And we're into September ...

This year is just speeding along and it's September already! I'm back at work, really enjoying it, so my crafty time is seriously reduced. I did manage to make a few projects at the weekend although it's taken me a week to get them onto my blog.

Today I have some Kay Miller projects to share.

I used her new Blooming Crazy kit to make this card

(Credits here)

I loved her Doxie Moxie kit and used it to make this card

(credits here)

Okay, just a quick post today as I need to go and catch up on a whole load of stuff!

Andrea x

Happy Post ...

My lovely postman brought me lots of lovely post this morning but the best was a parcel from PaperCrafts Magazine. I have 3 cards published in their latest magazine and they kindly sent me a few copies of the magazine as well as returning my cards. I have been so excited as this is the first time that I have had anything published from across the pond. The magazine itself is great, I subscribe to the regular PaperCrafts and always like to buy the specials too, especially the Christmas special.

So that is the first of my exciting news snippets, the second is that I have been invited to join the BellaScraps Magazine Creative Team which was a lovely surprise and the third is that I am finally going back to work on Monday. Although this is exciting I am also more than slightly scared, I've been on sick leave for so long (10 months) but I know in my head that everything will go just great - it's those enormous butterflies in my tummy that don't understand!!

I've spent this week trying to settle back into being at home. I had some design team projects to
work on. It was a public holiday here on Monday and it rained so I spent the whole of the afternoon and evening sitting at my kitchen table surrounded by a sea of paper, flowers, buttons and chipboard. Watching the movie channel and playing, I had a lovely time.

This card was for the LilyPad blog challenge on Monday, to use some of the weather symbols and weather related kits. I couldn't resist this cute snowman - even if it is August!!

I used the snowman from Jacque Larsen's Whatever The Weather kit

Talking of the LilyPad - check this out. This is a sale you don't want to miss out on

The final project to share is a luggage tag using my very talented friend Kay Miller's latest digital kit. She's now selling over at Sweet Shoppe Designs which is so exciting for her

I used her All Aboard kit to make this cute luggage tag

I have some more projects to share but I'll leave them for another day - need to go get some beauty sleep!

Andrea xx

English Summers ...

... aren't what they should be

If the rain continues I shall be needing to build an Ark with my papercrafting supplies!!

I thought I would share a few more cards that I made during my weekend crop.

Challenges

The challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week is to include a quote on a card. Whilst I waiting for my prescription at the chemists yesterday I was checking out the selection of greetings cards they had and I spotted this written on the front of a card. I guess that makes it a quote, right?

(credits)

This second card is for the challenge over at Caardvarks, this week they've set the challenge to create a drinks themed card

(credits)

Isn't it just so sweet - it's made using an element from my friend Kay's newest digital kit, I used the same kit for this card and added a whole load of glitter to the flower.

(credits)

The LilyPad latest collaboration kit is just so summery I can't help but use it again and again!

(credits)

(credits)

Aye, Aye Captain ...

Have you got kids? Then you guys need to run, run really fast and buy, buy, buy!!

Look what my fabulously talented friend Kay Miller has cooked up

Available at Sweet Shoppe Designs

I used the kit to make these two adorable Pirate shaped cards and they meet the requirements of this weeks Daring Card Makers Challenge too so I am even happier!

A Dare...

This weeks dare at The Daring Cardmakers is to think small:

You are allowed to cover no more than a 5x5cms area of your card with paper or embellishment - the rest of the card must be left plain.
How you use those valuable cms is up to you. So you may choose to split up those cms to use around your card, or use them in a block or a line. It might help to cut a few 5x5cm squares then cut those up to work out good ways of using your allotment. Making your whole card a miniscule 5x5cms is NOT an option!! Lets have no cheating (I know what you lot are like.....),but because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to let you add a SIMPLE greeting as extra to your 5x5 allowance! :-)

I enjoyed this so much I made 2 cards but I've just re-read the instructions now and it says the rest of the card must be left plain. Oh well I couldn't make a card without a hand-drawn border :lol: and I'm sure they don't mind a teeny tiny cheat!! and it says in the instructions we are allowed to add a greeting.

