Beady gifts...**Edited**

**The lovely Helena has been in touch to ask if she can feature these on her new blog Helena-handmadegifts blog which is a new blog featuring gifts that bloggers have made...that has made my day! Thanks Helena**
Hello. I actually made this lot one night last week but could not show them until now...so I'm just hoping the postie has already been to a few bloggy homes!
I've got more to make but just waiting on a bead order. Tina popped round on Saturday and we made some bead brooches and key rings etc and even Belle joined in!

I also want to say a big thank you to Michelle at Poppicrafts who has featured my ribbon tree on her website...thanks honey it means an awful lot!

And an even bigger thank you to you! Life has been complicated lately but there's always one of you around to chat to and its so lovely to know you are there and I am very lucky to have found such wonderful friends.

And finally...its Princess Belles birthday on Wednesday and I've been making hundreds of butterflies, clouds, suns and flowers to hang from the ceiling as we are having a teddy bears picnic for her and her little friends! I handmade the invites and have done some homemade gift bags for the children to take home....with some gorgeous white chocolate teddy bears from Thornton's....they look to scrummy for the kids! Tina is helping out as Daddy is away and we are getting the kids to do hand and feet paintings after the picnic...so wish us luck! LOL!

I probably won't be around until Thursday now...if I have survived the party so have a lovely week and I will catch up with you all very soon.

Ribbon Christmas Tree tutorial...

Hello. I've been meaning to make one of these Trees for ages but finally got round to it last night. If you would like to make one you will need a large Polystyrene cone, lots of ribbon (most of mine was from Poppicrafts!) which you will need to cut into 4 inch strips (approx 200 of these!) and some sequin pins.

I painted the tree with a bright green acrylic paint first and allowed it to dry. I started at the bottom of the tree and just folded the ribbon in half and attached to the tree with one pin. Make sure your ribbons slightly goes over the bottom of the tree to so that it lays nicely. Just work your way up the tree, overlapping each layer.

I topped my tree with two wooden snowflakes that I had painted white, glued a needle in between them with about half an inch sticking out so that they could be stuck into the tree.

And there you have one tree to sit in the middle of your table on Christmas day!

I'm going to use this for the Artygirlz challenge this week which is to use your favourite colours and the Secretcrafter challenge which was to use layers.

Hugs,
Em.x

Witches and Cr%p!

Hello. This is the box that I altered for Tina for her birthday. It actually started life clear...then got the Elf distressing treatment! I loved making it as it was such a personal gift and I have included all of her favourite things including witches, tarot cards and purple beads.

I made the bracelet using her favourite colours and butterflies as she loves them....

And I did warn her that due to time issues her card would be crap...but she didn't believe me....

She was in hysterics when she saw it and I'm so glad that I went to all that effort with it! PMSL!!

If you would like to commission a crap card like this please do not hesitate to contact me...lol!

I am also going to enter the altered box into CraftawayaSunday challenge which this week is....magical!

Em.x

Thank you all so much...

I'm honoured to have received this gorgeous award from Jane, Cathy, Pauline, Donna , Kirsten and Debbie.

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming.These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement.Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.Please give more attention to these writers!Deliver this award to eight bloggers who then must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I've made some truly wonderful friends since I started this blog but there is one particular lot who have made me feel like part of a bigger family and have all become such firm friends....and that is my SBS sisters.So please accept this, from me, with much love.

Hugs, Em.x

My purple phase.....

Ok I'm only kidding but the challenge this week at Craftymuse is to create something using the colour purple...not one of my favourite colours (she says ducking as Mrs T throws something at her!) but Sammi let me use 'Princess Amber' who is new to the collection so I'm not complaining! Sammi has also been madly designing away and some male figures have now joined the collection so you might want to wander over and have a look....

