Thank you Joanne for my butterfly award

A big thank you to Joanne for my latest award and how touched I am to receive it.

There are so many people deserving of this award so without wanting to miss anyone out, would every that cares to look at my page, please feel free to accept this award and add it to their own blog as there are a whole bunch of talented crafters out there that have given me so much inspiration.

Crafty Joanne's Blog Candy

Please pop over to Joanne's blog for the chance to win some lovely blog candy - and to see some amazing cards xxx

Click here to be transported to Joanne's blog and good luck everyone x

Sketch Saturday Challenge # 27

Here is my take on the current Sketch Saturday Challenge. I used bits and pieces from my stash and the angel stamp is from Crafters Companion (I think lol)

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Friday Sketchers Challenge #30

Thank you to Carole for the sketch this week on Friday Sketchers and again I have made a card for 2 purposes - a birthday card and a challenge in one. I rubbed some purple chalk pastel over a piece of hammered card and rubbed it in with a cotton wool ball then ran it through the cuttlebug, went over it with a brayer and versamark ink, then finally embossed the area with judikins twinkling gold embossing powder. The flower image was stamped and embossed with the same powder and water coloured with pencils.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

ABC challenge. S is for Snow

Running late again but here is my card for the ABC Challenge this week . The theme being S is for Snow.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Happy Happy Happy me :-)))))))

The Christmas Lights were switched on in town earlier this eveing by the gorgeous Mark Foster - and I got to say hello and got a kiss so I am on cloud 9 and am not going to wash for a month.

JUST in case you don't know who Mark Foster is - where have you been??? LOLOLOL

http://www.markfoster.co.uk/factfile/ Have a look here for more info and some stunning photo's. And this is my fav photo --

He is a very charming man and gave everyone that spoke to him, his full attention. A lovely man all round. I was gutted when he was voted off Strictly Come Dancing. I have watched the show since Series 1 and never actually picked up the phone and voted for anyone - but I did for Mark.

He has certainly put St. Neots on the map

Cup cake challenge

I was having a play with My Craft Studio and used it in its entirety to make this card which I am entering for this weeks Cup Cake Crafting challenge which is all about sweets & treats. Everything has been designed with the software (even the gems are printed) and I have simply cut and decoupaged a second cup cake. It may not be true crafting but just shows what can be done if you are in a hurry and need a quick card.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xx

1 card - 4 uses

I needed to make a card for a friends birthday in December and it has also fulfilled 3 challenges too Lili of the Valley challenge #10, Cute Card Thursday Challenge #38 and 2 sketches 4 u #4 by Kazan so I am very happy about that :-))

I used a backing sheet from one of the My craft Studio packs (but I can't remember which one now) and fiddled around with the colour to get it right, the sparkly strip was made by painting lavender stickles onto the strip (didn't know what would happen so just tried it anyway) and the pansy stamp has been painted with twinkling H2O's and it changes colour depending on which way you look at it. I added a couple of silver skeleton leaves behind to embellish the card and the strip of sticky ribbon was from my stash

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Birthday card & challenge card all in one

I was catching up on some challenges yesterday and came across the sketch set on A spoonful of Sugar and as I needed to make a card for a lady I clean house for, I thought I would combine the two. I used the gorgeous Card Creations Art Deco CD for this one and printed out a complete page of cameo toppers and layered them up to give the pyramage effect. The ribbon is from the Card Creations Strictly Card Dancers CD. The swirls on the black card were made by putting the piece of card through the cuttlebug, going over the raised area's with versamark ink on a brayer then embossing with stardust embossing powder and heat embossing. Then I actually, for the first time ever, used my cuttlebug to die cut the 2 flowers (LOL) and added some black diamond stickles into the centre (although this doesn't show up very well).

I hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Cazz xxxx

papertake weekly sketch challenge 24.11.08

Bit late this week with a Monday challenge but I got there in the end LOL. The Forever Friends sticker hasn't scanned too well I'm afraid

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Kreative blogger award

Look what I got today from Lavender Rose xxx I am very honoured hun and thank you very much. I have so many people on my list that deserve this award too (too many to mention) so please ladies, feel free to take this award xx

Card made with Jaks background and twisted decoupage topper

Over at Crafters Kitchen (link is on the right), Jak kindly uploaded some free background sheets and as soon as I saw the pink one, I knew what I had in mind for it. I used a twisted decoupage sheet from the Walk In Wonderland CD and found that Jak's sheet was a much better match that the one on the cd itself.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Secret Santa

I am taking part in a secret Santa swap on Sharon Duncan's forum and I have made this is a gift for my swap buddy. The sketch pad has been simply made with 2 pieces of mount board covered with K & Co Scrapbook papers and held together with book rings so more pages can be added if required. The flower is a chipboard flower inked with chalk eye inks and then triple embossed to make it glaze. I then made a keyring using the same ink pads and stamping on a motif and again, triple embossing with Judikins Amazing Glaze to create a tile effect.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Morning all xxx

Well., my signature popped back briefly yesterday but it appears to have dashed off again on another jaunt so I daresay it will be back later. Boy is it cold this morning but then compared to other parts of the country, we are very lucky in my particular part of the Eastern Counties. I am sat sitting here looking at gorgeous sunshine but that belies what is going on outside as the people I can see are wrapped up really well against the cold and I shall be joining them soon. I have to go to the sorting office to collect a parcel, then go to one clients house and take the washing out of the machine and onto the clothes horse (she is in hospital and there is no-one else to do it for her) , then go to my normal regular client, then onto my next house, do a bit of dog sitting for about half an hour, then take my bike to the cycle shop for its annual service and walk home. So a busy morning / early afternoon for me as I shall be home about 2.30. I may even get a chance then to catch up with some blog challenges.

Hope you all have a good day, stay safe & warm and take care xxx

(ohhh, my signature is back already lol)

Strictly card dancers

Made this card today from the Card Creations Strictly card dancers cd which is just amazing. I imported the image into the 3d2 card builder program to create the pyramage effect.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

I've been tagged by Hazel @ didodesigns

(and my signature appears to be on a short vacation so I do hope its having a nice time and I feel confident it will be back in its rightful place soon).

So, back to the topic in hand, I have been tagged by Hazel and I have to give you 7 interesting facts about myself then pass this onto 7 others, so here goes ( I am going to cheat a little bit though and follow Hazel's lead and go along the same lines as she has xx)

1. My middle name is Vivian. My parents didn't realise until after they had left the Registrars office where my birth was recorded that my name had been spelt the masculine way instead of the feminine way. My dad went back in to get it put right but the registrar said it couldn't be done - so that was it - and it has stayed that way ever since. I think my parents were hoping I was a boy as "Carol" is a boys name in Poland LOL. But I was called Carol as I was due on Christmas day, but turned up a week later on New Years Day.

2. My first single was "Flowers in the Rain" but I can't remember who sang it. The "B" side was Here we go round the Lemon Tree". I think it may have been Wizard that sung it.

3. My fav food is Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney pie, Peas and mashed potatoes with lashings of thick gravy - ummmmmmmmm, gorgeous x

4. I went to one of Status Quo's farewell tours (they have had more farewell tours than I have had hot dinners lol. I have also seen Gary Numan twice and Russell Watson (which was great). And also went to the Royal Albert Hall to see a group called Sky and it was from them, that I found the name for my son as the drummer was called Tristan Fry so my son was called Tristan.

5. I have no professional qualifications whatsoever - unless you count a basic food hygiene certificate LOL. I have a PHD from the school of life though and a Masters from the school of hard knocks :-)

6. I am St. Neots born and bred - never lived anywhere else and don't want to either.

7. Phew - the last one lol. This is harder than it looks lol. So my 7th interesting fact is ........................................... erm...........................................think woman come on..................................................................oh I have no idea. But I gave it my best shot.

So now I have to pass this onto 7 other people so my choices are as follows:-

Lizbe

Kath

Dan

Denise

Sue

Joanne

Linda

Good luck ladies xxx

Secret Crafter Saturday challenge #8

1 card - 2 reasons. I is for the Secret Crafter Saturday challenge #8 and the other is for a friends birthday in early December. The deco-stack image is from the Double Trouble Cup Cake Crafting CD. I must apologise for the unclear photo - I have been messing about with the settings on my scanner and just can't seem to get them right at the moment and its too dark to take a photograph.

I hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Sketch Saturday Challenge card

I am getting there - I'm onto the Saturday Challenges now lol. I simply used some 6 x 6 scrapbook pages from a K & Co pad and an art-deco heart for the motif. This is for the challenge this week set by the team at Sketch Saturday

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Friday Sketchers Challenge #29

here is my interpretation of the theme set by Beatrix this week on the Friday Sketchers Challenge blog I have used a rubber stamp that's been sitting on my shelf looking pretty for ages and coloured it with pastel whisper pens. The backing card is a sheet of A4 card from my stash and the handmade papers were all free over the years from magazines etc etc etc and the sentiment is a rub-on.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

I'd like to thank my agent, my publicist etc etc etc

and most of all I'd like to thank Hazel for nominating me for this award xxx

This award states that:This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships.These blogs are exceedingly charming.These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends,They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement.Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated,Please give more attention to these writers.

So, in keeping with the traditions of this award, I would like to pass this onto the following people who have inspired me to take a step out of the box, get out of my comfort zone and do something different and enjoy it at the same time ......

1. Bev is my imag-e-nation buddy. Bevs blog is here. She has been a good friend over the past months and is never unavailable for a chat or a text.

2. Cath is a friend from a wonderful card making group. Don't know why I am sending this to her today though - she got to go to the Millennium Stadium yesterday to see Wales play the Kiwi's (which we sadly lost) and I am so jealous, but she needs something to cheer her up at the moment and this is the best way I can help at the moment xxx Cath's blog is here

3. Lizbe is another imag-e-nationer and a rock when you need her xxx She has not been well yet has soldiered on regardless and is always there for a chat. And as for Mike, her husband, well his e-mail he sent in a few weeks back has been saved and still makes me cry whenever I read it. Liz deserves this award so much, I just wish I could do more xxx. Lizbe's blog is here

4. Margaret - just cos she's Margaret xxx She knows what she she does and it makes my heart smile. Always giving with no thought for herself and she too needs this to give her some hope xxx Margarets blog is here

5. Pam - another lady always there for someone else in their hour of need. So she too deserves something more than just this blog award, but she will still appreciate it for the sentiment xxx Pams blog is here

6. Our Kath, better known as teabelly (and a HUGE lover of firemen lol). Always there with a gentle word and never asking for anything in return xx Kaths blog is here

7. And last but not least - Nicky. A kind word, a good laugh and a great friend. What more could you ask for xxx Nicky's blog is here

Xmas card for a swap

I have made this card this evening to send to someone in a secret Santa swap (but I can't tell them who lol). I used a beautiful decoupage sheet that is available as a free download from Funky Fairy Papercrafts and is just adorable. Please pop over to the blog and see what else they have to offer.

The backing sheet is from the Triple Treasure Xmas CD and was printed onto pearlised paper. Seeing as I still had the roller-thingy out from a previous card, I used it again on a scrap piece of card to make the "runner" across the back and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Then added an embellishment from my stash and a peel off colour with blue peel off marker pen.

I hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Cute Card Thursday challenge # 37

Cute Card Thursday have set their challenge for this week and its SNOW. So here is my take on the theme. I have used the Triple Treasures Xmas cd, a backing sheet from the Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD and a rolla-thingy (technical term used there of course lol) to make the snowflake effect on the backing card.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

Rainbow Lady Challenge #40

The challenge on Rainbow Lady Thursday Challenge blog this week is to make a card with snowmen or ladies on, so I had 3 snowlady buttons at the bottom of an embellishment box gathering dust (or snow) so I have made good use of them with this card. the 2 backing sheets are from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD

hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx

CupCake Crafting Challenge

Here is my take on the CupCake Crafting Challange this week using the provided sketch and incorporating "brown" as requested. All the elements are bits and bobs I have lying around and the fleur-de-lye sheet is actually a jam pot cover.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xx

GCF Xmas card

I was asked to make a card for a man to give to his wife so I found this image on Greeting Card Factory, printed it up 4 times and decoupaged it. I love poinsettia's and I know that the lady who this card is for also likes them so I hope it fits the bill

Anyone got that Friday feeling?

Morning all from a chilly Eastern Counties this morning. Having seen the weather report on BBC this morning though, people's north of the border are having it a lot worse than us so I hope you all wrap up warm today xx

They also said that the cold front is heading our way for this weekend though and its suggested that it will be MINUS 2 tonight - Bbrrrrrr. Definitely time to get the hot water bottle's out I think.

I am off to work shortly and will be out all day so please all try and be good and don't do anything I wouldn't do.

And I hope I get some sleep tonight as I didn't get much last night. As you know from my previous post, I lost my cat Merlin on Wednesday. Well his mum, Salem and him have always had an amazing bond and last night she decided that she wanted to lament Merlin's passing. So at 3am in the morning, she started searching the house for her boy and was crying pitifully. It was very sad to hear but she's okay now. So I didn't get a lot of sleep last night (and the neighbours probably didn't either if they could hear her - but that makes up for all the noise in the early hours of the morning when her children wake up and start fighting).

Anyways, I need to get my rear in thermal gear and set off on my day so have a good day everyone xxx

1 card - 2 challenges

I have made this card (and it was difficult to use the cat image after the events of yesterday xx) but I stuck with it. One challenge is from Just Christmas & birthdays blogpage and this is the 2nd card from their sketch this week and the 2nd challenge is from Lili of the valley and the requirement this week is to use an animal on your card somewhere.

The backing papers are from colossus. The sticky ribbon is from Anita's range and I think the stamp is from Dimension Fourth and has been stamped with versamark gold inkpad and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The sentiment was made up in Greeting Card Factory.

Hope you like it and thank you for looking xxx