A bit of a...

...Christmas challenge.

For their latest challenge over on the Polkadoodles meets Studio 12 blog, they were very generously offering a free Angelberry digi - I was sent "Angelberry-dome" to use and this is what I created with her.
The base card is created from pearl card creating an 8.5x8.5 card blank...

...and the layout is based on sketch 82 from the Papertake Weekly site.
I decided on a blue & beige colour scheme and the image was coloured using Spectrum Noir pens.

All the layers were matted on navy pearl card. The background paper is from the Craftwork Cards "Tea Dance collection" - the sheet music design was just what I wanted and as it is from an 8x8 paper stack it fit the card perfectly. The pale blue paper is actually covered in sparkly snowflakes but it doesn't really show up in the photos. It was part of the Papermania "Noel" range.
I made the two rosettes from 1x12 strips of PP which I scored on my Hougie board - stuck to a circle of PP to help them hold their shape and topped with wooden buttons - then edged with crystal ice stickles.

The rose was made from 2" punched 6-petal flowers. The chipboard buttons were a bargain find from the Works.
Why is sparkle always so difficult to capture in a photo?

The wings were given a good dose of stickles but it doesn't show up on here as well as it does in real life.
Plenty of layers and texture on this one...

...not a card for sending through the post LOL

I want to enter this card in the following challenges: -

Polkadoodles meets Studio 12 - Fairytime/week 35
Me & Mine - Beat the Christmas Rush (August)

If you want to have a go at the Polkadoodles challenge I think there is still time for you to request a freebie image. Why not hop over there and take a look..........................................................

Pen addict - Moi?...

...surely not LOL

Lunchtime today a group of us went to our favourite little café in Southend and had a lovely lunch and a natter in celebration of Suzie's (Weasel) birthday.

I happened to ask in passing where TK Maxx was located as another colleague had mentioned that she had picked up a few bargains in there recently - so Suzie & I returned to the office; the long way.

Now I assure you all, I only went to have a look - honest...one pack of 24 reel of assorted ribbon and a pack of paper later...

However, that wasn't as bad as Suzie's purchases and of course I got the blame (me? how could anyone believe that LOL).

Back in the office, whilst showing off our goodies - I mentioned that I had been considering buying another set of the Sharpies that WHS has on offer. Suzie laughed and said that I hadn't really needed the first set but agreed that it was too good an offer to not buy at least one set...she then asked just how many pens I own...

Ummm, this is where the title comes in.

We sat and worked out that just counting what I consider to be my 'crafting' pens, I have over 800 pens - gulp!!!

I have: -

A complete set of Copic Ciao,
Flexmarkers,
Promarkers (including the seasonal limited editions)
Spectrum Noir,
Aqua markers,
Distress markers (although they haven't arrived yet I have paid for the 12 new colours)
and now my limited edition Sharpies

Okay, so I have a thing about pens **giggle** but I do use them...umm me an addict, hmm...well......................................................................

It rained yesterday...

...umm, just a bit.

I have to say, I did not take these photos - yesterday I was more concerned in getting myself and my car home in one piece.

Essex got well and truly wet yesterday and the rain continued through the night so I wasn't quite sure what I was going to wake-up to today...but luckily Stanford's roads drained pretty quickly.

This picture was taken in a place called Hockley...

 ...the vehicle you can just see is a large 4x4 - the family on-board were rescued by on-lookers.

This is a view of the A127 at the Rayleigh Weir...

...I'm not sure the driver of that vehicle was expecting to go for a swim.

Seafront businesses that had been hoping for a good weekends Bank Holiday trade were meet by this...

...when a storm drain burst because it couldn't cope with the volume of rain water that fell.

It wasn't even raining when I left home yesterday morning but by the time I reached the A127 at Dunton, the Heavens had opened and I could barely see the vehicle in front of me. I had a rather 'damp' wander around Barleylands but I certainly didn't expect the sort of conditions that I met on the way home. The Noak Bridge roundabout was flooded on the southern side causing serious tailbacks and the Police had closed the London bound access to the A127 - causing even more traffic problems.