I would also like to say a huge welcome to Becky, Ruth and Sarah who have joined the Craftymuse team! Not only are they fantastic designers....but they are also great friends so our little team is now one big happy family. Really happy to be working along side them and their design work is now showing on the blog :o)

Not going to be around for a few days as I have a 'you know what' to make for 'you know who' and its nearly Belles birthday and I have so much to make....HINT HINT TINA!!
I'll catch up with you very soon and big hugs to you all.
Em.x

Guest DT for ThisThursday....

I was chuffed to bits when Tracey asked me to be Guest DT on the ThisThursday challenge blog which this week is all about 'playing with paint'. This 'red nose' puzzle piece was made by painting the background with acrylic paint then I used distressing inks, alcohol inks...you know the normal stuff I do to make a mess! The gorgeous stamp is by Toodles and Binks who are the sponsors this week and spoilt us rotten with the samples! The snowflakes are wood which I painted white, glittered, distressed and placed a dew drop in the middle to make them shine!

Obviously his nose was glossed!

This second one I'm really not sure on as these are colours I've not worked with for a while. I loved the stamp (Simone) and painted the swirls with acrylic and round the edge of the tag. The flowers are hand cut with dew drops as well. Belle keeps eyeing it up......hmmmm.....!

I really enjoyed this challenge so why not pop over to TT and have a go yourself! (Big thanks to the girls for inviting me this week as well!)

Hugs,

Em.x

One for the boys....(yikes!)

The challenge to my horror over at the BG challenge blog...is to create something for the boys. I absolutely detest making cards for men....so much so that I have been known to actually BUY cards for male friends and relatives...just don't tell my hubby ;o)
Anyway I'm not overly happy with this card but wanted to take part. Papers are BG 'Phoebe' and I've used distressing inks to colour the image in.
I'd like to say a big thanks to Zuzu as well for inviting me to join her forum. I feel very honoured as I have worshipped this womans work for a long time and can quite happily spend an hour or two wandering round her blog.

Oh I have a favour to ask...if you happen to have any spare hours in the day right now could you throw them my way!?!
Hugs
Em.x

Craftymuse is now open for fun!

This is my DT for Sammi's new challenge blog...

The fantastic new Craftymuse challenge blog is NOW OPEN!! Challenges will be held fortnightly and you can use any image or one of Sammi's....you have the opportunity of using one of Sammi's lovely images free for the first one!

Craftymuse also needs another two members to join us on the design team...if you are interested then play along to this weeks challenge and you may be picked!

So come along and see what its all about...just click on the banner and it will take you there!

The colours of Autumn...4x4

Hello. The challenge over at Mixed Media Monday this week is to make something using Autumnal colours. I'd already started on this 4x4 at the weekend so hope it fits in with what they wanted.
I used distress inks, alcohol inks, acrylic paint, spritzed Perfect Pearls for the background which was also stamped with a vintage style leaf. The leaves are stamped shrink plastic and the tree was a black and white down load that I coloured.
Can't think of anything else...oh yes...the sun was actually a Belle 'splodge' that I had to then fit in with the theme...it was purple to start with!
Hope everyone's having a good week.
Big hugs,
Em.x

Sarah I am speechless!!!

I received this absolutely stunning book in the post today from the lovely Sarah C. Its amazing and is full of inspirational quotes and beautiful photos. There are lots of tags with sayings on as well and these photos just do not do it justice....thank you so much Sarah...you are such a sweetie!

**EDITED**A puzzled Christmas.....

** I've just heard from Julie that this has been nominated to be shown on the Inspirational blog. So a huge thank you to whoever it was who nominated it...you have really made my day!**



Hello. I've made this puzzle decoration for the Basic Grey challenge which is 'Christmas' this week and for the One stop craft challenge which is 'wings'.

I used acrylic paint dabbers in Espresso and Cranberry, Alcohol inks in Raisin, Oregano and gold mixatives, Distress ink in aged mahogany. Papers are Basic Grey 'Infuse' and the star chips are from my Basic Grey 'Sultry' pack. Images were free downloads from Crafty computer papers and the wings were stamps from my stash. Beads from a necklace Belle has yet again destroyed...!

Hope you're having a great weekend.
Hugs
Em.x