Things are Looking Brighter!

The new set of Crafty Templates are out so today I'm sharing the first of the things I've made using some of this month's templates.

First though a quick catch up on the kitchen progress because today is Big Kitchen Day - all the new cupboards arrived this morning and I can't even get into the kitchen now unless I go round and through the French doors from the patio.  Exciting after all the destruction and then the gradual putting-together-again-ness af the last 3 weeks.  Week 4 is really about making proper headway.  It's all beginning to look so much better now,

Mark the decorator is here working his way around the lovely smooth freshly plastered walls and suddenly the inner hall area is looking so much bigger and brighter.  He'll be painting all the woodwork (apart from the new doors, which will be waxed - eventually!) white which will really make a huge difference to the dark teak stain that was there before.  The new arch way looks fab.

I mentioned on Friday that the lights were going up in the kitchen - well that's all done now (the problem with the brackets turned out not to be a problem after all!)  So I thought I'd add a photo here today. I've updated my Pinterest board with more photos too.

As always there's a cut mix of images among the Crafty Templates set this month - some fab animal shapes which will be great for little kids' cards and also for fun cards for adults - especially if you're clever with fun phrases/sentiments.

I loved this tiger one and it'll be great for the birthday of one of the youngest of the family members next month.

I used various scraps of card and paper to make the background, then yellow and brown card for the tiger himself.  I used some wire wound round the barrel of a thickish felt pen to make a spring to put behind the tiger's head so it wobbles about in a fun way.

You can find out all about Crafty Templates and Crafty Goodies kits HERE

Please do go and check out what Leo has on offer - the various template sets and goodies kits are a fabulous way to build up a stock of images and quirky stuff you won't find anywhere else.

Right off to make the next round of drinks for the "workforce" hehe

Thanks for visiting

The Study So Far

As the Bad Fairy of Procrastination has come for a visit (short one, I hope) I thought I'd tidy my desk. 

 I know, I know.... things must be bad!

That done, it seemed only right to mark the occasion with a photograph - a nice big one so you can click on it and have a closer look my new shelf-thingummyjig at the back. 

It's actually an expanding 3 tier shelf meant to go in your kitchen cupboard so you can see the tins at the back.  I saw it in the Lakeland catalogue and thought it would work for my bottles and tubs of brads etc.  My new desk is much deeper than my old one and tbh I can't even reach the back without standing up, so although it takes up about 210mm at the back of the desk I think this will work pretty well for me - as you can see there's still loads of working space in front.

Here's a close up

It's taking a lot longer to find the sort of boxes and baskets that work in the units than I'd thought, but bit by bit it's getting there.  I'd really like to disguise all the bitty bits and make the cubes look tidy but as you can see, there's a way to go yet.  Plus I keep moving the drawer and cupboard units around as I change my mind about where I need them to be - once I've finally decided they'll be fixed in properly so I need to make sure I'm happy before the hammer or screwdriver comes out

A little bit of customising has gone on with the shelf inserts. IKEA only sell inserts that divide the space into four sections, to be made up like this

I really wanted to have some shelves so we bought some of them and built them.  I started to fill them but really they weren't much good for my stuff and when I mentioned it to hubby he pulled them apart and used some of the pieces to make a much better format and the perfect size for some baskets we found at a local garden centre

The latest purchase has been 4 brightly coloured file boxes and a bigger storage box.  At the moment they are a "work in progress" as I'm not sure whether to use them for my paltry collection of stamps/paint/embossing stuff that I've put in them to start with, or whether they'd be better for all those bits of chipboard and ephemera that hasn't made it back into the study yet.  Maybe I should just go back to Smiths and buy some more of them. 

Well, that's how things are looking at them moment.  I really should be crafting today but as I said, the BFoP is in residence and no "I can make ....." ideas are getting through.

