Did n't We Have a Luvverly Time ...

... The day we went to Stitches! As promised ... here I am with all the news and gossip from Stitches Trade Show! If you joined me on Twitter yesterday ... well ... step away now ... you are likely to get very bored!

First thing I saw on entry was the Craft Stamper stand ... I nearly squealed out loud when I realised the copies of the magazine were the ones with my project on the cover ... and sure enough ... in the little perspex stand was my project in the flesh ...

I know, I know ... bragging is uncool .... but I was very excited :0)

Next ... I found the journaling queen ... Dyan Reaveley ... I had to try really hard not to drool all over her delicious samples ... the colours and Dyan's passion for her products ... so infectious ... I just wanted to get inky ... there and then! You will find this hard to believe ... but I was having such fun chatting with Dy ... I nearly missed Lord Tim of Holtz demoing the Distress Markers ... I mean ... Really!!!

So next stop ... Lord Tim of Holtz ... you know Tim ... the man that can cross continents without the need of an Airplane while colouring all the little flowers the world over with just a Distress Marker and some speciality stamping paper. I have been trying to convince myself that I did n't need a whole set of Markers ... you know ... just the odd one or two ... but now I have seen them ... I need them! They are going to be one of those smuggled items though ... because John is still getting over ProMarker gate! I am not sure if I have told you that story ... I will be sure to tell you next time! I also know they are not the same thing at all ... but to John's untrained eye ... they will look like just another set of pens!

Anyways ... Lord Tim was his usual passionate, enigmatic and very charming self! An amazing educator who never holds anything back ... one of life's truly unique and generous people!

Of course I could n't move to the next stand without spending some time with the BTS king ... Mario ... I LOVE this guy! You know he works his butt off ... but just takes it all in his stride ... never lets anything phaze him ... and manages to take us all on a "behind the scenes" journey that is second to none! If you have no clue what I am on about ... just follow @mariojrossi ...

The rest of the show was all about the products ...and of course catching up with lovely people and special friends! I would need a whole book to show you everybody and list them ... but it was fab to see them! I have a whole list of stuff I now need ... cannot wait for it to hit the shops ... Distress Markers are at  the top of the list ... new PaperArtsy Lynne Perrella releases ... Darkroom Door have some fabulous new stamps this year ... Dylusions stamps and inks are a must have for me ... The Wendy Vecchi stamps ... there was a lot of London themed fabric at the show too which was delicious! Lord Tim's new Sizzix dies ... the new Ranger water brushes ... the new Ranger Speciality stamping paper ... Julie Fei-Fan Balzer stencils ... and so much more ...

I must away ... I have stuff to make and deadlines to meet ...

Laters!

Feelin' the Blues!

I did think about starting this post with another apology for not blogging regularly and not emailing people back and not blog hopping and not Tweeting ... leaving you all wondering what glamourousness I was getting up to ... but then I thought ... do what you do best Linda ... just tell it like it is!
I have no intentions of filling this post with tales of woe ... telling you all that recently my fluffy pink world was turned upside down ... but that is the sad truth ... suffice to say that I find myself back on the shelf and not feeling entirely comfortable at the prospect!
I really want to type something witty at this point ... but nothing springs to mind ... I am sure it will ... just not today! I do after all have the option of falling back on the offers I get to play Julia Robert's full body and facial double ... so it is not all bad!

Now on to the matter in hand ... the new theme at Simon Says Stamp and Show is metal! Before the prospect fills you with horror ... just look around you ... us papercrafting types are indeed surrounded by metal of all types ... and even if you have just one brad on your work ... it will qualify for entry into the $50 Shopping Spree random prize draw that is made possible weekly by the wonderful site sponsors ... Simon Says Stamp!
My sample is an 8X8" canvas ... yes I have used Ten Second Studio metal ... but I have also used a Lord Tim of Holtz Ornate Plate ... you know Tim ... the man that can walk to the moon not just on it while modelling a life size model of the Empire State Building out of Golden Delicious Apples with just a Long Legged Brad and a Paper Piercing Tool!
The stamps are indeed Studio 490 from THE Wendy Vecchi and the little flowers are Dark Room Door!
Well ... that is me for now folks ...
Have a great week Y'all ...
Laters!

