What is it with...

...drunken, mindless yobs.

Get a gang of them together and they think it gives them the right to smash and damage anything that they want to.

A little after 10pm and I thought world war 3 was breaking out at the front of my house - a gang of louts were trying to smash fences and cars along the main road here.

Scared the living daylights out of me but I had to go and check what damage had been done.

The b*****ds (sorry for the language but I'm fuming) have broken a central fence panel and it was wedged half in and half out of the concrete posts. Armed with a club hammer I went out to try and un-wedge it but the son of a neighbour across the road very kindly came over to see if I was okay and got it sorted for me.

Why do these pigs think it is fun/okay to smash folks homes/belongings.

I have all my downstairs lights on at the moment but I'll be blowed if I'm going to let these @@@~%$ make me frightened in my own home.

Sorry folks - had to come and let off steam otherwise I think I would have just sat and cried.

Looks like I know what I'll be trying to do tomorrow - fix my fence.

At least I know I have some super neighbours........................

Did you see THE Wedding?...

...I did; this evening LOL

I was far too busy this morning to watch a wedding because I was making this...
Instead of sitting glued to the TV, I was sitting in the classroom at Pinnacles with a group of lovely ladies - listening to the wedding on the radio and sipping BucksFizz...how posh is that LOL
Andy was taking the class so that Pauline (his Mum) could watch the wedding on the computer...wasn't that thoughtful. It was only a morning class so not very long and much of the time was taken up cutting out the parts of the handbag and then the basic construction.
It isn't fully completed because there just wasn't the time but I have more embellishments that I want to add - and possibly some photos, making it more of a mini book rather than a card.
The bag is made using the same sort of idea that is used for exploding boxes - once the item is open you are presented with lots of flaps and surfaces for decorating - I think it is a lovely idea.

So, those of you who have now seen the wedding (be it as it happened or during one of the re-runs on the news) - what did you think of the dress? Beautiful, wasn't it.

If you are having street parties where you are I hope you have a wonderful time...it is pretty quiet round here. Such a shame when I now have this posh handbag, so I'm all dolled-up with nowhere to go..............................................

A Royal Wedding...

...like this??????????????

Whilst Will & Kate might enjoy it, I don't think 'her Mage' would be terribly amused LOL

Hope the young couple have a magical day.........................................

Scrap night...

...and a completed LO.

Tonight was 'week one' of the new four week session so new stash to play with.
The first part of our kit consisted of some NitWit PPs from the cupcake range along with some decoupage & die-cuts. I thought they would be just right for my photos from Harrods.
I think the PPs are very pretty but they have glazed parts to the design which made it quite difficult to attach the letters that I had decided to use. The Making Memories mini alphabet tiles didn't want to stick to the glossy bits so I had to place the wording so that at least part of each letter was attached to plain part of the paper (I suppose I could have used a bit of Glossy Accents but I couldn't be doing with faffing around).
Although I used some border punched CS the main embellishment was the crochet edged coaster in the corner with some of the NitWit die-cuts mounted on top.

Materials used: -

NitWit cupcake range PP
Bazzill CS in white & navy
Pale blue adhesive flat-back gems
Crochet edged cotton coaster
Making Memories mini alphabet
3D foam pads

EK Success border punch

Sorry the photos aren't a better quality but the glazed parts of the PP were causing a lot of glare for the camera.

Another completed LO to add to the collection.........................

Look what came today...

...a beautiful card from She.

Earlier this month She posted a pic of this card and offered it to anyone who left a comment - I was lucky enough to win the draw.
Isn't it a lovely card - the image is beautifully coloured.
The attention to the details on the card are super...
,,,and everything works really well together.
Thank you She, the card is beautiful and I will treasure it......................................

Some new Stamps...

...but in two minds about some.

The current DoCraft promotion has a selection of new clear stamp sets.

This image is from one of the John Byars new "Nostalgia" sets (I hope to be picking the other set up at the weekend). Both sets are male based so at last there are a selection of images to help deal with those difficult male cards.
This was the first one that I have coloured and I was quite pleased with the finished effect. I think this image will be great for teens upwards.

