And the Winners Are...

After getting a fantastic 27 entries for my say it with flowers challenge on 'Say It With Flowers' over the last couple of weeks, my youngest son Jack has pick the overall winner, who will set the next MSE Challenge:

And the winner is..........

Congratulations Marg, on being the winner with this fab card.

Since the kids behaved themselves all weekend, and they both wanted to pick the winner, I said that my oldest could pick a runner up, just to keep the peace in the house going a bit longer, so Harry, my oldest picked....

this runner up...........

Congratulations Wanna B Rich, who submitted this fab card for the challenge.

I'll send you both a little something in the post by the end of this week, and Marg, I look forward to finding out what you will set for the next Challenge.

Thank you to everyone who entered my challenge, all 27 of you - you all did fabulous cards.

A Card I Am Always Good At...

Been busy knitting the last few days, not sure it is going to be my new crafting activity though. Thought I'd try a different design with the 'mug hug', and knitted the middle piece and then failed miserably at trying to pick up stitches on the edge of a row, to continue knitting the pattern in the other direction. I won't give up yet, but will need to find out the ins and outs of knitting from my mum when I next see her. I did knit another 'mug hug' similar to the first one I did the other night that was easy as it is a standard knit stitch from one end to the other, with no tricky stitched inbetween.

Feeling a bit disheartened with the pattern I couldn't follow, I have sat and made one of my name cards tonight, for a lady that is leaving work on Friday. Doing this card has made me feel heaps better, as it is a style of card that I am good at! They are so easy to do, and always look stylish and elegant, and I have never done a wrong one yet.



Still pondering the sock monkeys the kids want, so may have go at doing another one at the weekend. Just got to figure out how to tattoo the arms of a WWE Wrestler!

A New Knitting Project

I must have been bitten by the knitting bug, because I have just finished another new project.

A while ago on a blog I saw a 'mug hug' which I thought was kind of cool, and didn't look to complicated to make. I was sent the patten used for the original 'mug hug' I saw, and last night started to knit one.

OK, I am very new to knitting, and when I was showing my OH the first 7 rows I did yesterday, and being really impressed that I had managed to increase a stitch of each line , he looked at it and said 'think you have done something wrong, because it only inclines on one side'. I read the instructions to him and he said I should have increased a stitch on each end of the line. Arrgh, I had done it wrong, and had to start again, still I had only done 7 rows so it wasn't as bad as it could of been!

This in the finished 'Mug Hug' I have done and I am really pleased how it has turned out. I have used the same fushia wool I used yesterday for 'Dotty' the sock monkeys skirt, and since I still have well over half of the ball of wool left I will make some more of these - to probably give as gifts at christmas. I'll need to get some funky buttons though to jazz them up.

I'm hoping that the more I do, the better they will look, as this one does look a bit rough around the edges. Still I have mastered the basics of knitting and even making a buttonhole, so who know what I will knit next - off to ponder that one.

SOCK MONKEY PART 2

After I made the beginnings of Dotty last night, I couldn't go to bed until I had made her up, so at 1 am this morning I was still sewing the ears and eyes on!

Here is Dotty in her finished form, and I have to say, not only am I impressed that I made a sock monkey, I think she has a quirkiness about her just like me!

There are a few things that I would do differently for my next sock monkeys - shape of the ears; more rounded feet and hands; and a bit more stuffing in the legs but all in all I am very happy with my make. I just need to figure out how to add her mouth - tried last night, but failed miserable as I have never really been a 'sewer'.

I had a bit of time this morning, so had a go at knitting with the needles and wool I bought yesterday. Now I haven't knitted anything for 30 odd years, so thought I would knit Dotty a scarf. However, I got a bit carried away with casting on my stitches and within no time at all realised that this was going to be way too big for a scarf, so decided it would be a.....

.... skirt for Dotty! So here is my very first sock monkey, modelling the very first bit of knitting I have done for a very long time. Not sure why the knitting looks red, but it is a lovely deep fushia colour to go with some of the spots on Dotty.

Yesterday the kids were not impressed by what I was making, but now that I have finished her - yes my kids love her and have asked if I can make them one each. My oldest son Harry wants a Chavvi sock money complete with lots of gold jewellery, and my youngest Jack wants a WWE (Wrestling) Rey Mysterio one, with one red leg; one white leg and lots of tattoos!

Nothing like being set a challenge is there.

SOCK MONKEY PART 1

Although today hasn't gone to plan for me to craft all day, I have started my very first sock monkey!

The boys football wasn't cancelled as I had hoped; I'd forgotten all about going the the hygenist at 11 o'clock, until I got a reminder text from them very early this morning; we had to go into the local town this afternoon to get a few bits and pieces. I didn't therefore start making 'Dotty' until 5 o'clock this afternoon.

