Christmas Window - Thursday 8th August

Good Morning Friends,

Do you ever get the feeling that some 'greater' force out there is conspiring against you? I think that's what's happening here and I jolly well wish it would go away! First it was my neck and then my back (which still needs some healing!) and yesterday was the worst of the lot...one of our hens got sick. Our 'babygirl' Penny, who I do secretly confess to have developed a particular attachment to, had to go to the vet.

We noticed on Tuesday night, that she had a prolapse at her vent (I guess the human equivalent would be a prolapse of the womb, but I'll save you the gory details), so it's quite serious. I knew what had to be done to repair it, but didn't feel confident and felt she needed anitbiotics and possible surgery, so we cleaned her up and made a bed for her in the kitchen for the night (the others would have pecked her). The vet has two practices, one of them a 10 minute walk from home and the other a short drive away,in a nearby village. We trust him, he also has farm and equine patients so he does know about treating hens (some vets don't, as they specialise in pets and it's only recently that hens have been popular - though they can now do special courses. Do you know? The veterinary nurse who answered the phone, when I told her what the problem was, actually said that Penny would need to be 'euthanised' and did I want to make an appointment!!! I was very angry, stunned and upset. I told her that I was sure there was a chance of rectifying the problem and I would like her to at least see the vet first. Anyway, no surgery there today, I actually don't drive, so Tom (who is as daft over animals as I am), left work early so we could take her to the village late afternoon surgery.

The vet was, as always lovely - he didn't even blink, he took her outside, pushed the bulging duct back in and gave her a few stitches. I had given her two bottom baths anyway, so she was clean, all she needed extra was antibiotics and we are to take her back to the local surgery Monday to have the stitches removed. Penny is just the most docile hen ever and he said he had never seen such a well behaved hen! Honestly, when I was washing her yesterday, she just stood there as if she was having spa treatment. I didn't mention what the nurse had said, everyone was so lovely at the surgery and I was so relieved that he was able to treat her...so no crafting done again yesterday!

So here is my first Christmas card..yay I've finally made a start!

It's a really simple card that I made whilst playing with the window die for tonight's workshop. I used blue centura pearl card as the base, used a folder to create the embossed background and then die cut the window, again using centura pearl. The little poinsettias and holly are Spellbinders dies, just used to make a window decoration and I used a snowy scene from stash for my background, just adding some Cosmic Twinkles for affect.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it and thank you to my new blog lovin' follower Michele Coffey, I am so pleased you are now following my posts!

I have tried to visit most of you, if  I missed you these last few days/weeks, many apologies - I am determined to be 'back on track' soon and I know some of you like to hear about the hens, so I'll let you know how Penny gets on..as for the others, well it's that time of year - they are pretty pre-occupied with stealing as much as possible from the grapevine!

Love and Hugs,
Carole  X

Window Dressing - Tuesday 6th August

Good Morning Friends,

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I really do appreciate it! I should be posting more often this week and hopefully getting back to normal as my back improves ( I am touching everything in sight that's made of wood for luck!), I just have a lot of catching up to do - still a few commissions left, workshops and DT projects!

At the weekend I was playing with these window and window box dies from Tonic, which we will be using at our workshop this week...and this is my group's card..

I matted and layered the card using pink and white pearlised card, finishing with a layer of polka dots in pink and white - that is the basic mat and layering.

To create the top layers, I first of all used a brick walk mask by Wendy Vecchi. I mixed a little dreamweaver pearlescent embossing paste on my mat, with a few dabs of Victorian Velvet distress paint. This just makes the paste pale pink. I spread this all over the mask and then carefully removed to reveal the brick wall. I set this aside to dry, whilst I dressed the window and window box.

To make up the window, I die cut it on white card, and covered the back with acetate and pink pearlescent card. I made the canopy using the same polka dot paper, cutting two strips and trimming the edges with deckle edged scissors. I fixed it to the window with tape and 3D foam pads on the front to make it stand out.

The window box  die also comes with flowers and leaves, but for this project I used flowers cut from various dies and punches, which I coloured wirh Promarkers and then added some distress inks to the edges, just to make the colours more variegated. I found it easier to stck the box to the window with foam pads before decorating it with the flowers.