(Kate Hadfield doodle button - credits here)

(Kay Miller sunshine element - credits here)

I'm so lucky...

I was invited to be a guest Creative Team member for Catscrap for April and May. How lucky am I? So I've been playing with some of their digital kits, can't share yet, but I did make another card with the Madam Mim Fish in the Sea kit. I've used this before but I love it and never pass up an opportunity to use it!

I've also been playing with Kay Miller's latest kit which is just adorable, I couldn't resist making this sweet shaped house card and the papers in the kit are to die for so don't be suprised if you see them popping up on all sorts of other projects :)

This morning I had a package delivered, I signed up to test out a scrapping product and it arrived today. When I opened the parcel I thought 'oh dear, adhesive tape runner'. I have an ongoing hate of herma glue runners and threw them all out and prefer to use my glossy accents and double sided tape. BUT I am pleasantly suprised as it's actually made up of tiny portions of double sided tape.

I used it this afternoon to make my cards and it's really nice, very sticky and coped well with adhering thick glossy photopaper to my cardblanks.

I thought you might like to see my state of the art workshop area - on the living room floor :lol: I've been down here for a few months now (obviously not 24 hours a day - I do move around, go for short walks and occasionally become a real human being and wander around the supermarket!!) and have worn quite a groove in the living room rug.

I've Got That Spring Feeling...

There is blossom on the trees, daffodils in the garden and a Spring influence to my latest cards

(Credits in my gallery over at Kay Miller and Nitwit)

A challenge and some news...

I'm back!! Did you miss me? Blogger is so not being my friend this week today is the first day that I've been able to post images and it's still not playing fair so it's only a short post. Two cards made with Di Hickmans template and sketch from her blog. (Kay Miller Designs, Hopes and Dreams kit)
(NitWit Collections, Going Bananas kit)


I have some big news too!! I've been invited to join the Lilypad store hybrid CT, I'm so excited! Watch out for images when blogger decides it wants to be my friend xx

**Oh, and I got my appointment for my MRI scan for next weekend, so I am happy

Lazy Saturday Morning...

Don't you just love Saturday mornings spent doing not a lot. I'm having a lovely morning catching up with my blog, posting to a few online galleries and submitting projects to magazines in the hope of fulfilling my aim for the year - to be published!

I had some news yesterday about my back. I had an appointment at the hospital to see a consultant, he gave me a full check over and confirmed that it's probable that one or more of the discs has moved forward and has referred me for an MRI scan. So things are moving forward.

This week Kay Miller and Mary Fran released their latest collaboration kit and I love it!! Think fairytale castles, princesses, magical dragons and frog princes.

These are the cards that I've made so far (there is so much in this kit that I'll be using it for masses of cards)

I wanted to share Kate's latest doodles too, she's teamed up with Jacque Larsen again for the Make It Better element kit and they are just so cool and were perfect for this get well soon card.

Prima Hybrid just keeps getting better and better, the store is overflowing with digital as well as traditional goodies and I took delivery of a huge box of flowers and goodies last week.

Start of a new week...

It's Monday again, the sun is shining but my car is still covered in thick frost and it's 2:30 in the afternoon! I haven't been outside but it looks cold.

I have a new blog banner, courtesy of Kay Miller's super fantastic kits. Now, you might think that a kit called mixed vegtables made up of elements to do with carrots and peas would only be relevant if a) you are a greengrocer or b) you grow vegetables. Well, I'm not a greengrocer and I don't grow vegtables, heck I'm even fussy about the vegetables that I eat!! But I've used this kits for loads of stuff. Some things that I can't share just yet, but I used it for my new blog banner and also for this card, it's to give to a friend who is on a diet along with some low fat cupcakes. Don't want to sabotage her diet!

I also wanted to share some of Prima creations. The card and wooden letter were on show at CHA and they use the new Harmony range and the final cardmade from Dianne Rigdon's new Hearts n' crafts kit at Prima Hybrid. I loved making it, lots of fun.