SECC Candy Winner....

Good morning everyone... hope you are all & ready for the day ahead. Personally I have to do a mad dash around the housework so I can get pushing ahead with my essay as tomorrow is my final day for posting & believe you me... if I manage to succeed in even getting it to the post box on time I will amaze even myself...

So, to kick start my day I thought it best to go ahead and announce the winner of the SECC candy and this did make me laugh.....

Here is the result of the draw...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:12
Timestamp: 2010-03-16 09:16:21 UTC

Now the funny part... when I scrolled through the names to see who had won... it is none other than my name sake....

Lorraine

So a big thank you to everyone who joined in the fun... and congratulations to Lorraine (if you can drop me an email with your address then I will get your goodies all packaged up and in the post to you asap.)

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Sakura on wood

Morning folks... gosh this really is a quickie as I'm running behind schedule... got to finalise a wedding order at 11am then off to see Gayle, Ava and gorgeous baby Maya.

So many of you have your wonderful Sakura pens at home but don't always experiment with them so just thought I'd share this little fells with you... he's a little wooden bunny I bought from Hobbycraft last year & I have used Sakura Metallic pens to colour him in... part water colour, part direct from pen. If you've never experimented with your pens then why not start now... they really are a world full of fun.

Sakura pens @ Markingworld

Okay... must dash... back later... happy crafting

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Naughty Mr Blogger

For anyone who left comments over the last day please be aware that although it is not showing on the comments as being there... if you click on the actually bit that says comments... low & behold the comments are there... oh Mr Blogger is being naughty today... well seeing it's a man eh ...

Happy Mothers Day all.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Now is that not just typical... I posted this comment... went back in to check... and low & behold the comments are now appearing... lol

Sakura & Stampboard !!!

Morning folks... hope you all slept well & are ready for another wonderful day... for a little change I thought I'd share with you one of the samples I've made recently... incorporating an old favourite of mine... can't remember the last time I played with it though... stampboard.

Now as we know not everything will work well on the surface of stampboard & very often you have to ensure your finished masterpiece is all sealed so that there is no transference... well... I may have found a solution for you all so that you too can make quick pieces of work without the need for sealing.

For this sample I used a black base card, upon which I layered some lovely Joanna Sheen backing paper... next up I took another piece of the same black card cut into a smaller layer again, edged with a silver Calligraphy pen & attached to the card. See all quick & simple so far eh... right here comes the difficult part... ha ha... I'm only kidding... this part is quick & simple too.

Take a piece of stampboard & cover completely with silver calligraphy pen... as this pen has a wide nozzle it only takes a few strokes & less than a minute to dry. Next up use a stamp of your choice, ink up with staz on & stamp onto your chipboard... see... nothing a beginner couldn't do... and finally to colour the image I used a selection of coloured pigma micron pens.. I scribbled a small amount onto the area I wanted to colour & spread out using a Koi water brush. Do this all over to complete the image & then allow a few minutes to dry. Now all you have to do is attach it to the front of the card using silicone glue.

Voila... simple as pie... and I hope that those of you out there who still have some stampboard hidden away at the back of drawers etc will give this project a try as it really is fun with endless possibilities.

Calligraphy & Pigma Micron Pens @ Markingworld

Have a great day & be back again soon... maybe today... maybe tomorrow...

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Happy Mothers Day...

Evening folks... gosh I can't believe how the day has gone by already... then again I was sitting in my pj's till gone lunch time... lazy old sod that I was today but I did need a little rest you know. Granted that although I was lazing around I still managed to pull together a little something for my mum for mothers day.

My mother & I very often clash with characters but at the end of the day we still love each other & are always there to provide support when it is needed... she is also often known to go on merry jaunts around the country with me.. whilst I'm demoing she's off out perusing all the local shops to see what goodies she can put in her bag to take home with her... she is a true master in her division... lol.

I decided to make her something nice & bright for tomorrow from my little stash I bought at the SECC... Here I used a scalloped card, papers, half of a decorative mat and some candy, complete with flowers, gems, pearl button & pin... the sentiment I have written with a coloured Sakura pigma micron pen.

Thought I'd give you a close up on the pearl button & pin as they are gorgeous.

Card, paper, decorative mat & candy @ Craftwork Cards

Prima flowers, stickles, gems, pearl button & pin @ The Hobby House

Sakura Pigma Micron pens (Black & Coloured) @ Markingworld

Hope you've all had a good start to the weekend with plenty more fun planned for tomorrow. Lots of crafting too of course... me... I need to get some studying done as less than a week to go now till my essay deadline & my work schedule so far hasn't allowed me time to even make a start on it so really pushing the deadline on this one... fingers crossed eh !!!

Right well I think that's enough dribble drabble from me this evening so I will bid you all a fond farewell till the sun rises upon a new day tomorrow.

