WOYWW is on the RADIO!!!!

Just chatting with my friend on FB and she tells me they are talking about WOYWW on the radio!!!!
Am trying to find out more details !!!!

Back with a vengance!

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!
I'm back and no matter how silly my little lot find the concept I am jolly well going to keep right on blogging!!!!
Now, the trouble with this time of year, of course, is not having enough hands, nor hours in the day, to do as much as I need to get done.  Am already in full panic mode and if I am card-making then I am stressin' that I should be cross-stitching the little tree decorations I traditionally make and give as little gifts ... and vice-versa, of course.
I even considered "letting-go" the tree decorations this year but :
a) would then have to think of alternative little gifts to buy and
b) there would be a gap in the dates ... I sew an embroidered (not by me!) label on the back of each decoration and can't bare the thought of 2012 being missing
SO ... am constantly juggling sewing/crafting/sewing/crafting ... oh, and I do quizzes by the shedload so have to make time for them too!
Each January I have always started my birthday/anniversary etc., cards for the whole year and just plough through my list until they are all done ... leaving the rest of the year for all the unexpected cards that crop up or to tackle anything I am asked to make.  This year I decided to do it differently and work my way through the year a month ahead ... BIG MISTAKE!!!!  I have spent this entire weekend in a mad panic (I seem to always be in a panic of some sort or another) as I still had a few cards for the beginning of November to make and several for December. And I haven't even started my Christmas cards yet BUT am now down to just four cards for this year left so a good weekend's work really.  On two of those remaining cards I had planned to use the little fob/pocket watches but as they haven't really gone down too well I am now in quite a dilemma as to what to do ... go ahead and use them because I really want to, or admit defeat and do something different.  Watch this space and I will let you know when I know myself!
Tomorrow will be spent making some sample 21st invitations that I have been asked to make so I need to find time to make 100+ invitations too.
At least it keeps me quiet and out of mischief.
And next time I might just tell you about "invitationgate" ... but that's another story!

Been a while

Okaaay ... I knew it had been a while since I visited my dear little blog but didn't quite realise HOW long!  
Confidence taken a huge bashing so whilst I have been crafting away continually since my last post I've not felt able to share anything as comments about my work have left me wondering if it is worth me bothering to carry on crafting.
Then I decided I bloomin' well love crafting whatever the results ... the smell of the ink and papers, peeling off the backing to the double sided tape, firing up the Vagabond, cutting and trimming and matting and layering and ... well, you get my drift!
Then I reminded myself why I started my blog in the first place ... for ME! Doesn't matter if family & friends don't "get" what I do ... I will make and give them their card and they can throw it out but I'm going to carry on and keep calm and all that and harden myself to all the negative comments.  Don't get me wrong ... I don't expect everyone to like what I do and I am very happy to receive constructive criticism but comments like "what a daft idea" don't inspire me to carry on much at all.
I am posting a few photo's of the few cards I bothered to photograph and am including them here so I can drag my blog up to date :

This is an example of the card that caused the most controversy!  I made several ... some in my favourite browny colours and then some in pink for the girls!  I had a few "Big O" birthdays this year and thought celebrating the passing of time with little fob/pocket watches might be an idea.  
Well, it was an idea but didn't seem to go down too well (hence the "what a daft idea" comment mentioned above).
To be fair the recipients seemed to like them - although one did go, "Oh!" and gave a puzzled expression upon opening the card!
I'd inked and stamped and embossed acetate and alcholol inked and worked long and hard on these cards but guess you can't win them all, eh?

This one went down quite well! Made two the same ... one being for my nephew's girlfriend ... I like doing number cards like these for special birthdays even if they are a bit naff.

 This was a new home card for nephew number 2 and his girlfriend ... doesn't show on the photo but I glossy accented the word "HOME" and there is a little key hanging from the ribbon. The message was printed onto acetate.

 All my birthday cards this year followed a theme ... butterflies for the girls and cogs for the boys ... have posted cards made earlier this year already but am including this one because the recipient of one exactly the same as this rang me last night to thank me for "her wonderful card" and to ask how I had done the "calendar" as a card-making friend of hers wanted to know.

This was made for a 70th birthday and I did one the same for a 40th too.

My sister's birthday card. She sat beside me when I gave it to her.  She opened the envelope. Took out card. Read it. Put card back in envelope. And didn't say a word.  Guess she didn't like it!  The inside was pretty too!

I am about to start my Christmas cards and have a sort of idea where I am going with them (probably to M&S to buy them and save all the Shock! Horror! Debbie, what were you thinking!!! )  They do 3 for 2 offers, right?

*****

Am now quite determined to keep my blog up to date and am going to spend time catching up with all of your blogs so bear with me!

My name is Debbie and I am a crafter ... no matter what!!!!!!!