Here's Winnie xxx

Here she is - she's Walter's girlie xxxx

Walter, if you remember, is the cute lil Willow owl boy.

Lots of you loved him (well, you couldn't not!!) and you wanted him to have a wifee or girlfriend, so Sharon waved her wand and weaved her magic, and here she is.

And she is called Winnie :))

She's the new Willow download and you can see more of her here.

We have used her for this weeks Willow Sketchie Challenge and this week it's my turn to do the honours, so this is my sketch ......

Of course, we have to have our little twist just to make it really interesting!!

So this week the twist is ....

Flippin Fab.

You have the option to either flip or twist one or more of the elements of the sketch or, in honour of Winnie, add something pink or girlie. You can do either one or both!! So it's easy peasy if you want it to be, or you could challenge yourself a little more if you are up for it!!

And here is my card.

I chose to turn mine sideways and instead of the text, I used a Poppicrafts flower or 2 - both pink and girlie I thought!!

The papers are Wild Rose Studio's Spring CD and one of Marieka's Black & White collection papers. I've had that downlaod for ages now and I've lost the link to Marieka but will try and find it.

I added a couple of bees to keep Winnie company and also some pearls cos they are girlie as well. I have had the bees for ages so I don't know where they came from originally, but they are quite sweet, and you could easily make some yourself with a bit of wire, some vellum and card.

Here's the flowers.
The ribbon is from my stash and the card candy is from Craftwork Cards.

Here's the funny angle bit lol xxx

I have to confess that this was nearly a disaster today, cos I got up this morning thinking it was Wednesday and panicked when I realised it wasn't. So this card has to be the quickest one I ever made!!!
Dopey mare lol xxxx


Well I hope that you all had a great Easter and enjoyed the gorge weather we had. Sadly it's gone for the time being and yesterday we had heavy thunder storms. Kyla was quiet intrigued by them. Nursery is off this week so Nikkie has been looking after her whilst Em has been at work.


She made the mistake of bringing the Wizard of Oz DVD for her to watch and Kyla is just completely smitten. She now has to have her hair like Dorothy (God help us!!) and we have been up and down the ruddy yellow brick road so many times now that I know my way with my eyes shut now. I am also on first name terms with the Wizard lol xxxx


We also know all the songs and keep singing them, which isn't so good. Come to think of it, maybe that explains the thunder storms!! Anyway, the crunch came when Nik got up in the night to spend a penny and realised that she was singing one of the songs practically in her sleep. I keep whistling them and Richard is going up the wall with it all lol xx


So we have banned it for a while. We are now watching Mary Poppins, so no doubt we will all be feeding the birds 2d a bag and flying kites in a supercallerfragilistic (etc) sort of way soon!!


Cor blimey Mary Poppins!!


On that note, I'm off for a spoonful of sugar!!!!

But before I go, I have to say that Marco looked very fetching last night - a sort of cross between Lawrence of Arabia and a Ninja turtle which nobody else could possibly pull of.


But he did, and damned attractive is all I will say!!!


Laters and hugs lovely peeps xxxx

Easter Monday Bunny Hugs xxx

Happy Easter from me and the bun xxxx

I hope everyone has had a great few days - we've certainly had some fabulous weather!!

It's time now for another Papertake Weekly challenge - doesn't the week fly by!!! This week it is one of my faves cos it is Perfect Pastels - how gorgeous!!

So here's me card.

The sweet little bunny is PP Spring Wishes download and the papers are all from the beautiful Wild Rose Studio Spring CD which I am soooo loving at the mo. And they were perfect for this challenge :)


The fab ribbon and pearly bits were from Creative Pastimes in Ellesmere Port, and I did the sentiment on the old puter!!

Dimension and doodles - I just can't help meself lol xxx

So pop over and have a look at the other girlies fab cards - they are all so lovely.

And what ever

you do, don't miss next week cos there is going to be a Whiff of Joy about cos the wonderful Katharina is going to be sponsoring us :))xx

Have a great night peeps and don't forget that Hell's Kitchen starts tonight. I'm only watching cos I think Marco is a bit of alright (in a caveman sort of way - but what a man lol xxxx). I'm so glad Gordon potty mouth Ramsey isn't doing it now - big meanie!!!.