Happy crafting with love & hugs

Lorraine xxx

P.s. don't forget to check out the candy if you haven't already done so. x

NEC... here I come again....

Oh well folks... looks like my trusty suitcase is soon to be packed again ready for another jaunt down to Birmingham... oh yes... have just been booked to work at the NEC from 25th - 28th March.

Due to personal reasons, Jill Johnston has unfortunately had to pull out of demonstrating at the show & I have been asked to take her place on the Fiskars stand... B08... so glad the number 8 is at the end of that else it would sound rather disgusting eh... lol...

Well I certainly wasn't expecting that one to happen so completely unprepared but am so looking forward to meeting up with all the lovely crafters who will be attending the show... if you are one of them, please make sure you pop along & say hi to me as I'd love to meet you all...

Guess I best sign off now as I've got so much to do today... need to sort out how I'm going to ship all the banners, leaflets etc, flights etc.... haven't even managed to unpack demo kit from yesterday.

Just before I go though, I would like to say what a marvellous time I had in Dundee yesterday.. certainly were more than 1 or 2 laughs throughout the day and I must say the new Red Hot Bed & Colour My World products are a joy to play with... watch this space for some samples at a later date... can't show you what I made as they were left with Burns & Harris for display in the shop but fortunately I have brought some yummy stuff home to play with at my leisure.. (not entirely sure I know what leisure is at the moment right enough)... lol.

Right, I'm off now, back to work for me & hope to catch up with you all again soon.

Love, hugs & kisses along with tons of happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Where am I today....

Yes folks I'm out and about on the jaunt again with some more workshops and demos. This time I'm in the beautiful city of Dundee.

This morning I will be doing speedy 20 minute workshops with a craft group called the Crafty Dodgers (they're all as mad as a hatter), and this afternoon I will be demonstrating in Burns & Harris. Lots of lovely goodies to be played with and bought of course if you are a customer... hmmm... and just for good measure I'm taking some Jammy Dodgers along too for everyone to nibble on...

May also have some exciting news for you all over the next few days if all works out well... hope to spill the beans later... oh the suspence of it all... lol

Righty ho, I'm definately not at home when you read this as I left the house this morning at 6am so all I can say is... have a great day.... I know I will.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

P.s. Remember to enter the candy giveaway... x

Something of a flutter...

Gosh I certainly am well late in posting today ain't I.... it's just been one of those non stop days where the work is never done, but hey, it keeps me out of mischief... lol

This is a little papier mache box which I bought from a local craft superstore & it began life all dull & brown in colour so it was just crying out for some colour...

First off I coloured the entire box using a Silver Calligraphy Pen then for my top I used a double sided peel off butterfly which I covered with glitter then coloured in using Sakura metallics and cut around the shape. To attach to the top of the box I curled the wings a little & mounted using silicone.

All pens available here

Box available from Hobbycraft

Hope you've all had a fantastic day, and me, well I'm off now to finish packing up my kit ready for tomorrow's demo.... wish me luck.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Cupcake Katie....

Now is this wee sweetie not every bit as cute as the cupcake she is holding in her hand... oh bless...

Started this one off by doing some matting & layering, square onto the base card then 2 rectangular sections on top. Next up was the old circles one of which the image was stamped onto. Out came my beloved Sakura pens.... well this was a sample card for a Sakura show on Ideal World... lol... and off to work I went colouring the image with my metallic pens, part water coloured and some areas were done using solid ink direct from the pen just for a bit more intensity. Finally some faux stitching was added using coloured pigma micron pens.

Sakura metallics & pigma microns

Image : Creative Impressions

Papers : Dovecraft Funky Vintage

Well I guess it's back to the old grind for me now... slaving my wee heart out making all these samples... oh it's such a hard life isn't it.... lol... hopefully I might make it back this evening with another little something... fingers crossed that is.

If you've not already entered, please do pop a comment on my blog candy posting to be in with a chance at winning.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

SECC CANDY....

Includes:

1 8" x 8" Chipboard Album

6 sheets of sentiment tags

12 Elegant Rectangles

20 scalloped oval mounts

Sweet Tooth Card Candy

Buttons

Morning everyone and it sure is good to be back in blogland again... even though I always hit a down period once the shows are over... you get so much of a buzz when you are working at them but hey ho... just need to wait on the next one I guess...

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand to say hi to Kath & myself... many a good old laugh has been had this weekend... and a few embarrassing moments also... a few jokes were shared over Kath's slippers & my tights... sorry folks... but they are too embarrassing to share... I've also been told this weekend that I'm very different in real life to what I portray on my blog... hmmm... wonder if I'm hiding myself too much.... no it's normally just that I'm dashing about from pillar to post and back again... For those who have not met me yet... I am not a really stuffy, straight faced person at all... I am infact a bit of a nutcase, mad as a hatter, never shut up and love nothing more than a good old laugh... trust me... just ask anyone who has met me and they will confirm they have seen the evidence... (tights included)...

