Off on Hols

Yep, we're off on our "summer" holidays for a fortnight, to join middle daughter in Germany and then to go to Center Parcs in Holland. Unfortunately, the weather has been just as "wonderful" over there as it has been in bonnie Scotland, so we're packing the waterproofs...
Once we're back, I'm planning on crafting much more, also with the girls, and finally plucking up the courage to do some challenges.
See you then!

Another wee card

I've finally finished the card for eldest daughter's friend's birthday - hurray! And I did do it yesterday just hours before the party... Bad crafter! Used papers from a DCWV Scrapbook stack that I come back to every so often, and finally put those Thin Cuts dies to good use, have had them sitting in a drawer for a while. Note the scalloped edges again, I really like that look.

Middle daughter made it to Germany safe and sound, ably looked after by my mum, and despite the horribly early start of 3am, she never once lay down for a nap. She was in her bed at 6.30pm, however. Had her on the phone today: she's played on all the toys in the garden, she's been to the local softplay centre and she's had slush puppy - heaven for a six-year-old! Hope she enjoys the rest of her week as much, but will also be pleased to see the rest of us when we join her next Sunday.

Midweek Post turned into Weekend Post

Well, I thought I was going to manage two posts a week, but since I didn't have my pictures ready, posting has been delayed. Anyway, here is a picture of a card I just made for fun on Tuesday, regardless of the fact that I still had to make 2 more teacher cards and a birthday card... I kinda always do things last minute, so this is in no way unusual. For this card, I chose colours I don't normally go for apart from Christmas time, so I was ever so slightly outside my comfort zone. I coloured the tag with brown and ochre chalk and then edged it with black ink, same with the little message panel. The whole card got edged in black as well, as did the scalloped edge of the gingham border. I scalloped the gingham with my corner rounder punch, following the instructions on Andrea Gourley's blog - I'd always wondered how she did these pretty scalloped edges! And then I embellished the tag with some green gingham ribbon, a couple of flowers and some buttons from my huge supply which I recently ordered from ebay. I shouldn't be wanting for buttons again for a very long time!

Then on Thursday, I made the teacher card below, times two, since I was running out of time (still got the birthday card to make...). Again, I've gone back to gingham, which used to be a firm favourite with me for a long time, and I've used some punched apples. Stamped the message, matted the (inked) panel and presto!

Birthday card will probably have to wait till tomorrow now since I'm getting ready for middle daughter to go to Germany first thing tomorrow morning, with my mum. And I mean "first thing" - we're leaving here at 3.30am for a 6.55am flight!!! I wish there hadn't been bomb alerts in London and a car driving into Glasgow Airport today, it's all a bit worrying. Seems to happen all the time: last year we flew to Germany the day after plans to attack airplanes had been uncovered. Our hand luggage consisted of one see-thru plastic bag with the bare essentials in it, and there was a really eerie feeling about the airport. Everyone was worried, some people said we shouldn't go, but it all turned out fine. Now we're back to worrying again. I wish it would stop.

PS: I apologise for the motley assortment of backgrounds to my cards. I will try and be more consistent in my choice. I wish I could take my piccies outside, but the Scottish summer has been less than kind so far and rain is pretty much a daily occurence...

Busy week

I can see I'm not going to be the world's most regular blogger, but just now I think part of the reason I've put this 2nd post off is the fact that I'm still a little wary of this blogging-thing and how it all works. Want to keep going though, so I'll try and share a couple of pictures of cards I made this week. One is for one of my oldest daughter's teachers who had her last day on Friday, and the other one is for my middle daughter's friend who had her birthday party today. It was only after I had finished the latter card that MD said her friend's favourite colour was red - just as well!

Didn't really get much more done on the crafting front this week as I seemed to be out and about pretty much every day and by evening had lost all energy and motivation. Roll on the holidays, is all I can say!

I was very pleased, however, to have my (crafty) efforts recognised this week: my youngest daughter's nursery presented me and a few other mums with an award for Enterprise Champion! The Enterprise scheme is designed to gradually build up skills in schoolchildren to help them become employers in their work life rather than employees, but at nursery level, it is mainly the parents who are "enterprising". Our wee group mainly makes cards which are sold in the nursery to boost funds, and I've been involved in this for over two years now. Good fun, and certainly nice to be recognised!

Let's get started!

So here it is, I've finally decided: I will try to keep a blog. I have no particular reason to do this, really. My life is very ordinary: I have a lovely husband, three beautiful, lively girls, I live in a house with a garden, and I make stuff. But I am somehow not content anymore to make stuff behind closed doors, as it were, I want to share. Maybe somebody out there likes what I do and takes inspiration from it. I certainly have taken a lot of inspiration from all you crafty folk out there since I started reading blogs. I make more stuff - not noticeably, but I do, and not just my usual cards and scrapbook pages: I've also got my knitting needles clicking, dug out my crochet hooks and I'm even thinking of dusting off my sewing machine... My family are often heard sighing, but I think this can only be good!

Anybody who happens to read this I ask to please bear with me as I get to grips with the "new technology" and hopefully this blog will be up and running very soon.