Daring Cardmakers

A couple of my forum girls are always making cards for the Daring Cardmakers Challenges. I thought I would join in this time. The challenge was "Circle of Friends", with at least one circle. I made this card as I wanted to send something like it to a friend who I have lost touch with. I do miss seeing her and our chats on the phone, it's too easy to get caught up in family life and lose touch with people you once cared for.




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Making room for a piano...

...is not easy task! But it is one that somehow has presented itself to me! Although not exactly a grand piano it is a sizable beast and it's proving a difficult task.

The girls have started piano lesson and need to be able to practise of course. So I have ordered them a digital piano (half price so quite a bargain). I ordered in haste and have spent much time measuring various gaps to find a home (should have measured first then ordered to suit!). The past two hours have been spent moving things around and I think we finally have a home for it. Now of course I am sooo looking forward to the arguments about whose turn it is to practise. I wonder if my local hypermarket sell ear plugs!

Had time to make a card though. I love the DCWV Once papers and used a couple here. Round shape and flourish cut on my Silhouette. Basic Grey Urban Couture ribbon.

Another Tag..

Thank you Jay for nominating me LOL. Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs

1. Done that

2. Seven Random facts:

1. Pears give me terrible wind
2. I had rheumatic fever when I was 14 and spent many months in hospital
3. I tend to dissect food. When eating a Big Mac for example I'll eat the edge of the top bun first then the inside middle of the top bun and then the rest of it. After that I'll nibble the edge of the burger and carefully munch my way around as the burger get smaller and smaller.
4. I never wear socks and walk barefooted indoors.
5. I'm a capricorn and have many of the common traits
6. I'm a terrible hoarder and hate to get rid of anything
7. I love laying on the sofa, watching a film whilst munching a huge bar of Whole Nuts.

Now for my chosen seven. That's the toughest part really as I'm not really into the blogging scene. I'll have to come back to that.

That was blimming tough, but here are my chosen seven (in no particular order):

Caroline (laid yourself WIDE open when you posted the comment lol)
Pinky
Lorraine
Sam
Mel & Jill
Cheryl
Mellie

Now I'm off to alert them all!

Love Struck....

Just wanted to make a quick card for Juliet's challenge. The requirement was to include a love heart, and I think I've done that here. The edge was meant to look like a heartbeat but ended up looking more like nan's lace doily - it's been a long day..........!


It does look much better IRL but I can't put the flash directly on it because of all the silver. We R Memory Keepers Silver Lining "Sateen" paper.

Been a while...

I'm slacking again! My posts are getting more and more infrequent but then again only 2 or 3 people actually read this blog so I'm not dissapointing the masses ;o)

I am considering scrapping the competitions at Charmed and instead have card challenges with a monthly "card maker of the month", these seem to be very popular at the moment and it may spur people on to use things they perhaps wouldn't normally consider. We shall see.

I'm already in a Christmassy kind of mood, and here are some cards I made yesterday.

This first one has a cosy feel to it I think. It reminds me of fragrant Christmas garlands and mulled wine. Chipboard frame painted green, red and gold, with large gold eyelets. BG Mellow fibres loosely wrapped and threaded, BG Dasher paper, Christmas presents border with K&Co Peppertwist Twist adhesions. Peppermint Twist Ornament alphabet "Noel". Gold flourishes inside made with Gold Glamour Dust.

The second one uses paper from the 8x8 Dovecraft Blue Christmas paper pack. Extra trees were cut out and mounted on foam pads then onto acetate. BG Periphery letters for the title. Large star is a Chippie chipboard star decorated with Glistening Snow then glitter.

I really like this one, it looks stunning in real life. Large chipboard snowflake (chippies) with Glistening Snow Writer (DecoArt) and clear Glamour dust on paper from the same pack as before. Fibre from BG Mellow (soooo versatile!). Large Dovecraft Funky Brad in the centre (i just lurveee those brads!).


The final card is a fun card with extra Christmas sparkle. BG Dasher papers, green velvet ribbon, Santa and tree from K&Co Peppermint collection. BG lettering. Glistening Snow applied around the edge.

That's my Christmas fix for a little while - until Figgy Pudding arrives of course, YUM!!

She's back!!!

My baby is back safe and sound from her school holiday!! Oh how we have missed her! The house has been so quiet and remarkably tidy!! The girls always blame each other for the mess, well now I know who the culprit is!

Aimee had a fabulous time of course and returned with a huge list of activities she had done - good job I wasn't there as I probably wouldn't have allowed half of them! One thing she didn't come back with was her underwear, BECAUSE I DIDN'T GIVE HER ANY!!!! We had initially packed everything in a small case, realised that was too small then re-packed in a larger case. Problem was that Aimee insisted she wanted to do that and she hadn't noticed the underwear I had packed into a side compartment in the bag! Can you believe it? I feel such a bad mummy! Thankfully her best friend had spares so she managed to borrow some, but she had to make do with three pairs for the week (and if you knew Aimee you would know how she would have felt about that!!).

She looked so tired when she returned and fell asleep very early last night on the sofa, bless. Boy, it's good to her her back!!

Here's a picture of when she left.

Masculine Cards

Bit difficult those guys aren't they, and they take that right into card making. It's no coincidence that you rarely see masculine cards in card idea sections, and if you do then they usually have a car, fishing rod, football or boat somewhere. Here's one I made today. It's a digital/normal hybrid and I'm really pleased with it. Not a card, boat, football or fishing rod in sight :o)

Maya Road Velvet Rick Rack, Basic Grey Papers, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Hot Off The Press Grey Big Brads and Rub-Ons.

Tagged....

Thank you Lou for tagging me LOL This means I have to put my thinking cap on; after a hard weeks work that aint no easy task!

4 places I have worked:
Austin Reed, Regents Street in London's west end for two years. Posh mens wear shop so got to fiddle with loads of masculine bods!
Haseltine Primary School, Sydenham London. Special Needs for two years. This was a tough job and so heart breaking. I worked with children who had been abused in one way or another.
My luverly gorgeous shop that I had for several years. I sold lots of unusual cards, dried flowers, gifts and lots more. It's was fabarooney!
Owner of Charmed Cards & Crafts (current). Probably the hardest I have ever worked!

4 Places I have lived:
Struer, Denmark (where I am from)
Stockport, Manchester (for 6 months when I first came to England at 17)
London
No other places

4 Places I have visited:
Countries other than Denmark and England I assume, so
France,
Corfu (for several months - heaven!)
Italy
Germany

4 Favourite Foods:
Bøf med løg (work that one out)
Roast beef or pork ( can't beat a good Sunday roast!)
Anything with cream, from whipped cream to creamy sauces. I just lurve cream (my hips hate it unfortunately)
Freshly baked bread with Lurpak butter (my hips will disagree on this one also).

4 Places I would rather be:
Denmark, sitting with my brother having one of our cosy chats
Denmark eating lots of lovely food
Denmark walking round all the familiar places
Denmark

Now for the difficult part. I have to tag four people. As I'm not a great reader of blogs that's going to be tough.

These are my chosen ones (sorry guys HA HA HA):

Caroline
Roz
Julie
Tracie

School Journeys

I remember our school journeys as a child and what fun they were. The excitement and anticipation was quite wonderful. However, when the shoe is on the other foot it's not so great. This situation is now presenting itself to me and I now see it from the other side of the coin - the side that has no excitement, that's replaced with dread, and the only anticipation is nervous jitters! Yep, my baby is going on her first school journey!

But hello! Is it any wonder I worry? When we went on our school journeys we had organised SAFE trips, cycle rides and lots of swimming, now it's abseiling, rock climbing and something quite horrendous called "night line"!! The fact that they need two sets of old clothes that could be left behind for this latter activity does nothing to abate my fears!! ... and "old clothes"??? The girls have no "old clothes", we get rid of those when they grow out of them!! So then what? We have to buy two sets of clothes that can be used as "old clothes"! A trip to Primart then for some cheap sh*te!

Then there's the list of clothing, lots of this that and the other, but they can only take a small bag to put it all in!! Have to have a word with Doctor Who then and see if he has any ideas! Not sure if they do a tardis in bag size!!

I've spent a small fortune on lots of new clothes for Aimee, because it's going to be cold and I haven't really started on their winter wardrobe yet. Have you ever tried to find a waterproof coat for a 10 year old? It's nar on impossible!! They stop making them after the age of 5! So instead I bought an expensive ski jacket that is all weatherproof! If she leaves that behind I'll have a stroke!

Also on the list it says that they can bring sweets - boiled sweets only! So I'll expect Aimee back with several cracked teeth and visible decay shall I? No way am I allowing that! Was this list put together by a man per chance? Certainly no mother would be so stoopid!

Anyway, Aimee is going on Monday and will be back Friday night. I am absolutely dreading it but I am certain she will have a wonderful time.

To cheer me up a little I made another Christmas card. I love the Dolly Mama stamps! It's difficult to find stamps displaying adult humour but these little beauties are so funny.

Just a Quickie...

.....a quick card that is! This card showcases the fab Imaginisce Black Tie range. 3D Star cut on my Silhouette (sorry Juliet!!).