Time slips by

So just where does it all go then?  A newly retired hubby seems to have both slowed time and also speeded up its passing in equal measure and it is a huge adjustment period for us but I wouldn't have it any other way and love having him home.  Well, most of the time ... his constant humming is driving me potty but guess I'm not going to stop that now!

Have been busy crafting away but forgetting to take many photos as usual ... simply hopeless!  

I was asked by a friend to make a "special" Valentine card so decided to adapt the Christmas hearts I made and the large - VERY large - Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die replaced the poinsettas very well and I used his choice of colours. He liked the result and now I just hope the recipient does too when it is opened tomorrow.

Then whilst I had very red inky fingers I figured I'd better make hubby one too ... not quite as "Moulin Rouge" as this one though and more to my own style.

One of my favourite things to do is emboss acetate and I kinda liked how this turned out.

Oh I really don't like how all my photo's just appear in a long line like this!  Must get it sorted out but it will mean bothering someone to help me and I do so hate being a bother.

I finally have most of my cards for this year made ... hundreds of them! Which is great news in a way as Crafter's Block came a-calling and I was struggling for weeks and weeks.   I now have loads of ideas for my Christmas cards and tags for next year though so just hope I don't forget them and end up stuck again!

Just got a few special ones to make ... not that they are not all special, of course, but you know how there are always one or two that are for a Big O birthday or an anniversary or wedding or something.

Then when they are all done and safely stashed away I can PLAY and ExPeRiMeNt and just mess about really.

Oh yes, remember I just said how I love embossing acetate? Well, I have been searching and searching for over a year now for a large dove die I saw but which has been "out of stock" at my favourite on-line shop for over a year now and extensive searching for it was so frustrating as nowhere seemed to have it anymore.  Quite by accident whilst browsing for something else on ebay there it was!  I nearly fell off my chair and had to blink twice and pinch myself to be sure I wasn't imagining it ...needless to say I ordered it straightaway and just had to use the packaging the moment it came to see the result.  Can't wait to get time to play around with this further.

So, yet again I leave my dear little blog with the promise to return more often, take more (and better!) photo's of my messing around and keep a better record of what I spend much of my time doing.

Really I will.

Honest!

Yeah, right.

xXx

The birds are blue!

Following on from my WOYWW post yesterday I am DeLigHtEd to report the die came as expected and within a very short space of time I had my 21 little birdies cut out and decided they just had to be BLUE.
Will post a photo' once they are done ... one might even be my Pixie's Snippet for this week as I found some short lengths of ribbon that I had saved from something or other ... could have been some pretty soap I got in Scotland ... and if I am very careful and measure twice and cut once, there should be enough to use on the tags.
With my cross-stitching I usually only ever have one project on the go at once so I need to get my next one organised before the current one gets finished over Easter.  I had no intention of stitching another Lavender & Lace angel and fully intended to start my Christmas sewing thus avoiding my annual December nervous breakdown as I work like frenzy to get all my Christmas crafting done.
Alas, those angels are calling to me though and I think I am just going to have to tackle one of them next.  Christmas is still a very long way off, isn't it?  Plenty of time yet!
Right, first task today is to put some blue Stickles onto the birdies so that can dry and then I can attach the wings later on ... then they just need the very carefully measured and tied ribbons attaching and that will be another 21 cards ticked off the list for this year!

WOYWW 146

Oh for goodness sake, how can it be Wednesday AGAIN!  I said to daddy only yesterday "considering Easter is early this year it surely is taking ages to get here" ... and then he told me off for wishing the year away!!!  Don't have to wish because it is happening right before my eyes.
Anyway, am rambling ... here is my very empty workdesk this week ... was hoping a die I had ordered would come yesterday - which it didn't - but it has been despatched so am quite expecting it this morning and then I can get going.  
I have Been Sensible and not rushed ahead in making some little "remembrance" tags to send in memory of lost loved ones.  I know (I think) where I am going with them but decided to wait before cutting them all out as I am not sure how large the little birdie will be ... I want to do a smaller tag than I normally prefer and have already printed out the little messages to go on them and used a Martha Stewart punch to make the edges pretty.  I could have got them all ready just to add the die-cut birds but didn't want them too big so the bird looked ridiculously small or vice-versa and the birdie be too large.  Hurry up postman!!!!!

OK ... you get two shots this week ... an overall view and a close up!  The cross-stitch patterns came yesterday and I am trying to decide which of the two "Lavender & Lace" angels to stitch first ... I said I wouldn't do any more of these designs as I have no wall space left to hang any more but whilst searching and searching for a new project to work on these just kept going "Pssssst" to me.  The other two little patterns are for Christmas and designs I was waiting to come back into stock so rather than leave it until nearer Christmas I thought I would order them now so not as to miss out again ... clever, eh?!?!?


You may be wondering what the meat-hammer is doing on my craftdesk ... I wanted to bash some brads and went to order Mr. H's little hammer but couldn't really justify spending that much money just to bash a few brads now and again.  I asked hubby if he had anything in the garage I could use and he suggested the meat-hammer ... not that the meat-hammer was in the garage!  It worked a treat and, as it rarely gets used in the kitchen, it might well not ever find its way back into the kitchen drawer!
You can also just about see the messages ready for the cards and a pile of blue card that I might use ... not quite sure if I want white tags with little blue-birds on them or blue tags with little white birds on ... decisions, decisions!  It is not easy being a crafter, is it?
The white A4 sheet on top of my adhesives box ... of course you have no idea it IS my adhesives box so you will just have to trust me here ... is my card list for this year and I am happy to report all the names under April are highlighted-out now and all the anniversary cards for this year and then all the "In Memory" cards should also be crossed off by tonight!  Progress, I think they call it.
Well, must get over to link this to the wonderful Julia's Stamping Ground which you will find HERE ... happy WOYWWing everyone!  

WOYWW 144

Such a boring workdesk so far today ... having not yet really got going!  But it is WOYWW day so I figured any photo' is better than no photo' and I promise you it will not be as tidy as this in a couple of hours time!

Whilst having my major sort-out yesterday I found a box labelled "Cosmo Cricket Christmas" that I must have had for a couple of years or so now and had completely forgotten about.  In fact, I have had it so long my style has changed and I am unlikely to ever use it as was intended.  BUT a close inspection of the papers revealed they were not particularly Christmassy at all and will do very nicely in continuing my butterflies/cogs birthday card theme for this year.  I was sad to run out of my regular Cosmo Cricket stash of papers but am quite inspired again having come across these.

Be sure to head over to Julia's fabulous Stamping Ground and make the most of the opportunity to visit lots of other workdesks!!!