Staying warm.

Evening all and just a quick post from me tonight...  Had a wee chilled out morning with hubby today, followed by a nice lunch out and visit to an antique store, then we done the weekly shopping and tonight I'm sitting knitting.   I had a whole batch of scarves knitted up ready to sell and I have sold out in less than 2 weeks!   Needless to say the needles were clicking away like mad last night and they are doing the same tonight again.. so far I've got 1 done and am just about to make a start on the 2nd and with any luck will manage to squeeze a 3rd in too.   Why oh why does everyone think its easy making a living as a crafter... It's non stop.  Lol. 

Well that's me for now folks but will be back tomorrow again.. hope you're all stating warm and taking care of yourselves... Till tomorrow.. toodles.

Happy crafting
Lorraine. Xxx

A little PanPastel fun

Fwd: NEC

Morning all.. sorry I didn't get a chance to post from the NEC but its always non stop when we are there.  So busy intact that these are the only pictures I managed I managed to take and they were done on set up day.  Most days start at 7am with a shower then we depart the hotel at 8am to head to the venue where we do a quick tidy up and prep before doors open...  Then once the doors close we restock to somewhere around 8pm after which we head straight to a restaurant for dinner and finally we return to the hotel around 10.30pm when it's time to get things organised for the morning...  Well I did say we don't have much free time when we are there.  Lol. 

Anyway, these few pictures show our almost empty van and a few different views of the stand whilst we were still organising it so there are a few odd boxes and spinners lying in stray places.  It all paid off though as we had such positive feedback from the customers. 

We had a slight panic on the Thursday morning when my back decided to pop on the walk to the venue when I stopped to take my scarf out of my bag.. bent down, went to come back up and boy did the pain shoot through me.  Thankfully Amanda Bateman who is a trained nurse was on the stand next to us so she had a good feel at it and got me sat down and propped up for 10 mins to try and ease it.  Debbi Moore quickly followed through by giving me a few really strong pain killers and back to our stand I went.   Thankfully with the help of some BioFreeze from Gaynor, hot showers every morning and eating 400mg ibuprofen I managed to take the pace and make it through the entire show.  Over he last few days I've been very careful and got an appointment with he physio yesterday afternoon... Boy did that man work wonders on me and although a little tender from all the work he done on my back I feel so much better and have managed to stop eating painkillers. 

Right folks... I'm off to have a play with some PanPastels before making a start on samples so toodles for now and catch up with you all again later. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

The section immediately behind my demo table... Including my beloved Kaiser Craft advent calenders.. well the red one is hiding behind some stock.  Lol.

Obviously still part of set up day with boxes still to be unpacked, ladders to climb for samples to be attached up top etc. 

Part of the stand on set up day hence why the spinners are just dumped.  Lol.

Van almost empty...

Number 2

It's another day and another wreath folks... Same kit but different flowers.   These have been such fun to make.. made all the more pleasurable by the fact that all the flowers were die cut and I didn't have to sit punching or cutting. 

So.. I've chilled out over the last few days and spent some quality time with hubby as I won't see him for the next week but need to get the finger out today.. got a meeting with Scottish power today in an attempt to stop cable wireless taking a chunk out of our embankment to join cables..  nothing quite like big companies not giving a toss if they cause land instability!   Also need to decide what clothes I'm taking to the NEC, then iron them and pack my suitcase.. always amazes me how much I manage to squeeze in the tiny wee case I take.  Lol.  Need to empty the washing basket and clean the house before setting off on the road trip to Birmingham tomorrow.. so can't wait to feel the enthusiasm and catch up with all the lovely folks I've met over the years doing the shows... To be honest it's more like a holiday than work.  Lol. 

Well I'm going to sign off for now and go get myself ready for the day ahead... Stay warm and safe everyone. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Ribbon and flowers

Evening all.. hope you've all been enjoying your weekend even if its been as chilly with you as its been here... Bbrrr the fluffy socks and jumpers are a daily requirement now eh! 

Well I had a wee relaxing day yesterday.. some craft play whilst hubby was at work, followed by an evening chilling in front of the tv with my beloved.. only thing that ruined the day was the clowns setting off the fireworks last night and they've already started tonight again...  I'd quite happily make it illegal for the public to use them.. would save the NHS a fortune and a lot of poor people and animals distress.   Anyway, I had a mega lie in today, tuned in to watch Formula 1.. what a race for Sebastian Vettel, and so unfortunate for Jenson Button... Glad no one was injured in any of the accidents though.   After that it was time for a cheeky Costa coffee followed by the weekly shop.  Back home and whilst I put the shopping away hubby got changed and is now currently at the gym.. Me???   I've made some coffee, turned on an episode of CSI Miami and am off to get on with making another wee,wreath... Here's one that I've already glued together but still have some sparkle to add which I will do when they are all complete.  These are fab little kits but as I like my flowers quite full I did feel I fell a little short of what I would have liked but even with that said I would still say it was value for money for what I bought it for at the SECC...  May buy the flower pad and rings separately next time so I can make some fuller flowers though.   All round a pleasant kit to play with and pretty gifts at the end. 

Well I'm off to make a start on the next one and watch Horatio in action on the screen.  Stay warm everyone. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Time to rest...

Really sorry I've not been around folks but that's how life goes at times I guess..  there's never much spare time when I'm working the SECC and the last week I've been catching up with orders, housework and my wee mammy...  She misses me so much when I'm not just at the other end of the phone and she'll be even worse next week when I'm at the NEC.. being as she's hitting on 71 I need to pamper her a wee bit more nowadays.  Lol.

Anyway, I've ran round and got all the housework done early today, animals have been tended and hubby is at work so I'm going to take some time out for myself now and have a wee play with one of the gorgeous craftwork cards wreaths..  popped out all my die cut flowers last night so I'm ready to start..  let's just hope nothing unexpected pops up to spoil my fun.   Oh and I'm going to catch up on the last 6 episodes of eastenders whilst I'm at it and may even move on to coronation street after that.  Lol.  See I really have been busy..

Right I'm off to play so toodles for now and hope all are well. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

SECC

Hi folks.. sorry this is brief but just heading to bed.  However before I go, here's some deals available on the Hougie Crafts stand C14 this weekend at the SECC.  Pink limited edition boards have been selling like hot cakes, so much so we only have about 12 left!  

Well bed is calling, so night night everyone. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Close up view of the roof.

Used a few different products and techniques on this and love it.  

Side view

Getting there...

There was lots on the go yesterday including a whole load of running around so wasn't much time for play as I'm working on some new samples too and hubby was off work which always throws my schedule off. 

Anyway had some hours to myself today so after I got some work done I managed to have another wee play with my birdhouse so here's what its looking like just now..  still want to add a bit or two to it but will tackle that tomorrow as I'm going to watch some tv with hubby now... Well once I upload a couple of up close pics but that will only take 30 secs with this new phone.  Lol. 

Hope you're all having a fab weekend. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

What a day!

Well folks its been a day and a half here and this is the first opportunity I've had to actually sit down and write a post.  The morning started with news from Brianna that she now has official confirmation that she has gained her Masters degree... Or to put it in official terms... Her MMus HIPP.   Obviously we are both very proud of her and are now looking forward to her graduation next month.  

Soon afterwards the day started to change... My friend informed me that her dad has cancer so my heart sank.  Once I got over that I went about some household chores, dealt with emails etc and on route to the shop I got a call from a neighbour about unauthorised work being done on the embankment close to where I live so had to turn and head back.   Won't bore you with the details of it all but it resulted in the police being called and me being extremely wet.   Then the following 2 hours consisted of both the mobile and land line ringing off the hook.  Just as I thought I was finally able to relax I got word that a lady I used to work with and have known all of my life has passed away too.   Funny thing was I had only just thought about her an hour or so before I heard the news.  

So I eventually managed to get dinner somewhere around 7.30pm, tended to the animals afterwards, printed some stuff of the computer for samples, dealt with another pile of emails, put my pj's on and sat down to write this post.  Oh yeah and my kitty is curled up by my side after having a very relaxed day.  Lol.

Off to make a cuppa now and do some sudoku whilst chilling in front of the tv for a while before heading to bed... I have a feeling tomorrow could possibly be another one of those days with the follow up to today's embankment events and hubby is off work in to the bargain and we have a few things we need to deal with too...  Please keep fingers crossed there's no more bad news though. 

Right folks will bid you all goodnight.. and till tomorrow... Sweet dreams. 
Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine. Xxx

Time to play

Well folks I've spent most of the day sorting the 200+ contacts on my phone and transferring my calender for the next year... No wonder I hate new phones.  Lol. 

Anyway now it's done I can relax in the knowledge that I can rely on my phone again to keep my life on track. Phew... That's never an easy task.  Off to put the potatoes on to boil for my dinner then I can get back to my bird cage.. sorry the picture is crap but its dark here now.  Thankfully you can still see some of the PanPastels.  Hopefully it will be finished tonight and I can get a better picture of it in daylight tomorrow.   Well I'm off to boil the fatties now as I'm starving so will catch up with you all later.. oh yeah and it looks like the hacker issue is solved now too....  Never a good idea to hack me off as I don't respond well and you're unlikely to enjoy my payback.  Lol. 

Toodles for now
Lorraine xxx

Sample 11... Final One!

Well folks here it is... the final sample which would you believe I forgot to send... well actually it was sat to the side and simply didn't make it into the package as I missed it..  naughty me.

Anyway this is a lovely little gift box which is all ready to cut out and mount the toppers on so quick production lines can be the aim of the game if you so desire for christmas markets etc.

Now finally if you would like to purchase the CD that hosts all these images or the gorgeous embossed card or tent cards I've featured all you have to do is browse for them on the CupcakeCrafting website and pop them in your basket... delivery is quick and p&p is cheap.. what more can you ask for?

Right folks.. time for your mind to boggle over what I'll be posting tomorrow!

See you then

Lorraine

xxx

More christmas decorations except this time around it's stars instead of snowflakes.. these are great for the kids to do

OOOooooo only 1 more post to go and we're done!

xxx

 

Samples 9

A pile of double sided snow flow hangers.. simply printed off a couple of sheets, cut them out and glued together.. 

Almost there now.. only another 2 posts and that's all the samples done for this CD

xxx



Sample 8

Oops..  looks like it's another lop sided one  lol 

If you happen to be on facebook I'll try and share them on there at some point today or tomorrow to try and help you stop having to tilt your head to the side.. too may of us have that lop sided look from crafting  lol

xxx

 

Sample 7

Hope my wee garden robin is as happy as this little fella

xxx



Sample 6

Too cute for words... shame about my photography  lol 

xxx



Sample 5

Love this wee image and the fact you can play with glitter and glossy accents... well being honest I done that with most of them  lol

xxx

Hard life eh!  

Sample 4

CD available from CupcakeCrafting

Back again at 11am

xxx

Sample 3

Just realised that my cracker posted on it's side and it looks like this one is going to do the same too... if anyone knows how I can solve this problem for future please let me know as I have no idea how to do it on blogger now.. so hate this new way of working and much preferred the old style as it was way easier to navigate around etc..  progress is not always good.

Gone again

Lorraine xxx

Sample 2...

Okay folks here the next one.. ain't that snowman and penguin cute!

CD available from Cupcakecrafting

Told you it would be a quick post didn't I.. lol  

Lorraine 

xxx

   

Sample 1

Evening folks... I've actually logged in via the pc tonight so I can schedule some posts as it's been one of those days where everything has taken longer than expected to achieve so got a bit of a work back log for tomorrow.. oh how super eh!  lol

Anyway, I've got lots of samples to share of my recent makes for the lovely Lynda Chapmans latest CupcakeCrafting show on C&C so now that they've been on air I'm in a position to share them with you all so here goes with the 1st one.. a super cracker card template all ready just to print and cut then decorate.  You can't get much better than that can you for the mass christmas production line or even for sale to earn you lots of pennies...  now that sounds good to me.  

The CD is called 'A Christmas Wonderland' and is available to buy from CupcakeCrafting 

Right folks.. that's nos 1 posting done so off to schedule the rest now.. and I will warn you in advance they will be brief as I've been non stop since 10am this morning so quite fancy a wee seat on the sofa at some point within the next hour  lol

Toodles

Lorraine

xxx

    

Hacker!!!

My apologies folks for the a******e who hacked my blog and posted a whole load of s**t...  It has now been removed, they have been reported and log in details have been changed...  Hopefully they will choke tonight   lol 

Lazy Sunday

Well folks it's been a pretty lazy day around here.  Watched some tv this morning whilst adding some more paint to my project then we got ready and headed off to do the shopping.  Since we returned the groceries have been put away I've had a cuppa hubby has headed off to the gym and I've cleaned some of the windows.  Now I'm getting ready to do some ironing so thought I'd better do a quick post before I start.  I'm sure there will be another later on too but didn't want to go the whole day without a wee progress report.  

Well the iron is ready to go so sooner started the sooner finished and I can get back to what I love... Crafting.   Hope you're all having a relaxing day too.  

Happy crafting
Lorraine xxx

Sent from my HTC

Just a quickie tonight folks to show you what I'm about to start playing with but I'll be back tomorrow to show you an update on progress. Hope you're all having a fab weekend. Xxx.

Sorry

Oh I have been naughty and I do apologise for the lack of a post yesterday but I had to get a new mobile which is not an easy thing for me as I detest having to adapt to new technology so you may see a few errors over the next week or so as I adjust to this touch screen.  On the up side though the picture quality should be better so that will be nice. 

Well I went for this phone at 3pm and I've still not finished setting it all up yet and haven't put it down since I got it but enough is enough so calling it quits for tonight and will start afresh again in the morning.  Will even upload a picture so you can see for yourself if there's a difference in quality.  Goodnight all. 

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Even closer..

Now this just goes to show how easy it is to combine some of your beloved Idea-ology into the design. Here I've used a vial filled with glitter to represent snow, a lock, key and knob to ensure he has access to both my heart and my home. Lol. Finally a nice piece of Kaiser Crafts lace trim just to highlight the lace around the '25' box. Oh and the holly and berries in the previous pic are also by Kaiser Crafts.

So now that's out the way what about the rest of today??? Well it's dreary and wet outside so was glad to stay indoors. Got the washing hanging up to dry, the animals are all quite content and sleeping and the house is relatively clean.. That will get done more tomorrow when hubby's off work and can help strip the beds and hoover the stairs etc. Lol. Mum has been here visiting for a few hours, think she's still making up for lost time when I was on holiday! Not quite sure what I'll do tonight yet, whether just to put my feet up and chill, do some ironing (pile is huge), or to have a crafty play with something else which means I'd need to do a big clean up first though.. Not sure I can be bothered with the cleaning part tonight. Lol. Guess I really should get priorities right though and at least make a start on dinner whilst I'm deciding eh! And with that said, off to the kitchen she goes dragging her feet all the way.. Bye!

Happy crafting all
Lorraine xxx

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Closer..

Here's a close up view of the embellishments I've used for decoration which includes one of the 3D Kaiser Crafts baubles.. I thought it just sat in that corner quite nicely.

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All Complete

Yay.. The new advent calender is now complete and here's what it looks like.. I really do love these just incase you haven't figured that out for yourself. Lol.

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Next..

Amazing the difference that a sheet of paper and a wee spritz with some Perfect Pearls can make.

Got held back from crafting this afternoon as I had chores to do.. Invoices typed and mailed, gas and electricity paid, orders and personal cards posted, and house and animals cleaned. May just sit back tonight and chill then finish this off in the morning me thinks. Well it's just got some embellishments to be added and it's all done ready for display in Craft World so the crafters can see what the finished product looks like.

Well folks I'm off to put the feet up now so have a lovely night all and I'll be back tomorrow.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

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Main frame

Just a quick pic to start off with today. The main frame of the advent calender and all the boxes are now built and decorated. Think I may add a wee spritz, still got the central panel to complete and some embellishments to add so will add more pics as the day goes on. Right now though I'm off to do a wee bit of housework and make some lunch so stayed chilled till I return. Lol.

Toodles
Lorraine xxx

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Progress

Well folks I have to say it may be a little on the chilly side this week but at the same time we have to be grateful for the dry conditions and some on/off sunshine.

So last night was an evening of chilling out with a wee neck and shoulder massage thrown in courtesy of my darling husband followed by a lie in this morning.. Think I'm still catching up on lack of sleep from my holidays. Then once I had a wee coffee to start the day it was time to touch up the paint on the advent boxes and pop out all the numbers I need for them.. Just need to pop a wee lick of paint on them now before adhering them to the boxes. First up though I need to pop out for some shopping to top up the cupboards so guess I'll be wearing the fluffy socks and possibly a scarf too. Lol.

Make sure you pop back to see the next update on the calender please and we'll be moving on to something new once this is completed. If anyone needs details of where the calenders can be purchased please leave me a comment with the town you live in and I'll find your nearest stockist for you. Please note I moderate all comments and will delete the ones with your details so they are not visible to anyone else.

Right I'm off to get wrapped up for my trip out into the cold so take care all and keep up the crafting.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

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Boxing Time

Afternoon all on another glorious sunshine day. I've got the house cleaned, the washing done, front of the boxes for the advent calender are now papered so it's time to sand the edges and glue them all together. Last night was fun with gilding flakes which ended up everywhere including in my hair. Lol.

Well I'm off to start construction as lots more on the agenda when this is finished.. I mean I've got Pan Pastels screaming out my name too! How is a girl supposed to fit it all in I wonder? Right folks have a great day and watch out for more pics as the calender is built.

Happy crafting
Lorraine xxx

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Sticky!

Just whilst I'm sitting gluing wood I thought I'd share this with you. What an amazing glue that dries in no time at all. It's like a cross between pva and super glue. Lol. Well worth a try to see if you prefer it to your normal adhesive as I know I love using it.

Xxx

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Flat pack

Here's the basis for the advent calender.. Painted up but before construction begins. Lol.

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Crimbo decs

It's that time of year when the crimbo prep has begun.. Well forget your cheap won't last long stuff and go for something like this. These are fab ply wood decorations from Kaiser Crafts, either flat or 3D versions available. I'm desperate to try a variety of mediums on these but this is just a few I've made a start on. This one has been done with paint and gilding flakes but I still want to add something else.. Maybe some ink to create more depth or a wee spritz even! Lol.

On a different subject.. I had a lovely visit from my niece the other day who lives and works down south but she had to fly up for a meeting. Due to Uni and work commitments on both ends I haven't seen her for 7yrs and I miss her so much. What a gorgeous young woman she has grown to be and was funny to see her pull up in a car, never mind hear her talk about the amazing job she does, so intelligent and I'm so proud of her. Now I need to make a point of going down for a visit so I can see my nephew and have a catch up with my sister in law too. Phones just aren't the same.

Well I'm off again to get working on another advent calender so an afternoon of fun ahead.

Happy crafting all

Love
Lorraine xxx

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Shame to true colours aren't showing on this but hard to get a good picture in the sun as it's all done in gilding flakes so it's very reflective.

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Another one done with metallic crackle

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Done with metallic crackle glaze

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