Spotty stash collector

Lookie what arrived today (along with another goody bag and Fairy Doodle stamps from Madaboutcards ordered Saturday - great service Madabout, also two bargain Sizzix dies from Ellison also arrived very quickly and all on the same day!). Isn't this great? Just need a craft show to go to now stash collecting! Also it may come in handy for heavy shopping, and it has a cool bag pocket, is really light (unlike my last disaster buy from a health site), and I think the polka dots are cooool.

Also got it £5 cheaper, free postage from The Mirror, don't read the paper, but a well known kitchen shop catalogue had them £5 more, not sure about postage but the designs weren't to my taste either.

Quirky Crafts Card Challenge 6

Challenge 6 over on the card making challenges on Quirky Crafts forum was make a card using red and green. I immediately thought of Christmas, but this card was totally jinxed. First I was too lazy to unbung the Diamond Glaze, wish they would invent a clog free nozzle for these products, so I used odour free silicone glue, haven't used it much before but it was in a syringe ready so ------tried to make small dots to affix small red gems, and it took forever to dry, spread round where it shouldn't, got on the card blank... So had to cover the edge of the card in ribbon to hide glue marks, then change the bow to match. When setting the card up to take the photo I knocked the tiny gems all over the floor, yes the gem wheel was open. I still have to pick them up! I have new glasses too, my first varifocals and I may have trouble with the gems. I have a confession - they said don't put your old glasses on, give it a week to get used to them but I cannot use them on the computer, they are awful. My home screen is very close to me, but I can only see 8 words of a row, the rest are blurry. If I look across to my small TV next to the monitor (well same size as monitor) I can see that perfectly. I am having trouble finding the right place to look through them.

So back to the card, looked at it sat on the easel a short while after the photo and the bow had fallen off! It is now firmly attached again. My first Christmas card this year, this is early for me but green and red just called out Christmas tree to me.

The tree is embossed using Cuttlebug tree folder and Cordinations Black Magic paper sanded afterwards. Papermania gems, Crafty Ribbons lovely red ribbon, and holly eyelets on red vellum, folded a green card blank from card stock.

I had it in mind to make two different cards, the second one is not any better jinx wise that the one above, so maybe I will skip right on to number 3.

It sounds like our new DT member Gez has also had a few problems (hop on over and see), maybe red and green are an unlucky combination!

Blog candy winners

Sorry this has taken a week longer than it should, but I wasn't at all well last weekend.

So without further ado: Drumroll please:

Drawn in the following order:

1. Wulfwen Paula wanted any stamps - Stampendous for you - on the way soon

2. Linda Linanna - didn't specify but won the ribbon rose buds

3. Dee -didn't specify but won the pink kit

4. Debbie requested Studio G stamps and blocks - on the way soon

5. Jennyv requested Tim Holtz EP - please comment with your address and I won't post that comment then I can send your prize

6. Danemi - Wanted Tim Holtz or Stampendous but as they are gone won blue kit - please comment with your address seperately and I will not publish it

7. Rozzy requested Stampedous but Debbie won that, so Rozzy gets yellow kit - Rozzy, same as above comment with address please

8 Fe requested the wood stamps - on the way to you soon

9. Dawn - didn't specify but won the mixed colour kit I have your address from the fat page swap, if you haven't moved.

Well done everyone, sorry if you didn't win this time but try again next time.

Whoo Hooo I won a challenge

I WON, I WON!

I won a weekly challenge over on The Crafty Pad I entered my Race for Life card. As a prize the winner can pick any stamp they like from the ranges for sale on the blog, so I picked out a great stamp called Albert Snoozing who will be wonderful for a male card. He also has the sentiment stamp with him which is amusing to put on a man's card. He arrived today so thanks very much Debbie.

There are further new ranges of stamps at The Crafty Pad being revealed now and they look good. I love the sheep, the mice are cute too.

Wanted.

In May I attended a DoCrafts Demo at our local arts and craft shop with Mum. It was mid morning so hadn't been going for long and they had already sold out of the goody bag and the butterfly punch. I was told I could order both from the shop so I did. A few days later I saw both for sale online, but didn't order as I had ordered from the shop. Weeks went by, I went in and asked three weekends running, and finaly they rang me to say both were discontinued and they couldn't get them.

I have since managed to find the goody bag from Madaboutcards, but I paid postage for that and the black and white kit by Papermania though the latter was a very good price. Of course the day I received my order, which was very quickly, Madaboutcards announced a 10% off everything, isn't that just typical!

