Hand Crafted Memories

A friend of mine at work is getting married on Friday, I'm sorry that I won't see him before the day and I'm not well enough yet to go the the reception. I am so disappointed, I had hoped to be well enough. I made a card for him so that he knows I'll be thinking of him. I love the effect of gold and white, I think its very classy.

The Challenge over on Penny Blacks Saturday Challenge this week was a sketch challenge, my favourite. I'd treated myself to this new stamp last week, it just made me smile when I saw it. It stamps beautifully and is lovely to colour with my copics .

I'm not sure whether I'm hallucinating or my I'm dreaming but yesterday I swear Winter Wonderland published this weeks challenge, they were looking for a card with an aperture in it. I immediately remembered these diorama cards, I've wanted to make one for a while, so have created this. I kind of like it, but think I need to practice more to come up with something I really like. When I went to link the card no sign of the challenge, is the Augmentin too strong I ask myself. I decided to post it anyway, because I think I spent too long trying to do 'stuff' yesterday and my back is now killing me. Better to post it than nothing at all. Edited: I must be going completely nuts but the challenge is up there now on Winter Wonderland, it is an aperture challenge. So I'm done already and I'm going to lie down and sleep off whatever is going on.

The news everywhere is spring is coming, at last I say. I'm not one for the cold weather and I know I can't do much at the moment but I don't have to be cold while I'm not doing anything. I have seen evidence of spring coming in my garden, the daffs are there but not flowered and the crocus are there in all their glory. The weather hasn't been too bad until today, but those lovely spring flowers need some water so a little rain is acceptable. One of my thoughts this week in between naps was that I need to make my Easter cards, when I went looking for an Easter stamp I came across my normal 2 cuddling bunnies but felt I needed something different this year, so off to the Internet shop and I bought a little beauty from Magnolia. I stamped it up a number of times and just sat colouring them in while watching TV. Even that made me exhausted and sent me off with my quilt for a nap. Anyway I made up one of the images today and here is the perfect card for this weeks A

This weeks challenge over on the Winter Wonderland blog is A Victorian Christmas card with optional distressing. I pulled out my trusty Father Christmas stamp and stuck with sepia colours . The optional distressing is there too. I was quite chuffed with the result until I realised I'd forgotten to put my lace edge around the image. Never mind, all the cylinders are still not functioning, thank God for spell checker as well.

Just a simple card for today, this very simple card was made in three stages, just because to sit forward is very uncomfortable. I also can't focus too well The challenge over on Allsorts Saturday Challenge Blog this week is to use the colours black , pink and white. I needed a card to send the the ward staff who looked after me last week. I have always had a high level of respect for the nursing profession and it pains me to hear people with no clinical experience criticise these dedicated professionals. Even my own visitors that could see I was getting the best care possible felt qualified to tell me what I should be saying and questioning, as if I had suddenly gone simple. I couldn't have asked for better people, my dignity and modesty were preserved at all times, this justifies a simple understated card with the message in the sentiment. Now if I was to question somebody's clinical judgement, it would be the GP who felt that I needed anti depressants. I contacted t

Finally I'm back, I went into hospital lat Monday and didn't get discharged until yesterday . I have been sooo sick. I know it's going to be a long road to complete recovery but with the next 6 weeks (at least) of work it gives me time to craft, If I take it slowly. At the moment getting dressed renders me exhausted and I have to have a nap. Things might be a bit slow on here until normal business is resumed but I can't think of a better therapy. While I was in hospital I completely missed being able to post the card I'd made for the final leg of the Craftwork Cards competition, fortunately it was posted on their blog because I love this card. So here have been my entries for the whole competition C . R . A . F . T . W . O . R .K., just click on the letter to see the card or project. This weekend sees the brilliant Northern Papercraft Extravaganza and they are running their version of the Oscars, just make a card and take it along to the show on Saturday t

The Challenge set on the Penny Black Saturday Challenge blog this week is to make an Easel card . Perfect challenge, it's my Aunt's birthday this week so I made this lovely bright card in the hope that it will continue to encourage spring around the corner. This is my new favourite Penny Black stamp, I've just realised the card looks a little bent in the photos, but it's not really. Mind you it might be once Royal Mail have had their hands on it. This is the other card I made that I'm not too sure about, although I like it better today. On another note did you see Dancing on Ice? OMG Dan and Hayley were absolutely fantastic. The standing ovation from the judges and audience were well deserved. They made me cry the other week with their Endless love programme and again last night. Brilliant. How on earth do they follow that?

