Happy Day

Happy Halloween,

I made this page months ago but it didn't seem appropriate to share it in summer ... Christmas comes soon enough! Anyway, I forgot about it until today but I think with all the stores full of Christmas goodies now it's okay to post it at last.

The fun photo of the EM and I wearing our 'horrible Christmas sweaters' was taken on Boxing Day 2014 - a wonderful day when we had family and friends over. There was a ton of photos taken so, rather than create loads of layouts, I've made a Project Life pocket page with them.

Front pockets

Back pockets

I put cut-aparts in some of the 3"x 4" pockets, decorated them and used two for the jounaling.

Needless to say, remembering everything used in the layout difficult but I'll do my best:

• Cardstock - Basil Basics Tomato for base; scraps of red for die cut bell and poinsettia
• Papers - a combination of Bo Bunny Believe patterned paper and a variety of leftover scraps
• Title cut apart - Simple Stories December Documented
• Stickers - Studio Calico 
• Dies - Tattered Lace Bell; Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia
• Embellishments - red/white Baker's Twine, green pearls, red and white enamel dots, red printed ribbon.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Happy Scrapping,

Friday Smiles

Hello Everyone

Joining in with Annie's Friday Smiles again this morning. There's been plenty to make me frown - a traumatising trip to the dentist and almost two hours hanging very nearly perpendicular to have canal root fillings in a back tooth - but there has also been much to make me smile. It's those great-grandchildren again :)

 Just gorgeous!

Callum looking totally unimpressed with his daddy, William, who is clearly as daft as a brush :)

Granddaughter, Shari, ready for Halloween. I think it's her favourite day of the year because she really goes to town on the make-up every year.

And here's my lovely grandson, Alun, proudly wearing his medal after finishing the Great Scottish Run - quite an achievement.













And finally, the funnies:

Easy knitting.

Need I say more :)

Here's to a wonderful smiley weekend for all of you.

White on White Card

Hello Everyone

Today's share is the card I made for this month's UKPC swap. The theme was 'Whiter Than White' and this was what I came up with.

The flowers were made using three different flower stamps, from Dawn Bibby's Flower & Leaf stamp set. I stamped them on to heat resistant acetate with Versamark and then embossed with Papermania's Seafoam White powder. After which they were cut out to create the cluster trailing down the front of the card. Under the cluster is a fish tail shaped banner cut from a snippet of white card which was then embossed using a Cuttlebug folder, Bloom & Grow. To make the greeting band I took a scrap of white vellum, tore the edges, stamped and embossed the greeting, flowers and flourish in white, and, finally, wrapped it around the background panel.

The background panel is stamped, using Color Box Frost White ink and Dawn Bibby's Delicate Scrolls stamp set. Unfortunately, it's so subtle it doesn't photograph well at all, but this is the best shot I could get. The finishing touch is the white enamel dots from Marianne Design.

I'm submitting this card to the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #225 - Go Paperless - meaning no patterned paper.
Pixie's Snippets Playground -  where a lot of Snippety Celebrations for Week 200 are going on :) 

Take care all.

Happy Crafting,

In A Vase On Monday - Halo Hollyhocks

Hello Everyone,

I've been sorting and clearing out around the garden this last week now that everything is going over. Cutting down the last of the hollyhocks was one of the more pressing jobs. Some grew to around ten feet tall so, despite there still being blossoms atop, I thought it best to cut them down before they are blown down during the squalls the winter will bring. However, I couldn't quite bring myself to toss them all into the compost bin so saved a few and place them in this set of four bottles.

I grew the hollyhocks, Alcea rosea 'Halo', from a packet of mixed colour seeds, wasn't at all sure what to expect, but was delighted with the pastel shades that did grow, especially this delicate pale lemon with a deeper yellow 'halo' centre.

With this vase I'm joining in with Cathy's meme, In A Vase On Monday, over at Rambling in the Garden.

Sunday Snippets - Week 200!!

