It's not my birthday BUT .......

Hey, I won a prize, even though it's not my birthday (see post below to understand that comment, hehe).

Coco with roses, which was my MAWTT challenge card last week, won at Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog and I get to choose some digital goodies, including papers, coloured image and 2 x digital images. Wow that's alot isn't it? What a great prize to have.

I just had to post these photos after all the starting school things I have made recently. Ella's first day in her new school uniform. She certainly seems happy about it and by all accounts she has enjoyed it. I shall see her tonight and she can tell me all about it. I can't wait.

Outside the school gate, having had a good day.

All 3 of my gorgeous girls.

Maddison (the youngest) started nursery this week as well. She walked in, turned round and said 'Bye Mummy' and she's only 2, bless her. Becca is at secondary school and chooses her options for GCSEs at the end of the year. Oh my!!!!!!

We are having a celebration dinner tonight, so I am looking forward to seeing the whole family together. Maddie didn't want a big gathering, so we are all going to see Ditrty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in London in October. That should be fun.

Have a good evening.

Luv B xxxx

Happy Birthday Maddie

It's the 10th September and it's Maddie's 30th Birthday, I can't believe those years have gone by so quickly - I don't think she can either. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE - LUV YA.

I also need to say happy birthday to my Mum who is 81 today, what a lovely present she had in 1980 when Maddie was born. It's also Malcome's birthday, cousin to Ken and Vicky's birthday, who is the daughter of some very good friends of ours. In fact I have 9 birthdays this month, it just so happens 4 of them are today!!!!

Well here is Maddie's finished book. I posted the front cover on Sunday, this is now the rest of it.
The inside cover and first page, grunged, stamped and collage.

The next page distressed and stamped. The following section is an envelope also distress etc in which she can put receipts etc.

The other side of the envelope.

The inside back cover.

The very back cover.

Showing the inside pages altogether.

and of course it is ......

I hope she likes it. Don't forget she is the girl with a degree in graphic design and can be very critical -

in a nice way of course.

I have to say I am very pleased with it, so that's something.

Happy birthday if you have a birthday too today.

Take care. Luv B xxxx

MAWTT challenge 63 Starting/back to school

Good Thursday morning to you, I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Today, being Thursday, is the new challenge for MAWTT, we had some amazing entries for my stitching challenge and it was very difficult to choose a winner, but Tracy was the overall winner and her entry was fabulous.

My good friend Lisa is hosting the challenge this week and she has given us a great sketch to use and the theme of starting or back to school. This week we are sponsored by Sharon Duncan.

"Sharon Duncan has been designing Craft CDs since 2002. The Store was started in 2006 and has grown rapidly since then. She has over 80 CDs now available. Sharon is frequently seen on Create and Craft and Ideal World.  The store now has loads instore from inkpads, CDs to The Latest Gorjuss Girls Decoupage. There is also a great range of Prima Flowers, Toppers even Craft essentials like glue and double sided sticky tapes. Pop over to see what is available. Post and Packaging is free in the U.K."

Sharon is offering £20.00 to spend in her store to the lucky winner. So it's well worth a look to see what you can do to enter this great challenge.
Well I'm sure it won't have slipped your mind that Ella started school this week and I have already given her a card and a notebook, but today, although I have used the same image (because these all link together as a set of 3 things), I have made a memories book for Bev, my daughter-in-law and Ella's Mum. I turned Lisa's sketch on the side to make the front cover and used the same techniques with the DIs as I did on Ella's book. I made the frame using Nestabilities and added the glitter, I have also used stickles in places. I have a great tip for when you are adding glitter to something like this frame, run it through your Big Shot or Cuttlebug when the glitter is on and this helps it stick firmly to the glue so that it doesn't come off. It works a treat.

Inside there are some blank full and half pages for Bev to write on and stick things in and I have left her to embellish it as she loves to craft and make things, I have also added some sticky pages for her to add some photos. I went into Farnborough and found a photo album in the Pound Shop with the tacky boards that have film over them. So for only £1, I have put in 6 photo pages which gives space for 12 photographs. I was pleased with that idea and I still have some left for another project.

I hope you will come and join us in the challenge this week.

I am, posting the finished book I have made for Maddie tomorrow as it will be her 30th birthday. (I am really into using my Bind It All at the moment).

I am also doing a card making session for some people who live in the sheltered accommodation where my Mum lives, so that will be interesting. I must try and remember to take my camera with me and put it on my prep list.

Have a great end to the week. See you again tomorrow.