**Halo Alert**

It's true people ... today I will mostly be wearing a halo! I banned myself from my IPhone this morning ... and my lap top ... all technology really ... in a bid to get through a load of things on my to do list ... and on the whole I was quite successful and I am feeling rather smug!
If I am entirely honest ... most of the jobs I have crossed off said list still need the I's dotting and the T's crossed but a big chunk of them is now done!
So before I snuggle down to watch some TV ... I have taped the first two episodes of The Apprentice ... so don't tell me what happens ... I thought I would indulge in a spot of blogging!

The stamped flowers on the card are Dark Room Door and they are coloured with Lord Tim of Holtz's Wild Honey and Vintage Photo Distress Stain. You know Tim ... the man that can walk to the Moon while performing three kidney transplants on kitten triplets with just a Tiny Attacher and a Fragmented Doll!
I even got my Martha Stewart punch out on this card ... I have n't done that in a while! Yeah ... I know ... I should stop now because I am just rambling ...
Righty-Ho then ... I think that is me ...
Laters!

Action Shots!

I have been working hard all day … fingers to the bone … and all that type of stuff … in the workshop at LB Crafts taking my Starter for Six Class.

Well … When I do these workshops … to be honest … my ladies are not always all sweetness and light … on occasion they have been known to tease me!

Today … I wanted pictures for my blog … and instead of the usual sat at tables … happy faces malarkey … they insisted that The wonderful Lin Brown takes super action shots … with her sparkly new camera … and I should try the same thing … so … always up for a challenge … and after yesterday’s stunt photos … I have gone for the action shot. Sadly my camera cannot be described as sparkly … or indeed new … and in a card workshop … action does n’t spring immediately to mind … but here are my meagre attempts!

Note to self … Must try harder!

On the serious side … I had a fabulous time … with a great group of ladies … who never fail to brighten my day … Thank you all!

Changing the subject completely … I spent last night on a speed awareness course … oops and oh yes … I got an action shot taken of me doing 34 in a 30!

So … nowadays you get offered a course where they educate you about speed. I don’t think they were that impressed when they checked the driving license in front of me and pointed to my name … A little voice piped up and said “actually that is n’t me” The guy said “Two people with the same surname … that’s unusual … you are not related are you?”

“Erm … yes!” came the reply … “That’s my Mum!”. Oh yes … not only was I clocked … dear daughter was clocked too … in the same week … in the same town! That caused a few laughs in the group … I can tell you!

Apparently hazard lights are n’t just a parking aid … Who Knew????

Righty-Ho … enough from me … I am indeed still in Olney this evening where I shall be making Artsy Crafts samples with the wonderful Lin and the lovely Karen … oh and eating fish and chips too!

Have a good evening y’all

Laters!

A Very Special Day!

You know when you say something ... and the minute the words spill from your mouth ... you know it is amongst one of the dumbest things you have ever said ... well ... that was me this morning!

I says "Do you realise it is the tenth of the tenth of the tenth today ... I wonder how often that happens ... it must be quite rare!" Oh yes ... I really said that ... out loud ... in the company of others too ... then my brain kicked in and told me what a numpty I was ... only once every 100 years then :0)

I apologise for the fact that I am all over the place today! Well done you if you are managing to keep up :0) I have an overwhelming desire to publicly wish Tia a very happy 12th Birthday ... she is one of heaven's angels now ... but she would have been 12 today! We all miss her sooooooo much and I hope all the other angels are spoiling her rotten! Happy Birthday sweetie X

Okay ... thank you for indulging me ... the other thing I need to do is tell you that I have spaces on my Thursday class this week ... Starter for Six ... so if you are at a loose end on Thursday and you wanna make a great start on your Christmas cards ... have some fun ... and eat chocolate ... ring the Lovely Karen tomorrow on 01234 714848.

That is me ... I am up to my elbows in paint ... literally ... but you will have to wait a while to see what that is all about ... Hope you are enjoying the sunshine whatever you are doing ... and remember to give someone in your family a random hug ... every second is precious!

Laters!

Starry Starry Night!

See  ... that is a song and for once I actually know who sang it ... Don Maclean!

