This is a Bird Cage. . . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone. Hope everyone is doing fine.

Apologies if I made you concerned with my last post. It was just a jippy tum caused by very painful trapped wind. I didn't expand (except my tum) on it at the time as I didn't think that you would want all the gorey details and, the main reason, I thought it would give Maureen some real comedy material to work with lol!!!

A busy few days here with eye clinic (I now have ocular hypertension but no glaucoma, thankfully, and eye drops) having to do a last minute request for a baby shower card and gift box, updating my website with new goodies and my birthday. 

Had some lovely cards (thank you folks) and fabulous presents and would you believe, not one crafty pressie lol!!!

Mr D took me took me out for the day and I got treated to lunch. I even had a card and pressie from The Girls...........so clever of them and such neat paw writing lol!!!

Now, thank you for your lovely comments about my samples for John, Here is another where I actually used the bird cage as a bird cage!!!

Ingredients

White, pink, black and vintage gold card

First Edition Bird Song paper

JND Birds and Cages dies

JND Chain die

JND Bee Balm Frame (tag die)

JND sentiment

Diamante chain bling (available on my website)

Gold Krylon pen

To give the cage dimension, I cut the die out 10 times in vintage gold card and snipped out the innards and glued all of these together with a top layer of the complete cage. I had coloured the top layer with my Gold Krylon pen to give it a gilded look.

The design was supposed to look like a wall with blown vinyl and patterned paper separated by a border and the bird cage hanging in front of it................not sure if I achieved that lol!!!

Well, that's me for now except to say, thank you Mr Lockwood for my splendid birthday cake..............

It managed to survive being up ended by Lily off the worktop, still in its box thankfully, and is delicious!!!

Have a great week folks.

TTFN

Ang x

Ps.......Karen, there is a tutorial for the fuchsias at the top of the blog.

When Is a Birdcage Not a Birdcage?..............

When its a plant stand!!!

Good morning folks. Its another John Next Door launch on Hochanda today and John has stupidly kindly asked me to do some samples. I didn't have access to all of the dies in the launch so its made me be a bit more creative in how I used the ones that I had.

One of the sets I had was the bird cages and I decided to see what else I could do with them.

Now, you know me and my florals so I thought.............a plant stand!!!

I cut out the round birdcage and chopped the top off and backed it with brown card to look like a basket liner. I then added one of the chain dies for the support and the chopped off bit of the cage as the base. 

Then, just add flowers!!!

Ingredients

Various colours of Lime Tree card

JND Birds and Cages dies

JND Chains die

JND Bee Balm Swirl Leaves

Britannia Medium Rose die (for fuchsias)

Mixed other foliage and flower dies

Daisy's Brick mask (embossed)

Distress Inks for sky

JND sentiment

White 1mm pearlised stamens (available on my website)

I wanted to incorporate one of the birds so that's why I created the wall backdrop rather than just plonk it on the flowers.

The frilly edged black layer on the card was made by cutting the layer edges with the chain die placed half way over the edge. It just gave a more interesting look, I thought, and another use for the chain die.

Hope that you enjoy the shows tonight and tomorrow and look out for more "when is a birdcage not a birdcage" lol!!!

TTFN

Ang x

Ps........sorry this was late going on but I was not a well girlie last night (tummy jip, not all the other stuff that's falling off me lol!!!

Tuneful Good Luck - The Sequel . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone. What a beautiful spell of weather we are having.

I have to be careful sitting out in the Sun, due to one of my tablets having a possibility of making my skin photosensitive, but I have managed to warm the old bones.

Have had some indoor time though, getting some samples done for Mr Lockwood for this week. Hopefully, they will pass muster.

Have also been having to sort out little pressies Lily has been bringing us. Since last Thursday, we have had 1 bird, 1 live mouse (which soon became a dead one) and 3 other dead mice. Molly, on the other hand, bought me.........................a cooked pork sausage!!!

That was at the weekend so I don't know if some poor neighbour was missing part of their weekend fry up lol!!!

Now, today's creation is the recent good luck card I sent to Kate. The last blog card was for her concert last November and today's was for her April event.

Kate had mentioned that they were performing a section of Handel's Alexander's Feast so I managed to find a free download of the music score and printed it off on some pretty floral vellum that I have.

Ingredients

Cream and pink card

Papermania Confetti Vellum

Foamiran rose made with SB Carnation die and leaves from SB Bitty Blossoms

CE Jacobean Floral embossing folder

CE gold satin ribbon

Black pearlage

Its always pleasing when a card comes out just as you wanted it and thankfully, Kate liked it.

Well, time for a little wisty teasing.

I'm not sure what Maureen was incinerating from her comment on my last post. I was quite shocked (more so by the fact she reads the Daily Mail.........its Horse and Hounds and The Telegraph in this house) that she may be suggesting that our wisty was not up to scratch.

In fact, when I told Lily, this was her reaction..................

Obviously, it could have just been a cunning ruse to make me think that WART had diverted their attentions elsewhere! So, Molly is doing longer security shifts. . . . . 

June S please feel free to replicate any of my designs. I feel flattered that folk would think they are good enough to reproduce.

Sandy, tomato pie sounds interesting and Stephanie, I will definitely post snaps of the tomatoes when they fruit.

Karen, I need to know why you can't eat citrus. I can't have grapefruit as it reacts with some of my tablets but didn't know citrus in general can be bad for you.

June F, I'll be interested to see what you attach the bells to.

Back at the hospital again today for the eye appointment. Haven't a clue what they will be doing (perhaps I don't want to know) though I guess that they will re-do the puffer test (don't know the technical term for it) and hopefully it will be normal this time so there is no other poking and prodding required, not that there are many areas left of me that haven't been poked and prodded.

On that note, I will bid you adieu for now.

Enjoy the rest of the sunshine.

TTFN

Ang x

A Tuneful Good Luck. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone. Hope this finds you all enjoying the warm spell.

I have managed to have a potter in the garden and a very convivial meet up with my chum PeeJay. My growbags are just waiting for the specialist tomatoes I have ordered. Thought we would be different and have a variety of different colours this year so I have ordered a white one, a long yellow one, a blue/black one, an orange one with pink stripes and a green one with pink flesh. Should make for some colourful salads.

Now today's card is one that I forgot to blog. I sent it to my dear friend Kate (Cuilliesocks) last year as a good luck for a concert she was singing in with the Inverness Choral Society.

Very CAS for me but does what it says on the tin lol!!!

Ingredients

Cream and black card

Musical notes die

Can't remember where the sentiment was from

Black pearlage

Hougie for scoring

Kate was very appreciative and I thought I should get this on the blog as she has just performed in another concert for which I have sent another card lol!!!

Well, that's me for tonight (I am scheduling) as I had a very disturbed night sleep last night (Monday) and the eyelids are getting heavy.

Just a parting couple of snaps of the lovely wisty.......I do hope that June F has re-thought where she plans to try and stick the bells lol!!!

Be good!!!

TTFN

Ang x

MAWTT Challenge 71. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning all. Hope things are well with you all.

Thank you for your lovely comments about my photo on my last post though I am worried by the ones who said that I didn't look how they thought I would.....I looked nice lol!!!! I'm sure there is a complement in there hahaha!!!

Today is a new challenge over at MAWTT and the topic has been set by Nursey Harrop and is.................................

Sentiment Only - No Images

Now, I did fortunately get to meet up with Nursey at the MCM show on Saturday. Always a pleasure Mrs H and thanks for the pokey tool!!! 

Our Nursey loves a quote and sentiment or two and I thought this gift I had made for Nesta, would fit the bill nicely. She is having a new kitchen (Nesta not Nursey) and I made this as a kitchen warming present.

There was a bit of a goof up with this which actually turned out for the best (or so I think anyhoo). I had masked off and gilding polished the centre, stamped the florals around the edges and sentiment and then intended to glaze over it all with a matt glaze.

However, in my eagerness, I grabbed the pearl glaze instead.

As soon as I started to apply it, I thought "oh dear, ooops" or something very similar but couldn't wipe it off without it taking the ink with it grrrrrrr.

Just had to wait to see what it dried like and I was pleasantly surprised. The pearl gave the florals an almost ethereal look so it was a happy accident intentional outcome.

Ingredients

Slate heart

Stitched Heart dies (on my website)

JND Spring Flowers, Summer Flowers and Autumn Flowers stamps

Kaisercraft Sentiment stamp

Cosmic Shimmer Mint gilding polish

Cosmic Shimmer Pearl glaze

Diamante strips

Black Archival Ink

The stamping does show up more in the sunlight.

So, get yourselves over to MAWTT and see what the other girls have come up with and get your creative hats on and join in.

Before I go, I thought that I would just warn the WART members that my little Ninjas are poised and ready to defend.

When I mentioned WART, Molly showed what she felt about them..................

And my fearless little feline Lily, is now actively on patrol on the Wisty.........................

You have been warned!!!!!!!

TTFN

Ang x

Back in Mauritius . . . . . . . .

Howdy one and all. Hope this finds you well.

What a scorching weekend eh? So unusual for a Bank Holiday but very welcome.

Yesterday, I was very lucky to be able to attend a demo session, with John at Sunrise Crafts with the amazing Becca Feeken.

Becca has been a crafty idol for both of us so it was a fabulous afternoon.

Poor John had only returned from Mexico the evening before but I knew that he would not want to miss it.

What a genuinely lovely lady too, as was Christine Emberson who travelled with Becca.

Today, I was out with Nesta at a NGS event in Coventry and it was yet another super afternoon wandering around, feeling jealous looking at other folks neatly manicured gardens in the Sun  .....................some cracking wistys that I can supply address for to WART, some unguarded at the front of properties, so easy pickings gals!!!

It was very warm and I now have pink cheeks (shouldn't have worn the hot pants!!!)

Tomorrow, I'm meeting up with my friend PeeJay.for lunch and a catch up so its been all go the last couple of days.

I make the most of the good days.

Now, back to the matter in hand. Today's card is another that was missed in my John's sample folder from over a year ago, using Sue Wilson's Mauritius dies.......I am trying to be more organised lol!!

Ingredients

White card

Different shades of blue foundation card

SW Mauritius dies 

John Lockwood sentiment

Blue satin ribbon

Pearlage

The main die has been chopped to make the overlapping pattern. This was one of the cards that I really loved making with that die set.

So, after John had shown the photo on Facebook I thought that I may as well reveal all on here (not literally, you will be happy to know). I think that this will be the first time in all my years blogging that I have shown a picture of me on here. The camera does add 10 pounds and it was a wide angle lens lol!!! I will now have to be re-assigned in the Duck Protection Program!!!

Two crafting legends..........and John Lockwood (Hahaha!!!)

I feel inspired!!!

On a sad note folks, I hope that my lovely blog mate Elaine (Nattyboots) won't mind me letting you all know that her dear son passed away on Friday. Andrew had sadly been poorly for some time.

Thinking of you dear friend...............

I'll be back again on Thursday with my DT project for MAWTT.

Enjoy the weather.

TTFN

Ang x

Gerbera Wreath. . . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everybody peeps. Hope you are all well.

I've had a couple of down days again but its always worse when it affects my sleep. But onwards and upwards as my gynaecologist would say.

I was thrilled to get my undies in the fresh air again yesterday. Its the little things that can be the most satisfying...............said the bishop to the actress.

Sunshine and a good breeze and all is well with the World.

Nesta and I are hoping to meet up with some friends in Birmingham this week (can't say what day in case of a WART raid) which will be great as we haven't seen them since last year with my health ups and downs, then Nesta's Dad's illness.

Now, today's card is one of the recent samples I made for John for his last release of dies. I had to wait to get it back from John as the original photos I took were pants (as my good friend Kate would say). The wreath is glued onto acetate and I made the inside look as neat as I could.

Ingredients

White card

Black card

John Next Door Gerbera Circles dies

Presscut Squares dies

Acetate

Black bling

A simple and quick card that looks a bit different.

Jackie, ramblings would be a very accurate description of my collection of words lol!!!

Maureen, didn't realise that George was an elderly Mexican.....is he really Jorge Killendez?

Perhaps June S and Myra can give him the once over with their rubber gloves to make sure that he hasn't smuggled in some Sanatogen.

As for June F.......all I can say after your comment on my last post, the kitties are girls....ahem! Lol!!!

On that note....

TTFN

Ang x