Well Here I am .No its not a mirage it is I. Well lots and lots of things have happened to me this year so unfortunately have had to stop card making and blog hopping for a while .Im hoping to start back again in the new year but just wanted to pop on and say Hi to anyone who happens to stumble across my page again .

Pink Gem designs

well done to Janet who not only designs for spiral whispers but has now opened her own stamp business too. To launch the shop she is offering some of her new designs as candy .Just leave a link to her site and you can enter . I just love her new stamps they are sooo cute.

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge

First Of all appologies for the very poor quality of photograph.As Im at work during the day Im struggling to take photos during daylight hours which shows in this card. The brief for this card for the secret crafter saturday challenge was to use the layout and use brown ,pink and white as the extra twist. I used papers from pink petticoat ,bazzill bling card plus the scalloped trim is from bazzill too. The sentiment is from craftwork cards and I must have had these since I started crafting !!!. The image is one I got in my pif candy when I first entered the land of blogging and the flowers were from crafts u love (There is actually one baby pink and one smaller white flower together). The last bit of detail I added are the crystal gems as every Diva needs her diamonds!!!

tweet tweet

Well here is a card I made for my friend Beth in Australia. I used this gorgeous new stamp fom Magenta and I must say I love it . I decised to use these scrumptious distressed looking papers from daisy d's (?), as I love the rich autumnal colours for this time of year. I decoupaged the bird twice and also the flowers and leaves. I added a touch of glossy accents to give a bit of dimension to it. Finally I used this gorgeous metal brad Ive had for ages in my stash although I was reluctant to use it as its my last one of that design :(

Blog layout

Well What can I say except boo hoo hoo Ive lost my blog layout and cant get it back .I tried to be a clever clogs and change it. I completely spoilt it so ended up with this for now, however all my music etc has gone .I very nearly lost my whole blog though so its not all bad !!! WHY WHY WHY!!!!!!!!
update
Hmmm Ive managed to get my music again .Not sure about this layout though will have to see LOL.Does anyone know how to get rid of the box around my signatue please ?

a challenge card.

Well hopefully I can enter this into the challenge over at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge .I dont think I quite got the proportions right on this one but its not too bad. I used bazzill ric rac but you can't see it because of the image being too big. I coloured the hangler boy in using a mixture of prismacolor pencils and markers with highlights of sakura stardust pen. I made a mess of the corner of the image so ended up cutting him out and sticking him onto some cute night sky paper from DCWV Spring stack. I matted and layered on white stardream paper and used yellow bazzill for the sentiment and photo corners. Hmmmmm ! not really sure about the colour scheme on this one! Anyway Im off to pop it into the challenge just for the fun of it.Happy crafting everyone and big hugs .

My first attempt at candles

I was surprised how easy these were to make and also how professional they look. I must go out and buy more as I think I'll try and make these for all my friends and family at christmas. I used my prismacolors to colour in the images and accented with glitter glue afterwards the pink candle is a pb image and the floral stamp is one of my favourites from hero arts. Thank you for stopping by on my blog .

Two Awards -WOW!!

Awarded to me by Elaine and Tracey thanks ladies I really dont deserve them !

Rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on hers or his blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you've nominated.

However I'm going to break the rules(sorry) as I visit so many blogs who have won this award several times before -Im sure they'll struggle to find ones without it too. I think I'll give it to every card maker or crafter who visits my blog -After all you are all so talented !!!!!.If you want any of them please feel free to collect it from me XXX

Congratulations !

Well I finally managed to make a couple more cards this week before it was back to work today. I made this card from a sketch I'd seen previously.I also thought I'd add some stitching effects on the card and enter it into a challenge I saw last week. It's ages since I've manage to enter one and now i cant for the life of me find it!!! (did I dream it ?). I used an image by hanglar stanglar and coloured her in with my prismacolors and sansador. I decided to use very pale colours to match the glitter paper from the butterflies and blossoms by DCWV. The ribbon was cut from my new M & S pyjamas LOL .I tied it through the buttons and attached to the card using silicone glue. I made this is for a friend of mine who has recently got a new job.

thank you for looking

Off on holiday

Well folks .Ive just got my crafting mojo back and now I'm off on holiday to Turkey for a couple of weeks(Yey!!) I've made a couple of cards that I haven't uploaded yet so I'll put them on when I get back home. I hope you don't all forget me while I'm away ;)
Hugs

Pocket Card

This is a little different from the tutorial for a pocket card over on pretty pressings blog. That one uses 12x12 paper where as this one is made using A4 card and still opens up like a real card (If you get what I mean). The papers are Daisy D's which seem to be my current favourites at the moment. I'm not really all that happy with this card .I like the style and I like the papers but just not together. I think I need to think of some more ideas for my next one in this style. I coloured the little stamped flowers with pastel pens from whispers and then added glossy accents on the top to give a little dimension.