Hello Everyone

The week count on Pixie's Snippets Playground has reached an unbelievable 200! Congratulations to our Head Snippeteer, Di, and thanks too. Without this weekly challenge, my snippet mountain would be huge ... probably big enough to be seen from outer space. What's more,  all the humour and banter makes participating lots of fun. 

To celebrate I made this card in pink, Di's favourite colour.

The topper was made using a very pretty embossing folder, X-Cut Tri-Boss Butterflies. First, I embossed two largish scraps of white and pink card, then fussy cut the butterflies from the pink piece which I later adhered, using glue gel to create dimension, over the butterflies on the white topper.  Before adding the butterflies I stamped the quotation, a Lily of the Valley stamp, with Memento London Fog ink and the dainty little flower flourish stamp in Color Box's Orchid. That stamp is from Stampin Up's Simply Wonderful stamp set, one of the two won in last week's prize draw - yeah! The base card is made from an A4 sheet of the pink card (Papermill Direct's Pink Sorbet) cut in half and folded to create an A6 size card. Finally, pink grosgrain ribbon, Opal Liquid Pearls and Cotton Candy Stickles provided the finishing touches. 

Inside the card, the little flower flourish is stamped in the right bottom corner.

I really did begin to write up this post yesterday afternoon but then got distracted by Strictly Come Dancing and Downton Abbey, after which I was too tired to do anything other than go to bed ... what can I say, my internal clock was still on summer time!

We're off soon, taking The Boss to the vet's for her monthly injections so will have to leave blog-hopping until later.

Have a great evening.

Happy Crafting

Rudolph Day - October

Hello my lovelies,

Here's my entry for October's Rudolph Day challenge, hosted by our marvellous Mo over at Scraps of Life.

Once again, this card was made from stash that was found during the big clean up. I'd already covered the front of the Kraft card with the patterned paper, details forgotten, and the bauble topper and sentiment from the much used Papermania's Henbury Lane Poinsettia kit - already decoupaged during a TV watching session. All I did before putting the card together was sponge some Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy distress ink around the edges of the topper, and then splattered it with drops of water to 'bleach' some of the colour out, to soften the white background a little. I found some wine coloured satin ribbon and card candy that made perfect embellishments. 

The card took minutes to make, the advantage of having done most of the work previously, so I made a second one. 

There's only one more Rudolph Day left now and I don't have nearly enough Christmas cards made yet! Must get a scoot on over the next few weeks so don't be surprised to see a few more Christmas cards appearing in the forthcoming weeks.

Hope you were able to take advantage of the extra hour this morning. Unfortunately, my inner clock woke me up at the same time as usual so there was no lie-in for me. 

There's a lovely prize die on offer over at Mo's, so why not make a Christmas card and join in - the challenge is open right up to last day of October.

Happy Crafting,

Friday Smiles

Hi Everyone,

Making time to join in with Annie's Friday Smile - Week 142 today though I should really be out in the garden planting up some winter flowering violas that are patiently waiting for a new home. I'll do it later but first, here's the little one that has brought loads of smiles this week.

Our beautiful great-granddaughter, Lacie. She is so tiny but perfect

... of course, I'm totally biased. How cute are these tiny feet :)

Here she is having her hearing tested. An extra important test in our family as both her grandparents have been deaf since birth. I'm delighted to report her hearing is fine.

No joke again this week. Instead I have a couple of funnies from the Internet that made me chuckle so hopefully you will too.

The Boss is guilty of this ... crazy cat!

That last is sooooo true, says she who is going to the Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts Show in Glasgow tomorrow :) :) :)

Wishing you all a lovely smiley day,

Christmas Scene Card

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for dropping in. I hope you are all well and have had a good day.

It's been a bit of a damp day here ... the kind of day I'd usually be clapping my hands and calling an ideal crafting day but the truth is I've done nothing. An early morning appointment with the dentist for root canal treatment has left me out of sorts for the rest of the day.  And it just had to be done on What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday too!!!  

Anyway, after a mainly fluid diet, I'm starting to feel more myself and able to share one of the Christmas cards I made recently.