Here she is half completed, but in the morning I will be ready to sew on her limbs; make her face; and with any luck knit her a little scarf with the knitting needles I bought this morning, to have a go at a 'Mug Hug'.

I ended up getting the dotty socks in Poundland, and have so far sewed all her on the sewing machine. I though it would be quick and easy to make, but it is pretty time consuming with sewing all the bits; sorting out all the ends of cotton to tie so my hard work doesn't unravel itself; and stuffing all the bits.

Don't think she looks too bad, but think I will find giving her a mouth a bit more trickly. Still they do say that each sock monkey is unique and has their own character, and I am pretty sure that Dotty will be no exception!

Hopefully Sock Monkey Part 2 will be finished off tomorrow.

An Altered Nut Container and Tin Can

With my new job, I've been there 7 weeks - I am one step closer to getting my own desk!

I have crafted tonight and having finished off some gorgeous M&S Cashew Nuts we got for Christmas, and eaten some tinned pinapple, I have washed and dried the containers, and made these, which will sit on my desk along with the desk calendar I made over Christmas, hopefully one day next week.


These were dead simple to make, just a piece of backing paper cut to size and attached to the tin/tub with double sided tape and tacky glue. I liked the paper to start with but when it was done it didn't look very girly (not a butterfly in sight!) so I added a piece of glittery red organza ribbon around the middle of each container to give it a bit of a lift.

The big one will be used for pens; pencils; scissors; rulers etc, and the smaller one for paperclips. I'd like to make a third taller skinnier one but at the moment am struggling to think of a decent container to use.

I'd like to enter this into this weeks Incy Wincy Challenge - Go Dotty

Pay It Forward 2011

I've just entered a 'pay it forward' at 'What Shall I Make Today', so here I am paying it forward.

I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, your must repost this status, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade (or homemade) by you and it must be sent to your 5 people some time in 2011. So if you want to play leave a comment below.

A Matching Set of Butterfly Gifts

It is one of my good friends birthday this week, so I needed to make her a card, and something that would hold a gift voucher, so I had a play with my cuttlebug; craft robo and butterfly punch last night and ended up making these for her:

I really struggled to think of a card for her so ended up making one of my trusty embossed butterfly cards and cut the box on the Craft Robo, and to decorate it I embossed some white squares with the same 'Happy Birthday' folder used on the card, stuck them to each face of the box and added a piece of red ribbon around them middle with a punched butterfly on 4 sides and the top.

I've got a few (boxes!) of ES mints left over from Christmas so made up 8 and topped them with a red scalloped circle; white glitter card plain circles, and a punched butterfly on each mint.

As as set I am really pleased with the results, and it didn't take me that long to make.

I'd like to enter these into the following Challenges:

Paper Pretties Challenge - Unique Fold/Non Traditional Fold [gift box]
The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Happy Birthday
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything Goes

A Hobby Card

I always struggle to do mens card, I just find them so difficult.

It was my Uncle's birthday this week, and I found out late last year that now he has retired, he has joined a Lawn Bowls Club, and when I went to the Crafty Ideas shop in Maidenhead in November, I found a sheet of die cut decoupage of lawn bowlers that I thought would look perfect on a card for him:

I don't do decoupage very often, as I find it very fiddle to 3d pad all the separate pieces, and it seems to take forever, but I love my Uncle to bits, so sat and did it just for him.

I thought the scene was great, and the card didn't need much added to it, so I just matted the image onto some dark green card, and then onto a mat made of silver mirror card, and added the sentiment that came with decoupage sheet.

I spoke to my mum yesterday, who told me that my Uncle loved the card and found the image very funny. How I am going to top this card next year I don't know, but have a year to think about it!

Gardening Newspaper Card

I was asked to make a gardening newspaper style card just before Christmas, for the partner of my good friend Ann, and this is what I came up with:

and Ted loved it!

I have to say that I really strugged to find some gardening embellishments for this card, possibly the wrong season to be looking, but in the end I had to pay 'Hobbycraft' prices to put on the card.

I love this style of card, and now I have mastered the layout, I really enjoy putting them together and producing a unique card every time I do one. At the same time I bought these embellishments Hobbycraft I saw some horse riding ones, so bought them to do another card like this for my niece in October, as she is studying Equine Management at University.

I have learnt a lesson with doing this style card and that is if I see embellishments that I think I may need I have to buy them there and then because when you go back to get them they are never there.

I'd like to enter this card into the Scrapbook Sisters Challenge - anything goes.