It rates as one of my all time favourites and I would even go so far as saying ... if I ever make it as a Breakfast Weather Girl ... and get invited onto Desert Island Discs ... well I shall be picking that song ... there you go ... you heard it here first!

I am not a big fan of making my own Christmas cards ... I get bored very quickly ... and to keep changing styles all the time ... well it is time consuming and a tad untidy! So this year I have come up with a plan ... Keep them simple ... yet fun!

This one is all about the background. The sky is Chipped Sapphire ... stamped with Gold Dabber ... and dotted with a Ranger white pen ... then I have Distress Stickled it all over ... very messy ... just the way I like it! Chipped Sapphire is indeed a Lord Tim of Holtz Distress Ink ... you know Tim ... the man that can entertain an entire cruise ship while conversing with the entire population of sea creatures with just a single ticket from his tickets strip die and the P of a pricking tool!

The stamps I have used are the Darkroom Door Christmas Reindeer Collection! Talking of collections ... what collections of songs would you choose for Desert Island Discs? ... I must away ... I am part way through a secret squirrel project ... and I really should get it finished!

Have a fab evening y'all

Laters!

Tuesday ... Tuesday!

Is that a song? Or ... Did I just make it up? :0)

Okay ... Who stole Tuesday ... I spent half the day looking for my list of stuff to do and the other half of the day avoiding the list that I found ... coz there was n't much on it that I really fancied doing!

Now I am rushing about like a loon ... trying to catch up before bed and I start all over again!

I thought I would just quickly share this card with you ... Lord Tim of Holtz's Crushed Olive Distress ink ... you know Tim ... the man that can walk on the Thames while carving Pumpkins for all the world's under privileged children with just an Idea-ology Bauble and some Hobgoblin Tissue Tape. The stamps are indeed Darkroom Door. I should apologise really for the reflection on the Ghetto Blaster ... that is a result of all the Glossy Accents I have applied ... Yes ... I am still in my Glossy Accent phase ... as for Ghetto Blaster ... now I am showing my age too ... What do you call it?

Well ... that is me for today ... I am off to play with some dye inks ... cool huh?

Laters!

Thank God it's Friday!

Blimey ... What a week I have had ... NO INTERNET! I know with all you Bloggers out there ... I need say nothing more on the subject ... but boy did I feel lost without it! No blogging ... no blog hopping ... no emails ... no WOYWW ... It did leave me wondering if I should get out more!

Needless to say ... I did n't ... and it is good to be back. I came back to 8 messages from Badul Sowedo ... telling me he needed little ole me to help him spend his millions ... I must remember to email him with my bank details ... NOT!!!!

Anyways ... enough about the internet already ... I did find I had loads more time on my hands ... made lots of cards ... I may even blog them all ... I had my nails done ... and my hair done  ... I went to LB Crafts ... had a fabulous day catching up with my lovely friend ... I even sorted out my paper drawer ... you know ... that drawer in the kitchen ... where you ram all sorts of junk that you have n't got the time or the inclination to face ... then it gets sooooo full you can't cram any more in ... so you start a little pile on the work top and then before you know it ... well you have to have mountaineering training before you can reach the top of it ... or is that just me??? Go on ... spill ... What do you do with yours???

The card you can see is coloured with Lord Tim of Holtz's Distress Inks ... you know Tim ... the man that can create a Commonwealth village in his tea break while tracking Tigers in Bhutan with just a Decorative Bauble and a five ball length of ball chain!

The stamps used are Paper Artsy and Dark Room Door and that is just about it ...

Sooooooo looking forward to demoing at Ally Pally this weekend ... remember to shout Hi and show me your stash haul if you are passing :0)

Laters!

Red, White and Blue!

Well ... I did n't actually get around to finishing this card last night ... kind of got sidetracked looking at the massive array of challenge blogs out there ... and by the time I got up this morning ... well ... I saw that Hel's Sunday Stamper Challenge also had a theme of Red and Blue today!

So ... just the one card for two challenges ... I hope that is allowed ... the other challenge I am entering is The Create 4 Fun challenge and their theme this week is Red, White and Blue.