Most of the roads on my way home were awash but nowhere near as bad as on the diverted route along the Manorway - even moving slowly I was creating waves a surfer would have been proud of.

Despite that, I got home safe and sound. Mum unfortunately was not so lucky as she had water right through her extension (although wet it hasn't actually done any damage and today is dry). Not everyone else on Canvey Island was so lucky as the news has stated that Canvey and Southend took the brunt of the rainfall.

Today has been very overcast and although the sun has come out the sky is solid cloud - don't think I'll hold my breath for a great Bank Holiday Monday weatherwise...................................................

Beat the Christmas Rush...

...25 July to 24 August.

Lots of you will be wincing at the use of the "C" word but hey, it really is coming round at a rate of knots.

Sue (Miniowner) is trying to help us prepare by prompting us each month to get at least 5 Christmas cards made. I joined in for the first time last month and Sue was very kind to feature one of the cards I posted (I only posted 3 because I ran out of time but I did in fact make 7 Chrimbo cards last month as I took part in the Bugaboo Christmas in July event).

I'm cutting things a bit close to the deadline again but this month I have indeed managed 5 cards - and here they are...

 During all my tidying I came across a variety of Kraft card blanks so I decided to make that the basis for the colour scheme I wanted to use. The shaped card and the die-cuts were 'freebies' with a magazine I recently purchased.
The first card is very simple...

...I just attached a length of ribbon to the front of the card - no fuss, no frills - just clean and simple.
The second card makes use of one of the chipboard die-cuts that came with the magazine...

...I mounted it using 3D foam and then added some washi tape and a few dots of Ruby Red Liquid Pearls.
The third card was a shaped, printed card blank that came with the magazine...

 ...the only additions were the cardinal and some Liquid Pearls...

 ...the cardinal was mounted using 3D foam and the Liquid Pearls gives a bit of bling & texture to the printed snowflakes.
The forth card uses a die-cut image of poinsettias (mounted on 3D foam)...

 ...a piece of Christmas ribbon to create the sentiment and some self-adhesive glitter domes just to give a hint of sparkle.
The fifth card involves a round topper from the magazine and a tag...

 ...the topper was stuck directly to the card blank and the tag was mounted with 3D foam...

...a few more of the glitter domes and there you have it - 5 Christmas cards ready and waiting.

The deadline for the July/August challenge is almost upon us but I'm sure you could come up with some cards if you fancy taking part or perhaps wait for the new challenge to start on 25 Aug and you will then have a whole month to make five Christmas cards ready for the holiday season.

Do hop over to Sue's site to take a look at what other folk have made...............................................

It's Friday so...

...that means it's time to reveal what has been "Rocking my World" this week.

Each Friday the lovely Virginia invites folk to stop and reflect about their week and to share the things that have made them smile...

...or really rocked their week in a good way.

Well I think top of my list this week has to be Coffee. I really do think that it is my regular visits to Starbucks that keeps me going at the moment...

 ...and despite the fact that over the course of a week I visit 4 different branches - many of the staff are now greeting me with "the usual?". Hmmm, me thinks that perhaps I am drinking too much coffee LOL
Mind you, during August they have had a 'Summer Treat' - buy a hot drink in the morning then...

 ...come back after 2pm with your stamped receipt and you could have any cold drink. This was the last week of the promotion so I've enjoyed a variety of Coffee fraps and Strawberries & Cream drinks to see me on my way home. It has been lovely because the weather has been rather hot & humid/stormy this week.

Suzie (Weasel) has been on holiday up in Scotland this week but before she went she mentioned that WHS had a set of 24 Limited Edition Sharpie Pens on offer...

...instead of being £16.99, if you bought a pencil case you could buy them for £6.99 (and you could buy any pencil case - even a cheap back-to-school one if you wanted) - you all know what is coming next...yes, I have a set of 24 Sharpies and a lime green pencil case. After all, at that price it would have been rude not to **giggle**. Let me also say that the selection of colours is fab.

I'm beginning to see the benefits of having a craft space in my lounge and the organisation bit is coming along nicely.

So those are the highlights of my week. Why not hop over to Virginia's blog and see what she and the other Rockettes have been up to this week and why not join in. It really is good for the soul to take some 'time out' just to look back at your week - even if you thought it was a pretty grotty week, you'll be surprised at how many nice things you can bring to mind. Go on, give it a go..................................

Typical...

...as if I haven't been doing enough travelling - today I went to Cambridge for a meeting.

Oh, and of course, it rained (sad resigned sort of face).

I couldn't believe it when the alarm went off and I was greeted by the sound of rain on the window. Luckily, by the time I set off for the station it had more or less stopped and the journey through to Liverpool Street station in London was fairly un-eventful with service changes going without a hitch...but that was obviously not going to stay the case as at Liverpool Street I was met by an announcement that the next train to Cambridge was delayed.

I think today must have been my day as the delay wasn't very long and the service concerned was one of the new "Stansted Express" trains (quite posh and nice seats). Not only was I going to travel in comfort but the train was only scheduled to make one stop before Cambridge so it was a super fast journey (and very empty - I think there was only one other person in my carriage).
 
Now I have been to Cambridge once before and for the size of the station the entrance seems quite small...

 ...but it was handy because, exiting the station I bumped into two colleagues so we were able to walk to the office together and we were lucky that the rain held off (just a few spits). 

The rain certainly came down whilst we were having our meeting so our 'boss' authorised a taxi back to the station. So once again things went very smoothly - we got to the station and got straight onto a train. Unfortunately, it was one of the old style trains and I think we stopped at just about every place we could possibly stop en-route.
For anyone who has never used Cambridge station, it can be quite confusing...

 ...the platform that you are looking at in the picture is Platform 4 but if you look along the platform to where you can see a train - that is Platform 1 (???) Platform 2 is down the end to the right but I'm still trying to work out where Platform 3 is LOL

Although a slow journey, we got back to London without any problems.

Tomorrow I'm back on the bus to Chelmsford - at least it is Friday and we have a long weekend because it is the late August bank holiday on Monday. At the moment it is feeling very stormy so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get another load of rain.

I have to say, I am enjoying having a craft area in the lounge. When I got home from work today, I put the kettle on and then went and had a tinker with some bits on my craft table. Think I'll go and have a check to see if the liquid pearls are dry yet.........................................................

The tidying & organisation...

...is coming along.

I now have the table that Mum gave me, in place and in use. It is a bit cluttered at the moment as I'm still sorting stuff out but I do have some space and I have been taking advantage of being able to have a bit of a play. The chairs were another 'gift' - Suzie (Weasel) had been given some chairs by her fella to see what would suit her needs best...

....these were two that were surplus to her requirements. The cushion pads are a set that I have had for some time. Originally bought to put on the garden chairs, they have remained un-used as I rarely get a chance to sit out in the garden and when I do, I tend to sit on the bench.
Despite the mess created by gradually getting organised...

...the table is perfectly big enough to have two folk crafting side-by-side...

 ...or it will be once I get this lot sorted and put away LOL.
I said I had managed a bit of a play...

...I found this amongst my stash - it is a "Pub card" - and will make a good addition to my card collection...

 ...I'm never much good at cards for guys...

...so it's good to know that I have this one 'ready to go' as and when the occasion arises.

 I tried several angles to try and show as much detail as possible...

 ...and I think that's about as good as you're gonna get LOL.

All this tidying has been un-earthing some forgotten treasures. This was tucked in the bottom of a bag containing a variety of stash and to be honest, I'd forgotten that I'd even bought it...

...as you can probably see, it is a mug with a fabric jacket. The 'jacket' covers both the outside and the inside of the mug and has loads of little pockets - in & out. A perfect place to put those smaller items that you use all the time. At the moment I have a 4" pair of scissors, a craft knife (and blades), a journaling pen and a variety of glue sticks. I'm sure that this too will change as I progress with this tidying and organising lark but it'll do for the time being.........................................................