Wallet Gift Card

Dear Reader

Here's a card I've made for three Challenges

a) Simon Says Stamp Challenge which asked for Buttons, Bows and Bling

b) Whiff of Joy Challenge which asked for a money/wallet card

c) Friday Sketchers - which gave a sketch to follow

Thank you to all the DT for the inspiration and to Friday Sketchers for the sketch. I really enjoyed making this card and I think I am going to put a gift voucher for a manicure in the little pocket. Chloe bought me a manicure and pedicure voucher for Christmas and I thought it was a lovely present. There's something so relaxing and 'other world' about beauty parlours - although last time I went to one a spider broke cover and the beautician ran out screaming leaving me to try and catch it hopping about with cotton wool between all my toes. For pity's sake! Mind you, my mum is terrified of spiders. Really frightenedof them so I should have more sympathy I suppose. Back to the card. For photographic purposes used my last tenner... Which looks like it's ready for the 'Home for Retired Banknotes' but gives the idea! Should have got a crisp new one from the bank but forgot. I'm afraid 'forgot' is getting to be my middle name these days. Think it's my age, but there again my memory was never much good. At least I don't think it was. But I may have forgotten!!

I used MME papers, inside and out. The image is Whiff of Joy and painted with distress inks. The pretty border ribbon and the pearls were from RWS. The punched swirls were from an RWS class. I fear they were for a scrapbook page I made but I inked and glitter misted them and used them here instead. This is such a useful punch - I must buy one. I always call it the Jane punch (Jane's Lovely Cards) as she was the first to discover its potential! Other punches - good old Martha Stewart. Buttons, thread and bling heart from my stash. Thanks for looking!

CUPCAKE FOR MAGNOLIA

Dear Reader

Well I'm back! There's been a distinct lack of blogging recently due to the fact that the day job seems to have become the day and night job lol. Amongst other stuff I've been writing a 12 page Evening Programme for the forthcoming Awards. The Telegraph kindly agreed to print a special Harry Potteresque spoof newspaper as the Programme which is great but has meant a lot more copy is needed this year. So as well as all the normal menu/wine list/awards nominees etc I've been putting other stuff together to go in like lists of spells and articles like "Sorting Hat - Past its Sell by Date?". A lot of fun but a lot of work. Quite ironic really, writing a newspaper for a newspaper - I'm just keeping my fingers xd that the business community appreciate my humour. But if not the good thing with a newspaper is that it will be next week's chip paper so I decided not to get too hung up on it and just go for it!

I'm not sure what you're all doing this Bank Holiday but three days of pottering and catching up on some long-overdue housework and gardening is just lovely in my book. I overslept Saturday and missed my craft class which is unheard of. We were out on Friday evening and had a late one. The plan was to slip away early but after a couple of glasses of wine the dance floor beckoned and we were out there strutting our stuff. But next day I paid the price and missed seeing all my crafting buddies. What is it granny used to say about burning the candle both ends!

Last night I thought I'd catch up with some crafting and enter a challenge and after a spot of blog hopping settled on the Magnolia Challenge as I've been wanting a chance to use my Magnolia cupcake stamp and the sketch the DT team had produced (thanks !) seemed to lend itself. Limbered up first with an England banner for my dad. I'll post another one I've made for us soon but if you've seen the Easter one it's similar. Well alright exactly the same. Except it says England and has no chickens on it. Thought it would be a bit of decoration for the World Cup. Maurice says we'll probably only need it up for about a week. He of little faith!

I digress - back to cupcakes. I used some My Minds Eye papers I got in a BOGOF. Couldn't resist all the spots and they seem to go really well with cupcakes. The nestabilities came into their own again and I painted the image with distress inks. My new honey coloured one gives quite a nice 'sponge' colour I think. Used pearls and a ribbon from RWS.

MAGNOLIA CHALLENGE - JUST A NOTE

Dear Reader

Just a note to go with my card for this week's Magnolia Challenge which was to follow a sketch by Jane of Jane's Lovely Cards (thanks).

I used some paper (Brenda Walton Madeline) that I adore and lace, both of which came from RWS. I coloured Writing Tilda in with distress inks and sat her on a 'pouffe' made of embossed circles with writing on and inked them. I made a card for the sentiment and inked it, then stamped 'Just a Note' with a Clarity Stamp stamp purchased for a bargain£1 at Harrogate Show. I really love Clarity stamps for their clarity! ha! I particularly liked the font and thought the sentiment would go well with Writing Tilda. I set the sentiment into inked paper flowers from my stash and pearl swirls and a dragonfly from an E. flourish. Butterflies are from a Martha Stewart punch and I've stamped the cream one with the stamp that comes in the lid of the punch. The purple one is embossed. The background to Tilda is stamped with an Anna Griffin swirl stamp in distress ink.

IT'LL ALL COME OUT IN THE WASH - AS GRANNY WOULD SAY

Dear Reader

Here is my card for the Magnolia Challenge. I've used a Tilda image and made her a present to hold.Punch is Martha Stewart scallops. Papers are by Bo Bunny and Martha Stewart. Embellishments from RWS and my stash. Image is coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks in Tattered Rose and Sage.

Today's been a very enjoyable but busy day. It started early with a breakfast meeting in a hotel at Scunthorpe. I never give any thought to the actual breakfast but Maurice is always keen to know whether I'm getting a full English or not. I tell him that most of the time it's just a croissant or a Danish. He shakes his head sadly and says that these meetings should more accurately be called Continental Breakfast meetings which makes me smile. I dislike breakfast meetings. The idea is that you fit them in before your actual day job which as it's all work to me seems rather silly. Plus, and I have to say this is the real reason, I am just not a morning person. I'm as far from a morning person as you can get without it being evening! This week I've had two Continental Breakfast meetings so am not a happy bunny. As this morning's was a good drive away I had to get up at 6.30 am in order to wake up and drink enough tea to be alert enough to drive at 7.15. Off I went and arrived in plenty of time for the meeting and had my 'breakfast and another tea. Well, I got networking - or chatting as we'd call it - and suddenly it was time for the meeting to start. I asked the Chair to hold on a minute whilst I went to the loo as I'd drunk so much tea by then I was awash. What do you know the Ladies was out of order. I went next door into the disabled toilet, had a tinkle and went to wash my hands. I squeezed out a good bit of soap as it always smells nice in this hotel, rubbed it in and turned on the tap. Nothing came out. For goodness sake! I tried to wipe off all the soap with a paper towel but it just got stickier and stickier. I started to feel like Mr Bean. I gingerly opened the door and peered out hoping there was no one there to witness my sticky situation and conscious of the time rushed down towards the Spa to find another toilet. I found one,went in and yes! the water was working and I washed my hands. I went to dry them and guess what? There were no paper towels in this toilet. For goodness sake! So back I went to the disabled toilet to dry my hands. I arrived back at the meeting where they were waiting to start. I apologised to the Chair, took my seat and whispered my dilemma to the woman next to me. She looked bemused. But there aren't any other ladies toilets in that corridor she said. Do you realise you've used the men's? Luckily, before I could reply, the meeting started.

TILDA - WITH LOVE

Dear Reader

Here's my entry for the Magnolia Challenge. I enjoyed this sketch and tried to get a different look to each of the layers going across using different scallop borders and mediums, including my favourite lace in the whole wide world. Papers are, as if you didn't know, K & CO. I used an Anna Griffin swirl stamp and embellishments from my stash decorated with stickles. Not too sure about the stamp in retrospect but I like to try different things. I think this Tilda has a slightly wistful and apprehensive air so I wanted to colour her in muted shades to give a calm peaceful look. But I think I've overdone it and now she looks as though she's on valium! Forgive me Tilda!

EASTER BASKET

Dear Reader

Here's my entry for the Magnolia Easter Basket Challenge. I've really enjoyed doing this one - right up my street as I love boxes/baskets/containers of any kind and I'm already thinking how I can adapt it to suit different occasions. I used my K & Company paper pad and my new Martha Stewart doillie punch which I'm hoping will come in really useful. I'm liking the way you can make a nice handle with it if you punch both sides. I've used a Magnolia Alfie for this and it's nice to see he's got a mouth! And a smiley one at that. Loving his ears too - very Prince Charles, Coloured him in with my three distress inks (I'm very distressed I've only three) He's a bit too red - should have had that lipstick colour pink distress ink really but there you go. At least he's bright! Also used some other inks. Goodness knows what they're called. I wanted to bring in some blue so I used a Sekura felt tip on some shiny paper and added water with a water colour brush. Probably wrong but 'needs must' as granny would say. Anway, we got blue boots. Which looking at them would probably meet the approval of the chiropodist I saw yesterday. I've distressed and aged the paper lace border and inked with Saraha Sand chalk. I'd like 'Gingerbread' as it's not so 'strong' but can't find it anywhere for love nor money. If anyone knows where I can get it please let me know as I've looked for ages. My flower is from Trotters Traders. I know how to pass an hour on a Sunday afternoon! I've deliberately kept the thing simple, because I just wanted to focus on Alfie with a flower in his hand and the sentiment (which is tiny tags by Woodware). Maurice popped out to Tesco and in true man style came back with not one but three bags of chocolate eggs. I put two bags in the basket (is it my imagination or are the bags of eggs smaller these days?) apart from the purple ones which didn't match my colours. How picky am I! Maurice now has those in his packing-up. The basket smells absolutely gorgeous - I'd forgotten how good those chocolate eggs smell - and I can't wait for Easter.