Tweetie-pie

I think I'm starting to feel better at last. I think all the hassles,stresses, sad news and lack of sleep of the last few months caught up with me and said "Enough!"
I'm usually up and about as soon as I've waved Hubby off to work at 7, but this whole week I've been crawling back to bed unable to find the energy to get on with the day. I decided not to fight it and just to go with the flow. A couple of years ago I had a really bad dose of flu which threw all our Christmas plans into disarray and saw poor Hubby scouring the shelves of Tesco on Christmas Eve for food to see us through the holiday as we had been booked to fly over to Mils for Christmas and had nothing in the house! Not only that but it left me feeling really weak and feeble (or feak and weeble if you prefer) for ages - I was still not back to what passes for normal till the end of March. Ever since then I've been a bit wary whenever the tired-all-the-time thing rears it's ugly head.
So I've been trying to take it really easy this week. I've quite enjoyed sitting at my desk doing bits and pieces of craft stuff though - I'm trying not to think of the long list of things I have to do, but only of the one I'm actually doing now. I think I might try to keep that up actually as it makes each task much more enjoyable not to be always thinking "I need to get this finished and then get on with...."
I've done quite a few cards on the theme of Christmas Stockings, here's a trio of those made with BG and Crate Christmas papers, The stocking die is actually one I downloaded from the Bosskutz site to use with the Robo. I just love that I can make them any size I want - I must have a go at making a HUGE one some day.

I'll put some of the others on here later as I've forgotten to do the photos.
It's MILs birthday next week and I made this card for her. I made this when I was feeling really bad at the beginning of the week and it looks a bit sparse I think, though I'm not sure what I would have added. Never mind, eh? The lovely paper and card are from an SA kit of a few months back, the Ribbon Oasis ribbon is a perfect match (must buy some more...) Flowers are Prima Essentials and also the perfect colour match for the paper - how fab is it when you find such great matches in your accumulated stash? The corner thingie is one of the dies in the Cuttlebug Vintage set.

I've been out for the first time this week today. Met a friend I've not seen in ages and stood out in the street having a natter then I popped into M&S to buy some bits for the weekend - but I think I bought too much and the bags were a bit heavy, I had to put them down on the way home to rearrange the load and I think I've hurt my back a bit. I already had a backache and I don't think standing so long chatting in this cold weather helped one bit. Typical - just as I start getting over one thing, something else takes it's place. Such is life.

It's DCM Friday again and this week there's lots of news to share
It's been wonderful to have Louly working with us for the last couple of weeks (Thanks Lou...) but now it's time to say hi to our latest Guest Designer who is one of our most long-standing darers . So welcome Ros it's great to have you aboard, thank you for making time to join us at such a busy time of the year.
We're also welcoming two new DT members this week, The wonderfully talented Mel Goodsell from Australia and Stamper Extraordinaire Rachel Booth from the UK we are all so pleased they are joining the team and know their contribution to the DCN is going to be fantastic

This week it's Rhi daring us with this:

"........and the theme is to do with our feathered friends!

(Are you remembering to feed them now it's chilly out)
Robins, love birds, cartoon birds, stamped birds, paper pieced birds, dingbat birds. Its up to you. I dare you to make a card with a bird or birds on, it doesn't have to be a real species, the more weird and wonderful the better!"

Here's my card

I made this using my Robo Robin template, but vastly reduced in size. I think I had a moment of madness and thought it would be cute to have loads of lttile robins sitting on a wire singing....
Actually, doing something like this was quite good therapy when I felt too grotty to do anything else, there's a relaxing quality about doing something repetetive and mindless! Although all the bits were tiny and fiddly, this was something different for me and I rather enjoyed trying to give all the little robins their own "look"
Obviously I was not in my right mind because having spent hours sticking that lot together and cutting out all those fiddly beak shapes I then continued on the theme and made these two:

Will I make any more? I'll let you know!
Robins are Robo cut except the beaks, which were hand-cut,
Red Stickles Glitter-glue added for some Christmas bling,
wording was done on the pc other details are hand-drawn.
Papers used on all the cards are Basic Grey, from the Blitzen and Fruitcake ranges.

Well, if you've managed to get this far in this epic post, Congratulaions - you're nearly there. I'm just going to add the following as much as a reminder to myself as anything. Although it's a prayer, there's a lot of good advice in there, whether you are religious or not. Thanks Lythan for helping me find this, and for making me smile at the second verse, which I'd not come across before. We both liked the bit about being "reasonably happy in this life", when it comes down to it, of you can be reasonably happy with the life you have it's got to be a good thing, hasn't it?

