I've been norty

Look what I bought!

The landlady at the B&B I am staying at told me about this craft shop 'just round the corner' about half a mile away. It only turned out to be Click on Crafts didn't it. 4 Nesties for £60 :o) Good job I'm travelling home tomorrow afternoon!

By the time I set off to Malham the rain had stopped and there was a teeny bit of blue sky. You have to park up 1 mile from the Cove and it is 1 mile of up and down, much more up than down! For those who know how badly I walk, you would realise how tortuous that is! Most folks who set off similar time to me were on their way back before I was even halfway there, but no matter, me and my stick made it after 1  1/2 hours. That is a dream fulfilled and I am ecstatic :o) I'll probably put some of my pics on when I get home. I had a wonderful pub lunch when I got back to Malham village nearly 3 hours later :o)

Jackie xx 

Good morning from wet Yorkshire

Had a fine, uneventful journey up here and a canal boat trip at Skipton on the way, fab fish and chips also in Skipton last night :o)

Fantastic B&B in a beautiful farmhouse. Superb views from my bedroom window.

Looks like I may have to revise my plans for today and go to Skipton Castle instead of Malham Cove but we'll see, not going to let the rain dampen my spirits :o)

Had a quick look at all your beautiful cards but unfortunately no time to comment on them, that will have to wait until I get home :o)

A challenge card at last

Or more correctly, 2 cards because I love the sketch but that presented me with the problem of which to enter! I decided on this first one because of it's summery colours for the challenge over at Peachy Keen 

For both cards I used Peachy Keen stamps, and what great quality they are.

I also used DPs from J&P for both cards and copics to colour plus Martha Stewart edge and corner/butterfly punches. Brads and jewels from stash and a little bit of stickles too.

I used McGill leaf and Woodcraft flower punches too, and I nearly forgot to mention the nesties and the Sizzix leaf die (that's another slapped wrist for me)

Don't you just love these Peachy Keen stamps? 

These will be the last from me for a few days as I am off up to Yorkshire for a few days on leaving my poor hard done to 48 year old son to fend for himself :o)

I am hoping to get to Malham Cove on Tuesday, haven't been there since 1961!

Jackie xx

June freebies

Good morning bloggers. For all you cat lovers out there our June freebies are ready for downloading.

They can be found at J&P when you are ready and we would love to see your projects :o)

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some of my text has decided it wants to be highlighted and I can't get rid of it. Any ideas please as it's driving me nuts arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Jackie xx

Stamp Something - something summer

Good morning all, I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I have to work Saturdays so Sunday is my weekend and I mean to enjoy it :o)

This is my offering for the Stamp Something challenge this week which is Something Summer.

The large image is my own photograph converted to a pencil drawing then coloured with copics. Small image and greeting is from SU and of course, I hade to use nesties and Martha Stewart too :o) Basically a very simple card. I cut and folded the card from PMS white hammered so sponged the edges with Tim Holtz to soften it :o)

Jackie xx

Right out of my depth

I had intended having a crafting day but the overflowing ironing basket shouted at me so I did that instead. A consequence of that is I have only made one card after all :o(

This is a first airing for 2 new sets of stamps. The art deco lady set I bought in Congleton on our craft day and the swirls are what I chose as my prize from Winter Wonderland.

I thought the swirls were just right to compliment the lady's headgear :o)

Background is Tim Holtz distress inks, then stamped the swirls on and used an MS cirner punch just to break up all those straight edges.  Lady coloured with Nellie Snellen markers which I bought on a previous crafting day. The lady is layered up but it doesn't show on here and I added a bit of glamour dust for a touch of bling :o)

Jackie xx

Sorry no crafting today...

I am off to a family funeral this morning then work this afternoon, so no me time at all today. My Uncle Colin was 84 so not a bad age considering his brother, my Dad, died at the age of 25! There are now 4 surviving siblings, Aunty Nora is 93, Uncle Doug is 90, Uncle Raymond is 86 and Uncle Alan is 79 so methinks that at 69 I stand a good chance of being around for a while yet :o)

What a shame that the only time we all get together nowadays is for funerals!

Hopefully I will be able to start catching up with your blogs tomorrow :o)

Jackie xx

Ooooh I have managed 2 post in 1 day

I have been given these fab awards by the lovely Dianne

Bless you Dianne and thank you so much for thinking of me :o)

Trouble is that I now have to do 6 lies and 1 truth about myself so here goes.

1   I have a huge yacht moored down in the south of France

2   I drive a BMW

3   I live in a very exclusive area of the Peak District

4   I wear glasses

5   I am tall and slim

6   I am blonde

7   I love gardening

 Now I will have to go away and think about who I want to pass this on to :o)

Jackie xx

At last.....

....I've managed to make 2 cards, hope to do some more today!

Thank you all so much for your good wishes about my hand. These little things (big as a football and red as a cricket ball) are sent to try us, and try us they most certainly do!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the first time I have managed to use on of my new LOTV stamps, backed with own photograph of pampas grass. Of course I had to use Martha Stewart and Nesties with a scrap of ribbon :o)

For this one I used my new Cosmic Shimmer sprays, orange and bronze, for the first time and I love it, why didn't I buy some before???????????????

More Martha Stewart of course and flower/leaf punches with a bit of liquid pearls :o)

Jackie xx

No crafting...

...boo hoo hooooooooooooooooooooo!

I had an insect bite on my right hand on Tuesday and by Wednesday night I had to leave work early and hi-tail it to A&E because I swear it would have been impossible for it to swell any further or get any redder or hotter. I could've cooked bacon and eggs on it!!!!!!!!!!! Good job I went when I did because I would have been an in patient otherwise. I had got cellulitis and it aint nice. It was due to the insect bite and it's very painful as well as itchy. I even had to have a tetanus booster to add to the antibiotics.

Anyway, it's on the mend now but still painful, it's taking forever typing in because I am having to use one finger on my left hand. Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't deserted you.

I'll be back when I can do a bit of crafting :o)

Jackie xx

Another 8x8 commission

I had a lovely day yesterday :o)

I made this card in the morning, then went out for lunch, a little luxury I treat myself to once a week. From there I went to my daughter's who is on holiday from work this week and in the pouring rain we set of to Hilton nature reserve toting our cameras and big brollies! By the time we got there the rain had just about stopped and we had a lovely stroll around the lake. We got back to the car just as it started bucketing down again :o)

Onto the card now before I forget what I am here for :o)

I was asked to make this for a workmate and the only criterion was the glasses, I could do what else I wanted. I hope they like it! Main image is from J&P and the sentiment and verse I did in MS Word, Bradley Hand ITC font :o)

Jackie xx

Commissioned 8x8 25th anniversary

Good morning everyone, if you can call it good! The sky is grey, the wind is blowing and the rain is raining, it forgot how to stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was asked by a workmate to make this for another workmate. Now I have to do one for an engagement as well so that is today's task.

As you can see, this is a mixture of Cuttlebug embossing, Martha Stewart punches, various flower and leaf punches plus Cricut cutting.

I am pleased to say that the customer was delighted with it :o)

Jackie xx

What a day we had

Good morning all, what a great day we had yesterday at Viv's. If you haven't visited her blog then go and have a peek, she is amazing :o)

There were 7 of us and we started of with bacon butties, the traditional start to all of our get togethers. The next obligatory part of our day was retail therapy so we  popped over to Congleton, where we were supplied with home made cakes and cuppas, and spent a King's Ransom between us :o)

Back to Viv's and then of course we had to play with our new stuff, and what a lot there was. I bought several stamps, a template, some vellum and some Cosmic Shimmer Mist which I have never tried before.

I didn't make any cards, but I did stamp and colour so watch this space and what's more, Viv showed me how to do links WhooooooHoooooooooo. She has already told me about 3 times how to do them but I forget by the time I get home, it was much better being shown on my own laptop, thick or what :o)
Last but by no means least, many thanks to Viv's OH Alan, who made us a wonderful curry for dinner and our own Dizzy Di who made a yummy sticky toffee pudding and sauce, we must have all put several ounces on :o)  

Right, before you all nod off, I have a couple of 8x8  commissioned cards to make before I get to play with my goodies, see you later :o)

Jackie xx 

Crafting day...

...with friends planned for today so I won't be able to visit and comment on your blogs. There will be 7 of us and what a day we will have, with lots of laughter and chinwagging and probably not a alot of cardmaking.

We are all meeting up at the lovely Viv's  so I hope she is ready for us :o)

Jackie xx

Winter Wonderland - Christmas sweeties

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I won last week on Winter Wonderland - sketch :o)

Here is my offering for this week

Inspired by Chocolate Limes ooooooooooh yum yum.

Base card is my old friend Bazzill, DP is from MME, can't remember where the greeting stamp is from, Woodware and McGill punches, scrap of ribbon from stash, Martha Stewart PATP double loops and the whole card sprayed with Crafters Companion gold. Oh dear, I nearly forgot to mention nesties lables (I've slapped my wrist) :o)

Jackie xx

3 simple cards

Good morning everyone, I hope you have sunshine unlike here where it's wall to wall grey!

You've seen this photograph of Shamu on a recent card but I decided to do this one with no DPs, just stamped swirls straight onto the linen base card.
I took this gorse photograph last week at Hilton Nature Reserve and wanted to use it for a card as soon as I got home :o) I gave it a frame in PSP and added one of my butterfly pics and Pat's gypsophila pic. and I created the DP by using the colour from the flower, then punched it with Martha Stewart, not literally of course LOL

For this one, I decide it was time I used something that has been in my stash since the year dot so I had a look and found these gorgeous co-ordinating papers from who knows where. Stamp is from Stampendous, flowers and brads from stash, with a little bit of Stickles and a gem

for a bit of bling, and more Martha Stewart :o)

Jackie xx