Monday 14 November 2016

Oops! . . . He Did It Again!

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted any makes, must admit I've not been feeling at my best - and as for Hubby . . .

Our wee Jack Russell, for some reason, seems to think that he hasn't been for a walk unless he's been out with Hubby. Recently he's been getting rather vocal in trying to get his way, it starts off with a rather wimpy whine & then progresses into a definite nagging bark telling hubby to get off his backside! Suitably chastised off they go out just before dinner. They weren't away very long. As they got in the door I discovered that the expensive, brand new, extending lead I'd just bought had been pulled out so far that it now refused to retract back into the handle - I proceeded to lecture the pair of them about pulling & being allowed to pull whilst on the lead.  After dinner hubby said he was going to have an early night which he does from time to time and I didn't think any more about it.


Fast forward several hours later when I'm having one of my can't sleep nights so settle downstairs to watch a film but must have dosed off a bit. I must have been in that not asleep but not awake mode when I had one of those strange feelings that I was being watched, as I turned round there was hubby looking white as a sheet and announcing "I think I've broken my arm!" Turns out when Jack pulled the lead right out hubby lost his balance & put his left arm out to try stop himself falling flat on his face.  He had then gone into 20+ years of Bootneck training that "it's only pain" until it went beyond the "only" stage - eejit! Can't believe the numpty waited 10 hours to tell me.

I quickly realised from the symptoms that he had managed to break the head of his left humerus less than 2 years after doing in the right one! I got his arm immobilised, gave him some of my strong painkillers & headed out to A&E. X-Rays show he's gone one better than last time & fractured it in 3 places! He's got exercises to do at home but it's back to hospital next week for the start of physio.


I have been making cards, I have even been following the Freshly Made Sketches Challenges, I just haven't got around to photographing & posting them. Anyway, I actually managed to get some photos done so here we go for this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge:




I had some stitched circle dies which have been rather underused so decided to get them out for this card.  The hedgehog & ladybug stamp is from the Penny Black set "Bubbly".  The strip across the card was run through the bottom section of my Darice "Grass" embossing folder to give a grassy effect.









I Used



Cardstock
Green - Ceraldo 270gsm
White - Fabriano 300gsm

Stamps, Dies & Embossing Folder
Hedgehog, "Bubbly" Set - Penny Black
Thanks Sentiments - Paula Pascal Personal ImpressionsStitched Circles - Die-Versions Whispers Nesting Dies

Grass Embossing Folder - Darice

Inks
Tiramisu Memento Brilliance - Tsukineko
Assorted Promakers - Letraset/Winsor & Newton













Other Cards



Cog Dies - X-Cut
Friends - Tim Holtz "Handwritten Love" Set
Checkerplate Embossing Folder - Crafters Companion












Mixed Media #2 & Stitched Rectangles - Tim Holtz







Monday 17 October 2016

Lost Love


In spite of this week's title, it's not going to be a piece of romantic fiction, more like a case of forgetfulness/carelessness on my part.

I had decided that I was going to use a variety of Tim Holtz Mixed Media/ Alterations dies in this week's
Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.




I had decided to use the Heart from the Scribbles and Splats set along with the "Love" from the Handwritten Love set.  I had the dies laid out but, unfortunately, when it came to cutting out the Love it had disappeared from where I left it/thought I'd left it.  Anyway I can't for the life of me find out where the heck it has got to but hopefully at some point it will show up and I will utter the immortal words "I wondered where that got to!" (apparently amongst family & friends I'm quite famous for it!).  I tried other sentiments but nothing was working so I had to improvise but I think it worked out ok in the end. 









I Used

Cardstock
White 300gsm Super Smooth - Fabiano
Plain Colour cardstock - Crelando


Stamps, Dies, Embossing Folders
Tim Holtz Crazy Birds, Cats, Dogs - Stampers Anonymous
Dyan Reaveley "How About Never"  - Rangers

Tim Holtz Crazy Birds, Cats, Dogs Thinlits - Sizzix
Tim Holtz Handwritten Love - Sizzix
Tim Holtz Mixed Media #2 - Sizzix
Tim Holtz Scribbles & Splats - Sizzix
Tim Holtz Alterations Stitched Rectangles - Sizzix

"That Folder" - Craft Stash
Hearts - So Crafty

Inks
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Ranger
Promarkers - Winsor & Newton/Letraset


I had been playing with some backgrounds using Distress Inks, sprayed water, salt & sprayed bleach. I now have quite a few collected so decided to team some up with some of the Tim Holtz Crazies that I have been colouring & saving up and Dyan Reaveley sentiment stamps. Here are my three latest ones:









 




The pedestal column was cut from the lower half of "That Folder"





These next backgrounds were originally in browns and greens but the addition of some sprayed on bleach solution changed them into pinks and purples:



The ball of wool stamp and die from their Crazy Cats sets was wound with some twine coloured with Distress Ink.









Saturday 1 October 2016

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy!

Apart from a couple of days & nights of the wind howling down the chimney, it's been a quiet week this week. 