Was n't it Oscar Wilde who once said "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" ... I have a huge problem calling what I do art ... "artwork" sits far more comfortably with me and the art that I worked with on this occasion was Rachel Greig's fabulous Darkroom Door Rockstar stamp collection ... again!

As for imitating life ... well my thoughts were dominated yesterday by memories of 911 and a great sadness for all the victims and their families ... and the shock that our American friends must have suffered on that dreadful day ... so I kind of guess that is where my stars and stripes originated from.

Have a good Sunday everyone ...

Laters!

The Allsorts Challenge!

I found myself at a bit of a loose end tonight! John has had to go into work to do a nightshift and I am not really a Last Night at the Proms kind of girl! I am not really a Rock Chick either but I managed to entertain myself by playing with Darkroom Door's wonderful Rockstar stamp collection. Did you see what I did there ... Rock Chick ... Rockstar ... What a link ... I could sooooo do Breakfast TV you know!

Anyways ... After doing a spot of blog hopping and struggling to leave comments ... Mr Blogger had either ideas ... again ... Grrr! I decided to enter this week's Allsorts Challenge which is Autumn Colours.

Out came some white card ... Rusty Hinge ... Forest Moss and Stormy Sky ... a few bits of Lord Tim of Holtz's tissue tape ... you know Tim the man that can sing Opera like an angel while piecing together every instrument required in an orchestra with just a Jet Black Archival ink pad and an ink blending tool.

So ... What to do now? ... the night is still young ... I may make another card ... unless of course you have a better idea ...

Laters!

Ding Dong!

Oh Yeah! A bit of early planning from me today ... well ... I say early ... this book has been in the planning stage for about three years :0) So although it is early for Christmas 2010 .... technically it is very late for Christmas 2008 or maybe 2007!

I am finally being brave and using up all my scraps of the Cosmo Cricket 'Be Good' papers! I LOVE those papers ... a lot ... and each year I look for something I am going to like more and each year ... I still LOVE the 'Be Good' range the most! Why ... Oh Why don't they make them any more??? I know I am not the only one that loves them ...

It's like when you fall in love with a certain lipstick or blusher ... it becomes your all time favourite but when you go in and try and buy some ... they have stopped making it! You get that ... 'Well nobody wanted it anymore' response from the counter assistant ... and there is a little voice screaming inside you saying ... WELL ACTUALLY I BLOOMIN' WELL DID!

Anyways enough of my moaning ... I had great fun making this ... I used the 6X6" craft covers from Zutter ... my trusty Bind-It-All ... the aforementioned papers ... Darkroom Door Christmas Stamps ... Ranger Distress Inks as water colours ... some ribbon and a few jingley bells ... so it even sounds like Christmas :0) Ooops I nearly forgot the PaperArtsy Poinsettias and the triple embossing but not the Lord Tim of Holtz Grungepaper ... you know Tim ... the man that can wing walk without a harness or a plane while making chocolate eclairs with just an ornate frame and one brad!

Right-Ho then ... I am away to make stuff ... not sure what yet ... but I am sure I will think of summink! What you up to???

C'mon spill ...

Oh My Goth! Another Screen!

It had been a while since I used my Stampotique stamps so when I was designing my Zutter DT samples last month I decided to dust them off and get them out! In fact there was quite a bit of dusting going on because my Pro Markers got to see the light of day again too ... never before has such an expensive set of pens seen so little use! Oh and my Darkroom Door Rockstar stamp collection had it's first outing ... Note to self ... try and only buy what you are actually going to use regularly!

There were several items that required no introductions ... because I use them all the time ... my trusty Bind-it-all being one ... and if you squint and press your nose right up to the monitor you may just see my little Lord Tim of Holtz Skull and Cross bones all shrunk ... I say Skull and Cross  Bones ... I actually cut off the bones part and just  went with the skull! Well nine of them actually but they have proven a little tricky to photograph! You know Tim ... the man that can converse with the animals while holding welcome talks with beings from another planet with just a jump ring and a teeny tiny piece of rubber ... without an image :0)

I must away ... I did n't get around to any desks yesterday and plan to rectify the situation by visiting them all today ... oh and then stop by and say Hi to all my regular haunts ... it is all go in Blogland :0)

Have a good one whatever you are doing ...

