Need to get back to work now....

Oh yes, we're still amidst the holiday season but time to get back to work again as I have 2 birthday cards to make now & a new home card....

Mind is buzzing away with ideas & after tea I'll be sat in a nice comfy sofa starting away with at least 1 design... OMG does this mean that I may actually upload a card tomorrow.... oh well I sure hope so....

Hope you're all having a lovely lazy time over the holidays & not like me... eaten too much food & now have a big swollen tummy.... lol...

See ya all soon.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Merry Christmas to you all.....

Well the day has arrived as has Santa with his big old bag of goodies.... this is.... if you've been good over the last year... lol

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas filled with fun & laughter.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shown me support over the last year... it has been rather a difficult one for us so it's been lovely to know that there are always friends out there in blogland who I can turn to. Thank you.

Now go have lots of fun & enjoy the day with friends & family.

Merry Christmas

Lorraine

xxx

Nationwide Appeal.............

Well I've been dashing around like a mad woman (no doubt like most of the women in the country) getting prepared for Christmas & now I am almost there.... got a few little bits & bobs to tend to but nothing major.... and finally got the last of my cards delivered today... I must be more organised next year.... hopefully I will be able to get a pic or two uploaded tomorrow before Brianna & her boyfriend come to visit....

However, I do have one final appeal for this year relating to "Support our Soldiers".

To show our respect for all of our troops, no matter where they are & also for those who given their lives in the name of our country, is it possible for you to give up just 1 minute of your time on Christmas Day to think of them...

Can our proud nation unite at 2pm on Christmas Day & every household light a candle & stop for just 1 minute & think of all our guys & gals.

This is the 7th year running that "Support our Soldiers" have been lighting candles & I for one don't think it's a great deal to ask.

Please join in with many others around the country at 2pm on Christmas Day. Thank you.

Seasons joy to one & all

Lorraine

xxx

My wee mammies birthday

Morning folks... long time no speak.... lol

Well it's my wee mammies birthday today so I'm up nice & bright & early to get a load of stuff done so I can spend some time with her later.

It's been a rather white weekend here... oh yes... we've had snow probably like most of the rest of the country going by what the news is saying.

Amidst all the snow & house cleaning this weekend, I've also managed to make about 60 cards... with a little help from the Nitwit collection that is... I am completely new to digital card making so it's a learning experience for me, but I'm getting there.

Promise I will do my best to get the dust blown off of the old camera later & see if I can get some piccies uploaded.

Hope you all had a fab weekend & by this time next week we'll all be prepping for New Year... gosh how time flies eh!!!

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Still no pictures... sorry

OMG.... yes it is snowy outside but it's been snowing inside too....

My household is certainly seeing the year out in fashion as if you read my previous posting you will see that we've been having to deal with the results of a fire... update on that one... police caught the *********** who done it.... wonder if they'll get anything more than a wrap on the knuckles!!!!

BUT....... yesterday....... someone rammed something right through the back window on Rob's car so yet another issue to deal with.... thankfully on the phone to Admiral... quick dealings with them... then Autoglass called & asked if we would like to garage the car overnight in their facility... yippee.... out of the elements so we couldn't have asked for more than that... hopefully the glass will arrive today & Rob can get his car on the road again... in the meantime I'm running him back & forth to work in my wee Aygo.... which may I say, held the road very well this morning in all the ice & snow.

Skip is due to be taken away today so I'm gutting the last of the cupboards then I have to sort everything all into it's new place... also got some new side tables & lamps the other day... golly gosh.... I'm generally quite good with flat pack but these flaming tables took me almost 6 hours to build.... thought my hand was going to blister by the end of it all but thankfully it was fine the following day.

Right I'm off to throw the rest of the trash out, hang the washing up, vacuum, shop & then hopefully squeeze in some study & card making.

With any luck my blogging may get a little better next week....

Crafty hugs to one & all.

Lorraine

xxx

Man have we been on fire this weekend.... literally

Sorry I haven't been around over the weekend folks but oh yes it was one of those weekend... firstly I had to finish off my OU assignment which is now done & about to be submitted as soon as I finish this posting. In addition to that Rob took the weekend off & we hired a skip to do the old winter clear out (it's almost full!).

Lastly but by far the worst event of the weekend was that we received a call from Rob's business partner to tell us that their building had been set on fire... Here we go again.... the office is in a tenement building thankfully so the walls are very thick stone ones... There are 4 companies operate from the same close & apparently on Saturday night one of the juniours in the hairdressers was left to lock up... unfortunately he failed to actually lock the door..... oh great let's leave the building wide open eh!!! As there is no lift in the building there were a few chairs set out on the landing so older people could take a rest & yes you guessed it... these were set alight. Fortunately the building faces into the back of the local police station & some police officer spotted the flames going up the inside of the building so they reacted quickly & put the back door of the building in to exterminate the flames... Thankfully no-one was in the building at the time. The hinges have literally been taken off so a whole new door & frame will have to be installed... the chairs.. well the only part of them left is the metal frame so they are now binned... some windows have blown out with the heat & will need replacing & the close is black with the smoke so the insurance company have a fire cleaning company coming out today to assess the damage & price the job up...

Hence why I have not been blogging... I have managed to make a few quick cards but haven't gotten around to taking any pics yet... will try to do it today if I get time.

Hope all is well with everyone & that you're doing loads of lovely crafting.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Pneumonia update....

Yes I know... I never managed to get back with anything else yesterday as the day just flew by & last night Brianna & her boyfriend were over to visit so nothing done then either...

