Blackpool Comedy Carpet

The day after Boxing Day, we decided to go to Blackpool to visit the Comedy Carpet.  tThe Comedy Carpet is a celebration of comedy on an extraordinary scale. Referring to the work of more than 1,000 comedians and comedy writers, the carpet gives visual form to jokes, songs and catchphrases dating from the early days of variety to the present. Sited in front of Blackpool Tower, the 2,200m2 work of art contains over 160,000 granite letters embedded into concrete.  It is definitely worth a visit, especially if you fancy a bit of a giggle. The great British weather let us down again, and it rained on us again!!!! Enjoy some of the photos we took

London 2012

Since I don't get to holiday in America any more thanks to Archie (I can't bear the thought of leaving him in kennels), I have been longing for Victorias Secret goodies.  I was so pleased when I read that Victorias Secret had come to London.  I persuaded my friend Sandra to come to London with me for a weekend in November.  We travelled by train on a Friday and returned on the Sunday. We had a brilliant time, but I'm sure somebody kept on moving the hands on the clock faster than normal.  We had a great time shopping in Victorias Secret, and I've now got my supply of body lotions,sprays and lingerie.  The windows had different costumes from Victoria Secret Fashion Shows.

We definitely shopped until we dropped.  On our last day we went on the London Eye. The views were amazing and I was so pleased that it didn't scare me at all as I'm not good with heights.

On our way back to catch the Tube, we saw Big Ben and an amazing memorial for the Battle of Britain. Our weekend was short, but we crammed so much in.  We also fitted in the Victoria & Albert Museums Hollywood Costumes exhibition. That was brilliant.

Sweet Sketch Wednesday #184

I've been having trouble getting motivated to make my christmas cards.  Have hardly made any, but I couldn't not make one for my husband.  Arlana at Sweet Sketch Wednesday has yet again helped me with another of her brilliant sketches.  I've used Papermania paper Home for Christmas, the ribbon is also by Papermania. The flowers have been made using a Marianne Creatables poinsettia die. I've used a Lili of the Valley stamp called Christmas Snooze.

A christmas card (at long last)

I just haven't been able to motivate myself to make my christmas cards.  I think most of the cards I'll be posting will be shop bought (yes I'm hanging my head in shame to say that). I've made this card for my auntie and uncle who I'm meeting on Sunday for lunch before they jet off to America for christmas.  I've used Papermania papers Home for Christmas.  The image I've used is called Little Elf Finn which is one of Mo Mannings.  How cute is she.  I've used a Spellbinders die to create the poinsettia.  I'm entering this card in 2 challenges - Charisma Cardz Challenge #48 Christmas and Mos Challenge #164 Anything Goes. Lets hope that now I've made one I'll make a few more.

Happy 21st Birthday

My friends daughter will be celebrating her 21st birthday this week (how time flies). I can still remember when she was born and the great days out we all had together.  As soon as I saw this Tilda stamp with the key I bought it ready for her birthday.  I've used the sketch from Magnolia Down Under Challenge #175. I'm always saying this but it is always easier to make a card if you've got a sketch to use. The background paper is First Edition Desert Blooms, its got a lovely glittery look to it but you can't tell by the photo. I've also used Tim Holtz weathered clock behind the image.

Birthday Hugs

I bought this Tilda stamp specially for my Auntie as she went to New Zealand a few years back and had her photo taken with a Koala. A perfect stamp to bring back (hopefully) happy memories.  I'm loving the new paper pads by Lili of the Valley, the papers I've used are NitWits Promises.  I've also used some of the paper to paper piece Tilda's dress and her hat.  I've used a Fleur De Lis Square, and the birthday sentiment is computer generated.  I used the sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stash Challenge #131. Its so much easier having a sketch to follow, and the Papertake Weekly Challenge is Anything Goes.

Penny Black October Challenge

The challenge this month at Penny Black is to follow a sketch done by Helen.  I always find is so much easier to make a card following a sketch.  This was a really nice sketch to use.  I've used A Gift For You Penny Black Stamp.  The papers are Nitwit Collection papers called Petal Fresh that I bought from Lili of the Valley.  The additions to the card are from a Spellbinders set called Parisian Accents.  I think I'll be using these again.

