I have created this blog as a record of all the scrapbook layouts, cards, etc., that I make.

If you happen to visit my blog, thank you for visiting and any comments you leave are very much appreciated. Thank you.



Wednesday 29 December 2010

A Few Christmas Cards

Thought I would take a few minutes and share three cards that I made for my cousin to send to her parents, in-laws and her hubby's aunt.  I was nervous at making these as I had never made them for someone to send to someone else before.  As one was for my aunt (who got me into scrapbooking and then cardmaking), I knew I had to make it as near perfect as possible.  I didn't follow any challenges for them, just picked my images and went from there.  I was pleased how they turned out and so was my cousin. 


Card One

Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Patterned Paper - Papermania
Ribbon - Kars
Image - Inkadinkadoo (have had this for a few years and never used)
Coloured with Distress Inks
Stickles
Gems - Mei Flower
Nestabilities
Martha Stewart Punch (it wasn't until I was ready to post the card that I realised I should have placed the green cardstock with the patterned punch the other way). Another learning curve for me.


Card Two


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Patterned Paper - Papermania
Image - Stampavie
Coloured with Distress Inks
Woodware Punch
Martha Stewart Punch
Gems - Mei Flower
Nestability
Computer Generated Sentiment


Card Three

Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Bazzill
Patterned Papers - Echo Park
Image - Stampavie
Coloured with Distress Inks
Martha Stewart Punch
Woodware Punch
Gems - Mei Flower
Stickles
Sentiment - Hero Arts


After my iron breaking and then my heating becoming frozen, guess what happened on Boxing Day.  We had a burst pipe.  Thankfully, it was the outside tap and we were able to disconnect the piping and clamp it temporarily.  We  had no heating again for a few hours but at least there was the start of a thaw.


Hubby went back to work today and our problems at home seem trivial in comparison.  We have two shops, one in Coleraine and one in Ballymena. Hubby works in Coleraine.  The staff from Ballymena phoned him this morning to say when they opened the shutters the water met them at the door.  The ceiling had collapsed and the water was everywhere.  They have lost a lot of their stock and it is a mess.  The water came from the shop next door, it wasn't even our pipes that burst.  Shop has had to close and it will be a few weeks before it is sorted out.  Have to wait on insurance companies etc.  Not going to be a great start to 2011 and I'm sure a lot of other people are probably in the same position or even worse. The water in our area is also off and there is a water shortage, although as yet we haven't been affected.

I hope you have had a lovely Christmas and wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Friday Sketchers # 133

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have just have been so busy.  Finally got all my cards posted on Friday and have got some of my family cards made, just another 6 or 7 to make.  Got all my shopping done eventually and I think that leaves just the turkey and ham to be collected.  Also got some of my presents wrapped this morning. 


With the girls being off school due to the bad weather it is harder to get organised.  They lie-on  longer and then you are playing catch-up all day with the washing and ironing, etc.  Have to help hubby out in his shop today so won't get much crafting done.


Our pipe from our oil tank to the burner froze yesterday, so we were without any heating or hot water for a few hours.  My brother got me a couple of plumbers who had to bore a few holes through our gable wall and connect a temporary pipe until the snow thaws and we can then track it through.  Lost some of our oil and when I phoned to order more they said in would be into the New Year.  Here's hoping we don't run out.  Not sure what the temperature is today but it was -11 yesterday.

My card for today I am entering into Friday Sketchers # 133.  I have made four of these cards and I am giving them to  my neighbours. 


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Papers - Doodlebug
Ribbon from local craft shop
Gems - Mei Flower
Image - Stampavie
Coloured with Distress Inks
Stickles
Sentiment - Personal Impressions


I thought I would share a few more photos with you of our snow.  In one of my previous posts I showed a picture of my icicle at our front door.  Look at it now.



Hubby thinks these look like our very own set of outdoor lights.



On Monday my iron broke and I had to go and get a new one.  As the roads were so bad and I didn't fancy trying a car park,  I parked close to our local park, Anderson's Park.  I walked to Argos and then came back through the park with Hollie and took a few photos.





If I don't get back to do any more posts before Christmas  -
Wishing you all a very very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Keep Warm and Take Care.

Thursday 16 December 2010

Card with Debby's Sketch

This is a sketch that Debby from A Scrapjourney had did in October for a Penny Black Saturday Challenge. I have no Penny Black images but I liked the sketch so I printed it out to use sometime.  (Debby has a wonderful blog and her cards are absolutely gorgeous).  Decided to use it this week for a Christmas card or rather another six cards, although I rotated the sketch.  I am not entering this into any challenges as any of the ones that I would normally enter into don't suit. 


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Papers - Papermania
Image - Stampavie
Coloured with Distress Inks
Charm - Pink Gem
Ribbon and Gems - Mei Flower
Martha Stewart Punch
Sentiment - Personal Impressions



Have finally got most of my Christmas shopping done and got my cards wrote tonight for posting tomorrow, weather permitting.  Just have my family cards to make and wrap presents.


Snow is back again.  Had a few mild snow showers today but it is heavier tonight.  Maybe the girls will get another day of school tomorrow if it continues.  Weather forecast doesn't look that great.  24-36 hours of snow and up to 8 inches in places. Would have been great if it was next week, then we could have had a white Christmas.  Take care and keep warm.

Monday 13 December 2010

Friday Sketchers # 132

Just a short post today as I don't seem to be getting any time for crafting or anything else at the minute.  Between Hollie's carol service, Shanon's parent interviews and taking her to and from work, more bookwork than usual for our shop as it is our busy time and trying to get back to normality after the snow and school closures.


I am entering my card into the challenge at Friday Sketchers # 132.  I have made six of these cards.  Started out to make four and then realised the pack of papers I was using had six of each design so decided to made six instead.  Really helping with the Christmas cards as I am so behind.

Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Papers - Papermania
Ribbon, Gems and Pearls - Mei Flower
Charm - Pink Gem
Woodware Punches
Sentiment - Inkadinkadoo
Stickles
Image - Stampavie
Coloured with Distress Inks



Sorry for the poor photograph but it was the best of the few I took. Thanks for popping by as I know everyone is busy at this time of year.  Hope you have all your Christmas cards made and are not like me.

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Friday Sketchers # 131

I am entering this card into Friday Sketchers # 131.  Actually I made four of these yesterday.  I liked the look of the sketch but I found it really difficult to cut triangles for some reason, so the cards took longer than I expected.  Going to try and get another four made today, although I have our Girls Brigade Craft Fair tonight so will see how that goes.


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Patterned Papers - Echo Park
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Image - LOTV
Coloured with Distress Inks
Stickles (it was hubby who told me not to stickle all the tinsel, just add a few dabs here and there.  Not sure if I like that or not)
Sentiment - Personal Impressions
Gems  and Ribbon - Mei Flower
Martha Stewart Branch punch (can't really see these though)
Woodware Punch
Nestabilities





Shannon and Sophie's schools are closed today again but Hollie's is open.  Although I didn't send her as the roads are still not great.  Seems to be a slight thaw on and the sun is out but for how long as the forecast is giving it bad again from Sunday.  Just the one more photograph to share today.  Hubby told me to get my camera when he was defrosting the car.  This is our front window.  I stood in the middle of a hailstone shower to take this.  Must be getting mad but I don't think I have ever seen so many icicles.



Anyway hope you are all keeping warm and doing lots of crafting. Take Care.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

A Gem of a Challenge # 10

I said last night I would be back today with another card and here I am.  I am really late with this card and hope it is still in time to enter the challenge. With not getting as much time as I would like to craft, I am missing a lot of challenges.


I am entering this card into A Gem of a Challenge # 10 -  Follow Sketch with the theme of a Christmas card but with no red or green.


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Cardstock - Bazzill and Paper Mill
Patterned Paper - Echo Park and Doodlebug
Image - Pink Gem
Sentiment - Personal Impressions
Stickles
Woodware Punch
Martha Stewart Icicle Punch (again, lol)


Also as promised in my post last night, I have a few more photographs to share with you.  If you missed those photos, scroll down if you have time. The first are on my journey yesterday to collect the girls from school early.  Fun in the snow last night and one of the icicle that was hanging from our front door this morning when it was -8.5.


This photograph is when you pass the White Rocks beach on the way into Portrush, a seaside town by the way. Not today though.


This photograph is normally a golf course on the main road to Porstewart.


I love watching the girls play in the snow.  although we have never got as much as this before.


Think my hubby felt safer in the back with Cleo, our cairn terrier, than he did out the front with all the snowballs that were flying about.


Isn't this the most beautiful icicle. Makes you cold looking at it though.


Anyway , sorry for the long post again, just thought I would share these photographs.  Back to crafting again, trying to make a set of four more cards today.  Take care and hope the weather isn't too bad where you are.

Monday 6 December 2010

Papertake Weekly # 51 and Lily of the Valley # 76

I actually managed to make not one but four cards on Saturday evening.  When I went to post them I realised I had forgotten the stickles and sentiment so only got them finished tonight.


Went into town on Saturday afternoon with Hollie and it was not really pleasant.  The snow that had fallen had started to thaw and everywhere was either very slippy or pure slush.  Hollie's little feet were soaking, so I bought her a pair of wellies, went to the craft shop for a couple of essentials and then back home.  


As I am so behind with my Christmas cards, I thought I would make four the same. I will definiitely do this again.  


I am entering my card into two challenges -
Papertake Weekly # 51 - Sketch
Lily of the Valley # 76 - A Few of My Favourite Things (definitely the LOTV stamps, my new MS icicle punch and echo park papers)


Cardblank - Craftwork Cards
Patterned Papers - Echo Park
Cardstock - Paper Mill
Image - LOTV
Coloured with Distress Inks
Woodware Punch
Martha Stewart Icicle Punch
Stickles



Apologies for the photograph, it was late when it was taken.


On Sunday we had a very tight frost which  then gave way to a big thaw.  Thought that was the last of the cold weather.  Wrong again.  Monday morning was absolutely beautiful - the frost from the night before was like something from a picture postcard.  After leaving the girls to school I contemplated going back out in the car to take some photographs, only for it to start snowing.  Well snowing is not really the word for it.  I have never seen so much snow fall so fast and so thick.  Sophie's school texted to say the school was closing at 12.30pm and for her to be collected.  This was about 11.30am and I thought it would be best to leave then and wait outside the school for her rather than rush at the last minute.  What normally takes 15 minutes to Bushmills took me 1 hour and 10 minutes.  The snow must have been about 4 inches deep and guess what, yes I got stuck on a hill and the driver behind me had to push me and tell me to keep the car in second gear so as to get some grip.  Scary or what.  When I eventually got to Bushmills, Shannon texted to say she had been told to go home as well.  Now she was in Portstewart which is about 15 minutes away and this took me another hour.  Thankfully the snow wasn't as thick or deep on the coast road. Then Hollie got out of school but hubby got his father to collect her as he lives in Portrush and to bring her up home.  I arrived home at the same time some three hours later. It is beautiful to look at and to watch it falling but I don't think I really want to drive it in again when it is this deep.  Thankfully all three of their schools are closed tomorrow. 

I am posting a few more photographs and maybe you will see from the previous post how much deeper the snow was.  All the snow in the previous pictures had nearly all disappeared.  The girls had a great time playing snowballs with their friends. 








This is Shannon, my eldest daughter who is seventeen

This is Cleo, a cairn terrier who is 3 years old.

Sorry for the long post but just thought I would share some of the photographs with you.  I got another card made tonight, which I will post tomorrow and maybe show some of the photographs that Sophie took on the coast road today.


Thanks for popping by, stay warm and take care.

Saturday 4 December 2010

Bunny Zoe's Monthly Challenge # 6 plus a few photos of snow and decorations

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but it has just been so busy.  Everytime I seem to sort of get ahead something else happens.


Well, I managed to get my Bryan Adams concert tickets yesterday. I suppose it helps when your hubby has a ticketmaster outlet in his shop and sometimes can get the pick of the seats. 

On Wednesday after Girls Brigade, we decided to get the decorations and our artificial tree for the Living Room out of the roofspace.  We were not looking forward to that, as in the summer we had company in the form of a couple of mice for a couple of weeks and couldn't get them trapped.  Tried everything and eventually we had to get pest control in.  They seem to like plastic bags as a few had holes in them but they loved the little berries on some of my ornaments, so I had to throw quite a bit out.   Anyway I spent Thursday and Friday doing the decorations and getting the back of the hall ready for the real tree that hubby and Hollie will get over the weekend. So that didn't leave much time for crafting.  


I came across this advent calendar that I decorated last year, before I had a blog and thought I could enter it into the Bunny Zoe's Crafts Monthly Challenge of Christmas - but not a card.


The calendar is Karen Foster and comes with the numbers
Papers, gems and rub-ons  are Doodlebug 






Thought I would also post a couple of photographs of my decorations.







I would decorate the Living Room and the girls would decorate the Hall tree as they like to put on candy canes, chocolate, etc. The presents are kept under the Hall tree and these are not opened until Boxing Day.  I like to keep Christmas Day for the 'Santa' presents. They then have two days of excitement.


Here are a couple of photographs that I took yesterday morning of the snow that finally arrived.  Living near the north coast (about 7 miles from the Giants Causeway) we don't get a lot of snow.  Had a snow shower on Thursday for an hour and then as usual it started to freeze. Woke yesterday morning to this.  It was beautiful.  I love a fresh snowfall and you want to go out and run through it like a child, girls think I am mad. Roads weren't great when I was doing the school run, took me an hour and 15 minutes instead of 30 - 40 minutes. I have about a 20 mile round trip to do as the girls are at three different schools.  I leave Coleraine and head to Portstewart about 4 miles away, then over the coast road for 3 miles to Portrush and then 5 miles to Bushmills and then 7 miles home.  This is every day in the morning and afternoon.  








Sorry for such a long post, I am sure you are really bored if you have read all this.  Finally figured out how to make my font a little bigger as sometimes I even have trouble reading it.
Anyway, thanks for popping by, hope you have a nice weekend. 
By the way, I won Day 2 Candy at LOTV, Wow.

Thursday 2 December 2010

Blog Award

I received this award from the wonderful Melly today.  Thanks very much Melly.  It is my first award and much appreciated. I have to tell you three things about myself and then pass the award onto 5 other blogging friends.  Here goes, hope these aren't too boring, as there is not much to tell really:-


1.     I worked as a secretary until my daughters were born.
2.    I am involved with Girls Brigade and Sunday School at my church.
3.    I love going to concerts, especially Westlife and Bryan Adams (hope to get tickets for him this weekend)


I am now going to pass this award onto:

                                                        Christine
                                             Mina
                                             Katina
                                             Lizzy
                                             Anne-Marie 



Would really love to give this award to everyone to thank you all for your lovely comments and encouragement.


Take care and I hope to get some crafting done soon.  Have had more items to make for GB, Hollie was off school sick and then had to help hubby in his shop, as this is his busy time.  I can see me having to go out and buy cards this year instead.  Take care. X