Reindeer Flight

I apologise for the fuzzy image. Usually when I take photos of my cards, I take quite a few to make sure I get a decent one. But this time I took one and thought that it was ok until I uploaded it. I've tried sharpening it with Photoshop but this is the best I could do at the moment.

This lovely reindeer die is from Tim Holt'z 'Reindeer Flight' set of two Sizzix dies. I had some nice ribbed card to give it nice texture and added a tiny black bead for it's eye. The background is the Cuttlebug 'Swirls' and the Christmassy strip down the middle is from Stampin Up. Another simple card that was easy peasy and quick to make. I was going to add a sentiment but it just looked too fussed so I left it like this.

I've got a really painful wrist at the moment which is making it hard to type. I don't know what I've done to it but it feels like I broke it!!! How can you break your wrist without noticing it until it's broke, lol?

Well I hope to get more card making done this weekend but it all depends what happens. Just when I think I have a nice clear day to get things done, other things crop up. Ah well, that's life.

Have a happy weekend and thanks for stopping by ...

This is the same card as yesterday but in my preferred colours, even though I still like yesterday's version, Did I mention the sentiment is by Memory Box? I can't remember and didn't check before starting this post.

Hey we've been having wonderful mild weather over here in the UK and long may it last. I'm really hoping we have a short winter this year, like a month or something. Now that would be amazing.

Sorry this post is really short but I'm about to have a visit from my hairdresser who is going to re-blond my hair for me :). I must put a new pic of me up on this blog as the one that's up now is nearly a year old and I'm sure I've got at least one inch thinner, lol!

Thanks for stopping by....

At last a reindeer card for Christmas

Well I seemed to have skipped Halloween and gone straight to Christmas. I'm now really into making Christmas cards which is just as well as I have a heap load to make.

I adore the Hero Arts 'Winking Reindeer' rubber stamp which is my favourite image at the moment, he's sooo cute. And I also love the simplicity of this card and the fact it didn't take long to make. The sentiment is by Memory box and the strip of Christmas cards is adhesive and by Stampin Up. I love using kraft card too as the colour seems to go with most other colours, particularly red.

I've made this in different colours and I'll show that tomorrow, I'm in two minds which colourway I prefer. I really like paper piecing, where you stamp the image onto another colour, cut out part of the image and stick it on (did I explain that right?). Well the white bit of the reindeer is the bit I'm on about, lol! Not that you see many white reindeers about, if any!

The lovely thing about reindeers is that they are perfect for sticking a tiny red rhinestone on for their nose.

We could use a tiny pinky rhinestone for a certain little cat....

Thanks for stopping by ...

Floozle

Oooh well I would love a little frazzled kitten like this. He's looking a bit like he's had an electric shock, but at least he does look furry which is what I was trying to achieve. I copied this picture from a book called 'How to Draw Anything' and the original picture was drawn with conte crayons. I just used a 2B pencil.

I am now getting in the mood for getting back into card making again. I know what I'm like when I've had a break, and with Christmas approaching I better make a start. Otherwise it'll be two days before Christmas and I'll suddenly get in the mood for making Christmas cards and it'll be too late. Also Stampin Up's new catalogue is out and it's full of the most gorgeous things and ideas to get me going.

Have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by ...

Happy Autumn Squirrel

Here is another drawing I did using Claudia Nice's book for inspiration. I so admire her drawings, she's amazing. Drawing fur is time consuming but I'm going to keep practising doing it as I need to improve so much.

Another thing I want to get better at is needle felting. I've made a few things but I haven't really made things as well as I've wanted to. Luckily for me, a new shop has opened up in Taunton (UK) called 'HandMaiden's' which sells all hand made things and even better than that is going to run a few classes. If they get enough people interested they are going to do needle felting so I've put my name down.

This is the best thing I've made so far, my sweet little donkey. I'll let you into a secret ... I actually intended him to be a rabbit to begin with but he ended up looking like a donkey so that's what I turned him into :).

Anyway check this out for some very sweet knitted pigs with wigs - so cute and funny.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day ....

