ANOTHER AWARD

I have just recieved this award from the lovely Maria at http://mumhugcraft.blogspot.com/. Thank you very much Maria. I have to pass it on to 7 people and then write 10 honest things about myself. I'm passing it on to:

http://debbiesunderland.blogspot.com/
http://helsbelswork.blogspot.com/
http://itsnotterrysitschoccys.blogspot.com/
http://lil-miss-tree.blogspot.com/
http://flourgirlcrafts.blogspot.com/
http://mookybargirlpage.blogspot.com/
http://sallyukscards.blogspot.com/

Please pass it on to 7 others.

Right here are 10 honest things about me:

1. I hate getting up in the morning when it's dark.
2. I'm scared of frogs.
3. I eat far too much chocolate and sweets.
4. I save for everything I need - if I don't have the money I don't buy it.
5. I always treat people as I would like to be treated.
6. I spend far too long on MSE during the day from work when I should be working .
7. I am not assertive with people or confident in new situations and wish I was.
8. I don't do the housework often enough - crafting is much more fun!
9. I love getting value for money and looking for bargains.
10. I am secretly addicted to watching 60 minute makeover, and wish someone would do it for me.

WHAT A LUCKY GIRL I AM!

Arrived home today to find these beautiful cards waiting for me, with a stash of goodies - courtesy from Carol, who was my 'stash' swap partner for this month over on Crafty Places. Opening the envelopes made me feel like it was Christmas!

The brilliant green card is from DawnTeaBag, who was my 'card' swap partner for May from Crafty Places, and the fab pink card is from Carol, who also very generously sent me this amazing stash:

Thanks very much ladies. I love it all, and look forward to making some cards with Carol's goodies.

CREATIVE CARD CREW CHALLENGE - SHAPES

This is the card that I'll be entering for this week's CCC challenge - Shapes. As usual I had an image in my head, and just needed to find a template!

The coloured card I already had, and the paper is, I think, from Dovecraft Retro Flowers, and the padded butterflies I had already, and they were bought a while ago from the Papermill Shop.


Inspiration for this card came from here.


I think it has turned out really well - although my OH begs to differ - what do men know about cardmaking anyway!

BLOG AWARD

Thank you to Flourgirl for passing me the Cindersmacfee Blog Award.

I'd like to pass it on to:

Flutterbies
Helen's Work of Art
Mel's Mess
Sally's Cards
Snowy Peaks

Please pass it onto 5 others.

DADDY'S BIRTHDAY CARD

It's my husbands birthday today, so on Friday the kids and I made this card for him:



The story behind this one, is that the family of a workmate of his own a woodland and my OH and his mates occasionally go into the woods to shoot the squirrels as they are pest in the woodland and are doing a lot of damage to the trees. Try as they might, and despite attempting to shoot the squirrels over 5 weekends so far this year, only one has been shot and that was by my husband. They go shooting for grey squirrels only, so the deliberate mistake in this card is that it shows a red one, but he's dressed in camouflage gear, and looks as though he wants to get his own back on my OH and his mates!



I know this card won't be everyone's cup of tea, but my husband finds it very amusing!

THIS WEEK'S CREATIVE CARD CREW CHALLENGE

This is my 'minimalist' card for the Creative Card Crew Challenge this week.

Had the green card and ribbon in my stash - very proud of my 'hand-tied bow' and usually struggle to make these look any good, but today it worked!

The flowery paper is a bit dovecraft retro flower 6 x 6 paper, and a peel off for Happy Birthday.

CARDS FOR 'BIG' MALE BIRTHDAYS

I am always stumped when it comes to making cards for men.

In the next few weeks, I have a 50th and 70th party to go to, and have therefore come up with these, which I hope both recipients will like.

I've seen the idea in shops, and thought that I would have a go at making some.

The card is designed in Publisher and the birthday cakes in the corner are from clip art. The information that makes the card are facts that have been taken from Wikipedia from 1939 and 1959. I really liked making these and have found the facts fascinating, since I wasn't around until 1972!

3 IN 1 CHALLENGE CARD FOR THIS WEEK

OK, this is my most recent card, which I think fits 3 challenges this week.

Firstly, the 'Green' MSE Challenge this week, was any design but must be green - the dress is mint green set on cream embossed paper and a green circle. Dress was bought at Papermill, and the cream paper from the Works.

For the Crafty Place Challenge you had to use: 3 ribbons (silver); 3 brads (middle of flowers), 3 colours - green, silver,cream; 3 shapes (2 circles and one rectangle); and 3 papers (cream embossed, jade green circle, stripey green paper at the bottom - I know they look blue, but they are actually tones of aqua, so I am classing that as green!

The Creative Crew Challenge this week is the use of embossing, so since I don't have a cuttle bug or the like or any way to do it buy hand, I have just used the dress and cream paper.

The actual card is based a bit on my card for last weeks Creative Crew Challenge, which I loved doing.

Been out to day for a lovely lunch, catching up with family, and have made this card tonight to say thank you to my Auntie for having us all for the day.

Another card made out of what I had, so nothing special used, although with Saveapenny's help I have managed to make the polka dot paper, so thanks very much Mandy. My Auntie loves the colour green and polka dots, so hope she like this - the ribbon also has white small polka dots on it to. Also thanks to Paddingtondoo, for the suggestion of using eyelets for the middle of a flower. Thank you is just a peel off. Not sure if I will enter this one for this week's 'green' card challenge on MSE, as I have another idea in my head for that.

FREE BLOG CANDY AVAILABLE FROM CINDERS MCPHEE'S BLOG SITE

Very kindly Cinders McPhee is offering some free blog candy. This is what is on offer, and to be in with a chance of winning, just click the link to her blog site on the lefthand side of this page under My Blog List. Good luck to all those that enter.

MY HUSBAND'S BECOME CRAFTY!

It's my BIL birthday on Monday so my OH has decided that instead of buying a card this year he would make one for his brother using some of my stash! This is a first, as he has never shown an interest in actually making a card before. Here's the card, and it is very pink:


The story behind making some pink socks, is that one day when my kids were very small he came around to visit and my oldest happened to see that he had pink socks on. When Harry asked why, he said that his girlfriend had done a load of white washing, but unfortunately something red has also be put in with the washing and it had turned everything pink. So he became Uncle Pinky and the name has stuck ever since. My OH is very pleased with it, and I am sure that his brother will find it very funny.

FLOWER BASED CARDS

Made a card this afternoon using some of the papers I have in my new stash. This card is made using dovecraft retro floral papers.

CARD BASED ON THIS WEEK'S CREATIVE CARD CREW CHALLENGE

Another card, using the same sketch as this week's CCC challenge but this time using reds and pinks.

Again the card is made from scraps that I have lying around.

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE POSTMAN!

Been ordering a few bits and pieces this week from various websites, and they have all come at once this morning. Really pleased with my purchases and the whole lot has cost me just over £15.00 and that includes postage.

For that I have got 48 sheets 6x6; 20 yards of green spotted ribbon; 20 large green paper daisies; I silver heart buckle; 200 3-d sticky pads; 1 pack of random ribbons (must be 30 different designs); 50 mixed colour brads; 1 box of mixed flowers.

Great service by all 3 companies, so will definitely use them again:

http://www.poppicrafts.co.uk/catalog/

http://www.heidihicrafts.com/

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/tysons-craft-shop__W0QQ_armrsZ1

I will now spend some time later today seeing what I can create with the papers and embellishments.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

As promised here is the receipe for the chocolate chip cookies:

Chocolate Cookies – pre time: 35 minutes; cooking time: 40 minutes


This is a versatile recipe for melt-in-your-mouth cookies. You can use either chocolate spread for a double chocolate taste or peanut butter for a nutty flavour.

Ingredients for 20 cookies

125g / 4oz unsalted butter
90g / 3oz soft light brown sugar
1 egg
125 / 4oz chocolate spread or half a bar of milk cooking chocolate
2-3 drops of vanilla extract
90g / 3oz caster sugar
200g / 7oz plain flour
30g / 1oz cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
½ os baking powder
150g chocolate chips – white/milk/dark

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 4. Cream the butter and both types of sugar together in a
large bowl until the mixture turns creamy. Use an electric mixer.
2. Still using the electric whisk beat the egg, chocolate spread, and vanilla extract into the
creamed butter and sugar mixture, until fully mixed in.
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon
to help the mixture through, if you need to.
4. Add the sieved flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and gently mix them together
with a wooden spoon. Stir in the chocolate chips. At this point you may need to add a
drop of water to the mix.
5. Place 6-7 heaped dessert spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto each baking tray, leaving
space between each mound so they can spread as they cook.
6. Bake for 16 minutes. Take the trays out of the oven and leave the cookies to set for 2-3
minutes. When set, transfer them onto a cooling rack.
7. When you take the cookies out of the oven they will appear very soft. Don’t worry as
when they cool down they will harden up.

For best results, bake the trays of cookies one at a time on the middle shelf of the oven.