Double Springy Card

A back to back springy card that I made on a recent workshop in Doncaster. The stamps are by Magenta and the papers are double sided by Daisy D's .There is a blank square at the back for a message to be written. I think my mum may like this card so I may give it to her for her birthday on the 20th August.

Double Slider Card

This is my version of a new technique Ive learnt at a recent workshop. Its a double slider card and is really fun to make . I decided to keep the front of the card simple using just DCWV papers ,a metal butterfly and some flowers which I held together with a butterfly brad.
The inside has a simple friendship verse stamp (Thanks Beth) and a penny black image that I received in an image swap on the docrafts forum. I coloured the image with my prismascolors blended with sansador and tortillions. I 'm quite pleased with my first attempt at a double slider card and am hoping to make a few more this week. Thank you for looking .

blog candy

jane is offering some candy to celebrate her blog anniversary for a chance to win visit her cute blog !

Finally -A Card !!

Well Ive finally managed to feel up to making a few cards again. Not my usual standard but Im still quite pleased with myself.
I used my new winifred the rabbit sugar nellie stamp to make a card for my friend, Deb who's birthday was on the day my uncle died -hence the belated message on the front. I coloured the bunny in with my prismacolors and sansador blended with tortillions. I highlighted the spots on her dress and parts of her shoes with my sakura stardust pen to give it a little bit of glam. The card is actually chocolate brown in colour but looks very dark on my camera. The pretty papers are from DCWV and are from the blossoms and butterflies stack.
Hopefully I'll get a couple more cards on this week as Ive attended a couple of workshops this week and have just learned a fab new technique.
Many thanks for visiting my blog and I welcome any comments good or bad.

James Lindsey Ogilvie 29/3/36 - 1/7/08

God looked around his garden

and found an empty place

He then looked down upon this earth

and saw your tired face

He put his arms around you

and lifted you to rest

God’s garden must be beautiful

He always takes the best

He knew that you were suffering

He knew you were in pain

He knew that you would never

get well on earth again

He saw that the road was getting rough

and the hills were hard to climb

So he closed your weary eyelids

and whispered, “Peace be thine”

It broke our hearts to lose you

But you didn’t go alone

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home

Ravenscraig Park and Castle



I just want to say thank you for all the kind messages I have received regarding my Uncle Jim. Although the weekend was dreadfully upsetting .I wouldnt have missed it for the world. We spent quality time together and I was able to let him know just how much he is loved and will be missed. The picture is one of the rare glimpses you will get of me as I hate having my photograph taken. In the background you can see Ravenscraig castle in Kirkcaldy which was across the road from where my Grandad and Uncle lived . It is a beautiful part of the country and my sister and I have spent many happy memories on the beach and in the park there.

Sad Times for me

I was hoping to update my blog with some photos of cards I'd made but unfortunately I wont be making any for some time . Im off to Scotland to visit my last remaining link to my wonderful dad who I lost 18 months ago to heart failure. My uncle Jim, his only brother has sadly had to go into a hospice and is unlikely to make it to the end of the month. My sister and I feel we must see him and say goodbye properly, so will make the journey to see him this weekend. I would really like to visit some of the wonderful places he and my dad took us to when we were children as I know this will probably be the last time I ever visit Fife again. I will be updating my blog with some photographs when I get back .

Sorry

Well folks , I haven't dissapeared off the face of the earth , even though many of you may think I have!!. I have just been extremely busy and have made no cards at all (shocking isn't it ).I promise that I will update my blog soon and visit all my friends too .Many thanks for your messages and enquiries to make sure I was ok I do appreciate it. Speak to you all soon love and hugs.

Tulip Jungle

Cute card thursday this week was a nice easy theme, anything to do with gardens. Could be people gardening, having fun in the garden, a garden scene or perhaps some little animals you might find in the garden. I thought my tulip jungle stamp by Penny black fitted the bill nicely. I coloured the imag with prismacolours and used a colourless blender,Sansador and paper stumps to blend the colours. The Bazzill bling card and the flowers were from crafts u love. The papers are just the right theme as they had tulips on them although you cant really see them. I had trouble with the layout and must get more adventurous with them ! Im sending this card to Tony and Patti who sold me my new tin of prismacolors.He wanted to see the effects of them on cards.I hope he approves.