It features an upcycled image saved from a 2014 calendar. I like the cosy Christmas scene so much I just had to use it on a card.

How the card was made and materials used:

• The base is made from one sheet, 11½" x 8", grey card from Papermill Direct folded in half to create a landscape tent style card.
• A piece of patterned paper, Peppermint Twist from We Are Memory Keepers , was trimmed to fit the front of the card leaving a margin of grey showing. 
• The calendar image was trimmed and matted on to scraps (admittedly fairly large ones) of dark red and lime green card, Papermania Textured cardstock.
• A poinsettia flower, with matching leaves, was cut from snippets of the cardstock, using Spellbinders' Layered Poinsettia die set, and attached to the corner of the card front. A yellow card candy was used to decorate the centre of the poinsettia.
• Because the base of the card is grey, a difficult colour to write a greeting on, a trimmed scrap of smooth white card was glued in place inside and a green leaf was used to decorate it.

That's another Christmas card crossed of the to do list ... at this rate I might just have enough by December.

I'm submitting this card to the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippet Playground ... the second time this week!

CHNC challenge extra for October 2015 - always anything goes as long as the theme is Christmas

That's me don for another day. 

Happy Crafting,

 

Sunday Snippet Card - Joy

Evening Everyone,

I have a most appropriately titled card for Pixie's Snippets Playground today because it certainly has been an afternoon of joy for us. Our fourth great-grandchild was born just hours ago. Her name is Lacie and she is gorgeous. As if that wasn't enough, my number was drawn over at the playground too. What a day this has turned out to be.  And, before I forget, here's the card.

I've used another Penny Black Stickeroo, this one is from the Winter Fantasy sheet, for the topper. The patterned paper is from BoBunny's Believe Collection. I found a bunch of teal card snippets and used them for the matting and layering. Ribbon and dew drops finish the card.

Inside

Back

I used what was left of the patterned paper to decorate the inside and back.

There was even enough to decorate the inside of the envelope ... something I don't do often enough!

Here's Lacie, born 3.30pm today, weighing in at 6lb 3oz. She's a wee bit cold which is why she is wrapped up so well. She has been put in a warmed cot and her blood is being monitored on an hourly, otherwise she is fine. That hat is hiding a lot of lovely dark hair.

After such an eventful day, I am now more than ready for bed. I wonder what tomorrow will bring :)

Happy Crafting,

I Spy Mince Pie

Good Afternoon Folks

It's a lovely day and the garden is calling to me, but before I go I thought I'd share these two little cards with you.

Still using up rediscovered stash, this time the mince pie toppers which are a bit of fun at Christmas. Not everyone in the family likes mince pies but we always have a tin to hand for those that do :)

How the card was made and the materials used:

• The idea for this card began with the discovery of the toppers which I'd already decoupaged sometime ago during a session spent watching TV ... can't watch TV without having something in my hands to work on ... and the matching sentiment - all from Papermania's Henbury Lane Poinsettia kit. The only addition was inking round the edges using Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy distress ink to give them a bit of a vintage look.
• Next, yet another stash discovery for the card bases ... two white cards (4"x6" size) that I'd already prepared, a very long time ago, by covering the front with some lovely vintage style paper from the snippet pile. I wish I could tell you the paper details but the branding strip has disappeared. 
• A rootle around the snippets unearthed some scraps of Papermania Textured card in just the right shade of red for the two poinsettias made using Spellbinders' Layered Poinsettia ... these have got to be my most used Christmas die set.  For this card, I just cut the two smallest flower shapes, shaped them gently to add a bit more dimension, and glued them together. The final touch is a green pearl added to the centre of each flower.
• Next, two satin ribbon bows were made in a shade of red to match the poinsettias.
• Once all the preparation was done all that had to be done was to adhere the topper to the centre, the ribbon and sentiment above that and the poinsettia in the bottom right corner. The finishing touch was more green pearls on the two opposite corners. 