Had to make a trip to Asda yesterday even although my Tesco delivery arrived just the day before... what for... well Rob has decided that he is making sweet potato pie for christmas... but not just one pie... oh no... 1 for us, 1 for my mum & Eric and then 2 for friends as a special thing for them on christmas day.... what a nightmare.... cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated cream etc.... but I also had strict instructions to buy 4 tins of cream so that he can give a can over with each pie... what a man... when something gets in his head, there really is no stopping him...

Anyhow, today has been spent running around & now I'm off to do a little bit of my essay whilst the house is nice & quiet but before doing so I thought I'd give you a wee health update... this morning started with my attending the doctor in relation to my pneumonia... and yippee.... I've been given the all clear.... the pneumonia has left my body and long may it stay away.....

However.... oh yes, if you know me at all, then you will know by now that my life never runs smooth... apparently due to the pneumonia & xrays it has now been highlighted that I may in actual fact have asthma.... see told you there's always something going on with me... with this discovery I will now have to take some breathing tests so I have been put on the waiting list which is apparently about 6 weeks or so & my doctor has now put me on an inhaler 3 times a day... what a start I had to the day eh!!!

Well I sure do hope you are all doing well out there in blogland & if I do well with my essay then I might be able to squeeze in some card making later.... fingers crossed.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

For a mini crafter

This is for a little mini crafter on her 11th birthday. She is my friend's niece Danni & this year she has actually started making cards... yippee.... another one to join the clan.... she lives down south but comes up here a couple of times a year & when she does we all sit down & get the crafting goodies out to have a play. On her last visit I gave her a whole load of stamped images away with her that she could colour in & use on her cards... low & behold.... the following week I received a handmade thank you card from her... what a darling she is.

I thought this card would be a good way of showing her how to use ribbon in a different way. Teaching from afar you see.. lol.. but it's also a lovely bright card for a little girl who loves pink.

All elements of the card are from a Brenda Pinnick kit I bought from QVC.

Hope to be back again a little later with something else to share.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Bauble duet

This was a hard one to catch on the camera due to the sun as you can see in the bottom corner but I have done my best... albeit the image is a little dark but it's better than loads of reflection.

A quick run of glitter along the bottom, silicone to attach the baubles & sentiment, silver peel offs to hang my baubles & some gems for the finishing touch... a big thank you once again to Kanban as if it wasn't for this set, a whole load of people would be getting shop bought cards from me this year and that really just wouldn't do...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

All striped to go....

Oh yes, another Kanban quickie for you all... still not managed to make a start on those special cards yet... hopefully next week after I've got my first essay completed...

So, here I took my base card (Craftwork Cards), used 4 rows of double sided tape & glittered them up black then simply added the bauble with silicone & a little silver peel off.... voila... done.

Now today I have the grocery shopping being delivered, some christmas pressies also being delivered that I ordered online yesterday, housework & washing as usual, some pet cages to clean, need to do a few hours studying & see if I can squeeze in making a few more cards...

Will pop back later again & upload another little something.

Hope you all have a fab day filled with love & crafting.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Basic Styling

Another quick make card thanks to my new Kanban kit.... Here I took a white card (Craftwork Cards), put a strip of double sided tape across the card & covered with black glitter. Used one of the baubles & sentiment disc which were attached used silicone, and a silver peel off for the string. Three self adhesive gems finish the whole card off...

Yippee, another one bites the dust....

Happy crafting

Lorraine

A splash of colour

The time sure does seem to be flying by now that we are into December & before we know it Christmas will be all done & dusted & we'll be looking forward to the start of another new year.

This weekend Rob & I went & got some Christmas pressies.... it's a very cheap year for us this year as there's not a lot of spare cash but hey ho... Christmas afterall is not about the monetary value is it... and would you believe this is the first pressies we have gotten... best get my skates on I think... lol... He also treated me to lunch which was lovely, good old steak pie on a cold winters day... and I need some new tinsel for my christmas tree so got that too... will try to take a pic later to share with you all.

Yesterday... well like most other women in the country... not only do we have the spring & autumn cleaning to do, but we have this requirement to do the Christmas clean out too.... Oh yes, my day yesterday was filled with scrubbing... floors, tiles, oven (yuck!)... so at least I've got a start made on that now too.

Today, hmmm well that's a different story... I'm due another phone tutorial tonight as this week I have to make a start on my first T.M.A (Tutor Marked Assignment)... oh yes.... I have to have completed a 1000 word essay by the start of next week... my hands are sweating right now just at the thought of it. Thus, once I've placed my Tesco order (forgot to do it yesterday) then I'm off to bury my head in the books for the rest of the day.

Well, best dash now & get myself organised so I'll catch up with you all later on again.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

Poinsetta Pleasure

Close up of the layering

Yes I know this is yet another plain card & is certainly not extravegant in any way whatsoever but it was another quick make which is passable for my neighbours who at the end of the day will most probably only receive boxed cards from everyone else...

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

All wrapped up...

I just think this is such a sweet little image that I am going to give this card to my friends daughter who is 5 years old... I can just see her sitting on her own bed ready to dive into her pressies on Christmas morning... still got a little glitter to add to this one... especially on the stars in the night time sky.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Morning Beauty

Sorry the picture is a little off focus but I was trying to snap the wee critter before he ran off...

Isn't this just the cutest little fella to see when you open the blinds in the morning & I was lucky enough to have him in my back garden today... he is munching away on some left over bunny food as when we empty the bowls we just put it on the grass for the birds etc but now I have a new little buddy to keep my eye open for.

Obviously I've called him Sammy..... lol

Well I've had a really busy last few days hence why I've been awol & at the moment I'm shattered... today will require a bit of rest & pampering but I do have some cards to share with you all so I'll pop them on later.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Sparkle & Shine

Sorry I couldn't get a better picture of this but I've had the sun shining in the window & no matter what way I put the card I keep catching it... not complaining though as at least it means the rain gone for the moment being...