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Hang up Your Stockings

Not feeling too great atm, so I'll just upload my card for the dcm Little Extra and leave it at that for now.

Something for Me

I love making little books, but usually I make them to give away - probably because it takes away the need of thinking what to do with them once they're done - or finding somewhere to store them!

Anyway, I worte a class on how to make a folding album for Saturday's Bubbly Funk cybercrop and this time I decided to make the book for myself. I'm lucky enough to have a lot of old photos in my possession thanks to my family history research and I thought that this little album would be a lovely way to show some of them off. Not the real photos obviously but printouts from the scanned originals so that I could resize them and attack them with ink and brads etc without any worry or guilt
This is the cover of my album - I used Daisy Bucket papers and Bazzill card throughout

Flowers are all Primas from various collections and the ribbon is from Ribbon Oasis.

The photo below is the partly-opened album


The photo above is the album all flattened out. As well as the photos I've left space, or little hidden tags or mini-booklets so that I can add a bit of info about the photos.
I'm actually quite pleased with this and it was such fun to make. It's quite nice to make something that only has to please me iykwim

I've not had much of a crafting weekend, though I managed a few more Christmas cards. One of which will be going in the bin half made because it's rubbish.
Went to John Lewis on Saturday and spent a fortune on lovely new dark red towels for the B&W bathroom, a new shower caddy wotsit for the wall in there and various other bits and pieces.
Popped into my bro's house to see how their building work is coming on. Ours has been bad enough but they've been living on a building site since well before last Christmas as last year they did work on the upstairs of the house and this year the really big work downstairs as been tackled. It's looking good though - well, if you see beyond the piles of rubbish, the makeshift "kitchen" (their old sink fitted in a trestle table and a microwave oven), and all the wires hanging out of the walls. If it's finished by Christmas it'll be a miracle!
The joys of renovation, eh?

Wordless

Well, nearly anyway.
Lythan is up to her usual tricks and has set a fiendish dare this week for the Daring Cardmakers.

Song without words

I would like you to create a card inspired by a song or a carol - it could be for Christmas or not! (you may have got all your Christmas cards done by now...)
BUT there is a twist.
the words of the song are NOT to be seen on the front of the card. You could leave it to us to guess! Have fun!

We're a bit "under-staffed" this week, Jane's taken a bit of a tumble (but she's on the mend now), Gill has donned her cute nurse's outfit and is nursing her mum after quite a big op and her daughter who had a bit of an accident the other day, our expectant mums are in need of plenty of rest (Tracie is in hospital atm to make sure of it) and lots of tlc and then there's just "real life" which has a happy knack of getting in the way of our cardmaking - especially at this time of the year. So a reduced range of cards to look at, but hopefully more appearing soon!

Anyway, here's mine
In the words of Rolf Harris "Can you tell what it is yet?" If you get stuck, click the link ad the bottom of this message for enlightenment!

All the silhouette bits were cut with the Craft Robo - bless his little cotton socks - he's such a hero at times like this!
Plain black card, silver card for backing the bits, dark blue glitter card, punched glitter card snowflakes and stars, Robo-ed lettering and a bit of Krylon silver pen for good measure. Not sure what I'll do with this one when it comes to sending our cards out though!
And another one - a bit of a cheat as I needed to add a word to make this work.....
Loads of layers of different papers and the like, some punched stars and snowflakes and some super-pretty fibres

Bubbly Funk are holding a Christmas cybercrop tomorrow, and organisers Caroline and Di asked me to help out. I know Rosie has posted sneak peeks of her classes and it's such a good idea for whetting the appetite I thought I'd pinch it too!
So here are a few glimpses from my projects.

Still need some help with the song title?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wjEIP6otc4Y

Loose Ends

About time to bore anyone who still reads this about the renovation progress.
We're at the "tying up loose ends" stage. Nearly everything is done, but we're still short of finishing because of missing bits and pieces that are needed to actually complete the job. Which is irritating for both us and the poor builder who keeps coming back doing the next few bits on the list while waiting for things he's ordered to arrive. The new bedroom furniture was fitted last week and we've ordered the new carpet for our bedroom but that's not being laid till the beginning of December, the plan being to get as much of the painting done before then as possible. While the shower in the en suite is all ready to go, the loo isn't, and anyway we'd have to go through an uncarpeted, dusty bedroom to get to it so not ideal. btw there isn't actually a window inside the shower, it's just a reflection!
It would be nice if the shower in the new bathroom was working, but the builder is waiting for something else to arrive before he can do that. Which all means that we're still using the downstairs, unheated shower room - and that's not nice on these cold days!
It'll be nice when it's finished, It'll be nice when it's finished, It'll be nice when it's finished....

Among various other crafty projects on the go atm I've been trying really hard to get my Christmas cards sorted out. I always seem to find that it takes a while to find the cards I'm going to be happy to send. Every year there's (quite) a few that either don't get sent at all because I hate them, or get left in the box "just in case" but are rejects really!
It's pretty much always the first ones I make when I'm not really wanting to think about Christmas, let alone make cards for it! But then if I did leave it all till later then I'd be a proper little Stress-Bunny come November! Anyway, I've finally made some which I'm quite pleased with so I thought I'd show a few on here.
You'll notice a certain theme going on here - I've made loads of variations on the same theme, but I'll only show a few. Phew, eh! This lot all use the BG Figgy Pudding paper pad and the Cuttlebug Christmas die set trees.
I've also discovered that it's hard to resize photos and write the blog when you've got the hiccups!

Baubles, Bells, Bows & a Bad Blogger!

So, I'm the Bad Blogger in the title - there's a surprise, NOT!
I really need to make more of an effort to keep up with my blog. I've been rubbish at keeping things moving on here and must do better!
Anyway
It's Little Extra day over on The Daring Cardmakers and I'll get to that later, but first as I failed dismally to update the WaffleBlog over the weekend with pictures of my latest mini-book project as I'd intended I'm going to do that now.

I had the idea of making a zigzag book and with Lisa's birthday coming up thought I'd have a bash at making one for her.
Here's what I came up with
The front and back covers form part of the zigzag and a ribbon holds it all together, the front cover looks like this
I used Basic Grey Urban Couture papers throughout. Here are the pages, I made them in pairs so that there's room on one for a photo and the other for journalling/comments

Extra bits and bobs I used were ribbons from Ribbon Oasis. Cuttlebug corners from the "Vintage" die set, various Prima and other flowers

The back of the book looks like this
The theme for this week's DCM Little Extra is
Baubles, Bells and Bows
Another chance to get some Christmas cards made. I think I've got about 65 in my box now, but I still need to make some more if I'm to have enough just for us to send this year.

I've done a few for this challenge and hopefully will get a few more done too - even if they are all pretty similar!
This is the one that's on the DCM blog today
stash used includes: DCWV Christmas stack, offcuts of Bazzill card, glitter card, buttons and ribbons
I addded some Krylon squiggles to make the background less dull.
Here are some of the other "baubles" themed cards I've been making using BG Dasher and Fruitcake papers, and the Holly collection from Crate Papers. The bauble decoration is a Bosskutz die

You know what Friday means!
It's Keryn's turn this week to set the challenge for The Daring Cardmakers, here's what she said:

"Going back over my cards I seem to have a liking for gold as an accent colour. So this week I'd like you to make a card for any season or occasion but must include gold somewhere. It could be a brad, metallic card, heat embossing, ribbon, anything at all as long as it's gold.

When you've finished with your gorgeous creations leave us a comment with a link to your blog and we'll come and see. You can also take part even if you don't have a blog by emailing a photo or scan to daringcardmakers@hotmail.co.uk and we'll add it to our gallery. The design team, as always have a fantastic array of cards to get the inspiration flowing...."

After a little break from the Guest Designer spot while we celebrated our first anniversary and had our fabulous Ribbon Oasis Spomsored Dare, we're back to putting a fabby cardmaker in the spotlight and we're really lucky and just a little bit excited to have the wonderfully talented and downright clever Louly on board for a couple of weeks, her work is always inspirational and exciting so please grab a coffee and pop over to her blog for a cardmaking treat.

Enough of the waffle, here's my card for this challenge.
At first I thought I'd make an all gold card, but then I realised I could use this one to make a commissioned card that I needed to send off along with the emigration card shown on my previous posting, so in the end I took Keryn at her word and went down the Accents of Gold route for this one.
I used a couple of papers from the BG Figgy Pudding 6x6 pad, the letters and words came from a huge bagful of all sorts of letters and words etc in a RAK from the very generous Caroline of Bubbly Funk fame - all I can say is, she must have had zillions of the things if she was able to give away that amount to everyone! Oooooh and talking BF, the new kit is expected to arrive today - it looks wonderful, I can't wait for Nice Mr Postman to arrive! Actually, said Nice Mr Postman brought a rather delish boxful of stash yesterday - I'll take a piccy later....

Back to the card.
Did you notice the little bit of gold corrugated card I sneaked in there? I found it while looking for some to use on Jo's dare last week and as it was still lying around on my desk it would have been rude not to use it eh?
I hand cut the little heart, covered it with the spotty stuff, Kryoned it then sanded the edges for a slightly distressed look.
Other gold highlights are the teeny weeny gold brads and the gold mirror card I backed the little words with.
Sorry the gold doesn't show up too well, but I can't do another photo because it's already with the customer, and (phew!) she likes both the cards, and ordered some more too.

I've got Lisa's birthday pressie to show - I gave a sneak peek of the front the other day, but I'll save that for over the weekend, I think

Happy New Country

Still keeping really busy with all sorts of stuff, so not much to show on my poor old blog.'I've made quite a bit of stuff lately but it always seems I can't show it for one reason or another.
Here's the emigration card I made for my best customer. I've done another one for her too, but that will have to wait till tomorrow.....
It's all done in glitter card, I had to hand cut because the card was too thick for the Robo so it took flippin' ages!

It's Lisa's birthday today and I've got a horrible feeling her card won't arrive on time - I got it into my head that her birthday was tomorrow - but the reason the 17th is at the front of my mind is because that's when the new bedroom stuff is being fitted and clearly Lisa isn't a wardrobe, so I got that wrong, didn;t I?
Happy Birthday Lisa - your card went in the post yesterday so fingers crossed it DID get there in time after all

Busy busy Rush rush

I've not been the best of bloggers lately, always seem to be running to catch up!
I've been crafting away like a madwoman but a lot of what I'm making I can't show yet. I'll put some sneak peeks on in a minute though.
Firstly something I can show is my little card for today's Daring Cardmakers Little Extra.
We're still trying to get those Christmas cards made, so this time our theme for the midweek challenge is

"Piles of Parcels"

Actually you can just have ONE parcel on your card if you like - it's just that having 2 "Ps" in the title sounded better! There are more cards on this theme on the DCM blog, so please pop along and check them out - and join in too if you can, we do love to see everyone's "take" on our challenges

I'm still trying to find the quick and easy card that I'm happy with and can churn out lots of without getting bored, but atm I've still not been inspired in my quest.

Here's my little parcels card using SEI papers. I like it, but too much fiddly cutting out for "mass" production!The first version had a doodled gold frame but that was a bad idea, it looks better kept simple!
This flower is on the front of a project I've just finished, I'll show more of that soon.



This panel on the left is a detail from a card I've just finished. It's for the shop I'm designing for so I can't show the whole thing.

I've got a commission for a couple of cards and got one of them finished today, it's one I've been trying to figure out an idea for for ages so I'm quite relieved to have got it done. I'll do a picture tomorrow - it was too dark by the time I'd finished it today.

That's the lot.
Apart from mentioning that the renovations are coming along nicely. The tiling in the bathrooms is nearly finished, one of the showers went in today, and although we are still trudging downstairs to use the loo I'm hopeful that at least one of the upstairs ones will be usable soon. The new bedroom furniture is due to be fitted on Friday and hubby has made a good start on all the painting. Fingers crossed that if we get the new carpets sorted out soon we might even be back in our eoom by the end of the month - or maybe I shouldn't start counting "dem chooks"

Wibbly Wobbly Wrinkly

I'd just about finished the last mouthful of toast this morning when the doorbell rang. 7.40am and the tilers were already on the doorstep - nd they didn't leave here till about 5.30 yesterday afternoon, so none of that stereotypical lazy British workman stuff around here. They've also worked every Saturday since the job started - I'm too scared to ask if they'll be here tomorrow, too scared to let myself dream of a two day weekend........
Friday, as well as being Pizza Day around here is of course DCM dareday and this week it was our fabby Mistress of Monsters, Jo setting the challenge.

Jo says:
I seem to have developed a little bit of a fixation with old cardboard boxes....! My dare this week is to use some corrugated card on your card - it could be corrugated craft card or an old box etc. taken to pieces :) You could make the card blank from it or die cut shapes etc...

Well, it was my pizza-loving cousin's birthday on the 5th and what with all the stash boxes lying around here being pizza boxes the idea for this card soon popped into my head. It
was done waaaaaaaaaay ahead of schedule, which for me is pretty amazing!

I made the mini pizza box from a bit of corrugated craft card, downloaded and printed off a photo of a pizza to go inside and made the lettering on the label with my Robo. Starry paper is by Inspire Me papers, green & white spotty paper and the yellow stuff both from past SA kits, Grosgrain ribbons from Ribbon Oasis and brads for the stash. My cousin said "You have way too much time on your hands....." but I think he liked it anyway! I've had this pack of coloured corrugated card from Lakeland for years and failed to use any of it. Some sheets had ready cut shapes the rest were just plain. I rejected the ready cut ones - (why do I have this aversion to anything like that?) But I had the idea of using some of the uncut stuff to the petals for a funky flower along with these fab 3 Bugs papers It wasn't going to be a "removable" flower, but I spied this lolly stick poking out of the pen pot (saved in that "it'll come in useful one day" manner) and the original plan went off on a tangent. All papers 3 Bugs in a Rug "Chalk Garden" Hand cut petals and vackground for the crisscross strips from Lakeland Ltd Brads from stash. I did make some other flowers to put on this card but they just looked an 'orrible mess, so I added the extra border strip and some slightly raised up extra colied patterns cut from spare paper instead. This was a fun challenge, Thanks Jo - you made me use some stuff that's being lying unused in the box under the desk that usually is only a foot rest! The cards on the DCM blog are, as always fab. I love to see what the Team comes up with each week and then it's great fun waiting to see what the DCM Darers will make and show - it's always inspiring and exciting to see the huge variety of cards each week. Just in case you need the link, you can find the DCM blog here I took these photos last Saturday from one of the bedroom windows, shame the sky wasn't very blue, but I guess you can't have everything!

A Mixed Morning!

I thought I'd give you a laugh and share my start to the day!

Keith (builder) said he wouldn't be here till mid-morning, Hubby was going into work late this morning as he'll be leaving later this evening to go karting after work (well you don't wnat to work longer hours than necessary, do you?) - anyway, this meant we got an extra long sleep in. Which I have to say, I really need as I'm suffering from the annual onset-of-winter-blues plus I've got a bit of a cold.

I thought I'd take the chance of a leisurely shower this morning while hubby was still here, rather than the "got to be quick in case the builders arrive early" one that's come to be the norm.
Anyway, I'd washed and put conditioner on my hair and set to with the other shower-y chores.

I then dropped the soap, bent down to pick it up, stood up, bashed my head on the metal basket thing that all the shampoos etc are in, which promptly jumped off the hook, landed on my foot and scattered the contents all around the shower tray. Bearing in mind I can't see a thing without my lenses in, plus the shock of bashing me head, having a heavy metal thing land on my foot and being showered with random bottles of shampoo, shower gel, soap and razors it's no wonder I shrieked loud enough to have hubby come hurtling down the stairs to see what had happened!

So much fo a lovely leisurely, relaxing shower..... Fortunately so real harm done!

And so on to thenormal Tuesday stuff.
It's DCM Little Extra day and Santa's Little Extra Helper has been prodded into action again. This week the theme is Snowmen and Snowflakes
I've just bought the Cuttlebug winter die set so this was a good chance to five the little snowman a work out.
At first I left him hatless, then thought he could be a snow-woman and added a glittery hairband, then decided I didn't like that either so dug out the QK snowman die to see what the little tophat from that would look like. I think it looks pretty cute, so I've added little hats to all my Cuttlebug snowmen now. Somehow they all looked a little naked - or "nekid" as Lyth would say without a little headdressing!
Papers from the BG Figgy Pudding pad, snowflake ribbon from Ribbon Oasis, embossing - Cuttlebug snowflakes folder
Here are some more in the same vein
Some papers from English paper Co, some from the DCVW Christmas pad
I've also got the Cbug Vintage Die set which has nice corner swirls and a couple of intricate square designs. I used one for these two cards, I thought the deign looked a bit like ribbon streamers and would make a good frame for the snowman. The fabbylicious snowman grosgrain ribbon has been waiting to come out and play for weeks. I love it, such a gorgeous shade of blue and such cute little pictures along it - obviously it has to be from Ribbon Oasis too!

And finally a couple of mini-cards, both using Self Addressed kits plus that "vintage" Cbug die set and a couple of the embossing folders too