cheers...

Good morning everyone how was your weekend? anything exciting?...we had a lovely sunday lunch surrounded by family and all ate way way too much of course...well if you cant do that at family meals when can you lol...I love watching my lovely Dad nodding off in front of a roaring fire after his lunch, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling if you know what I mean...I appreciate every single moment I spend with him, hes such a giggle and has a wicked sense of humour...our beautiful Daughter has a new black kitten and he is such an adorably cute affectionate sweetie, everyone has fallen head over heels for him and he fell asleep on my Dads knee but it must have been a little slippy as he fell off and of course did what cats do when they fall grabbed on for grim life with his claws, that certainly roused my poor Dad but bless him he just caught him and smiled...I love that man with all my heart but it did make me giggle a bit lol...right now my card for today, its for our new challenge at Bunny Zoe's Crafts monthly challenge, this month our lovely Sara chose the theme of Stitching...now I dont really do stitching but I managed a bit of faux stitching with a black pen and that's about all the stitching I would manage, of course everything I used for my card today is from Bunny Zoe's Crafts...this fabulous little Edwin is from the brand new Little Circus Moscow Magnolia release and is called Edwin Nutcracker Soldier I coloured Edwin with my usual distress inks and glittered him a little with some Stickles Glitter Glue - Star Dust, I paper pieced his outfit with the same lush papers I used for my card and the sentiment tag are also from the Kaisercraft - Marigold 6.5"x6.5" Paper Pad too...I added a ruffled bow made with Gingham Wired Edge Gold Thread Ribbon - Blue and finished with a bit of Sew Easy Floss Assortment - Green strung across the bottom and a couple of buttons from the Primary - 25g button bag, the fab sketch is from The House That Stamps built Challenge and Im also entering it for the Rogue Redhead Designs Challenge and the Just Us Girls Challenge too...I need to get a bit of crafting done today and my craft room and its in desperate need of a tidy...hhhhmmmmm I wonder which one I will choose to do (yeah right lol)...whatever your up to today I hope you manage to get a bit of crafting done too...have a great one
Mina xxx

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose, spun sugar

hair - black soot

crown - antique linen, ripe persimmon, black soot

shoes and sash edge - black soot

shading - pumice stone

distress inks vs lady grey tea...

Good morning everyone how are you all...all finished then?...is your present wrapped and food bought...nope? me neither lol...well the curse of 2013 is still with us I'm afraid, my Niece was in Hospital and my Uncle then yesterday I found out my cousin had a heart attack and has to be transferred from our local hospital to a larger one for a pacemaker...they are all being sorted and on the mend hopefully and that's the three so no more hospital troubles...finger, toes, arms, legs and eyes crossed...I only have a few things left to buy and of course the big food shop...going around supermarkets at Christmas you could be forgiven for thinking they were going to be closed for a fortnight not just one day wouldn't you...its nuts how much food is bought and money spent on it at this time of year and looking around the shoppers there is always so many miserable faces, I sometimes thing if we spent less time and money worrying about food and gifts we might even remember the essence of Christmas and start to enjoy it...what do you think?...right now my card for today...can you see the smudging? that's what happens when your enjoying a cup of Lady grey whilst your gazing out of the window...just one little drip and its smudge city...I thought I had managed to save it until I saw these photos so will have to reink this cutie and this time no tea in sight while I'm colouring lol...so ignore the smudges and pretend its perfect...this little cutie is from the new CC Designs release...this is the gorgeous CC Designs Rascals Sking Henry coloured with my distress inks (and lady grey lol) and glittered with Stickles Glitter Glue - Star Dust...I teamed it up with some stunning papers from the beautiful Kaisercraft - Marigold 6.5"x6.5" Paper Pad although its not a winter or Christmas pad I think the colours and patterns work great for this one don't you...I added a bow made from Gingham Wired Edge Gold Thread Ribbon - Blue, a stamped sentiment from the C.C. Designs Naughty Or Nice Sentiments (the tag is from the paper pad) and a few buttons from the Primary - 25g button pack...everything I used today is from Bunny Zoe's Crafts...I made the sketch up as I went along but am entering this for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Brown Sugar Challenge and the Craftitude Challenge too...I'm off out to town today for a little mooch what you up to?...whatever it is I hope you have some festive fun

Mina xxx

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose, spun sugar

hair - antique linen

outfit - stormy sky, shabby shutters, pumice stone

skies and poles - antique linen

just a touch of the dreaded red...

Good morning everyone how are you all...I hope your all well and having fun this festive season...well at long long last our trees are up and one is even decorated...the other will be done this morning, I had forgotten that the one in the lounge is 7ft tall (not that we need a 7ft tree but it was too much of a bargain to miss) and we both are struggling to reach the top so the step ladders will have to come out to make sure we can get the star on...when its finished I will take a photo to let you all see...well how much Christmas shopping do you reckon I got yesterday...er...none lol...I made the mistake of popping into the craft shop and got kinda stuck there, there were far too many pretty things...by the time we came out the shopping urge had kinda gone of the boil so we headed home to light the roaring fire and snuggle down...well I did that Phil made some more Dundee cakes, everyone is loving them but its costing a fortune to make them all...I told him next year you will have to charge for ingredients...well all except the ones for my lovely Dad of course, you better get your orders in now girls lol...right now onto my card for today...I'm determined to get past this fear of the dreaded red distress inks so went mad and used loads of it today...this little cutie is another of the Valerie's from Mo's Digital Pencil...shes one of a set of three called Valerie in Winter, they are fantastic to colour and paper piece and such a bargain price for three stamps too...I coloured her with my usual distress inks and teamed her up with one of my favourite paper pads of this season...these are from the Teresa Collins 6x6" Paper Pad - Santa's List...the sentiment strips are cut from the same pad too...I added some buttons and a lush bow made with Gingham Wired Edge Gold Thread Ribbon - Burgundy, this makes fantastic bows being wired they are so easy to plump up even after they have been squashed...the pad and ribbon are from Bunny Zoe's Crafts...the fab sketch is from the Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge and I'm also entering it for the Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge and the Crafty Calender Challenge too...we really do need to start shopping today or nobody will get a gift from us at all...so I'm off to get sorted ready for going out...speak to you all tomorrow and whatever your up to today I hope its a brilliant day for you

