Fresh in every way!

Oh my goodness, bad blogger, bad bad BAD blogger!! I have smacked myself on the wrist several times believe me. I had all good intentions on posting more often and then this huge lapse! I've been very busy, so busy that most days I run around like a headless chicken!

The "Fresh" title refers to two things, one the theme for this months ATC swap on the Charmed Cards & Crafts forum is "Fresh", and secondly the fresh new rooms for my two adorable daughters. I posted some pictures of Aimee's room as a work in progress, and it is now finished. Amber's room still need a new window, but that will be fitted this week so I'll post some pictures of that then.

Here are the set of ATC cards for the Charmed Swap. The theme as I said was "Fresh" this month and I decided to go with fresh colours/fresh fruit/spring-like feeling etc.

I included a little definition of the word "Fresh"

Here they are inserted into their pockets.

First time I have made three identical cards, usually I make them all different, but time was not on my side, and I quite liked doing them like this.

My forum friends want to see pictures of Aimee's finished room and here they are:

Black curtain pole, curtains and bed sheets from Next

White wardrobe from Next. White drawer unit from Homebase. Chocolate brown sofa chair from a site I found, good value at only £39.99 and super for when friends come to stay.

These were the only soft toys that Aimee decided she wanted to keep. My baby is growing up!




View from the landing into the room. We laid real oak flooring, which I really love.




Mirror from IKEA, Wall unit from Next, Desk and chair from IKEA.









Cabin bed from Homebase






Lovely wool rug from Next

Photo frame from IKEA with pictures of Aimee in various stages of her life.

So there you go, one rather grown-up room for an almost teenager :-)

Oh btw, I have been requested to set up a Facebook account for Charmed and have now done so. If you want to add us then search for "Charmed Crafts". See u there :-)

xxx

Chocolate!

I have got to show you THE most gorgeous box of chocolates I was lucky enough to receive this Christmas! I didn't know whether to eat it or scrap it!! It was given to me by one of my favourite customers; even the box was juicy and closed with a quiet quality sound. My daughter Aimee took these pictures as I wouldn't let them have a taster until I some pictures. I wondered what the heck she was doing as she built a backdrop and contorted into awkward positions with my camera! She's a real chocoholic and you have to guard your chocolate stash like it was the crown jewels! This box was consumed very very slowly and every mouthful savoured; mostly by me it has to be said, as I shoved the Quality Street's the children's way to keep their insatiable appetite reasonably sated. I think fine chocolate is wasted on the under 20's - under 30's come to that. Let me tell you that the taste was everything I expected, and more. The pictures are really not doing it justice.

Damn fine, yes?

Here is my little thank you note that I sent in return. My daughter proclaimed it to be "too plain" though so I added some "other bits" before sending. Only when she was happy with it did it leave with the postie.

Actually I think this finest of boxes of chocolates deserve a little scrapping. Hang on whilst I go put something together................

....OK, here is my little tribute to my oh so fine box of chocolates.

What is it with us women and our relationship to chocolate? ;-)

Blog Candy Winner

I really really wish you could all win. So many of you have left lovely comments and I am definitely coming to pay you a visit as soon as I can. Thank you all for linking to the give-away from your sites. Don't despair if you don't win, I'll have some more blog candy soon, I promise :o)


Here is the winner:

Congratulations number 37 - JOEY. Please email me your address HERE

Karen xxx

'ave a Laugh...........

I love cards and projects that make me smile; as I was setting the challenge on Dottie's World today I decided that the theme should be to "'have a laugh":


"Start the New Year with a Laugh" . I simply want to see "something funny" on your project, what you use and how you make it is up to you.

I want to encourage our download customers to experiment with their downloads, play around with them and give them your own personal touch. That is what's so bloody marvelous about the downloads, they are so simple to use as well as flexible and pliable - mould them to your requirements.

I created two examples for this challenge; both uses the download images - but the heads are replaced by real life people.

In this first one I used two Dottie images: Fairy Godmother Dottie from the Dress up Dottie collection got Amber's head, and Office Dottie, from the Dottie at Work collection, received Aimee's head. Aimee and Amber are of course my daughters.

The second example uses one of the images from the new Girl About Town collection - with my little Charmed forum friend Shell's lovely head. It's Shell's birthday tomorrow and this is my card to her. I always imagine Shell surrounded by animals, thus I placed a menagerie of animals all around her here. I also added her name to each parcels on the stack of packages on the bench.

I think it's hilarious when you swap the heads like that ;-)

TFL

Karen xxx

My blog candy winner will be announced tonight!

Welcome 2009!

It's been a while since my last post and since then a brand new year has met us. I hope you have all been able to enjoy the holiday period, and not been rushing around like blue-a*se flies trying to make it nice for everybody else!

Our Christmas was a mixture of both, nice and relaxing and then running around like blue-ar*e flies. Lots of cooking (lots of eating (and sadly now lots of dieting!)) and then I worked between Christmas and New Year. We have also been trying to move Aimee into her new room but it is a work in progress. All the decorating has almost been completed, but there is a few areas by the window that just wont dry. heaters have been blasting at it and finally it seems we have conquered the wetness, and thus hopefully the paint will stick! The problem was because the room has been empty for some time and not heated.

We chose real oak wood flooring as Aimee has asthma and carpets are not the best for her. Got a blinding bargain on the floor, Homebase had both a sale and their 10% day, so it ended up costing only £17.99 per sq meter!! Can't wait to see that down.

