At least we are halfway through the week already.....

So glad this week is going so quickly, really need to have a nice relaxing weekend.... I thought I would show you another few cards I have made, cannot show you anything I have made with the new Stampin Up Product until Friday, only 2 more days to go now.

This card I made for my Step Dad's 75th birthday.... we went out for a lovely meal on the Sunday, and had a great family time at their house afterwards.... I made the background by stamping a Papertrey Ink background stamp onto some brown distressed paper, I used a script background stamp. I then stamped another background stamp of squares onto the distressed red cardstock. I used Kraft Cardstock to coordinate with the card and punched out a star using some distressed blue cardstock. The Happy Birthday sentiment is also from Papertrey Ink.

This next card I made for someone in our Church's 30th birthday, I dont really know what he is into so decided that you cannot go wrong with stars. I used a retired kit from Stampin Up to make this card... I love the brightness of the card after the more muted colours of my Step Dad's card.

My daughter asked me if I could make a card for a friend of hers who was having a son, so I love this stamp and it had never seen ink, so I made this for her. I used the retired Bashful Blue Patterned Paper from Stampin Up, the image is from Lili of the Valley Stamps.

Back to work, no rest for the wicked.... have a great day, take care xx

I have been AWOL.....

Not really sure why I have been AWOL, just seemed the longer I left it the harder it was to come back and post... strange eh!! But I have some very exciting news, well exciting for me, not really exciting for you out in cyber space. 2 Fridays ago DH was on Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio) and won a competition for us both to go to South Africa and see a Quarter Final World Cup Football Match, well I for one do like football so this is a brilliant prize and we have 3 nights accommodation too, we fly in overnight and out overnight which means we near enough have 3 full days there too, so there is a theme park, a wildlife park, lots of restaurants and the football match one evening with hospitality included... woohoo... also flights and transfers are included to, so should be awesome. Am a bit worried as it is South Africa, and may yet stay locked in my hotel room but we shall see!!!! Not sure how I can not look like a tourist with an England Football Shirt on... so England Football Team, hear this, you will win all of your matches so that the one we are in South Africa for will be you playing some other team and you must win that one too... would hate to be on the side of losers.



Anyway, back to my post..... have had a few birthdays, giveaways, thank yous, Christenings, Good Lucks lately so will be posting some cards over the next week for all of these. Today's post is about my Daughter in Law's birthday last Thursday. I made a cute little bag to put her present in.


A Kraft Lunch Bag decorated with Real Red Cardstock and Snow White Ink from Papertrey Ink, the butterfly image and die is also from Papertrey Ink as is the Happy Birthday. The Flower is made with Hawaiian Shores Felt and Real Red and Whisper White Cardstock using a die from Papertrey Ink too.... bling from my stash.

I bought this stamp at the Ally Pally, not sure who made it but I coloured it in using Copics... Patterned Paper is Basic Grey, sentiment was from Papertrey Ink....

And I decorated the inside too, using some of my new Raspberry Fizz felt from Papertrey Ink and cutting a really cute flower from it using a die from Papertrey Ink... again paper is Basic Grey and the Punched Edge is an EK Success punch which I also got at Ally Pally.....

Thanks for looking, check back tomorrow for another card. xx

Well What Do You Know....?

Yay, 2 days running, getting back into the swing of things now... lol

Unfortunately no Papertrey Ink cards as I was so busy yesterday and haven't had time today, but my intention is to make a couple this afternoon.... cannot believe I am so busy after the children have gone back to school... lol

Anyway, todays card is again using the Patterned Paper from the Sweet Pea Paper Stack and Barely Banana Cardstock, the ribbon is Kraft Taffeta, all from Stampin' Up! The little butterfly is from my Papertrey Ink order, coloured to match the paper and cut out using the Papertrey Ink Die.... sentiment is computer generated... how easy is this card to make using this gorgeous patterned paper.

The inside was decorated to match, again using the Sweet Pea Paper Stack and Barely Banana Cardstock. I again used the PTI stamp and punch for the butterfly and the edging is a Martha Stewart Punch.

Thanks for looking, have a great day. xx

Bad Blogger.....

Ha ha, bad blogger..... thats me!!!

Sorry I haven't updated my blog over the last few days, have had a manic week and just cannot quite get motivated, plus I have been sorting out my Card Class for next month as it is growing in popularity and I have to make more and more kits each month, I just love meeting all these new people.

Well to start the week, my daughter and grandson were in hospital from Saturday until Sunday... he is still losing weight and not gaining, he was nearly 8lb when born 20 weeks ago and now weighs 11lb, so he is very tiny, but always gives me a great big grin. They still dont know why he is so sick, he has had various medicines for reflux, but none of them seem to make any difference. You can set your watch by the time he is sick after he has finished a feed... around 9 minutes he keeps it down, then the majority of it comes back up.... she is now swapping to bottle feeding him to see if this makes a difference, and so that other people can help her out more, we shall see what happens.

