Sentimental me!

I really don't seem to be able to get a grip of this blogging regularly lark do I? Where does the time go? I honestly feel like it is just a few days since I was here but no it is weeks!

In my defense I have been a little holiday to Wales which was really nice. We had a day in Chester and then three days in Holyhead and a day at Middlewich. The weather was a little damp, ha there's a surprise eh? lol but apart from not being able to go on the motorbike it didn't make a huge difference.

Then I had a daft accident with my horse, after I got my wedding ring caught on a clench on her shoe, right as she stamped her foot down!!! I was hugely fortunate that she didn't put her whole weight on the foot and she grabbed it back up as I screamed at her. Unfortunately my ring finger and index finger got a bit squished and my wedding ring had to be cut off. It is at the jewellers now and they are doing their best to mend it but it is well mangled :-(

I also have hubby home for an extra week so crafting time is very limited. I have managed to grab a day to come to my mum's today which is nice to catch up with our girly gossip and card making.

I have made this card for SIL for her wedding anniversary and I am entering it into the MAWTT challenge 'Sentimental' which finishes tomorrow...as usual I am last minute lol.

The paper is Papermania 'Lucy Cromwell' designs. The stamps are: Papermania Urban stamp 'Beautiful Folium' and two stamps from The unmounted stamp company. The butterfly is a die from Cheery Lynn.

Where did that week go??

I can't believe I haven't posted since the 5th June! What happened to the days between there and now? I think I must of exercised them away lol.


I have been to a few new classes this week in an attempt to improve my fitness and maybe re-new my enthusiasm for running which has wilted a little lately. So last week I did Running, Zumba (twice), Zumba toning (twice), Body Combat (twice - love it!!) and Pilates just the once (thank goodness as I haven't been able to move since!!) Oh and I delivered 300 SW leaflets around the estate too. This is all without my usual horsey activities so I guess now I know why I am pooped!


Saying that it all obviously gave me an energy boost at the time as I cleaned every cupboard in the kitchen out and did all the ironing (doesn't happen often!).


In amongst that I have also managed to create a few cards, so all in all a very productive week. The only card I didn't manage to get done during the week was my FIL's Fathers Day card which I have made today. However it didn't go very easily and has taken me hours. I wonder why some cards are just like that? I even managed to break the printer trying to print my sentiment and crashed the computer too lol. Poor hubby told me to 'step away' from all things technical and not move!


Anyway I did eventually manage it and here it is:

The image is a stamp by Sheena Douglass which I then coloured with a watercolour brush and distress inks. I am a dreadful artist so I have to say this was not easy! I don't think it looks too bad...from a good distance so hopefully the FIL will stand it well away from everyone lol.

I used Kardstock for the frame of the image and the border at the bottom of the card, hence I am entering it into this week's MAWTT challenge - Let's get Krafty!

Other challenges I am entering it into are:

Love to Create - Something recycled, Ends: 18th June (I used an old envelope for the Kardstock)

Enjoying the Jubilee!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Jubilee. I am a little disappointed not to have got to any parties but I did manage to put a few flags up around the house. Unfortunately I have spent most of the holidays on my own as hubby is away working and the boys are all off doing their own things. Mum was out of action yesterday with a poorly tum so it has been very quiet here at the Patterson household!

I did get to my mum's on Saturday for our usual crafty day and I made a card for my youngest son's birthday in July. He has a Classic Mini so I decided that it would be ideal for the challenge over at MAWTT as their inspiration this week is Red, White and Blue.

The inside

I will also enter it into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp -  Anything goes Ends Wed 6th June

Love to Create - Father's day or Special Guy in your life! Ends Monday 11th June

Creative Inspirations - Card for a Male - Ends Wed 13th June

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge - All Manly Men - Ends 12th June (Entries in by 10th June)

A new Page!

I have added a new page about the horses in my life. I apologise for the length of it, I think I got carried away lol.


I hope anyone interested will enjoy it xx

An Engagement!

Feeling a bit gutted this morning as we were planning a lovely family BBQ this afternoon and I have woken up feeling rubbish! I thought I had hayfever (which it still might be) but I have a hacking cough, a runny nose and a lousy headache! So the BBQ is cancelled just incase it is not hayfever and something that the grans can catch :-(

On a nicer note we had some lovely news this week, that some long term friends of ours have finally decided to get married...about time too! They have just had a beautiful little girl together so a wedding is long overdue.

I made this card for them and I think it is one of my favourite cards.

The beautiful round die cut is from Birdy and I just tweaked it a little so that it worked on my Cameo, the sentiments are some vellum ones that came free in a magazine a little while back.

I am going to enter this into the challenge over at MAWTT this week which is 'A Celebration' but NO BIRTHDAYS'

I am also entering it into the following challenges: 

Creative Inspirations - Anything goes Ends: Wed 30th May

Love to Create - Song Inspired Ends Monday 28th May - My song inspiration was 'Two Hearts One Love by Shania Twain!

New things for sale!!

See my 'Things for sale' page...there are a few more bits and bobs :-) Oh and some reductions too :-)

Wedding day blues!

Well no blues last week when my friend got married! So ok the weather was a bit of a wash out but that couldn't spopil the day. The bride was absolutely stunning!! She arrived in a beautiful horse drawn carriage and she is like a little doll, probably about a size 6/8!

This is the card I made for her and it was one of those cards that I really enjoyed making.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbons Inspiration Challenge Ends: May 24th
This Best of British challenge is made up of 16 days and all winners are drawn on June 3rd. There are some lovely prizes and the DT cards are gorgeous so pop by for some inspiration!

Wild Orchid - Anything Goes Week 50 Ends: Monday 21st May

Creative Craft Challenge - Distressing Ends: Tuesday 22nd May

Can you believe it!

Just popped over to MAWTT to see what the challenge is and it is 'Keeping it real'. Anything living (but not fairies lol). I was chuffed to bits as the next card I was going to put on my blog is one I made at the weekend with tulips on! How organised am I :-P Ha Ha! Talk about a fluke lol!


This is an image I got from Birdy. I coloured it with Promarkers and then used Glossy Accents on the flower heads.

I will also enter this card into the following challenges:

Divas By Design - Tickled Pink Ends: Tues 22nd May

Papertake Weekly - In The Garden Ends: Tues 22nd May

Truly Scrumptious - Anything goes Ends: Wednesday 23rd May

I love Promarkers challenge - Anything goes Ends: Wednesday 23rd May

A last minute rush...AGAIN!

Well I got here at last...my usual last minute rush lol! I made this card at the weekend meaning to give it to my son's friend as he has emigrated, but he has left and it is still here!! lol


Story of my life!


I am entering it into the MAWTT challenge which this week is NAUTICAL

Sabic Middlesbrough 5K

Just thought I would add a photo taken of myself and some friends at this weekends Sabic 5K run at the Riverside Football stadium in Middlesbrough. We decided to do it just for a bit of fun and to raise funds for a local Breathercise group. Julie's husband Scott suffers chronic lung disease and a friend of mine has just lost her husband to it, they both attended the Breathercise Teesside group.

Left to right: Me, Dawn, Julie and Kerry

Julie and I did it in 31:24 and Kerry and Dawn in 36:26 so not too bad considering the wind was a little wild!

Not sure how much we have raised yet but hopefully we didn't do too badly as we only had a week to get sponsors.

This is Julie and I crossing the line together! Can you believe that she has lost 8st in weight? She is such an inspiration. Actually between the four of us we have lost 14st at SW and then all joined the same running club!

As Promised

Some photos of our new Study! They aren't great as it is awkward to get a good angle for taking photos and the light was rubbish but I think you will get the just of it lol.


NEVER AGAIN to decorating though!

Making a start!

Oh Pants...we weren't expecting that!!

A whole new ceiling it is then!

All replastered

8 coats of Emulsion and 11 days later!

 This one has my craft things in it :-)

Sun at last!

Well at last the sun has got his hat on! Doesn't it make you feel good to feel the warmth of the sun on your face?

I spent the morning at the yard today grooming my mare, Fever, and then we had a short ride before some friends came to have a little go on her.

Fever is such a sweet mare, despite all her friends being out in the big summer field for the first time today, she behaved impecably. They are VERY novice riders and she carried them like they were precious cargo :-)

The weather must have known what the challenge is over at MAWTT this week! It is SUMMER SUNSHINE!

So this is my entry:

I really enjoyed making this card although gluing the string to the tail of the kite was a little fiddly lol.

I will also enter it into the following challenges:

Sweet Stampin - 4 Legged Friends! Finishes Saturday 12th May

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes! Finishes Tuesday 8th May

I HATE decorating!!!!

What a nightmare week! My mum will tell you that mention the word decorating to me and I break out in a cold sweat brought on by past experiences! Well this week has only served to ensure that phobia is well and truly cemented.

Hubby decided that when he came home from work for his two weeks home we would make a start on decorating and revamping the study...brilliant as it has drove me mad for ages. The only problem is that, that entails decorating! *Amanda starts to feel a bit wobbly* So I dutifully empty the cupboards of the mountainous amounts of clutter that we have accumulated and get rid of all the unwanted furniture ready for a flying start when he gets home. He arrives Thursday evening at about 6pm and by 6:45pm we are on with it!

All is going swimmingly until Friday evening when the ceiling suddenly falls in!!! A tile on the roof has been broken and it would seem that the furniture was the only thing holding it up. What an absolute mess we were in. The whole house ended up covered in old loft insulation and rubbish. So then the roof needed mending and we needed a WHOLE new study ceiling.

Here I am over a week later and we are finally finished :-) Really pleased with it too, although poor hubby has ended up under the weather because he is so tired :-(

Anyway onto better things! I now have a cupboard especially just for all my crafting stash!! I don't think it was meant just for me but once I got all my stash in it nothing else would fit lol. So I have quickly dashed over to Moving Along With The Times challenge to see what my mum is doing for her very first challenge with them. It is Flowers or Gardening! Well flowers are my absolute favourite so I definitely one for me to join.

This is the card I am entering as I made it on my last crafting day before we started the study and it never got onto my blog, no time like the present! I adore the butterfly which I cut on my Cuttlebug, I think that particular die is going to get lot of use.

I am really pleased with the photos of these cards after I remembered I had bought a white box a couple of years ago...boy what a difference it made to the images :-O I won't take a photo without it now.

My mum, aunty and I also went along to a new Papercraft show at Eston in Middlesbrough and I got some really lovely goodies including a few nice dies so now the study is up and running I think they will be getting an airing very soon :-) xx

Also entering in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes!

More my thing!

Morning peeps! How organised am I? I have done my card for the Moving along with the times challenge already!! This was much more my kind of card lol.

I am at my mum's 'wasting paper' as my hubby very rudely calls it! sheesh. I have managed to get a couple of times this week so have had a very productive week with my crafting which makes a change. I really needed a few cards in 'stock' as I have been caught out lately. Managed to make a couple of men's cards and a wedding card!

Anyway here is my entry this week for MAWTT challenge: Shabby chic/& or Vintage. I made the flower from some ribbon after being inspired by my mum's bandage flower. The stamp I bought at Harrogate show from www.dimensionfourthltd.co.uk

Also entering it into:

Daring Cardmakers challenge: Hats!

Craft Creations challenge: Flower power

Just keep on Creating: Anything goes

Sweet Stamps challenge: Vintage/Shabby Chic

 

A little late!

I am rushing like mad to get this card on the MAWTT challenge which finishes tonight. Boy this card really got me stumped. I bought the stamp thinking it would be easy to make a 'sexy' card with but my lack of imagination really let me down!

Anyway here it is! Apologies for the dreadful photos I really rushed them!

Oh dear I missed it by 4 minutes!! Wasn't really a worthy entry to be honest but I really did find this one a challenge lol. I started it on Saturday and only finishe dit at 8:25pm tonight!

I think I had better start tomorrow's challenge as soon as it pops on the screen...I hope it is one I can do. Honestly it can't be that hard this cardmaking malarky can it???

On a roll lol

Can you believe the difference in the weather in just a couple of days! Last week I was out riding Fever in a T- Shirt and sunbathing at Richmond by the river in shorts and a bikini top....today I have been hibernating with stew and dumplings for tea!!! Madness!

Nevermind at least it was a good day to stay in and do a little crafting ;-) Not that I achieved a lot really but I really want to try and keep up with the 'Moving Along With The Times' challenges as a way of supporting my mum in her new DT position. Not that anyone will really notice little ole me with my tiny blog but it makes me feel better lol.

This week the challenge is: Cute 'n' Cuddly so I coloured this lovely image from 'Mo's Digital Pencil. Isn't she gorgeous! The papers are First Edition 'Dreamcatcher' and I coloured the image with promarkers.

Thanks for popping by...I really appreciate it xxx

Two weeks running!

I am on a roll! I have made a card for the second week running for The Moving Along With The Times challenge!

How clever am I?

Well I hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather. We have been out on our new motorbike a couple of times and poor Fever is wishing I had a job to go to lol. I can't believe it was this time last year that we were motorbiking across America! Where did the time go?

Anyway onto my card for this weeks 'Easter Wishes' challenge over at MAWTT

I coloured the digi image from Digistampboutique in Paint and after printing it I used Glossy Accents to make the flowers 3D. I printed and cut the sentiment on y new Silhouette Cameo and also designed and cut the little flowers on it too.

Unfortunately the photograph doesn't do the cards lovely bright colours justice. I never seem to take good photos even with a descent camera :-( Never mind you get the juist of it.

off to my bed now ready for another busy day tomorrow....off out for a picnic ride on the bike :-)
Take care
xx

Busy day!

Evening peeps! What a busy day I have had today....my poor back and legs are killing me!
Our eldest son has moved home today after his house sale fell through and he was left having handed his notice in at his apartment. So he has come home until he finds another house! Today was spent back and forth to a storage lockup with all his furniture and cleaning his apartment.

I have to say I was most impressed with how clean it was considering he is a young lad on his own. Nonetheless it was hard work, but he is home now and snuggled up in his bed! Strange having all the boys home again!

I am desperate to get my crafting things out though...seems ages since I got to play! :-( I haven't even taken my goodies from Harrogate out of the bag yet!! Sheeesh!

This is a card I made a couple of weeks ago though that I have yet to show you:

It was a Ruby anniversary card for the Yard owner where I keep my horse.

Well off to my bed as I am pooped and need my beauty sleep. Happy crafting to you all...I hope I get a chance to play tomorrow!
xx

Moving house...Not!

I thought I had better be true to my word and blog today :-)
I have been so busy the past couple of days, creosoting the decking in the garden and painting our two huge sheds, then I decided the garage door needed a freshen up and under the kitchen window too. In amongst all that I have had my horse to sort out and I cleaned all my UPVC, washed the patio windows in and out, shopped, cooked and put a picture up. Then tonight I went dancing, talk about bushed lol. My poor craft things from Harrogate are still in the bag :-( Tomorrow I am going to have to iron as I have a three baskets full! Oh yuk! Anyone fancy popping by to do it for me? No.... thought not :-P

Never mind, as soon as I can get my jobs out of the way I will be hitting that bag of goodies and not coming up for air. Woe betide anyone that disturbs me to make tea or any other such mundane job!

I was rather annoyed and saddened yesterday when my eldest son came to say that his house sale had fallen through exactly one week to his moving in date! How can they do that? He has handed his notice in at his rented apartment, meaning he has to move out at the weekend and paid nearly £800 in fees, searches etc and they pull out one week to the day that they are suppoed to be moving out! Scandulous! So he is coming home for a while :-) Which will be lovely...although he had better not think I am moving any crafty items to make room for him! The gym yes but not the crafts! lol

So anyway here is my Mother's day card, made with lots of love for my wonderful mum. I have been hugely blessed to have her in my life.

What a disgrace!

I hardly dare show my face in here *blushes* after all this time! How do the months go by so fast? I have to say that I have still been crafting but life has been so busy and there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to keep up with blogging. I shall try my very best though to get back into it and not be so lapse in the future!


So what have I been up to in all that time! We have had a couple of winter holidays to Cyprus and Egypt! Both were absolutely lovely and of course there was Christmas.


Then on Saturday I went to Harrogate with my lovely parents (Mau and Den) to the GNPE craftfair. What a righteous day we had and I am so dying to use my new goodies.


Talking of my mum, she has made me very proud by being asked onto the DT for Moving Along With The Times ! So I decided to get back to this blogging lark and join in the challenge over there. It is a lovely blog and their new team have really done them proud this week with their cards I think. Why not pop over and have a look!


This is the project that I am entering into this weeks challenge. It is a 'box of scriptures' made it for my MIL's 71st Birthday because I knew she would love it as she really loves her scriptures. I had seen one on another blog and I apologise as I can't remember whose it was, so I decided to make my own. It took me ages to find the eighty or so scriptures but I have to say that they really lifted my spirits with their promises of God's love and forgiveness. She was overwhelmed when I gave it to her which was very moving.

The box lid

The inside of the box

I am entering this into the  MAWTT 'Special lady' challenge as that is certainly what my MIL is!