Ohhh, I think this is gonna take over where Dancing on Ice left off.

Watch this space....

Huggiest of Easter hugs and see ya soon if not sooner xxxxxx

Funky Pop Up Tutorial xx

Hi peeps xx

I managed to get a spare hour or so, so as promised, here is the tutorial for the pop up flower card.

This is the same type of card that we did at card club last night.

As my Nikkie wasn't well and therefore not there, I was missing my helper. And as we had a lot of ladies last night, there was only me to go around between them all lol xx. But they were very understanding and I thank them all for their patience. I know that some of them pop over here, so I hope that this helps fill in any gaps which they might have missed.

But also, I hope that you all find it useful as well. I have to say that I can't lay claim to inventing these cards - I'm not that clever lol xxx but this is my twist on it. Please excuse some of the pics btw cos this was done a bit on the quick side - ie while the footie was on :(( and it's only my second tutorial!!!

So here goes ....

You'll need a piece each of A5 black and white card, a scrap of green card, some DP - I've used PP One In A Melon here cos it is nice and bright and shows up nicely (and it is verrrry gorgeous as well)., plus some punched flowers in co-ordinating colours and various sizes. Finally, use whatever you want to finish it off - more of that at the end.

Fold the black card in half. This is your outer card. Then fold your white card in half and trim so that it is 14cm wide . When you sit this inside the black card, there will be a narrow border.

Put the black card aside for the moment - we are just going to be working with the white card now, which is the inner bit. You can draw on one side of the white card cos when it is all fitted together, you won't see the marks.

The top of the pic here is the folded edge. Draw a line 3cm from this edge all the way across the card and then draw 2 lines down from the folded edge, 5cm in from each side, to meet the line as shown.

Where I've marked 'A', cut through both thicknessness of card. Where I've marked 'B', score through both thicknesses, but don't score where I've marked 'C'

Open up the card and push the 2 side bits out and then re-fold ...


It should now look like this.
Now draw a line across the card 1.5cm from the folded edge and draw 2 lines down 2cm in from each end to meet the line

Again, cut where I've marked 'A' (you will be cutting through 4 layers of card), and score on both sides where I've marked 'B'. Don't score where I've marked 'C'.

Open up the card and push the ends out and fold. It's easier to do this on one half and then the other rather than trying to do the whole thing all together.

Then you can stick this onto the black card you folded at the beginning, and all your pencil marks are hidden.

Here's the side view - you can see the 'steps' :)

Cut 2 pieces of DP and stick them onto the outside of the black card. You can just cut one large piece if you wish but I've found the paper lies better if you cut 2 smller pieces, plus you get a bit of a border which sets it off nicely.

Finally, decorate away to your hearts content using the punched flowers!! I've added ribbon (Raspberry Ribbons and my stash) and also some Card Candy from Craftwork Cards.

And as Brucie would say, that's all there is to it!!!

I've just noticed that the border on the finished card looks wonky - oooh errrr!! Now I am not making excuses here but IRL it is fairly straight!!! It must be the angle!! Either that or me camera must have had one too many lol xxxx

I think it has the potential for all sorts of uses and I hope you enjoy having a go. If you do, please let me know cos I'd love to see what you do with it.

Huggiest of hugs xxxxx

Squeaky Clean And A Sketch lol xxx

Firstly, here's the sketch.

This is what we are using for this weeks Papertake Weekly challenge.

The other girlies have done some beautiful work with it, as always, so pop over and have butchers :))xx

And here's mine.

The cute teddy is part of the CC Designs My Rubber Ducky (awww) set which you can get from Dies To Die For - it is sooooo cute.

The papers are both Wild Rose Studios (Spring CD) which I am soooo loving. This photo doesn't really do the green spotty paper justice cos it is the most beautiful shade - soft and delicate.

I got the ribbon from Creative Pastimes in Ellesmere Port - hi girls, and Jan, hope you are feeling better xxxxx

A bit of faux stitching ......

... a sentiment from the Rubber Ducky set, plus a few little
black fat backed beads


and a few more, plus some inked edges...

And that's me done :))x

Well I'm on a real flyer today so it's a short post (well it is for me lol xxx).

Hopefully if I get chance, I'll be back later and I'll share with you what we did last night at Card Club. I might just do ya a little tutorial to go with it .... fingers crossed that I get a sec, but if not, I'll share it tomorrow.

Have a fab day peeps xxxxxx

Sunny Saturday xxx

And Louis is back, cos I just love this little bear :))x

So I thought I'd use him again for this weeks Friday Sketchers Challenge which is a really lovely sketch by Heidi - I will use this one again without doubt, so thank you Heidi xxx.

Louis was coloured with the old faithfuls (PMs) and highlighted with some Glamour Dust (no surprises there then !!) I paper pieced the heart to pick up one of the background papers I used.

I used my MSBP which is now feeling much better!! Tracy at Dies To Die For did have some of these babies so it might be worth checking out the website cos if you haven't got one already, then you don't know what you've been missing lol xxxx

Those beautiful papers are from the Spring CD from Wild Rose Studios.

Now I have to tell you peeps, these papers are something else. I got this CD yesterday, and you know how much I loves me papers lol xx Well I was like a kid in a sweet shop looking through it. The colours are so soft and pretty and there is even a section of stuff for you to colour yourself so you will never be stuck again for co-ordinating paper.


Here's a close up of them - hopefully you can see them a bit better!!

The ribbon is from a past Raspberry Ribbons kit - it's so pretty (I love gingham).

The teeny tiny hearts are from my stash but I've had them for so long that I can't remember where they came from :((

We are having one of those beautiful Spring days here in Chester, so this afternoon we are all going to the zoo. My niece and her little boy are also going so we should have fun!! There is a new butterfly enclosure (not sure that is the right word, but you know what I mean!!) which I haven't seen. Emma saw it last time she went and said it was impressive, so I want to see that today.

We love Chester Zoo - I think it is without doubt one of the best zoos in the country. Richard worked there as a keeper many years ago so it like having our own personal guide when he comes with us!!

The only prob with the zoo on days like today is that it brings out the 'dad- in- sandals- and- vests' brigade!!! There are more amusing human sights sometimes than in any of the animal enclosures!!! I have to tell you that my fave is the 'dad- in- sandals- and- vests-with-dark-socks' look lol xxx It creases me every time!!! I can't understand how their wives let them go out like that lol xxxxx

Maybe they just don't like their hubbies very much and it is a sort of revenge thing!!!

Whatever it is, I love it!!!

Oohh we had some sad news yesterday.

One of Richard's oldest friends was burgled and these 'people' stole quite a few of his expensive birds (parrots and the likes). These were valuable birds but it isn't the monetary factor that is the issue. What got us is that whoever did this, broke into his aviaries and killed some of the birds that weren't deemed to be worth anything. They also let some go to fend for themselves, knowing they would stand little chance of survival. Can you believe that!!!!. This lovely man has spent years building up his collection and he is devastated.

He thinks he knows who did it because a few days before, 3 men drove onto his property (he has a farm) and when he asked them if he could help them, they said they thought it was a local recreation centre!!!! With hindsight they were probably sussing it all out. This is the second one of our friends to have been burgled recently. What a sad indictment of the times we are living in.

The recession has made some people desperate I guess, but I have real issues with people stealing from ordinary hard working and decent people like most of us are. It is so not fair. So peeps, please take extra care and make sure you are safe and secure. Lock everything and be extra aware, please please please. I hate being the bearer of doom and gloom but I would hate anyone to go through what our friends have been through.

On that 'cheery' note (sorry), I hope that whatever you are doing you will have a peaceful and enjoyable Saturday. If I get chance when we get back from the zoo, I may return with some more cardage, but if not, I'll see ya tomorra xxxxxxxx

Heyyyy Walter ..... xxx

Look who flew in ....

It's Walter Willow lol xxx

He is part of the new Willow download which you can see here and he is also the star of this week's Willow Sketchie Challenge.

I think you'll agree that he is a sweetie xxx

The paper is also part of the download and it is really nice and co-ordinates with lil Walter perfectly. I was a lazy mare again and I opted to use a pre-coloured Walt so this card is a bad boy PM free zone!!!

The black card candy is from Craftwork Cards btw.

I am a complete sucker for anything owl-ie cos as you know, we breed birds of prey here, although we don't have any owls YET (note to Richard - pleeeeze can I have a little owl just for me??? I keep asking ya and you keep saying 'we'll see' lol xx)

Anyhoos pop over and check out the rest of the girls gorgeous work and also see the fab sketch which Fairy Sharon did for us this week. I loves it xxxx

Our twist for this challenge is to use Glossy Accents somewhere, so I decided to make a 'pebble' for my sentiment. Now I have to say that I got a few air bubbles in it but making them yourself is easy peasy and a whole load cheaper than buying them dome thingies (can't think what they're called lol xxx)

A punched circle, a peel off (shock horror!!) and a blob of the GA and Bob's yer uncle!!!

I cut round the paper and did some doodling. That's twice I've done this now - cut round the paper that is, not doodle, cos I do that all the time.

I am Mrs Groundhog Day, I know :(((o

I punched the flowers out and then ran them through my ribbler (hold that thought, you with the mucky mind out there lol xxx). There's also a splash of Glossy Acccents on the flowers on the image and a little gem just for sparkly purposes.

Well that's me for now. I may pop back later if I get chance but if not, have the fabbiest of Thursdays peeps.

xxx

Sweet Louis, Fab Friends And a Sneeky Peekie lol xx

This beautiful teddy arrived at my house yesterday and despite sore wrists and loads of stuff to do, I just could not resist inking him up. His name is Louis and he is a new boy from Wild Rose Studios. Check him out here - he is fabulous!!

I thought I'd use him to do a couple of challenges. I used the lovely sketch from Sketch Saturday and combined it with this weeks Colour Create challenge which this week is using the gorgeous colour combi of lilac and blue.
I coloured Louis with PMs - not the aqua ones as I am still on a learning curve with them - and I sprinkled some Glamour Dust on so that he is all twinkly :))xx The papers are PP and Mad About Cards

I got the buttons at that sale I helped with a while ago, so there is a good chance that they are from QVC but I am not 100% sure

I am 100% sure that this spotty grosgrain ribbon is from Poppicrafts - isn't it lovely!!!

The sentiment is from PP - Tiny Tags - and the brad is a 'bottom of the box' jobby lol xxx

I tell you what, I feel so blessed to have met some wonderful peeps while doing the blog thing. Look what I got from 2 of them.

Kath made this for me - this photo does not do the colour justice. It really is the most gorgeous shade of blue and there are oodles of Penny Black images inside, all waiting for me and me PMs

Now I have to confess that I 'lifted' this pic from Kath's blog!!! She made me one of these beauts and they are filled with mini eggs. Buit rather stupidly (not to mention greedily) ate them before I took the pic and then I couldn't tie the bow as nicely as Kath did - so I nicked the pic to show you!!!! Hope that's ok Mrs K :)xx

And then yesterday, there was a knock at the door and the postie handed me this big bag which was quite heavy. Well I ripped it apart so goddam fast, and look what was inside .....

Is this not the cutest lil piggy???

She came all the way from bonny Scotland and was sent to me by the sweetness that is Dawn. She saw it in a shop and bought it for me. I am so touched to think she had done this for me. It is a door stop which explains why it was heavy, but there is no way on God's green earth that I am putting her on the floor. She is now living in my craft room and sits on my chair when I am not there - guarding all my stash!!!

And she came with this beautiful card.

So to both of you lovely ladies, I thank you from the bottom of my heart xxxx I am so lucky to have you as friends xxxxx

And finally, a sneakie little peeky '''''

I'll give you a clue .... it is something to do with an owl called

Walter. You can see him here now....

And you can see the rest of this tomorra.

Have the fabbiest of days. It's card club tonight so I better get a shift on and get organised!!

Hugs to all xxxxxx