I cannot find the butterfly punch. I have read that although it was a limited edition DoCrafts are trying to find a new manufacturer to make more. I have been pointed towards one at Studio Cards, which is the same price but yellow in colour, and with £5 postage is £13 nearly for the punch which was £7.99 in the shop - if they had one! The Studio Cards one looks the same but is the wrong way round, the X cut one cut from the right so you could use it on the edge of a card blank, if you do this with the Studio Cards version the butterfly will be upside down. I have found one on Ebay from China that is the right way round and will cost £14. Do I go for that or wait I wonder? I have heard that people have seen the X Cut one on Ebay for £35 - no way!

Blog Candy.

I am going to go for it and draw out blog candy winners today, so check back later to see who won.

Suggestion for drawing candy winners

I had a suggestion from Fe, I should put all the followers names in the pot and draw them out as they come and give them their choice until I run out of choices/members then everyone goes in the pot for the rest - does that sound feasible to you all?

Trying to sort out blog candy winners

You would never believe how complex this has become. I have a grid with the 14 people who left comments down one side. Then going across are 9 columns for the 9 prizes, and where the commenter told me what they would like best (as all were requested to do) I have entered the name of the perferred prize.

Then there is a column to say if the person was a follower at the time I posted.

Now there are some prizes that a few people want, and some that none said they wanted, then some where only one person said they wanted it, but then there are a few people who didn't say what they wanted and one comment doesn't even look like a response to the blog candy post!

So now what I think I have to do is where more than one person wants something I will need to do a draw. If they are all followers they all go in, if not only the followers go in as I said they get preference. Does that sound right so far?

So where there is only one person saying that they want a prize, do I just give it to them I wonder? Or do I do a draw of the people who weren't followers next for something not requested with the people who didn't say what they wanted?

Well go figure, 13 people and 9 prizes, not everyone can win this, unless I add a few bits.

So I will try and draw some names and if you end up with something you really don't like you must let me know. If you have a better idea for drawing names with this messy arrangement also let me know - quick please!

Quirky Crafts Card Challenge 5

This is my DT card for Quirky Crafts Forum Card Challenge 5. I cut the blank with my new Nestabilities scalloped octogon, used some papers that were free with a magazine with numbers on, and DCWV paper with Happy Birthday on it, some ribbon charm letters from Lakeland (when they did craft stuff) and a Papermania letter charm.

Inside more DCWV papers.

Also inside I used Papermania chipboard letter and number 2 and U.

Inside the card

New stash - Tim Holtz stamp storage

Today this arrived: Bought it off UK Scrappers market place, and it has a few dents but they don't matter (won't show if I give the altered treatment either). The ink didn't come with it - this is my stash! There may be more pads lurking and I can't get all my square ink pads in so I think I may have to buy the one for those too.
Now all the ink pads in the drawer are the little cubes and the little Mememto dew drops and the Kaleidoscope pads that are too long for this case.

Now I did sell my green Cropadile, but it freed up a little space and my new tin takes up a wee bit more. So I am not sure where my new toy is going yet but at least I can now see what I have got though I need more labels on the pads!

I also spent the same dosh on it so it was more like a swap, well not really just two UKS members, bought from one sold to the other!

I keep buying Nestabilities, Oyster Stamps are doing them 4 for £50 free postage, and every time I go back the one or two I really really wanted but were out of stock are now in stock, and I then have to get the other three to get the deal! The first ones have already arrived, quick service I must say. I also bought some stamps in a sale, and have my eye on some in the Market Place!

Quirky Crafts Forum

Quirky Crafts forum is a brand new fun forum for crafters, whether card makers, scrapbookers, altered artists, ATCers, anything goes. Challenges are set every week for fun.

Fun sections for chit chat, good news etc. Come on over and join this very friendly forum.

Little bit of candy 3 and good news - updated

Candy now closed, will draw it out hopefully by the weekend!

Here is the long promised candy, and this time you must comment and tell me which of the candy you would like most, and if you would like all of it, or wouldn't like some of it.

I also have some exciting news to share: there is a new forum just launched called Quirky Crafts, and not only am I a moderator I was asked to join the design team so I am thrilled to bits!

All of my 25 Followers at today's date get first choice, but also need to comment to tell me which they would like to win most, as above. New followers will not get preferential treatment until the next candy! I know who the 25 are today, I have printed them off.

Existing Followers who win will also get something extra!

You must be able to prove you are a crafter, and you must post a link on your blog to my candy but if you don't have a blog you should mention the candy on a forum you belong to, tell me the forum and your forum name. If you can a link would be nice in your comment so I can find it easily.

