Painted faces...

Actually had some sun yesterday! Pretty fab as it was Jase's Mum's work's fete... boys got their faces painted :)

And I made this today, for Mum and Dad's friend David...

Paper is Scenic Route and Sassafras Lass, inked and embossed chipboard star, Creative Impressions pin, brad and ribbon, faux stitching.

TFL :)

All Checked Out

Woohoo all this month's work has been completed! Seems a little mad being surrounded by Christmassy stuff in July but then 'the weather outside is frightful'! Jane dared us this week with this fantastic dare;

Well Hello !! Friday has come round again soooo fast ! Its my turn (Jane) to dare this week. Okay -are you ready ? For my dare you can choose any theme for the card BUT it must incorporate 'Checks', whether it be gingham paper or ribbon or squares, any thing really as long as it incorporates some kind of shape with 4 equal sides....... so go on- I dare you to think outside the square/step out of the box ..............easy as, eh ?!!


It is for My Nan and Grandad (yup I know that that is not the Dictionary spelling of 'Grandad' but it is how we have always spelt it...)- for their Wedding Anniversary as they celebrate 68 (!) years tomorrow.

All the paper is BG Infuse, as are the fibres. The heart is a chipboard one and a bit of a random effort - I inked and embossed it (lots) using black ink, and silver and enamel embossing powder and this is how it turned out :)

Made these two cards; for Nan to give to Grandad and for Grandad to give to Nan, I always make them matching cards and they fit in with the dare too!


Paperchase background paper, Creative Impressions Ribbon, Doodled sentiment and the digi bits are from A Spoonful of Sprinkles and 2Peas.
TFL :)

Updating...

*waves* So Jo, what do you know?....

Well, Since I last blogged....Floods subsided here pretty quickly, but how bad is it still for half of the rest of the country? The local paper printed the piccie that I took of our flooded road but it pales in comparison with places just up the road. (((hugs)))

A mix of poorly children, school holidays, magazine commissions and me having tonsillitis :( has left no time... Jared is lots better now - thank you for all the lovely comments, he has also had his fringe snipped - so he can see out but currently looks like he is auditioning to be a member of Sergeant Pepper's band...

One magazine commission down and two to deliver tomorrow...I have made a few other cards this week, did some knitting and watched a bit of golf :) I made this for Jim's mum *waves at Jim* . She phoned to ask me to make a card - I don't normally make many commissions and told me all about another card that someone had made for the recipient and it sounded suspiciously like a bookatrix card... eeek! Then luckily she said how she didn't want anything like that!! yay! So the order was for a pink flowery OTT card for a 90 yr old...

And...I finished last week's dare card, complete with tag in the pocket - it's for Jase's Nan :)...just in time for the new dare tomorrow!!

Oh and I have been nominated for the Rocking Girl Blogging Award by Sadie, Samm, Mum on the Run and Sam lol! Thank you for nominating me :)


I have to nominate 5 other laydeez (sorry Lythan for using a unnecessary 'z' at the end of a word...) for the award but I am thinking that mostly everyone now has this as it seems to have spread quickly around the blogging universe and I don't think I could ever decide who to choose so... if you are a) a bird, not a bloke and b)if you are reading this, you must be rocking lol so consider yourself nominated :)

Quick update...

Jared has mostly been grumpy with his itchiness :(
And mostly today we have rain... and lots of emergency vehicles out and about which the boys loved :)

3 is the magic number....

Yup, Jared finally managed to make it to 3 yesterday and celebrated in style by gaining the Pox lol. He did have a good day though, with lots of balloons, streamers, visitors, presents, cards, tea at Burger King and spots! He is finally the proud owner of a 'Ben 10 Watch' after asking for one constantly for about 2 months...
This week's little extra is 'faking it' so I did with a faux card - all digi using a kit from Summer Driggs called Inspiration so faux (deffo pronounced 'fo' not 'forks' as I have heard it said...) everything :) My first attempt at faking a card - I normally print the papers and elements and make a card manually...
TFL!

Victoriana and a tagaroonie...

Got tagged (again lol) by SadieB and Danni here are my previous answers and here are 7 more random facts that you never wanted to know about me (and prolly still don't)....

1. I once did work experience in an abbatoir
2. I can say the alphabet backwards just as fast as forwards
3. My most favouritist colour in the whole wide world is PINK
4. Loving Dexter and Jekyll on the telebox at the mo.
5. I like eating Pate and Marmalade sandwiches - used to like Pate and Jam but found this new combo a couple of weeks ago...
6. I once had tea with Peter Duncan (lol!)
7. I still have turophobia....

Is that random enough?!!

