Little Bird...

Now with the arrival of Gayle's new little bundle of joy... all attention is going to be on them and there's no way I could leave Little Bird out of the equation... she is afterall new to this 'big sister' scenario... lol

How appropriate I thought was this paper from the Dovecraft Funky Vintage range with not 1 but 2 funky little birds...

I start by placing some pale blue Dovecraft textured cardstock onto my base card and then I actually cut around the 2 edges of the paper so that the flowers protruded over the blue background... and attached to the card. Finishing touches were a lovely heavy organza type flower, complete with sequin and bead and also there was a massive requirement for some gems... pink, blue and white.... oh and the eyes' of the birds are some sparkly adhesive dots by Papermania.

Just have to hope that Little Bird likes it now...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

p.s.. can you tell I'm not fully functioning... meant to schedule this for later but oh no... I had to go and make a big a** of it didn't I.... (sorry) please forgive me... x

Baby has been named....

Morning folks...

Have just received a little text message from a very tired new mummy... Gayle... she is thankfully back in the comfort of her own home now, although she has to go back to hospital today just for some checks to be done... still better than lying in a hospital bed though...

Mum & baby are doing fine & dandy so now I just have to give them a little time to settle back in at home before I rush over to see the gorgeous new addition to the family... I'm so excited... lol..

Anyhow... mum won the battle over the baby's name and here it is....

MAYA

Is that not just the cutest name... now I know that some of you out there have been waiting in line with me for her grand arrival so we could get on with making our new arrival cards... so there's no reason for you to hold off any longer... lol... if anyone needs a note of Gayle's address, drop me an email & I'll be more than happy to give it to you.

Pop over to her blog also & leave your own message of congratulations, but I'm not sure quite when she'll get a chance to catch up with them all... you know Gayle though... Mrs Efficient always so I don't imagine it will take her long to find a routine.

Will pop back later with a little creation but this announcement was more important.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT......

Well good morning again everyone.... back with exremely good news this time.

Oh yes... the long awaited birth has occurred this morning.... yippee....

Gayle has just texted to say that she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this morning at 9.52am... weighing in at 7lb 8oz..... at present.... name is still under debate...

Three cheers for Gayle... hip, hip, horray....

If I hear any more news before Gayle is back to blogging then I will happily pass it on to you all.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

What a week ahead...

Would you believe it's Saturday morning... card uploaded... yippee... ready to go dashing around looking for tiles and got a text from my tutor.... oh yes... another phone tutorial has just been booked for 8pm next Friday.... what a lovely week I have to look forward to eh... heaps of study whilst my en-suite is being demolished & rebuilt... please say your prayers that I manage to keep some sanity in my life... lol....

Well must dash now as only have today & tomorrow to find the perfect tile...

Hugs to all

Lorraine

xxx

Turning Two...

Morning folks & hope you're all up bright & early full of the joys of spring... lol... if it's anything like here then you'll be blooming freezing...

Anyway, here's a card I made for my friends' little girl Tia who will be turning 2 next Saturday.

This was such a quick card to make I couldn't believe it myself.... Took a lovely sheet of paper from Pepper & Friends which I attached to a white card blank. Next up used a Fiskars shape template to cut the number 2 from some Dovecraft textured cardstock which I attached using silicone glue inside of the lovely floral circle & then to add that finishing touch I added a lovely little irridescent white flower to the top corner.... (Tia always has little flowers attached to her hats).

Oh I did forget to say that the background paper was slightly larger than my base card so I simply trimmed off the floral border at the bottom & then re-attached to the card... couldn't possibly leave off such a pretty border & it's all glittery too...

Have a happy Saturday crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Quick card for mum...

The other day when my mum flew through the door needing a very quick card indeed... well I just grabbed what was closest to hand at the time which turned out to be a K&Co pad & some lovely flowers I bought from Joanna Sheen last year...

Some quick adhesion onto a gorgeous scalloped card from Craftwork Cards then some flowers across the front... the pink flowers are single layer but the green has a large plain & a small glittered flower for added dimension... then some glittered centres to finish off...

I did only have 5 minutes to make this one & to be honest I'm not that keen on it... but... at least my mum loved it & that's all that matters.

See ya all soon

Lorraine

xxx

PRE-BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT.....

Morning everyone.... sorry I still don't have my cards uploaded but have been running around trying to get everything organised for my en-suite as it's now all booked and house will be in turmoil next week as they are going to fit it over Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday so the mad dash is on to get the tiles delivered etc on time.

Alas.... on to much more important topics such as Gayle's pregnancy... WAIT FOR IT......