Laters!

Blimey Blimey!

This has got to win a record for the longest to publish blog post ever ever ever!

I was soooo organised last night I made my tutorial for the Bubbly Scrumptious blog ... just about to upload and the flippin camera battery died. So instead of doing the sensible thing and typing the post without piccies ... I abandoned my post ... emailed the lovely Caroline ... told her I was teaching today ... explained the whole camera predicament and agreed to post by 7 pm'ish tonight! Simples!

I gets home tonight ... camera all charged ... piccies all uploaded and then two hours later ... I finally publish! Why the delay ... well for 60 minutes the tinternet decided to go AWOL ... I had a visitor ... the dog decided to bark like mad at a hot air balloon ... and trust me ... she has a big mouth so I had to calm her down before the entire street complained ... Stressed??? Who Me??? Never!!!

This is another Ranger U technique ... the very lovely Claudine Hellmuth showed us this one and if you want to see my version of it ... please click here!

I am off in search of a very cold and thirst quenching beverage ... Anyone care to join me????

One!

You guys are just the best! Thank you so much for joining in the countdown to Ranger U with me! If you are in any doubt what sort of world we live in ... well just go back and read the beautiful comments on my post from yesterday ... it will make you feel all warm and fuzzy ... trust me! And then check out the amazing tags that peeps have been making to count down with us!

OK ... so this is the final tag ... coloured with my current favourite distress ink combination ... Spiced Marmalade; Mustard Seed and Aged Mahogany!

The stamps are of course Lord Tim of Holtz's and the rose is from THE Wendy Vecchi!!! At about the time this post is published ... myself and Anneliese will be boarding our flight and heading to Ranger U!

Ranger U starts in one more sleep but later today I will be meeting THE Wendy Vecchi ... a special treat that I just cannot describe in words ... but I will definitely try ... just for you guys ... when I have met her :0)

Of course I will be blogging while I am away ... I can't have all my blogger buddies missing out on any fun ... not sure when I will get chance ... but I have everything set up on the laptop and camera in hand ... so watch this space :0)

Thank you again for sharing the last 10 sleeps excitement with me ... Laters ...  when I shall be posting from New Jersey ... Ranger U Country ... Woo Hoo!!!!!

Eight!

I really should apologise for the rather rushed nature of this tag! I have spent the day clenching my fists ... bending my arms upwards from the elbow ... tensing every muscle in my body and then jogging on the spot really quickly!!! Oh Yes ... that is how excited I am today!!!

I can now share some truly fabulous news with you ... not only will I be actually on Ranger U in eight more sleeps ... but I have also heard that Wendy Vecchi is going to be there too .... yes ... THE Wendy Vecchi!!! I get to meet her in seven more sleeps. How totally cool is that? I am bursting at the seams with excitement!

Just in case you have n't kept up ... that means that I will see Lord Tim of Holtz ... THE Wendy Vecchi ... Suze 'Meltpot' Weinberg ... Claudine 'Collage' Hellmuth and all in the same place at the same time with all my favouritist ever products ... EVER!!! This is better than winning the National Lottery and it just keeps getting better :0)

OK ... back to the business in hand ... this is tag number 8 from the Ten tag countdown to Ranger U! Anneliese's tag will be here and a big Thank you to all the other bloggers that are joining in too by making a tag and linking it back to here ... you can join in if you like ... the more the merrier.

Colours on my tag today are Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Old Paper and Mustard Seed! I have used Tim's text stamp, Paper Artsy flourish and Darkroom Door's cute little Frangipani flower. The Lord Tim of Holtz hardware is all coloured with Cranberry Alcohol ink ... you know Tim ... the man that can bungee jump without the use of a bungee rope off the side of the Brooklyn Bridge while building an entire school for under privileged children with just the felt pad of an alcohol ink applicator and a dab of Black Soot Dabber!

Right I must be away ... I have 20 zillion things on my to do list and only eight sleeps to do them all in :0)

Laters!

Nine!