Once the wall had dried, I decided to cut around the 'bricks' and then took some Spun Sugar ink and inked the edges. I glued this to the card and added the window & box. For a finishing touch I die cut a little birdie, which I coloured with Promarkers and ink, stamped a greeting and fixed both of these to a cocktail stick, which I had coloured with a little distress paint, to make a planter 'pick'.

I really enjoyed using these dies and have lots of ideas, some of which I have already made into cards to share over the next few weeks..

Thank you so much for stopping by, it's so good to be back crafting and blogging! Thank you for all your good wishes X

Love,

Carole X

House-Mouse Hiker - Friday 2nd August

Good Morning Friends,

First of all thank you so much to those of you who left me get well wishes following my latest bad back episode.  I went back to work on Monday, although I did leave an hour or so early - sitting at a desk just hasn't been a good thing these past few weeks! These things always happen at the wrong time..I missed our work Trustees meeting and our Library management meeting - the only two meetings I actually enjoy attending and both had important items to discuss this time; I had to cancel the afternoon tea I do as a thank you to my volunteers every summer and at the end of the week, Tom had booked two days off...actually that was good because at least we were able to get out and walk which was far more comfortable for me!

Then of course there is craft..I have so much to do before we go away and last week I made two cards, both because friends birthdays were imminent and both were made standing up! Of course, you'll know that any tine away from craft and your mojo goes on holiday, which is exactly what mine has done!

I had my session with the Sports Massage Therapist on Wednesday and it was lovely! She explained all about my gluts being really tight and tense..it's amazing how these points that are effectively at the top of your bottom can cause so much pain in your back! I felt wonderful after the session and she went through some exercises with me, which I have been doing faithfully. It was also explained that for the next few days I may feel like I'm bruised, especially as it was my first session and that is exactly how I feel. I'm happy to report that I'm not in pain all the time any more, but I do have to make sure I don't sit for very long, especially at a desk and sometimes bending is still a problem, but I think that's me - it happened so suddenly this time, when I was doing everything right bending down, that I can feel myself tensing, which isn't good. Anyway, I think I will definitely go back for a follow up in a month's time and take it from there.

Before I go on to my card for today (one I made standing up) I would also like to say welcome to my new Bloglovin followers Martina and Rita, thank you so much for choosing to follow me!

This card was made for a male friend of ours, in fact my best friend Lynda's husband Brian. They live in the Lake District, so walking is something they do a lot - well you have to enjoy this beautiful part of the Country don't you?

As I said, I made it standing up, so it had to be a quick and easy card. I chose a project from the House Mouse project book, printed out the elements and put it together. I was as simple as that!

Today I have to knuckle down and get my card finalised for next week's workshop -I know what I'm doing, I just have to make it!

Thanks again for your good wishes, fingers crossed for continued progress!

Love and Hugs,

Carole X

Gilded Wedding - Saturday 27th June

Hello Friends,

Have you missed me this week? Sadly I haven't been on holiday, but off work with a flare up of my ongoing back condition..it has been agony and I have the hens to blame (LOL) because it was whilst cleaning them out last Sunday morning that it flared up, with a vengeance!

Those of you who have been following me for a while will know that whilst my friends were playing hockey and netball as a teenager (as was I), I preferred mucking out stables for rides and the chance to compete in riding school show jumping and eventing..as well as play ice hockey! All this has left me with a recurring back condition - well it was mostly that fall from  a horse that did it!  Sometimes I can go a couple of years without an attack, but this year I've had a few mild ones and it really makes it impossible to sit at my desk for long and craft or use the computer..and believe me I have it all set up for perfect back support! So I went to see a doctor and he has suggested I visit a Sports Massage Therapist, which he reckons is better for my problem that physio etc. I haven't tried any therapies for a while, so I've made an appointment for Wednesday.

So my friends that is why I haven't posted or visited many of you this week and right now I'm posting a card I made as a commission back in May...a Wedding card..

 I'm not going into much detail if you'll forgive me today..the hearts are from Scrapbook Adheives, coated with gilding flakes.

Hopefully I wil get to boghop tomorrow, probably using the iPad and am desperate to resume normal crafting as soon as possible!

