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Monday 23 September 2013

Yoo-Hoo

... it's your birthday



I made this pretty little twisted easel card earlier today, I think it turned out pretty well, except for the raggedy edges to my mats (I really must get a new blade for my paper trimmer).  Don't you just love those googlie eyes?




 
 
 
 
 
 Here is the card I made for my Grandmother's 90th birthday, sadly, yesterday, she passed away.  I could tell you all about her, and gush over her life, how she bravely fought again her Parkinson's disease for soooo long, but I won't (who needs a downer... right?).  But as anyone knows (and most of us have lost someone we love, at some point)  - "life goes on" and "time is a great healer", two much used platitudes that are so very, very true. Goodnight Gran x
 
 
 
Blah... blah... blah...
 
 

Thursday 12 September 2013

Kanban Kwikie III

Quick (kwik?) post...

 
A variation on the 'Joy' fold theme... I used double sided paper -  ECHO PARK 'Dots & Stripes - Metropolitan (Concrete Large Dot), an oldie but a goodie.  I love these ECHO PARK papers, so so versatile!

 
All the toppers and sentiments are from a KANBAN kit called 'So Macho', this kit seems to go on and on forever, I bought it AGES ago!

 
I added two strips of punched CS to the front, the punch used is from X CUT called 'flowers', in the same grey CS as the base




 
I added three gems, which I coloured using a black promarker and hey presto!
 
 

Challenges...

OLDIE BUT A GOODIE CHALLENGE - 'Spots and Stripes'

613 AVENUE CREATE - Ch #36 - 'Anything Goes'

A CARD A DAY BLOGGING


Blah... blah... blah...
 
 

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Fancy Fold

I am suffering from tooth ache!  As you are all aware, having suffered yourselves at some point, there really is no greater pain, than that of a rotten tooth.  It is VERY distracting, my creative juices are running decidedly low!
 
However, my toothache has made me realise how VERY lucky I am to have been born in this era of advanced dentistry and high hygiene standards and with the invention of a variety of  pain relieving concoctions at least there is some relief from the agony.
 
My dentist is a very pleasant, young Portuguese lady, who is both kind and knowledgeable, unlike in years go by.  I would, probably, have gone to the local barber, who would have preformed extractions willy-nilly, with no thought to the amount of pain he was inflicting with every yank, pull and twist. 
 
Apparently I need a 'root canal treatment' if I am to save my tooth.  Well since I don't have that many teeth left, I felt I should make an extra effort to save the ones that are left.  And since I was, in fact, nearly crying with the pain I said yes, go ahead.  Now for the tricky bit... a root canal treatment is two appointments, the first of which is for 30 minutes and since I was an emergency my over-worked dentist could not possible do it now!  You can imagine my reaction... this normally laid-back, eager-to-please, doormat - suddenly wasn't.  I can hear me now, whining... "But it HURTS", "You've got to do something NOW", "Please, please, please.".  To be fair to my dentist, she looked at my tear-stained face (twisted in agony) and said she'd get as much of the infection out now, file down the canal and put some kind of super bacteria-fighting agent into the gap, so at least she would be able to kill the nerve and remove the pain before my next appointment (30 minutes) to complete the 'treatment'.  After I had blubbered my thanks, we got started. In goes the needle - do I care? not really, although I was consciously trying to relax (tense muscles cause more pain), out comes her drill - really is there anything more distressing than that drill? I eventually leave the dentist office with half my face smiling and the other half frozen into a mask of horror, but at least for a short while the pain is gone and in a few hours I'll be able to live my life, pain-free. 
 
When I'm not in pain... I don't like the dentist (I don't mean the nice Portuguese lady, I mean the dental practice in general), or at least the thought of having to go there and pay for the privilege of having needles stuck into the most delicate parts of my mouth.  However, actual toothache, makes you re-assess all negative thoughts of the dentist, and suddenly they are the only thing standing between you and permanent anguish.
 
Enough of the horror stories...back to my crafting.  Before the toothache I had made a 'JOY' fold card, this is only my second attempt at this fold, but I really like it, so it could become a favourite!  My previous effort can be found here.
 