Well today I have to batter on with work again... my house is a complete dump as my dear hubby thinks that because he washes some dishes, feeds the animals and hoovers up once that he's taken care of the house for me... what a laugh eh!!!! Came home to a pile of dirty dishes yesterday, washing basket is overflowing, kitchen worktops need a scrubbing with bleach and a good old fashioned gutting is more or less required. In addition to that I have a pile of samples to make and workshops to organise for my visit to Dundee on Thursday. If you happen to live close to Dundee then please pop along and see me... in the morning I will be doing workshops and attending the local craft group (The Crafty Dodgers) then after lunch, I will be found at Burns & Harris, 97 - 99 Commercial Street, Dundee. Please do pop along if you get the chance as it is going to be a fun filled day.

Oh well... guess I best sign off now and get my bum in motion else I'll just want to sit around all day doing nothing... but before I go here's the rules for entry into the candy giveaway...

Didn't manage to get much shopping done at the SECC (working & playing too hard)... but did manage to grab a few things for a candy giveaway as pictured above....

To enter the candy giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment on this posting... giveaway will run for a week and I will announce the winner next Tuesday.

Good luck to all.

Lorraine xxx

Sweet as a pea...

Morning folks... am hoping that Mr Blogger has been kind enough to upload this on my behalf as by the time it shows on my blog I will be sitting on the M8 heading to the SECC and yippee my chum Kath will be arriving to join me today.

This is another card I made for the Sakura Selection show on Ideal World... papers & images are from Joanna Sheen, the flowers are made using the new Fiskars scalloped circle squeeze punch & the circular shape template was also used. Main image was water coloured using Sakura shadow pens again & the doodling was made using a purple pigma micron pen also from Sakura... the colours that are now available are just delicious & a must have for your craft box.

Hopefully I'll be able to post another little something tonight again when I get home, but in the meantime... happy crafting.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Sakura Shadow

Evening all... yes that's me back home after a lovely day at the SECC & big thanks to all who came to visit me on the stand... and to those whom I never got to say goodbye to...

Anyway, I gave you a little sneeky preview of a card the other day... now here is the full card for you to see... background paper is from Joanna Sheen... images if I am correct are Inkadinkadoo... the images are water coloured using Sakura gold shadow pens with a gold calligraphy pen around the image edge... let's not forget the addition of a few wee gems to finish off...

Well I'm off to organise some dinner now then I may manage to get a little study done as it's been weeks since I've had time to even look at my books & my final essay is due to be completed within the next ten days.... gasp.... not quite sure when I'm actually going to fit in the composition of it but needs must so it will be done by hook or by crook... lol....

Will schedule a little post for the morning so you're not neglected.

Happy crafting one & all.

Love Lorraine xxx

Yippee.... opening day is here

Oh I'm so excited that opening day at the SECC has finally arrived... only problem is it will be Sunday before I know it & it will be all wrapped up for another 6 months...

Well I just thought I'd pop by this morning to say toodles as I'm heading off out the door now, coffee in hand of course... lol. and I'm so looking forward to meeting up with everyone who is coming along to the show.

Please remember we are arranging a girly meet up at 12 noon every day at the Fiskars stand (E10) so please do come along & have a chat with everyone.

Will also keep my eyes open to see if I can pick up some blog candy along the way.

Toodles for now & happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Sakura & Fiskars all in one day...

Okay folks time to set the pre record button on your sky box if you're not going to be around this afternoon.... as far as we have been informed the next Sakura show is due to be aired today on Ideal World at 2pm... certainly worth a watching & I'm sure you can pick up a bargain or two.....

As for me... well I'll be recording the show also, as this afternoon I will be at the SECC setting up the Fiskars stand all ready for doors opening tomorrow morning... now it wouldn't be very fair would it if you all turned up & there was nothing for you to see, so need to get my priorities right & take care of it all for you today. Then it will be back home to get myself organised for the morning... clothes ironed, shoes polished etc, etc... and an early night is definately required as I'll be up at 6am & out the door for 7am. Unbelievable that I live so close to the SECC yet if I don't leave till around 7.30am then I get stuck on the M8 in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour. Good thing about being in the hall early in the morning is I get the opportunity to have a browse around all the stands while it's still nice & quiet.... lol

Right, off to make a start on my day & I'll see you all soon.

Lorraine xxx

SECC meeting of Fiskarettes

Evening folks... I was on the Fiskarettes blog today & noticed that a few people are looking to meet up at the show. Obviously this is not the easiest thing to do & as many have not met face to face before, it makes it all a little more difficult.

Perhaps it would be easier for all concerned if a meeting time of 12 noon was made for you all to meet up at the Fiskars stand. That way Severine, Kath & I can get to speak with you all too as we unfortunately won't get to sneek off for a coffee & chat with you as we'll be glue to the floor working away.