Love and Hugs,
Carole X

Wedding Day - Sunday 21st July

Good Morning Friends,

I hope you are having a lovely weekend and enjoying the sunshine..thank you for your comments on my Tag Book yesterday, which I really appreciated. I saw from Facebook last night that Christine had a great day at her shop and raised lots of money for the Ronald MacDonald House charity.

We had a super day in Cardiff yesterday, enjoying the atmosphere by the water at Mermaid Quay and lunch outside on the terrace of a quay front restaurant..it was gorgeous!

Today's card is a wedding card I made recently as a commission: the lilac printed background paper is Damask by PInk Petticoat; I matted and layered this with white. lilac and mirri card, finishing with white card embossed with the Sue Wilson lattice hearts folder.

The 'To Have and to Hold' was typed, as were the names. The flowers are all made from a Britannia Rose die, except I didn't actually make some of them into roses, choosing to layer instead. To finish off I inked them and the edges of the sentiment with Milled Lavender. 

That's it, a quick post from me today! Happy Sunday all,

Love,
Carole X

Seaside Memories Tag Book - Saturday 20th July

Good Morning Friends,

The weekend is here! I hope that you are all able to enjoy some sunshine...Tom and I are taking the train for the short trip to Cardiff today, where we are going to meet up with my cousins from Swansea for a stroll at the Bay and some lunch, it'll no doubt be crowded but I'm looking forward to being near the water!

Today's project is a little tag book...I've been trying to make a start on scanning the photos from my Mum's albums to make sure they are saved and scrap-booked. Recently I bought a charity tag kit from Christine Emberson (Hope & Chances Creativity). Some of you also follow Christine's blog and will know that her youngest son, Elliott has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumour. During his stay in hospital earlier this year, Christine was able to remain close by because of Ronald MacDonald House, a residence opposite the hospital where parents can stay whilst their children are undergoing treatment. Although MacDonald's provided the initial start-up the running of this so much needed House is all due to donations. Christine sold these packs to help raise funds and today she is having a fund-raising event at her shop/Spellbinders Academy in Kent (wish I could be there!). There has been a raffle with so many big names in the craft world (including Spellbinders) donating wonderful  prizes...all such generous people.

You can still buy raffle tickets until Midnight tonight by following this link 

The tag kit consists of some die-cut shapes, papers, ribbons, embellishments for us to do as we wish with..I didn't use some of the embellishments because I needed a seaside theme, so they will be used in another project and I added some extra shapes, papers and embellishments of my own.

I decided to create a tag book of holiday memories from my very early  years. I began with a heart shape as  the cover, stamped with a quote from the Crafty Individuals Bathing Belle stamp set. I inked the edges of the heart with Brushed Corduroy distress ink. The first photo I added is one of my favourite photos of me with my Mum. The photos were taken in the sixties, so aren't brilliant in definition!

To the back of that tag I added some papers from the new Pink Petticoat Beach Cottage  papers - this one features ice cream cones, so the photo of me with an ice cream seemed to fit well. The little post card is an image from Tilda papers. I then added a little photo of me with one of my cousins, on one of those horse rides, with my Dad and finally building sandcastles!

Have a great weekend and please join me in wishing Christine a successful fundraiser today!

Love Carole X

This was a lovely little project to make and I'd like to enter it in the current  

Our Creative Corner Challenge: Captured Memories
Click on above for details of the challenge

More workshop photos! - Friday 19th July

Good Morning Friends!

Last night was the second of our 'Out of the Blue' workshops using the hats and bonnets stamp from Crafty Individuals. This week I decided on a variant of last week's card and asked the group to make their card based around the design I posted on Wednesday and these are their magnificent creations! I never fail to be amazed by the different 'takes' everyone has on one 'sketch', because in effect that is how I see my example - a sketch.

 The above card has a very rich, bold feel to it doesn't it? This was made by Sharon, who has also started her own blog and I am sure she will be uploading this card to it...check out her blog here  - Sharon brings some of her cards along to the group and they are stunning.

I am truly overwhelmed by all the cards these ladies come up with - some of them are seasoned crafters but many have only been crafting a short time..shows how addictive this is and why we become so passionate about it doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by..I really have to succumb to housework this morning..including a spot of ironing in the garden..yes I mean it, it I have to do it I may as well get a tan at the same time! Then hopefully an afternoon of crafting!

Love,
Carole X