Happy New Year!

The days nearly over, but managed to just slip in LOL!, hope you had a good one, and 2014 brings you, health, wealth and happiness along with all the things you wished for.

Unfortunately Christmas and New Year haven't been too happy for us this time around - my Father-in-law passed away on the 22nd December, and because of the Christmas holidays, his funeral won't take place until the 6th January (the family were offered the 5th January at first, but that's his birthday and nobody wanted that), so the 6th it is. Hopefully once the funeral is over we can start to move on and work towards getting things back to normal.

I had my daughter and grandchildren around for dinner on Christmas Day and we were determined to make it a happy day for the younger family members, which hopefully we managed to do, especially as the jokes in the crackers were pretty good this year LOL!
As well as the sadness of  my father-in-laws passing we had the joy of a new baby, as my friend Donna's third grandchild, (but first granddaughter) Lucia Rose, was born just before 1am on Christmas Day. She kept us all on tenterhooks as her mum was in slow labour for a couple of days - thanks to text messaging I was getting regular updates of how the labour was going (almost felt like I was there LOL!) all day on Christmas Eve and as midnight approached we waited with bated breath, would she be a Christmas eve or Christmas day baby? but she managed to hang in there for a bit longer and Christmas day it was! What a fabulous present for Donna and her family.

and here she is

Lucia Rose with her auntie Chloe.

I made this card for the proud Grandparents.

Digital Stamp - Blessings of Heaven 5 (coloured in Photoshop) - Digi Darla

Digital papers - Bedtime Girl - Crazy 4 Monograms

Sizzix Framelits - Hearts

Spellbinders Mirror die

Gingham Ribbon, satin rosebud trio, waxed cord and pink gems - Meiflower

I scanned the dies into Photoshop and then used them as a guide for the size of the writing. After printing it was just a case of positioning the die correctly over the wording before running through the machine.

I'm hoping to drop the card off at the weekend, but I'm sure Donna will probably see it on here before I get it to her, hope she likes it!

Posting will probably be a bit hit and miss for the next couple of weeks, but hopefully normal service will resume shortly!

Thanks for dropping by,

hugs,

Colette xx

Oli the Ephelump

You may remember Oli the ephelump from the Teddy Bo family, well he has had a bit of a make-over and is back again, after losing a little weight, and going to the gym to get a more streamlined physique LOL!

He has also managed to get himself a friend, of the female variety, called Molly who you can find HERE on Tuesday's post.

IMAGE - Oli_002 - coloured in photoshop

PAPERS and WORDART - Doodle Doo Digital Scrap Kit - Just So Scrappy

BUTTON and CORD - Meiflower

I also have a Teddy Bea card I made using one of the trio of tabs from last weeks release.

IMAGE - Trio

PAPERS and ALPHABET - Sisters digital scrap kit - Just so scrappy

Flower soft for pompom

Lifestyle Edge it dies for top and bottom border

Gems, bow and satin rose trio - Meiflower

Pop over to the Teddy Bo blog and take a look at the wonderful inspiration from some of the other DT members.

Grip it and Rip it!

I just don't seem to have any time to do much these days, there is lots going on here, including Meg starting a 2 year course (providing she likes it!) on Monday. You wouldn't believe the amount of  phone calls and emails (including taking and sending pics of her toilet chair) backwards and forwards from the company running the course about Meg's toileting needs. I am not complaining as they are trying really hard to get everything sorted out so that she will be comfortable and happy when she is there, but if I've explained something once I have explained it a thousand times (slight exaggeration LOL!). The course is from 9am until 3pm three days a week, and Eric and I are now actually going in with her on Monday morning to show them how to manage her needs and get her back comfortably in her wheelchair - if she is not in right, she is not a happy bunny. 

Most of the cards I post these days seem to be made up from kits or without any coloured images on them, I have been doing quite a bit of colouring, honestly, I just haven't found the time to get them made up into cards, with DT work, childminding and getting Meg sorted for Monday.

Hopefully once Meg is settled things will calm down a bit and I can get some cards made with my coloured images.

Anyway enough of all that, I have a card to show you, that once again uses a pre-coloured image. It's a Sassy Cheryl illustration called Grip it and Rip it Max which is available from Paper Creator, and I think it's quite a cute image for a young boy.

Image - Grip it and Rip it Max - Sassy Cheryl at Paper Creator

Papers, big star and arrow - Feeling Blue digital scrap kit - Crazy 4 Monograms

Stars - X-cut punches

Buttons and cord - Meiflower

I printed the image twice and layered the second with foam pads, and also doodled a double line around the edge of the image just to add a little something extra.

Enjoy the weekend,

hugs,

Colette xx

Anything Goes Challenge

My craft room is finally getting back to some sort of order, I managed to get about half of the stuff back in last weekend, although we had the new boiler fitted in the week and I think I am going to have to empty everything out again to give the whole room a clean, there is a fine layer of brick dust over everything, but I will hopefully manage to get it all back in over this weekend, especially as it's a bank holiday here in the UK so we get an extra day, woohoo!

Today is the start of our easy-peasy Anything Goes challenge over on the Paper Creator blog. You don't have to use Paper Creator products to enter but if you do you get two entries in the draw, and the randomly picked winner, gets £10 to spend in store, so if you have a card made why not enter, after all you've got to be in it, to win it!

Image - That's what friends are for Sassy Cheryl illustration - Paper Creator

Papers - The Coastal Collection - Nitwits

Red cord and buttons - Meiflower

Pop over to the challenge blog and check out the fabulous inspiration from the rest of my teamies.

Have a lovely weekend,

hugs,

Colette xx

Hangin' Around

Have you ever had one of those days were you wish you had never gotten out of bed, well I've had one of those weeks, which started Monday when my computer decided to go doo-lally and I lost 8 hours worth of work!!! It was all downhill from there, although some of the distractions were quite enjoyable, family visiting for hubbies birthday, meal out for hubbies birthday (see not all bad LOL!) but I have been chasing my tail all week, which is why my poor blog has been sadly neglected. I couldn't even find a bit of spare time to do a post.

I've made 16 wedding invitation samples recently, as well as a wedding card and a couple of Christmas cards, and they are all in the queue waiting for their moment to shine - haha! Hopefully I can get some of them posted during this next week.

Today is the start of the next challenge over at Paper Creator and this time around the theme is -

Just Bears

To be in with the chance of winning £10 to spend in store then just show us your bear cards, you don't have to use Paper Creator products, but if you do you get a second entry into the draw.

I used a gorgeous Sassy Cheryl image called Hanging Out to Dry, and even though I didn't have much time, - me being me - decided to try something a little different with my card and so spent more time than I really had, trying to make an idea come together. 

Hanging Out to Dry - Sassy Cheryl illustration at Paper Creator

Papers - Nitwits At the Park collection

Lifestyle nesting doily circle die

Spellbinders circle die

Ribbon and waxed cord - Meiflower

Don't forget to pop over to the Paper Creator Challenge blog and check out the fabulous creations from the rest of my teamies.

There is also free shipping for all orders over £5 at Meiflower this weekend.

I am entering my card into the following challenges

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards  - Animals

Digi Haven –  must use a digi - Any Animal

Sister Act Card Challenge  - Anything Goes

Crafty Ribbons - #54 Anything with a ribbon

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Bearly Mine Challenges  - #96 Anything Goes

Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge  -Birthdays

Thanks for dropping in,

enjoy your weekend,

hugs,

Colette xx