So there it is folks... Thurs - Sun, Fiskars stand, 12 noon....

See you all then.

Lorraine xxx

A little peek-a-boo

Here's a little peek-a-boo at one of the cards I made for the next Sakura show on Create & Craft... still awaiting confirmation that it is tomorrow at 2pm...

This is a lovely stamped image which I have water coloured using the shadow pens... they can very often be an overlooked pen which is such a shame as they are wonderful to play around with... so many different looks can be achieved with them just with a little patience on your behalf to sit down & play.

Oh well... best get on with samples for the SECC now. Thankfully Kath & I have different products to play with which means that she can concentrate on certain things whilst I do the same... sure is helping to cut down on the work load which I am very appreciative of.

Toodles for now..

Lorraine xxx

All go here...

Good afternoon everyone and I so cannot believe that just another few hours & it will infact be evening... where do the hours go....

Well it's been all go here this weekend making samples for the next Sakura show due to air on Create & Craft on Wednesday (as far as I have been made aware it will be at 2pm)... Have dropped everything off for posting this morning so it is now winging it's way to the Ideal World studio as we speak.

No need to guess what my house looks like at this moment in time is there... lol... but I'm doing a quick dash around to tidy the place up a bit before I make a start on my Fiskars samples for the SECC... so glad that they decided to pull Kath in to work with me on the stand as we will have such a hoot being together... for anyone attending the show please do pop along & say hello... the more the merrier is always our motto.

I have a pile of pictures which I will try to download later today & then I can start the process of getting them uploaded onto my blog for all to see... like always I have my favourite which is using stampboard... all will be revealed later.

Well guess I best stop ranting on now & actually get some housework done... would be so nice for Rob if he actually came home to a tidy house tonight with a meal all ready to eat. He's been so good over the past few weeks helping me out & it was my birthday yesterday & he pampered me the whole day even though I was working.

See you all later.

Lorraine xxx

SAKURA....

Okay folks... here is a major announcement in relation to your beloved Sakura pens.

Now you will probably know that Sakura originally aired on Ideal World but around 18 months ago they made the switch to QVC... well.... a business decision has been made to take the products back to Ideal World so if you are looking for your beloved pens, complete with hints & tips on how to use them... that's where you will find them.

Saturday 11am on Create & Craft there will be a live show with Craig Dougan who will be in the studio showcasing some of your most beloved pens and trust me he knows his products inside out. Some of my samples will be used throughout the show too so I'll definately be tuning in... it's a strange feeling when you see your cards on screen as you're more used to seeing them on your blog... lol.

Next Wednesday there will be another show presented by Leonie but I have yet to have the time confirmed so will come back to you on that one.

Another major event that occurred at the NEC was in relation to the wonderful new products being brought to you from Sakura this year... I'm a bit restricted in how much information I can tell you at this time, but stock will not be available in the UK until June and it's so amazing that Ideal World have taken a 6 month exclusive. Yes that's correct I did say 6 months.... now if that doesn't tell you how wonderful the products are then I don't know what will. As time progresses & we get closer to launch on the TV I will keep you up to date.

Well, time to say goodbye again... will be back tomorrow with some more information but for now I must go as I have samples to work on whilst entertaining my step daughter at the same time.

Toodles for now

Lorraine xxx

Hello.....

Just little old me here, finally managing to get a minute to myself to log in to my faithful blog... and thank you to Mr Blogger for publishing all my posts on time whilst I was away enjoying myself...

Stitches.... well what can I say apart from AWESOME.... it was a fabulous experience and the worst part is I have to wait so long again before the next one comes around...

We arrived on Saturday morning, had some breakfast, checked in etc then headed off to the NEC to do set up which we managed to accomplish by around 4pm so it was pretty good going... Then back to the hotel & up into the executive lounge for a couple of hours chilling before heading down for dinner. Sadly I had to part company around 9.30pm as I was exhausted... was up at 4am... so off to bed I toddled for some much needed rest.

Sunday, Monday & Tuesday followed the same guidelines... up for breakfast then off to the NEC for a full day demoing, then back to the hotel & spent the rest of the night either in the restaurant stuffing our faces or in the bar socialising.... what a hard time we had eh.... lol.

It was lovely to meet everyone although I didn't get a chance to speak to the lovely Joanna Sheen or Leonie when they were around as it was just too busy at my table... perhaps next time though.

Well I got back late on Tuesday night, a little worse for wear, but nothing that a day's rest wouldn't fix... but... by lunch time on Wednesday the phone was ringing with orders for a rush job. Samples required for a live TV show on Saturday so that meant they had to go in the post yesterday... wow... 24 hours is not a great deal of time is it... Fortunately I had some cards which we used at the NEC & I managed to make some more in time for posting yesterday. However, before that order was even completed, in came the next one for more samples for another show which will be airing next Wednesday so I'm back to square one and it's heads down, scissors to the ready & off I go... have from now until first thing Monday morning when they have to be packaged up & off in the post.