Luv B xxx

Challenges to have fun with -
The Creative Card Crew - Back to school
Tuesday Taggers - Books
The Pink Elephant - Back to school
Oh Alice - Shine and sparkle
Crazy 4 Challenges - Books
Fussy and Fancy - Back to school

Compendium of Curiosities week 12 Chipped Enamel

What a strange Sunday it is, bits of rain, then the sun tries to break through, high cloud, heavy cloud and humid in a way, but not hot.Well that's the English weather for you.

I have at last made my piece for the CCC at Studio L3, and Linda is now 1/3 of the way through the series, can you believe it?

This is a book cover for a notebook I am making for my daughters 30th birthday this week - (I can't believe my baby is this age already...... makes me feel so old.....). Anyhow I can only show you the cover at the moment as the rest is still to finish. I have the back cover made and the owire cut, but I want to make something of the inside covers and add a grungepaper tag to it. So still some to do.

For this particular challenge though I only need to show you this part, as it's the chipped enamel technique that this shows with the letter M. I have a tin of metal items from We R Memory Keepers and this was an ideal piece to experiment on. If you would like to know how to do it, turn to page 44 of The Compendium of Curiosities, Tim's book, it's a great one to try, so simple yet so effective to create some dimension.

I covered the boards with a DP from a stack, used DIs over the edges and then stamped in some places. I added a strip down the side with grunged edges and made a tag holder. I used a free image of an angel from the Graphic Fairy, cos that's what Maddie is. I used techniques I practised at Hel's workshop last week on the tag and added some buttons and stars, cos again that's what she is. A little bit of music paper and a little bit of sparkle and now I am happy with it.

I will show you the finished book later in the week, but for now enjoy the rest of Sunday and have a fun week.

Luv B xxxx

Challenges to have fun with -
Studio L3 - Chipped enamel
My Partner in Crafting Crime - Vintage
Think Ink 28 - Distressed out
Donna's Den - Layers
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Layers
The Creative Cottage - Celebrations
Stampavie - Anything but a card
Penny's Paper-Crafty - Birthday
Crazy 4 challenge - Books
Our Creative Corner - Letters or numbers
Stamptacular Sunday - Distress it

Starting School

Good morning everyone.

Just a short post today as I have got lots to make for DTs over the next few days, plus I'm making another book for someone special, more about that later in the week ..... and a  friend has asked me to make two of the little notebooks for her grandaughters (my first commission eh????).

So I managed to get this card finished, but actually it's far too big to make into an ordinary card, so I have left it as a board and made a stand to put it on.

This is to go with the little note book I posted yesterday for my grandaughter Ella. I used the same image and found some DPs that fitted perfectly with school things on.

Have a great weekend, hope you are getting the lovely weather.

Luv B xxx

Challenges  - haven't looked yet, but might get time later.

Distress follow up - School notebook

Hi All, lovely Friday here, blue sky, fluffy white clouds and sunshine. Beautiful.

Well I wanted to follow up my workshop session and I already had in mind to make a card (not finished) and a notebook for my 4 year old grandaughter who is starting school next week. I can't believe those years have flown by so quickly, but she is only 4, bless her, but quite grown up in her own little way.

So I have had fun making the covers using the same techniques as my tag book, adding a Maya frame painted with Eco-friendly acrylic paint then covered in rock candy crackle paint. I have used a freebie image from Frugal Crafter and coloured it using promarkers for the card, but here I cheated a bit and scanned it into the computer and re-sized it as the original was much too big. I covered it in glossy accents - but here I learnt a lesson - my copy paper is too thin really for the GA as the paper crumpled somewhat with the wetness.

 I have at last used my Zutter binder (had it for about 3 years - usually in my bookmaking I sew the pages) and I have added some paper clips and little sticky notes. You will also note I have added a charm with her pet nick-name, cos that is what she is, Cheeky Monkey.

Well I'm off to see my Mum and collect her shopping list.

Hopefully I can get back to make the card later.

Have a great day.

Luv B xxx

Challenges to have fun with

Crafty Ho's - Use school supplies
Incy Wincy - Back to school
Totally Stampalicious - Anything but a card
Creative Card Crew - Back to school
Stampavie - Anything but a card
Pixie Dust Studio - Back to school
Fussy and Fancy - Back to school
Simple Doodles - Back to school

Not distressing at all

Woo hoo what a great day I had yesterday with Hels at the Stamp Attic. It's the first time I have attended a workshop and would you believe it's the first time Hels has run one, but it was brilliant. The day focused around using distress inks and I made a tag book with 15 tags all made with different ways of using DIs so I can use it for reference when I want a background or to be reminded of a particular technique. The little book itself was fun to make and another new technique for me was to add the grungepaper clasp. THANKS HELS IT WAS A SUPER DAY and I am looking forward to the next one. Thanks also for becoming a follower, I promise you will see more DI work.

