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

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!

~Twinkle toes~

Hello again. Its my nieces birthday in a few days and so I decided to go pink and glittery for this one. The image is 'Angelique' by the fabulous Sammi and she is a real cutie. Papers are BG 'Euphoria' and I used my Martha Stewart 'doily' punch for the scalloped edge. I used Sakura pens with water to colour her in.


Many thanks to everyone who left comments on my last post and for the one or two e-mails I received...lol! They were all much appreciated and I will be popping by to thank you all personally. Have just made some more scrummy bread so off to find the peanut butter...catch up with you all soon.
Hugs,
Em.x

BG stitching challenge...

Morning. The challenge this week over on the Basic Grey challenge blog is to create something using stitching...either real or hand drawn.
The papers and embellishments are from the 'Sultry' range. Please pop over and have a look at the other DT's work as they are so talented!
Hugs,
Em.x

Get your boobs out! **EDITED**

**Edited to say...this template is actually a bottom wearing pants which has just been adapted to become a bra....Tina has e-mailed me as I sent her the template and said 'trust you to make an arse into a lovely card!'....how rude!! LOL!**

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so Sammi has chosen 'pink' as our SBS 15 challenge this month. I decided to go with a pink bra card and have used Basic Grey 'Eva' papers. If anyone would like the template for this please just e-mail me.
As most of you know I recently lost a lovely friend to this terrible disease and even now I find myself picking up the phone to chat to her. Its been harder than I could possibly have imagined....so go on girls...just for me...
squish ya boobs!
Hugs Em.x

Black is back....

Hello. The challenge this week over at thisthursday is 'Black is back' in honour of Susie now becoming a lovely wife...many congratulations Susie...I hope the honeymoon is fantastic.

I've made this for my step mothers birthday next week...except Tracey is 6 months younger than me so its very bizarre calling her that!

Hope everyone is well.x

To you from me...

Hi. Papers are HOTP and have been distressed. Pearl brad from Poppicrafts and swirl is distressed chipboard. Ribbon flower hand sewn from stash.

Crafting + Tina + Belle + rainy afternoon = therapy for the soul.

Hugs,
Em.x

Busy bee's and PB!

Hi all. Hope everyone had a great weekend. This is my first offering to the PB Saturday challenge which this week is 'ribbons'. Really enjoyed taking part and I don't think it will be my last time. Papers are BG, flowers are Poppicraft and the image was from Debs...thanks babe.

Well my dining room has been a hive of activity today and we have been very busy bee's...Belle included! Tina and I started on our big push for making Christmas cards for the Troops and had a right giggle doing it....red glitter in August seems so wrong! Many thanks to everyone who has agreed to help and I think we will be saying that a lot leading up to October when all the cards need to be in.

I'd also like to thank all the girls over at our 'twaddle and blab' blog for the hugs and kicks today...you lot are so vicious! LOL!
Catch up with you soon,
Crafty hugs,
Em.x

Royal birthdays...

Hello. We have lots of birthdays coming up so thought I had better make a start on the cards.
Recipe...frame was stamped then embossed then had 'photo' distressing ink rubbed over it.
The image is craftyindividuals. It was stamped onto card that had been coloured with aged inks and then re stamped onto tissue paper...carefully cut out and layered back over the image. Crown was stamped with writing and then glazed. Post mark was stamped and embossed with clear and then re stamped. Scroll was done on card distressed with ink then rolled. Button in flowers is a real vintage charity shop find!

I really do appreciate everyone that finds the time to stop by and read my blog so many thanks to you all.
Hugs,
Em.x

Summer stamping..

Hi. I've made this card for someone who I wish I lived nearer to so I could give her a hug right now. Can't say who in case she reads this but hopefully when the card arrives she will understand just how much I do worry about her!
Papers and stamps are by craftyindividuals and I used chalks on the flowers. The butterfly is stamped as well.

You need to go and check Tina's blog out as well today as she can claim the prize for bargain of the day!!!
Hugs,
Em

Vintage...

