Flippin Women - Bingo and Happy Birthday Sister in Law

Remember I said I bought some bargain Flippin Women and Men stamps? Well here is the Flippin Women bingo stamp set that I used on this Sister in Law card yesterday.
I coloured the image with Promarkers, cut out the two images and sandwiched them together with acetate in the window of the card. I cut the window with a Spellbinders Nestabilties large label die. I used the other stamps in the set to add the words and balls to the front, and stamp the message inside. I found some bingo paper that I remembered having, it is by Karen Foster, now I need to find more of it!
I cut the lining in two parts to make it easier to line up the front apetures, even doing that the lining "caught" and didn't line up perfectly but it isn't too bad. Happy Birthday and Sister in Law are both Papermania stamps, the latter is from the brilliant Relations double set which I recently purchased in Trago Mills (it has just about every relationship you could want), the former is from a Daisy and Dandelion set.

Looking round for challenges I might be able to enter and found:
Cute Card Thursday - So Transparent.
Charmed Cards Crafty goings on blog - anything with an image you coloured yourself and you can win great blog candy here - 72 Copic markers, how cool is that!

Glue Arts - BOO ME

To be booed by Glue Arts and possibly receive some Halloween candy you need to post this ghost and then go post a reply on the Glue Arts blog so they can come visit.

Check out my new photo. http://ping.fm/b5IYy

Check out my new photo. http://ping.fm/ZkTul

Quirky Crafts Challenge 37 - recipe by Anne.

The recipe is to use red and gold, must be two different types of gold (say card and ribbon), one stamped image, one length of ribbon and one patterned paper.

I cut the card with a Sizzix Bigz XL die, the red frames are a Nellie Snellen die set, the inner scalloped square is flat to the card the outer frame is raised off the card for a 3D effect using silicone glue but hard to see that from the photo. The image is House Mouse coloured with Promarkers, and cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities square die. The flowers are punched with a Nellie Snellen punch and emboss set with added gems. Ribbon was WH Smiths, magic cord from Crafty Ribbons, bow made using the Bowdabra.

I think most of the design team have decided to go for something Christmassy, hop on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge Blog to see the other gorgeous creations and to enter your own.

I have entered the following challenges too:

Crafty Cardmakers - Use something that was a freebie. My freebie is the paper that the flowers are punched from.

Paper Garden Projects blog - holiday cards

New goodies

Say the word SALE, followed by Stamps and I am there!  So recently I have bought the entire set of Flippin Men stamps and some of the Flippin Women - there weren't many women left. These were only £1 each reduced from £9.99 per set so how could I not buy them from Imag-e-nation and I only went there for a free digi download.
Then I had an email from Elzybells announcing a 75% off closing down sale. Right there, right away! I spent "cough" rather a lot more than I anticipated but there was the lovely rubber and some other things I couldn't pass up on.

Now this is where the Royal Mail played a blinder. I had an email saying the goodies had been dispatched on Oct 4th, so when I got one of those cards saying a package is at the PO and too big for your letterbox (mailbox) I went right on line and asked for redelivery on Saturday 9th Oct. Postie came and delivered a parcel but not the one I expected. So I thought I must have been wrong, and waited, and waited.......Finally I had a hunch that the parcel that had arrived was nothing to do with the card, and that the redelivery may not have happened, the card didn't have any numbers on it to identify it, so how could the PO find it to redeliver I thought. So yesterday I popped in to the collection office to see if they had my goodies and after much searching they found them, not helped by me thinking the package must be smaller than it was! So Hooray I have my rubber and the other goodies.
Elizabeth who started Elybells to sell her stamp designs is not giving up completely, but she will be working for one of the big stamp manufacturers in future, Penny Black I think, so Good Luck to her and I am sure we will be seeing many of her designs soon.

The next lot of goodies which actually arrived first was from Crafty Ribbons.

