JB-Crafting Supplies....Making more of your stash

Today's card is a design team make for the wonderful company of JB-Crafting Supplies. My mission for the next few weeks for this company is an idea that I've been playing with for the past couple of weeks. It's about looking at your Christmas stash and seeing if you can make any cards for the rest of the year. For the card above, I used Crafters Companions Adorable range. These feature the designs of Jayne Nestorenko and are supposedly Christmas. I took the stamp of the little girl with the cat, stamped her with my memento inkpad and coloured her with my promarkers. I also coloured some flowers to match in. I covered the card with some paper from my stash and added the flowers and a diecut heart to embellish. Making ths card has inspired me to look at other Christmas themed stash and look what I can up with.

The weather here in the mountains today is surprisingly sunny..but it's really cold. All the kittens have curled up on Reg in the basket. It must be like having his own portable electric blanket..lol. They fuss him all the time..getting himself upstairs can take quite a time with the kittens trying to rub up against him. Well the coffee is calling and then it's down to work. I was working on a large picture of a dream catcher  which will be have to be started again..thanks to kitten paws...lol. So until tomorrow..take care and happy crafting.

Pretty in Pink

Todays card is a design team make for the great team over at JB-Crafting Supplies. It is using a Jayne Nestorenko christmas stamp and I wanted to share how you could easily use the stamp all year round. I like nothing better than good value for money and this stamp I can see me using a lot. I have stamped the image using a memento inkpad and have coloured it using my watercolour paints.I mounted the image onto a piece of gold mirri and then mounted that onto some pink polka dot backing paper. I embellished using flowers and a decorative heart from my stash.

Well today the rat man has come. We are having problems with them in the village. Now I know that living in the country as I do that they are always around but just lately a lot of people have been seeing them in the daylight hours. So I was elected to speak to him as I'm home all day. Well the regulations are enough to drive you mad. Most of the people are out at work, so are not here to see him and have told me to...they have given me permission and he can check with them all by phone. That is not enough. At the moment he is walking around the village. Well he has just come back and it gets worse. He is not willing to bait as long as the people feeding the wild birds continue to put so much out. He said that a neighbour of mine has far too much out and it must be like a macdonalds for the rats...that there was lots of food on the floor. It gives me the shivers. He said that it was a good job that my cats are so active. So I really don't know what will happen now...he's going to write to the people involved He also told me that yesterday.there were 2 rats seen just going for a stroll up a local high street..s it seems as it's not just here.

The weather here today is quite chilly and most of the cats have chosen to stay inside...I can't blame them. Raven is sat on my knee as I write this, and Tankie and Jeff are curled up in the dog basket with Reg. Sprout has taken himself off to bed. Are you getting ready for christmas yet? I'm finding it hard headwise this year. Normally at this time I would be scrolling through Japanese sites looking for special presents for Henry. I keep waking in a panic that I haven't got anything sorted fr him and then I remember. I've spent the past few days in tears..but that must be normal I think. It's going to be a hard couple of months I think..but I must remember to count my blessings.

Well the coffee is calling and there's lots to do...lots of cards to make..and still the kitchen to sort. My legs are still being pathetic so it looks as if I'll be concentrating on the card making for the next couple of days.Off now for my caffeine hit..so until tomorrow..take care and happy crafting

Talking to Teddy

Todays card is a design team make for the wonderful team over at JB-Crafting Supplies.I have used a stamp set designed by Jayne Nestorenko. I made a similar card last Monday. I used the little gitl but removed the cat and replaced it with the teddy. I also used the bed end as a focal piece and the knitting basket. I coloured all the images with my copics. I mounted the images onto some pink snowflake paper onto which I had created a glittered paper border. The white poinsettia is from my stash. I thought that this would make a lovely card for a little girl.

Well it is really cold here today in the mountains. It's the sort of day that you should have your vest on..lol. Henry used to say that living here in the mountains you put your vest on in September and were lucky if you got to take it off by April. (It was washed in between..lol)When it gets cold like this I'm often found searching for my socks. I have pairs of really toasty socks that I put away in the  spring and I feel that it's time to hunt them out. I think that it's also time to get the lap blankets out. With my bad legs, I have to keep them warm. I've found out over the years that they can get over cold without me noticing and then I have a whole lot of trouble. So rather than have that happen, I have a fleece blanket. It's really light and really warm..so warm in fact it attracts the cats..who think I've put it on just for them..lol. At this very moment Raven is on my lap and doesn't look like moving any time soon.

But move she will have to later. My plan for today is to finish the white gloss painting..the window, sill and doorframe in the bathroom...the shelves on the landing and the parlour door frame. Then hopefully tomorrow I can put all the books and ornaments back in their rightful places. I am hoping that I can paint the new sink cupboard tomorrow. So the plan is to do the painting as soon as I've finished blogging and then no doubt it will be time to make dinner. I'm making toad in the hole with mashed potatoes, carrots and onion gravy...just the thing when it's chilly outside. And add to the fact that it's a cheap meal...autumn and winter is my favourite time to cook. I can add lots of vegetables to very little meat and make it last. My Grandmother taught me to cook and taught me how to make a little go a long way. I love to bake as well...Henry used to love my cakes. I am hoping to get back to baking when my kitchen is finiished...and to also getting the slow cooker out.

Well the coffee is definitely needed today. A good dose of caffeine will see me through all the painting. I hope you all have a good day. So until tomorrow..take care and happy crafting.

Christmas Cuddles

Todays card is a design team make for the wonderful team over at JB CraftingSupplies. It is made using a stamp from the Adorable range by Jayne Nestorenko. The set that I've used is called 'Loving'. I of course had to feature a stamp with a cat..lol. I have stamped and coloured the image with my copics. The greeting is from the stamp plate..there are 4 different greetings and 7 different stamps..I will try and do some more cards from it later in the week. No matter how old I get, I just adore colouring in...I loved it when I was little and still do. I always wanted lots of detail and I still do...even though I have to work with the picture virtually under my nose, as I can't see that well..lol.It's an age thing..I am due to the opticians some time soon..and I refuse to have bifocals..I don't want to look any more like my Mother..lol..than I already do. So I'm going to end up one of those women with glasses hanging on cords, changing them over at every opportunity.

It feels as if I'm living in Brigadoon today. The mountains have disappeared into the mist and the rain is sweeping across the valley. All my cats have decided not to venture out and I don't blame them. Reg is looking at me with disgust at the moment..I've had deliveries and there are boxes everywhere..lol. When I've finished writing today, my first job will be to put 500 cards and envelopes away..I have no idea where though..lol. I have faith though...my friend had sent me some cards and envelopes and I'd ordered some to cover the christmas cards to be made. The hardest thing in this house is to find somewhere to put stuff so that it's safe from the furry creatures. There seems to be nothing more exciting to a cat than a pile of clean card, a pile of clean washing or a box..and you know that if they can..they're going to be there. The other trouble I have is that I work in a corner..in a sort of recess and as I'm working , boxes of craft stuff will pile up round me and in front of me...and then I'll need to go to the loo or something..and I end up trapped...lol. It's just when I'm on a roll I may use lots of different product and it ends up growing into a wall of plastic boxes. I have seen some fantastic craft rooms over the years..a place for everything and oh so tidy...but it never works for me. I can start with everything tidy and as I work the area just descends into madness. But I have to say that I'm a creative person and sometimes when everything is neat..my mojo flies out of the window. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it..lol

Well the coffee and the cardstock is calling me. I have at least make Reg happy. So as you no doubt sit there in your amazingly tidy house..spare a thought for the cottage of chaos. I can see that caffeine is definitely going to be on drip feed this afternoon..lol..so until tomorrow..take care and happy crafting.

Waiting for Christmas

For a change today, I decided to share a picture of my latest ATC. I am a member of a number of atc swops and really enjoy making them. For those of you that don't know..an atc is an artists trading card and features whatever artwork you would like to share. The only rule is that your atc is the size of a playing card. Most swops have a theme every month and for the one that I'm sending this one to is 'Let it Snow'. For the background I've used some acetate which I have coloured using alcohol markers and then blended using blending solution. For the little mouse and the lamp post I have used some of the wonderful stamps from Jayne Nestorenko. I have collected alot of her stamps because the images are so beautifully detailed and work so well. I have alot of messages from people who are having problems with stamping and I have to say that sometimes it is just the quality of the stamp. With all the stamps that I have bought from Jayne..I have never had a problem. For more inspiration you could visit her facebook page..Jayne Nestorenko's Inspiration and share in her wonderful world. I have stamped the images and coloured them using watercolour pencils..and then cut them out. I added these to the acetate front and then used some white acrylic paint to add the snowy effect. All I want to add is a let it snow greeting and then I will post it off.
I'm glad to say that my printer is now back and working. Thank goodness. We thought that it was fixed yesterday but it still refused to take the paper in. So it was a call to my wonderful computer man and hey presto. He had a good fiddle about with it and discovered the one cat biscuit that had buried itself really well down into the workings. Once that one had been removed..the printer heaved a sigh of relief and started to work properley again. So last night was spent catching up on all my printing..so now I have a long list of cards to finish in the hope that they can go off in the post. I've worked out that I have 2 more parcels to go off and then christmas orders are finished. As I've said next years list has already begun to develop so you may find me making christmas cards in July at this rate. I'm so happy with it though..I love to share what I've made and to be able to make people happy with what I make for them is one of my greatest joys.
Well the coffee calls..and so does the printer..so until tomorrow take care and happy crafting...and remember not to let your cat with his biscuits within 5 foot of your printer...lol.