Here are my photos of each of the pages. Unfortunately, although I grabbed my camera and took with me, the battery died so I didn't get any of the activities during the day. I got one or two on my phone and will have to see if I can download them. A big hello to my workshop buddies if you have signed in, Val, Sue, Sue and Annette. It was a great group to work with. Hels has got some pics on her blog here.

Sploshy Spritz

Dainty Spritz

Rumple Crumple

Dip Dry

Control Water Colour

Bleach Stamping

Watercolour Distress Stylee

Faded Background

Painting Resist Part 1 plus sanded crumplies

Painty Resist Part 2

Perfect Misty Image

Clearly Resisted

Re-inker Shimmer Mists

Re-Inkers Splodged

Painting In

If you can get to Wantage fairly easily I do recommend you go to meet Hels and also take advantage of the great stuff that The Stamp Attic have got in stock, Wendy is lovely and so helpful. Needless to say I did take my credit card with me yesterday and I have some more goodies to play with. Just got to find some time now.

Must go, got to do some proper work today.

Luv to you all. B xxxx

MAWTT challenge 62 - In stitches

Good morning one and all

It's Thursday again and this week it's my turn to set the challenge at MAWTT. One of the things I have loved doing over the past few months is using my sewing machine again, so I thought I would set the theme of STITCHING and that can be real or faux. You don't have to have a machine, some hand stitching would be great and I have even got some rub-ons that give a stitched effect. If you don't have any of those then a pen will be fine. Just have fun with it.

Our sponsor this week is Digi Stamp Boutique  and they have given all the DT some stamps to play with this week so go check out the main blog to see the lovely creations.

I did give a hint on Monday to suggest what would be coming today so maybe you've already been able to think about this one.

My inspiration also came from the Sketch at Crafty Ann's as this layout gave me a real opportunity to use the sewing machine again. The lovely image from Digi Stamp Boutique is called 'Coco and roses'.

I have used promarkers to colour in the teddy and roses and I have distress inked the edge. The papers are a mix of a freebie from a magazine and a freebie download. I added stickles to the roses and bow to give a bit of sparkle and to the paper roses.

I hope you will come and join in the challenge with us.

I am posting again later to show you the fabulous tags I made with Hels at the workshop I went to yesterday. Come back and take a look at 15 different techniques we tried out.

Luv B xxx

Challenges to have fun with -
Crafty Ann's - Sketch
Alphabet challenge - R is for Roses
Bee Crafty - Anything goes (with a digi image)
Stamptacular Sunday - Pink
Cupcake Craft - Let's get digital
Daisy Doodles - Anything goes  must use a digital image
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Pink

Blog Candy

I don't own any of these so thought I would have a go. Check out Quixotic cards - here.

Here is another, this time for a new blog called Top Tip Tuesday.

Digital meets handmade 2

Firstly welcome new follower Tanja. I hope to see you across on your blog too but it wouldn't work for me earlier when I tried, but I will try again soon.

Well Teresa was right on my last digital meets handmade post when she said that because I like making this style of card, I would make more - here they are.

This time I have not focussed on the botanical theme but extended it to include more grungy, vintage elements and a wider variety of stamps and embellishments. Again there is a mixture of digital and handmade elements to these 2 examples and I think of them more as pieces of art than cards, but that's what is so exciting in creating something new isn't it? 

Hope you like these too Teresa.

I am  really looking forward to tomorrow as I have booked a workshop with Hels Sheridan at The Stamp Attic in Wantage and I am gonna spend the day playing with distress inks and make 15 tags with 15 different techniques - how cool is that?? I've even booked another in October, again with Hels, which is gonna be a mix of 10 second studios metal, studio 490 stamps, idea-ology and apparently alot of know how, oooh just can't wait.

Have a good week everyone.

Luv B xxxx

Challenges to have fun with -

Gingersnap Creations 68 - Red and black  - both of these include the colours needed

Creative Belli - Round and metal  - the first has a large metal dome which is not a brad

Flutterby Wednesday - Open  - the first one has butterflies on which meets challenge requirements

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Distressing  - both of these cards have been edged with distress inks

Paper Cutz - use metal  - the first one has two metal embellishments, including the star paper clip

Craft Your Days Away - With wings  -  the first one has butterflies on it

Stampin Sisters - use metal  -  there are 2 metal embellishments on the first card

Cupcake Craft - Let's get digital  - both of these cards have been digitally designed by me and embellishments added.

Die Cut Dreams - Soft shades vintage  -  the backing designs for these cards were created using very pastel colours and they are both vintage in origin.