After the rough time we've had of it lately I so happy that work is coming my way & hubby can't possibly say a thing about the mess I'm creating can he... after all dear, it's WORK..... lol.

Now I could sit here for hours going on & on but I'm sure I would end up boring you all & apart from that I need to push on with the samples so I'll be popping in & out over the next few days filling you in with all the details so please bear with me.

There was a huge development occurred over the weekend so I will pop a post up later this evening giving you details of it all so please do check back.

Love, hugs & kisses

Lorraine xxx

Grande Finale...

No doubt I'm starting to feel the blues now as this is the final day at the NEC & I fly home late tonight... I'm sure I'll be exhausted but imagine that poor Rob will still have to listen to me natter away on the drive home from the airport.

Will probably arrive home to a grumpy cat as he hates when I'm not here for a day or two.. will show him some major mummy love... a few cups of hot chocolate and will no doubt collapse into bed soon after.

Good thing being that the next post you read will be direct from myself instead of Mr Blogger.... yippee... I'm coming home...

Have a great day.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Withdrawl symptoms...

Well one thing that I do know for sure is that I will be having withdrawl symptoms by now, not having had access to my computer for a few days...

Another bright & early start ready to demo to a whole load of new faces today again... now what time do you think I made it to bed last night... heaven only knows as normally when I'm socialising at the Hilton I'm often know to be heading towards my room around 3am... don't think I can survive on so little sleep this time around though so may possibly have been a little closer to midnight.

I've also taken my Psychology books with me as I need to try & squeeze in a little study whilst I'm away as I've got my essay to tackle when I get back... hells bells is all I can say right now... lol

Well I'll speak to you via Mr Blogger tomorrow again & hope you're all feeling good & full of the joys of spring.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Opening Day...

Now if you're managing to read this post.. thank you Mr Blogger.

Opening day at the show has arrived... my alarm will have gone off at 6am... showered, make up on etc & then down for a yummy cooked breakfast. After that it's off to the NEC for a full day demonstrating my beloved Sakura pens...

Oh... just so you know... there are some new additions being unveiled... sorry I've had to tease you with them but obviously all was kept quiet until the show. Guess you'll just have to wait until my return now so I can spill the beans eh !!!

Well enough gibber from me & my computer so I'll bid you a fond farewell.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Up..Up... and away

Good day all... and by the time that you are reading this I will definately not be at home.. left at 5.20am this morning.. yawn.. lol

Oh yes up at 4.30am to get washed & a few cups of coffee down me so I was awake for the journey. Had to pick Liz up at 5.30am then a leisurely drive to the airport as we have to check in for 6.15pm. So long as the flight is on time then we should be able to sit down for breakfast in the Hilton around 9am. Need to make sure I eat plenty as it will be a long day setting up the stand but boy am I going to have fun...

Can't believe I'm going to see a load of new products before they hit the shops and all under one roof... I do feel honoured to be attending.

No doubt I'll be having a good feed at tea time, a few drinks in the bar & then early to bed so I'm bright & cheery in the morning... doors open at 9am and don't close again until 6pm.

Well I hope you all have a fab weekend & although I've relied on Mr Blogger to upload some posts during my absence, I will be back in person again on Wednesday.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Goth Birthday...

This is a birthday card I've made for my step daughters' boyfriend who's birthday is at the beginning of March.... rather a difficult one to cater for aswell as he will be turning 23, has long hair & is a bit of a goth... was really quite stuck on this one so ended up pulling things together from a Halloween collection... not that I'll admit that to anyone outside of blogland... lol.

Off to pack my case now already for tomorrow's early start but will try to pop back again later with something else (no promises though).

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Maturity comes in many forms...

This is a birthday card I've put together for my mum's husband Eric... I will miss the grande event as I will be in Birmingham (sob, sob)... no really, I think I'll survive missing it... lol.

Anyway.. he will be turning 68 and all he does all day, every day is sit at the kitchen table drinking coffee & reading... he would probably forget what the outside world looked like if the back door didn't get opened. I thought that I would bring a bit of colour to his life & the quote makes reference to all the reading he does. He has been known to get through a full book in under a day!

Well must dash... still got plenty to do before my departure...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Lazy Days...

Afternoon everyone... this is the next addition to my scrapbook for Charlie... this is one of the few photos of her sleeping as she's normally crawling about at the speed of lightning.... so cute & sweet.

Sorry this is short & brief but need to get on with my samples for the weekend.

See you all tomorrow again.

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Woohoooooo to pancakes

Morning everyone and may I say that I'd like to think that the majority of you are going to have a yummy pancake or two today...if you're on a diet... forget about it for a day and enjoy some lovley fresh pancakes with the filling of your desire... oh my mouth is watering already just at the thought of it...

I've been given strict instructions that my hubby does not want anything heavy tonight for his dinner as we are off round to our friends this evening for a fun filled time of eating yummy hot pancakes fresh from the gridle and you wouldn't believe the amount of fillings she has got in... dafty that she is didn't know whether Rob would prefer Golden or Maple syrup so she bought both... hell I wouldn't even do that... he would just be taking whatever I got... there's also banana, blueberries, ice cream, lemon & sugar of course (my favourite) and I can't remember what all else she said... so 7.15pm sharp we will be arriving at her door empty plate in hand ready to receive our grub... lol

Well yesterday didn't go to plan... what a surprise eh seeing as it was Monday & I had the day all figured out in my head... so off now to catch up & hopefully I'll get a little something posted here in a few hours time...

Have a wonderful day.

Lorraine xxx

Happy Days

Morning folks... hope you all had a lovely weekend and here's to a fun filled week ahead, full of lots of lovely crafting.

Here is another page I have made for little Charlie's scrapbook, again these pictures were taken soon after her adoption so you can tell what a bubbly little thing she is as she is with almost complete strangers here yet she is still full of smiles and obviously very interested in looking straight into the camera... lol....

This page was so simple to do for me as a newbie as the page layout was all done as a template so all I had to do was drag and drop the pictures... amazing.

One of the thing I think I like most about the digital aspect of things is that it's so quick and easy to do. For me right now that's a wonderful thing as I don't have very much spare time at the moment so with this option I can quickly jump on the computer and produce something in a few minutes that looks like it took time to make. Only question is... why did it take me so long to have a go....

Working on an American themed one for Rob also, so you can expect to see a few of those pages appearing on here too.

Toodles for now...

Lorraine xxx

Mini Scrapbook...

Now that I've discovered this great new way of creating digital scrapbooks.. I've been having fun playing around with the elements and seeing how everything works..

I've never done any real pages before.. (helped a friend once)... so it's all pretty new to me and very intriguing indeed.. certainly is rather addictive also... lol. Anyway, I've decided to start on a small and simple basis (no brain burnout) so I'm going to make a little scrapbook for my friends' daughter Charlie. This is the little girl who was adopted.

It's only going to be 6 x 6 so that it can be easily managed and stored once I have given it to her. Hopefully this will be something I can do on a regular basis for her (one per year) and that way she will have a record of the events that occurred throughout her childhood... and if she ever decides that she wants to meet with her natural birth mother, then she can take them along and show her what her life has been like.

The picture I've used in this page was taken just after she moved into her new home with her new Mummy and Daddy...

I do have some more pages already made but will upload them later as I'm off out to lunch now with hubby... special treat as it's Valentine's Day...

See you all soon...

Lorraine xxx

P.s. Layout was built using free download from DaisyTrail

Be My Valentine... Digi Card

Now I would like to say morning folks.. but seeing as we are now into the afternoon... no I haven't been lazy today, I've been downloading lots of free digi kits... nothing better than getting something for nothing... lol.

Thought I would share this one with you which I made last night from my free Valentines download.. lots of yummy papers & embellishments to choose from. From a distance I think you would actually believe that there are real gems on this card instead of just an image...

Well sorry this is so brief but hubby is the best part of pushing me out the door as we have heaps to get done today so must say toodles for now but I'll be back later on with some other layouts I've created this morning whilst downloading freebies... multi tasking I think they call it...

Have a fab day crafting & see you all later.

Lorraine xxx

FREE Digital Scrapbooking

Now I'm not quite sure how many of you will know about this or be interested in it but thought I'd share with you just incase...

I'm very new to all things digital downloads etc... only just gave it my first go in the run up to Christmas actually after I saw an article in Simply Cards & Papercraft. It showed a variety of projects made using the Nitwit Collection and they were so irresistible that I just had to give it a go... oh yes... after a few hours playing around I was merrily on my way of entering into the world of digital card making...

Whilst browsing the net earlier today looking for something I happened to discover this site where you can actually register & download some free scrapbooking kits... truly amazing how people can give their work away for free but I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth...

If you're into digital or would simply like to give it a go free of charge then why not try it here...

http://www.daisytrail.com/free_stuff.html

Hopefully this info may be of use to someone... I know it's helped me.

Crafty hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Shower Time !!! This is so funny.

This is an email I just received from a friend but it's so funny & all too true that I just had to share with all my blogging buddies... for any gent who reads this... I'm sorry that we are laughing at your expense but unless you're the exception... this applies to you too...

How to shower like a woman....

Take off clothes and place them sectioned in laundry basket according to lights and darks.

Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown.

If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas. Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more sit-ups / leg-lifts, etc.

Get in the shower.

Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.

Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.

Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.

Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced. Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.

Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash. Rinse conditioner off hair.