Better late than never! Is n't that what they say! I am not talking about the tag of course ... because as long as that was blogged before I went to sleep ... well we would still be on the nine more sleeps until Ranger Ink Paradise ... no I was talking about my desk. It is Wednesday which not only means I show you my Number 9 tag in the 10 More sleeps to Ranger U tag countdown ... it means that gazillions of like-minded crafters will be cramming themselves into Julia's place to take part in WOYWW. Phew ... what a mouthful that was. Desk looks pretty messy I am afraid ... no excuses ... but making tags just brings out my messy side :0) Actually I don't have a tidy side ... but don't tell anyone!

The tag is coloured with Bundled Sage; Rusty Hinge; Forest Moss and Old Paper Distress inks! You can also see some Lord Tim of Holtz hardware and his yummy scrummy film strip ribbon ... more Rock Candy Distress stickles ... some Timmy stamps, a Dark Room door Frangipani stamp and the Paper Artsy Hot Picks flourish ... which I love! Talking of Tim ... you know Tim ... the man that can win the World Cup on his own while playing the ukulele and creating a scale model of a medium sized African Safari Park including animals with just a pair of Tonic Studio Non Stick Scissors and a single game spinner ... well I used his Grungepaper too!

Righty ho then ... you should be able to see Anneliese's tag here already or very shortly ... a big Thank you to everyone that joined in our tag countdown challenge yesterday ... if you feel like it ... we would love for anyone to join in today too ... just link back here so we can come see you too!

Have a good one people!

15 Sleeps and 100 desks!

Is n't it coming around quick? Only 15 more sleeps ... the excitement is definitely building here I can tell you ... I am fit to burst ... 15 more sleeps ... that is like a couple more weeks and then Ranger inkiness for 3 whole days ... Bliss!

For any of you WOYWW crew popping in ... I have now been around 100 of your desks and I hope to get around the rest of you by the end of today! Was n't the whole WOYWWAC fun? The reason for my tardiness is that I spent the day in Olney doing a class with 8 very lovely ladies ... we had a fab time ... I say we ... I did ... I kinda reckon they did too ... at least I hope so!

The tags in the pictures are just a few of the samples I made while Lin and I were demoing at LB Crafts on Sunday! That was a great day ... it was wonderful seeing so many familiar faces and a few new ones too!

Right ... well that's me ... I have a house guest coming tomorrow ... a bed to make ... an elderly friend to visit ... she is sooooo gonna kill me when she reads that :0) and then a day out with crafty friends on Saturday ... let's hope the weather stays lovely ...

I keep thinking I should do something to mark the final 10 days of my Ranger U countdown ... have n't thought of anything yet ... but I am sure I will!

Take care all and have fun whatever you are doing!

Lots To Do!

Right now ... that is the story of my life ... Lots to Do!

Mostly nice things though ... but still lots of them! It is also the name of a challenge blog ... the Lots To Do Challenge Blog :0) ... and this week the theme is Vintage. So I have made a screen with a vintage theme ... I have used the new and very yummy Graphic 45 papers for the background. Aged the edges with Vintage Photo Distress ink and then decorated them to within an inch of their lives with Crafty Individuals miniatures ... Adage tickets ... memo pins ... Dew drops ... ribbon and Grunge Paper!

I also used my trusty Bind-it-all and this is in fact one of my April DT submissions ... because I rather like it!

I bet you are impressed ... I have mentioned Grunge Paper and Memo pins and Adage tickets all without mentioning ... erm ... you know who ...

Well that is because ... I used Lord Tim of Holtz's Mini Classic and Shabby French stamps ... you know Tim ... the man that can understand what a woman wants even before she knows herself with just a doodad and a solitary ball from a piece of ball chain!

I also used Dark Room Door Full Bloom Vol. 2 ... Don't you just love those tiny Frangipani flowers ... yes that it is definitely what they are called ... I found out last time I used them :0) I say ... I found out ... I think you lot may have done ... so Thanks for that!

Right it is late and I still have stuff To Do! If you came here looking for the Zutter Zisters Spring Blog Hop ... then you just need to click here and you will be magically transported to the correct time and place to leave a comment.

I say correct time and place ... the place is correct but if it is after Monday 29th March 2010 and 7pm EST ... then you are too late ... sorry!

Have a good Sunday everyone!