Battersea Dogs Home

Anyone that knows me, will know how much I love my dog Archie. He is the boss in our home, and me and hubby are always spoiling him.  I have recently been watching the TV programme Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs. This programme has been centred around Battersea Dogs Home.  I think nearly every episode I've watched I have cried, as I just can't believe how cruel people can be to dogs, but those poor dogs still have so much love to give.  Its amazing what you can find in blogland.  Before this programme aired, I had found a knitting pattern called Purly Paw Print Patchwork Blanket designed by Lauren O'Farrell, which as the title says is a blanket to make for a lonely dog. I saved it for a to do later. After just watching the first episode I decided that the knitting needles had to come out and this is the finished blanket.  15 plain squares, and 15 with a paw print in small, medium and large. This will now be winging its way to Battersea to give a dog some comfort.

Stampin' for the Weekend - Feeling Floral

Challenge 18 at Stampin' for the Weekend is Feeling Floral.  I made this card for my friends birthday and never got round to posting it on my blog.  I got the idea for this card from an amazing blog called Kittie Kraft ttp://kittiekraft.typepad.com/kittiekraft/2012/04/spotlighting-daisies.html.  I loved the technique Kittie had used for her card.  The stamp I've used is a Hero Arts.  The sentiment is a peel off. I'm really pleased with how the card came out, but I think it would have looked better with maybe a wider flower image.  Another excuse to buy a new stamp lol.

Tour of Britain 2012

On Monday me, hubby and Archie went to watch the 2nd stage of Tour of Britain fly past.  As mentioned on the website Stage Two sees the return of an old venue – Nottingham – and the addition of a new venue – Knowsley – as The Tour of Britain returns to Merseyside for the first time since 2008. Hubby has watched every stage of the Tour de France, the Olympics cycling (go Chris Hoy MBE and Victoria Pembleton MBE) and now the Tour of Britain, so there was no way we wouldn't go and see the riders.  I thought tho' that I would have been able to recognise Bradley, looking for his famous side burns. No chance. Its just a good job that the camera was taken so that looking back we could make out where Bradley Wiggins was and Mark Cavendish were. Bradley was at the front with the black top and blue stripe down his helmet, and Mark had the white top on with black helmet.

Lili's Little Fairies - Spots or Stripes

The challenge at Lili's Little Fairies this week is spots or stripes.  I've used the strawberries stamp for this card. A really easy image to colour in.  I'm not sure what the name is of the spotty paper I've used, I know I've had it for a while.  The butterflies I've added are from a Martha Stewart punch.

3d Daisy Card

I can't take any credit for this card I've made.  I found a brilliant and easy (well it must be if I can do it) tutorial, supplied by "Stamping with Loll".  When I saw how she had created these daisy cards, I had to give it a go.  The recommended punches were Punch Bunch, but I found the postage far too expensive so scoured the Internet for equivalent ones. I'm pleased to say I found Woodware punches that matched the job. Using Lolls tutorial this is what I produced, and I'm really pleased with the result.  I had to post this card, so put some bubble wrap on the front of the card.  I don't know whether or not the flower actually survived, I'm hoping it did.

Another Boy

Yes, another baby boy has arrived.  I didn't want to use the same layout again, so came across Karen's sketch #28 at The Sketchy Challenges and thought perfect. I'm loving the Lily of the Valley stamp Baby with Teddy. Its so easy to colour and just fits the bill perfectly.  Yet again I've also used the Forever Friends New Arrival paper pad. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I've only just bought the Memory Box Fresh Leaves die. I think I'll be using it quite a few times. The detailing is gorgeous.

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 163

Our friends have just had their first child a little boy. I haven't met him yet as mum ended up having a c-section which wasn't planned, and she only came out yesterday, but unfortunately has had to go back in to hospital. I'm itching to meet baby, I'll just have to be patient and hope they are both well and back home soon. I was having trouble deciding on the style of card to make them but as soon as I saw Arlanas sketch for this weeks challenge, it gave me the inspiration I needed.  The papers are Forever Friends New Arrival, the image is a Lily of the Valley called Baby with Teddy (so cute).  The blue and white stars are by Craftwork Cards, and the Its a Boy is computer generated.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Summertime

Penny Black has now gone to a montly challenge so I was able to take my time over this card (thank god as it took me ages, I think Mr Mojo has had enough of the rain and gone off somewhere else lol!).  The challenge is Summertime. I always associate summertime with drying your washing outside. There hasn't been much opportunity this year to do that (dread to think how much our electricity bill is going to be the amount of times I've had to use the tumbler) oh well.  I've used the Uplifting Occassion stamp, I think this stamp is so funny.  The background paper is 1st Edition Desert Blooms, and the flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts. The sentiment is by Craftwork Cards

A Baby Shower Gift

My friend is due to have her baby within the next week (ofcourse all depends on when the little one wants to make an entrance).  She was having her baby shower today. Now I've never been to a baby shower (and unfortunately I wasn't able to go to hers either), but I had no idea on what type of present you give at a shower.  I am obsessed with Pinterest and have to have my fix every night. I saw this amazing idea and hey presto, 'The Hospital Survival Kit' was decided on.  This kit was thought up by Jen whose blog is called My Own Road. This survival kit is specifically for the mother to survive her time in hospital.  So I have put together the following items for her :- Special K Bars (well you don't know what time the baby will be born and there may not be much food on offer depending on the time of day), Lip balm, dry shampoo (a woman should never be without it), hair ties to keep her hair up (she is also hoping for a water birth so she definitely needs to try and keep her hair tidy), fudge (I mean what woman doesn't deserve a sugar fix after giving birth), feminine wipes (need I say more), wet wipes, and an antibacterial hand gel and hankies (you can never be too careful). Jen has also supplied printable labels to attach to your gift bag.  I've added pink on one side and blue on the other as they didn't want to know the sex of the baby. I'm just hoping that no one else has thought up this idea, and that she likes it. Also to not leave her hubby out, I've enclosed a voucher that entitles him to 1 free meal with us after the birth

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 159

I think it would take me ages to make my cards if it wasn't for inspirational blogs out there.  One of my favourites is Sweet Sketch Wednesday.  Love the sketch provided this week. My friend is celebrating her birthday next week, so I decided it was about time I used one of the Saturated Canary images I have. I've used Naveah.  The papers are Prima Meadow Lark Collection.  I'm quite pleased with how my flowers have come out (actually with the help of hubby as well - his suggestion).  I used 2 different flower stamps, then the white centre of the flower is part of a Marianne Creatable poinsettia die. I then added a coloured pearl in the centre of each one. I always find cards easier to post when the flowers are this flat.  I used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen to add the white dots on Naveah's dress.

Lazy Afternoon Birthday Wishes

I love this Lily of the Valley stamp called Lazy Afternoon.  Who wouldn't like to just laze in the sun under the shade of a tree. I've used the sketch at Sunday Sketch & Stamp Challenge 111 - Francesca's sketch. It was a lovely sketch to use and I may use it again.  The papers are Prima Sun Kiss Collection. The sentiment is by Stampin Up.  The challenge at Lili's Little Fairies is In the Garden.

Red, White & Blue

The challenge at Cupcake Craft Challenges 196 is Red, White and Blue. A perfect colour combination for a male card. The challenge at Charisma Cardz Challenge this week is Male Cards Challenge #23.  I've used an American Art Stamp and added white embossing powder on the image.  I've used a Martha Stewart punch for the picket fence, and I'm not sure if it is very clear but the 2 round circles are supposed to look like golf balls.  I've used a swiss dots Cuttlebug folder and used the opposite side of the paper to look like the pitted golf balls.

Charisma Cardz Challenge #20 - No Flowers Allowed

I can't believe its been a year since my hubby's niece gave birth to her daughter. How time flies.  I thought the Lili of the Valley stamp Balloon Bunny was so appropriate especially with just the 1 candle on the cupcake.  I love colouring their bunnies in. The pink dotted paper is from Craftwork Cards, and I've used a Tim Holtz die for the number one.  The challenge at Charisma Cardz this week is No Flowers allowed.  Definitely no flowers on this card.  I've added some stickles to the cupcake, and a few sparkly stars by the image.

Sea Odyssey - Day 2

Day 2 of the Giant Spectacular/Sea Odyssey event. Today was grey, very cold especially when you are just standing around, and also showery.  We decided to get to the event early, so we got there an hour early. A long time to wait, but we got a brilliant spot, the uncle walked right past us.  When we got there you could hear the Uncle snoring while he slept.  After he woke, he was helped to put his deep sea diver helmet on, and then his journey began.  It says that he measures 50ft tall. Well he was immense, and some of the photos I'm going to add show the scale of how large he was.  I do think tho' that Archie was getting slightly bored near the end lol.

Sea Odyssey - Day 1

This weekend Liverpool are hosting an event called Sea Odyssey.  It is to commerate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, and it involves 2 giants + a dog. They will journey around the streets of Liverpool visiting different venues.  The story was created by a French street theatre company Royal de Luxe. The story is based on a poignant letter from a Liverpool school girl to her dad who was a 1st class steward aboard the Titanic.  Alas, the letter never reached her dad.  In Royal de Luxes' story the Little Girl Giant is on a quest to receive news about her dad, who was a stowaway and who unfortunately died on the Titanic. But unbeknown to the girl, her uncle made a promise to scour the ocean floor for the shipwreck and put his brother to rest and in doing so discovered a letter written by him to his beloved daughter. For the past 100 years he has walked across the ocean floor with the sole purpose of delivering the letter to its young owner.  Today we went and watched the Little Girl Giant wake from her sleep with her dog Xolo asleep across her lap. They were both bathed and then the 2 of them set off on their journey. I have never seen anything like this before and I was amazed on how the 2 puppets moved, and also the amount of man power it took to move them along.  I've taken loads of photos so here are just a few of this morning.  Hoping to see her uncle tomorrow.

A Very Special Birthday

My mum will be celebrating her 80th birthday in 2 weeks time. I wanted to make her a card that would stand out from the other cards she will hopefully receive. Thats why I decided to make her an easel card. It also gave me the opportunity to play with my Grand Caliber and grand nesties for the card as I hadn't used them before. The papers I've used are 1st Edition called Love Letters. I thought the Tilda stamp I've used was so appropriate. I have ordered my mum a cake, but I'm not going to attempt to put 80 candles on it lol! The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. I'm entering this card into 2 challenges
Totally Tilda Challenges - Challenge #44 - Happy Birthday
Midweek Magnolias - Week #6 - A very special birthday

Just Giving - Alzheimers Society

My husband is a fanatic bicycle rider. He's always entering cycling competitions. This year he has entered the Isle of Man End2End Challenge. Instead of just cycling for fun which is what John normally does, he has decided to try and raise money for the Alzheimers Society. If anyone is interested in reading Johns story on why he wants to do this, then please click on the link below and if you are tempted, please sponsor him (no obligation at all tho').

https://www.justgiving.com/JohnClimber

Sweet Sketch Wednesday & Lilis Little Fairies

We are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary this weekend. As soon as I saw this weeks sketch on Sweet Sketch Wednesday #147 I thought it was ideal, as I don't think hubby is a flower or ribbon kind of person lol. The papers I've used are a Nitwits download called From the Heart. The cute stamp is a Lily of the Valley stamp called Together Forever. I've also used a Tim Holtz Sizzlits Rosette and added a Stampin Up heart punch on the rosette. The challenge at Lili's Little Fairies this week is Anything Goes. Hope he likes his card.

