DIY

Not had any chance to blog or even comment on all the lovely blogs I follow recently for various reasons which I won't bore you with - suffice to say my blood pressure is sky high and the holiday I am about to go on cannot come soon enough (and not surprisingly, it's just what the doctor ordered!!! LOL) - so the bags are packed, the passports are at the ready and now all I'm doing is waiting for 3am to load the car and get to the airport!

In the meantime thought I should pop something on so none of you forget me.....LOL

I spotted this image from Just Inklined when going through my 'wedding phase' and seaching for different stamps - you've already seen the Ball and Chain and this one made me smile too - not least cos I'm always telling DH when he's doing stuff around the house that I have no need for somewhere to park my bike...rofl!!!!
I coloured 'Builders Bum' with a variety of  the softer colour promarkers like Satin, Ivory etc and just added the splash of blue for the jeans and used green for the toolbox to match the backing papers.
The grey spanner was a button from a 'builders button' set I bought eons ago and it only took me an hour to find which drawer it was in - took me longer to find the damn spanner than it did to make the card!
This was a quick man's card for my depleted 'Man' stash. I spent a few hours this week when time permitted making lots of basic mens cards for the Birthdays we celebrate at the Club every Monday night - we only give one card to the Birthday Boy/Girl from all of us but it;'s amazing how quick the pile goes down.
I am submittinging this into a couple of challenges - if by some miracle I win (well we can all hope can't we?????) - can someone tell the challenge blog I'm on holiday please?????? 
Challenges -
Craft Your Passion - Occupational Hazards
Crazy Challenge - Men Only
Here Come the Boys - Bingo Recipe - 2 squares (well there's loads on the backing paper!), Charm or Button (my spanner) and Die Cuts (I used a nestie to cut out the image).






See you in a couple of weeks!

I wish....

.....someone was sending me one of these!!!! (A 'new home' card that is not a birdie in a cage!)

Once again it's almost mid week before I am managing to post my Less is More card.

This week the challenge was 'Seeing Double' and it had to be a one layer card.

I really liked these bird cages from My Grafico and the sentiment (from TLC) I think is a perfect one for wishing someone well in their new home. 

The teeny birdie is a Papermania stamp stamped in Onyx Black Versafine ink and I edged round the card with a pink gel pen then a black liner to 'frame' the image.

I was undecided about the pink pearls but threw caution to the wind (LOL) and glued them on.. of course once they're stuck that's it, you can't change your mind!

Overall, don't think it looks too bad in real life - but I'm sorry about the pic.....!

Goes together like a horse and carriage?????

This stamp from Just Inklined made me smile....and inspired by a Jak Heath design I have CASed it and made it into a card as soon as I could!
What a fab shoe as well dontcha think? Not that I could walk in anything with a heel as high as that now (am resigned to 'flatties' unfortunately!) but it's nice to remember when I COULD wear them!

I opted for a fairly simple layout with clean lines to show the image off to it's best and although very little colouring was required I did use several shades of grey promarkers on the ball and chain (LOL) and used Ivory and Blossom promarkers on the shoe. After colouring I used a liberal amount of Cotton Candy Stickles on the ribbon and glued a little pink pearl in the centre of the knot.

The embossing folder is by Indentz and my pink backing paper by K and Co.
This was another attempt at using an image 'outside the die' - think it's best to stick to simple ones until I perfect it! But am pleased with this one - not messy at all (not like the last one!).
I used a scalloped die to edge the oval one and a Martha Stewart punch for the bottom border.

I finished it all off with some pink and white spotty organza ribbon and of course a lock and key for our stilletto wearing woman to make sure her catch doesn't escape!

Challenges -
 Stampin for the Weekend - Tickled Pink
Lil Red Wagon - Diecuts
I Love Promarkers - Metal Embellishment or Charm
Charizma Cardz - Inspired by a Song 
and
Saturday Challenge - Inspired by a Song
(Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage, Goes together like a Horse and Carriage etc etc!)

Multi purpose card and a Moan!

I wasn't surprised to see it's been a week since my last post - have been struggling to find my mojo and to pick myself up from yet another disappointment after a further viewing of our home resulted in the same feedback from the estate agents - 'the bedrooms are too small'. Our home is a 3 bedroom cottage with 3 reception rooms built circa 1820 with a complete self contained annexe (which Mum used to live in)and the estate agent provides a glossy brochure complete with floor plan and room measurements.......... so why when the measurements are there do people waste my time (and theirs) by coming to look anyway? How big does a bedroom have to be - if you can get a bed, wardrobes etc in it what else do you need???? I have lived here quite contentedly for almost 25 years and now there's just the two of us we need to get something with not as many rooms and a smaller outdoor space. It makes me mad then depressed when I keep having people traipsing through my private space when they obviously are just 'carpet treaders'. Read the damn brochure and look at the floor measurements you idiots!
RANT OVER...................

So I made a couple of cards this week, neither I think are very inspiring - they're both destined for the 'Pink Box' and I hope someone thinks they're OK!
One of them fits the challenge this week at Less is More which is to include metal somewhere on your card.

I don't know whether the gold mesh I used in the aperture of the die qualifies but I also used a pair of metal champagne flutes secured with a white ribbon just in case!
I layered the die cut from white pearlised card over some gold card.
I forget the last time I used a dreaded (cannot bear to say it really) - peel off - but as I can't print in gold then needs must!
I opted for the word 'Celebrate' instead of congrats etc as I thought this card could be used for a special birthday or occasion as well as wedding or anniversary. 
Less Is More - Metal
Ooh La La - Anniversary
The Paper Shelter - Embossing