Morning all!
'This weeks Challenge over at Artyzgirl is 'Vintage' so you could use a vintage photograph on your creation, give your creation an aged effect, or go shabby chic use old ribbon or lace etc. As always you choose the format for your creation.'
Well after having my backside kicked last night by Mrs T who told me to stop mumbling about doing things and actually do something...this is what I came up with!
I've kept it quite simple as its for someone who I don't think likes to much fuss. The stamp is from craftyindividuals. Distressed using distressed inks and the button is original vintage!
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend....we are off for lunch at Mrs T's so will have to be on our best behaviour......
Hugs,
Emma.x

Hugs and birthdays...and a waffle!

This is probably the quickest card I have ever made and I'm actually quite embarrassed about the fact as its for someone very special. The papers are by Crafty Individuals and the butterfly stamp has been done on acetate with a StazOn opaque. I've attached the acetate at the back of the card as I wanted it to be free on the front. Its also on an A6 card and its been at least a year since I made a card of this size.

NOT MORE CD'S...I hear you shout! Actually I've done quite a lot of these lately and am having great fun seeing what can be done with them! This one is for my friend Gill who is now back in the UK. The poem is actually stamped onto shrink plastic and...shrunk! Papers are BG and the stamp is Hobby Art.

Well its been a funny old fortnight...not side splittingly funny but emotionally funny. A year ago this month my hubby was doing his tour in Iraq and I had just received my diagnoses. Its been a tough year for lots of reasons, not just because of these two things, but a few things have happened over the past fortnight that have made me have a good old think about life.

Firstly a wonderful friend of mine has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is the same age as myself and has two gorgeous young children. Struggling to write this so please forgive me if I make no sense, but its been caught late. You can all imagine the anger and frustration that her and her lovely hubby are feeling and my heart is breaking for them both.

Secondly my Mum heard last week that Stuart, who she had fostered as a child, has passed away from cancer. He was 41. What age is that?

I know that this should not be about me...and I feel so selfish for even writing this, but for the past year I have sat and grieved for the life that I can never have back...for the life that I had enjoyed so much and would do anything to have 5 minutes of again.

But...I'm not going to lose my life...I will watch my kids grow up...I will torment my hubby for quite a few more years. There is nothing for me to grieve for and its time to start enjoying what I have got...and boy what I have got is bloody fantastic.
Hugs,

Really, really pink and girlie!!

Before you ask 'what on earth were you thinking about when you made this?' please let me explain!
The challenge over at thisthursday this week is to make something you can see through. Well I racked my brains and then I realised it gave me the perfect excuse to go really girlie and use pink acetate!!
Its for my friend's daughter who is fourteen in a couple of weeks so I thought instead of a normal card I would do her something she could re-use or attach to her school bag.
I stamped, embossed, glittered and glued....basically just had lots of fun!! (Once in a while its great to act like a big kid!)
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.
Hugs,

Distressed friendship

This is probably going to be my last 'post' for a couple of days as I've come down with a bit of a chest infection and its knocked my FM for six.
I decided to distress away on this for a bit of fun. Ripped paper (Basic Grey!) inked flowers, stamped image that I've coloured and then used crackle glaze on. The corners were done through the 'bug' and then I ran a distress ink pad across them.
I'm afraid I don't know where I got the verse from as its been on my laptop for ages so many thanks to whoever wrote it...its beautiful.
Finally, as I can hear my bed calling, I've got something really great for you to take part in towards the end of the week...but can't say anymore yet (but you will like this one!!).
I'll catch up with all your blogs when the 'lurgy' has left!
Hugs,

Being true to myself.

Hello.
Well I wasn't going to show this card but after looking at the kind of work I was producing last year I've realised that this is probably more 'me' than anything else I have made lately.
I love working with different textures so on here are ribbons, buttons, threads, ink, fibres, felt and beads. The beads and stitching are hand sewn. The flowers were cut in the 'bug'.
Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and that the weather is slightly better where you are!
Hugs,

Broken bones and birthdays!