Joshie had Victorian day at school today, his school is a real Victorian building and looked fantastic today, they had draped bunting everywhere and everything was 'old school'.
He was a bit perturbed on the way there after realising that Victorians did not have Power Rangers and really could not understand why Victorians did not have tele boxes when as he said; 'but my teacher has one!' I am not sure how old he thinks his teacher is...

and little Jared wanted to get in on the dress up fun this morning...

Dear Teacher...

It's that end of year time so I made Joshie's teacher and teaching assistants these cards...



I used...Inspire Me Papers, Creative Impressions Brads, Twill is from eBay, Doodling, Inking and Handcut Shapes, the Background is just printed from Word using 1942 report font.

TFL :)

A Visit to the Haberdashery Department...

G'day all, Gillian here, and it's my turn to dare you all this week
Your card can be any theme you like, just as long as it's got something you'd find in a Haberdashery Department on it.
Alright then, grab that old sewing basket of yours or raid your sewing machine drawer, have a look at what creative bits are hidding away there....maybe it's buttons, a zip, hook & eye's, ribbons, braids, Dressmaking patterns, tape measures,Pins & Needles, lace, safety pins or embroidery thread....
so many wonderful little treasures just waiting to be added to your next card :O)
I'm going to add one more rule....
Yes you may stitch on your card, but that can't be your only haberdashery item....
I went to Mum and Dad's in the week for yummy luncheon and found Mum using file cards as scrap paper! Of course I had to rescue some so used one - they are pretty large- as the card blank, folded in half :)

From the Haberdashery Department I used, Poppers, (they probably have some posh name) a Safety Pin, Buttons, an 'Eye' from a Hook & Eye, Trim and Thread!
Also used Sassafras Lass and Allsorts papers, ribbon, brads, photo hanger, eyelet, doodling (lots), inking, rubon ons and Primas. The sentiment is hand written, based on 2peas GG font.

We have the fabulous Donna as a guest designer this week - don't forget to check out what Donna and all the other fantabulous design team have made :)
TFL!

Retro 60's....

Little extra this week has gone all retro, sixties stylie. Not my fav era, the seventies were far cooler. (apart obviously from '76 when it was quite hot) *winks*

We have....*huge fanfare* ...fabby background paper that Jase made for me on Illustrator... Allsorts paper, Provocraft chipboard Doodlebug rub ons and Creative Impressions ribbon.
Josh was most impressed that the card has a poodle on it. Poodles are his very favourite type of dog - not cos he likes the look of them but cos they have the word 'poo' in their name....
Josh's spots are mostly better now just waiting for the last couple to be better before he can return to school.
not a dodgy eyes closed shot but rather Josh refusing to open eyes for the photo lol.

So... I went to Newbury show on Saturday and had a most fabbalicious time looking at all the yummy stash, bought a few bits and pieces :)

And finally... a few ~*'toot toots'*~ Daring Cardmakers get a mention in this month's Papercraft Inspirations which is fantastic, amazing and brilliant *grins*

Basic Grey accepted this week's dare card into their gallery :)

and... Inspire Me Papers asked me to make some cards for them! So I am currently in the process of making cards out of the very yummy papers that they sent me :)

TFL :)

'play track three...'

no Dr tonight :( so I will give you my very most favourite scene this series :)

Text Message

Team effort for the fantabulous dare this week;

TEXT...
definition... the main body of matter in a book or manuscript. the actual wording of anything written or printed, short passage of scripture, etc

Lythan helped with the verse - Mum and Dad wanted a passage suitable for a 60th Birthday(!)

'The Glory of the Young is Their Strength, Grey Hair the Splendour of the Old' Proverbs 20:29.

Basic Grey paper, printed verse using trust this one font, prima flowers, brads, inking, doodling, and stitching.

Sheila is still with us as a most marvellous guest designer and the rest of the team's cards are here :)
TFL :)

Flowery Crossbones...

There is an additional challenge over on Sketch This:Cards, and as I seem to quite a few commissioned cards to create this month, an ideal opportunity to get started...

Paper is Scenic Route, Card was generated here, I mailed the very nice man who made the programme aaages ago to see if it was ok to use the cards on cards (!) and it is, yay! Ribbon is Creative Impressions from my rather yummy prize stash, as is the photo hanger. Inking, faux pen stitching and an eyelet and paperclip.

Thank you so much for all the lovely messages about 'the pox' or as Jared calls it, 'the pops'. More spottiness today but handily Piriton is keeping the itching at bay (and Josh is impressed by the fact that even though it is a school day, he doesn't have to go....)
TFL :)

jo x

Button tag...

This week's Wednesday Stamper is 'Buttons'... I used this week's sketch from Sketch this:cards and also the challenge from JustBex to use up your scraps - aha! Multitasking :)
Ingredients are, Buttons from a Charity Shop and Carolyns, more of that K&Co Paper, Paperchase Stripey Paper, Little Silver Hat Ribbon, Bazzill Brad, Primas, Hero Arts Birthday Stamp, Creative Impressions Safety Pin, Mini Brads and Photo Hanger (see below :)), Jolee's flowers, Staples, Mum's Net Curtain(!), Sizzix Star Die, Cuttlebug Flower Die, Flower Eyelet from Stash....

My fantabulous prize that I won from CPS arrived, from Creative Impressions, it is the most marvellous parcel, filled with yummy ribbons and loads of bits and bobs like brads and photo hangers and safety pins, it is all so lush - thank you lots!


Josh has chicken pox....
My suspicions were first aroused when he didn't want any tea yesterday, followed by a refusal of my offer to go to McDonalds to get him something, followed by a few spotty dotties on his tummy....

and Jared has of course been a model child - not his usual 'spirited' self...
Little wonder I don't do much stamping lol - apparently it made him look 'pretty'(!)

Cartoon Crazy

Little Extra this week is a 'toon based card, amazingly organised, I made this one for Jared's Birthday in a couple of weeks;

The Cbeebies website has loads of cool children's downloads - free for personal use and I printed a few for this card... the sentiment is made with a bit of doodling and Trust This One and Courier fonts. The Charlie and Lola site is here and the Cbeebies printables are here. They are so fab, the whole cartoon looks like a scrapbook page :)

I took Jared to the hairdresser's yesterday but they were closed, so long hair remains :)

and the rest...

Made this one too, using the sketch from Beate's blog and another dismembered paper rose from a Justbex challenge...

I used Basic Grey & Scenic Route paper, 2Peas digi spotty paper, Bazzill brad and printed sentiment.

TFL :)

Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards!

*Mammoth Post Alert!*

No more Doctor Who 'til Christmas *sobs* but how fab was the 'season finale'?
Not watching anything much now, so more time for the art of papercrafting. Yay!

I tidied up too *gulps* and found some really old paper that came as part of my BOB prize - sheets and sheets of really garish K and Co paper that I thought I had better try and use up...It's like this pad but huge 12 by 12 sheets of brightness...

This weekend, I have mostly made;

1. A Card incorporating Melissa's challenge and the paper roses challenge from Justbex... *Birthday Cupcake*
Melissa's challenge was to make a card with the following rules;
•Make a birthday card incorporating my favorite color, RED.
•Must include something related to food---one of my other favorite things. (example--stickers, chipboard, die cuts, rubons---that have the image of a cupcake, birthday cake, candy---you know--sweet stuff)
•Must have a bit of bling on it---glitter, jewels, gems---that sort of thing.
•And, since I'm a July babe, and it's the 4th--must incorporate a star!
and... Sue set a challenge over on Justbex to use a paper rosebud on a card - you know those ones that you bought aaaaages ago and have since been banished to that box of stuff that you never use...

A red heart
A cupcake sticker
A bling brad
A pink star

and I found some paper roses eventually, and dismantled them to make them more user friendly :)
Paper is K & Co Patchwork, Basic Grey Chipboard, Bazzill Brads, Papermania Bling brad, Paperchase Cupcake, Staples and inking.

2. A card for CPS 20 and Esther's Die cut dreams challenge on JustBex... *Star*

Paper is again the K & Co stuff, with the addition of spotty 7Gypsies paper, Paperchase Ribbon, Prima, Sizzix Die Cut Star, Bling Brad is Dovecraft, Staples and Inking.

3. A Card for Caardvarks crop circle challenge and Esther's Fab Blooms Challenge on JustBex...

More K and Co paper, American Crafts Rub On, Prima, Bazzill Brad and Ribbon from Little Silver Hat.

4. A card for Sue's Flowers to Die For Challenge on JustBex and Jen's Challenge here to make a card using a white card blank with lots of the white showing.

Yup, more K & Co Paper, Bazzill Brad, my own design die flowers and doodling.

5. A Card for Samm's Challenge Doodle doodle do! on JustBex

I bought the flower at the Newbury show last year, Doodled frame, Printed sentiment and stitching and inking.

Phew if you are still here, TFL! :)

jo xx

Haircut...

Josh had his hair cut by Jase today...



And Jared? Well, he was safely snoozing atop the trampoline having bounced himself all out... Sorry Mum, his hair remains, saved by the sleep!