When I saw this new gadget for making stunning bows I had to have one, after all it is under £10 (under £9 in fact) and my favourite ribbon people not only endorse it but are selling it and using it. I had to get some of these cute ribbons too, and got a freebie. The thing by the Bowdabra is my attempt at a bow with it.

Apart from these goodies I have been buying cute dog stamps, so watch out for cute dog cards coming soon. I have been on the lookout for a stamp of a dog that someone sent me in a swap but cannot find him, I found a smaller similar dog by Inkadinkadoo and bought him. The dog is sitting wagging his tail and holding a bone in his mouth, the original one is a scruffier one than the Inkadinkadoo version but very similar. I wish I could remember who made them so I could search for it, I am sure I knew once.

Quirky Crafts Challenge 36 - Sketch by Caro

Challenge 36 started this evening over at Quirky Crafts Challenge blog and  is a sketch by the lovely Caro. As soon as I saw it I thought of my Hero Arts Clings sitting there as yet unused, and thought these would be perfect. The sentiment is a little too large but does it work?  I turned the sketch around as you can see. The snow person is paper pieced and then shaded with Pro-markers. The snow circle and the greeting are stamped with Brilliance in white and embossed with Stampendous pearly white powder. Snow person stamped with Memento ink. Fluffy bobble(on hat), snowflake buttons and starry ribbon from stash. Paper was a freebie last year from Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. Shapes cut with Nestabilties by Spellbinders, though looking at it now I think I could have made the sentiment a little smaller but I was sure the next size down didn't fit it!

Hop on over to see what the other teamies have done with this sketch and have a go yourself, there is a prize this time and a chance to be a guest DT member and display the winner's badge.

Waitrose are lovely

I recently ordered from Waitrose for the first time. They have only started delivering here since opening a new shop about 10 miles away. I did pop in to check it out when I had to go that way for something else recently.
Well there were a few things not available, the delivery man was most apologetic and some substitutes I sent back, and he told me if there was anything else I wasn't happy with to ring the free phone number.
After he had gone when I started to put stuff away I realised that the two tubs of organic Duchy ice cream both contained maize starch, something that will make me feel ill. I rang to say it would be helpful to have that information on the website, as the ice cream was not cheap and they told me as a gesture of good will they would refund me. I was surprised to get a message left on my phone telling me later that the branch would not refund me after all. I rang again and asked if I take this back to the shop will they refund me then? Of course they would have to throw it away. Customer services advised me to ask to talk to the manager next time I was in the shop taking my bill with me, but as I don't go to the shop usually I wanted to phone and ask about it.

I spoke to the manager who apologised and told me of course they would do a refund, and he would look into it. I later got a phone call from another manager who told me they had refunded me double the cost and could they deliver a bunch of flowers to say sorry?
How lovely is that, and not something that the likes of Tesco practice for much worse things (such as the gone off chicken)!

Anyway the poor chap who turned up, and I think it was a manager, asked if he had caught me at a bad time. I was wearing my yellow rubber gloves, my beloved old pink T shirt that has moth holes and a blob of blood coloured paint in the middle from a card making session, which was also a bit soggy and my hair (desperately in need of a trim) looked wild and so did I from his reaction! In fact my parents had been round before that and my Dad asked what was on my top, I said "blood" and he just said "oh". I had to tell him it wasn't really, wasn't worried about it being blood though. I wore it out dog walking once and worried in case anyone thought I had been stabbed - no not round here! I didn't even invite him in. Maybe my top is due for recycling, sigh.

Well I will definitely be ordering again, especially as delivery is free for over £50 of goods, and you can order fresh fish unlike the other supermarkets and the service I got today was superb.

Better late than never!

I am late with my Design Team card for Quirky Crafts challenge 35, which is my recipe and had to include stitching (faux or real), Lace, at least two buttons and the colour teal or turquoise. So not good I am late but I did have a lot of family issues going on. You have a week to join in, so hop on over to see what the rest of the DT have done and the lovely entries we have so far and if you win you will join us on the DT for one of the future challenges and be able to display a winner's badge. Challenge 34 was won by the lovely Padster, who will be Guest Designer on challenge 36.
The card is from Papermill, the paper and stickers are by Papermania from a set called "Touch of Teal. The lace was from Lakeland when they were selling craft stuff but it took me years to work out it had a peal off backing like DST, I was trying to lick and stick which didn't work of course and then just gave up! The pink blooms are Prima and were part of a great blog candy, the teal blooms are made using an amazing new stamp and embosser duo by Nellie Snellen which I bought at the Exeter Show last week at Westpoint and I think I will be buying the other sets.
Image is a Sugar Nellie stamp by Leanne Ellis, coloured with Promarkers and Trias. Buttons and half pearls from stash. I also made a matching tag with the leftover card that I cut off to make the card blank square.
Finally the stitching which was done with my newest toy which arrived yesterday:

I am so pleased with this, it did cost £50 but is fantastic for a mini sewing machine. It only weighs 2.3kg and has 10 stitches, reverse and a compartment to hold the spare bobbins and needles. It holds a proper spool of thread and has a drop in bobbin. You can do light sewing with it too, and listed on the box the uses include scrapbooking and papercrafting. It also comes in a range of colours. (Please excuse messy work bench all around it but the scale of it can be seen from the punches next to it and the handle of the big shot). So much easier to get out and use than my big sewing machine, and takes up less room too. The only thing I would say to John Lewis is please include a little matching screwdriver to fit new needles. Also a little light would be good, but maybe that is asking too much of a tiny machine like this - there are tiny light bulbs out there JL!

We did have a few days away last week in "Sunny" Torquay, and considering the time of year I guess the weather wasn't that bad, it was quite mild until Friday. We managed to go into Exeter shopping where himself bought a few things, and I bought a watch the same pink as the sewing machine. We also went to Trago Mills where I bought a few crafty bits, Forever Friends stamp sets, vellums, and some pick and mix card and other bits. We also visited the Otter Sanctuary and Butterfly Farm, and Totnes where we went round the castle - that is an expensive game at £7 or more for 10 minutes round a ruin but we have done it now. Lots of photos, despite my new camera lens not arriving in time. The hotel food was superb, we had a special deal including evening meal, have probably put on even more weight now despite walking along the sea front. When we got home I just didn't feel well, perhaps I had a virus.

The Exeter show at Westpoint was the best ever, so many stalls. I didn't go to any demos or classes as himself was waiting patiently in the car but was still in there over 2 hours, I sold his ticket to someone who was queueing and they got it at the price I paid and saved £2. Sometimes himself comes into the show, so I normally buy two tickets. I went in with one shopping bag and came out with the same, not bulging even, so he didn't blink an eyelid or ask how much I had spent or if I had the money to spend! I bought a punch around the page punch set by Martha Steward, two sets of Nellie Snellen punch and emboss flower punches (two sizes for nesting) and this was after deciding I would not buy any more punches but as soon as I saw the awesome flowers being made I had to have these. I also bought some material from Pinflair with Christmas panels on to cut out and make cards or other great items, they made bags, advent calendars, Christmas garlands - I hope I do use them. I also bought two sets of Paperartsy stamps, and two pads of Laura Ashley patterned papers, the papers were on the £1 stall, bargain. I also bought an ink pad and stamp of a lady exercising, I asked the stall holder to keep them and a Nellie Snellen die then had problems finding the stall again, the show was heaving by then. The issue was that they didn't have a card machine and I didn't have much cash to start with or any cheques, and the lovely lady on the Pinflair stall had let me have some cash back, but I had to go buy the Nellie Snellen punches (from Craft Habitat who never take cards) first to see what I had left and I didn't have enough for the die too when I finally found the stall again. I am sure the stall holder lost out by not taking cards, I heard someone else complaining about it who had gone elsewhere for her goods.