Hello!
Well its been a really bizarre 24 hours! My little boy (yes I know he's nearly 15 and is 6 foot tall!!) broke his collar bone last night whilst playing Bull dog with his mates. Luckily he's doing OK but is feeling very tired and a little bit sheepish!! Bless him though...he's not moaned once today about it and will hopefully be back at school tomorrow.
As you know we were meant to go back to Gibraltar this month for a visit but Belle came down with chicken pox which put a hold on everything! Originally we should have been going in July for a friends 40th...so the tickets were booked today...YIPEE!!
Not sure who in the house is more excited but I have made both children PROMISE that nothing else will happen to either one of them before we go!! LOL!
Well July is a month full of birthdays so I thought I had better get cracking on the old cards. This one is using Basic Grey Sultry papers. The stamp is a PB from an image swop. I've also used this card for the cutecardthursday challenge which was to make a birthday card.
I hope everyones ok and I hope a certain person got her blog fixed!! LOL!
Hugs,

Art Deco and birdies!

I made this one a few days ago but just not got round to putting it on here. It's going to be sent to my friend Bev who is still recovering from major surgery. The papers and stamp are by Imaginisce.

This is the card I made on Tuesday night at Sally's craft shop. Really wasn't overly keen on the images to start with but quite like it now. Just thank God my Mum loves Art Deco!! There is actually embossing around the images but it doesn't show up in the photo which is a shame. I must admit I loved working with the black card and will now use it a lot more.

Well it's been a tough couple of days and I'm just so glad this week is over. Yesterday I had a meeting with SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) and this morning it was back to the Solicitors and then a mad rush round to the Doctors.
Emotionally I'm feeling and thinking so much more positively but physically I feel like I have been hit by a bus!
But the sun is peeking through the clouds. There's been a light shower of rain and its all smells so fresh. Last night we sat out till late with some friends and watched the bats chasing each other round the garden and the adjoining field. Our little fox popped in to have a look as well. Its the first time we have seen him out at night and he is definitely putting on weight!
So for now, in our little haven in Scotland, all is well.
Lets just hope it lasts.

Puddles!

Evening!
I've made this for my lovely friend Gill. I can't send it to her as she will finally have left Gibraltar before it gets to her...the post takes forever to get out there...so I will just have to hand deliver it when she arrives in the UK...and I can't wait!!
The stamp is from Hobby Art, papers are Crafty Individuals and flowers and ribbon from Poppicrafts. You can't see it on the photo but the rain drops are glossed.
Big huge thanks to Nessy for my beautiful card that arrived today...will put it on show tomorrow! Thanks babe!

Mojo oh Mojo...where art thou!

I always look forward to the tenth of the month as that is the day the fabulous Leo sends us our Crafty Templates. This month I even purchased the matching goodies kit as it was soooo scrummy.
BUT...the tenth arrived...the templates and kit were on my craft desk...and then put away untouched. I just could not think of one single idea to do. The design teams ideas were brilliant but my mojo had run out of the room screaming!!
It wasn't til last night that I decided to have another go. Not overly happy especially with the dress one but I think that's because its so far off what I normally do.
I'm going to do the next one as an altered CD...so watch out for the poodle!!
On Friday I'm going to be offering some blog candy as I achieved a little milestone this week but will tell more on Friday.
Hugs to everyone,

Just for you....

Well I've not had much of a chance to blog this week as I've been busy, busy, busy as some of you will have found when the postie arrived today!!! The two wallets in the top picture I made for Debs and Lil'G...and apparently Lil'G kept saying WOW!!LOL! (And yet again I've nicked your photo Debs!!!)
I started a fantastic new job this week. I'm working in a tiny haberdashery in town one day a week whilst Belle is in nursery. What's so special about this shop is that it is run by the local authority and is also a learning centre for adults with learning difficulties. So as well as working in the shop I also get to spend hours in the attached room teaching crafting...its heaven! They are a fantastic group of characters and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
Well enough of me rambling on...the bottom card is for someone very special who has given me the confidence to do my blog and show my little creations to you all...but I can't say who just yet!!LOL!
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend,