New Challenge over at Oldie But A Goodie

Hi All just thought I would let you know that we have a new challenge this fortnight over at OBAG and the theme is Filigree and this is what I came up with 

I used my die cut and made a hinged card and then just added layers, its a shame as you cannot see the colours of the butterfly properly here but I did it in a lovely bright yellow so obviously against the blue die cut frame it looks green on the photo.    Got to admit this challenge didn't go down well with me, I don't like the card and had to rack my brains to think of something I could make but Sarah's friend Liz loved it so much she bought it so it can't be that bad.

Why not pop along to OBAG and see what the rest of the team have designed and also enter into the challenge yourself.

I have a busy day ahead, going into Ivybridge to the bank, then on to KwikFit to get my tyres changed on the car and then going to B&Q to get some more paint as James the decorator is starting to paint the living room tomorrow and as I will have to stay home and make cups of tea for him I will catch up all day on the blogging I have missed out on over the last couple of days.

My craft fair went well, there was a festival on at Exmouth on Sunday so lots of people about the other traders were a lovely bunch some of them I had met before, only made a small profit of around £50.00 but it was better than a loss.  I only have two craft fairs booked in for June, but have booked to go to Exmouth in July, September, October, November and December and am also going to book into our local Garden Centre up until Christmas as well.  Could not book August as we have the Cornwood Show then and I need to be there although I will only be sitting in the Secretary's tent, giving people who come in leaflets and any information, also lost children, and anything else that crops up, I am hoping that Sarah's friend Liz will do my table for me on the day as Sarah is helping out with the pet and poultry show.  Anyway I best go now as I need to have my breakfast and get washed and dressed.

Love to all

Alison 

New Challenge at Open-Minded Crafting Fun

Hi Everybody thought I would let you know that today we have a new challenge over at Open-Minded Crafting Fun and also a DT call so why not pop over and join in and put your name down for a place with a fantastic team.

This fortnight the theme is Fairy Tale or Fantasy and we have some fantastic sponsors

Digital Delights

www.digitaldelightsbyloubyloo.com

Sassy Studio Designs

www.sassystudiodesigns.blogspot.com

Drawn with Character

www.etsy.com/shop/DrawnwithCharacter

Eureka Stamps

www.eurekastamps.com

Time for Tea

www.etsy.com/shop/TimeforTeaDesigns

I decided to use one of my own images from Digital Delights and his name is Sparky and he is so cute, used my spectrum noir pens to colour him and my castle die cut (can't remember where from now) and used some frantage in shabby white to add some sparkle.

Will pop by your blogs later today but have a few things I need to get done as I have a craft fair to attend tomorrow.  

Bye for now

Alison xx

AWOL yet again

Morning everybody sorry I have been out of action for a little while have been plagued by my Fibromyalgia massive flair up still not completely right but am getting there.

We are having the decorators in today to wallpaper one wall of the living room and then next week the painters will be here to paint the three living room walls and the hallway including around 8 doors that need glossing have decided to go for an acrylic satin white on the doors and frames as Alan is allergic to gloss paint suffers severe migraines from the fumes that it gives off.

I was asked if I could make a horseshoe for my neighbours granddaughter who is getting married the first week of June and this is what I came up with

I used my silhouette cameo to cut the horseshoe out and also the leaves I then decorated it with flowers I ordered from a girl on facebook who has a page called Petal Lu they are so pretty and are made out of tissue paper and the spiral's were from the Ribbon Girl.

I have another craft fair again this weekend in Exmouth which is quite a drive from here but Alan is coming with me and Sarah is staying home to look after Bella as Sarah's friend is coming from London for the long weekend.

Hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend will pop along shortly to check out your blogs but I will only be commenting on today's blog as I have been absent for too long to even think about catching up where I left off will be here until midnight else.

Love to all

Alison 

Challenge #77 at Crafting For All Seasons

Morning All, half way through the week already, I am getting ready to go to my Wednesday Morning Coffee Stop and will be back later to catch up on all your lovely blogs.

Today though we have a new challenge over at Crafting For All Seasons and the theme this fortnight is Things with Wings and I was lucky to be able to pick my image from the delightful Lacy Sunshine she is called Eleanor Tubing Fun and she is so cute.