We also have a new baby in the family, little adorable, and totally edible, Stanley. Aimee and Amber were both enthralled with their new little cousin.

Finally, I am going to announce the blog candy winner either later today, or tomorrow. I think I might use a random number generator as there are too many names to print out and put in a hat ;o) Thank you to everyone who left a comment and the very best of luck to you all. Don't despair if you don't win (and there can of course be only one), as we shall have more blog candy for you all in the not to distant future xx

Happy New Year to you all xxx

MEGA MEGA MEGA CHRISTMAS BLOG CANDY!!

Fancy getting yourself a huge load of crafting goodies? Well all you have to do to be in with a chance is add a link to this post from your blog and post a comment here. We will draw a name "from the hat" on the 1st January 2009. This blog candy is worth a massive £130 RRP so don't miss out. This post will stay on top until the 1st. Jan


Here is what you will get:

• 150 K & Company 12x12 Designer Papers in a lovely reusable box
• K & Co Brenda Walton Grand Adhesions
• K & Co Brenda Walton Memory Pockets
• Wings & Flowers Software
• CherryArte Die-cuts
• Hot Off The Press Sarabooks Words & Quotes
• Basic Grey Infuse 6x6 Paper Pad
• Imaginisce Blossoming Romance Rub-Ons
• Imaginisce Now & Forever
• Lickety Split Stickers
• Imaginisce Falling for you Tags
• Five assorted rolls of American Crafts Premium Ribbon
• Dovecraft Ribbon
• Imaginisce Ribbon & Blooms
• Imaginisce Butterfly Blossoms
• Imaginisce Little Kisses (Flowers)
• Imaginisce Big Hugs (Flowers)
• Imaginisce Polished Pebbles (BRADS)(BLUE)
• Imaginisce Polished Pebbles (BRADS)(PINK)
• Imaginisce Polished Pebbles (BRADS)(WHITE)
• Favorite Findings Buttons Flutterby
• Favorite Findings Buttons Everything's Rosy
• Favorite Findings Buttons Noah's Ark
• Favorite Findings Buttons Valentine's Hearts
• Favorite Findings Buttons
• Imaginisce Snag'em Stamp "I love you"
• American Traditional Lil' Charms
• Imaginisce Push My Buttons
• Imaginisce Love Crystals RED
• Imaginisce Love Crystals PINK
• Imaginisce Love Crystals CLEAR
• Ranger's Inkssentials White Opaque Pen
  

If you want a DOUBLE CHANCE of winning then pop over onto the Charmed site and see how (there are more prizes over there too!).

GOOD LUCK!!!

Gift Pocket Card

I have just written the Monday Mojo post on Dottie's World so will just repeat it here, I am feeling lazy and haven't got the strength to reword it when I show you my cards ;o)


The new Girls About Town collection lends itself to some gorgeous ideas, here are just a couple.

If you have forgotten to get someone a gift then why not try this idea. I have used it as a birthday gift here (as I needed to) but you can of course quite easily change it to Christmas. Instead of a second shop you could add a Christmas tree for example. Similarly you can substitute the coffee mug holding the money for a present box, or a handbag etc, the possibilities are endless.

I cut a pocket in the mug at the top and attached a piece of heavy cardstock at the rear to make a solid pocket at the back.

The picture below shows the slit at the top

I attached a length of rick rack ribbon to the inside of the card at the top to emulate the scallops found on some shop canopies. A good idea would also be to cut along the bottom of the canopy itself on a larger shop image and slide the rick rack below the edge to achieve the same effect.

Here is another card I made, once again using an image from the gorgeous Girls About Town collection

If you haven't already got this bundle then, why not? I simply cannot see how you could live without it! There are 54 images, backgrounds and sentiments. Check out what you get in the bundle here.

Thanks for visiting xxx

Red, Green & Gold

I didn't think I was going to be able to make the DT card for Dottie's World but I can't let the team down so here we are. I am taking pictures at midnight so will take some better ones when there is daylight. Nicola set the challenge this time, and she wanted to see lots of red, green and Gold ONLY. Nothing but red, green and gold on my card (unlike others I could mention - naming no names *cough*).

This is of course an image from the gorgeous new Girls About Town downloads by Louise Brigden, available only at Charmed Cards & Crafts. I also used a snowman from the Bumper Christmas Download collection. Click the blinkie in the right-hand pane to grab these beauties.

Oh crikey, it's 12:45am so I better get off to bed!! Bye for now and thanks for visiting xxx

Winter Wonderland

This card reminds me a of a winter wonderland and I wish I could just step in there and live in that cosy house for Christmas - well it has our surname on the letterbox already! Can you not FEEL that Christmas spirit? This is my card for my girls :-)

Thanks for looking xx

It's almost here..

........the big day that is. Are you all ready? I was dreadfully unorganised this year but it's all coming together, thank goodness! Haven't even spared a thought for the food shopping, let alone bought anything at all edible, but hopefully Sainsbury's will leave a few bits of the shelves for me and my family, then it will be shopping trolleys drawn at dawn and the clashing of the titans!!

The K&Co Light Ideas Grand Adhesion on my card above lights up, just like the Christmas tree yesterday. I do love this range, they really make a card extra special. Pop back tomorrow when I will have another Christmas card to show you :-)

Thank you for visiting my little corner in Blogland xx