Another new set of stamps are part of the new "Tulip" range.
Whilst I love the images (this is the first of the images coloured - two different colourways) I'm not so sure about the actual stamps. They are rather small and fiddly for colouring in and I can't say that I particularly enjoyed colouring them.
I think I've given them a fair shot as I tried two different colour schemes to see if that helped my opinion at all...the jury is still out.

Now these I am really enjoying colouring...
I was never sure about the faces on the Tildas but I have to say that they have started to 'grow' on me. Anyhow, face or no face...I love the size of the Tilda stamps as I find them great for general colouring and also playing with the shading effects. "Patch" is certainly getting a good amount of useage...

I might give the "Tulip" stamps a go with just stamping onto a distress inked background or a 'misted' item to see if I like that effect any better. Other than that I think the colouring will have to be kept fairly basic as I really do think they are too small to worry about shading. I'll have to see what works best for me...........................................

A bit of Brit chic...

...another quick card.
For this one I used a Union Flag (it's only called a 'Jack' when used on a ship) as a matt.
A bit of doily border punching down the back outside edge of the card...
...and a bit of red CS to back the punching.

Off to sit in front of the TV now and do some colouring in..........................

England Swings...

...or at least it used to LOL

I don't know if it is the approaching royal wedding (or two) that we have taking place shortly or whether someone just thought it was about time to have some patriotic crafting stuff but have you noticed there is quite a bit of "Red, White & Blue" stash in the shops at the moment.
Kanban have a range of topper sheets that are very 'London' - in fact there are sheets for Carnaby Street, Soho & Chelsea. I've used a topper from the Carnaby Street set for this card.
I can't say that I am a great fan of all things Kanban but occasionally they have something that catches my eye (the elegant ladies from around Christmastime were lovely) and this set of London themed sheets did it for me this time. Some of the images are very 'Audrey Hepburn' and I love the limited colour palette (mostly black & red with a hint of shabby navy).

This card was just a quick and simple bit of matt & layering.

A sheet of A4 smooth white CS folded in half, a piece of 'England' PP from the reminisce Passports range. A piece of embossed dot red CS matted onto some white CS and a topper attached using 3D foam pads. Not a lot to it as the background PP is quite busy and the topper has a bit of silver foiling.

One patriotic card done to make up for the lack of St George's Day spirit that seemed to be happening around here because it clashed with Easter...............

How many Spring Spheres did you have...

...yep, the P.C. brigade have been at it again - so be warned - rant alert!!!
Apparently we shouldn't refer to our seasonal treats as Easter Eggs as it could cause offence (???)...instead we should refer to them as Spring Spheres.

Well if we are going to get picky, I'd like to point out that they are not spheres they are eggs - big difference shapewise as far as I'm concerned.

Can someone tell these sad individuals with nothing better to do to 'go away' and leave our holidays/holydays alone. I for one will continue to enjoy "Easter" with my Easter Eggs - just as I enjoy "Christmas" with my Christmas pud & cake (it is not Festive pudding).

So back to the original question - in its proper format - how many Easter Eggs did you have and did you enjoy them..................................

Look what I got...

...from the lovely Lynn
Lynn is a very talented artist so if you haven't paid her blog a visit you really should. Last weekend she held a draw for a copy of an American stampers mag that she had a duplicate of (she had been sent a copy because she had an item published in that issue) and I was lucky enough to win it and the Postie shoved it through my door earlier today.
I am a regular buyer of Craft Stamper here in the UK so it was exciting to see an American style mag for the same type of crafting. I love the balloons on Lynn's piece and the soft colours she has used.
I haven't had a chance to sit and read the mag yet but I have had a flick through...Annette (Voodoo Vixen) what do you think of these cute tea cups?

The embossing and embellishment have made these little cups look so pretty.
I might just have to have a play at something similar but that will have to wait as I also have some new stamps to play with.....................................

Happy St George's Day...

...to one & all.
The sun is shining and I know that most of the pubs round this way have George cross bunting up but St George's Day seems to have been swallowed up by Easter - such a shame.