Shave armpits and legs.

Turn off shower.

Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.

Spray mold spots with tile cleaner.

Get out of shower.

Dry with towel the size of a small country.

Wrap hair in super absorbent towel.

Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head. If you see partner along the way, cover up any exposed areas.

How to shower like a man...

Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a pile.

Walk naked to the bathroom.

If you see partner along the way, shake willy at her making the 'woo-woo' sound.

Look at your manly physique in the mirror.

Admire the size of your willy and scratch your bum.

Get in the shower.

Wash your face.

Wash your armpits.

Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off. Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.

Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. Wash your bum, leaving those coarse bum hairs stuck on the soap.

Wash your hair.

Make a shampoo mohican.

Wee.

Rinse off and get out of shower.

Partially dry off.

Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of the bath the whole time.

Admire willy size in mirror again.

Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on. Return to bedroom with towel around waist.

If you pass partner, pull off towel, shake willy at her and make the 'woo-woo' sound again.

Throw wet towel on bed.

Now I know you're laughing because it's true !!!

Nine Lives... Is it any wonder...

Now they always say that a cat has nine lives don't they... and I must admit that when I look at this cheeky chap sleeping the day away like this I'm by no means surprised at the saying... it's all the sleep recovery they have that keeps them safe and healthy. Now unless for some reason during the day he urgently requires to eat or go to the loo... this is what my Smithy will look like until somewhere in the region of 5pm tonight... he's a little on the sneeky side you see... he's up and on the go in the morning whilst Rob is getting ready for work, then within 10 minutes of his departure this fly little monkey is all curled up and sleeping. Then, when he thinks that Rob is due home from work, he wakes himself up, comes downstairs, and then when Rob walks through the door he acts as though he has received no love or attention from me during the day... is it any wonder!!! lol.

Now today whilst my little ball of fur is sleeping sound here's what I'll be doing... up a ladder painting a ceiling and then onto the walls & woodwork... all in the en-suite of course.

Like most other households a lot of work has to be done by one person with restricted time for joint ventures and that is certainly the case in this household... thus... after we got the new light I needed to have it installed last weekend whilst Rob was off work even though I hadn't managed to sort the ceiling... last time it was painted my mum had it done whilst we were on holiday and the clown that done it didn't use bathroom paint so it was all beginning to peel away... what a mess. For the last few days I've been up a ladder with nail brush in hand buffing it all down again so I have a nice solid surface to paint.... yes I know most folk would have done it in a day but I've got a bad neck & shoulder injury from a car accident a few years back which puts restrictions on me... never to be defeated though I've worked my way through it and am now ready for paint... yippee... As you can see from the picture, the last painter obviously just painted around my light too... see the dark circle...

Well best sign off now and get kitted up in the old painting gear ready for action. The quicker I get this task completed the quicker I can get on to doing some cards...

Toodles for now my lovelies and hope you all have a fab day.

Lorraine xxx

Late Delivery....

Well a very good morning to you all and I can only hope that your weather is a little bit nicer than mine is this morning... When you look out at the sky it appears to be a relatively nice day.. little bit of blue sky... but then... you look at everything else and it's just all icy white and frozen solid.... oh the joys we've had this year already eh between the snow, ice and sub minus temperatures.... when oh when is it going to leave it... very soon I hope else I may need to purchase some additional thermals... lol..

Anyhow... today's card is one that I was very very late with.... and I'm so ashamed of that... I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to blog hop and oh yes... I missed the announcement that Amanda had given birth to a bouncing baby boy... well.... better late than never as the old saying goes so I had to come up with a little something for her and here it is...

White base card, layered with some Dovecraft Textured Card that is like a cross between yellow & lime green in colour... my favourite colour from the whole pad... which I had distressed to reveal the core & added faux stitching. Next up I cut 4 squares from blue & lilac textured card... all were distressed & faux stitching again on 2 of the squares... all were then attached to the front of the card... letters were cut using my Fiskars shapecutter template, distressed, faux stitching on 2 of the letters... opposite ones to the stitched squares... and these were mounted using silicone... Embellishments used to finish the job... nappy pin of course... a fluffy padded love heart to send them all my love... a fluffy star as I'm sure he is a little star... a button & thread... not quite sure why we all associate buttons with babies... afterall... most of their clothes have poppers on them... (lol)... and why the flower.... I'll be brutally honest here... the colours matched so perfect with the papers there was no way I could leave it off... tee hee... Needless to say there had to be the final addition of some glittery gems to give that added sparkle.

Well, the time is flying by this morning so guess I better get my skates on my bum into gear... so much to do & as usual, so little time to do it all in... but hey... need to live life to the fullest don't we... afterall... we only get one shot at life.

Have a fab day

Lorraine xxx

BLOG CANDY UP FOR GRABS...

Thought I'd better give you the news that there is some delicious candy up for grabs at the moment.

