die. It is cut from slightly holographic/sparkly cardstock which look better on the in-the-flesh version than in the photo.I've bent the wings upwards and mounted the body on a sticky fixer to give it dimension.

The cardstock came from a Garden Party (DCWV) small stack and is handily already 'blinged' so I didn't have to add any further Stickles or gems. I wrapped a silver-edged organza ribbon and bow around the DCWV card before sticking it onto the card base.

Simple, quick, and used up up just a little more of my stash!

Just as I promised!

2011-07-11T14:36:00.000+01:00

I promised to share some more photos of the cars I'd been making on my frugal creativity drive!

Not the best photo ever but I think you get the idea.

I've used a pink card base (I never used to like pink, so don't quite now what's happened these days, all my cards seem to be pink LOL) and my threading water punch to create the edging. I've done some inking with my Tim Holz Distress Ink pads, and used my Sizzix swirl to cut the flourish. The (Sizzix) scalloped / frame shape behind the flourish is cut from a textured wallpaper sample, and inked to bring out the relief. The button comes from my box of mum-donated stash. There's the compulsory low-level bling, too, in the form of gems and a bit of Stickles here and there on the flourish. The various elements are mounted with the help of sticky fixers to give a 3D effect.

Doesn't look bad in real life!!!!!

Trying to be good

2011-07-09T17:00:00.001+01:00

It is true, I have been trying to be good. Why? Well, I have been out of work now since December last year and redundancy payouts don't, sadly, last for ever. So I am trying to rein in my spending habits (not that they were ever very dubious - but who doesn't like buying the odd crafty thing here and there??!!).

The result from a crafting perspective is I've been making more of an effort to use up what I've got, scraps and all. The card above is just one of a batch I've made using what's stashed away in my office-cum-craft room. The exercise has also made me use my Sizzix dies and various punches, so I am feeling reasonably pleased with myself!

I will post up some more photos as I go along.

Anyone for a dreadful pun?

2011-06-15T16:25:00.000+01:00

You can see the card, so you can probably guess what's coming! Yes, it was something along the lines of 'Happy Baa-thday to ewe'. Sorry, but it had to be done!

I was asked to make a birthday card for a one-year old girlie at short notice, and not being very practised in the art of cards for infants, I ummed and ahhhed a bit trying to think what I could do. I've not managed to find my Cricut software or Design Studio software, much less get the codes I need to reactive the former on my my newly-rebuilt PC, so that avenue was a no-no.

I then remembered that a couple of years ago (or to my shame, maybe longer) I bought some Sizzix thin dies at a bargain offer price and hadn't yet got round to using them. With my Sizzix Big Shot I didn't really have any excuse not to try the sheep die, which I thought might be a suitable image for a wee lassie.

So I rummaged in my plain paper scraps box and found some suitable cardstock and away I went. I was quite chuffed at the results (the photo is a bit naff and doesn't do it justice, it looked smarter in the flesh!), especially with the rippled cardstock I found to use as the fleece.

The moral of the story is, I think, that you never know when the stuff you've bought is going to come in handy!

Happy crafting .......

Getting messy at Paper Arts!

2011-05-08T20:09:00.001+01:00

OK. So lovely Sue at Paper Arts near Stroud, rashly decided to have an open weekend at the shop - inviting us punters in to try the stash, get creative and get messy! Who could resist such an invitation? Even Sue (left) and Irene (right), who are usually to be found behind the counter, came out to play. I think they were having far too much fun ....

Elaine Rolfe (above. far right, ace scrapbooker and creative gal!) was on hand to give lessons in the art of flower making and loads of other stuff, too. You can see the flowers below - the photo doesn't really do the Ranger Ink / Tim Holz Distress Stains or Creative Impressions' Cosmic Shimmers! Incidentally, apparently you can wash Cosmic Shimmer stains out of clothes with a little help from good, old, Fairy Liquid ...

The flowers were amazingly simple - but very satisfying - to make, and are a great way of ensuring your embellishments match your layout or greetings card colour scheme. We used a small punch - possibly called Starburst? which Sue promises will soon be back in stock - for the centres, and a grungy flower-type die-cut for the petals.

I've tried to show a sample flower (above) close up but a) my camera is not that brill, and b) it's raining and dark outside so I've had to try and take the shot in the poor indoor light. But I hope you get a bit of an idea.

These last flowers were made using the spiral flower template die from Marianne's Creatables. Available, of course, from Paper Arts LOL!

And here you can see a couple of my flower creations 'in situ' as it were, on two of the tags I made during the drop in sessions. Is it sad to admit I visited the shop on both Saturday and Sunday? I did ask permission, honestly.

I must say a very big THANK YOU to the lovely Elaine who so generously let me use some of her rubber stamps on these tags. And for her patience in helping us all with the new techniques and ideas. Thanks too, to Sue for sharing her tag and stain genius (you can see some samples in the shop if you happen to be in the area).

No, I didn't eat any of the cakes made by Sue's mum or partake in the nibbles provided but I have it on good authority that they were all very tasty. Judging by the size of the slices that were being consumed, calorie counting wasn't an issue this weekend!!!!!

And finally, well done to Sue for selling raffle tickets during the weekend for an Alzheimers charity. This is a cause close to my heart as one of my aunts has dementia and is in a care home. So sad to see a bright, smart, well-organised individual reduced to such a level by a cruel disease...

Scrapped at last

2011-04-17T15:23:00.001+01:00

At the very last minute, I signed up for a workshop at PaperArts near Stroud, yesterday. Sue made me most welcome, as always, and I joined Lorraine Freeman's class. You can see the result above.

I hadn't prepared any photos for the class as I really didn't know I was going for sure until Saturday morning, but discovered the Jenni Bowlin papers and Kraft card colours were perfect for scrapping this less-than-perfect photo of my lovely dad (sadly no longer with us). I have had the photo for a long time but hadn't got round to doing anything with it. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to put that right.

I followed the class instructions pretty closely but omitted some of the lace and flowers to make the page less 'girly'. I also added some journalling to record how my dad loved to walk out in the orchard where he and mum used to live in Kent. Arthur, the cat, always went with him and they both, I think, rather liked the company! I decided that the page didn't need a title.

The stash details: Jenni Bowlin red large dot and vintage red tiny dot patterned papers. Kraft card. Brown card. Lace. Tim Holz Distress Ink. Cats Eye ink pads. Scallop punch. Flower punch. Small dot punch.

I finished this page at the workshop, too. Used various strips and ric rac for colour and texture. We went on this ferry for a trip to see the Needles close up. Which reminds me, the first layout also required some sewing, shock horror!

I did start on two other layouts during the day but didn't have all the materials I needed to finish them. I will complete them soon, I hope!

Happy wedding anniversary!

2011-03-22T19:03:00.001Z

Here's a card I made earlier this week for a 50th wedding anniversary. It's hard to see from the photos, but there's lots of texture here - in the hammered cardstock base, the lace strip and ruffle, the layered torn paper and the glittery bow. There's some embossed card, too, made with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, but used in my Sizzix Big Shot (I haven't got a bug).

The greeting is raised on foam pads, and the edges are inked for definition. It was supposed to be a red Tim Holz distress ink that I used, but there must have been some residue from another colour on the pad I used, and it came out coffee coloured. Fortunately, it went quite well, so I didn't worry too much.

I made the rose from some scrap 12x12 double sided paper I had in my odds-and-sods box. I scrunched the paper, sprayed it with glimmer mists and inked it, as well as distressing the edges ... I went the whole hog LOL! Oh, and I used one of the fab Woodware flower punches to make the petals. I am addicted to this flower-making mullarky!

There are some small stick-on gems, too, for a bit of bling. After all, why not!

Hope you like the result.

What, March already?

2011-03-02T18:45:00.001Z

OK. So I admit it - not only has 2011 arrived (how did that happen?) but it's already March and I've been a very Bad Blogger .... no pix or posts for ages! So I thought I ought to extract a digit, and join in for the first time this year in WOYWDW (What's on your work Desk Wednesday) or whatever the acronym is.

Anyway, I have loads of 'stuff' on my desk, as usual, and am far too embarrased to show you any evidence. So I've cleared a space and voila! here are my latest purchases from the lovely Sue at PaperArts http://www.paperarts.co.uk/ Sue has a bricks and mortar shop near Stroud and is well worth a visit, but if you are unlucky and don't live nearby, she'll be happy to take your orders online.

So, what did I buy? Well, I succumbed to a couple more Distress Ink pads for my collection (Spun Sugar and Frayed Burlap, if you're interested). Sue has them at great prices at the moment and there are lots of different colours in stock, so go and snag yourselves a bargain ...

I also bought some pale pink gems (Craftaroo) at just £1.20 for 100 rhinestones. I need them to add to the 'new baby' card I've added to the photo.

The fourth purchase was a Marianne's Creatables butterfly, which I've been debating about buying for a while. Today, I made up my mind and it, err, 'flew' off the shelf into my hands. I am thinking about using this die (with my Sizzix Big Shot) to make a Mother's Day card. If I do, I will try and remember to share a photo of the finished item with you.

In case you're wondering, also on my desk but well out of shot, are Glimmer Mists, pen pots, double sided tape rolls, memory sticks, papers, card, ink pads, scissors, tooks, headphones, camera, embellishments, mobile phone holder, glasses, blossoms, a job description (I have a telephone interview tomorrow), rubber stamps, Promarkers, notepad, tissues, baking tray, gesso, rub-ons, ink, Dymo tapes, home-made paper flowers, ribbon, cord and a tube of mini Twiglets!!!!!

Now you know whay I am NOT showing you a photo of the whole thing!

Kalika is cute!

2010-12-10T17:26:00.001Z

I just love the Days of Christmas from Digital Designer Shop (it is a fab creation from Cilenia Curtis and Honey Scraps). It has so many lush papers and elements it's hard to choose what to use. And a lot of the items would work really well for anyone who does hybrid scrapping or cardmaking.

Do go and check out the girls and the shop - there's some lovely stash to be had.

This pic of Kalika, our collie-lab cross, was taken a year or so ago, but I keep using it because it's so silly ... unlike Kalika, who is of course, very bright and and on the ball.

Did someone say ball? Let me out, I want to play!

Seasonal word art from Digital Designer Shop

2010-12-10T11:41:00.000Z

I don't know about you, but I think these word art creations are rather nice - great for scrapbooking both digitally and 'in the the flesh', or for card-making.

Speaking of cards, I had better get a move on write the ones I've already made and work out how many more I need to create this weekend. After all, soon be Christmas!!!!

Have you seen this?

2010-12-08T11:18:00.001Z

http://networkedblogs.com/bxusg

You need to visit this place and enjoy the 12 days of Christmas!
Sorry I am behind in sharing the link - but that's me at the moment, all behind LOL!

Christmas is coming ... check out this kit!

2010-11-25T14:17:00.000Z

A quick blog post today just to tell you about a very chunky looking new kit that's been put together by Cilenia and Veevs at Digital Designer Shop. I've not checked out the detail yet but I am really looking forward to exploring this lush looking kit!

When I'm feeling blue ....

2010-11-22T14:35:00.000Z

No, I’m not really feeling blue. In fact, for a Monday I feel quite chirpy! The title for today’s post was actually triggered by the blue tones on the layout I’ve produced. It features Oscar, our lovely black fluffy monster moggy, seen here perching on the fence. He’s poised, I think, ready to jump down and come indoors for a light snack and a snooze!

You might have guessed that this digi layout was created using Cilenia’s (Digital Designer shop) Blue Winter kit. It really is lovely.
http://digitaldesignershop.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84_85&products_id=612

Making music ....

2010-11-15T12:52:00.001Z

Mr Mole is very good at teaching people to play things - like the piano, violin and keyboards. He also teaches singing and music theory, among other things. This summer, he arranged a get-together for all his pupils to showcase their talents. This layout, made with the gorgeous Blue

Winter bundled kit from Cilenia Curtis at Digital Designer Shop, celebrates the work of just three of the younger students who took part.

You can check out the kit here:

http://digitaldesignershop.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84_85&products_id=612

I turned the photos into black and white because I liked the way the colours blended together (and the shots weren't that good, so I wanted to keep them small!).

A different sort of photo

2010-11-12T12:39:00.000Z

Many (most!) of my photos these days that I use for scrapping seem to feature one or other our our menagerie. After all, with three cats and three dogs, we're never short of subject matter.

I wanted to do something with a different sort of photo, and today's digi layout is the result. The photo was taken on the cycle path near our home, where many a Sunday afternoon I take one of our dogs for an on-the-lead walk.

The papers and elements on the page all come from the Digital Designer Shop and were created by the very clever Honey Scraps and Cilenia Curtis. Thanks, girls! I've already used the duo's materials on previous layouts, but they're so versatile, I thought I'd play with them some more.

One amazing cat ...

2010-10-22T10:47:00.000+01:00

As you might guess from the title, this is Scampy, our lovely tabby cat. She is around 21 years old which ain't bad for a cat! I 'acquired' her many years ago as a rescue moggy and as you can imagine, she has become very much a part of my life (along with the rest of our menagerie).

I have used the excellent creations from Honey Scraps and Cilena Curtis from Digital Designer Shop to create the page - lots of fab grungy frames, and calendar embellishments and papers and allsorts. Please go and see for yourself if you're into digi scrapping, you won't be disappointed.

Oh look, it's me again!

2010-10-12T15:19:00.000+01:00

Hope the shock of me blogging twice in as many days isn't going to be too much for you! Especially with four pictures to share, too.

The first two show a layout I made at a PaperArts workshop, led by the talented Sandie Vincent. One of my favourite moments of the day was learning how to make 3D flowers (rather like the Prima ones) using a six-petal flower punch. We used, I think, a big blue Woodware beastie, kindly loaned to us by Sandie.

The second pair of photos show my 'test' flower which I made at the workshop (the smaller, blue one) before I decided that for my LO, I wanted a more subtle effect to go with my meerkats. The larger orange flower is my first creation using the Tim Holz Sizzix Tattered Floral die.

I used some scrap orange card for the petals, inked the edges with an orange Brilliance Ink pad, and then for the final touch, once assembled, dotted gorgeous orange Stickles glue on the petal edges. You can't see it in my photo, but I also dotted some of the Stickles in the flower centre, too. I really liked the result and am looking forward to playing with this versatile die some more.

I made this ....

2010-10-11T16:00:00.000+01:00

After another of my prolonged absences, I have finally got round to not only blogging, but actually creating a digi LO to share with you at the same time.

The page features a friend of mine at his wedding some time ago, and I've used a kit by Lesley at Lilly St Studio (available at http://digitaldesignershop.com).

I'm dead chuffed as the clever creative types at Digital Designer Shop has invited me to join their CT .... this page is the first of what I hope will be many contributions based on the kits etc available at this site.

Do go and visit them - they're a lovely bunch!

Stop the clock!

2010-09-24T15:47:00.000+01:00

Is it really so long since I last blogged? I suppose it is. time has just run away with me and my poor wee blog is left lonely and unattended as a result. Sorry, blog!

Since we were last here, there's been a fair amount going on. Everything from seriously-ill relatives and a poorly cat through to changes in work plans and of course, my birthday. One way and another, it has all eaten into my days - and in some, cases, nights.

I'm back on the blog trail again now, though ... as you can see.

So what, I hear you ask, have you been up to on the craft front? I have made several cards - two 50th birthdays, one special 'happy birthday', one baby congratulations and a 'get well soon'. No pix of any of them yet - most have been posted off to their destinations, but a couple are still in Mr Mole's possession, so I may manage to grab a snap of them.

No scrapbook pages - but I'm hoping to rectify that as I'm off to PaperArts near Stroud tomorrow for a workshop. I'm there from 10am-5pm so I ought to be able to get something done! Will report back accordingly. You have been warned!

A furry post

2010-08-19T16:31:00.000+01:00

For today's unimportant and inconsequential post, I have decided to upload a picture of yet another of our furry clan. This is Scampy, a lovely tabby girl who in spite of being approximately 21 years old, continues to live a happy and contended life with little to complain about.

She is on daily tablets to control a thyroid condition that is apparently very common in older cats, but apart from that, is in fine and feisty fettle (as my daily efforts to give her the required medication prove ...ouch!)

She is pictured here on one of her rare forays into the garden (she likes going out but not when the dogs are out or the other cats are around, doh!) enjoying the sunshine.