Finally I received at text at 10.07am today from Gayle to say her water has now broken naturally.... that was a close call as they were only letting her go until tomorrow morning before the hospital took action.... Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it's a quick labour & as soon as I hear any more I will let you know... Ali if you're reading this.... take deep breathes'.... lol...

Anyway, I'll post my cards a little later on as I didn't want to show them along with the big announcement on Gayle...

Hugs & kisses

Lorraine

xxx

1 down & 1 to go...

I would say good morning everyone but heck it's almost lunch time already.... where does the day go... if by any chance anyone does have the correct answer to that question, please let me know... lol

Dashing around as per the norm in this household... housework & washing done... animals tended to.... dealing with the bathroom.... waiting on Tesco to arrive with my weekly shop and now have to do a speedy check on some other products...

However... I have also had to throw together a very quick card this morning for my mum to give to a friend... don't have it downloaded yet but I will later on (this is my one down) & hopefully I'll also get another one done which is for my friends' little girl who will be 2 next week (that's my one to go)... so you never know... I may well manage to download 2 cards in 1 day which would be a miracle for me right now... lol

Well enough chat for now if I've to achieve all my goals for I'll say toodles for now & I'll be back later...

Happy crafting

Lorraine xxx

I'm on a roll today....

Good day to all you lovelies out there in blogland.... and yippee today's a good day... well so far that is so keeping fingers crossed.

Have got all the housework done, washing etc complete so doing well... had no option really as guy is coming to take a look at the shower today & give us a quote for replacement... heaven forbid any dust is visible... lol....

Wee Buddy is doing well after his visit to the vet... though he did feel very sorry for himself last night. After having a G.A, teeth buffed down & an extraction I can't really say I blame him. He is now eating & drinking as normal again so hopefully he'll be 100% in the next few days.

Well I'd love nothing more than to sit here & chat, blog hop etc but before I have my own personal time I have several other things I need to deal with online... Need to order food, new tiles for en-suite as the sale ends today & some vinyl for a few boards I need to make up for my hubby...

Toodles for now me lovelies & hope to see you all again soon.

Hugs

Lorraine xxx

Last nights phone call.....

Good morning everyone... I did manage to visit some of you yesterday and I will continue to do my best to keep getting round you all over the coming days... it was so lovely catching up with all the gorgeous creations you've been making. Thank you also for those who left me lovely messages relating to my accident.... much appreciated as it really did shake me up xxx to you all.

Well, we were just in the door yesterday when the phone rang and it was one of my best friends (the one who adopted a little girl)... well she's back up her for a visit and her uncle is really ill with his health rapidly deteriorating. Now his 21 year old daughter is engaged but they had no plans in place for a wedding but due to her fathers' health they are now trying to arrange their wedding for June... poor lass is everywhere as her primary concern is that her Dad is there on her wedding day... understandable.

Today's task is to try and come up with a design for her wedding stationery... which has to be made as cheaply as possible as they have no real money saved for the wedding... thinking cap has to be well and truly on today as I would like her to have something that she really likes and looks good, even if done on the cheap... keep fingers crossed for me...

Right, guess I better get on with the housework now, washing machine on etc so that I have plenty time this afternoon... (Gail also coming for a wee visit with the baby).

Back soon...

Lorraine xxx

Simplicity....

Here's a little card I made... very simplistic in design but at the same time quite pretty I think because it is so uncluttered.

I had bought a goodie bag from Craftworks Cards at the SECC and the majority of it was christmas related.. there were however some little elements that weren't and that's what I've gone with here.

Scalloped base card, yummy, then I slightly inked the edges of a piece of pretty paper (sorry you can't see the inking in the picture) and attached this to my base card. Next I took one of the image tags and coloured using Bruynzeel water colour pencils. Made the flowers on the owl blue, to match with the background paper & added some Papermania shimmer dots for the eyes so they have a 3D effect. The tag was then layered onto the base card using silicone for a slightly raised effect. Finally I attached 2 brown glitter flowers ( used brown ones to they coordinated with the brown of the owls) and in the centre of the flowers I used some more Papermania shimmer dots... Not sure if you can see them if you zoom in on the picture.

Now... thought I would briefly share my continuing good news with you all.... oh yes... you will know that I am the luckiest person on earth over the last few months... (NOT)... and here's what happened yesterday.

I got a lovely new red vase from homebase to sit on my living room window... brighten the place up and that you know without spending a fortune... (£9.99)... then popped to Asda for a few essentials and then was heading up to the gym to collect my hubby for us both to come home. Well... I encountered several problems with another vehicle (he kept cutting me up)... then finally upon approach to a roundabout he done it again... this time slamming his brakes on!!! Fortunately, I was able to swerve into the opposite lane & get around him safely... but had to cut back in front of him in order that I could continue on my route... Around the roundabout I went and as I was coming off of the roundabout he came right up the side of me, sliced me up again and slammed the anchors on.... this time he did not leave me enough space to swerve as I had a barrier on one side and oncoming traffic on the other... right into the back of him I went... Oh yes... before I had actually hit him... he was jumping out of the car along with his wife & son... Don't really think there was any requirement for a 3 against 1 gang up but hey ho... that's what happens with scum I guess. Well, they then start throwing accusations around.. (think he forgot he slammed his brakes, or not), and fortunately some guys came out of the pub across the way and were watching the whole event. These people were so aggressive in nature that the guys actually crossed the road and stood next to me, I guess they had the same thoughts as me in relation to their mannerism. Well I called direct enquiries to be put through to the local police station & asked the man to remain calm & wait on them arriving. I also informed him that there was a camera right on the corner that would have captured the whole incident so I had nothing to hide... to cut a long story short... after a whole load of verbal abuse, fingers in my face etc, the man quickly jumped in his car and left the scene!!! Must admit right enough, I did tell him I thought he was simply trying nothing more than an insurance scam but that the video evidence would show he was at fault... Just to keep myself in the clear I went to the police station and reported the accident, gave them the registration etc. Needless to say my neck & back were a little tender last night, though I'm not quite sure if that was due to the impact or the tension.

Why oh why do we have such ******** driving on our roads...

Well for the rest of the day I will be in Rob's office as after the fire, the stained glass windows need to be replaced as they were blown out by the heat. For health and safety reasons they can only do the work on a Sunday so we need to go sit in the office for a few hours while they do the preparatory work, then they are scheduled to come back next Sunday and install the glass itself. Yes, this sounds like a very boring afternoon, but I'm hoping that if Rob doesn't draw me into helping him with some paperwork, that I may infact get time to do some blog hopping.... that would be awesome as I haven't had time to visit anyone for weeks.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Positive & Negative....

What a last few days it's been here in this mad house I call home..... lol

The positive outcome of it all is that I have finally managed to complete and submit my essay... yippee.... based on the positive and negative effects that our social environment can create on us. See where my title comes form now.... oh yes I have gone well and truly mad over the last few days... too much brain power being used up I think...

Sadly I also encountered a negative.... my poor wee guinea pig Gru passed away just after 12.30am on Thursday morning... he was about 7 years old and had been born with a respiratory problem so he had done well to make it to such a good age. Very sad indeed but hopefully he can breathe freely now in piggy heaven.

Well, I've decided that once I have done the necessary chores for the day I am taking the rest of the day off to relax.... and what do I have planned to help chill me out.... hmmm me thinks it will have to be some crafting.... major withdrawl symptoms are being encountered and need remedied asap....

Will pop back later to upload my new creation.

Happy crafting to one and all.

Lorraine xxx

WRITERS BLOCK..... OH NO

Good morning everyone & my sincerest of apologies for failing to get any more challenges completed over the last few days....

To say that I am encountering writers block at the moment is nothing less than an under statement.... it's actually not that I don't know what I want to say, it's simply that I cannot satisfy myself with my choice of words. My next assignment is due for submission this week, I've worked on it all weekend long & I'm still not close to having my final version completed. I really wanted it to be ready for submission today & now I'm starting to feel under pressure (caused by myself) to get this thing done. For some reason though, I have the feeling that when I sit down to work on it later, that I'm just going to batter the whole thing out within 4 or 5 hours... it's a funny thing when it comes to this but I think I am going to produce better work today now that I am feeling the pressure... sure hope I'm right.

Keep fingers crossed for me please, as the sooner this is done, the sooner I can get some crafting done... lol

Big hugs to all

Lorraine xxx

p.s. don't be fooled by the nice tidy look of the picture... everything is now out of the bag & the place is covered with highlighter pens, A4 notepaper etc etc etc... oh that felt good to use that abbreviation as it's a cardinal sin to use it in an essay.... lol

Just got computer back....

Sorry I've been missing for a few days folks, but unfortunately the other day I updated my software security & when my computer was supposed to restart after the update it simply would not function. Needless to say we had a little trip to our local computer expert to see what he could do for us & thankfully we are back in working order again.

I never knew this before but apparently for absolutely no known reason... sometimes when you do updates & restart your computer, the computer then takes over & simply cannot put all the information together in the order it should... therefore it fails...

Not much good to me though eh!

Well now I'm back up & running I'm off to get my Tesco order in then need to make a start on my next essay as it's due for submission next week then I can have a little crafty play later on.

See you all soon.

Lorraine

xxx

GET FUNKY CHALLENGE .....

I know I promised this one yesterday but it was a jam packed day which started off with my shower base cracking... oh yeah.... I also had a bit of the grouting fall out... well what can I say... the thing is almost 10 years old now so credit crunch or not... we have to deal with a new en-suite issue.

Alas, I had to postpone my posting today so here it is.. this time it's my entry to the Get Funky challenge which has to be spots & stripes.

I was a very naughty girl & almost forgot poor Ava's birthday so it was a last minute dash to make her card. The book says "oh no" and the front says U.R 4.... inside contains some stickers with party hats & cakes on... along with some flowers & gems.

Word book was created using the Funky Daze CD & I printed on both ends of the card. Cut out the letters then added some stitched doodling. There are some small sticker gems inside some of the circles on the letters (Papermania) and the stickers, chipboard embellishments, book ring & ribbons all come from my box of tricks by Brenda Pinnick.

Well I'm off now to do the postbox run, organise what's for tonights tea, place a tesco order & then get my head back in the books as it's essay time again!!!

Hmmmm may need to have a quick peek though at some other challenges first.... lol

See ya all soon & happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Challenge time tomorrow again

Sorry I've been missing for a few days folks, but with the weather it's taken so much longer to get around places to get things done. In addition to that, my heads been stuck in my books as I need to start my next essay this week & Rob & I have been out & about all weekend.

However.... I am currently working on another challenge card which will be completed by the end of the night, so I'll be able to upload it tomorrow.

Think I need to get a new routine worked out where I can fit everything into the day... lol

See ya all tomorrow.

Hugs

Lorraine

xxx

The Sugar Bowl Challenge

Woohoo..... Yippee..... Can you believe it.....

I've actually managed to find time to make & upload a card.... gosh I'm in shock I think.... lol.

This little one is for the Sugar Bowl challenge and is based around a fabby sketch. I had been making a word book for someone's birthday & so decided to go along with the same colour scheme so that I could use up my scraps... waste not, want not in these hard financial times is my moto. so the more I can use up my scraps, the better.

Image was coloured using Bruynzeel water colour pencils & to finish off I added two lovely glittery blue stars from Ashby Designs.

Before I go just a quick update on my OU assignment... I found out on Monday night that I have thankfully passed my first assignment with flying colours... here's hoping I do as well with the second one which is due in about 10 days time.... yes.... there is some serious studying going on here at the moment, but I'm loving it.

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

Hats off....

I take my hat off to everyone who has found the time over the last few days to make & upload some really lovely cards.

We were out shopping today when the snow blizzard started yet again so we started to head back to the safety of home, only to get rear ended by another car in the process... thankfully there doesn't appear to be any damage to either car and both Rob & I are okay apart from some neck pain. Bloody typical that is & it's only the 2nd of January. Main thing is no-one was badly injured & cars appear to be okay.

To help make myself feel better I just had to have a little nosey at the challenges around to see if there was anything happening on that front & yippee..... challenges are rolling for 2010.... what a great excuse to do some crafting tonight... after my study session that is... lol.

Let's see if I can get myself back into the challenge mode as it's been so long since I've been able to join in... I may have forgotten what buttons to push.... tee hee...

Hope you're all enjoying the holidays still...

Happy crafting

Lorraine

xxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well a huge, massive, enormous..... Happy New Year to all you fellow bloggers out there in blogland. Here's to the start of a new year that we can fill with a whole load of new dreams, aspirations & inspirations... For many, it will hopefully be a much better year than the one we have just left behind... good ridance is what I have to say to 2009 and I'm looking forward to having loads of fun in 2010. Most of all I wish you all a great deal of good health for the next 12 months...

It was a bit of a late night in our household... or should that be early morning... lol.... so we have only just rolled out of bed about a half hour ago & are due at mums for dinner at 2pm! Golly gosh I must get the skates on... I can hear that Rob has just turned the shower off so it's almost my turn & need to get the old slap stick on the face etc so I look like I have pink glowing cheeks on this very cold & white winter's morning we have here.

Hoping you all have a lovely day, no matter whether you are staying indoors or heading off out to share the day with family or friends... and here's to plenty of new challenges in the wonderful world of blogland.

Hugs & kisses

Lorraine

xxx