It's August tomorrow - who stole this month???

Got the desk finally cleared (last of the new rose cards in the shop) and am going to concentrate on scrap booking for a while - my pages have become far too plain lately, and all it is, is lack of practise. Got loads of new sketches to get drawn up properly (So! Don't we all make notes on soggy napkins). Simon (the GREAT (bow, bow) site admin guy) is working on a way I can add loads of sketches in one go - then add a time to show them ever week (or 2 a week etc). Got a few health/home issues going on at the moment so look out for more ideas to come, to keep me distracted.

June 29th - The old goat crawled home about 2am, had a great time at the party - huh that's work?
I have been making cards with mermaids and seahorses. The 'sea' is torn strips of mixed velum, held on with a bit of double sided tape at each end. I know some people spend a fortune on special tape or glue, but I can't say I have ever had a problem attaching velum. If it is sheer or lace I might think about it a bit more, but coloured stuff and patterns are fine with a bit of double sided.
I seem to have got in a pickle with the scrapbook sketches - will sort out tonight!!

HOT HOT HOT

Far too hot again today - for 'real' work that is: for me, perfect - I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this heat. The docs say I have a 'low core body temperature', which (in English) means I feel the cold and it take ages to get warm. Warm today folks!!! Tomorrow is going to be hotter, l o v e l y . Then the weather is going to break - so back to work!

Anyway, I have been in my summer house playing on the DS that princelet and I bought last year, ALL DAY (and read the papers). Then, I thought I would add the DS games I have to the library. I don't have many, mainly because the choice in the games section scares the hell out of me and I run away. But, I have managed to buy one or two: and am getting interested. So - SEE-LIBRARY-DS SOLITAIRE for the first one

Much cooler today - princelet is camping in a field with the Army Cadets all weekend helping out with the big Steam Fair at Flookburgh - the old goat opted out 'cos he's too busy, which means kitten can't go either (but it's probably just as well) http://www.steamgathering.org.uk/

I have been playing with brass stencils - SEE-DESIGN HOW TO - BRASS. AND clearing up the mess I had got into with all the stock arriving and the start of Barbara Gray's stamping course.

Section 1 and I am already changing all the rules - my mum always said I could never do as I was told! Wandered off on a side track and created the most amazing Celtic looking winter card. It is actually based on a corner stamp, built up into 3 layers like a medallion stamp. It is all embossed, matted and raised up - and nothing like I should have been doing - oh well, looking forward to the next lesson to destroy!

It is FAR too hot to try to work with paper. No, really, honest (trust me I'm a designer!!!). It really is too hot - your hands are all sweaty, greasy and swollen so you leave grease and dirt all over your papers, and you can't really control what you are doing. Then it all goes wrong and you get crabby, so get all het up and stressed - and when you try again, it gets worse - and so on - and so on - and so on - - - . Get the idea?
I have been in my summer house all day doing a jig-saw puzzle that my dog training chums gave me at Christmas. Not sure how much longer the weather will hold - We have a severe weather warning for tonight - you really have got to enjoy the good days when you can!

Made some panels for my summer house today.
Here's a tip - it's the end of range time for wall papers, so Homebase etc are selling off all the odd expensive rolls for £1 - yep - a £20 quid roll of designer / feature paper for £1. So off you go, now.

New visitor in the garden!
Sprayed my flamingo bright pink. He was getting a bit 'over looked' being a delicate shade of bronze, so I cheered him up a bit. He stands about 3 foot tall so he is quite big and I have had him for years, so he needed a new lease of life - took me ages to find the right colour.

I am gradually feeling better - trouble is every time you have one of these 'flare ups' you never fully recover. Anyway it's been a beautiful sunny day (thank heavens) and I have been sitting in my summer house.
I have joined Babara Gray's (clarity stamps) stamping course - full details here http://shop.claritystamp.co.uk/project-club-p-878.html - hope to start on it tomorrow. It is only £20 for the year and I am looking forward to learning loads.

I have been playing with a new technique - embossing paste. SEE-DESIGN & 'HOW TO'

Also new lovely rose cards in the shop (SHOP-CARDS-CALLIGRAPHY)- and embossed (SHOP-CARDS-CALLIGRAPHY).

Off to snuggle with fidget and watch a film now. Rest, rest, and more, rest

NEW SITES

I have been rough. Have been sleeping mostly, but I am still shattered.

I have a couple of new websites to recommend to you:-

http://www.clevercut.co.uk - lovely clear re-mountable stamps - very reasonable prices and the postage is only 85P. It is such a treat to find someone that does not try to fleece you over postage. I just won't pay £3, £4 + just for postage. Also check out their eyelet section - some really unusual ones there - and also reasonably priced for small amounts.

http://www.xelacrafts-online.com - 100's of re-mountable stamps - NOT clear, but if you stick with a glue stick onto an acrylic block you are half there! (The glue stick just washes off).

Loads of changes in the shop - went to Stavely, topped up and swapped some.

You may have noticed my work rate has dropped a bit (yeah - OK - so, nose-dived) - the fibro is winning at the moment and I just can't keep going. I am going to have a couple of rest days. I am still about so you can still shop and email me - - just be a bit patient!
Back soon with more lovely stuff.

book

Added some more Dufex cards in the Scavenger card shop. Someone gave me a bundle of sequin waste and I used it up! There will never be a batch of cards like this, ever again! This is probably as close to 'elegant' as I get.


On another note:- This little file is to hold ATC cards. Not an area I have got into, but I know it is very popular at the moment. It's quite small 3" x 4" x 1", Hard cover and little pockets to slip the cards into. Totally made from scratch by me. This is the first working, and it needs a bit of tinkering with before I get the sizes exact and work it up for the shop.


Anyone want to road test it for me?






Just
contact me with your snail mail address and I will send it to you. All you have to do is let me know how it works in real life. There is only this one, so first in get it.

I think that's what they call blog candy!!

NEW SITES

See my beautiful summer house - all finished now. I am so pleased with it, it's is really cosy and smart. Spent the afternoon sitting doing some decoupage there.

My desk is covered with a commission I am working on - so that's priority this week - and I have a great new book to make. It's an expanding folder really - photo size and ATC size: should be fun.

SHOWS

OK - it was a sunny, so I went to do the fate. You know, it doesn't matter how fates / shows etc you do - there is always something new. Today I was next to the ferret rescue centre, doing ferret races. Now, I LOVE ferrets (used to play with them in the big hunting stables) - but I never knew there was such a thing as a rescue service for them. Totally smitten me - grumpy old goat won't let me have 1 (2/3/4/5 etc). Si here's 'Hats Off' to all the folk who take care of all our 4 foot furry friends - what ever they are.

Starting to get back to normal (well normal for me!). Had my check up this morning and got told off for doing too much. Well I can get a break now.



Want a sneak at the Autumn colours / themes ?



Nature - with loads of birds and animals - gardens and nature - greens, browns, earthy colours - tiny delicate flower patterns as opposed to big and bold florals.




Should be doing a show tomorrow - but don't think I will - far too wet.

NEW CARDS

Summer house crisis just about solved - caught the cushions just as mould spots were starting and gave every thing a good wash. Perhaps now I can get on a bit now!
Am totally pooped after the mad panic to get water tight again.
Have added a few 'cat' cards. Picked up some clear stamps in the big Lakeland sell off (they are woodware style). SEE-SHOP-CARDS-SCAVENGERS (too tired to scribe them!)
Craft class tomorrow

PS - I am very sorry guys - but I am going to have to pull the Tuesday card challenge. As you know I am not sat at my computer all day, I am actually crafting and selling - so have to produce a reasonable amount of GOOD quality work, as well as putting time into designing and experimenting. I am afraid that the Tuesday challenge has born the brunt of it all and I just can't keep up with it. I will see how things go after the summer and Christmas season, usually late December / January / February are pretty quite on the selling front and I get a chance to catch up with 'big' jobs - last February the old goat rebuilt my office.
I have got so much sitting on my desk at the moment - and commissions to do - I am getting a bit stressed with it all. Especially as I have to get the summerhouse back in use because all the stuff is getting ruined in the rain!!! Summer - When's that then?
I shall keep the scrapbook challenge going - even if I don't get a chance to put up my picture every week. I need to be pushed in this direction more, and I will catch up as I can.
Again, apologies.

July 6/7/8th - I am desperately trying to get the summer house back in use. I packed up all the cushions, blankets and stuff in bags and shower curtains - fine, I thought - will take an odd shower. Did not plan on storms, thunder, lighting and stuff!! So I have been working my socks off to get it done and safe again. Nearly there.

July 5th - My goodness - I am so glad I am not out in a field this weekend!!! Thunder and lightening - rain that you can't see across the road through, and I am watching it through my office window. The best way.
Remember the textures foil pictures that granny / aunt used to have on the wall? I know my mum had one - and I gave Aunty Doris on for a birthday or Christmas (yes Bob, that would be mum, then). WELL, they have gone all modern now - and do foil sheets to decoupage with. Great stuff. Picked up a pack up in the Lakeland craft sell off. SEE-SHOP-CARDS-SCAVENGERS. It is great fun to do something totally different once in a while (and now I have the desk space - I can).

July 3rd - My parcel from Mad About Cards (http://www.madaboutcards.com/) arrived today with my new Do Craft stuff and a few other bits and bobs (10% off last weekend) AND the old goat had loads of photos printed up for me to scrapbook. I bought the 'Secret Garden' papers and the 'Sweet Nothings' borders. Would not rate them as highly as the spring collection - but still very adaptable and usable.
Have been scrap booking all afternoon SEE-BLOG-ARTISTIC AMNESIA

July 2ND - I heard on the calligrapher's grapevine that you could (gently and carefully) file a 1.MM Pilot Parallel Pen down to MM - there by getting the rough equivalent of a no 4 nib. Up for a challenge me! So I set to work (gently and carefully) with some black emery paper. I did get there eventually - took me ages. Now I have a smaller nib to experiment with.
I am going to practise with some verses on the new multi-fold A card that I like.
I have been catching up with my cards stock and it seems ages since I did a 'real' calligraphy text and am really looking forward to settling to longer bits of work.