Here I simply added 3 glitter stripes to the base card, mounted the baubles using silicone, silver peel offs for the string & some gems to finish.

Can you see how my card pile is beginning to grow... at least my neighbours will now still be receiving hand made cards this year instead of shop bought.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Plain & Simple

I'm challenging myself to see how many cards I can make without adding too many extras apart from the toppers themselves.... so here is a plain & simple one... sorry about the quality of the photo but I've not quite gotten to grips with this new edit program I have yet.

3 bauble toppers mounted using silicone, some peel offs for the string & self adhesive gems... voila another card to add to my pile... yippee

Card Base : Craftwork Cards

Baubles : Kanban kit from QVC

Gems : Stash

Back with another later but right now I'm off to do some housework then get the head back in the books again... oh & I have my Tesco delivery due between 12 - 2pm... getting quite into this being delivered to the door so I am... lol

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Evening All....

Well I've been out & about for most of the day with my dear hubby who also treated me to a delicious lunch at Nando's.... yummy....

I've just put through my Tesco order for delivery tomorrow so that's that & now it's time to put my head in the books again as I have my next phone tutorial tomorrow evening for my OU course... hmmmm.... wonder how that will go...

I am ashamed to say that I did infact make 5 cards last night but never got around to taking pics today & it's rather dark now so I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to share them.

Hope you've all had a fab weekend.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

My 2nd Christmas make...

Now I know that my flash has caught a lot of the gold on this one... but I thought it was quite cute as it gives a slight illusion that the tree is lit with fairy lights...

This card & the one I posted earlier today were both taken from the one Kanban sheet & all I had to provide was the 2 base cards... now you really can't ask for easier than that can you....

Think I will add a few gems to this one though just to finish off as it's slightly bland looking at the moment.

Hmmm wonder what my next make will be from my box of goodies...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Quick Kanban make for Christmas

Here is a wee quickie card I made using my Kanban kit... couldn't believe just how easy they have made it for people to make their cards this year... thank goodness for that as I just don't have the time right now to dedicate to making cards for all my neighbours... My close family & friends will of course receive cards that I have taken time on but the fact that I can make these easy ones for neighbours allows me the time to make those extra special ones.

Although it's not a very good picture there is quite a bit of decoupage on the image all die cut of course so even that was a doddle.... lol

Well I can't share my whopping 2 great makes with you all at the same time so I'll post my other one this evening.

Have a fab weekend filled with lots of lovely crafting

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Up to 60% off sale

I was having a wee nosey around some sites earlier & couldn't believe it when I happened upon one that has up to 60% off.

What an awesome deal on stamps etc...

Pop over & have a nosey for yourself at the lovely Wendie Rhodes website... you never you... you may decide to pick up a bargain or two... lol

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

I am still alive...

Morning folks... I so can't believe it's been a whole week since I was last on my blog... time has just been flying by.

What have I been up to in my absense... well, I'm in the middle of making up samples for 4 different shops so battering on the old brain cells there.... helping Rob with his admin work at the office..... had another xray taken on Fri at the hospital & as always need to wait for 10 days before I get the results from my GP.... and finally I've had my wee head stuck in my OU course work also.

I'm so loving my Psychology course & it's actually very addictive... the other night I found myself sitting on the sofa at 3am practising my mind maps... oh yeah... never worked with them before in my puff but my tutor recommended that I give it a go as I've also used Linear Notes in the past but she finds them to be rather lengthy & time consuming... well I must admit I think she has a very good point there & the mind maps seem to be working super duper for me at the moment. I only have another few weeks though before I have to start working on my first assignment which is a 1000 word essay... hmmmm... this could be the tricky part as I haven't written an essay for over 20 years... just have to stay calm & do the best I can.

How many of my Christmas cards do I have made.... well let me see... all of 2 me thinks... it's been a bit of a whirlwind in this old house of late so I must admit that the other week I gave in & purchased a set from QVC.... something I don't use is Kanban but it makes for quick & easy cards so that will work wonders this year... I do have to admit that the quality is super, designs are lovely & I'll be able to batter 100 cards out in no time (once I get a day to do it that is).... lol.

Righty ho.... I'm off now to do some more work but I promise I will come back later & post a picture or two...

Hope everyone is having a fab time in blogland at the moment & looking forward to the very quickly approaching Christmas... oh I bought a new tree too so will let you have a wee nosey at that later on too.

Big crafty hugs to one & all

Lorraine

xxx

Before I dash out the door

Oh yes getting ready to dash out the door for yet another doctors appointment but very quickly before I leave here is a simple little card I made for my niece... it depicts her to a tee.... plain & simple but bright & vibrant all at the same time....

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but I had a very ill bunny that sadly passed away so my mood was not the best, even though I know she is no longer suffering now.

Okay folks... that's all for now.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Hello again.....

Yes I know... I disappeared off the face of the earth again.... sorry about that but last week could have been a much better week than it turned out to be.

My pneumonia hasn't cleared... so back on another course of anti-biotics & as I am typing this... every time I breathe in... all I can feel is like bubbles in my lung.... I have to get another xray carried out on Friday to see how much fluid is still lying in my lungs, so I am hoping that it has gone down considerably. Then I have to attend the doctors 10 days after that to get my lung checked again & see what the result of the xray is... Fingers crossed that I get the all clear then as I was so disappointed last week to be told that it hadn't cleared.

In addition to that, Rob's medication has been changed & is not working properly so we need to get him back to the docs to see what can be done... he is back to being up half the night again so not a lot of sleep being obtained in this house at the moment & I had a fight with the hospital over his appointment with the specialist... wait for this... they changed his medication in June & she wanted to review him in 3 months to ensure it was working (which it's not) but the earliest appointment they had was October... ok it's only an extra month.... well that appointment was cancelled & changed to December... hmmmmm.... ok try & go with the flow as these things sometimes happen.... well low & behold we received another letter cancelling this appointment & putting him back to March.... I don't think so!!!!! On the phone I went & did I throw a wobbler or did I throw a wobbler.... believe it or not... all these appointments are being cancelled due to the specialist being on annual leave.... how lucky is she to be able to holiday every 2-3 months during a credit crunch!!! Not my problem I said & as far as I was concerned this was now turning into a case of patient neglect.... well.... the outcome is that he now has an appointment in January.... so we shall just have to wait & see what happens.

The nice thing that did happen though was that the lovely Kat presented me with this award.

Apparently I have to answer the following list of questions... so here goes

1. Where is your cell phone? Right in front of me on the desk

2. Your hair? Dyed & will be from now on... used to be mousy brown but now a lot of grey...

3. Your mother? Probably munching on breakfast at present

4. Your father? Heaven as of May 1997

5. Your favourite food? Chicken Satay (must be Cantonese style though)

6. Your dream last night? Wasn't asleep long enough to dream

7. Your favourite drink? Coffee

8. Your dream/goal? To obtain a degree in Psychology & help others to find happiness

9. What room are you in? Craft

10. Your hobby? Crafting

11. Your fear? Spiders

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Living a happy, healthy life with my loved ones around me

13. Where were you last night? Sat on the sofa studying

14. Something that you aren't? Liar

15. Muffins? Only when the mood takes me

16. Wish list items? Health & happiness.... as they say... the best things in life are free

17. Where did you grow up? Same place as I live now

18. Last thing you did? Poured a coffee

19. What are you wearing? Still in pj's

20. Your tv? Living room & one in craft room but it's hardly ever on

21. Your pets? 1 cat, 1 guinea pig, 2 mini hamsters & 7 rescue rabbits

22. Your friends? True to me as I don't like pretend mates....

23. Your life? Well I could do with the credit crunch disappearing quickly & some really good health for both my hubby & myself....

24. Your mood? Always strive to be optomistic

25. Missing somone? My dad & brother every day... both deceased

26. Vehicle? "Aggie" the Aygo... shame she's not as clean as Aggie McKenzie though... lol

27. Something you're not wearing? Underwear.... not yet anyway....

28. Your favourite store? Craft wise it would have to be the Markingworld (Sakura) warehouse where I get to rummage to my hearts content... as for clothes... hmmmm.... toss up between Jane Norman & Zara....

29. Your favourite colour? Red... always sure to brighten a dark day

30. When was the last time you laughed? Last night watching tv

31. Last time you cried? When I got told I had pneumonia... the pain was so so bad

32. Your best friend? Like a sister to me

33. One place I go to over and over? The flaming supermarket!!!!

34. Facebook? Not enough time in my day...

35. Favourite place to eat? My local Cantonese restaurant

Golly gosh.... felt like I was never going to reach the end of that list... well I know I'm supposed to pass it on but most people probably have it by now seeing as I'm running so far behind... thus I will not list anyone by name but... please feel free to lift the award for your own blog if you've not already got it.

Okay.... time to get my bum in gear... shower, dress & on with the day ahead... hopefully I will get back later with a little something that I've already made a start on.... please keep fingers crossed for me... lol

Missing you all heaps & as soon as time & health allows I will be popping over to your blogs for a visit.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

GOOD MORNING...

A very good morning to all you lovelies out there in blogland... hope your weather is a bit like mine today... yes there may well be a nip in the air but at least there is a little sun shining through which is helping to make the house so nice, light & bright, never mind heating it all up... oh I so love days like this.

Well I didn't manage to make anything last night as I decided to try & get the old brain cells functioning again... it's been very difficult to concentrate this week so I hadn't managed to get any studying done... alas... last night I managed to screw the old brain back in place a little & squeezed in a few hours with the old Psychology study... don't want to fall behind... especially when the course has just started.

It may well have done me the world of good too as I've just had the best nights sleep... even though I was sat upright... believe it or not... I managed to get about 6 hours all in... amazing!!!

Just been online & put through my weekly shopping order to Tesco... I used this system last week as I'm locked in the house.... and boy was it fabulous. Delivery driver brought it straight into the kitchen, helped Rob to unpack it & even took away my old carrier bags... what a first class service they provide.

I'm also hoping that Mr Postie may arrive today as I placed an order with QVC during the week & it was dispatched yesterday... wishful thinking I'm sure as it probably won't arrive until Monday... but hey ho I can only live in hope for today...

Well I guess it's time to sign off now... get cleaned up & see what my old brain can come up with on the card front today... I also have a sympathy card to make... hard enough at the best of times but when there is no mojo in play... it will probably take me all day to come up with a design for this one...

Back to see you all again a little later

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

What a stunning card I received

Now if this is not what you call a truly professional handmade card that is simply stunning to the eye then I don't know what is...

I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened this little beauty & believe you me... my picture does it no justice... this is truly perfection.

Who is the sender of such a gorgeous creation... none other than Kim Piggott.... oh yes... now you all know why it is so stunning don't you.... I'm just so proud to have been the recipient of this little beauty which now has pride of place on my mantle for all my visitors to see.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

THE SUGAR BOWL CHALLENGE

WOOHOO...... Not perfect yet I know but I'm managing to find my way around the picture cropping issue a little so hopefully things will get back to normal over the next few days... as they say... practice makes perfect...

Well it's another basic card from me again, but some form of card is better than no card at all... right...

This one is for the challenge over at The Sugar Bowl where there is a wonderful sketch to work with & the theme being Thanks.... be it thanking someone or giving thanks....

Papers I used are all K&Co... some were distressed & inked a little whilst others were left alone... just so they were a little different.

Image was coloured using ColorBox inks.

Sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

Ribbon, flowers & gems from stash.

Let's hope that by the time next week comes my old mojo starts to rejuvenate itself & I can perhaps stretch myself to something a little more involved, but for now, I'm just happy to be crafting again.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Morning folks... I've finally managed to make a wee card...

Apologies in advance for the state of the pictures but since my computer was repaired I haven't been able to sort out my editing yet but hey ho... better with a crap picture than no picture at all.

This little card is for this weeks Papertake Weekly Challenge. Well I wanted to start off easy again & decided that this was a good place to start as I was open to use any elements I wanted so I could keep it simple for myself.

Here I have used some beautiful papers from K&Co, ribbon from my stash and the owl image, sentiment & card candy are all from Craftwork Cards.

To colour my owl I simply used a Koi water brush along with some ColorBox inks.

Well hopefully this is the start of me getting back to normal again... thank you so much for all your lovely well wishes & I am happy to say that although progress is slow... I am starting to feel better now... worse part of it is still the having to sleep in an upright position but I'll survive...

Happy crafting hugs to all

Lorraine

xxx

A wee update

Hi folks just a brief note to let you know that my meds are kicking in well & there is some improvement to be seen in me... nothing drastic but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments & emails... they are much appreciated & have helped cheer me up over the last few days.

Just keeping fingers crossed that I will be back to normal soon.

Happy spooky Halloween.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

DOCTORS DIAGNOSIS....NOT GOOD....

Well you know if it weren't for my bad luck, I've have no luck at all... here's a prime example...

Apparently the back pain appearing when Smithy jumped on me was nothing more than a coincidence...

Well I've been to the doctors & hospital this week for some chest x-rays & am now on a pile of heavy medication.... doctors diagnosis... are you ready for it... I've got PNEUMONIA !!!!

Needless to say I am doped up most of the time with anti-biotics & pain killers whilst I must rest as much as possible to assist my recovery.... I am not allowed to lie down for a minimum of 2 weeks so sleeping has to be done in an upright position (which is not very comfortable may I add) and hopefully once the medication gets into my system at least the coughing & pain will ease up a little.

Hence, I will try to pop on & off when I can but if I'm missing for a few days then you know why.

Right I'm off to take some more yummy tablets now & hope you all have a great day.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Done my back in.....

Sorry I haven't been posting at all but unfortunately this is the first I've been able to get to the computer...

I had an absolute catastrophy occurred on Friday night whereby my kitty decided to jump on me whilst I was sleeping... giving me the shock of my life.... and what happened... I jerked & done all the right hand side of my back in... very painful indeed.

Well I got doped up to the eyeballs etc & finally made it to the SECC around 10am ready to give it my best shot for the day... I thought that I could manage with the pain medication... but alas that was not to be the case.

Instead I ended up in a very embarassing situation where I was gunning for the toilet so quickly as I was ready to vomit everywhere... oh yeah... it is embarassing let me tell you...

One stall holder very kindly gave me some baby wipes to help clean myself up & sadly I had to call it a day early as there was no way I could continue working.

Well I've been in agony since but thankfully it seems to have eased up just slightly over the last hour so I'm hoping I'm on the road to recovery now.

Anyway, fingers crossed it won't be too long before I'm burning on all cylinders again.

Hugs to you all

Lorraine

xxx

IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE SECC

What a lovely day I had today at the SECC.... managed to meet up with my bloggy buddies & have a look around all the stands... only bought a few things right enough.

However... the biggest surprise of the day was when I received a message asking me if I would like to demo... what a silly question to ask me... would rather be working the show any day of the week... I'm going to be covering someone for definate tomorrow & there is a 99.9% chance it will also be on Saturday & Sunday.

So... if you are visiting the SECC please pop along & see me on the "Samuel Taylor" stand as I would love to meet all of you.

Big hugs for now & huge thanks to everyone I've spent time with today as I've had a fab day.

Lorraine

xxx

A DAY AWAY....

Yippee.... I'm off to the SECC today along with my dear buddy Gayle & then around lunch time we are having a meeting of the craft buddies so we can have a good old natter & catch up with what all is going on in everyone's life...

Hope that you all have a lovely day too in the land of blog...

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

MR POSTIE ARRIVED TODAY.....

I'm so excited today as on Sunday I signed up to The Open University to start studying Psychology & Mr Postie arrived today with my stuff...

Immediately I ripped the box open & in I dived... got so carried away with it all that I have spent 6 hours looking through everything & have already had a look through the first 2 weeks work... fantastic if this keeps up....

Now I have taken a pic but since my computer was in for repair last week I've lost my camera details so I'm gonna have to reload all the software for it... fingers crossed I may get it done tonight.

Well hubby has just arrived home from work so best get myself downstairs & put his dinner on a plate...

Hugs to you all

Lorraine

xxx

TODAY.....

Like a lot of people during this mad credit crunch I have had very little spare time on my hands to fit in much crafting as I've been helping Rob a lot with his business, but thankfully today I'm stuck at home waiting on a delivery that can arrive anytime up until 7pm tonight....

Fortunately this means that I can set about some much required cleaning in the old craft room & yippee.... I can make a card or two.... at last...

Back with you all later

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

SUPPORT OUR SOLDIERS... NEED YOUR HELP

Now I know that many of you are extremely generous when it comes to helping support our soldiers with sending them loads of lovely handmade cards for them to send home to their family & friends.

However... a new request has just come from Save Our Soldiers... they are asking if it is possible for people here in the UK to send Christmas cards out to our troops.... I.e. sign the actual card with your own name... this time we are supporting them by showing we are thinking of them at Christmas...

Obviously some of the troops only have a small circle of family & friends so it would be nice for them to receive some Christmas cheer from complete strangers.

If you feel you can help... here's what to do...

1. Make your card & sign it from yourself

2. Drop me an email & I will give you my address

3. Post your card in an envelope to me & I will ensure they reach the troops...

Many thanks in advance to all those who decide to participate.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

I'm back online...

Thank heavens for that... unfortunately my computer died a sudden death on me mid afternoon on Thursday... thankfully Rob has a super duper guy who managed to take a look at it for me yesterday & even though I truly thought that I had lost everything... these miracles workers managed to save everything for me.

I won't tell you what caused the problem in the first instance as it's just far too embarassing... let's put it this way.... I was a silly silly girl.... dim witted infact...

Alas I am now heading into the office with Rob to put in a good few hours work, but will try to get back later with a little something now that I'm back online...

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

2 minute make...

Now I'm relying on good old Mr Blogger to post this for me today... as I'm off to Motherwell College to have a look around & talk with someone regarding signing up for a course in psychology.... oh yes... I've decided to plunge myself back into the old study mode & get myself a degree... only thing is I'm not sure if I want to study at my local college or if I want to do it through Open University who also have a very good course.... hence why I'm off to start my investigations today. Fingers crossed it will help me make the final decision.

This was a quick 2 minute card I made using some more of my fabby snowmen.. very plain & simple as you can see... some ribbon tied around a pale blue card with a knot attached on top using silicone... then 3 wee glittery snowmen in a row.

Snowmen

It does look really bland in the picture but believe it or not it's really nice in real life...

Wish me luck for today... lol

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Quick Make...

By the time I finally sat down last night I was shattered... but withdrawl symptoms were too much for me & I simply had to make something... albeit quick & easy so my new embellishments came out to play....

I took a plain blue then tore strips off a white card, inked & attached to the base card... then used a Sakura Real White glaze pen to create the snow fall. Next up I inked up 2 white snowmen & added a bright pink one so it catches the eye.. these were attached to the card using 3d foam & finished off with some gems for the eyes... Inked around my full card & attached a bright white star embellishment.

Quick, cheap & cheerful....

Sakura pens

Snowman & Star Embellishments

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Fire complete

Well with the exception of the new paint job to be done on the fireplace itself... still haven't made a decision on that one yet... but at least my new fire back is now secured in place & boy did it make a difference to the room temperature last night... it was so much more snug than before... just wish we had gotten rid of the fire years ago & we'd have saved ourselves a fortune in gas bills by now.... we've still got the vent to close over but that will be tackled over the next few weeks as it means plastering & redecorating... yuck... I hate the mess that causes.

Rob did cut the backing for me but apart from that I completed the whole job myself so I'm rather proud of my handy work on this one... lol

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

A year ago today....

Aren't these just gorgeous....

They are from my mums friend who done all of my ironing for me after my surgery which was 1 year ago today.... oh yes.... this time last year I was lying in a hospital bed with a stomach held together with staples... not very pleasant & something which I hope I never have to go through again... far too distressing for little old me & my fear of hospitals.

Sandra very kindly gave me these flowers to celebrate my 1st anniversary after surgery & to say how pleased she is with how I've gotten back to normal again...

Now if that's not a real act of kindness then I have no idea what is...

Off to batter on with this fireplace now & with luck I'll be able to show you the finished project soon...

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

Fireplace Mishap!!!!!

Well I started off yesterday all ready to get my new back panel in place on my fireplace but whilst sliding it in I had nicked the paintwork at the bottom.... out came the old blade to tidy it up before continuing... now this is where it all began....

Oh yes... when I tried to take off the little chip marks... the paint just came away.... you see my fireplace used to be waxed so although the paint had dried it was not really attached underneath... what does this mean.... well it meant I had to strip every piece of paint off of my fireplace yesterday... hell it took about 6 or 7 hours... but not one to be defeated... I won in the end... finally managed to sit my bum down around midnight last night.

Thankfully today I only have a little work to do before I can actually attach my back panel in place then I can take a break from it until I decide what I am now going to do with the fireplace itself... although I do having a feeling it's going to be either stained or varnished.

Can you believe that this is the remains of my handy work from about 10 years ago.... one thing you can't say is that it didn't stand the test of time... lol

See ya all soon

Lorraine

xxx

So glad it's a new week....

Yippee... here's to the start of a new week & hoping that it's a much better one than last week...

It's been a busy old weekend here with looking after Buddy who is back to his old self again thankfully... eating & drinking normally though he is getting used to all this extra attention & when he doesn't get it he is playing up a bit... fly wee thing that he is.

In addition to that we've been working on sealing off our fireplace which I will be finishing today & I must admit that even last night without the final seals in place our living room was a lot warmer than it usually is... hopefully that means our gas bills will be a lot lower this winter.

We also got some new lights for my hallway & staircase... nothing spectacular but they were badly needed... now it looks nice & fresh again.

Rob is doing his final prep at work today for his FSA audit tomorrow & we worked on that for quite a few hours on Saturday... I was pretending to be the FSA & was grilling him on all aspects of finances... he done extremely well as I knew he would... but like everyone else he just panics when it comes to things like this.

Got quite a few things to do in the next few hours but I am so determined to get back here with at least 1 card later today... feels like I haven't made anything for ages so have to make changes to that today...

See you all later

Lorraine

xxx

Buddy update...

Good morning all... thought I would give you a quick update on Buddy as I never managed to do it last night.

Got him home from the vet around 6pm last night & was going to put him straight in his cage so that he could just chill out... poor wee thing was so stressed.... but when I took him out he went everywhere... still under the effects of anaesthesia... so back out he came so he didn't injure himself. Onto the sofa we went for some major cuddling in then after about an hour I tried him on the floor to see how he was... not too bad & he made his way to a spot where he just lay flat out for the next hour... after this we had a little hop around for a half hour before going to bed.

He is doing well this morning & has been eating & drinking which is a very healthy sign.... might be fun later though as he has medication to get & I don't think he's going to appreciate me sticking syringes in his mouth... oh well... has to be done.

Now I'm off to get ready as have to go into the office with Rob for a few hours & then hopefully I can have an hour or two later on to make something.

Have a great day

Lorraine

xxx

Poor Buddy... He's having an op today!!!

Oh my poor wee Buddy had to go back to the vet this morning again as last night I noticed that he was starting to drool again...

Up we went & upon inspection by the vet... his tongue is now looking much better & so the vet managed to get a better look around this time & discovered that he has a massive spur on his 2nd molar which is protruding into his cheek.

Poor wee man...

Seeing as he is still eating just now etc the vet decided that she would rather operate today than wait to Monday whereby his condition may have worsened... thus.... poor Buddy has been left at the vet so that they can operate today.

He will then need to be on antibiotics for another week & require loads of TLC... I'm very good at that with animals so no worries there...

There is always a high risk when a bunny is put under anaesthesia but I am hoping that he may not need to be under for too long & that I can bring him home later today...

Will keep you updated.

Lorraine

xxx

A little better today

Just a quick note to say I am feeling a little better today... had a really good sleep last night which I think helped quite a bit..

Today I've had the gas man in capping off my gas fire & also had to get the toilet repaired as part of the flush system had broken so you had to pump the handle... shocking... but it's all mended now thankfully.

Not sure if I'll get anything made tonight as I may have to head back to the office with Rob after dinner as he has an audit with the FSA next week so massive amounts of work to be done in preperation for that. He may however just go in mega early in the morning..

Well just got a text from him to say he's heading home now for dinner so best dash & get that sorted for him arriving.

See ya all soon

Lorraine

xxx

Under the Weather I am....

Well I haven't managed to upload anything today, nor do I have anything ready... felt a bit poorly as the day went on yesterday... crap by last night... hardly got a wink of sleep during the night... and have spent most of today curled up on the sofa...

One of my friends had popped in last night before she went on holiday & said that funnily enough her husband wasn't great last week for a few days but nothing really came of it & he soon recovered... must just be something to do with the change in the air or something...

Well... I am going to tidy up a little as nothing has been done today & Rob is buying me a chinese tonight to help make me feel better... after that if I feel up to it I'll tackle a card or two...

In the meantime... happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

GET FUNKY CHALLENGE

I'm not really a person who's into Halloween cards but when the challenge is set... off we go... and this month over at Get Funky... that's exactly what we've been challenged to do.

Must admit I did enjoy making this one & even hubby was having his say over where he thought the bats should be... now that says something about the challenge when he's joining in...

First up I layered some black card onto a white base card & then onto this I layered some very funky black & white paper which is from the Funky Seasons 2nd Edition Black & White Collection download. My letters are from the Now That's Funky lower alphas download & are a combination of Pumpkin Patch & Rockstar (added a little doodling myself). Next up I drew a set of batwings & cut out 2 of them from dark blue glitter card, the top one is attached direct to the card & the bottom one has been mounted with 3d foam so they appear to be one behind the other. Finally I decided to give my little bats some funky faces... so drew around a 5p piece & cut 2 of these out... inked them with an orange ink pad, edged with black & then doodled the faces... and attached with 3d foam.

Hope you're all going to be joining in the fun over at Get Funky.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

What a shopping day...

Well after all of the chores were done today... housework, bunny cages etc.... we set off on a shopping trip... the aim of which to get a toaster & kettle...

I will try to remember & post a picture of our new toaster tomorrow... it's so cool as it has an egg cooker attached to the side of it... oh yes I can boil, poach or scramble my eggs at the same as I am making my toast... how cool is that.... gonna try it out tonight for my supper so will let you know how it works.

Next up the kettle... now you would think this is a relatively easy task... into Argos we went, chose a (RAPID BOIL) kettle, paid for it & when we got home.... plug it in & guess what... it took over 3 minutes to boil.... RAPID BOIL my butt..... so back in the box it went & back to Argos I went... explaining that my reason for the return was due to product misdescription. Right.. let's have another look for a replacement kettle... yes I got one... same process again coming home & plugging in... this time it took over 4 minutes to boil my new RAPID BOIL kettle.... would you believe it!!!!

I noticed that the item numbers on the boxes had been changed so I pulled out last years catalogue & strangely enough they were not listed as rapid boil.... then again they were infact £5 cheaper then.... hmmmm makes me wonder if to compensate for the price increase they are simply changing the facts....

Needless to say I quickly packed up the 2nd kettle & returned it directly back to Argos... so with this done I simply asked for my money back as they obviously have an issue with product misdescription...

I will be very alert to this in future & will be wary of what kind of products I buy from them now...

So before I say good night... I'll let you all know that I'm now off to place an order for some new coffee tables, side lamps, throws & yes you guessed it... a kettle... this time putting my trust in Tesco direct... keeping my fingers crossed these all arrive safely & that I do infact receive a rapid boil kettle... lol....

Until tomorrow... toodles....

Lorraine

xxx

Blog Candy.... Silhouette Machine worth £299

Oh yes you are reading this correctly.... this amazing Silhouette Machine worth £299 is up for grabs in a blog candy giveaway.... what are you waiting for... you just have to join in...