I haven't done any scrap pages with her as the feature for ages - I must take steps to rectify this omission!

Slugs and snails, and puppy dog tails!

2010-08-10T17:16:00.000+01:00

I am proud to share this photo of my latest card creation, made for a colleague who has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy.

I'm indebted to Tracy Gough (you can visit her blog - Scrap Happens - listed on the right!) for coming up with such a brilliant idea, and for allowing me to copy it. Thank you Tracy!

I used my Cricut Create and the Storybook cart to create the ampersand card base. I cut two, and trimmed the second version slightly to provide a firmer card base (and enable it to stand up properly - a previous version I made using the Wild Cart pram image was too floppy by half!).

You can't see them in my photo, but there are plenty of blue sparklies added to the front!

The dog stamp came from Paper Arts and the snail image is one from Clipart.

I've had some lovely comments from colleagues who've seen the card, so thank you again, Tracy, for being so generous with your creative genius!

All can now be revealed!

2010-07-12T14:11:00.000+01:00

These are all cards I made using the lovely cheerful kit from Which Crafts - type the www thingy in front of whichcrafts.co.uk and you can visit the site for yourself. And find the instructions, too, if you're minded to try and recreate any of them!

It's always a bit scary, waiting for the envelope to arrive with the materials in - will I like the colours? The style? Will there be embellishments? Will I wish I'd never been selected to join the design team as a guest? These are all questions that fill my mind at times like this. But I have to say, I really loved the colours and possibilities that came with the kit, and playing with it was a real pleasure. Thanks Maxine!

Something weird is happening

2010-07-02T16:10:00.000+01:00

It doesn't matter how many times I go in and edit the blog template, or what text colour I choose, the blog links I've been typing just aren't showing up as they should. They are there, you just can't see them! So for purposes of clarity, if you add the good old www to the front of this address, it will take you to the Which Crafts website.

whichcraftsonline.co.uk

For the blog, where you can also see my sneak peak pics (try saying that one you're tired or have been at the old vino!)

whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/

with the http:// in front!

Hope you enjoy the pic of the day, which features our daft Hungarian Vizsla, Tok, seen here in one of his favourite 'rummage' poses! It's unusual to see so much of him, to be honest, as he normally likes to burrow under the cover until he's completely hidden. I call him purple mound hound!

A sneak peak!

2010-06-28T16:52:00.000+01:00

My photos today gives you a sneak peak of a couple of the cards I created for Maxine at Which Crafts - keep an eye on her site to find out more!!!!!! http://whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/

Can't reveal any more just yet - suffice to say that I had great fun creating .... watch this space ....

2010-06-18T13:48:00.000+01:00

Just a reminder that the party is still going on at Which Crafts (bet they've run out of cake and jelly by now LOL!) and that you're all invited to drop in!

http://whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/

I am still excited by the fact I'm a special guest for the month and that soon I'll be able to share with you the creations I've been making with the lovely kit which Maxine sent through to me to play with. I promise some sneak peaks - but I need to finish up first, and then take some photos.

For now, you'll have to make do with a picture of Kalika, our collie-lab cross, waiting patiently for me to throw her ball so she can go fetch, fetch, fetch! Almost all of my photos of Kalika show her with her tongue hanging out - sometimes I wish she'd just sit neatly and composedly, and keep that pink thing out of sight, but let's face it, if she did, then it just wouldn't be 'her', would it?!

Hope you all have lovely weekends ....

More party happenings!

2010-06-08T11:59:00.000+01:00

http://whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/ Hunt the needle here.

More blog party happening here, girls! And a couple of mine challenges, too ... http://whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/2010/06/mini-challange.html

Prizes on offer, but as they say on BBC TV, you have to be in it to win it!

And for today's photo, think wild flower power .....

Mole gets excited (again)

2010-06-02T13:18:00.000+01:00

There's a party going on all this month - and we're all invited! Which Crafts, one of the sponsors on UKS, is having a party with competitions, crafty challenges and prizes.

Do hop on over and have a look!

http://whichcraftsonline.blogspot.com/

Blog Party!
Pinch Punch First of the Month!!
June is here and unfortunately has brought rain, but we won't let that upset the start of our blog party!
Every other day throughout the month we will be posting games, challenges and competitions.

I'm extra excited, because Which Crafts has kindly let me visit as a guest designer for the month, and I'm looking forward to sharing what I'm sent to play with ... and of course, what I make with it! Thanks, Maxine!

I know you will all be shocked by the news, too, that I've actually made a couple of cards over the bank holiday weekend! I used my Cricut Create and have made two baby congrats cards. No photos yet, tho, so you will have to make do with my dandelion remains!

Am I feeling guilty?

2010-05-24T16:17:00.000+01:00

Am I feeling guilty that I've not posted recently? No, not really - life has a habit of getting in the way of stuff like this, and that's just the way it is.

I wish I could report great progress on the the crafty front but alas! It's not to be. By the time I've been to work / walked the dogs / fed the cats / washed up / done the housework / been to choir practice / been shopping etc etc there never seems to be any time left.

Does this sound familiar? Please tell me it's not just me that life happens to!

I have been taking some photos, though, and I do like this one of a lovely, sun-lit fern.

Hope you have been lucky enough to have some first-hand experience of the beautiful weather I've been enjoying (even from inside my office - at least I can see blue sky!).

Time for a birthday card

2010-05-10T09:46:00.000+01:00

Managed to grab a little time in the craft room yesterday - ably (??!!) assisted by Oscar, our big, black, fluffy cat who could decide if he wanted to sit on my chair or on the desk. As you can imagine, neither was particularly convenient!

Still, I managed to create something without (I hope) too much cat fur attached to it, although pink and black are a pretty cool combination!

The card is for a friend whose party we'll be attending later in the month, and although the photo is pretty poor, I'm quite pleased with the results!

RIP, big ginge!

2010-05-07T17:07:00.000+01:00

Bit of a sad, non-crafty post today. We had to have one of our four-legged friends put to sleep this morning.

Nielsen, a lovely, affable big ginger and white tom, was getting on for 18, and had been living with an ever-growing tumour on his chin for some time. We always said that as long as he was happy, healthy, and enjoying a 'proper' cat's life (eating, sleeping, purring and generally being in charge!), that was fine. But recently, he had lost more and more weight, was getting increasingly bedraggled as he struggled to wash, and his chin was clearly getting sore.

So today we took the sad decision that we knew was inevitable at some point, and made arrangements with our very supportive vets practice. And Mr Mole was with him when he went through the big cat flap in the sky ....

Although I'm crying as I type this, I know that he had a long and happy life, gave lots of pleasure (and received lots of love, fuss and tuna!), and that we've done the right thing by him.

So raise your metaphorical glasses and drink a toast with me to Neely Squealy!

A Passion for Promarkers entry!

2010-05-03T13:34:00.000+01:00

Just as the title says, really! I have finally managed to make a card using an image coloured in with my new Promarker pens, and followed the sketch template on the A Passion for Promarkers challenge site.
I've looked at this site quite often and frequently thought that I'd like to give one of the challenges a try .... and now, at last, I have!
This particular challenge not only provided a sketch to use as a springboard for inspiration, but also stipulated that you had to make your own blooms. My flowers are quite simple to make - I just use a series of roughly torn circles, distress and ink the edges, crumple, and paint the edges with gesso to give them a bit more rigidity and longevity.
Not sure where the image came from - may be from my own huuuuge stamp collection, or it may have been one I received in a stamped image swap many years ago!

Awwww! How cute!

2010-04-27T14:06:00.001+01:00

OK. So we couldn't resist. When we heard on the local news that the meerkats at Bristol Zoo were multiplying, we knew we'd have to go and see the offspring (meerkittens??!!!). Mr Mole is particular fond of the wee beasties and does a mean impression of them.

So this weekend, we hopped in the car and headed off to the zoo to see what was what. And I've got to admit, yes, they were cute!

I took loads of photos - not just of the meerkats, but also of prairie dogs, ring-tailed lemurs, red pandas, a pygmy crocodile, penguins, a lion and lioness, and some other birds and animals too.

I won't blow up Blogger by posting any more but you can bet you'll be seeing some more of the photos I took in the coming days and weeks!

Will work for ......

