A spot of baking - calorie free of course!!

When I was in The Works this weekend a book caught my eye 'Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery'. After a quick flick through, my tastebuds were working over time so I had to buy it. There are so many delicious recipes in it I didn't know where to start but managed to decide this evening....

Here we have Malted Cup Cakes with Marshmallow icing



Dark cake cases are def the way to go, look much better than the white ones which make the cakes look anaemic! I guess I should try the taste test but as its almost midnight should wait until tomorrow...



The marshmallow icing is tasty but very sweet. The recipe was supposed to be enough for 12 cakes with a little left over.... perhaps I'm a bit tight with my icing but I've not even used half of it so I suppose I'll have to bake again tomorrow night, sure my family will be devastated!!

A 40th birthday, some beading, Top 3 at Lili of the Valley!!!!

Where did the weekend go? Oh yes, football, shopping, unshopping, a party and its Monday night already!!

It was a friend's 40th party on Saturday so of course I had to make a card.



The background paper is pink and black not that it shows in this photo and I can't take another one now as I don't have the card any more! Love making easel cards, shame I can't photograph them very well....

I went to the local bead bar, Destinctive Designs last weekend, which has recently moved into Silver Springs nursery. If you are in the Titchfield area be sure to make a visit. Debbie who owns the shop is lovely and nothing is too much trouble. Needless to say this has reignited my interest in beading and I only went to look at Troll bracelets and beads!!



I saw this design as a sample of one of the workshops they run and just had to have one. I am ashamed to say I copied it, even down to the colours used, but they are lovely, green is one of my favourite colours. Yes, so my bead collection has had an airing, my mind is working overtime and I don't know what to do next, cards, scrapbooking, quilting, knitting or play on the computer...

I managed to fit in some quilting on Friday evening, its coming together nicely now and I hope to be able to show you some pictures soon.

Off to catch up with some challenges now.

WOO HOO, I've just discovered I made the Top 3 with my entry for Lili of the Valley challenge last week, that's made my day!!! I just adore their stamps, they are such fun to work with. There are several coloured images sat patiently on my desk waiting to be put on a card.

Second card this week, on a roll now!!

Managed to escape to my craft room today.... I was supposed to be going to 2 classes at The Glitter Pot with Jenny Mayes but sadly it was cancelled as Jenny has had a fall and couldn't get there :(. Get well soon Jenny, hope I can get to one of your classes soon.

Anyway here's the card I made today, did a bit more colouring with my copics and dug out my Magnolia stamps that have been tucked away somewhere safe for a while.



I used the sketch from the Just Magnolia challenge this week and colours from the picture inspiration at Papertake Weekly.
The pink paper is MME Bloom and Grown, not sure about the purple paper.

Am off now to knit some more of my socks, might not be back for a while as I get in a tangle with 4 needles!

Back in the swing of things.....

Its been a long time since my last posting, where have the last few weeks gone?
We had a holiday in Devon, at the Manor House Hotel in Okehampton. A great place to go, craft, sport and pampering with the odd bit of alcohol thrown in.... what more could a girl ask for?
I've been back at work a week now, things are still a bit hectic, trying to remember where I left off at the end of July!!

I thought it was about time I made a card and entered a challenge or two.... I've been trying to avoid my craft room as its a bit untidy :( I did a bit of tidying, or should I say cleared a space to craft and here is the result.



The image is a Lili of the Valley image I have been admiring for a while, so treated myself while I was off work, along with some of the new Christmas stamps. I inked up some images and they had a lovely trip to Devon and back but never saw the light of day!! Anyhow, I've coloured some of them now so expect to see them on a card here sometime soon...
I coloured the image with copics, the papers are from stash and an MME paper stack I think, label has long gone! Sentiment from Stampin' Up! The ribbon was tied round a throw I bought recently, buttons are from stash.

I am entering this card into the Lili of the Valley challenge this week which is 'One for the Boys' and Sketch Saturday as I used this week's sketch.

Hope to catch up with some of your blogs soon

A gift, not a card

The challenge this week at Simon Says Stamp is to 'Make A Gift' and the challenge at One Stop Craft challenge is to make something 'Not A Card' so I am entering this little gift box for both challenges.