If you are celebrating St George's Day where you are...have a great time. I'll be flying the flag and will probably raise a glass or two this evening.
Have a lovely Saint's day everyone................................................

Something new...

...a little bit pink & a little bit blue.

I couldn't leave my other coloured Patch Tilda just sitting there so I made another card.
White card blank used this time.
...and more flowers.

Materials used: -

White card blank - 6" sq, smooth 300 weight
PP from the new Tatty Teddy paper pack by DoCraft
PP die-cut from the Tatty Teddy range too
Satin dotty ribbon - American Crafts
Satin bud flowers - PaperMania

Hope you like..................................

Peaches & Green...

...please don't groan too loudly at my weak attempt at a pun.

I have to admit, that when I was colouring this little lady I didn't give much thought to how I would decorate a card in these colours...I wasn't having much luck and then I found some flower ribbon that was just perfect.
The ribbon is a linked length of satin flowers that just happen to be the right colour for this card.
Materials used: -

Kraft card blank - 5.25" square
Pale green dotted PP - from the new "Tulip" range by DoCraft
White smooth CS
Foiled sentiment - 'Female' sentiment die-cuts by DoCrafts
Green & Amber gems - Kaisercrafts
Peach & green satin bud ribbon

Patch Tilda stamp
Copic Ciao pens
Martha Stewart Doily border punch
Martha Stewart Doily/Daisy trim punch
3D foam pads

I just love this flower ribbon but it seems this was the only colourway apart from blue/ivory. Think I'll keep an eye out just in case something similar turns up in some other pretty colour combinations..................................
Flower bud ribbon

Bring on the...

...weekend - a whole 4 days; yipeeeeeeeeee!!!

To be honest, I could really do with spending the weekend like this...
...but there is too much to do.

In addition to all the normal weekend chores there is every possibility that my niece will be arriving from Germany to stay with her Mum for a while (a chance to do some shopping and stocking up on things that can't be found in Germany LOL) so it is very likely that she will need the Aunty Toni Taxi service...hehehe.

I'm not one of the lucky ones who has a whole 11 days off for the cost of just 3 days annual leave, so I'll be back at work on Tuesday but at least I'll have another 4 day weekend to look forward to......................................

"Sisters"...

...we all need them.

The lovely Paula shared the following with her blog visitors and suggested that we share it further...


A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother.

As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.
"Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.

"Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives, too. "You'll need other women. Women always do."

'What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely
my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life. After almost 45 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT.........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.

When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.

Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

I just did.


...I thought this was such a touching piece that I wanted to share it with all of my "sisters" too.....................................................

You should know by now...

...I get a bit obsessive with new 'toys' LOL

When I have new stamps (real or digi) I have to try different colourways, so Patch Tilda was no different. I've been having a bit of a colouring 'play'.
Here are a couple of the images coloured - I need to sort out some suitable embellishments so that I can make them up into cards.
This one wasn't a problem. I love teals & browns and have a few bits-n-pieces around at the moment that go well with this colour scheme.
The kraft card blank and the teal pearlised card didn't need much more with the super ribbon that I bought at the weekend - it is three stranded; narrow satin, organza, wired pearls.
Patch Tilda is a little cutie and I think there will be a few more colour combos tried................

Patch Tilda...

...wanted to say hello.

I just couldn't wait to play and this is what I came up with...
As I wanted to get this done and on the blog I had to use what I had to hand.
This meant that I didn't use any PP, just coloured CS. A bit of ribbon and a few blooms were the only other things I added.

I trimmed a piece off one of the card blanks and punched along one side to create the band across the card. Patch Tilda was cut out and mounted on 3D foam pads.


Materials used: -

Kraft card blank - 5.25" square
Lavender CS
Lavender ribbon
Mauve roses - 99p Store
Lavender satin buds - PaperMania

Patch Tilda stamp
Copic Pens
Martha Stewart - Doily border punch

A bit of a rush job but I so wanted to have a play.......................

Who's a lucky girl then...