The weather has settled down again, it's actually quite sunny today - well, sort of, when it's not cloudy. I've just been out to check the bird feeder and make sure it's got enough in it, I swear the birds around here are lucky they can get off the ground let alone fly - that's at least 12 fat balls & two lots of mealworm they've gone through since Thursdays & I've just filled it again! Yesterday it was like a scene from "The Birds".  When Jack went out for a nose around the garden they scattered.  They then started gathering on the old telephone lines, in the trees and on roof top aerials.  Once the dog came back in the birds started coming back and were queueing up to get at the feeder - then the squabbling started as to who was next - what a racket! If they are like this in the warm weather I think I better get well stocked up for the winter.

It's only been about 3 months since we started trying to persuade our teenage son to get a haircut, I'd been threatening to get him a couple of barrettes to keep his hair out his eyes! Yesterday, he finally gave in!  He has been asked to give a presentation on the "Career Ready" programme he's been taking part in for the last year or so.  It's to be given at a reception for new participants, local employers & various VIPs at a local 5 Star hotel so he needs to look the part! Oh, and it's school photo time - he's to be in three photos: solo, class & the Senior Prefect Team.  We don't have a photo of him in that school uniform & he's been there over 5 years!  He says he's camera shy but I'm hoping I'll have something for the family album.


Sketch Challenge

When I saw the sketch for this weeks  Freshly Made Sketches Challenge I decided that as it was a simple sketch I should perhaps make a card that was also something quite simple. 





There was a stamp in Crafty Impressions "In the Dog House" set that I had been puzzling over how it could be used so I decided to have a little play with that, and came up with this - I think this is the quickest card I've ever made!:











UPDATE

Thank you Kim for the Honorable Mention in this week's Challenge!




I Used



Cardstock
White 300gsm - Fabriano
Black 300gsm - PayPer Box
Other Colours - American Crafts

Dies & Stamps
Tim Holtz Bird Crazy, Crazy Cats, Crazy Dogs - Stampers Anonymous
Tim Holtz Bird Crazy, Crazy Cats, Crazy Dogs - Sizzix Thinlits
"In the Dog House" Dog - Crafty Inspirations

Inks
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Ranger
Smokey Grey - Memento
Midnight Blue - Versafine
Onyx Black - Versafine




Bird Crazy, Crazy Cats, Crazy Dogs 

I'd ordered a couple of new sets of Dyan Reavely stamps but although only one set, "Ugh, People!" has arrived it's still been time to play.  I do like them using them with the Tim Holtz Crazy sets - only two complete for now:















I still had some of my coloured Crazy Dog die cuts to use up & decided to team them with some backgrounds I'd put away for future use:
























Saturday 24 September 2016

Who Let The Dogs Out? - Part 2

It would appear that Autumn has arrived! 

It had been unseasonably warm earlier this week but for the last two days it has been quite heavy rain and this afternoon it has started to become rather windy.  My wee apple tree has dropped a few of it's crop this week and I have enough to make an apple crumble.  My friend who is recovering from a stroke has been dropping hints for the last couple of weeks that she's running out of the last jar of the strawberry jam I made for her. I finally got some jam sugar and made some.  It was just cooling down as my son got home from school for lunch - the door opened followed immediately by "I smell strawberry jam!" as he headed straight for the kitchen.  I have to admit it went down rather well on a brioche bun washed down with a small pot of Earl Grey!

I have been playing with my Tim Holtz "Crazy Dogs" stamps & dies again this week  - I had stamped them out and when I haven't been able to sleep I've been colouring them in.  I decided that I would make a card as part of this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 





I must admit I had a couple of goes at this one as I wasn't happy with the way the first card turned out but, finally, came up with this one.  I must admit brown isn't a background colour I would normally think of using:












Here are some more cards using "Crazy Dog" stamps & dies that I've put together.  The first is my original attempt at the Challenge sketch:


Still Talking?

















Sitting Around












Mucky Pup












Rainbow Sprinkle













I Used


Cardstock
White 300 gsm Supersmooth - Fabriano
Ivory Hammered - PayPer Box
Brown- Crelando
Colours  - American Crafts Summer Collection

Stamps, Dies & Embossing Folders
Tim Holtz "Crazy Dogs" - Stampers Anonymous
Tim Holtz "Crazy Cats" - Stampers Anonymous
Woof, Woof  "In the Dog House" Set - Crafty Impressions
Dyan Reaveley, Dylusions "Laugh Til You Leak" - Ranger
Dyan Reaveley Dylusions "Quintessential Quotes" - Ranger

Tim Holtz "Crazy Dogs" - Sizzix
Tim Holtz "Crazy Cats" - Sizzix
Tim Holtz - "Scribbles & Splats" - Sizzix
Tim Holtz - "Handwritten Love" - Sizzix
Nesting Scalloped Rectangles - Tonic

"Ditzy Floral" - Crafters Companion


Inks
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Ranger
Smokey Gray & Vintage Sepia - Versafine
Promarkers - Windsor & Newton