More Gold. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning guys and gals. Hope all is well in your part of the World.

Thank you for your kind comments and your asking after Mr D. His mouth is a lot better but the odd painkiller is needed now and again.

Our trip to Silverstone is not until the beginning of July so I am certainly hoping to be more mobile by then (wasn't the Spanish GP full of excitement for those petrolheads amongst us lol!!!)

I managed to see John on Monday before he headed off with his gilding polish and PVA pearl embellished Speedos. He has done so well with his diet........skinny boy!!! Poor lamb has got it full throttle when he gets back so I really hope that he can really relax for the week. 

Now, this is the other Golden Anniversary card I made for our celebrating friends to be given by Nesta. As she was hand delivering hers, I could be a bit more extravagant with the design. Sorry Nancy if this one is too deep to send Down Under lol!!!

Ingredients

White card

Gold mirror card

Vintage gold card

Presscut rectangle and Square dies

SB Bitty Blossoms (what else? Lol!!!)

SW Orange Blossom Leaves

CE Swirling Hearts embossing folder

Habico Stamps

CE Detail Gold embossing powder

Versamark

Gold Krylon Pen

Mei Flower teeny gold bling

I didn't want to do the roses in mirror card but did think they looked a little flat in the vintage gold so I ran my gold Krylon pen along the edges to give em a bit more ooomph. 

The happy couple were appreciative of both cards so alls good.

Well, that's me for now folks.

Happy Thursday all and thanks for stopping by.

TTFN

Ang x

Flat Golden Wedding. . . . . . . . . .The Card Not The Celebration!

Good morning folks. How is everyone? Well I hope?

I should clarify for those concerned girlies who told me off about "hobbling" last time, I still have to re-fuel and de-fuel (ie get to the kitchen for a drink and to the loo for other things) lol!!! I promise I haven't been discovating or doing Zumba lol!!! (In fairness, I didn't have the energy for those things before the ankle went to pot)

Anyhoo, a big ol' hello to Daisy Chain. Very kind of you to click the follow button so thank you and welcome.

Now, Nancy D mentioned that there was a golden anniversary card required to go Down Under so I thought I would show the cards I made recently for some friends who were celebrating 50 years of marriage. This is the one from me & Mr D and as it was being posted, I kept it relatively flat, though it was 8x8. I also made one for Nesta, which I will show next time, but hers is a bit more ornate as she was seeing the happy couple and could hand deliver hers.

Ingredients

Cream card

Gold mirror card

Anna Griffin Flourish Emblem die

Sue Wilson Rococo Striplet

SB Fancy Tags 3

Presscut Squares

SB Grand Ovals

Anitas number peel offs (Sorry Mr Lockwood)

Mei Flower teeny gold bling

On the layer under the "50" the Rococo has been cut into cream card 3 times but offset rather than lined up straight. On the photo above the ingredients, I took the snap before putting the 50 topper on so you can hopefully see what I mean.

You can also, hopefully see that the oval has been cut from the centre of the Anna Griffin die cut. I did this separate to the mirror card as I don't like to try and cut too thick a layer through my GC. You just have to keep everything crossed that you've lined it up properly lol!!!

Hope this gives Nancy and some more of you lovely visitors a bit of inspiration.

Well, time for the Spanish GP today (Hope Jackie D is managing to watch). The tickets for Silverstone in July arrived on Friday..................I'm soooooooo excited. I think Mr D is hoping that my ankle is better by then as he's not looking forward to piggy backing me about a mile from the car park lol!!! Thank goodness we're in a grandstand so at least we get a seat rather than trying to see over folks heads standing on the grass.

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and thanks for stopping by.

TTFN

Ang x

MAWTT May Challenge. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning boys and girls. Hope everyone's boo is very tickety.

I'm still hobbling but Mr D is looking less like a squirrel storing his nuts (Maureen, don't go there!!!) so onwards and upwards.

Nancy T, hope all went well with your doctors visit and Kate, I hope you have not been ambushed by any more fruit.

Elaine, I think we have teeth purely to be able to eat crackling lol!!!

Nancy D, I had 2 Golden Wedding cards I made recently so will feature them on the next posts.

Now, today is time for May's Team A challenge at MAWTT and our Wendywoo has chosen the theme, which is. . . . . . . . . drumroll . . . . . . . . . . Man or Boy.

Your card can feature an image of a man or boy or can be for a man or boy.

As I don't tend to use images, I decided to feature the birthday card that I made for my Brother in Law.