So I thought I'd show my latest note block (I've just used up all the pages in my old one), made with some lovely Funky Hand papers

I used

papers from the following Funky Hand download collections: Rainbow Stripey Stripes, Rainbow Polka Dots and Salt and Pepper, Letters are also from the Salt and pepper download.

Pink Seam binding, pink wired flower, 

black wired flower all from Creative Treasures

Other "flat" flowers in pink, grey and black from stash

Coiled roses made from scraps of the same papers, 

Glossy Accents and Glamour Dust on letters, 

Black Stickles

If one of the BFoP's cohorts is living with you just now, maybe a trip around the WWOWOYWW (Wonderful World Of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday) might provide some inspiration.  It all starts with a visit to Julia's Stamping Ground and is a great way of seeing what crafters from all over he world are making (or not!) today

Thanks for visiting

Please come again soon

The Story so Far...

No, not another card for the current Daring Cardmakers challenge, this is an update on how our study renovations are going.

We're nearly there now - well, we're nearer to the time when we can start moving our stuff back in, anyway! Click HERE and HERE for other chapters in the saga!

Last Monday the guy came to alter and re-fit the carpet, then on Saturday morning a big yellow van arrived at the house!  Thank goodness we went for the delivery option is all I can say as it meant the delivery people carried all this lot upstairs and into the study, not me!

8.30 Saturday morning

Lunchtime, Saturday (the desk and shelves are in the wrong corner though)

Saturday evening - wow, didn't we do well?

Sunday lunchtime

Sunday evening

There's still a bit left to do.  The unit on the last photo needs attaching to the wall, the blinds need to be fitted and we need to move hubby's next back into the room.  We're not actually fixing the cupboard/shelf/drawer inserts into the units until I've had time to "live" with them and see where I really want them put, but as you can see it's all coming together at last.  I need to buy some nice baskets etc to put in the cubes too and decide which crafty things will be going where.

Hope you had fun sneaking a peek around the new-look room ;-)

Thanks for visiting

I've Moved!

Well, it's been quite a weekend.  Not only was it hubby's birthday yesterday, but we spent most of Saturday clearing yet more stuff out of the study ready for when the builders "move in" next week.  Consequently, my craft area of our study now looks like this:

Warts and all!  Manky flaking plaster, badly filled in old fireplace, loads of big screw-holes all over the walls (only a few of them mine!).  There's even an echo in here and our computer desks and the carpet are still in here. Next weekend we move those into the spare room too - now doesn't that sound fun......not!

I have set up my desk in the spare room and have one of the old bookshelves behind me to store some of my stuff on.  When I look at the photos it looks like the same room because of the wall colours but honestly, it's not!

When I was trying to put stuff away in this corner yesterday afternoon I got in a bit of a state trying to work out where it should go and what a mess the whole upstairs of the house was because of having to move everything out of the study.  I know it will be worth it, but right at that moment all I could see was chaos and the end of the journey seemed so far away. Stupid eh?

I've been sorting and clearing some of the stuff out as I go, but I know that most of that job will happen when we move back in - I won't wont my lovely new shelves all stuffed up with loads of tat, will I?  I need to look around for good ways to store all my "little things" so that they are accessible and easy to get at even in the "big" 12x12(ish) spaces the wall (where the Dyson etc are on the first phot) will be covered with.  We think  I will ahve about 50 of them to fill.  OHHHHHH YEAH!!!!!

Anyway, enough of that, I'll add more photos as the job progresses, and you must feel free to help with the planning and with any storage ideas! We're now trying to decide on paint colours....