I'm submitting these cards to the following challenges:

CHNC Challenge 250 ...  for the vintage/shabby chic theme

CHNC challenge extra for October 2015 - always anything goes as long as the theme is Christmas

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper October 2015 Challenge - anything goes as long as the card is

Pixie's Snippet Playground  ... the third time this week ... I haven't done that in simply ages :)

The sun is shining and the garden is still drawing me outside for a bit of fresh air. The plan is to bring the pots of geraniums and dahlias to overwinter in the greenhouse before the first frost does irreparable damage. Yes, winter is on the way!

Hope you have a great day.

Happy Crafting,

Mauve and Orange Butterfly Card

Afternoon Everyone,

Two posts in one day! Just trying to make up for two day's absence :)

The card I have to share with you this afternoon is one inspired by Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge #40 where the requirement is for embossing. There are several methods of embossing to choose from and I like them all but this time I decided to use one of my favourite folders to create embossed panels for this card.

The unusual colour combination, pink, mauve and orange, was inspired by the gorgeous butterfly topper.

How the card was made and the materials used:

• First,  the front of a white 6"x4" card base was covered with a scrap of pink patterned paper from Papermania's Vintage Notes pack.
• One of my favourite, but long neglected, crafting goodies are Penny Black Stickeroos. This butterfly topper from Mauve Twilight is  another treasure unearthed during the recent tidy up. Here I've matted it on to a scrap of rose pink Papermania Textured Card. 
• A left over strip of the pink cardstock was embossed using a swirly patterned folder, Darice Scrolls Background. It was trimmed and split into two equal panels then a length of orange organza ribbon, that also has a printed swirly pattern, was wrapped around each panel.  
• After adhering the panels and the topper, I punched out three tiny butterflies and attached them to the card front with glue gel. 
• All the butterflies, including the image on the topper, were given a sparkly decoration with Stickles Fruit Punch ... a great colour that perfectly combines the pink and orange seen on the butterfly image.
• Finally the finishing touch, orange Neon gems from Docrafts.

Having used quite a few scraps and snippets to make this card, I'm popping over to Pixie's Snippet Playground too ... the second time this week :)

Enjoy your evening.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 332 - A Day Late

Hello Everyone,

I truly did plan to check in yesterday with my pic of what's on my desk but got caught up in all sorts of other domestic and personal stuff and time just ran away from me ... life get's like that occasionally here at Casa Worthington! Anyway, a day later and I have time so here's the pic I took late on Tuesday evening.

And guess what? Nothing has changed ... those scrapbook layouts are still there waiting to have the finishing touches added. The photos are from our first holiday together ... only twenty years ago and this is me just getting round to scrapbooking them. The little pile on the left includes postcards and leaflets collected on that holiday which I'm planning to add into the divided inserts.

Keeping me company as usual was The Boss - birdwatching, of course :)

And here's where I was yesterday - idyllic, isn't it? We took friends on a little trip down to the sleepy little fishing village of Dunure. One of our favourite places and one that our friends had never been too.

Dunure Beach with the Castle beyond and far away in the distance Ailsa Craig. Wish you could have all been there!

Thanks for popping in. Have a great day, what's left of it.

Sunday Snippet Card

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are having a happy Sunday ... maybe even a lazy one if that's how you feel.

Much of yesterday was spent making Christmas cards ... six in all, something of a record for me. However, as I was clearing up I decided to make just one more using some of the snippets that were lying on my desk ... it made sense to save some, if not all, of the need to tidy away.

It's a simple A6 size card - I chose to make it tent style - decorated with snippets of bright green cardstock and red holly patterned paper, BoBunny Believe ... edited details - the patterned paper used on this card is We R Memory Keepers Peppermint. The topper and holly trimmings are from a Papermania kit, Henbury Lane Poinsettia - an oldie but a goody. The sparkly green ribbon I found in the box of scraps ... and really tested myself by making a double bow! The final touch, the berries and tiny heart have been given the glitter glue treatment with Stickles Xmas Red.

Now I'm off over to Pixie's Snippets Playground, it's Week 198, to check out Di's snippet card and her choice of snippeteers fab cards to showcase for today.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. It's a dull and dreary day here - perfect crafting weather :)