WELL DONE!

Dear Reader

Here's my entry for the Sugar Nellie Challenge which this week had to include flowers. I used up some of my lovely Martha Stewart paper which I do promise is now nearly at an end in case you are fed up with it! I'm not but you may be! There was quite a lot to the design so I kept some of the papers plain and just used two patterned ones. One has a lovely glittery texture to it but alas the photo doesn't show it in its full glory. I used the Leanne Ellis stamp coloured with Tim Holtz's new distress inks. Loving the new colours. I used paper flowers from Running With Scissors and a pearl brad from my stash. The background is punched with a Martha Stewart doilly punch. I thought we'd have some pink champagne to celebrate and I've highlighted the flowers (paper and the one in Annie's hair - which I've tried to echo) and the bubbles with icicle stickles.

It's been a very busy week again trying to cram three days work into five! Doesn't go! The Awards evening is really hotting up now. Marilyn who works with me has pulled all the stops out to get the right entries out to the right judges who will be deciding the winners on Monday and is now sending out tickets for the evening - as well as doing her normal work. I've been writing the evening programme and pulling together all the different strands for the evening. So it's all a bit hectic and manic but I'm sure it'll all come together. She says not all together convincingly - please keep your fingers xd! It's not helped putting the event on a whole month earlier - we're now wedged between the General Election and the World Cup instead of being during the World Cup!! But yesterday was a really nice day when I went to the opening of the ICHP Plant at ConocoPhillips. The plant is mindblowingly awesome and we were told that it has capability to provide 2 to 3% of the nation's power needs - and here's the really good news - works at 70% energy efficiency. If you think that a coal fired power station operates at 35% efficiency that's so much better for the environment. It was a really interesting lunch and tour and to commemorate the occasion we were given a small glass paperweight - a square with one corner sliced off, if you can imagine that. Inside was a 3D etched image of the new plant including chimneys that you felt you could peep down. I was really taken with it and have put it in my new craftroom as a keepsake.

BASICALLY IT'S GREY

Dear Reader

Here's a card I've made for this week's Sugar Nellie Challenge. I've discovered that the image character is called Annie which seems appropriate. For some reason I thought she was called Nellie. What a nellie I am! I am loving birdcages at the moment so couldn't resist Annie with a birdcage. And then what do you know there was some birdcage paper in the lovely stash I received today from Jane as part of her anniversary candy so it didn't last 5 minutes in the Basic Grey pad. I coloured the image in with Tim Holtz distress inks in spun sugar and sage and used a mixture of magnolia and honey on the hair. The use of stars was essential to the challenge so I rummaged around and found some star buttons which I had bought at a bargain price thinking they would come in one day and now they have! It was the colour that attracted me - a very soft pink - but it's the shape that's come up trumps - they're little stash stars! I would really have liked a sentiment that granny would have approved of: "A Little Bird Told Me ....." so that inside I could have put "that it's your birthday" but I thought it was a lot to fit in a little gap so I've used a Woodware Special Friend stamp instead. The card's for a friend who doesn't like 'fancy' so I've kept it fairly plain.

It's funny doing a bird card today. My friend Carolyn has a very special pedigree cat arriving in May. I forget its breed but it's a grey cat and she asked me a while ago what she should call it. Being grey I thought of all sorts of 'grey' names such as John Major and Lavender (I know it's a lilac colour but mine's grey at the moment!) and as she keeps chickens I also suggested Giblet. Well, giblets are grey. Shame Carolyn is not a crafter or I would have suggested 'Basic' !

I've just heard that the kitten has now been born and is to be called Giblet so I've proudly apponted myself its godmother. Hope the chickens take to it (obviously not literally!) and it doesn't eat pretty little birds like the one in my image or I shall be having words! I'll keep you posted on Giblet's progress.

JUST FOR YOU NELLIE

Dear Reader

This is a card I've made for a challenge Jane at Jane's Lovely Cards told me about. Thank you Jane. It's the Sugar Nellie Challenge - hence the Sugar Nellie stamp (thanks Lady Janet). For this challenge you had to follow a sketch and use three flowers, two brads and a button. Such a lot to remember I nearly got a headache! I wanted to do a card for a teenager and so no K & Co papers folks (Nicki will be cheering!). Instead I've used some Martha Stewart papers. The flower one in particular is lovely - all shiny and glittery and I love diamonds almost as much as I love spots! Although you can see I managed to get spots in with the ribbon lol. Image is coloured in distress inks and everything else is from my stash or RWS.