The box is made from only one sheet of card and paper to decorate (the instructions can be found on the scorpal website).



The box is held closed by the belly band and when this is removed the side pieces fall open to reveal the gift inside.



I visited Hobbycraft this afternoon hoping to find a book with some patchwork patterns for table mats and other small projects. Couldn't find one but did find a lovely book about knitting socks, I'm in the mood for quick fix projects at the moment so have come home and ordered the book and wool to make 2 pairs of socks, just need to get some needles now, going to have fun working with 4 needles, watch this space!!

Hope you've had a great weekend, can't believe its Sunday evening already...

Back with 2 challenges

I decided to make another card for a male, I often struggle with these but this image is just so like a lot of teenagers I know and as I haven't used it for ages, felt it was time it got inked up....



I used the sketch from Creative Inspirations challenge and hoping that this will qualify for the ABC challenge which is B for Blue, the card has to be 80% blue, hoping there's enough blue on here....
The papers are from a Basic Grey pad I've had for ages, image coloured with copics and edges distressed with Weathered Wood distress ink. Decided to make an easel card as its a long while since I've made one of these. Star dies are made by trimming the rounded edges from an SU! flower punch.

Just a quick post as I need to get dinner on. Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you're up to.

Busy day in the craft room....

I shut myself in my craft room today, after a bit of tidying up!! It was time to clear some of the chaos out there and catch up on a few challenges...

The first card is one I made for the Anyone for Anya and Papertake Weekly challenges this week. I had several stamped images which had surfaced during the tidy up so coloured one of these with copic markers, then what paper to use???? After pulling out most of my paper stacks, apart from the fact that I couldn't find one that matched the colours I'd used, it didn't look like I had tidied at all, it actually looked worse than when I started!! Then I remembered that somewhere safe, I had this gorgeous paper from blonde moments, more mess but I found it....



Thought I would tart the insert up a bit as they look a bit boring, so pulled out a couple of swirly stamps, need to get some more tho!!



During my tidy up I made a couple of quick cards for males, having 2 footie mad sons, I often have to have a card to hand at short notice, so thought I would be prepared. I've had these peel offs for a long time, so thought it was time they were used up.



And for those non sporty types....

Quilting

Here's the black and white quilt I made for my daughter during my blogging break.



The pattern is from a Jelly Roll pattern book but I used fat quarters of 4 different patterned fabric in white on black and black on white. I'm not very good at doing random, I like there to be some kind of sequence.

I'm working on another quilt at the moment, nearly finished the patchwork, I just need to put the squares together but have spent the last day or so trying to work out some kind of pattern while keeping the random effect :S.

Long time no see.....

I can't believe it's been nearly 2 months since I last posted - where has the time gone!! The summer term is always long and busy term and just to add the the chaos I have been helping out at another school on my day off, added to which I've been busy with craft orders so blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat. I have remembered to take photos though so watch out over the next couple of weeks for updates....

It was Barry's birthday this weekend so thought I would use the opportunity to take part in the Sketch Saturday challenge, I had the house to myself on Saturday afternoon and had a great time making this card and a couple of others, not for challenges but in a bid to use up some stash - so that I can buy some more without feeling too guilty ;)



Anyway here we go, with a Manga stamp I bought a while back, coloured with copics, I had forgotten how relaxing it is colouring, perhaps I should have done a bit more over the last couple of months! I used an embossing die I bought at Newbury which hadn't found its way out of the packet, some football brads which have been in my stash forever and the fab EK Success circle cutter which will be getting a lot more use in the future.

Hope to be back tomorrow, especially as I've seen the weather forecast, there won't be any sunbathing, sounds like craft is the order of the day!


xx

A couple of cards I've made this weekend

It was the school summer fair on Friday and I had a stall selling my cards. Sold a few cards, not as many as I would have liked but a few is better than none....

I didn't have many wedding cards which seemed to be what people wanted so I got cracking this weekend and made these which were ordered.

Its been ages since I've made iris folding cards, think I should have made a couple more for my stock while I was at it.... oh well something to add to my list to do this week!

Hope you've had a great weekend, not sure where it went!!

xx