Then Saturday night DH mentions that there have been mudslides, deaths and injuries in Madiera.... guess what? That is where my Mum and Stepdad are on holiday.... so panic stations, ring sister, text and ring mum on her mobile, goes through to answer phone.... we actually dont know where she is staying so ring aunt and cousin. Cousin tells us she is staying in Funchal.... noooo, that is where the problems have been worst. He eventually tracks down the hotel and phone number so DH rings the hotel, they do have someone by that name staying, they will put us through to their room... well that sounds hopeful, hotel is obviously still standing then, but mum doesn't answer. Daughter rings from hospital, I cannot talk to her as on phone to my sister, so DH tells daughter what is going on, she panics, starts texting and phoning mum too. At midnight mum finally texts us all back to say she is fine. She has since rang to say there is devestation all around, so much mud and destruction, but the hotel where they are staying hasn't been touched. Phew, great relief.

So on now to what I have made... I have made a video for Wednesday but haven't got around to editing it properly yet, so that should be put up tomorrow, so look out for that, but I do have a card to show you today.... and here it is....


I used The Green Stack paper pad for this card, I love those papers and wish I had bought the chipboard now. The punch is Martha Stewart and the ribbon is Stampin' Up! Kraft... the sentiment is computer generated.... so how about that I made a card using something other than Stampin' Up!.... I do so love Stampin' Up! tho as the quality is second to none...

Have a great day all, dont forget to check back for my video tutorial tomorrow. xx

More Thank You Cards....

After making that gorgeous Scrapbook at Monica and Bekka's Training Day in Peterborough, I still had quite a bit of the Sunny Day Scrappin' Kit left (well actually we only got half the kit each but there is still tons left, you definately get your money's worth with these kits).... I am determined to use it up, so after using some on a couple of thank you cards the other week, I decided to make another 10....

I did run out of cardstock so just used the matching cardstock that I had that matched the kit.... this is Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Pixie Pink and Old Olive, but I did also add some Kraft Cardstock just coz I like it....

The ribbon didn't come in the kit either, but you can get Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise in the narrow grosgrain and Old Olive in the wider grosgrain, all which match this gorgeous set...

There were plenty of stickers and patterned paper left to make these cards...

and a tip I found this weekend is when you send cards to someone, like this thank you card, write your message on a Post It Note and stick it inside, that means that the recipient can also forward the card on, so an extra little thank you gift for them.....

I did stamp the "Thank You" sentiment, this is in the Ovals All set and punches out nicely using the Scallop Punch...

I stamped the cardstock on the tall cards using the little leaf/tree stamp from the Saleabration Set Good Neighbours.... I just love this set....

and I also punched out little circles to add even more colour to the cards and stuck them on... here I have used the Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon...

These cards didn't take long to make either, probably around 30 minutes and that was because I used the Scallop Border Punch to punch along a lot of the cardstock I used.....

I have already used one of these cards already, but still have 9 left to use... I tend to use tons of thank you cards so will be making some more soon.....

Especially as I still have a load of the Patterned Paper left....

And can you believe, just before the training day I ordered my own Sunny Day Scrappin' Set, so once I finish this one up I have a whole new set to play with.... cannot wait as I want to use some of the stickers with the On Board Chipboard I won at Training Day....

Hope these cards might inspire you to use up some scraps you have laying around, I am really bad at using up scraps which is why I have set the goal of using this set up before starting my new set.... and the colours are so lovely and bright they are really great for the grey days we have had recently.... add a bit of colour to your life....

Just to let you all know, my card classes are full for this week but there are still a few spaces left for next week.... so if you are in the area and want to make some beautiful cards using A Rose is A Rose stamp set, then drop us an email at LindaLloyd@gmx.net...

Right off to make something now, the morning started badly with a dead battery on my car which is now on charge, then it has took me forever to blog, so really need to do something constructive.

Have a great day all xx

Birthday Card

It was my nephews 17th birthday last week and I decided to combine the PTI challenge this week with the card. Had to use stars which i thought was ideal for a 17 year old boys birthday card.

Had to make it really quickly as I had nearly forgotten his birthday, so this card is very basic to what i would normally do. I stamped the PTI stars onto Bashful Blue Cardstock using Bashful Blue Ink. The stars were stamped using Night of Navy Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock and punched out using the Stampin' Up! Star Punch, I then attached 2 blue buttons to the middle of the stars and tied some Linen Thread through the middle. I cut a piece of Night of Navy and cut a v shape one end and mounted it onto a piece of Kraft Cardstock punched with a Martha Stewart Punch. And voila a really quick card. This also qualifies for the PTI Challenge which is to use stars.