Mina xxx

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose

outfit - antique linen, fired brick, frayed burlap

shading - pumice stone

extreme paper piecing...

Good morning everyone how are you all?...well and enjoying your first weekend shopping fest of the festive season I hope...sorry I didn't post anything yesterday but life sorta sneaked into the crafting time, it has a way of doing that now and again doesn't it lol...it was the festive light switch on in our local town last evening and we had planned to go to it so we headed off nice ad early to have a bite to eat first and as we got out of the car the heavens opened ad I don't mean a shower but it starting raining so hard it was bouncing off the car park ground, so with that and the really high wings we decided standing in it watching the lights being switched on wouldn't be happening...so after our food we headed home to sit in front of a roaring fire instead...oooohhhhhh are we getting old or just sensible enough not to get drenched watching lights being switched on, I'm going with the latter one lol...right now onto my card for today...how adorable is this brand spanking new Whimsy Stamp...its called Whimsy Elf Frame...I coloured him with my usual distress inks and then went to the extreme with my paper piecing, I couldn't stop and even paper pieced the border, holly and bow...I stopped at his lovely little face thank goodness lol...isn't this stamp just the perfect kids image for a Christmas card...all the fabulous papers are from the Kaisercraft - Holly Bright 6.5"x6.5" Paper Pad, the tag is from the same pad but the sentiment is from the stunning CC Designs AmyR Stamps Christmas Verses II, this is a fantastic stamp set at a fantastic price and perfect for all your Christmas tag or verses...I love it and you will see it on loads more of my cards, I finished with a bow made from Gingham Wired Edge Gold Thread Ribbon - Burgundy and a few scattered flowers from the Blossoms - Resin Flower Pansy set...everything I used is from Bunny Zoe's Crafts...the fab sketch is from the Papertake Weekly Challenge and I'm also entering it for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge and the Stampin' For The Weekend challenge too...poor Phil is having to work all day today there's a new computer system being installed at work so he will have square eyes when he finally gets home bless him so I'm heading out to hopefully get my Dad Christmas present so wish me luck I will need it lol...whatever your up to today whatever it is I hope its fun

Mina xxx

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose, spun sugar

hair - antique linen

bells - antique linen

berries - fired earth

shading - pumice stone

nothing beats a christmas hug...

Good morning everyone did you all have a fantastic weekend, well we didn't get up to much yesterday just a quick visit to the supermarket for camera batteries is all...I'm keeping my head down for the foreseeable future lol...my hip is a little better today so I don't think I need xrays just a non klutz pair of feet and maybe a few more days rest...thank you all so so much for your sympathies and kind words yesterday they meant so so much to me, I think I was feeling a bit down and sorry for myself yesterday but chin up things have to be better now by the law of averages if nothing else lol...right now onto my card for today which is for our new challenge at Bunny Zoe's Crafts monthly challenge...the theme this month is Shabby Chic/Vintage ...I always struggle with these themes as I'm never quiet sure what shabby chic means but I think my card is more vintage anyway...how cute is this gorgeous little Christmas image?, its from Whimsy Stamps and is called Little Jack and Bobbin Christmas...I know hes a boy but I think he would work perfectly for a little girls card too...I coloured this cutie with my distress inks and teamed it up with these stunning papers, tags, paper piecing and edging from the Kaisercraft - Holly Bright 6.5"x6.5" Paper Pad...lush papers arent they, embossed and glossy too, they are so gorgeous, I added a strip of Gingham Wired Edge Gold Thread Ribbon - Burgundy and a bow made with Organza Ribbon - Burgundy (25mm Wide)...the gorgeous cute flowers are from the Blossoms - Resin Flower Pansy set and I finished with a snowflake charm from the Marianne D Winter Charms JU0871 pack and I stamped a sentiment from the Kaisercraft Clear Stamps - Gingerbread stamp set...everything I used was from Bunny Zoe's Crafts...the lush sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge and I'm also entering it for the Crafty Calendar challenge and Charisma Cardz challenge too...I think I will head out for coffee today and a catch up with my lovely Dad he always has a way of giving me a good shake lol...whatever your up to today have a brilliant fun one
Mina xxx
oh and don't forget to enter the Bunny Zoe's Crafts monthly candy while your here too the link is at the top of my sidebar

distress ink colours used

skin - antique linen, frayed burlap, tattered rose, spun sugar

hair - frayed burlap

hat - antique linen

berries and holly - barn door, shabby shutters

puppy - antique linen, frayed burlap

train set - antique linen, barn door

shading on paper piecing - pumice stone

shading around image - antoque linen