The fretwork on the card was cut out using my silhouette cameo, flowers are from stash and she is coloured in using my spectrum noir pens, the backing papers are from a nitwit collection but don't ask me which one as they are all loose now in my paper stash box.

Ok so now it's your turn to get crafting and enter our wonderful challenge and I look forward to seeing what you create, please pop along and see what the rest of the team have been up to they have made some wonderful cards to provide you with inspiration.

Love to all

Alison x

Second post of the day

I have had a fairly busy morning went into Ivybridge and posted the candles and thank you cards off for Stephen and Gemma's wedding and picked up my elderly neighbour's pension for her.  I then delivered candles which had been ordered and had another order for two more.  I came home and started making those candles and took the soap out of the freezer which I made yesterday, I put it in the freezer to make it easier to get the soap out the moulds just in case you think I'm mad (which I probably am lol).

Here is a picture of my new soap mould which is Lime, Mandarin and Basil 

I have only made one of these just to test the mould out because it is so small the little baby is 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches high.  I am not sure how much to charge for these but for my first one it has turned out really well.  

Am off to do a bit of catching up and will show you the rest of the soap tomorrow when it comes out the freezer, hopefully the green swirls worked still practising at doing that.

Bye for now

Alison xx

New Challenge over at An Oldie But A Goodie

Morning all we have a new theme this fortnight for our challenge over at Oldie But A Goodie (OBAG) and our theme is Anniversary and was chosen by my DT Sis Fran and this is what I came up with

 made a fairly simple card and used some flowery glitter acetate sheets that I bought at the Exeter Craft Fair about two years ago and have never used them but decided I would like to colour them and layer them onto this card I know it doesn't show but the writing and coloured backing sheet match the colour I have used on the flower.

So why not pop along and see what my team mates have been up to and enter the challenge, I wish you all good luck.

I tried to finish my bag and apron off yesterday that I am in the middle of making but ran out of white cotton and did not feel like getting into the car doing a 10 mile round trip just to get some cotton so when I am in Ivybridge this morning I will get some then.  I am then going to Plympton to deliver the candle order from the Fair in the Square last Monday.  

I was going to sit down and read but was bored out of my mind with nothing to do, so made some soap up in a Lime, Mandarin and Basil fragrance and used a bit of green colour especially designed for soaps, can't wait until later today when it comes out of the soap moulds to see what it has turned out like, all I know at the moment is that it smells lovely and yummy.  I have used Cocoa Butter in this batch as it makes a lovely bubbly soap that is fantastic on the skin.  

Well that's it from me for now, will be back later to catch up on everyone's blogs but please do pop along to Oldie But A Goodie and enter in the challenge.  

Love to all

Alison xx

Monday and a busy day ahead

Morning Everybody, hope you all had a good weekend. I am teaching Sarah at long last she says to use a sewing machine and how to cut patterns out started with something easy for her a child's apron showed her how to cut with a grain and also a pattern on the material, as I am making a shopping bag with lining at the moment so she helped me pin and cut that out.  Tonight we are starting to put them together although I have already started my bag as I wanted to put a lining in it and a pocket inside.  I am using material I bought at the Fair in the Square an old pair of floral curtains loads of material left so am going to make a couple of bags in different styles.

I also dragged Alan much against his will to B&Q yesterday as mentioned, we looked at new lighting for the living room, and some wallpaper and paint, am going for a brighter coloured wallpaper than I would usually pick but have also to keep in mind that we are not changing the carpets or furniture just accessories like the curtains and cushion covers plus some new lampshades for my lamps and a new ceiling light fitting.

This is the wallpaper I have picked out 

the background of the paper is not showing properly but is a beige colour thought this would look striking against the one wall where the fireplace is and the paint not sure about have two colours in mind so any suggestions would be a help 

Thinking of the one that is ticked although the colour is not shown at its best here this is quite a good match to the orange flower but obviously lighter so that it doesn't clash

or this top one again colour not shown at its best but this more or less matches the background of the paper 

My mind is leaning towards this beige colour at the top of this one but the love of colour I have makes me also want the one ticked on the top colour chart, help what would you pick.  

Anyway must go now as I am in the middle of doing a bit of tidying around, dusting putting things away, Alan gave the house a good hoovering yesterday and did the living room again last night after Sarah and I had finished cutting our items out.  