Ingredients

White card

Shades of blue card

CE Linen embossing folder

That Special Touch Delicate border mask

Woodware stamp (Happy Birthday)

Papermania stamp (Brother in Law)

Memento Dew Drop Bahama Blue ink

Hougie for scoring

My Brother in Law is a blokey bloke so no ribbon or bling but I used the embossed panel down the centre as a nod to ribbon.

The flags are all hand cut so please excuse any wonky bits.

The card also had to be flat as it was going in the post.

I hope you can join in the challenge or at least pop over to MAWTT to see what the other girlies on the DT have designed.

Until next time, be good.

TTFN

Ang x

Silver Anniversary. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning guys and gals. Hope this find you full of the joys of Spring. Beautiful weather again the last few days but I think we may be in for a spot of rain mid week.

Welcome to Sylvie. Thank you for pressing the button. Sylvie is a team mate over at MAWTT so you can see what we have been up to on Thursday when our next DT post is on the blog.

Poor Mr D is still in a bit of pain and his cheek is still swollen, bless him. Soft foods are still on the menu but hopefully he'll be chewing like a good un again soon. 

As for me, the diagnosis is Achilles Tendonitis. I have to now go for a podiatry assessment for something to alleviate the problem but still rest it in the meantime. 

Now, my friend from school Elaine and her husband are celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary this week. I remember their shiny youthful faces when they first met each other (ah, those carefree teenage years) and here we are now, older but not necessarily wiser lol!!!

So, along with the Silver Wedding rose bush gift, this is the card I made for them.

Apologies for the top photo. Trying to get a great angle with mirror card with the card standing up, was a nightmare.

Ingredients

White card

Silver mirror card

Platinum card (Lime Tree)

CE Tied Together embossing folder

Presscut Square dies

SB Captivating Squares

SB Adorning Squares

John Lockwood Flower Hearts Elements stamps (Happy Anniversary)

Hobbycraft stamps (Silver and little flourishes)

Versamark

Silver embossing powder

Silver ribbon (Mei Flower)

CE big pearl bling

Teeny silver bling (Mei Flower)

Slightly larger bling (Dovecraft)

Pearlage

I loved playing with the bow on this. I always find it easier to use a glue gun with this type of bow and yes, I thought I'd be different with 2 sizes of bling on the intersections of the embossing.

Right, hot chocolate has been placed beside me (I'm scheduling this) so time to tootle off.

Hope this week is kind and gentle to you.

TTFN

Ang x

Oldie For Friday. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everybody. Hope you are happy and full of the joys of Spring. 

We have been very lucky this past couple of days, with glorious warm sunshine. Its a joy to see all the green shoots and buds and all the birdies flitting about. 

Mr B, our resident blackbird has been a busy boy feeding their first brood of the year. He still invites himself into the house if the kitchen door is open and he has run out of grapes on the bird table.

Now that reminded me of one of my favourite oldies. This was one of the first cards I showed on my blog when I started blogging 3 years ago. It was for my dear friend David's birthday. He is really green fingered and his garden is a floral delight.

So, I had to do my first handmade card for him with a floral theme.

Lots of flower dies used on this one................but you all know I love my flowers.

And the the little fella that reminded me of this card, the cheeky Mr B !!!

And, lastly, a little fuchsia action.

Its David's birthday again soon but as its a special one this year, he'll be Down Under on the day (as in Australia.........I, know how a couple of you girlies minds work lol!!!)

As the young man does read my blog, I won't show this year's card until after the momentous day.

I will be back at the doctors today for my x-ray results after a morning at the hospital with Mr D. Poor thing is having a wisdom tooth out but done by a maxillofacial surgeon as one of his facial nerves is wrapped around the root. . . . . . . . . .we like to get our money's worth out of the NHS at the minute lol!!!

Hope you all have a great day and wonderful weekend.

TTFN

Ang x

Ps......I will rustle up a bit of a tutorial for my last card as requested by a couple of you good folks.

Blue, Hedges and Orchids. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning folks and happy bank holiday!

I am still incapacitated as the ankle is no better and upon returning to my GP was referred straight to the hospital for x-rays. Hopefully, will get the results this week but still at home in the meantime.

I have ditched one of the crutches as I'm convinced I would have done myself another injury if I kept using two. All I need now is an eye patch and a parrot!!!

When I was seeing Nesta off (in the nicest possible way) the other day, I put one crutch down but missed the paving and the end lurched into the flowerbed below, causing me to loose my balance and pitch me into the hedge!!! 

As I did, I raised my arm in the air so Nesta just thought I was waving, waved back and drove off!!!

I ended up looking like Veronica Crabtree from South Park.

Now, you can see I've been playing with blue and white again but this time for a boy who has reached 87. Les is one of our good friends who still plays golf and is fitter than me (even without my current impediment) and his birthday was just over a week ago. I thought I'd do another 3D card and even though it was hand delivered, it does fold flat.

Ingredients

White hammered card (PMD)

Shades of blue card

Sue Wilson Bevelled Glass Striplet

SB Fancy Tags 3

Presscut Rectangle dies

John Lockwood Cherry Blossom Elements sentiment

Quite a small list of ingredients and a simple card but still effective, I hope. Les was quite taken with the 3D aspect, bless him.

I didn't want the sentiment recessed too far, which is why I made the middle layer rather than sticking it to the back piece.

Thank you all for your continued kind comments and best wishes. I have managed to get some crafting done which is just as well as I had/have golden wedding, silver wedding, 1st anniversary, 3 70th birthdays, 50th birthday, 18th birthday and 2 normal birthdays all in the space of a month!!!

Now to finish, a couple of gratuitous orchid snaps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Don't forget, John Lockwood is back on Hochanda tonight and tomorrow.

TTFN

Ang x

Babies, Orchids & Men With Shopping Lists! . . . . . . . . .

Good morning guys and gals. Hope this finds you in fine fettle (what is a fettle anyway?)

Thank you so much for your best wishes. The calf pain has eased with resting but sadly the ankle is still not behaving. Hopefully, it will improve this week. Maureen, I really don't see the NHS recommending Flash as a tonic for anyone lol!!!

Well, silly me I gave in to Mr D's insistence that he was more than capable of doing the shopping, if provided with a detailed list.......he has a degree, yada yada!

However, intelligence and common sense do not always walk hand in hand...................

I was kind to him and decided to make full use of stuff that was in the cupboards and things in the frosty depths of the freezers (so frosty and deep, Ranulf Fiennes would have struggled) so the list only actually had 10 items on it.

I put pack sizes, price and even colour of the item on the list.........everything bar a photo!!!

He tootled off, pen in hand so he could tick things off (including me lol!!!) and returned with 2 items that were wrong (misread the list apparently) 4 items that weren't even on the list and 1 item completely missing, even though it had a tick next to it!!!...................................heavens to murgatroyd, what's a girl to do???

Now, back to the card. Following on from my last card, I made this for the same lady to send to the new baby himself, to let him know how precious he was (just thought he could keep it in his baby box when he's older) and she happily agreed.

Ingredients

White card

Blue card, various shades

Forever Friends New Arrival snippets

Presscut squares dies

Docrafts alphabet die

Baby stamps 

Funky Foam (on the letters to give them depth)

White gel pen (faux stitching)

As you can see, it folded flat for posting. I'm sure there is a technical name for this type of card but I liked the thought of the 3D aspect for a baby's nursery.

Just before I go (I can hear the odd snore and yawn lol!!!) I've included a couple of snaps of my beautiful orchids. Several of them are in flower at the moment so they are a pretty sight.

I've had this one about 10 years, fished out of a B&Q bargain bin, half dead for 80p and it flowers faithfully every year (the other buds are now open, so it looks more fab).

This one is another that cost me less than a quid from a bargain bin.

More to follow next time, if that's ok.

Meantime, Hope this new week treats you all kindly.

TTFN

Ang x

Tuesday's Child. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone. Hope you are well and been enjoying some glorious weather. It's been beautiful here for the past few days.

Well, the latest news is, the doctor thinks I've damaged my Achilles Tendon and has ordered me to rest it for 2 weeks. The pain had spread into my calf as I was compensating for the ankle so it wasn't good.

I can't take anti-inflammatories due to other medication I have to take so it's rest and heat for 2 weeks. Felt a bit mortified as I've never had a sick note (well, fit note as they are now) before but Mr D has got tough & said I'm to do as I am told for a change (don't they get brave when they can move quicker!!!)

The doctor also seemed to suggest that rest may not resolve the issue and I may need an injection but that's not compatible with my tablets either so he may need to re-jig those!!!

I get pain whether I move it or keep still so we'll just have to see how it goes. I guess I'm as popular as a bacon sandwich at a vegetarian picnic with work at the moment but it was probably carrying on for the past couple of weeks when it was a mere niggle that got worse, that's made it how it is now.

Now, on to happier things..........a card. I was asked to make this for a lady I know as her sister had a long awaited baby. He arrived a few weeks early in February but is now home and doing well.

Ingredients

White card

Blue card (different shades)

Tatty Teddy decoupage

Crafts Too Baby embossing folder

CE Linen embossing folder

John Lockwood Monday's Child stamps

SB Labels 4

Sissix Heart die

Hobbycraft corner punch

Hobbycraft baby stamps

Teal Zeal and Bahama Blue Memento Dewdrop inks

I don't normally fuss to much with the insides (through laziness, so apologies Jenny L, the queen of inards lol!!!) but I wanted to feature John's poem stamp too as it's such a lovely set so the above is the inside of the card.

Tatty was originally carrying a pink balloon so I snipped it off and replaced it with the blue heart one instead.

The card had to be relatively flat as it was being posted. I also made the lady a card to send to her nephew to say how precious he is so I shall show that next time.

Thank you for you for your kind wishes and comments. Rest is not really in my nature so its going to be difficult. Watching Mr D hang out the washing Tuesday made me cringe but I had to bite my lip and sit still lol!!! He has mentioned giving him a list and he will do the shopping but I fear that could be a step too far..................It's taken me about 5 years to get over the last time I let him go solo with a shopping list..............perhaps a Tesco on line order instead lol!!!

Think its supposed to get a bit nippy at the end of the week so hope you keep warm and well.

Hoping for a visit from Nesta today to cheer me up and for a bit of company (Mr D had a couple of days off to look after me but now back at work)

You all take care and be good.

TTFN

Ang x

Hong Kong & An Egg. . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone. Hope you are all well. I bet that title made you look twice lol!!!

As it stands (or not as you will see) I am not at work as I have problems with my right Achilles and calf.

The ankle started playing up a couple of weeks ago and has gradually got worse to a point on Friday, when I could barely put any weight on it and my calf muscle feels like its seized up)

Have been advised to rest it and see my GP (hopefully can get in today). Had hoped resting on my day off on Saturday might ease things but as I struggled to get into the car to go to work yesterday, I was frogmarched back into the house by Mr Duck. 

Will have to see what damage I've done but hopefully nothing serious. Nancy, I hope that your knee is better after your op?

Now, back to nicer things, today, I give you a BOGOF. The first card is one requested by my mate Davey. I had made him the card shown here for his birthday last year so he asked me to make one for another friend of ours for his birthday. This friend was born in the slightly more exotic location of Hong Kong (Coventry does have its moments but exotic it ain't, even with Flash's more Carmen Miranda outfits)

Ingredients

White card

Blue card

Map of Hong Kong

CE Linen embossing folder

Woodware sentiment

CE Black PVA Pearls

And a freebie peek at the Easter card I made for Mr D. Bless him, he knew how stretched my time was so said not to do anything fancy that took ages to make so I did this simple egg shaped representation of his favourite chocolate brand (All three layers were embossed together so that the pattern matches layer to layer)

Thank you all, as always, for your kind and fab comments. I shall keep you updated on the leg. Hopefully it just needs a rest....................I know how it feels lol!!!

Take care all.

TTFN

Ang x

MAWTT April 2016 Challenge. . . . . . . . . . .

Good morning everyone and welcome to my creation for the DT for MAWTT.

This month's challenge has been chosen by Gail and is to use Spring Flowers.

Now, that immediately led me back to daffodils, I'm afraid and as they are beginning to look past their best in my garden, I thought I'd make the most of using them on my cards. Hope you don't mind another daffodil shot.

On the above picture, the background paper looks more green than yellow but I photographed it about 10 times standing up as this was as good as it got. The other couple of photos are more representative of the true colour of John Lockwood's gorgeous paper.

Ingredients

Cream Card

Lemon yellow card from John Lockwood's Spring Shades 8x8 pad

Embossalicious Floral Vine A4 embossing folder

SB Lonely Hearts die (cut twice and joined in a cross in the centre)

SB Captivating Squares

HC Sunkissed Fleur (Daffodils)

Presscut Squares

Sentiment from John Lockwoods Cherry Blossom stamp set

Pistachio Memento Dew Drop ink

Pearlage

This snap shows how I double padded the centre of the crossed Lonely Heart die cuts to raise the focal point. The ends of these were then glued flat where they emerged from under the frame (hope that makes sense lol???)

Please pop over to MAWTT to see what the other gals have created and hope you can enter the challenge................go on, get those daffs and tulips out .

Will probably see you all the other side of the weekend noe, so have a good one.

TTFN

Ang x