Don't mean to panic you BUT ...........

This was the start of a telephone conversation that I got on Saturday night while sitting, chilling out, wee drink and watching Casualty on TV (love that show).

Well, it was a friend of mine what wanted me to do some 18th Birthday Party invitations for her daughter "No problem, how many and when for?" said I ...... "80 by Wednesday please and can they be discrete but pink" you could image the thump as I hit the ground ... but me being me agreed as I hate letting anyone down.

So off into the dungeon, to start the invites, worked until 2am Saturday night, late Sunday and finished of after work on Monday, handed them out on Tuesday night, delighted with them and would be giving my details out to all her mates ............. longer time needed in future please.

Here they are,

I adore PB's unmounted stamps and will definitely be "investing" in more when Mum and I go to the SECC in March, they are so clear even after being used continuously for 85 times (always do a few extra). Inked the edges, mounted onto pink mix background and then onto Raspberry Pink card. There is glitter on the champagne cork, but can't see it to well with my picture, sorry.

Karen xx

Please VOTE!!!!!

Hi everyone, as you know I entered the Fiskarettes Oriental Challenge this week. Well now I need your help to vote, please follow the link below and vote for my card. There is some fantastic goodies to be had, fingers crossed here xoxoxo

All you have to do is take a look at all the entries for January HERE ~ Then any time between 6-11 January email Caroline and Jayne with your choice of who you think should win to address - (fiskarettesuk@googlemail.com) and the one with the most votes will win!

I can't believe it

Well just woke up to the glorious snow outside, popped over to see the winner on Penny black challenge blog and guess what - IT's ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Oh I am so over whelmed and actually gob smacked.
Thank you very much everyone at PB, I'm so happy that you picked my card.
Now I have to try and think of something for their new challenge this week which is ROMANCE, um what's that like again?

Penny Black challenge

This is my entry for the PB Challenge this week which is "circles". As it's Kelsey's birthday in a few days time, I decided to make this card for her as she loves cats .... especially her Monty. I used the PB stamp Bee Costume and coloured in with watercolours. The wings have been painted using cosmic shimmer, then overlayed with sakura clear stardust. Used my cricut accent cartridge to cut out the "circle" images, and to add more definition around the image I embossed with circles. Inked up the edges a little, ribbon to show off the letters spelling her name and a simple messages to finish. I'm really happy with the way this turned out, even my OH commented on how good it looks and yes Kelsey did find it so I don't need to worry now about putting it into an envelope.

Papers used: K&Co Berry Sweet Collection

Image: Penny Black Bee Costume

Pencils, Inks, Pens: All from stash

Die cutting: Jasmine, Plantin & Accent Essentials

Something Oriental

Over in the Fiskarettes blog, they are giving away some fantastic new products that aren't available in the UK yet. The challenge is to design an "oriental" card to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Well I have never designed anything oriental before, so I decided that this should be my first challenge for the year.

I used peel offs and painted using cosmic shimmer to paint the images so they had a rich shine on the dresses, cut image out, removed the image and hey presto it worked (a little tip, remove some of the stickiness of the peel off first by pressing into your clothes, this makes the peel off easier to remove when finished and doesn't lift the paper in the process!)

Next, cut out some Chinese dragon panels using Fiskars deckle paper edgers, love these as you don't necessarily have to go in a straight line :-) and matted onto gold mirror board.

Layered all onto a Chinese dragon background and mounted onto red card from my stock.

The writing along the 2 dragon panels say celebrate, health, happiness and wealth. Red in China represents wealth, so I hope this card brings me wealth in the form of the Fiskars goodies.

Please go over to the site here, and vote for my card. Or if you would like to take part yourself, you can enter up to the 4th February.

Will be back later tonight (I hope) with a before and after picture of my diary, got bored last night and this is what I got up to .......................

Karen

Eventually .....

I have managed to download my camera software and log onto my blog ..... still don't know what's wrong there. Anyway here is the card that I made for a lady who works in one of the business that I work with, it was her 31st birthday and her OH was taking her to Lanzorate for her birthday (well seen they have no kids).

I absolutely ADORE Penny Black images and as I have promised not to buy anything until my "new" craft room is built I have invested in some images that I purchased from an auction site - but if anybody out there would like to send Kelsey and me some we would be very grateful.

Anyway back to the card, used my Whispers pens to colour this cutie in, some glitter on the bumble bee wings and on the center of the flowers. I'm really happy with the way it turned out as I wanted to achieve subtle, calming colours.Oh to be 31 again .................................

Hope to be back again real soon, Please Mr Blogger, let me in, Karen

SORRY :-(

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been about as last couple of months, between kids being sick, operations, work load I just haven't had time to come on here and I am truly sorry :-(

I had been planning on starting the new year with a new objective, to post on my blog at least every other day, but my computer had other ideas and unfortunately it was laid to rest in the local dump last week so everything had to be built again from scratch.

My mum and dad ever so kindly gave me their old computer but Mr Blogger doesn't seem to like it so much but if you are reading this my every so generous parents, THANK YOU xoxo

Ok, now back to the crafting, I eventually have managed to scrape a few hours together to make 1 card (around of applause please) but unfortunately I can't upload it as I can't find the software for my camera ....... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, what's a girl to do? Emailed the company and asked them to forward a "link" to the software, hopefully it should appear within the next couple of days.

Just a few mentions if I may, WAY TO GO KATH, card designer of the year 2008, what a major award for such a talented person, next time we meet up I will have to get your autograph now that your famous. Couldn't have happened to a nicer lady and didn't I always tell you that your cards were brill. And now to my other Scottish amigo who has had a rougher ride than I over the past months, Lorraine, I'm so happy that you are on the mend and that your back into your crafty ways again. I knew you were a fighter and hopefully you have no more worries, maybe now you will put on some weight and not make me so JUMBO looking :-)

Anyway, got to get back to other peoples accounts, why do so many people leave it to the last minute to try and get an accountant to audit their books? It's not going to change anything but makes my life a lot harder ......... but hey it pays the bills so I shouldn't really complain.

Hope to speak to you all soon, and as this is my 100th post, will do a candy giveaway in the next couple of days, if the camera software arrives.

Love to you all, keep crafting and don't let this "credit crunch" depress any of us to much xoxoxo

Karen