Will be popping back shortly to see your wonderful creations from the weekend.  

Loads of love 

Alison xx

New Soap Moulds

Morning everybody hope you are all enjoying your weekend, Alan is home today and am thinking of dragging him kicking and screaming to B&Q to look at some wallpaper and paint for the living room, will make it easy on him and try and get wallpaper that you don't need to match up lol.

I have bought some new soap moulds and thought I would give them a trial run, originally bought them to make bath bombs but thought I would try a batch of soap in them first and see if they sell.  The fragrance I have used is called Rice Flower and its a shame that we don't have the technology for you to smell this soap as it is so yummy.

I went to the auction yesterday and bought some lovely material to make bags with so you will be seeing these posted on the blog sometime through the week if I can get around to making them but don't want to overdo it as I have another craft fair coming up next Saturday at our local Garden Centre in Ivybridge, really looking forward to that, I have one other craft fair booked and that is for sometime in June so hopefully I will be able to get over to Rachel's at some point to have some crafty time with her, its been ages since we last met up.

The only cards I have made this week so far have been for my DT work so nothing to show you at the moment.

Keep warm, dry and well and enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

Love

Alison xx

New Challenge #10 Use some Ribbons

Morning everybody, we have a new challenge over at Open-Minded Crafting Fun and this week the theme is Use Some Ribbons we have some wonderful sponsors and these are:

Silly Dilly Beans

A Random Fan

Drawn With Character

Doodle Pantry

I picked penguin sitting from A Random Fan I have not done this image the justice it deserves, it is so cute and I think I could of made something a little better than I have if I had sat down and thought about it but it's too late now, but at least I have made a card for my Christmas Stash which is a good thing.

Why not pop along to Open-Minded Crafting Fun and see what the rest of the wonderful talented team have been up to and enter a card as well you never know you may be picked as a winner and there are some wonderful prizes to be had.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend, I will be popping by later on today to do a bit of blog hopping but until then.

Lots of love to all

Alison xx

AWOL

Sorry not been around this week but the wedding and then the Fair in the Square just knocked me for six and I have not been able to do very much at all this week.  I did quite well at the fair taking around £100.00 in cash and a couple of orders for special candles with images on so in total around £130.00 in all.

Craft table part 1 - left hand side

Craft Table part 2 - middle

Craft table part 3 right hand side 

I was unable to take my A frame ladder to put the candles on as there was not enough room but it worked out quite well.  The earrings on the table are Sarah's friends and I said I would have a go at selling them, sold around 4 pairs for her on the day which is quite good.

I have not done any crafting this week at all as I just could not muster the energy for anything but did do a bit more knitting whilst sitting in the chair, have done another baby blanket this time in blue and white, am going to start making some bags next week but need my big table out to lay the material and pattern on for cutting and need help with that.  Tomorrow I am off to an auction where they are selling buttons, material, lace etc etc so am looking forward to that but it means I will be missing my crafty session with Rachel again and next weekend I have another craft fair to attend, which hopefully will be another big seller.

I am off to catch up a little bit but will not be able to go back to last week so will start with today's blogs.

Love to all

Alison 

Thank you cards

Hello my lovely blogging friends, sorry not caught up with blog land just yet, was doing DT work blog hopping and commenting last night and the weekend finally caught up with me was shattered so went to bed early.  Today I have the Fair in the Square (craft fair) so it's going to be another long one although Sarah and her friend Liz are coming to help me.

I have been making thank you cards, and gifts for the bride and grooms parents and also for the bride and groom themselves so will have to get them into the post on Tuesday (very expensive job its going to be too) but I hope you like what I have done

The Candles and cards together

Close up of card

Close up of Candle

I am sorry about the poor quality of pictures but I took these last night in my craft room and the light is not very good, the little girl on the candle is Stephen's daughter Violet from a previous relationship and she is such a cutie pie.

Well best get on with this craft fair and I will catch up with you all as soon as I can.

Love Alison x

The Wedding - Be warned very photographic heavy

Afternoon all.   Finally made it home after an awful journey on Friday so much traffic and the M25 was at a standstill for hours we left home at 12.30 after dropping Bella and Toby off at the Kennels and Cattery and when I started to cry stupid old thing at leaving them just hated it, and we finally got to the hotel around 6.30pm, went out for a meal with family and friends and back to hotel for drinkypoo's for those that can have alcohol of course.

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day, Alan as a surprise had booked Sarah and I in for a spa treatment which was lovely, after this was time to get ready as we had to be at the church at 12.30 so here are the photos' are your sitting comfortably with a cuppa and a biscuit you will need it

Me and Alan, we are frowning as the sun was in our eyes lol 

Daddy's girl Sarah 

The Groom's brother Andrew and his wife Kelly

The Groom Stephen 

Terry The Groom's dad and Alan's elder brother

The Groom's Mum Lynne 

Barry and his wife Carol

Barry is Alan and Terry's elder brother

Gemma  the bride

Gemma and Stephen 

the bride and groom

The Bridesmaids and I think the bloke with them is married to the girl with blonde hair.

the bride and groom with both sets of parents in front of the church

The Bridal Car

Inside the bridal car going back to Gemma's mum and dad's for the reception

The Marquee

Cutting the Cake

Steve and Gemma with Violet

Stephen's daughter from a previous relationship

And at long last

The First Dance

So we left this morning around 9.30 - 10.00 got home just about 1.30, a friend of Sarah's went and picked Bella and Toby up for us and brought them home so they were here when we got back, lots of cuddles from Bella, Toby hates cuddles but has let us stroke him lol.  

Just catching up on the washing, have a craft fair tomorrow so will have to be up and at it really early so early to bed for me tonight I think.  

Hope you are all having a great bank holiday weekend and enjoying this beautiful weather.  

Will catch up on all your blogs as soon as I can but until then.  

Love Alison xxx

Don't want to do it

Hello my wonderful blog friends hope you are all ok and for those that need one am sending a big hug.  We are off to our nephew's wedding tomorrow and I really don't want to go as I don't like the thought of leaving Bella and Toby at the Kennels/Cattery, Bella is my baby, she loves her cuddles and it helps me relax when she is sitting on my knee and I am stroking her.

We will not be back until Sunday will do my best to do a bit of blogging if they have Wi Fi in the hotel room which is costing a staggering £144 per night we are staying for two but at least it includes breakfast.

My Neighbour is still very poorly and can hardly move and I am worried about how she is going to cope whilst I am away as her family don't come near her.

Anyway enough of the moan it seems to me that's all I do lol.

Here is another card I have made to enter a couple of challenges so without further ado here is my card to which there are 5 layers that is including the doily and lots of flowers.

Recipe

Green card from stash

Doily - Joanna Sheen

printable papers from Polka Doodles CD candy doodles

Flowers from Lucida Lu and The Ribbon Girl

Marianne Die for leaves

Image LOTV

Gems from stash

Also covered the little angel wings with a wink of Stella Clear and also her skirt to add a bit of sparkle.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges

My Mums Craft Shop    #17 Theme is lots of layers

Creative Knockouts  #35 Theme flowers galore

A little bit crafty challenge  Where the theme is Flower Power

Creative Inspirations #263 where the theme is Spring Flowers

Look at me go two posts in one day 

Love to all Alison 

Nearly the weekend again

How does the time go so fast lord knows how I fitted everything in when I was working, am very tired today, my elderly neighbour has been very poorly this week with a pulled muscle in her back and unable to do anything for herself so I have been helping her through the day Sarah comes in with me of a morning to help get her out of bed and showered, I get her breakfast and a flask of tea, then come home and sort things out here, then about 11 ish I pop back in to see how she is and ask her what she wants for lunch at around 1 oclock I get her lunch and another flask of tea, then again at around 5pm I go back in and give her some dinner usually what we are having, and then around 9pm tuck her up in bed for the night with another flask of tea.  This has been going on all week and her family live in the next road have not even bothered to come and see her.

Anyway enough moaning and groaning as I mentioned yesterday I have made another card for my Sister-in-Law and Brother in law for their son who is getting married on Saturday as Alan said the other one I made was not traditional enough and this is what I have come up with again using the blue and yellow which are their colours

The horseshoe die is from Joanna Sheen's own range of dies, flowers are from the ribbon girl and ribbon and pearls from stash.  I will be back a bit later to catch up with you on your lovely blogs but need to sort Bella out and make sure my neighbour is ok

Love to all

Alison