CARD BASE - green CS - 4 1/4" x 7 3/4" - scored at 2 1/4"
INSIDE CARD BASE - green CS - 3 1/22 x 7 1/4" - scored at 4"
CARD BASE MATS - patterned paper by 'WILD ROSE STUDIO' called 'BUTTERFLY GARDEN' -  x 1 @ 4" x 5 1/4", x 2 @ 2" x 4"
INSIDE CARD BASE MATS - patterned paper by 'WILD ROSE STUDIO' called 'BUTTERFLY GARDEN' -  x 1 @ 3 1/4" x 3 3/4", x 2 @ 3" x 3 1/4"
EMBELLISHMENT - flowers from 'CREATE AND CRAFT TV'
SENTIMENT - from stash and a peel-off
All the edges have been inked using 'TIM HOLTZ' distressed ink pad 'TEA DYE'
 
For a great video demo of this fold visit 'CARDZ TV'.
 
Challenges...
 
I really can't be bothered!
 
 
Blah... blah... blah...
 
 

Sunday 1 September 2013

If I Were A Robot

... perhaps I wouldn't do such stupid things!  I have had a MAJOR 'senior moment'.  Today is the first of September, and I need to put my new tax disc in the round holder in the car. Simple? You'd have thought so, for a competent person, like me! Ah...
 
I was 'super' organised and I purchased my tax disc early, well I say purchased but my cute, dinky little car is exempt, but I still need to display a tax disc. So all organised, I go to put my tax disc on... and, where is it?  I've lost the blasted thing!  Senior moment, or what! 
 
Just so you know, if you need a duplicate tax disc you will need form V20 from the post office!
 
So I found this really cool group on Facebook called... "I Love My Cricut & I Live In The UK", its been really interesting looking at other people's interests and getting lots of inspiration.  Since I have never made anything with the 'ROBOTZ' Cricut cartridge, I decided today would be the day!
 
 
So, what we have here is... a blue scalloped card blank, and onto this I matted a piece of 'BLACK MAGIC' 'CORE'DINATIONS' cardstock called 'CAULDRON'. Before it was adhered down I embossed it using my CUTTLEBUG and the 'COOLIO' embossing folder, this I then sanded so that the light blue core would show through. The robot is cut from the Cricut 'ROBOTZ' cartridge at 3 1/2" and the sentiment is from the same cartridge (shadow and font) at 2".  With a little bit of faux stitching and a couple of googlie eyes... eh voila!

 
Challenges...
 
NATALIE AND AMY - Ch. #12 - 'Embossing'
 
CRAFTERS CAFE - Ch #26 - 'Embossing Wet or Dry'
 
 
Blah... blah... blah...
 
 

Burnt Toast and Gumdrops...

I burnt my toast this morning... perhaps you don't think this is news-worthy, but I beg to differ!  The smell!  For an extraordinarily amount of time after the burnt toast incident, the acrid smell is STILL lingering!  And worse...
 
Because I live in a flat, and because I'm careless enough to leave my doors open... that awful smell is now permeated into every corner of my dwelling.  I know when I go to bed tonight that smell will be there.  I once heard that if you leave a dish of vinegar out, it will take away the smell... it doesn't!  I would know this -  through the various failed attempts that I have done to rectify this problem in the past.  I have even left my 'usually' wonderful aromatic candles burning for the past 5 hours, and it still smells of burnt toast in here!
 
Any tips on getting rid of the smell of burnt toast will be gratefully received, and yes, I know, DON'T BURN THE TOAST IN THE FIRST PLACE, that doesn't help and your superior attitude is rather annoying!  I didn't MEAN to burn the toast but... yes you've guessed it... I was crafting!
 
I was trying to cut vellum with my Cricut!  I assumed that because it is fairly delicate it would require little blade pressure... how wrong I was.  Eventually, and several slices of bread  later (yes bread not vellum... the toast, remember), I managed to cut the vellum out with my ordinary card stock settings, who knew?
 
 
 
I made this with the Cricut 'JUST BEACAUSE CARDS' cartridge and... there's the vellum!

 
Challenges...
 
HIDING IN MY CRAFTROOM - #113 - 'Freestyle'
 
PUMPKIN SPICE - #35 - 'Anything Goes'
 
CREATIVE CORNER - 'Child's Play'
 
 
 
MAY ALL YOUR CRAFTING BE FREE FROM INTERUPTION
 
 
Bah... blah... blah...