A Labour of Love

After 3+ years (ok I haven't constantly been on this project), I have actually finished this shawl. I have never tried to knit anything this big before, and if truth be told I'm not going to attempt to make another one either. I suppose part of me has enjoyed making it, but having to knit 4 separate sections and a cast on of 295 stitches each section its been challenging. So I'm putting pictures on my blog so that I can look back at what it looked like, as I am going to give it to friends who are expecting their first baby in 3 months time, but then again can I part with it lol!.

Happy Mothers Day

Mothers Day is a time to spoil your mum. As soon as I saw this stamp I thought it was perfect. I know that I now can't use it again, but I feel that the sentiments say it all. The stamp is by Woodware and the pink paper is from a Hot Diggity Dog paper pack. The lace is one I bought from the Ribbon Girl and the lovely flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the Ribbon Girl. I can't believe how quick I was able to put this card together. Its weird the way sometimes I spend hours trying to decide on the right papers etc, but this one was easy.
I'm entering this card into the following challenges - Secret Crafter Challenge 176 - No Image just Words - Allsorts Challenge 145 - Say it with flowers and Papertake Weekly - For the girls ... or Mum.

Lilis Little Fairies - Peaches n Cream

I was cutting it fine making this card for my cousin. I only made this card last night and her birthday is in the next day or 2, so no pressure. I love this LOTV stamp Gift Wrapped, it is such an easy and quick stamp to colour. The challenge this week at Lilis Little Fairies was Peaches n Cream. Because I felt under pressure to make this card I've kept it really simple with no patterned paper at all. The corners have been done using a Cuttlebug die. The flowers are Wild Orchid Crafts.

Never Too Old for Cupcake

This Lili of the Valley stamp is just so cute and I think its suitable for any age group. I mean I don't think anyone is ever too old for cupcake. I've used Jacques Valentine Sketch from Lilis Little Fairies challenge blog as my layout for the card. The papers are First Edition Love Letters. The lace heart and flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts, and I've added glamour dust to her wings. I'm entering this card into the following challenges Week 6 - Jacques Valentine Sketch, Charisma Cardz Challenge #5 - Things with Wings, and Allsorts Challenge Blog Week 141 is Free and Easy February.

Happy Valentines

What an awful day yesterday. At least we were lucky enough to miss out on the awful snow that affected a large portion of the country. We had rain, rain and more rain, so what better time than to get crafting. Pity about the lighting tho'. I've made my hubbies valentines card using Tilda with heart. I've paper pieced her dress using First Edition Love Letters paper, and I've used the same paper for the 3 double ended banners. I've used my Cuttlebug hearts embossing folder for the red background paper. The flowers are baby pink and white sweetheart blossom flowers from wild orchid crafts. I also made a box still with the red and pink theme and added Martha Stewart hearts on each side and Nestie hearts on the top. This has 4 chocolates inside which I'm hoping will be shared with me!! I'm entering this card in to a few challenges

Sketch and Stash Challenge No 77 - Free choice - I've chosen Sketh 77
Totally Tilda Challenges #39 - Pink and Red Valentines
Just Magnolia & hanglar & stanglar challenge #142 - Anything goes
Stampin' for the Weekend - Challenge 2 - Embossing

My poorly boy

My poor Archie is suffering. He's gone and split one of his claws on his front paw and my poor little boy is in pain. Hubby took him to the vets this morning as last night he came into the house after being out in the back garden with his paw bleeding. I don't know whether its all dogs but Archie hates having his paws touched, so it was hard work trying to soak up the blood. This morning we could tell he wasn't himself. The vet has given him an antibiotic injection and if his paw isn't better by Monday then the vet is going to pare it down (that doesn't sound nice). You can tell he is sometimes in pain because he starts shivering and takes ages to stop, or he moves and then puts his paw up in the air. My poor little boy hope he gets better soon.

A New Year & New Beginnings

Another year gone how quick the time seems to fly. In fact I can't believe that January is nearly over already. Friends of ours have just told us they are expecting their first baby. I'm so pleased for them. I've already told them I'll babysit for them. I made a pair of these bootees for Johns niece last year, and I was so pleased on how good they looked that I had to make another pair for the parents to be. This time I've used lemon as the main colour. Hopefully they'll like them.