Bunny Love

Oh I can't believe how I have abandoned my blog lately!!! I think I've just got side tracked by so many other things.

Anyhooo here is a practice scribble I did of bunnies, another favourite critter of mine. I know the paws of the one in the foreground are extremely weird, but I'm not that great at paws. I was trying to practice drawing fur which is something I really need to get better at. I copied these buns by a book by Claudia Nice (Painting and Drawing your Favourite Animals). And notice the smudgy paper?? Well that was me constantly erasing.

I need about 10 erasers, the one I use is soooo dirty it just transfers back onto the paper. The other thing I need to is more sharpeners because I use them so much they end up blunt and then my pencil ends up blunt and then I can't draw properly - boo!

Well I don't have a lot to write about which is probably why I haven't written up my blog. I like to have something to say and for some reason I just can't think of anything. Does this mean my life has got so boring? Hmmm, Maybe! Oh well ....

Thanks for stopping by ... be back tomorrow with a squirrel :)

Greyhound sketch

Here is a sketch I did of a greyhound but I'm wondering whether it looks a bit horse like? Hmm!

I love greyhounds, they are so beautiful and cute at the same time. I have tried drawing a whole greyhound, legs and all but I find that quite difficult - trying to get everything in proportion. I usually end up with one of the legs being shorter than the rest!

I'm a little stressed this morning as I've got a dentist appointment with 3 fillings to look forward too! Only 4 hours to go!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Another Cheetah

I spent a lot of time drawing this Cheetah. It actually wore me out and I wondered why I chose something with so many spots! I really wish I wasn't so heavy handed with my drawings. I need to improve that. This Cheetah didn't have a happy expression but neither did it have such a sad look either.

I have a real love of Cheetahs. I read a book called 'Pippa' when I was young, by Joy Adamson and I think that was the start of my fascination with them. Plus they are exquisitely beautiful creatures.

It is raining heavily outside. I don't mind so much as I don't need to go out so I'm having a cosy Sunday. Will probably watch a film this afternoon while doing some more drawing practice.

Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Sunday :)

Cheetah Love

Well I have been really quiet on the blogging front lately. I've given card making a rest for now. I've been giving more attention to my drawing. I need to practice as I really want to get better. I can't draw and make cards as well cos I can't give enough attention to either so I need to focus on just one thing at a time. I will get back to card making and you'll see some of my cards now and again but for awhile it might be just my drawings.

I adore Cheetahs so this is what I copied from a black and white photograph. It's a bit rough and I wish I could draw fur correctly but I guess that's why I need to practice more.

We are due for a rainy weekend here in the UK which is okay by me as it means I will stay in and work on some more pictures.

Thanks for stopping by ... another Cheetah coming up tomorrow :)

Baby, Baby, Baby

A friend of mine had a baby recently. And I had 9 months to get a card ready. But did I leave it till the last minute? And did she have the baby 2 weeks early? Yes, yes, yes! So I was totally unprepared and so went out and bought her a card!!!! I know, useless! I just hadn't been in the mood to make cards and I need to be in the mood otherwise I can't do them.

In the end (y'know when it was too late) I got in the mood and made these two cards using a digital image by Squigglefly. I don't think they have that particular baby image anymore - I couldn't find it when trying to do the link. But they have other gorgeous images there. In fact so gorgeous I want more of my friends to have babies so I can send them cute baby cards!

Again I am at a loss for words to write in this blog of mine. I guess just nothing interesting has been happening. But I did read something nice recently so I will share it with you...

Every time you smile at someone,
it is an action of love,
a gift to that person,
a beautiful thing.


Mother Teresa, 1910-1997

Have a lovely day and smile at everyone you see ...

Music Cat

Woo hoo I'm back! Where have I been? Ha ha nowhere too exciting!

It was my friend Kate's birthday so this card was for her - the clue is in the sentiment. Anyway this cute Penny Black cat stamp is called 'Toot the flute'. I did a music theme because Kate sings. Okay she doesn't play the flute but it makes a sound and so does singing so there's the link. Anyhoo I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the music background (it's called 'Allegro' I think). And the die cuts are Nestabilities labels.

I might have a couple more cards to show this week so watch this space... I've been a bit lazy in the card making department lately. It always happens, I go through phases where I just can't make anymore cards as all my inspiration disappears. Plus we've had a few days of sunshine and I just have to be out and about.

Here's a pic of Miss Miaowski looking cute.

She hasn't made an appearance on the blog for at least a few posts so thought you might like to see her. See how sweet and innocent she looks. It's all fake, believe me. I might show a pic of my hand after she bit me the other day, it all got swollen and infected. Don't think she understands that playing is supposed to be fun, think she thinks she is some kind of ninja who has to fight to kill.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon ....

Dancing Dodo

Don't wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel,
stride down there...

and light the bloody thing yourself.!!!

(as seen on Dylan's blog)

I haven't any cards to show so thought I'd show this Dancing Dodo video instead... love this song, very upbeat and happy :). This was also on Dylan's blog which gave me the idea.

Tim Holtz Bird on a twig

I have to say that my card is based on Lucy Abrams far more superior version here. I really love the twig. That's one of Miaowski's. One of my neighbours gives little twigs to Miaowski thru the window. She loves taking them in her mouth and running off like a little dog. I find twigs scattered all around the carpet! Very handy for my bird cards :)

My new phone doesn't take very good photos compared to my old phone so I might have to go back to using that instead. I've tried adjusting the light levels in photoshop but don't really know what I'm doing. This is the best I could come up with.

Interestingly the colours seem to go better together here than in real life! I embossed the musical notes (Allegro by Cuttlebug) onto a Nestability circle and rubbed over it with Stampin Up's Whisper White and layered it on a Nestability Big Scalloped Circle. The background was made with TH distress inks, Crushed Cordroy and Mahogany and overstamped with nice swirls from TH's Artful Flight stamp set.

I was only saying to Miaowski the other day, we take life too seriously, so better lighten up. She agreed ...
Ooops, just messing with the clipart on the phone. Little things amuse me, probably too much!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Bunny pots and Velvet Dots

Velvet dotty card - so touchable, love this spotty card by Doodlebug Designs. When I used this Penny Black bunny stamp before, I did it in browns but am much happier using pretty blues and pinks. I used glossy accents on the pots and on thei rabbit's noses. I added flower soft to the centre of the flowers. The sweet little tag and sentiment are by Stampin up - that has got to be my favourite tag punch. The flowers and paws are raised on glue dots to give a bit of dimension.

This card is a birthday card for a friend of my Mum's 11 year old goddaughter, I hope she likes it.

Well I haven't posted very much lately and this is the first time this month. I'd like to say I've been basking in the glorious August sunshine but all we seem to have had is skies full of grey clouds. Right now I'm feeling chilly so I'm going to have to put more layers on before I catch pneumonia, lol!

I made another card but I forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to my Mum as a second choice incase the bunnies weren't suitable. D'oh, how did I forget that?

I hope it is sunny where you are. Happy Sunday everyone ...

OMG Tim Holtz Sneak Peeks

And also a sneak peek at ol' Funny Face!

Greetings.

This is just a quick post. I wasn't intending to post anything until I checked out Tim Holtz's blog. Summer CHA 2010 is here and all the new exciting new products are out. So many Christmassy new gorgeous things to look forward to.

My favourite of all are these lovely deer dies. I just have to have them!

And check out these spooky halloween dies - my favourite are the crow and spindly scary cat.

Oh no! I'm trying to de-clutter and minimise. But I can feel a shopping frenzy coming on ... yikes!

Have a happy weekend and thanks for stopping by ...

A visit from a couple of ferrets :)

A friend of mine came round last night to show me these cute baby ferrets. Awww, what sweeties they are. They are from a litter of 5 and all were white apart from one sweet little brown one named 'Bandit' because he has that stripe across his eyes. He also had a rounder face than the others and when lying on his back looked like a baby otter. I would LOVE one of these as a pet.

I tried very hard to take a photo of Miaowski sniffing them but for some reason I couldn't get the camera to click. Miaowski's eyes were on stalks when she was these little fellas. She came right up to them and gave them a good sniff but was on her best behaviour and didn't try to eat them! Her tail went a bit frizzy and fluffed out as she wasn't quite sure what they were.

Shame I didn't really get good pictures of them. They wriggled around quite a bit. And just when I thought I was getting a really cute pic of Bandit lying on his back, the white ferret lay on top of him obstructing the view!

They just wouldn't pose for the camera.

If only little Bandit looked up at this point this next picture might have been better.

But it wasn't unfortunately.

I've told Miaowski she might be getting a ferret as a friend very soon :). Don't think she was impressed!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Looking through the window ...

I saw some giant flowers, lol! I made this card using this cool window template. So easy to do. Just hold or temporarily stick the template down, sponge some blue ink for the background and stamp the flowers (Hero Arts) over the top.

I am still trying to re-organise all my craft things and my whole flat and still have a way to go. I really need another room or two :).

I have my new phone (Nokia X6) and although I love it, I am disappointed with the camera. Well, not totally disappointed but it isn't as good as my last camera phone. And I expect with a new phone, it should be much better not worse. Another defect with the phone is that it's not robust and whenever you take a photo, the back falls off!!! It's great for music though, and I've transferred all my music from my PC to my camera as it has 16GB of space on it - amazing! Now I don't have to worry so much if my PC's hard drive fails as at least I've got my music backed up in two places, my Ipod and phone - phew!

I will try and get back to blogging more regularly soon but think over the next couple of weeks things will be a bit patchy as I continue with the big re-organisation (and hopefully sunbathing if our summer returns).

Thanks for stopping by...

Normal Services to be resumed soon :)

Been so busy going out and about lately so still no new cards to show. So here is Miaowski trying to hide a portrait of herself - wonder why? Excuse the fuzzy picture, the lighting wasn't too bright for this pic.

The weather has been so lovely but we are due for rain soon. So, I must spend some much needed time to re-organise and tidy up my flat. I need to create some space before I can create anything else.

Here is another pic of Miaowski, this time looking alert - think she might have spied a pigeon or a squirrel ...

Here is another picture of Miaowski looking good with a yellow background :)

Hopefully I'll be taking better pictures soon. I'm getting a new phone soon, the new Nokia X6 with Carl Zeiss optics. Doesn't that sound impressive? Who knows what it means as long as it sounds good :). Ahh, they are a German manufacturer of optical systems - well I'm trusting that makes it super good!

Will be back blogging soon. Guess it's bound to be a bit erratic during the summer months.

Thanks for stopping by ..

Tilt your head Scanner's not working

What's up with my Epson Scanner, I do not know. I put the picture in straight and this is how it scanned. I'm at a loss to know what it's up to.

Anyway here is a sketch I did recently. It's the first drawing I've done in a long while. I didn't get her nose or mouth quite like the picture I copied it from. But on the whole I'm quite pleased with my attempt. I'm going to try it again because the little girl is so beautiful, I need to try and capture her better. I used the wrong kind of paper because this is textured paper for watercolour painting so that didn't help

I was going to scan in the original picture but as you can see my scanner is doing weird things.

I was ill last night. I was attempting to be healthy so made a lentil dahl for my supper. I used all natural ingredients and spices. I chopped up chillis, ginger and garlic, onions and blended a few spices. Added spinach to the cooked lentils. Not sure whether I cooked it enough or what happened but lets just say I'm not going to be eating lentils for a long time. Actually I'm surprised I'm still here to tell the tale, I was so sick and all night long!

Have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by ...

Thinking of You

A friend of mine asked me to make a 'Thinking of You' card so this is what I came up with. I'm always nervous when people ask me to make something to order without specifying exactly what they want. Taste is all subjective after all. Luckily she liked it so that was good.

The background is embossed with a Sizzex Daisy embossing folder. And the ric rac ribbon I applied with little dots of glossy accents - there is no way that is ever going to fall off. That's the great thing about glossy accents - as well as an accent it is also a brilliant glue.

The bird is from Stampin Up. I coloured it with water colour pencils, it looked nice but it needed an extra lift. So I used a clear Versamark pen to make the image nice and wet so I could apply clear embossing powder over it. And look how nice and shiny it looks once I'd melted the powder.

Yummy, I love that glasssy look.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Twinkling H2O Dragonflies

More Asian dragonflies from Non-Sequiter Stamps. This time I coloured them in with Twinkling H2O paints. These paints are pearlized water based colours and are so nice you can paint on black card with them and they show up beautifully. Originally when I made this card I tried to be clever with a tassle hanging down the side but it just didn't look right so I took it out. But then there was a hole left in the card so I added the gold dragonfly brad - see, no such things as mistakes, just happy accidents :)

Not sure if this closer up pic shows off the beauty of the shimmery paints.

The gorgeous hot weather seems to have left the South West for the time being. I know, I wish it every year but I wish we could have at least 1 month (why not 3?) of nice warm summery weather without any breaks. Okay maybe some rain at night time but every day sunny and hot.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Hot Asian

All these stamps apart from the daisy (Stamp Addicts) are from Non-Sequiter stamps. You know I love Asian. My favourite dragonflies are these ones. I added glossy accents to them to make them even more special. Had to have a steady hand to do them like this. The background is brayered with Kaleidacolor Desert Sun.

Here's a closer look at their gorgeous shininess ...

Yesterday I went out for lunch with my Mum and sister. It was sunny out and quite warm. No sooner had my sister applied suntan lotion when suddenly it turned quite cool. We looked up and could see the blue skies had totally disappeared only to be replaced by grey clouds as far as you could see. And the warmth was replaced by a very cool wind. The wind got so windy I thought my coffee was going to fly right out of the cup!

Never mind, I had a lovely weekend. Watched 'Annie Hall' and 'Manhatten' over the weekend, two of my favourite Woody Allen films. So many funny lines in those films, can I remember them now? Nope!

Happy Monday! Thanks for visiting ...

Colour Pencil Cat

Ok you can see by the date I did this 2 years ago! I'm having internet and phone issues at the moment so I couldn't upload any photos from my phone. Hopefully I will be able to sort something out soon.

I drew this cat from a picture that was on a diary I had. I love colour pencil, so much easier than using water colours. I was pleased I managed to make the fur on this cat look furry :)

I might be taking a few days off blogging while I sort out my phone. And I need to rejuvenate my creativity. Sometimes taking a break from card making does the trick. Also I really need to practice my drawing so I have something more recent to show rather than my old art work.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back soon xx

It is a beagle!

This is a watercolour painting I did of my friend's beagle, Ruby. I'm really proud of this painting as I managed to capture Ruby just how she looks. Here is a comment by the same person from flickr who commented on the card I showed on Friday ...

Love the painting! Not really a beagle face...(little too wide) but very nice!!
(i used to train dogs for a few years)

Ahh, Ruby you do have a beagle face :)

Here is a picture of Ruby babysitting some kittens. The photo is a bit small as it was sent from my friend's phone

Well we had a beautiful HOT weekend here in the UK. It was gorgeous, and there is no denying this summer has definitely felt like a summer. Would be so nice if it continues through July as well, let's hope so. Anyway all this gorgeous weather has put a stop to my card making as I have just not been in the mood for staying in and my creativity has dried up for now. I'm sure it will return once the rain returns (forecast Thursday I think).

Really enjoyed watching Glastonbury this weekend. Muse were brilliant. Loved their opening with 'Uprising'. Wished I'd been there to see it. Was a bit gutted I missed Gorillaz. I taped them only to find that I had the wrong channel set - grrrr! But for a limited time the BBC are showing them here.

England are out of the World Cup - what's new pussycat? Only another 2 years to go before they are out of the European Cup and only another 4 years to go before they are out of the World Cup again. Ahh, at least they are consistent!

Have a lovely day and thanks for stopping by ...

Asian Hare

I made this card awhile ago and kept it because I love it a lot. And I keep meaning to re-make it so I kept it to remind me. The rabbit kanji is from Onyx Expressions and the hare/rabbit and good luck kanji are from Stamp Magick

The origami is easy. Take a square piece of paper, fold in each corner to meet in the middle. Then fold back half of each corner. And that's it. It makes a cute little frame.

I have this card on flickr and I was amused by a comment someone left. Here it is complete with spelling mistake and grammatical error (not that I'm always grammatically correct or spell perfectly!) ...

these are long ears for sure!! I like the part with the rabbit.
Unfortunately is the folding of the upperside card (the red part) a little crooked. And i woudn't used the whool...

But i still do like it!!

:)

The same person left a comment on a painting I did of my friend's beagle and told me it's eyes weren't right and it didn't look like a beagle. I might have to show that painting next week.

This weekend is set to be a scorcher - woo hoo. I'm going to be watching Glastonbury highlights on tv in the evenings. Looking forward to seeing Gorillaz, Muse, Dizzee Rascall, Groove Armada and Snoop Dogg, another great line up this year.

Hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back on Monday xx

Baby Bunny

Here is another watercolor painting of mine (with pen work). I did this about 4 years ago and it is one of my favourites, even though the fur isn't done as nicely as I'd like. It's my favourite because I love baby bunnies. I know, I love just about every animal going apart from, maybe, camels or goats (had to think about that!). I keep saying it, but I must get back to doing more drawings before I lose the ability altogether.

Yesterday I was pretty busy but I was intending to make a card for today. It wasn't until the evening when I suddenly remembered I hadn't made one! Too late, by then I was engrossed with watching 'The Good Wife' on tv. I like that series, it's an American legal drama and Chris North is in it, though that's not the main reason why I like it :)

Hopefully I will have something crafty to show for tomorrow, I'm thinking maybe some origami might be involved ...

Thanks for stopping by xx

Peacock Power

This Peacock is from this Hero Arts set. And the paper and card is from Stampin Up. Love SU products. Their papers and cards all co-ordinate beautifully with their inks and markers. I used the beautiful Taken with Teal colour on the peacock which is the same colour as the Nesties scalloped card. SU are discontinuing Taken with Teal so I'm going to have to stock up before it goes.

Shame the sentiment isn't straight - aaargh! I need gridlines on my acrylic block so I can line it up better.

I used teal coloured gems to accent that sweet peacock's tail feathers and headdress. Wished the scalloped rectangle was larger though. I like using Nestabilities dies but they need to have slightly bigger sizes I think.

Well today will be another day in the sun, yay! A new Italian cafe has opened up down by the river in Taunton. It's called Olio & Farino, it's really cool has lovely food and coffee there. Think I might pay another visit this afternoon and pretend I'm Italian for half an hour :)

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cheng Yan's Chinese Cat

Here is another cat by Cheng Yan. This stamp is available from Onyx Expressions and the red kanji for 'Cat' is also by them too. The beautiful red paper is called 'Asia' and I got it from The Fruit Pixie.

Talking of Chinese cats, here is another one ...

Nuff said :)

Have a lovely day today and thanks for visiting my blog ...

Kimono Kitty

My favourite stamp of all time is this gorgeous cat in a kimono by Art Neko. I have a larger version too. I haven't used these for absolutely ages and I feel sorry for neglecting them. The kanji is 'Cat' and I stamped it with Brilliance gold but because the card is a bit thick it absorbed much of the gold shininess. I used a small piece of beautiful Japanese paper as a kind of picture for the cat to look at, it was too nice to be used as a background paper.

Do you think a cat in a kimono is unlikely? Well Hana PetWear would disagree. Check out their beautiful kimonos for cats and dogs.


I've ordered 3 for Miaowski!!!! No, I haven't actually but I'd like to :)

Well it has been absolutely gorgeous here in the UK. The sun has been shining all weekend and we are due for a whole week of it - how nice is that? Well, I will have to be out as much as possible which will probably mean I won't be doing so much card making this week. Unless, of course, I get inspired. I'm lacking inspiration at the moment, think the sun has zapped it out of my head!

Have a happy Monday. Thanks for stopping by ...

Chubby Zebra

Another zebra card. This time with the chubby Judikins zebra stamp. I love stripes and I love black and white so I guess that's why I love the look of zebras. I mean, you can never have an old fashioned zebra, they will always look contemporary with their cool colours.

I used glossy card for this and masked out the zebra while I brayered over the top. It's just a simple card because I was a bit rushed yesterday and didn't have enough time to do much more.

If you ever wondered why zebras are black and white striped I will tell you. Its so their predators can't see them very well if they are all grouped together. All those black and white stripes are confusing to spot a single zebra in so a lion would find it hard to target. Zebra is a word in Old Portuguese that means 'Wild Ass'

Ok, that's enough zebra facts :)

Have a lovely weekend and see you on Monday ...

Sweet Thing

This sweet little girl image is a stamp by Penny Black called 'Sweet Thing'. The spotty card is by K and Co and the embossed dots is a new Cuttlebug Folder called 'Seeing Spots'. The flowers and pink pearls are by Hero Arts. I love this little girl image and shall be using her again with different coloured hair and clothes, so versatile.

Of course I had to add some glossy accents to the cherry and glitter to the wings. Love the raised glossiness of that cherry, just shame you can't really see it in the picture.

Some time today I'm planning on replacing my printer's ink cartridges - I put it off because I find it quite time consuming. My old printer used to be easy, just replace the cartridge, end of story. This printer (Epson DX7450) is a real pain. You change the inks and then it tells you you have to clean the nozzles. So you do a maintenance nozzle clean - which uses up half a cartridge so it's not long before you have to replace the cartridges again. If anyone has a decent printer I'd be happy to hear about it.

OMG I just found out that Penelope Cruz is dating the gorgeous Javier Bardem - I'm crushed. How can anyone ever compete with the lovely Penelope Cruz? Oh well, there is one consolation Javier Bardem has grown a beard so he's not quite as gorgeous before "sigh" :)

Thanks for stopping by ...

Dolls my Mum made

My Mum is in her 80's and is still very talented and creative. Here are some dolls she made recently that are going to be sold for a good cause at a fete this weekend.

Here are some more. My favourite one is the little blonde one, so cute.

I've been having serious internet issues this morning. Thought I was going to be without the internet - aaargh! Have spent most of this morning waiting for BT to phone me back after checking my line but in the end I couldn't wait so phoned them back. In the end all I had to do was stick a pen through a hole in the BT hub and wait for 30 seconds. It worked for about a couple of minutes then went again. So I repeated it and thank goodness it worked.

So I better be quick before it all goes again and get this posted quickly. If I disappear altogether you will know it's because I have no internet.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Chinese Cat

There is a beautiful painting called Chinese cat by an artist called Cheng Yan. I've always loved it and wished I had a painting on my wall. So I was very happy to see Onyx Expressions has a rubber stamp of it. Onyx Expressions do beautiful stamps and have a large selection of Oriental rubber stamps. And a large selection of cat stamps too. And they have both of Cheng Yan's cat images. I will show his other one another time.

But for now I did this one embossed in gold. That beautiful background is actually vellum and I got it from my friend's craft shop (it isn't in existence anymore I'm afraid). I'm sure it could be found again somewhere on the internet.

I'm not sure what's happened to the summer temperatures but they have dipped too low again and I spent all day yesterday feeling very cold. Especially as my flat gets no sun so feels I'm living in a cave. I had salad for lunch and was so cold I had to make soup to warm me up! I went to bed wearing gloves!! Honest, I did. Trouble is, I woke up in the middle of the night burning up with heat and wondering why I was wearing gloves. Miaowski was sleeping on my feet sending pulses of heat up my legs - I thought I was on fire!

Hope it's warm where you are today. Thanks for stopping by ...