Well looky here what happened in my garden today. It was thick with frost this morning then out came the sun and it brought these little beauties with it. Coincidentally the theme over on Winter Wonderlands blog this week is new beginnings and they are starting with a sketch . I used one of Teri's digital images that I won a few weeks ago.You know sometimes you make a card and you're not too sure about it, well this is one. I don't know what it is though, I like the image and the colours but I'm not sure about the card. I feel that same about another card I made this weekend, I guess my mojo is fading a bit. I've paid my deposit today for the next Inspired Retreat in October and I'm excited already. I'm still finishing prjects from this one, that's what I like it didn't finish when I got in the car and came home.I'll post the projects as I finish them. I'm gutted that I have had to cancel the other retreat I was going to in April, I we

Does anybody out there have teenage boys? I don't but I've got teenage nephews, two of them and I adore them. But what do you do for birthdays? I have one turning 13 this week (EEEEK!), he got an iPod for Christmas so it looks like its an iTunes voucher. I think it will be a hit because he is really into his music right now. So on to the card and can you believe the challenge this week over on the Allsorts Challenge Blog is Just for Men . Absolutely perfect, so here we go. I've used some fabulous new papers from Imaginisce, live loud collection. Love, love, love them especially for boys.

Get a cuppa there are loads of pictures for this one. Here we are with the third project from the retreat last weekend, I can't believe that a week ago I was all excited and packed. Who stole my week? This project ha to be one of my favourites, it's a circular box with three mini albums inside it. Yes we made it all! This was not a quick project and definalty not shop bought and just covered. We used the lovely Cosmo Cricket papers, Material Girl . Yummy! This class was taught by Lida de Whitte, sorry I can't link to her because I can't find her blog.

This is the second project I finished from my recent trip to the Inspired retreat. This was a pack that Dina Wakeley gave us and left us to create. It included some pieces of patterned paper, chipboard heart, felt, wire, beads, ribbon, jump rings, silver rub ons , alphabet rub ons , some washers and grommets. I also used glossy accents over the top of everything. So here is my 'thingy' , it is now hanging in my craft room to remind me of a great weekend. After the second day of crafting we went back to our rooms to find the Inspired fairies had been visiting and left this on our beds. Hooray for the fairies. The Saturday night entertainment was a masquerade ball, we all had the challenge of creating a mask to wear, here I am wearing mine. I couldn't see a thing through it! I'll post more detailed photos later, yes I stuck each one of those tiny squares on individually and you can't even see the little beads on it. I have more projects to finish so watch this

Yesterday I promised i would return with some details from the Inspired retreat weekend. I didn't because I got engrossed in finishing some of the projects. Looking at them again I am just blown away with the products we used and thrilled to bits with what we have made. OK so lets begin, this will probably run for a few days there so much to show and tell. I arrived at the hotel and checked in, on my bed was a lovely surprise, perfect for relaxing while I waited for my roomie to arrive. We had a full weekend of classes scheduled, all of us were assigned to a classroom, so we just picked our spot and stayed in it for the whole weekend. This was brilliant because we didn't have to keep packing and unpacking, the tutors just came to our classroom . What a star studded list of tutors we had as well. So enough words for today lets show one of the projects. This double layout was taught by the brilliant Karen Burniston I attended a class of Karen's two years ago that blew me

Well something is happening in my garden that hasn't happened for ages. The sun is out and there is washing on the line. I've had to dry it on my radiator for months now. I'm trying to catch up with a bit of housework before I try and get some of the projects finished from the weekend. In the mean time here is a card made with the lovely Ritzy card from Craftwork Cards. Its very simple but I wanted to highlight how beautifully the cardstock embosses. These are three of the five embossing folders I won over on the Allsorts Challenge Blog a few weeks ago. I am so happy with them. So here goes with the card for the Ritzy Challenge to continue the C.R.A.F.T.W.O.R.K. cards challenge, you have until 12th March to get your entries in, just make something to highlight the cardstock. I'll be back alter with details from the weekend.