Very easy to enter... all you have to do is visit Justine's blog & follow the rules...

Easy peezy, lemon squeezy...

Good luck to all who enter.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Journey to the NEC....

OMG.... I just had to share my fabby dabby news with you all... as I can't hold my water any longer... I'm just far too excited.

I have a fab few days coming up shortly that will be an experience for me... one that I've never encountered before and am so looking forward to.

Now I'm no stranger to demonstrating to the public and I love it... best job in the world actually to someone like me... tee hee... but this month there is a slight twist on the demonstration job... yippee... I'm going to the NEC next weekend to demonstrate at the trade show.... I so cannot believe that I will be there when new products are being launched and I can have a good old natter with all the retailers.

Now is it really a surprise that I'm so excited... lol.

See you all tomorrow again.... naughty wee me is off to play with some new products & prepare some samples in advance of the show... sorry I can't share, but all will be revealed in just a few weeks time.

Toodles for now.

Lorraine xxx

Simply Card....

Surprisingly enough I actually managed to get some time to myself last night to do nothing more than sit down and have a wee play with some good old card... there are so many gorgeous embellishments around these days that we tend to forget the good old days when we had little more than some coloured card to create our projects with... my creating actually started at around age 3 whilst going on long car journeys... all that my mum gave me to entertain myself with was a box of coloured tissues... and boy do I treasure those memories deeply.

Anyhow... pack of Dovecraft Textured Coloured Card in hand and basic kit to the ready... off I embarked upon my crafting journey... hmmm... what to make... flowers.. dress... hmmm.... no.... how about a wacky house with some flowers in the garden... ohhh yesss....

One piece of blue cardstock for the sky, trimmed to fit base card... one piece of green cardstock, ripped of course to create the horizon, again trimmed to fit base card... both were distressed to reveal some of the white core and some doodling around the edge... just for some added effect... next up took some fawn coloured card and cut at a slightly wonky angle for the main structure of the house and dark brown card cut into a triangle for the roof... main structure had some doodling added and was then attached to the base card... on the roof, I distressed it slightly and then used a Pigma pen to draw on the tile effect... this was then mounted using silicone. Believe it or not... the door and windows were made from the scraps I had left after cutting out the main structures... very simple... a whole pile of rectangles simply glued together and attached to the card... oh with a little bit of doodling of course... for the door handle I simply used a small hole punch to give me a circle which I attached using a Sakura quickie glue pen. Alas... my wee house looked a bit on the bland side of life... so I thought that some textured bricks would do the job... again, using wee pieces of scrap I cut some strips, distressed and attached to the house... Obviuosly I needed some wee flowers didn't I... so large hole punch in hand I created the flower heads... drew some flower stems with my Pigma pen & attached the heads with silicone so they are slightly raised from the card... Finally, a few birds were needed for the sky... so gave myself 3 wee ticks... voila all done...

Oh well... more work awaits me in this house of chaos so no other option than to bid you all toodles for now and hope that I can return with a little something else later..

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

Yummy Cupcakes....

Cakes ShapeCutter Template

Oh yes if you're anything like me you will love the odd occassional cupcake too... or what about a yummy blueberry muffin all hot and fluffy... is your mouth watering yet???.... I know mine is... lol.

Anyhow, here is one of the new additions to the ShapeCutter Template range and what better month for me to get my hands on one as this is my birthday month... may have to make myself a yummy birthday card complete with tasty cupcake topper...

I must confess to the fact that these templates are one of my most favourite Fiskars products due to their versatility. They may very well be designed to make cutting out easy using the ShapeCutter itself, but, I love how these can be used by children who can simply draw around the shapes and then cut the images out using some child friendly scissors (under adult supervision of course)... to use foam or felt... same again... simply layer the template on top of your chosen material, draw around the outline and cut out... life couldn't be much easier and with the low purchase cost of the templates, you can afford to own the full range if you so desire.

Don't forget that you could also trace around onto shrink plastic to create your own little embellishments... think of the money you could save there...

Well it's time to bid a fond farewell again as still got heaps to be getting on with such as ironing shirts for the forthcoming week, study, possible crafting etc, etc.

See you all again soon.

Lorraine xxx

Squeeze Me Baby....

Large Scalloped Circle Squeeze Punch

Now this is a puch that I am certainly looking forward to getting my hands on for numerous reasons... it will make a great background layer for images and just think of how quickly you can make the most sumptious flowers... I can just see myself now with a pile of papers in front of me punching away all my new flower heads for loads of different projects.

Some basic facts about the squeeze punch:

Easy to use by squeezing the handles

Due to it's upside down design you can choose what section of patterned paper you wish to punch.

Easy to store design (they stack on top of one another)

Maximum cutting weight allowance 210gsm so you can use your lightweight cardstock & pretty papers.

Catch you all later again.

Lorraine xxx