Tick tock..

Well folks time has sure moved along today between one thing and another. Printer issue to name but one, but isn't it just typical that this happens at a time when you need it most. Lol.

So about 10 mins ago I looked at the clock to suddenly realise it was basically 9pm!! As I've been cradling a poorly stomach yesterday and today I've been going slower than normal so have decided to sit my butt down now and have a wee bit of play time.. Hhmmm what to do was the question then realised I started this clock a while back and hadn't actually gotten round to finishing it. So.. I've got a Kaiser clock which has been covered in Kaiser papers so far and tonight I'm going to start some embellishment. Not planning on finishing it tonight but at least it will be one step closer. Now with that said I'll bit you goodnight as my inks etc appear to be calling my name. Toodles for now.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Cupcakes :D

Well folks I'm forever hearing how you can't keep secrets on facebook so today I took on the challenge to see just how long I could and woohoo.. Almost made it a full day before someone clocked the date.. Might have guessed it would be our very own Gayle Paton. Lol. Just goes to show that you can keep secrets on facebook unless you decide to tell someone your secret in the first place.

Anyway, I thought I'd give up the secret now as my mission is complete. It was my birthday yesterday. Lol. Got some fab pressies and hubby brought home this box of cupcakes tonight which were pretty delish :D.

Bad part though was that I've literally been doubled in two with pains in my stomach the whole day. Hubby seems to think that my lower intestine is inflamed for some reason, so not quite sure if it was something in last nights dinner or not that I've had an allergic reaction to but I'm far from impressed. Have been eating pain killers, had some pepto (vomit) and going to take some anti inflammatory meds before bed in the hope it's gone by morning.

Anyway, hope you've all had a fab day and fingers crossed life will be back to normal tomorrow in the crazy house. Nighty night.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Crafty stash

Brianna and Gordon treated me to some distress inks to add to my collection. Craft goodies are defo something you can never go wrong with especially when it's something I can use on multi surfaces. Lol.

Xxx

My gorgeous gift basket

Have my lovely friends Andy, Sharon and their daughter Nicole to thank for this gorgeous basket filled with Yankee Candle goodness and some sweet treats too. Beautifully wrapped with a gorgeous flower gift card attached by a butterfly clip. Honoured to have friends like these in my life.

Xxx

Some birthday pressies

Afternoon all.. Well it was a busy day yesterday and today it's going to be a busy one again in the craft room.. That is once the housework is finished and I've had a bite of lunch as I'm starting to hear some rumbles. Lol.

Before I lose track of time, like we all do once we close the craft room door I remembered to share a pic of my wee birthday treats that hubby bought me on Saturday. Poor soul decided I needed something to keep me going till the rest of my present gets delivered.. Yay.. DISTRESS MARKERS. Guess you can tell I'm excited!!

There's always new stash required for the room so my latest choices are in the pic.. Well apart from the rubber stamp which was hubby's choice. He said it reminded him of our cat with a bit of me thrown in too via the coffee cup.. Just slightly cheeky of him. Lol

Time to move then I suppose, got some emails and samples to do for work and would really like a wee bit of time to do something just for me today too, so toodle pips for now my lovelies.

Happy crafting
Lorraine xxx

The hunt is over

Evening all and apologies for it being so late in the day. As per usual I had my normal lazy start to Sunday morning chilling on the sofa in my pj's, watching tv and having hubby make the breakfast... That was until I got told to move my fat butt and get ready.

First up we shot off to the office to drop stuff off, then took a run up to the Scottish Arts, Crafts & Design centre as I noticed their website etc had been removed.. Well so too has the company.. They are no more and appear to have a new pet centre moving in.. That said there was still a large amount of art goods still in the centre so I do hope they will all be retrieved by their appropriate makers.

Next up we set off on the venture to buy a new tv and need I say any more!!!! Well to be honest there's more to follow later. Lol.

Then, the dreaded supermarket after which we popped down to drop some stuff off to mum who's been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days. Started with a wee runny nose, followed quickly by a hoarse throat. Thankfully today she's felt a bit better but still sounds crap. What's ridiculous is trying to tell your 70yr old mother to take the day off work tomorrow and she's fighting you on it!!!

Well we came home and Rob organised dinner whilst I set about installing the tv.. Got it all connected etc but could we get a flaming pic.. Could we heck. Almost 2hrs down the line, combined with some help from the internet we discovered we had to push 1 button on the remote and yyaaayyyyy we had a picture. Would you believe that's all it took after all that time. Obviously once that happened hubby had to immediately check to make sure the ps3 was operating too. Lol. I done a few bits & bobs then tended to animals. Now can I just say one thing.. There's a big difference between watching a HDReady tv compared to a Full HD tv. The picture quality is far superior.

Well that's the run down on my day with the exception of the fact that I'm now sat on the sofa have coffee, toast & cheese. Lol. And with that said I'll bid you goodnight and will post pics of my new stash tomorrow.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Fresco figures

Evening all.. Have been out and about today, even got some goodies for my birthday that I'll post a pic of tomorrow but thought I'd share another tag from Leandra's workshop tonight.

This time around we had a tag with figures attached (these varied with letters & numbers as each kit was individual in that respect). On this one we simply used 3 layers of different coloured paint which were wiped down in between layers. Creates a fantastic distressed appearance in the blink of an eye.

For any of you who love your paints but have never tried the Fresco range, all I can say is.. 'Why not?'. They have a superb colour range and with their chalk finish they are rather unique. Well worth the investment.

Well I'm off to make a wee cuppa now but will be back to show you some of my birthday treats tomorrow.

Happy crafting
Lorraine xxx

More must haves

Morning all, hope your weekend has gotten off to a good start. Right now I'm having a wee coffee whilst my cat is snuggled up next to me. Wonder how long that will last before he returns to his normal honorary self!

Anyway, thought I'd share the remainder of my 'must have' dies whilst I've got a wee free minute. Think there's going to be a lot of new die's sneaking their way into my craft room this year.

So, one of the joys of the weekend ahead is the search for a new tv. Wonder how many shops we're going to be at before the final decision is made!!! I'm also getting a bit of a treat from hubby. For my birthday he's told me I can get a set of the new and amazing distress marker pens which are being ordered next week but he's also taking me out to get a few other bits and bobs too.. Yayyy.

Well.. Guess it's time to make a move, get the house tidied up then shake my leg right out the door and go spend some money. Lol. Have a fab Saturday all.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Must have..

Evening all.. Twice in one day!!! Gosh I'm ready to go into shock myself. Lol

Well I'm just getting ready to move and make some cards tonight but before I did I thought I'd share a pic of some 'must have' products.

Aren't these dies just fantastic!!! Question is.. What do I get first. Oh and just so you know.. That's only half of them. Will post a pic of the rest tomorrow. Have a funny feeling you will all be lining up to purchase these ones. Lol.

Well, it's time to move my bum again and get busy with my stash so I'll bid you all a fond farewell for the evening.

Toodle pip

Lorraine xxx

Paint shadow

Can you believe it's Friday already? This week has just flown by, then again when I think about it so has the month.. March will be here next week!

Yesterday didn't quite go to plan as I had a few unexpected things popped up I had to deal with so didn't manage quite as much crafting as I had hoped for but today's another day so onwards and upwards as they say.

Currently I'm sat on the sofa having a wee cuppa whilst my kitty is sprawled out next to me soaking up the morning sun (one of his favourite pastimes.. Well that and sleeping. Lol), so thought I'd take the opportunity to share another tag from Leandra's workshop. Another quick but very effective technique.

All we used for the tag was 3 colours of paint, some cut and dry and a template. The tag was coated in a base layer, then the design was created using the template, a slight bit of adjustment and the 2nd layer of the design was complete too. Told you it was quick and easy.

Well, guess I best sign off now as the coffee cup needs a wee refill and when it's done, it's time to get started.. Really feel the desire to get inky today. Hope you all enjoy that Friday feeling.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Cracking up

Morning all, hope it's a nice one wherever you are as you'll be luckier than me then. Very overcast here today with that horribly smirry rain.

Anyway, thought I'd share tag nos 2 with you this morning which was so quick and easy to do but being as I'm a person who loves the crackle effect it was right up my street. Paint, crackle, paint and you're done.

I've used many different crackle paints in the past but this was the first I've used the Paperartsy one and I have to say.. I'm converted. From now on it's going to be a stable basic in my kit. Why? Well for this tag you wouldn't believe how little of it we actually used. We put a small blob on our tags and used a splodger to remove as much of it as we possibly could and still it creates a fabulous effect with a mix of small and large cracks. It's defo the one for me from now on.

So what's on the agenda for the rest of the day? I've got a few samples to make, mum is popping up for a wee visit and I'm hopping to get a chance to get a little bit inky later on too so quicker I move, the better chance I have as there's a few phone calls to be made in between. Guess it's time to move my butt eh! Will pop back later and upload another make to share with you all but for now.. Toodles.

Happy crafting folks
Lorraine xxx

Paint on acetate

Evening all, hope everyone's well today. I've just been around the house today doing some washing, housework etc but managed to have a wee play too.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to do a workshop with Leandra from Paperartsy but as I only had carry on luggage some of my pieces didn't look the best by the time they'd been squashed in my bag so I did a wee remake today. Here's the 1st of the tags which incorporates painting on acetate. What a fabulous, fun way of using one of our basic components in a slightly different way.

Well, best get the place cleaned up before dinner's ready else I'll be in the bad books with hubby. Lol. Toodles for now.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

One of Tim's own

Evening all.. What a fabulous time I had in Birmingham and I even managed to see Tim before he left which was an added bonus and got a quick pic of one of his fab makes on display.

Well it was a bit of a whirlwind time as there's always so much to see and so many peeps to chat too.. Seemed to be even more this year than last. Lol. Not complaining though as I had a ball and loved every minute I spent with them. Even managed to get a quick nagging session at Jo Channon about joining facebook but after her filling me in on her current work load I've decided to let her off for another wee while before I start hounding again.

So, the case is emptied and tonight I'm putting my feet up to go through all the paperwork and need to mark down a pile of dates in the diary whilst they're fresh in my head and just incase a tragedy strikes my phone which would be just my luck. Lol.

Before I go I'd like to say a huge thank you to Elena Costella at Heritage Rubber Stamp Co for taking me along and to our other companion Lesley McMurray who was dealing with the yarn and fibre studio end of things too.

Right, I'm off to sort the paperwork then I can chill. Back tomorrow again with another few pics.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Tonight's bed

Evening all and what can I say about my day... 'Fantastic'... It's been an awesome day here seeing many old friends and a few new ones too. Also got asked to do another few demo jobs so that was defo the icing on the cake.

There's been so much to take in today and slightly surprised that I'm not completely hoarse with all the chatting I've been doing. Best part is I get to do it tomorrow again before heading home. In the meantime though I'm going to get myself ready for bed, climb in, snuggle up and read my mag before lights out.

Hope you've all had a fantastic day.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx

Time for a trip

Well folks first up I must apologise for my lack of blogging over the past month or so. There's been so much going on here between customer orders, sample making for the delightful Lynda Chapman, hubby has been back and forth to doctor and hospital appts, mum's been on holiday so I had to tend to her hubby during her absence and let's not forget about the beloved accountant and tax man. It's actually been so mad that I haven't really had a lot of time to just sit and play to make anything for myself, although my cardigan is now finished :D.

However, it's time to take some time away from home so I'm off to the NEC for a bit of browsing around and a good old nosey at some yummy products. Not quite sure if I can class that as work even though I will be down in a buyer capacity there will be so much socialising going on at the same time, it's defo one of my favourite times of the year where I get to meet up with so many lovely people who work in the craft industry.

So with that said, it's time to hit the sack and get some sleep before the start of an awesome 2 day trip, during which I promise to try and get some pics to share with you all so keep checking back to see what all I spy.

Toodles for now and I'll be less of a stranger now that things have calmed down around here a bit.

Love 'n' hugs
Lorraine xxx