Over on Get Funky! - which is the challenge blog for Funky Hand we're well into the second month of our new-look blog.  Instead of showing all our projects once a month, every couple of days one of the team loads their project and a little bit of info about how they made it and what they used.  This month's hostess is Jules who can't make anything, not a tiny thing without adding a heart on it somewhere!  So not surprising that she's chosen "Show us your Heart" as the theme for this month's Funky Fifteenth.  On the Get Funky! blog you can already see projects from Jules, Lou and Anice and today it's my turn to add something - this is the card I've made

Anyone can join in and make a "hearty" project of any kind  - and be in with a chance of winning a free download from Funky Hand!  It doesn't matter what you make as long as it features at least one heart - and of course you must use at least one Funky Hand product - to make it really easy each month there's a new Funky Freebie available - it'll be related to, and only available to download for the duration of the challenge.  Click HERE to visit the blog where you'll find out all about my card, see the other projects, find the links to the shop and the freebie and  how you can join in and maybe be a Funky Winner!

That's all for now, I'm off across the landing to my temporary craftspace now!

Have a great day, thanks for visiting

It Must be Christmas

The house is a tip - it's looking a bit like a cardboard box shop, but bit by bit we're getting there.  I'm especially excited now because I had a phone call to say my aunt and uncle are on their way.  It was beginning to look like they weren't going to make it down from Northumberland, but after many phone calls and a bit of research about the state of the roads they've decided to travel.  After a day or two here, they'll be going across to Oxfordshire to spend Christmas with their Grandson (and his mummy and daddy of course!).  Funny, as soon as I got the phone call to say they were coming it staightaway felt so much more Christmassy.

I thought it was time I did an update on some of the things I've been busy with.

I've been making various boxes, this one is for a button bracelet we've bought for one of the nieces

Our Christmas Tree theme is Black, Silver and White this year, and as I try to wrap the presents to match I've been making some little fancy trimming bits to add to the parcels - you'd think I'd finished making the gifts and stuff when I was faffing about with that sort of thing wouldn't you?  You'd be wrong....

Anyway, here are some of the gift trims I've made - sorry the colours look a bit odd (I forgot to do a white balance on the camera)

 

 Next, a little pillow box, cut out on the Craft Robo and decorated with another of my fancy bits - the tiny tag was made with a circle punch and Cuttlebug tree die

 

 Here's our tree - what you can't see is the mess of wrapping paraphernalia that I'm standing in the middle of to take the photo!

 I've started to decorate the hearth.  We over-bought on the new baubles so I have plenty to play with!  The little canvas on the left is the one I made last year for Bubbly Scrumptious using Websters Pages and other things from Caroline's shop.

 Finally. Hubby's bee going to work on the train this week - and walking up to town in the dark yesterday morning he realised how pretty the town's Christmas tree looked - so last night he braved the cold again and went up with his "proper" camera and the tripod to take some photos.  I thought I'd pop a couple here for you to see

 Right, I should get back to work.  I need to finish my cleaning, think of something to make for dinner and maybe even get a bit more of the craft list done if I'm lucky.  Then when our visitors arrive I can sit with them and wrap a few more things - got to multi task, at this time of the year, haven't you?

Thanks for visiting, hope you're getting Christmassy too!

WOYWW and WIMTW

There can't be anyone left who doesn't know about WOYWW, but just in case there is, it's Julia's Stamping Ground you need to visit to find out all about it!

As for  WIMTW - well that's a brand new and (probably) once only one, standing for "What's In My Trug Wednesday?"  Yep, I've been up the garden with my lovely new Sussex Trug (anniv present from hubby) and picked this little lot

About 6 courgettes which sneakily grew massive while I wasn't looking, loads of runner beans and tomatoes and some thinnings from the pots of carrots which will be very tasty, I know!  I pulled the last carrots from last year's tubs of carrots pots to eat with our dinner on New Years Day - that can't be bad, can it? 

I also pulled up a load of mushrooms from the lawn, but we won't talk about that. grrrr

Here's my desk shot for this week - nice to be back playing along after a rather hectic few weeks - it won't last though as this week is just a pleasant, restful lull in the proceedings. ho hum.  You can click on it for a closer nosey about.

Quite tidy really as I'm between projects. Actually I'm procrastinating again as I'm not sure what to do with the next item on the agenda.

And one more photo for today, just to keep up with the catching-up stuff

One of the guys in hubby's team at work has just become a daddy awww!  this is a big card as it's for all the peeps in the office to sign.  Why are big cards so much harder to make?

At least I got to use that gorgeous wide ribbon which has been in and out the drawer for ages looking for a project it didn't swamp.

Also used:

Bazzill card, Fancy Pants paper (I think), Lace, 

silver heart brads, faux turquoise brads, Robo cut pram, scalloped circles and the baby's name, MS scallop edging punch

Time now for lunch, then a bit of crafting and then a bit of WOYWW surfing, I think.  That should keep me busy for the rest of the day.

Thanks for visiting today, please come back soon

After the Rain

Monday was a glorious day, Tuesday it rained and rained and rained some more.  Today we woke to beautiful blue skies.  Typical British summer, really!

I took the camera for a walk down to the veg patch early this morning (all photos can be clicked on for a closer look should you desire it!):

Everything is doing pretty well - they like the mix of sun and rain, I suppose!  Loads of courgettes and runner beans already picked and eaten. The bit nearer the back has broccoli, peas, beetroot and onions and elsewhere there are pots with carrots, parsnips, peppers, chillies, blueberries and some gro-bags with loads of tomatoes.  There's also a blackberry bush tucked at the back of the side border.  Hubby bought me a "real proper" Sussex trug for our anniversary - something I've hankered after for years.  I feel sooooo posh going down to pick stuff with that rather than an old tin lid or plastic box! hehehe

Let's play Spot the courgettes!

Much of the garden was still in the shade of the house when I was out there, but these lovely crocosmia were in sunshine.  Just before we sold mum's house after she died, I dug some up and put them in a pot, so they've come with us to this house too and get moved around the garden to wherever there's a gap that needs cheering up.

I've done loads of crafting over the last few weeks, but either haven't had the time, or haven't been able to blog it yet - I'm saying this in case you thought I was being a lazy crafter as well as a bad blogger...haha

It also somewhat excuses the state of my desk......

Half-projects a-plenty on there today along with scraps of leftover stuff, and stuff that might be made into things - if only I could get my head around C-Word crafting! aaaagggghhhhhh

The photo is all part of Julia's WOYWW campaign, which just in case you've still not heard about, the whys and wherefores can be found by clicking HERE - and just in case you didn't know this either - Julia is this month's guest designer over on the Daring Cardmakers woowoo!  Which reminds me - that's what I'm supposed to be working on today - so I need to make a card-sized gap on that desk.

Thanks for visiting, please leave a message before you rush off to the next desk!

A "Not-so-New-Year" Resolution

For the last year or so I've been posting any LO sketches I make to my other blog "The Sketch File" in a very haphazard fashion.

Now I've decided to get more organised about it and post a new sketch on the first day of each month - hopefully having a routine will help me remember to add a new card plan and also knowing when something new is due will mean more people will take the chance to use them.

It probably won't stop me posting the occasional "bonus" mid month sketch, but at least there'll be a bit more structure in place from now on.

A bit late for "New Year's" so I'll call it an "Early in the Year resolution", I think! ;-)

You'll have to pop over to The Sketch File to see the sketch, but here are a couple of peeks at cards I've made using the February sketch.  Full pics over on the other blog too ;-)

 

 

This past weekend was the RSPB's Great Garden Bird Watch, so we spent an hour at one of the upstairs windows watching for feathered visitors to our garden. We're definitely not great at recognising birds, but we get many more types in this garden that at our last house, so we're trying to encourage even more to visit by keeping the various bird feeders topped up.  Hubby had the camera, complete with giant lens primed to take photos of  yesterday's caller, here a few of them - you can click for a bigger view

We filled that feeder right to the brim on Saturday afternoon - this was taken at about 10.30 on Sunday morning - they must have been peckish.

There were loads more, but don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with any more.

It's freezing cold out there - so try and stay warm!