Candy available:

Tim Holtz Distress embossing powder Milled Lavender colour

Three little Studio G Designer stamp sets with little acrylic blocks - these go together

Three DoCrafts wood mounted stamps

4 Seperate card kit boxes, photos to follow, can be seperate or all to the same person depending on comments. (Some were designed as cover mount gifts on magazines but I got given a load for moderating on Crafts Beatiful forum and I bought some.)

Set of Stampendous perfectly clear words

Bag of ribbon rosebuds

Enter by June 15th Don't forget to tell me which candy you would like, and link to your blog or mention on your forum.

Quirky Crafts Card Challenge 4

Challenge 4 seems to have come round so quickly, it doesn't seem like 4 weeks or 5 weeks since the new Quirky Crafts forum came into being.

I decided to use the English Paper Company papers again this week. The stamped bird is a Hero Arts stamp, the sentiment is a Rubbadubbadoo stamp. Ink is Tim Holtz Distress Ink Faded Jeans colour with matching embossing powder, and I added 3 buttons with blue elastic tied through them.


Tomorrow is the closing date for my blog candy too, so I will be analysing the answers and picking some winners some time this week, hopefully by the weekend so I can send out the goodies.
It has been a busy week, I have been suffering from migraine for a week but am feeling much better now, and it seems that I was reacting to some organic fruit cordial I bought as I felt better when I stopped drinking it! I carried on working apart from Tuesday when things were so bad I couldn't see to drive, and felt so bad I just went back to bed only emerging to take more drugs and some food, though I felt very sick the whole week.
Finally I got my wedding "hat", or fascinator, or is it a cross between? I had an M&S one size doesn't fit all hat to begin with, that had to go back. and as I was in Bath I popped in the posh hat shop. Well it is a shop where there are no prices on anything, so you can tell it was a wee bit expensive especially for something that will only have limited use but I thought what the heck, my son only gets married once (hopefully), can't see the other one getting married, so when she asked if I would like a hat box, oh and that is £5 extra I thought what is £5 after spending so much, I might as well. It is a very nice stripey hat box I must say and will keep the hat safe from being squashed.
While in Bath I visited 5 well established and well known shops and in one of them I had my card details ripped off and the card company spotted it and rang me thankfully.
Today I am aching all over after over doing things yesterday due to feeling better so I have been groaning every time I have to get up out of a chair or sit down.
I had a senior moment this morning - I left the tap running to fill the sink to do the washing up. I needed to dash to the little girl's room (well unisex really) and thought it would be fine as it was not on fully. It would have been fine if I hadn't turned left on leaving the little girl's room into the utility room where (totally forgetting about the tap and washing up) I unloaded the washing machine and reloaded then walked into the kitchen to find the floor flooded! Out with the mop!

Race for Life card

This is my DT card for Quirky Crafts forum third card challenge. The challenge was to use pink blue and white the colours of Cancer Reasearch and I gave the card to a young lady at work who completed the race yesterday.

The stamp called June Race for Life is by Debbie Moore and is for sale on The Crafty Pad for £3, and £1 of that goes to Cancer Research (the words are a seperate stamp so you can put any wording you like on the banner). I paper pieced the pink shoes and vest, and the white number, and the rest was coloured in with Letraset Trias.

Oval and scalloped oval cut with Nestabilities dies, embossed panels made using Cuttlebug embossing folder, the white panel was wiped over with pink Brilliance ink.

All this was mounted on a pink panel on a white card. All of this was done while suffering from a migraine, and I had to cook a roast dinner for 7 and have an eye test - I don't recommend the eye test when suffering like that!

I could probably do a better card without a migraine.

Don't forget to enter my blog candy

Even followers will need to post a comment and tell me which candy if any you would like.

It ends on 15th June so plenty of time to spread the news and enter yourself, and I may well included some little extras when I draw the names.

I will work out how I am going to draw out names when this ends, could be fun! Followers first for the most wanted prize, then others? We will see. One at time for each thing wanted maybe? Defo followers get priority, that is from the 25 followers that were following when I first posted and I have printed you off so I know. New followers are very welcome and will get priority next time I give candy.

More lovely post today

My candy arrived from The Little Paper Shop in the USA, it is a really sweet set! Thanks so much Little Paper Shop.

I won a stamp from Crafty Pad

I won this cute stamp at the Crafty Pad 7 day stamp give-away (thank you so much Debbie), looks just like my neice and I will make her a card with the stamp for her birthday later in the year.

My stamp arrived today along with my new Letraset Tria Markers, I love post like this!

Son new home card - the rest

Finally I have finished the marathon new home card! Here are the rest of the pictures, and a redone panorama of the one show below as I added to the last panel.
Lets hope he likes it.