You have to pop over to visit Jak Heath at Crafters Kitchen and follow the very simple instructions to stand a chance of winning....

You have until October 29th to join in the fun & the draw will take place on October 30th...

Good luck to everyone who enters.

Lorraine

xxx

I'VE WON......

I have to admit that I am one of the most unluckiest people... I really do not win very much at all so can you image my shock & surprise when I found out that I've won... not one but 2 things...

When working my way through the challenges & checking all the delicious winners I found that I have been chosen as one of the Fab 5 over at Get Funky... and for my prize I have won a yummy blinkie... can't wait to upload that to my blog as I am such a big fan of the Funky Hand designs... then next up when I arrived at the Stamp Something challenge blog I found that I was the winner of last weeks prize which is 5 digi stamps from Gina at Hand Crafted...

Can you all see the massive smile I have on my face today...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

COLOUR CREATE CHALLENGE

It's been so long since I last joined in the fun at Colour Create that I feel totally ashamed with myself... and don't dare to think of all the fun colour combo's I've missed... but.... at least I've managed it today which is a bonus...

The current challenge is to use, hot pink, dusky pink & ice chocolate...

Time for a little fun I thought so used some hot pink card which I distressed to show the dusky pink core... then I used a Craftwork Cards template for my branch & owl. This was cut from a lovely paper which if memory serves me right is by Daisy Bucket... attached this to my card using a Sakura quickie glue pen. Used some card candy for the eyes & Fiskars mini punches for my moon & leaves.

What a fun little card to make...

Well I'm off to watch some tv with my hubby... not been a very good day for him so he needs to get some attention paid to him....

See ya all tomorrow again

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

2sketches4you challenge

Boy has my computer been playing up today or what... was beginning to think I wouldn't getting posting at all but thankfully the problem seems to be clearing up slowly but surely.

Here is my entry for the challenge this week over at 2sketches4you and what a fabby sketch it is to work with... (as always)...

Very simple this one.. some matting & layering with black, white & pink cardstock, some of which has been distressed to show the core colour. Next up the baubles were made using a free template that came with one of the craft magazines & I simply traced, cut, distressed then added some funky fibre. These were mounted using 3d foam. My snowflakes were made using a Fiskars punch & attached using my beloved Sakura quickie glue pen & a few gems to finish off.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy as you may very well say...

Got another one to share with you later but right now I'm off to get hubby's dinner on the go as he's due home around 8pm & no doubt will be starving.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

STAMP SOMETHING CHALLENGE

Well I didn't make it back yesterday as I had planned... unfortunately some things happened that turned a good day to bad & there were higher priorities in life than blogging... sad but true. Does anyone have a magic wand they can wave to make this credit crunch go away???

Alas I attempted to put this card together last night just to take my mind off things... didn't quite turn out like I wanted but hey ho... that's the way it goes sometimes.

Biggest thing I don't like about the card is my inking.... yuck....

As for the layout... that's all my own work so it fits perfect for the challenge this week over at Stamp Something challenge blog.

Image is one of the Popcorn christmas stamps & I have water coloured it using Sakura Metallic pens so it has a nice shine to it.

Christmas trees are made using Cuttlebug die cut & embossing plates.

Card Candy obviously from Craftwork Cards

Ribbon & snowflakes from my stash

Would you believe that I've had to take about a dozen pictures to get one where you can see the true colour of the trees... for some reason they kept showing up as deep red on all the pics... needless to say my apologies for the strange angle etc but it's the best I could get today....

Now I'm off to finish another challenge card which is about 60% done at the moment, some housework & shopping to do also but hope to get back later... yesterday really sucked so I fancy quite a bit of crafting today to cheer myself up...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

NO I'VE NOT GONE AWOL AGAIN...

Sorry I didn't manage to get anything posted yesterday but I had rather a lot of paperwork to catch up on... thankfully I got some time to play with stamps last night so I will be posting today... hopefully on more than one occassion too.... fingers crossed.

Signing off just now as mum just arriving for lunch but will hopefully be back with you all again in an hour or so...

Ta ta for now...

Lorraine

xxx

PENNY BLACK CHALLENGE

Well another fab challenge has been set this week over at the Penny Black challenge site where the colour combo is CHOCOLATE, YELLOW & PINK...

Oh no probs there... after all I drink nothing but Hot Chocolate in the evenings... hmmm a thought has just entered my mind.... LOL

Now I have been collecting an array of tins to use for storage so I decided to make a start upon one of them... yes you may have guessed already... the base of my project is a Cadburys Hot Chocolate tin.

First up I took some Core-dinations papers from the Chocolate Box collection which I sanded down to show the yellow background & then attached this to my tin. Next up came some pink ribbon which was attached flat to the tin with some yellow ribbon tied around this.

My faithful "Whispers" stamp came into play again.... this is such a versatile stamp as I can now create any colour flower I wish using this stamp & I simply chop off the remainder of the foliage. I used some Brown Colourbox ink to stamp the image onto the yellow side of my core-dinations paper & then added a little shadow. Also stamped onto some pink DCWV paper from the Blossoms & Butterflies collection. Cut all my flowers out & attached to the tin using silicone then to finish off I tied some chocolate brown ribbon in knots to use on the centre of my flowers.

This is a fun little project to do whilst I was sitting on the sofa watching Dirty Dancing....

Well it's time to go again as dear hubby is off today & we're off out to have a look at some cars... our main car Chrysler 300C is due to be traded in March of next year but we are looking to see if we can find a good enough deal just now that will allow us to make the switch sooner. This way we hope to save a couple of hundred pounds a month in car payments which would be a great help at the moment during this stupid credit crunch...

See ya all later....

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx