May The Forest Be With You...

Hey,

I have mentioned that at work we are doing these little organised fun projects.

The theme for this one was 'nature'.

And as we are all a bunch of geeky nerds, I thought the sentiment would resonate with them!

I got the MFT set 'Forest Friends' as part of the bumper haul I bought off a fellow digital scrapper!

I used a seriously old Hero Arts tree background stamp to create the background, I heat embossed it and then watercoloured over it, to create the resist. 

I was planning on colouring the Deer, but when I stamped him in brown ink, he looked so cute, I decided to leave him as he was.

I added some vellum leaves and voila! nature card.

Cx

 

CASE: Kinda Eclectic..

Hey,

Happy Friday to you!!

Hubby and I leave for London tonight, part work, part fun. It is my companies annual Christmas trip - they take all of us employees and our partners on a 3 day European vacation - I know, unbelievable right?!

This year we are going to Porto in Portugal and we are leaving a week today, but before that we are heading to London for a few days with our families and a few days of working out of our London offices.

Today's card I actually made for a friend, then decided that it was too fussy for her (she is the Queen of CAS).

It's actually a CASE of a card I saw on Pinterest and realised that I have that stamp set!

The stamp set is Kinda Eclectic by Stampin' Up and I think it is discontinued now.

I kept most of the card as a straight CASE, but used a different large Butterfly (Clearly Besotted) and sentiment (Scrapbook.com own brand).

It's actually in my hand luggage, as I think my Momma might like it for one of her friends / colleagues.

Have a great weekend, I'll be napping, eating, hanging with my folks, going to SoccerBall with Poppa and missing my craft desk.

Cx

Pinterest CASE..

Hey,

So first day back to work!

I am actually only back at work for 2 days this week, as my work permit has not arrived in time and I legally can't work, so these next 2 days are going to be hectic.

I got a new tablet for Christmas (thanks Hubby) and it re-invigorated my love for Pinterest. I came across this card and decided it was time for a CASE -

As you can see it's not a 100% CASE, more an element / layout CASE.

I love that spotty die that was used on the original card and as you can see I have a similar version but it's tiny Hexagons. This element really was key for me and was a must have on my versions, all the rest of the elements I kind of interpreted with the things to hand.

The speech bubble die in the original card is something I want, I didn't have anything similar so opted for a ready made kraft tag.

A friend gave me a big bag of cardboard embellishments and I really wanted to use the giant 'Happy' ones on these card, so opted to use those over the sentiment banner on the original card.

The birthday banner die is by MFT and they were a great buy. The stars were cut from some precious DCWV glittery paper.

I'm really pleased with how they came out, I love a random CASE, really helps to spark my imagination.

Cx

Farewell London..Hello NYC...

Hey,

So after 2 weeks in London, Hubby and I are finally on our way home.

We have new visas, are slightly tired, but have had a hoot working in the London offices of our firms and hanging out with our friends and family.

One of the reasons I was back in London was for my Companies annual offsite meeting. The main photo today shows me dressed as a Pineapple...very long story, but to keep it short,  I was in the yellow team (vibrant, outgoing personalities) and as a team we had to create a symbol that represented our colour.

We chose a Pineapple and we only had balloons to create it and we needed a base for the balloons..this is where I came in.

I LOVE Pineapples, so imagine my delight and I thought I really did look like a Pineapple.

Here is another fun photo from the party afterwards, of me, my NYC buddy and colleague Nicole and George from the London office.

Cx

Cheers to you and yours...

Hey,

I'm still in London, it's fun being with everyone this week and catching up post Christmas / New Year.

As that is on my mind, I thought I would show you the Happy New Year card I made for my Aunt..

She actually sent me a Christmas card, but I couldn't find her address before Christmas, so once I received her card, I made her a Happy New Year card.

I used the Lawn Fawn Let's Bokeh set and kept it simple.

I stamped the circles in different colours that contrasted with my card blank.

Another example of stretching my stamps and not just using this set to create Bokeh cards...

Cx

Lisbon 2015...

Hey,

Happy Monday to you all.

I am in London, starting my first day of work for a week here.

I thought I would share some of the photos from our fab, fun trip to Lisbon in December.

It was a total blast and really cool to meet everyone's partners.

We did fun things - like find a bar that served 2 beers for 75cents, race through Lisbon in Tuk Tuks, go to the Aquarium en masse when severely hungover, drink the best 2euro wine ever in a wine shop, wander through Lisbon admiring the architecture, discover that Lisboans are obsessed with Sardines and have a fondness for Pork, shop a lot, dress up for a Michelin starred dinner, dance in awful clubs, drink a lot several times..

It was fun, we did it together and it makes me love my work colleagues a little bit more..

Cx

Personalised Notebook...

Hi,

Happy Friday..

This is a scheduled post, as today my whole firm and our significant others are on our way to Lisbon for our Christmas Party.

As I am going to be with my work colleagues this weekend, I thought I'd show you the notebook that I gave one of my work colleagues last month for her birthday.

I have a big stash of these Muji blank kraft notebooks - I like this size (A5/A7) best. I use them for emergency gifts.

Erika loves butterflies..so this was a pretty easy one to make. I used my fab letter stamps for her name and an Inkadinkadoo butterfly stamp. Voila! Personalised notebook.

Easy peasy gift, but makes the recipient very happy...every time.

Have a fun weekend, I know we are going to!

Cx

3 stamp cards..

Hi,

Hopefully as you read this I will be in London.

Hubby and I are in town to join my firm for our work Christmas party in Lisbon - alright!! I'm staying a week, Hubby is going home next Monday.

I spent a part of last weekend playing with my stamps.

I set myself the mini challenge of making cards with 3 stamps and as little ink / colour as possible.

Fun times ahead..

I stuck with a flower stamp by Unity Stamp Co and changed the background and sentiment stamps.

The main card uses a background stamp by Stampin' Up and the sentiment is by Clearly Besotted.

Card 2 uses Simon Says Stamp falling hearts and a Hero Arts sentiment.

Card 3 uses Simon Says Stamp chevron and a Papermania sentiment.

I used 2 distress inks on all of the cards and spritzed them with water and dried them with my heat tool. I really like the way the colour spreads and merges the 2 colours.

Super easy makes...again...my time at my desk has been limited so I've been maximising it with simple makes.

Cx

Exciting times ahead...

Hey,

Update: Now with photos :)

Do you remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned I had some big news?

Well, I have a new job and I am heading home to London tonight, to spend 4 days with my parents before spending 2 weeks in the London office.

Yay! Exciting, challenging times ahead.

Fun part of my shiny new job is initially I get to go home once a month..It also means that I will be working with JT again, which is amazing!

There is one downside to all of this and that is packing for 2.5 weeks for a trip that is a mix of business and pleasure..

I'm not a bad packer, but I really needed some help this time..so I consulted Pinterest and I decided that packing cubes might be the way forward.

As I will be staying in 4 different places, I didn't want to rummage through my suitcase repeatedly looking for what I needed.

Packing cubes mean that I can pack by item type - meaning I only pull out the cubes I need.

Once I packed my cubes, I realised that I needed to indicate what was where...time to get crafty :)

I made little word labels on my computer and cut these and some decorative (American Crafts) papers to the right size and inserted these pairs into label laminator pouches. I ran all of them through my lamintor, punched a hole and added some suede cord.

Easy to make and very useful - I love it when I get to use crafty skills for practical items.

Here is a shot of them on the cubes (before they went into my suitcase.

Cx

WOYWW #301..Its been too long..

Hey,

So here I am joining in with WOYWW after an extended absence.

I got too busy to really comment on wonderful WOYWW'ers blogs and that made me feel guilty and WOYWW is not about guilt..so I removed myself for a while.

WOYWW is the most special time of the week, when we join Julia at her blog Stamping Ground and nose at desks :) It's a lot of fun and some very special blogland people have been befriended, thanks to WOYWW.

So what's going on, on my desk..there is a new family member - Winston the Aardvark - crocheted by my friend Hannah - amazing!! I love Aardvarks and bombarded her with requests for him. You can see some scraps of paper, my pencil, a glue roller and to the left, some new items - stamps and inkjet acetate..can you see the teeny bit of zebra print under the acetate? Those are my fave craft scissors.

Pretty quiet for my desk, but I crafted up a storm at the weekend and felt he needed a bit of a tidy!

Here's a fun card for you -

I made this for a work colleague that was leaving, she's a good friend and I wanted to make something fun for her.

She is such a superstar that the stamp totally summed her up, so I added stars all over the place to match the sentiment!

The felt stars - I die cut using the Big Shot..sadly I have only just learnt that I can cut felt using the Big Shot..I know, I know.

Best bit for me is the fact that my staples are blue (from Tiger in London) - its the small things..

Happy WOYWW everyone.

Cx

WOYWW #286 - Almost time for Turkey...

Hey everyone,

Happy WOYWW to everyone, I missed last week, as I worked a bejillion hours on Mon/Tues, went home passed out and went back to work...

Anyway, enough of me banging on about that - it's fun to be playing along with Julia and the gang over at her blog Stamping Ground, for the weekly desk nose.

My desk is quite funny this week - everything I am working on seems to be to the left of my craft mat?! There is a random card on my mat along with my mouse and that is it! Funny thing is I really don't remember leaving my desk like this?!

As always here is a card for you -

This is one of x5 identical cards for the card swap group I am in, thanks SSG. I really like them and they are based loosely on my bee card from a couple of weeks ago. The yellow background behind the stamp was done using Gelatos and an Aquabrush.

For those of you in the US, heading out for the Thanksgiving holiday, have a safe journey and a happy holiday with your families. Hubby and I are heading to Atlantic City for some crazy fun!

Cx

WOYWW #272..this isn't my desk!

Hi,

Hello WOYWWers.

I am at my Parents in London - actually working from their dining table!! As you can see from my photo I have pretty much taken over.

Before we get into that, lets refresh your memories about WOYWW shall we? Join our wonderful Hostess Julia over at her blog Stamping Ground for the weekly desk nose..

So as you can see I have made myself nicely at home at my Parents dining table - I have to work, as I don't have enough holiday and my boss was very kind to let me come for the 2 weddings. You can see my work laptop (after work hours) with a Pinterest board up, notes for work, some new curtains, a Promarker wishlist :). There is also a little stack of craft magazines - which are one of the first things I purchase when arriving back in my homeland - the ones in the US are rubbish, which came as a huge surprise to me.Where are all the free gifts?! And why are they so pricey?! My Ma has been getting her craft on and has been busy recovering the chairs she got for free.

Instead of a card this week, here is a before and after of Ma's chairs - she also made the cushions..think we know why I'm crafty :)

Ma's Chairs - before and after

Happy WOYWW everyone - as I am in the 'correct' timezone this week, I should get to you all in a timely fashion.

Cx

Simon Says Stamp...July Card Kit...

Hi,

Yesterday during WOYWW I showed one of the cards I have made using parts of the SSS July card kit.

I am currently away with work.hiking or something (Sadface)..I will be home later tonight, then I can comment on WOYWW.

My main photo is one of a batch of cards I made for OWH using the envelope and sentiment stamps from the set. I stamped the envelopes on scraps and then cut them out. Aren't they pretty!

Little Stack of Envelopes

I played with the layouts a LOT, finally I settled on placing the envelopes in the right place, stamping the sentiment - checking it a million times and THEN sticking them in place :)  I raised one envelope on a foam pad for a teeny bit of dimension.

Here's a different layout..

Portrait green envelopes

Because of the colour of the scraps I chose, I decided to make the focus colour of the cards either green or pink.

I love the sentiment stamps from this set, they are so elegant.  These were fun cards to make..I am loving this kit, it was made for OWH.

They both feel like Happy Mail :)

Cx

Cards for men...

Hi,

YAY!! It's Friday...this week has been HARD!!

I am most excited as JT and I are doing another Skype playdate tomorrow - whoop whoop..it's gonna be epic!

I am also pleased to see that this is my 96th post of the year!! I am on target for my goal of 200 posts this year..there is no reason for that number, other than I want to achieve it. It will mean that for the 2nd year running I have taken this blogging thing seriously and that makes me super proud.

I often struggle to make cards for men, however when making for my work colleagues it all just seems to flow..

I am the 'resident' card maker at work. We are a small company that are growing, so it is nice for people to receive a handmade card with their name on, it retains our family feel. I love making these cards, as I get to experiment a bit.

The main card is for one of the AM's - his birthday is Monday and as you can see he is going to be 30 - hence the retro tech paper - from Graphic Stock. Unfortunately when I stamped the sentiment originally, it smudged, so you can see a bit of a crafty repair!

This card is for one of our board members who is a numbers guy..I made a different card for him originally, but I didn't love it, so cut the sentiment and his name off of the original and started again. Much happier with this one - the number washi tape felt like a nice touch.

As you can see I have been obsessed with blue bling whilst making these :)

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend.

Cx

Saying goodbye and thank you...

So it's my last day at work today. It's been hard work for 7 months, but I've met some nice people. So to say thank you, I decided to give people a calendar.

I wanted to wrap them nicely and write a little note.

The main photo is of the calendars with a note, wrapped and embellished.

I am very pleased with these. I used plain kraft paper sheets from Paperchase, and wrapped them around the calendar and secured with tape, making a kind of pouch. I then cut out these journaling cards to use for writing notes.

But I felt they didn't stand out against the paper enough so, I mounted them onto slightly bigger pieces of paper and I used scraps from the Amy Tangerine paper set..again! Here's a photo, but I had to mask it off, so you can't see the journaling cards, as I was dumbo and wrote on them before taking the photos - doh!

The butterflies, were cut using my shiny new Xcut butterfly dies - yes lots of new treats for me, but with the move, no clothes, no bags, no nothing..but the craft boxes have space, so if it can fit in then I can buy it!! Whoo hoo!! I used scraps of paper and co-ordinating Candi's, I think it all looks a bit shabby chic?

Here is one last close-up photo of the blue butterflies, you can just see some of the journaling paper peeking out.

So I guess this is me saying goodbye and thanks..

Cx

It's Been Emotional..

My last week at RL was eventful, lunch filled, booze fueled and very emotional. I am sad to leave my posse, but I will see them again and I now have a shiny new job to look forward to.

So I have been trying out the new camera - today's pic was taken by me, using my new beloved Pentax - it's of Archie - our most elusive kitty kat - he was having a stretch on the bed and I caught him in action - cool right?

As I have a 2 week sanity break before starting the new job, I have been keeping my craft hands busy. I have a whole list of challenges I want to enter this week, but let's start with 2 for today!

DYSU - #9 - Just Green it

Polka Doodles - week 9 challenge - Flower power

Here's my card (pic also taken using the new camera) - I love it.

I have been playing around with ideas for Mother's Day cards (3rd April in the UK) and this one won! I used Pink Petticoat's Little Big dots papers and one of the digi stamps from their With Flowers set - I love Pink Petticoat! I also used Promarkers (Gold, Sage, Pumpkin), diamond Stickles and ribbon and gems from Poundland!!

Until tomorrow.

Cx