...me, me, ME!!!

Every weekend the lovely Bev has a Simon Says draw where the prize is a stamp. Weekend before last I was the lucky winner of the draw which was for "Patch Tilda".

Today has not been a great start to the week at work and then British Rail added to it by behaving badly, delaying everyones journey home. So it was lovely to open the front door this evening to be greeted by a parcel containing this little cutie...
(sorry about the poor photo).

A lovely, lovely way to round off a rather grotty day. Thank you Bev & Simon Says.

Of course now I need to play with this new addition to my stamps....................

Something a little...

...different.

As you can see, the same KennyK digi image but in another colourway and used on a different style of card.
I love this teal shade so thought I'd go a bit OTT...if you thought pink hair was strange then this has got to be even more so...
I managed to grab some of this CS over at Pinnacle crafts before it all disappeared - Andy has been sticking to blues this week and normally anything he puts on his blog flies out of the shop at a rate of knots.

Whilst browsing I also found some acetate that had a silver design embossed on it so I had bought a sheet with the intention of having a play.

Cutting both the CS & the acetate in half to create A5 size sheets I scored the CS 1" in from the short edge before punching with the Martha Stewart Doily border punch. I then folded along the score line to create a decorated flap. The acetate was trimmed down by 1" and slid behind the flap. Two holes punched with the Cropadile and then treaded with ribbon create the card base.

The digi image was trimmed and attached with glue dots and a small foil sentiment attached. Another fairly simple card but then I don't think it would do to have too much embellishment to take away from the pretty acetate. Hope you like..............................................

Kraft card...

...can make all the difference.

I knew what PP I wanted to use with this KennyK digi image but I didn't want to use a white or cream card blank.
Whilst out this morning I saw some Kraft card blanks and knew that was what I wanted.

Materials used: -

PaperMania (recycled) Kraft card - 5.25 x 5.25ins sq
Tim Holtz PP - from Vintage Chic stack
White smooth CS
Ribbon purchased locally
KennyK digi image
Copic Ciao pens
3D foam pads

The white CS and PP was used to create a matt around which the ribbon was tied before mounting it 'off-centre' on the front of the card blank. The digi image was then mounted on 3D foam and placed overlapping the matt.

Quick, simple and done................................

Me thinks...

...perhaps I got a little bit carried away...LOL

What do you think?

Just a tad?

I am very aware that I have a mountain of stash that is threatening to take over the house so I thought I'd do something about it. I have loads of decoupage that has been sitting around for ages so I had this great idea **cough, choke, ummmmmmm** why not make some of it up so that it is ready to use...
...so I did.
I've been merrily putting together bits over a few weeks - but it wasn't until I came to put it all in one place that I realised just how much I had done.
It's quite an eclectic mix of toppers; from Daisy & Dandelion to foiled florals.
I think I'd better call a halt for a while and perhaps have a rummage through the PP mountain and see about making up a few cards. Surprising how a little bit of crafting can mount up.....................................

Thursday Night Crop...

...and I got a LO done (I know - amazing isn't it LOL).
I've had this photo for a while and wanted to scrap it but never had the right PPs. This was one of the Prima sheets from the current crop kit.
The title doesn't show very well in the photo - a combination of poor light and the colours used - but I am really pleased with the effect in real life. The wired roses were wrapped around the letters (I may have to dig out the Pinflair as I'm not sure how secure these are).
The leaves are a punched trim that I cut in two different shades of brown and 'off-set' one over the other to create some dimention along side the velvet ruffle trim. I also distressed the CS slightly with a sanding block.
Some blooms with gem centres and a glittery frame provide the 'bling' on the LO.

Materials used: -

Prima PP - Reflections collection
Blooms/Roses - assorted sources
Gems - Kaisercraft
Making Memories - Glitter frome
Prima Velvet ruffle trim
Co-ordinations CS - 2 shades of brown
Thickers - White Self-adhesive chipboard letters

EK trim punch - Autumn leaves

I wanted to keep to the sepia/vintage look without going mad with lots of inking - I think I have achieved what I set out to do......................................