Shiny Happy Crafters..............

Good morning blogging chums. Hope all is calm in your bit of the world. 

I'm back to work today (boo hoo!) and doing extra days this week too (boo hoo hoo!) so with friends funeral on Thursday, its not going to be the best of weeks.

I was due to visit John last Wednesday for a catch up, exchange of Christmas pressies (yes, it had been that long) and possibly helping him prep for his Hotjohnda shows (yes, the channel has been re-named as he was on so many times last week lol!!!). However, during a chat on the phone the day before, his sniffing and coughing alerted me to the fact that he was not a well boy.

Now, friend he may be, but a germ ridden one at that, so I said I wasn't going to risk catching the lurgy by visiting and ending up spending the rest of my holiday in bed with tissues up my nostrils, sucking a Fisherman's Friend (they are throat sweets for those not familiar with the UK lozenge market and thinking I had an unusual cold remedy). But, as I had some of the stamps and dies he was using, I made some samples for John for the show to help.

These (and the Christmas pressies) were exchanged in a wet layby on the A4600 as John was en route to the studios so I dread to think what the parked up truckers thought as we ooohed and ahhhed over the bags and waving cards about (at arms length to keep away from the lurgy).

Now,this is one of the samples I made for John and a couple of you noticed its TV appearance.

Ingredients

Cream card base

Black card

John Lockwood Daffodil Burst stamp

SW striplet outer edge die

Acetate

CE double sided sticky sheet

Double sided tape

Gilding Flakes (a random box of mixed leftovers)

Ranger black archival ink

Teeny gold bling

Krylon Gold Leaf pen

I do this slightly differently to John and Sue but John did actually demo it my way on his last show. I stamp the acetate, let the ink dry for a bit, then stick the sticky sheet on top of the inked image. I find by doing this, the ink stays sharper as its, in effect, stuck to the acetate so it cant smudge or fade off.

I then peel the backing off the other side of the sheet and pop the flakes on. The acetate piece is recessed so to add a touch more flaking to the edges of the next layer, I just ran some double sided tape around the edge and gilded that.

A run around the bottom black layer with the gold Krylon pen finished it off.

Hope you managed to see John's brilliant shows. I will be featuring my other samples over the coming blog posts.

Right, busy week so onwards........................

TTFN

Ang x

MAWTT January 2016 Challenge...............

Good morning one and all. Hope all is well with you and yours. I am selfishly enjoying my time away from work. I had all good intentions of blitzing housework etc but to be honest, I've just been chilling and resting my "itis". Its been nice to have days where I'm not humping (Maureen, don't even think about it !!!) bags and boxes so I just thought, I'm having a break!

I've made a couple of cards and a couple of bits of jewellery and spent time with Mr D and friends and it been wonderful not having to clock watch...........but, unless I won last nights Lotto, it will be over all too soon and doing extra days next week as my manager is off. Sadly, we have a funeral to attend next Thursday so I'm hoping she has managed to get someone to cover that day.

I think you could be right about Flash over the road. Its been nippy round the Trossachs so he has been witnessed a couple of days ago, but fully clothed and wearing one of those hats with the flaps over the ears..............made him look like Deputy Dawg lol!!!

Now, today's card is the first of 2016 for MAWTT Team A. I have now been on this fab DT for a year now.................would have thought I'd be barred by now !!! I hope that some of you will join in the fun this time round.

Its Diane's turn at choosing the theme and this time its..................................

Embossing (Wet or dry)

Ingredients

White card

Teal card

Silver mirror card

SB Labels 4

SW Ornate Octagons Striplet

CE leafy embossing folder (don't know its name, sorry)

CS teal and silver texture paste

John Lockwood sentiment

Peacock Feathers DI

Mei Flower silver bling

I actually did this grouted background at a workshop that John did about 6 months ago. I was supposed to be helping but in a quiet moment, had a go myself & me being me and having to be different, I decided to use 2 different colour pastes rather than to one that everyone else was doing.

I loved the effect and the sparkle (I tried to capture the sparkle on the first photo) but the piece of card sat in my box whilst I decided what to do with it.............and then the months went by lol!!!

So, I fished it out for my DT creation, determined to use it this time. I used the Ornate Octagons Striplet cut twice together in white to use under the sentiment then I cut it again out of silver mirror card and extended the pattern, before cutting it in half and nipping into it for the border.

I know its likely to be a "Marmite " card but the magpie in me likes the shiny bits.

Well, that's me for today chaps. Please pop along to MAWTT to see what the other gals have created and to join in the challenge.

Be good.

TTFN

Ang x

Ps.....Lotto update......... still employed. x

Dangly Bits...................

Good morning everyone. Hope that you are all ok and not under piles of snow.

Its been bitterly cold here for the past couple of days so perhaps the "real " Winter has finally kicked in.

I'm enjoying being a couple of days into having just over a week off and boy do I need it. Spent the first day being very lazy and sloth like and yesterday, Nesta and I went to Lichfield for the day. Its only about 45 minutes from us and I wanted to visit a bead shop there so invited Nesta as she hadn't been to Lichfield before.

Had a lovely day, starting with a hearty breakfast when we got there, in and out of various shops (she managed to manhandle me away from the Radley handbag shop......I think I left a mark where my face was pressed against the window) then about an hour in the bead shop, followed by tea and a bun in a local bakery.......Happy days!

However, the bright, crisp day had now changed to dull and throwing it down on the way to the car park so the drive home wasn't great with the spray on the motorway. Still, it was an enjoyable day and we got home in one piece.

Now, I hope that you weren't expecting any rude photos of Flash over the road when you saw the title of this post as you will be disappointed (mind you, you still would be if I had posted photos of him lol!!!)

With me being in jewellery mode, I remembered that I hadn't shown the earrings that I made to match Nesta's glitzy necklace that I showed you all here.

Sorry about the glare from the Swarovski crystals. As you can see, they are extremely sparkly.

Nesta likes dangly ones (what can I say???) and all together, its a fairly glamorous ensemble.

In fact, here's the whole set together.....................

Sorry for the skewiff right hand earring.....obviously having a rebellious moment!

I'm enjoying having a tinker with jewellery again and will be having a play with yesterday's purchases in the remainder of my holiday.

Hope you all have a great weekend, maybe watching the CE take over on Hochanda?

TTFN

Ang x

Congratulations in Blue.............

Good morning guys and gals (well, mainly gals but I live in hope lol!!!).

Eeeee, hasn't it turned chilly. My hands have been colder than a penguins chuff and if my feet go the same way, I shall be digging Kate's wonderful warm socks out of the drawer again. 

Thank you so much for all of your supportive comments about my work woes......I was really touched (steady Maureen !!!)

Well, I stamped my feet and threw a minor hissy fit which was relayed to the regional manager and I was reprieved. I'm still covering 3 shops this week but not as many days.

I'm hoping Nancy was right and as a consequence the regional manager thought better of antagonising the one member of staff who has agreed to cover other shops (as they have lost staff moving on to pastures better!) and who hasn't had any sick leave since my poxation last May, despite my "itis" which is still present.

Any more problems, I'm signing up Kate as my shop steward lol!!!

Hazel, Janice and Natty, I have negotiated with Mr Lockwood but sadly, he can't afford me (this Duck ain't cheap.........its a vicious rumour!!!)

Thank you also for your kind comments on Wendywoo's necklace. As I hadn't asked Wendy's permission to show it, I didn't like to name her as the recipient but she has shown it on her own blog now, so that's ok.

Now, today's card is one I made for my friend Penny who was celebrating the birth of her Grandson. I showed the card I made for her daughter here but then forgot to post the card I made for Penny.

Ingredients

White card

Turquoise card

Tied Together embossing folder

HC Delicate Asters 

SB Curved Borders 2 

Hobbycraft sentiment

Bahama Blue Memento Dew Drop ink

Pearly bling 

Teeny blue bling

It had to be blue for a boy and Penny is a Coventry City supporter (I think she's on tablets for it lol!!!) I'm sure that the ankle biter already has a Sky Blues romper suit in his wardrobe.

No shananighans to report from Flash Gordon lately (I'm grateful for small mercies.......not his very small mercy though, obviously lol!!!) 

Finally, I know my friend Davey will be reading this so have a wonderful holiday dear friend (he's off to Dallas and Guatemala........not your regular combination, I know but he said that the Travelodge in Lowestoft was fully booked for that week)

Have a great week folks........I'm off for a few days from Thursday, hurrah!!!

TTFN

Ang x

Purple Heart........................

Good morning campers........Hi Dee Hi !!! Hope everyone is well and recovered from the festivities.

Least said about working New Years Day, the better and thankfully, the neighbours did not party this year and Itchy and Scratchy over the road has not been seen for sometime so perhaps he's had a little rising damp with all this rain lol!!!

I had hoped to be blogging a bit more with the busy retail time out of the way but oh no........I'm now having to cover at 3 shops!!! Furious does not begin to describe how I feel and I have conveyed my displeasure upwards along with my refusal to work on a day that's part of holiday I have already booked...........so, if anyone knows of any jobs as a taster for Happy Shopper Cheesy Poofs or at Walkers as a crisp nibbler, please let me know lol !!!

Now, I'm back with a bit of jewellery again. I made this for a chum I met through blogging so I hope she won't mind me showing it.

I used light amethyst Swarovski bicones and a vitrail Swarovski heart to adorn my foray into wire work and was rather pleased with the result.

I'm dabbling with the jewellery again as I have missed it. I have a few projecst planned so I hope you won't mind me showing them as and when I actually get time to complete them...............time to buy more lottery tickets methinks but not much of an early retirement plan is it? Lol!!!

Hope to get to visit you all in the couple of days in between shifts and certainly hope to get something blogged before another week passes.

Just before I tootle off, I don't know if you all know that to comment/follow now, you will need a Google account otherwise Blogger will remove you from followers lists and you won't get stuff on your reading list. This is supposed to be from 11th Jan but I have noticed that 2 followers have disappeared from my total already and others have mentioned this on their blogs too.

Your support is so important to us all so I hope that you will all continue to visit and add yourself back as a follower if Google/Blogger cut you off.

Hope to be back soon. Be good.

TTFN

Ang x

Happpppy Newwwww Yeaaaaar..............!!!

Good morning and a very Happy New Year to you all. I sincerely hope that 2016 brings you all health and happiness and if maybe not rich in pocket, certainly rich in love and laughter.

A quick post as I'm sure you will have better things to be doing today. Sadly, I am at work. Yes, someone higher up the food chains' (and who wouldn't be working!!) idea to trial opening on Boxing Day and New Years Day and as my poor manager would have been saddled with both days with our working pattern, I volunteered to swap and do New Years Day for her (I know, I'm daft and soft but at least my conscience will be clear).

Now, my first card of 2016 is the Christmas card I made for Mr D's brother and his partner. I went down a sort of contemporary route and flattish as it was a postal jobbie.

Ingredients

White card

Silver mirror card

Platinum card (Lime Tree)

CE Frosty Swirls embossing folder

SB 2012 Holiday Tree die (cut out of double sided sticky & gilded....very tricksy!!!)

Silver gilding flakes

Double sided sticky sheet

Silver bling (Mei Flower)

I have also done a version in gold (hope I remembered to photograph it) but my goodness, combining a detailed die, sticky sheet and gilding flakes was like juggling with treacle........sticky and messy lol!!!

I apologise in advance that I have a few Christmas projects to show over coming posts so the memories of turkey and tinsel may linger, somewhat like other turkey lingerings at this time of year lol!!! 

Hopefully, the neighbours won't have created the racket they did last year (necessitating my knocking on their door at 2am) or I may not actually be at work and be helping the local constabulary with their enquiries instead lol!!!

At least the tent with a paddling pool inside didn't re-appear this year..........mind you, that's probably down to the gale force winds and torrential rain.

Thank you for support during 2015 and I look forward to seeing you all this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

TTFN

Ang x