2010-04-23T14:37:00.000+01:00

A True Friend has a challenge up for people to scrap their pets, with 'Will work for ...." as a heading for inspiration. There are some lovely examples on their web site here: http://a-true-friend.blogspot.com/

As you can see, for my take on the challenge I've used a photo of Tallis in one of his typical poses. Typical, that is, at the end of the day, when he finally forgets himself and collapses in a snoozy heap on the sofa!

I've used supplies by Dawn Inskip http://www.dawninskip.typepad.com/ and Christine Renee http://www.christinareneedesigns.com/to create my page. Thanks, girls!

Invited to be a guest designer!

2010-04-21T13:42:00.001+01:00

How very exciting. This month, I had the opportunity to be a guest designer for http://www.craftytemplates.co.uk/ which is run by the lovely Crafty Princess from UK Scrappers.

My challenge was to use a couple of her latest templates and create some cards from them. Now I'll try anything once, and although I'm not the best when it comes to cutting out, as you know, I do like the chance to have a play!

And play I did! The castle card uses buttons, faux stitching (handy black pen) and a handy jewel for the doorknob (well, what else would you use on a castle door if not a gem??!!). The letters are glitzy sparkly ones - but I can't rember whose? Maybe Making Memories ....

For the rainbow card, more jewels came into play, along with some Stickles and Tim Holz distress inks (Faded Jeans, I think).

And the owl card also used gems for the eyes. More inks were used to edge the tree foliage circles, and I cut the tree shape free hand. The grass is also handcut and is stuck on with sticky fixers, to give a more 3-D effect.

Thank you Leo, for letting me play!

Oooerr, a blog award!

2010-04-12T15:32:00.000+01:00

Now I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I've been 'selected' by Anna (begins again) for a Ms Brightside Award. Apparently, this means I have to share with you 10 things that make me happy, and divulge five pieces of trivia about myself.

So, here goes.

Things that make me happy ....

1) Stroking our cats and hearing them purr. All four of them!

2) Being able to book on a scrapbooking class at my favourite bricks-and-mortar shop, PaperArts. I can't always make the class dates on offer, and I don't get much time to scrapbook, so any chance to have a day's play at a workshop is like manna from heaven!

3) Taking the dogs out in the woods when no one else is around. It's like having a huge extra back garden all just for us.

4) Knowing that my mum is enjoying her new flat in Wales.

5) Waking up on a Saturday morning, looking at the clock, and knowing I don't have to get up for work and can sleep in as long as I like. Bliss. ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6) Seeing lambs leaping around in the fields, their little tails quivering. Yes, I know it's a cliche but it is nonetheless a sight that never fails to make me smile and feel good inside. And yes, I do sometimes shout 'mint sauce' at them, but that doesn't make me a bad person. Does it?

7) Settling down on Friday night with a good curry, a TV whodunnit and a bottle of red wine. Shared, of course, with Mr Mole!

8) Spending time with my girlie friends from my old pre-marriage stamping ground. We don't often get to meet up, but when we do, it's as if we've never been apart. They are brill friends and I'm so lucky to have them.

9) Finding some great bargains in the supermarket at the end of the day. Daft, but it makes me feel good!

10) Singing in the choir which I belong to in Stroud. I'm no great shakes, and am quite happy lurking in the back row of the second altos, but although it's hard work, it's always fun, my fellow singers are lovely and I (usually!!!) feel like I've achieved something at the end of rehearsal or performance.

And now for five bits of trivia about me .....

Fact 1

I once interviewed Sir Cliff Richard and asked him where he bought his underpants!

Fact 2

I hate celery, sprouts, trifle, dates, olives and coffee-flavoured chocolates.

Fact 3

I have never cooked an omelette.

Fact 4

I used to think an Alsatian was an Alastain ....

Fact 5

My first Saturday job was working in a library.

So that's it, duty done. Hope you found my meanderings mildly interesting / amusing. I'll leave you with some info about today's photo. I took two of the dogs out for a stretch on Sunday and as I often do, took the camera with me, The photo is just one of a load I took of things that said 'spring' to me.

Spring light and colours

2010-03-24T11:22:00.000Z

One of the many things I like about spring (along with cute lambs leaping, daffodils, Easter eggs etc) is the way the light changes and makes things looks so different. It does something to the colours, lifting them and making them seem fresher and and somehow more 'alive' - if a colour can be more alive!!!!

I took this photo while taking Tallis for a walk along the local cycle path. He and I only discovered the river section a few week ago, and this was the first time the ground was dry enough to allow us to make our way down the slope to the river edge without slip-sliding all the way. Well, Tallis could have made it quite happily, but he goes on the lead for this section and I wasn't about to let him tow me along!!!

Anyway, I liked the way the light caught the water and cast shadows on the bank. Hope you do, too!

Service is now resumed!

2010-03-09T14:09:00.000Z

Ha! Just when you thought I'd gone away ..... I'm back, and with a new layout to share with you. It features Oscar, and uses a great digi kit from Rustic Charm Creations. Sadly, the kit doesn't have an alpha (hint, hint!!!) but I do like playing with the few typefaces I've got on this machine!

Hope you enjoy my creation .....

Love is ... a new definition!

2010-02-18T13:51:00.000Z

I don't think I've every scrapped with so many photos on just one page. It seems a good way to use pics that aren't necessarily of the best quality - although I have to say that most of these are actually ok (though I say so myself !)

Page made with Lauren's Still the One kit from Rustic Charm Creations.

I couldn't resist it.

2010-02-02T13:00:00.000Z

Making another page from this kit, that is.

Hope you like the result. I'm quite chuffed as I managed to learn something new this time round - how to do some curved text stuff on PSE 6. Thanks be to Google for helping me find a tutorial on the topic. First one I looked at, too!

The photos were taken this time last year when we had the snowy weather, all within walking distance of home.

Ooooh! What fun!

2010-01-28T12:20:00.000Z

How exciting .... I have been accepted as a creative team member for Rustic Charm Creations. One of my friends on UK Scrappers told me there was a CT call out so I thought I'd have a go. And was suitably chuffed to discover they wanted me to join them! http://www.scrapable.net/shop/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=83

They have some lovely kits available, and I can see I'm going to have a great time playing them.

The first photo shows my inaugural effort as a CT member - using Lauren's Dreamy Buttercup kit. Thank you to the gorgeous ginger model!

Here's the kit 'snapshot- - you can see why I was chuffed to be able to play with it!

2010? How did that happen??!!

2010-01-19T11:02:00.000Z

There went another year ... and here we are, half way through January already and I've yet to blog. I blame it on being snowbound and hostage to a BT landline that's slower than a slow thing! Trying to anything much on-line that's more intensive than posting a short email is a waste of time because it ties up the landline for hours.

Unfortunately, I've no pix of anything crafty to show you so I will have to share a photo from my files instead. Which is why can you see a photo of Scampy, our elderly tabby cat, instead! She is snoozing in the new Penguin bed which Mr Mole bought before Christmas. Amazingly, given the disdain with which most cats treat 'proper' cat beds (much preferring, for example, the ironing pile!), three of our four cats really, really like this new 'snoozery.

Scampy is at least 18 years old but in spite of a thyroid problem, she's otherwise in great nick - lovely glossy coat, white bits that really are white, and very, very purry. I'll have to do her a special purr-enguin purr-age!

Say goodbye, say hallo ...

2009-12-31T11:30:00.000Z

I can't believe that not only has another year all but gone, but that another decade has, too! Was it really 10 years ago there was so much angst about the so-called Millennium Bug, with much doom and disaster foretold?

I'm not really one for big NYE celebrations, but I would like to wish all my blog-hopping visitors a very happy new year. May 2010 bring us all good things ...

Meanwhile, enjoy this quick page courtesy of Jessica Sprague!

Just two more to show you!

2009-12-24T09:33:00.000Z

I couldn't resist these quick pages from Pickleberry Pop's free 12 Days of Christmas downloads. They're just gorgeous! I think the cats are pretty cute, too. Willow is the solo grey girl in the one-photo LO, while Scampy and Neels are the tabby and ginger pusscats in t'other one. Hope you enjoy them!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE

Season's greetings from Oscar

2009-12-23T17:27:00.000Z

I couldn't resist playing with this lovely quick page made by Lorie M at Pickleberry Pop. The page was one of several goodies given away as a free download at the site over the 12 days of Christmas.

The star of the page (aside from the lovely graphics, of course) is Oscar, number one hairy cat! I will try and find some time to upload some of the other gorgeous PP page goodies tomorrow!

It's chrissssssstmas ... well, ok, not quite!

2009-12-18T11:29:00.000Z

Yes - I have finished making all but one of my Christmas cards.

No, I don't have any photos of what I've made, I'm afraid they all got posted off in a rush!

Yes, I do wish I'd taken some pix.

No, I don't think I'll ever remember to shoot before posting!

I have got a pic of the Photoshopped card I originally made last year - but have made some changes and added some embellishments to the 2009 version. Mr Mole wanted me to reproduce the card to send to the lovely new vets are dogs are now registered with, hence the 'repeat' version.

Hope you like the results!

Is it Friday again?

2009-12-04T16:47:00.000Z

The older you get, the faster the days seem to fly past, my mum told me when I was younger. How right she was! I can't believe that not only is it Friday again, but it's also December, and before I know it, it's going to be Christmas! Heeeeeeelp!

I'm hoping to get some time this weekend to make some Christmas cards. Last Sunday, I managed to spend some time exploring how my new Promarkers work, using some Christmas-themed rubber stamps and the ink that doesn't bleed (forgotten what it's called, someone remind me please!). So I now have a number of penguin, nativity crib and festive animal images coloured in and ready for use. Not entirely sure how I'm going to work with them - will report back next week some-time.

Meanwhile, my photo for today show a LO I made some time ago, featuring Kalika, called 'Can we play stick?' She so loves to chase and fetch, and these photos show her eagerly awaiting the next throw! We're trying to use more ball / rope / rubber toy these days as her incessant sticking is wearing her teeth down! Trying to stop her playing with the wretched things is like trying to stop the rain from falling ..... pretty impossible LOL!

Have a good week, everyone!

PS Just found this http://toomanystamps.blogspot.com/ with some lovely stamps and great ideas on how to use them! There's some blog candy on offer too .... go check it out, and if you win, share your prize with me LOL! Yummy Ippity stamps ......

Wot no crafting?

2009-11-27T12:03:00.000Z

That is correct. I still have nothing crafty to show you. With a major choral concert, rehearsals, Slimming Word, huge announcements at work, Slimming World club and a family member's house move to contend with, I've not had a spare hour in the day (or night LOL!).

So you'll have to put up with another photo of non-craftiness again! I thought you might enjoy this glimpse of Tallis, one of our three dogs, enjoying himself on the beach. The photo was taken during our holiday on the Isle of Wight last month. Tally really did enjoy himself!

Failing successfully!

2009-11-20T12:07:00.000Z

I think that's what I'm doing right now - failing successfully to keep a regular flow of posts on my blog. It is supposed to be a crafty-themed blog, and the truth is, I've got no new pix to show you that fir the category. I forgot to take pics of the 90th birthday word book I made. I haven't got round to taking a snap of my my most recent LO (it was from a class taught at PaperArts but was also going to be used for the UKS cyber crop, and I didn't want to post anything up before the crop ....).

So a photo from my happy snaps album it will have to be. I love stained glass windows and can't resist taking photos of them. I am always amazed at how well they turn out. No idea where this one is from, except that it's in a church on the Isle of Wight! (That's helpful, isn't it LOL!!)

About time!

2009-11-11T14:05:00.000Z

I admit it. I have not posted for ages. I've not created for ages- well, nothing I've taken photos of, anyway! I have spent money on stash (went to the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC and came home with a Cricut cart, embossing folders, an MDF house book, book rings, blooms, magazines, some Promarkers and a few other bits and pieces). I have pretty much finished a word book for a rellie's 90th birthday - no pix yet, sorry. I have made some 'with sympathy' type cards for my mum to use, and for a friend whose lovely mum sadly died of cancer a few weeks ago. But no pix of anything crafty.

So I will have to show you a pic of something else, instead, I thought. Which is why you have a slightly arty-farty photo of some teasels posing against a background of The Needles, Isle of Wight. I've got to say, that holiday seems like sooooooooooooooo long ago now!

And yes, I have realised this is the unedited version - complete with wonky sea horizon! But you get the drift .....

2009-10-30T14:35:00.000Z

Well, now, I had a bit of fun with this one. A True Friend had a new challenge (no 57, I think) all linked to pets and super-heroes. I thought this might squeeze in under the wire as James Bond used to be billed as an all-action hero kind of guy. So I've chosen a photo of Tallis enjoying his first visit to the seaside, rising from the waters ... ok, not quite in the style of a Bond Babe, but close enough, don't you think?!

Digi supplies from A Teets, A Cox (Frenchcafe), C Renee, East West Scraps, Lesley St Clair and House of 3.

A dog's eye view

2009-10-26T11:56:00.000Z

I thought I'd share this LO featuring Tok (yes, him again, sorry!!!!). He's seen here contemplating the Needles during our holiday on the Isle of Wight. We were lucky to have a couple of days of decent weather during our break and this was one of them .... We walked across an area called Headon Warren and the views were great.

The page is made using Amagination's Esther kit, available from Scrap it Sassy (you can see the link to the right). It's one of two pages I've made from the kit as part of my CT 'responsibilities'.

Oops, I'm back!

2009-10-16T11:56:00.000+01:00

Trouble with going on holiday is all the work you have to catch up with when you get back! That's my feeble excuse for not blogging recently. I will try and make amends for my absence, not that anyone cares whether I've blogged or not, I suspect LOL!

I'm not that happy with this particular LO, which is one for my Scrap it Sassy.com design team efforts, but I think I'd better stop agonising over it and move on to the next one I need to make with the lovely Esther kit by Amagination. I want to do the kit justice, so maybe if I move on and work with something completely different I'll achieve a more satisfying result!

http://crafterskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/amazing-blog-candy.html

I have to share this link to some most amazing blog candy - this has to be one of the most generous offers I've come across! So if you don't own a Silhouette, this might just be your chance ... of course, if you win it, you'll have to give it to me ha ha!!!!!!!

Two more pages before I go!

2009-10-02T16:03:00.001+01:00

Before I go where, I hear you ask!!!! Off on a week's holiday - the first proper break we've had for years! I'm looking forward to so R&R, some treats and some nice long walks with the woofs. Oh yes, they're coming too!

So I've two pages for you today, both created with a kit I was sent as part of my creative team role at Scrap it Sassy. They have soooooooooooooo many designers on their books, that their CT peeps don't always get to use all of them. If there are any that miss out, you can volunteer to make two extra pages with one of their kits (that's over and above the two pages per kit, two kits per month rule).

The kit I used is called My Hero by Mis Foxys Designz, and it would be great for those of you with family or friends in the services.

Hope you enjoy! See you when I get back ......

A new challenge

2009-09-25T14:07:00.001+01:00

The latest challenge on the A True Friend blog is this:

The theme for this challenge is movement, or lack of! Whether you have a big and bouncy dog that likes to charge about, a kitty cat that prowls around or maybe a lizard that just likes to lounge about in the sun,we want to see your pets in action! Running, swimming, shaking, rolling or just lazing- show us your pages of your pets on the move.

And the photo you can see shows you my own response. Thanks to Shabby Princess and her lovely Harvest kit, and Chistina Renee for the other lush stash!

A rather different take

2009-09-22T11:25:00.001+01:00

This just shows how one kit can be used in a very different way. It's still the lovely Oscar kit, made by Scrappin' Page Designs and available from www.scrapitsassy.com but as you can see, it's a completely different kettle of fish (or should that be duck!) from my post from last week.

The duck is courtesy of the excellent Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire. Go there if you have the chance, and make sure you take your camera.

Playing with paintbrushes

2009-09-18T15:43:00.000+01:00

Aha! today I appear to have discovered another way of playing with the paintbrush setting in my ancient copy of Adobe Photoshop. I'm seriously considering buying myself Elements 7 (think that's the latest version) to play with at home, but for now, I'm still learning how to use this version. The more I discover, the more I find there is to discover, if you so what I mean!

Anyway, I digress. Today's page is one I'm quite pleased with. It features our lovely cat, Willow, again, for which I make no apology. The kit is called Oscar (I had to have this kit as it's got the same name as one of our other cats LOL) and is by a very talented lady called Scrappin' Page Designs. Sorry, but I don't know her 'real' name.

You can get the kit from www.scrapitsassy.com complete with papers, elements and a fab alpha.

I really enjoyed playing with this one and am looking forward to trying to come up with something completely different with the same kit. The thinking cap is already on ....

It's tree time!

2009-09-17T11:09:00.000+01:00

No, not a typo (it isn't even lunchtime yet as I type!). It is tree time, or silver birch time to be precise. I love these elegant trees in my mum's front garden. She's going to miss them when she moves!

The layout is made using digital supplies from Scrap it Sassy - the kit in question is Colour Fun, created by the clever Little Miss Foxy.

I've treated myself to some closing-down-sale goodies from http://www.christinareneedesigns.com/shoppe/index.php?main_page=index so stand by for some pages using her lovely stuff.

Another one from Scrap it Sassy

2009-09-14T13:15:00.000+01:00

I don't know how well you can see this, but here's my latest offering created as part of my CT work for Scrap it Sassy. The kit is fab and is by Miss Foxy's Designs and is called Colour Fun. And so it is - fun, that is! The papers are vibrant and striking but surprisingly versatile, and I'm looking forward to creating the next page from the kit (we are asked to produce two pages per kit).

As usual, one of our dogs is playing a starring role on the page (step forward, Kalika). Have you noticed that my pictures of her almost always show her with her tongue hanging out!

Going round in circles

2009-09-08T13:21:00.001+01:00

This is a LO I made for Scrap it Sassy, using Scrappy Redhead's Vintage Dreams kit. You can see that it's quite different to the one I made a few days ago using the same kit. It shows how versatile these collections can be. As they say, the only limit is your imagination!

The flower photo was taken on a visit to my mum a few weeks back. She wanted some photos of the garden as she's hoping to move soon, and wanted some pictures to remind her of what she used to have!

Can cats frown?

2009-09-03T11:52:00.000+01:00

I think Willow can. At least, she seems to whenever I catch her in what I think is a photogenic pose, and I start pointing my camera at her. She just looks so cross! I used some nice MM rub-ons and Basic Grey alphas to help me create this page, which is one of the several I made at a recent 12 hour crop at Paper Arts. The flower was from The Range. I can't recall the maker of the paper, but it's a scrummy piece of card stock for sure!

This and that ....

2009-09-02T16:56:00.000+01:00

Bit of a Mole's Mix, this post. Something and nothing, really! Here's the something .... a lovely opportunity to win some blog candy from http://squigglestamps.blogspot.com/ Be sure to pay the blog a visit and bookmark it for future reference.

The LO is the first ever created by my for Scrap it Sassy, using Scrappy Redhead's Vintage Dreams kit. I have another one in the sausage machine using the same kit, but quite, quite different. I'm using some of the techniques I learned from Jessica Sprague's free course to put it together.

I've got some other LOs to post up, too ('real' ones, not digi) but I think I might save those for another day.

Hope you're having a good week. Thanks for stopping by!

Yikes! What have I done?!!!!

2009-08-25T16:59:00.000+01:00

I can't make my blinkin' blinkie blink ..... but scarily, I have been lucky enough to be 'allowed' to join the creative team for Scrap it Sassy (http://www.scrapitsassy.com/). I'm terrified and delighted in equal measures. However, the chance to play with some lovely digi stash was too much to resist, so I shall do my best to come up with the goods!

Please come and visit me to check up on my progress, and nag me if I'm lagging behind in my design team duties. I've already downloaded my first kit so shall be getting to work on that as quickly as I can (before Deborah at SIS changes her mind LOL).

My photo, just in case you're wondering, features a curious swan I encountered in Malmesbury at the weekend, having a good peck at its reflection in the car's bodywork. He (or maybe she!) spent ages beating its beak against the panelling. Hope there wasn't too much damage!

Time for another?

2009-08-21T15:18:00.000+01:00

For some reason, I was particularly pleased with this layout, which was another product of my 12-hour crop. I liked the way the papers drew on the blue glazed flower pot, and also reflected the browns and golds in Tok's coat.

And it proves boy dogs can have flowers, too LOL! These were cut out of some papers I had with me, and have jewels as centrepieces (although you can't see them on this photo).

The lettering comes from a variety of odd alpha bits and pieces. I'm always trying to use them up and begrudge wasting a single letter!

The paper edging, by the way, was hand cut. I made myself a cardboard template from a scrap and it seemed to work pretty well.

The 'on the case' title is chosen because Mr Mole is fond of using it when talking about Tok ... "It's ok,"he says. "He's on the case!" The case in point usually refers to a one or biscuit or some other tasty tidbit. The dogs in our house get fed a better diet than we do, I sometimes think!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend full of craftiness!

More from my 12 hour crop

2009-08-17T11:38:00.000+01:00

I thought you might like to see a little more evidence of my creativity from the recent 12 hour crop I attended. This time, the focus is on Kalika, our collie lab cross. The photo I've used was taken not that long after we got her (she seems soooo small in the pic .....)

The LO has more of a 3-D feel in real life - the photo seems to have flattened it. All the circles are mounted on 3d sticky fixers. And the title is made using alpha rub ons by, I think, Memory Makers.

A True Friend Challenge

2009-08-14T14:20:00.001+01:00

The challenge on this site this time round was all to do with pets and movies! Here's my take, using lovely stash from Amy Teet, House of 3, Katie Hadfield, Java Joe and Summer Driggs.

Hope you enjoy it .....

Meanwhile, I have discovered a new blog, and if you like Basic Grey, then you need to pay the site a visit!

http://basicgreychallenges.blogspot.com/

I warned you!!!!

2009-08-13T13:25:00.000+01:00

Did you listen? No, clearly not, or you wouldn't be reading this. So now you will have to put up with another layout I completed .... at the 12-hour crop at PaperArts last weekend.

Another cat's the star of this one, our lovely ginger boy, Neilsen. Or squealy nealy as we fondly refer to him. (He does make a bit of a racket.)

Papers are Blonde Moments (from a Crafty Pastimes sale a while back!) and some others which I have forgotten the name of (may be Scenic Route???). The orange flower came from The Range. Gems are the sticky-back ones. Lettering is Basic Grey and another odds-and-sods leftover from my alpha stash. I made the bracket myself. Journaling is my own handwriting (I've rubbed out the pencil guidelines I drew to make sure I kept myself in a straight line!)

Here I am again

2009-08-11T17:34:00.000+01:00

Here is my offering for today - a page I made before going on a stay-cation .... otherwise known as a few days not at work, spent at home!
The star of the show is lovely Oscar, and he's residing here on DCWV All Dressed Up glitter papers which I love.
The tags are cut with a punch and letters - thanks to Basic Grey stickers. The flower was somewhere in my stash, and the butterfly is a hologram-style peel-off stuck on vellum and cut out.
The Fiskars threading water punch came out again as you can see .....
The 'cat' part of the title was printed on acetate and after a disaster with non-show glue failing to live up to expectations, it was restuck on more DCWV paper, Stickles added , and then stuck on.
The photo makes the page look quite flat but there's more texture and 3D-ness to be seen when you view the real life page.
I went to a 12 hour crop at the weekend so have lots more to show you in the coming days. You have been warned .....

A challenge from Hodge Podge

2009-07-30T15:03:00.000+01:00

I thought I'd try my hand at the word / phrase prompt challenge raised by the Hodge Podge girls.

This week's challenge was journalling-related, and we were asked to start with the words: "Today you..." and list 10 things that your subject did today. I cheated slightly and based my page on yesterday - but that is when I started working on the digi layout so it isn't really breaking the rules!

I used supplies from Jessica Sprague, House of Three, Moulin Rouge, Shabby Princess, Raspberry Road and Java Joe - thanks guys!

The photo features (oh, what a surprise!) one of our lovely menagerie - Tok, our Hungarian Vizsla.

I might not be around much after today for a few days as I'm taking some time off, and don't plan to be on line that often. But you never know, I might just drop in to say hallo!

A purr-fect purchase!

2009-07-29T09:19:00.000+01:00

Ha! I have been shopping! At the weekend I went to a new shop in town which my husband had spotted last time he was shopping there. He told me a 'needed' to visit it, as it had some nice crafty things in it. Ever the obedient wife, I dutifully called in.

I came out with some Inkadinkado cat stamps that I've been lusting after ever since someone posted a link to them on UK Scrappers. They were a great price, too.

You can see above what I've done with the very first stamp I used. I had on my desk a fab kit from Sarah's Cards, so I rummaged through this for supplies.

In case you're interested, here's how I made this:

1) Cut one rectangle of pink, and a larger one of the patterned paper.

2) Run the patterned piece through the Fiskars Threading Water punch.

3) Adhere the pink strip to the right hand side of the folded card base. Add the patterned piece on the left hand side, making sure you overlap the two papers to hid the joins!

4) Stamp the cat in black on white card, and emboss with clear embossing powder. Colour in the flowers with pink, and then cut out the cat, leaving a white border.

5) Stick green ribbon near foot of card.

6) Mount cat using 3D style sticky fixers, overlapping the ribbon.

7) Create Happy Birthday sentiment in cerise using Word and Word Art to curve the text. Cut out and mount with 3D sticky fixers. Add two small flowers at each end of the banner and place gem in flower centres.

8) Add larger bloom as shown, adding a gem for the centre.

9) A girl can never have too many gems - so I added one to the cat's nose as a final touch!

Stop press! Mole actually does some crafting!

2009-07-27T12:10:00.000+01:00

I realise this will come as a shock to some of you, but I've actually done some crafting this weekend! Not only have I made some cards (a couple are shown above) but I've also finished (I think ....) a scrapbook page layout. No photo of that, I'm afraid, but there will be one soon, I'm sure.

I used my Cricut Create to make both cards. For the 50th birthday card I used Basic Grey card for the base and added ribbons, threads, Stickles, gems and flowers for adornment. I now need someone to have a 50th birthday so I can actually send it LOL!

The 90th card used a combination of Wild Card and Storybook carts, with ribbon, gems and Stickles to decorate it. The photo's very poor and doesn't do it justice - it did look better in real life, honest!

Gone to the dogs

2009-07-24T15:11:00.001+01:00

I finally got round to doing the last-but-one class challenge on Jessica Sprague's website this afternoon. It took some doing, I can tell you! First challenge was discovering that the keystrokes in the tutorial had a completely different result in my version of Photoshop. Instead of enabling me to copy three boxes, it insisted on moving all three. I dare say there's a different command I ought to have used, but I am blowed if I know what it is.

I used a slightly more labour-intensive method of creating nine masks, and then had memory failure when it came to recalling how to clip the photos onto the masks. Much to me relief, I eventually twigged what I was doing wrong, and completed my collage effect.

The class then suggested adding brushes to 'frame' the collage but I couldn't find any brushes large enough to suit. And finding compatible brushes for my version of Photoshop is nigh on impossible. It doesn't help when the Adobe guide tells you to use the size slider .... and I can't find this anywhere. I must be very thick LOL.

Anyway, I am still quite pleased with the result and am off to attempt the final class, which is a variation on the theme......

And you can see, below, the final class which turned out to be straightfoarward .. once I'd turned to my fellow dabblers at UK Scrappers for help!

Have a great weekend!

Nothing to report!

2009-07-22T13:55:00.000+01:00

I fear I have nothing of much note to report. I have done zero crafting this week, although I did succeed in taking out the contents of my newly-arrived Sarah's Cards kit and lovingly stroking the fab papers and pink card. I'd really like to sit down and see how many cards I can make from the pack - which contains ribbons, gems and some lovely blooms as well as double-sided patterned papers and cardstock (and mathcing envelopes, too). But I fear that it's just not going to happen tonight .... if only I got home from work earlier! Never mind, maybe tomorrow ...

Meanwhile, here's a photo I took of a lovely lily in a small pond just by the entrance to a Nottinghamshire sewage treatment works!

No crafting photos

2009-07-20T13:04:00.000+01:00

I did make some cards this weekend and even (shock horror!) spent some time working on a scrapbook layout, but I'm afraid I didn't take any photos as by the time I'd finished at was cold, wet and dark! I usually snap my creations outside to make use of natural light and avoid problems with the built-in flash on my camera.

So instead, the photo I've used today is of Willow, our lovely British Blue-Cream cat, who featured in one of my Jessica Sprague class photos from last week. You can now see the impact using all those special effects had on the pic!

Just for comparison's sake ....

2009-07-17T16:48:00.001+01:00

For those of you who haven't seen the Jessica Sprague gallery, here are my edge burn 'before' and 'after' photos for comparison! There's quite a difference, I think ....

Success at last

2009-07-17T14:59:00.000+01:00

I've been wrestling with technology to try and open Jessica Sprague's instructional videos so I can properly follow her excellent frames and photo editing course. And desperately battling to translate her instructions into ancient PhotoShop speak so I can actual come up with the same effects in my program.

To my delight, I've succeeded on both fronts, which is why my blog entry for today is stuffed full of photos!

First pic shows Willow in the back garden, and uses clipping masks, photo overlays, textures and layer blending styles.

Next up is playing with text and textures. Don't you think my duck is very cute?!!!

What about this chap? He (or maybe she!!!) is demonstrating the arty of edge burn and using masks to lighten areas where you want the eye to be drawn.

And in case you're wondering, that's definitely another pic at the top of the page, featuring the one and only Tok!

Stash shopping!

2009-07-16T13:21:00.000+01:00

How did that happen? I found myself in the lovely BeeCrafty near Badsey, Evesham yesterday afternoon, and a small stash of crafty goodies fell into my hands!

I've posted a WOYWW to show what I came home with - some lovely papers, ribbon, another pot of Stickles to add to my growing collection, and some rolls of excellent value double-side sticky tape. Oh, and some fab black and white blossoms, too.

Now I know I didn't NEED any more paper, but I couldn't resist these zingy colours and patterns!

You can check out Bee Crafty at http://www.beecrafty.net/

Now this I like .....

2009-07-14T11:14:00.000+01:00

My photographic voyage of discovery is continuing as I work my way through Jessica Sprague's excellent course. I actually found some time at the weekend to investigate my old, but serviceable copy of Photoshop Elements, and came up with this photo, thanks to lesson 6. I think I might make a similar version, but use the words 'With sympathy' or 'Thinking of you' instead. I will then print some off and make them into cards.

Speaking of cards, I actually made a couple at the weekend. Here's one of them!

A technological breakthrough!

2009-07-10T14:28:00.000+01:00

Having signed up for the free Jessica Sprague photo editing - fame-ups and special effects- course, I was gutted when I discovered I was unable to play the instruction videos. I'm delighted to say that the problem's now been resolved ..... hurrah!

My copy of Adobe Photoshop is about the same age as Noah's Ark, which makes it hard to follow most of the steps outlined in the videos, and I don't have most of the functionality that the more modern versions contain, but I've still managed to do all but one of the lessons.

The photo I've posted here is what happens when a Mole gets playing with textures, blending modes and frames, all in one go!

I'm still hoping to get to grips with using masks - which was the subject of the one lesson I just couldn't fathom - but meanwhile, I'm happy to have got this far!

Have great weekends, everyone!

What's on my desk?

2009-07-08T16:57:00.000+01:00

Apparently it's What's On My Workdesk Wednesday today - otherwise known as WOMWW! As I have been an Extremely Good Person (hah! not before time, you may well say) and spent many hours sorting and tidying my craft room, I am able to report that I have rediscovered my desk (and a huge expanse of carpet, too).

And here it is! The excavated desk, that is.

In case you're not feeling that impressed, you should see what it was like before ...... here we go!

You have to admit, that was messy, messy, messy. And the rest of the room was just as bad ... if not worse.

Now I have a clear desk, my challenge is to make a new home card, a 90th birthday card and some 'with sympathy' style cards. I've no excuse for not crafting now, have I?!

Back to school!

2009-07-06T16:43:00.000+01:00

But not to nasty exams ..... just to the lovely Jessica Sprague's site, where those of us that registered in time, are enjoying a free photo editing course! The first class was about cropping and framing, using a special free kit from House of 3. You can see what I did with mine.

Yes, I know, it's another animal photo .... but when you have four cats and three dogs they are an irresistible source of inspiration (should that be inspurr-ation??!!).

My model today is Neilsen, our lovely chunky Ginger-and-white-bits boy. Doing what he does best - sleeeeeeeeeping!

A True Friend challenge

2009-06-26T13:25:00.000+01:00

One the right hand side of my blog you can see links to some of my fave blogs and sites. A True Friend is one of those listed and is great if you're an animal lover. And even if you're not, you'll love the layouts made by the team there.

Regular challenges get posted up here and I decided to try my hand at the current one, which is to create an animal-based page using a quotation of some kind.

I decided to work with another photo of super-fluffy-cat Oscar, as you can see. I made the page in Adobe Photoshop (ancient version) with papers and elements from Retrodiva, Raspberry Road Designs and Jessica Sprague.

Hope you like it!

Just a note ...

2009-06-25T13:27:00.000+01:00

... to say hallo to everyone who has been kind enough to visit my blog, and especially to those of you kind enough to stop long enough to leave a comment! If you're a blogger, you'll know just how good it feels to get blog mail!

Thought I'd post up a photo today. My trees pic is one of those I've posted in the UKS monthly photo competition gallery. I just like the shapes and colours and bendy bits (you can tell how technical I am, can't you!!!). I snapped this while walking Tok in a field at the back of the woods near home.

Tried something new today!

2009-06-24T13:20:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd try uploading a customised header - just to see if it worked. I think it almost did, except that I seem to be stuck with the original background for the header that came as part of the template. If anyone can tell me how to remove the unwanted border bit I'd be very grateful! Meanwhile, now I kind of know what's involved, I shall create another header to replace the current 'first attempt' as I'm not really that happy with it.

I've added Katie Hadfield's blog to my site today. If you've not visited her http://www.digiscrappingqueen.com/blog/ then do as she's full of inspiration. Her store ain't bad either (but be warned, addiction can be costly ££££ LOL) http://www.the-lilypad.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=6

My pic for today is a thumbnail (because I've not got a full-sized version here to upload) of the lovely Tallis. He is a very photogenic boy!

Today Part II

2009-06-22T13:51:00.000+01:00

I couldn't resist coming back and posting again. You can't say I didn't warn you!

This page features one of my nephews, Richard. I'd had these photos of him hanging around for ages, but I'd held back from using them because the backgrounds in the pictures were cluttered and dark. I decided that the best way to de-clutter was to literally cut out the background debris, leaving just the lad. A brave step from one who doesn't like waving scissors around too much, but it seems to have worked.

I've used buttons from my stash, punched out and chalked stars, rub-ons, adhesive lettering and rubber stamping all on the same page. Plus a blossom (to hide an unavoidable ugly bit of photo), brad, braid and a charm (the latter, I think, plundered from an odd earring). In real life all these items give the layout real texture and dimension - which the photo itself doesn't necessarily show to best advantage.

I was pleased when I found the papers as I felt they echoed the design and colours of Richard's pyjamas brilliantly.

Oh, and I've hand-written that journalling. I cut a curve from a piece of scrap card and used that to guide my script.

And for today's trick

2009-06-22T13:39:00.001+01:00

I was intending to upload a photo of one of my scrapbook pages, but I got waylaid by this photo. It made me stop and think about how fabulous nature is, and what great creations she has come up with. And right on my doorstep, too. I took this photo in the woods next door - the source or the vast majority of my photos these days. Might make a nice photo base for a greetings card ...

I might be back later with another post .... and another photo, this time of the promised artwork. You have been warned!

Tok's turn

2009-06-18T14:32:00.001+01:00

Now this may not be the best photo in the world, but Tok insisted that it was his turn to feature on my blog - and who can resist a big, soppy Vizsla! Certainly not me - I'm a pushover, as my husband will tell you.

The edging on this LO is a mix of rubber stamping and hand-drawn doodles - the gold stands out more in real life. I used scraps of paper for the various strips and some die cut circles, both from part of a Back Porch Memories kit which I used to subscribe to. They do some lovely stuff, as you will see if you visit them:

http://www.backporchmemories.com/

The circles are mounted with 3-d sticky fixers to give some dimension, and the ribbons are stapled on.

I took these photos of Tok (full name is Takacs, which is Hungarian, and is a bit like our name 'Smith' over here - very common!) when he was snoozing in the back of the car on our way back from a leisurely pub lunch a couple of years ago. He was recovering from an operation at the time, or I doubt he'd have been quite so sleepy!

Spotlight on Oscar

2009-06-16T13:18:00.000+01:00

Yes, this is Oscar. He's big, black and very fluffy. Although he should be bald, when you see just how much fur he sheds around the house. You could stuff a mattress with his sheddings, I'm sure!

I created this digi layout using a fab kit from Dawn Inskip. It's called A Grand Day Out, and like all Dawn's creations, it's lush. You can find Dawn's creations here:

http://www.pickleberrypop.com/shop/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=42

You will no doubt be subjected to further pages featuring Oscar. After all, he really is one handsome cat!

Colours of the rainbow!

2009-06-15T14:39:00.001+01:00

And now for my pastel pick .... I found these flowers growing in the woods while I was taking the dogs for a walk. The colours of the petals are so delicate ....

I'm thinking this might just qualify for the red, rose and pink day - just look at that tongue!

OK. Here's my contribution to the white section - a wonderful head of cow parsley in the woods right next door to where I live.

A green photo for a green day - complete with lovely butterfly just to set things off. Who'd have thought grass could be so beautiful?

One of last week's colour challenges was to think blue ..... we've had some fab blue skies latesly and this snap was taken in my mum's garden. I just love that magnolia!

Monday again ....

2009-06-15T09:20:00.000+01:00

OK. So it's not Valentine's Day, or anywhere near, for that matter. But we could all do with a bit of love every day, especially at the start of another long week! So today's image is of a Valentine's card I made for Kelvin this year.

The main body of the card is cut with my Cricut Create, and the aperture has been inked with a black inkpad. The ribbons are just stapled into shape and then glue-dotted into place.

I've used self-adhesive sticky gems to outline a section of the heart, and added rub-ons to strips of card (again with inked edges). It's hard to see from the angle of the photo, but inside, there's a small punched-out hearts that mirrors the main aperture. It's mounted with sticky fixers to give it a 3-D feel.

Simple to make but looks quite classy, if I'm allowed to say so!

Daisy, daisy .....

2009-06-11T12:57:00.000+01:00

I thought you might to see what yesterday's altered daisy looked like before it fell into the hands of Photoshop. I snapped this shot in a field not far from where we live, when I was taking one of the dogs for a long walk-and-sniff.

Several people have asked me where I got the record from that I used in the layout shown in yesterday's blog. I think they were worried I'd stolen one of my husband's precious classical albums and that divorce might be pending as a result!

Fear not: the album in question was provided by Cleo as part of the class materials. However, you should be able to lay your hands on vinyl very cheaply at your local charity shop. You could try the technique with a single if you fancied a smalled canvas size.

I've also been asked what glue I used to stick the various elements with. Good old double sided tape, is the answer. If you want weightier things on your creation, Diamond Glaze or something similar might be a little safer.

My other photo today shows the inside of the flip-up book which forms part of my record layout. It isn't really finished as I'd like to add some journalling about my husband and his brother when they are growing up. But you get the feel, I hope, for how it might look.

It's a record!

2009-06-10T13:24:00.000+01:00

Well, it's true, this is a record! (Saves on cardstock LOL!!!). I made this layout in a class run at PaperArts, in Stroud, by the fabulous Cleo Jarvis, who recently took over the on-line shop Bellaboo. You can find her site here

http://www.bellaboo.co.uk/

It's such a simple idea, but so adaptable too - now I have a use for all those old albums my husband has stashed away (he buys them for the lovely artwork on the record sleeves). I dare you to try the technique!

I've not done this to mine, but you could easily drill / cropodile a hole in the top and turn your creation into a wall-hanging.

And before you ask me what that's flower is doing there, let me explain. It's another of Shimelle's colour prompts. I played around with the colour and saturation etc in Photoshop just for a bit of fun - and that flower is the result!

Inspired by Shimelle

2009-06-08T12:13:00.000+01:00

I made this digi page in response to one of Shimelle's Scrap Like You Mean It challenges, which are posted each week on the UK Scrappers web site.

Because it's a white page on a white background, it doesn't really show up properly in my gallery on UKS, but it works better here!

Stitches and alpha from Chirpi.