Have a great snow day everyone, both schools are closed, DH is working from home. Unfortunately daughter dropped my grandchildren off here this morning whilst she took her hubby to work as she needed the car (grandsons are 12 weeks and 19 months) and she broke down on the way, possibly the water pump. She waited for the car to cool, but it overheated again quickly. In the meantime hospital rings to cancel her appointment (reason she needed the car in the first place) and her hubby rung work to see if someone could come out to pick him up and take him in and his boss said he was sending everyone home anyway.... what a waste of time. Luckily the boys were all nice and warm with me, but then I had to go pick her and hubby up, pick up the boys from mine and take them home.... not sure what they are doing about the car.

Take care and be safe. xx

Happy New Year Everyone

Well I just wanted to wish all my blog readers a very Happy New Year, hope this year is filled with everything you hope for, that you will fullfil your dreams and you will all have good health.

Me and DH held a New Year's Eve Party at our church and everything went really well, no catastrophes, everything went to plan, there was enough food and drink and it even snowed whilst we were taking my son and girlfriend home afterwards and I just love the snow..... so definately a brilliant evening had by all....

Anyway, today I want to finish up with my Christmas things, this time it was a gift for my Mum, pennies were very tight this year and I wanted to make special things for special people. I used to make jewellery a few years back and my mum used to love my earrings so I decided to make her 3 pairs for Christmas.

I decided that I would use 3 different colour metals and stones so they would all be completely different and would match with more of her outfits. The first pair (I did make 2 although there is only 1 in the picture) I made in gold using brown and cream coloured stones.

The second pair were made using silver and more cooler colours of purple and blue, in fact I think these are my mums favourites as she was wearing them when she popped round on Tuesday...

This pair I used antique copper wire and turquoise stones, I wasn't sure if they were a bit longer than my Mum would normally wear, so I offered to shorten them but she said she likes them just the way they are, so I think they were a hit. In fact I like this pair so much I may have to make myself some similar.

And of course I had to make a box to put them in... unfortunately I underestimated the length of the long ones and they hung slightly below the edge of the box, though not to worry, once the box was shut you couldn't see. I used Bordering Blue and Kraft coloured cardstock from Stampin' Up! and Bella Bleu Patterned Paper also from Stampin' Up!

On the outside of the box I used Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon and the Scallop Oval and Oval Punch and the Oval All stamp Set all from Stampin' Up! and Bordering Blue, Kraft and Not Quite Navy Cardstock.

If you would like to purchase any Stampin' Up! items from me, for the next 2 months for every £45 you spend you can order a free limited edition stamp set. With a choice of 4 to choose from there should definately be at least one that you would love to own. Click on the Saleabration Leaflet on the left hand column to find out more details or email me on LindaLloyd@gmx.net.

Have a great evening all xx

Finished At Last.....

I finally finished the cards at last..... so tomorrow after watching my little boy in his assembly I will be putting together a Card Class as I am thinking of starting Card Classes... not sure where to advertise them, but will also make some leaflets and go searching on Thursday. So if anyone reading this is interested in attending a Card Class in Maldon Essex on a Thursday morning between 10am and 1pm, drop us an email and let us know. All kit will be provided (for a fee) and all you will need to bring is a basic crafting kit..... you will also get refreshments and possibly some homemade cupcakes.... the theme will be Christmas of course (is there anything else at the moment).... date to be confirmed.

This card was made using Wintergreen Patterned Paper (retired Stampin' Up!) and Papertrey Ribbon, card is from Paper Mill Shop, bling is from my stash and sentiment is from Our Daily Bread stamps, same as yesterday.

And today I have decorated some of the insides as I made the card blanks out of coloured card.

For this card I used Kraft Cardstock from Stampin' Up! and the Wintergreen Patterned Papers again, the ribbon is Kraft Taffeta Ribbon from Stampin' Up! and the corners were cut using a cuttlebug die, the punch is from Martha Stewart and the sentiment is from Verve Stamps.

Again I decorated the inside to match the outside as the card blank was made using the Kraft Cardstock.

This time I made a Criss Cross Card as I haven't made one of these for some time now.... I used retired Stampin' Up! Patterned Paper for this too and Always Artichoke Stamp Pad and Cardstock, I also used Whisper White and Old Olive Cardstock so it would all match. The sentiment is from Our Daily Bread and bling is from my stash. The ribbon is Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla Grosgain.

And this is what it looks like once you take the card out of the card. The Stamp Set I used on the white card is a Christmas one, but some of the stamps are suitable for all year round use as proved on this card, it is Season of Joy.

And this is the final card I made, Sentiment is Our Daily Bread, Patterned Paper is Stampin' Up! Retired stash, the little butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch as is the border punch. The flowers are from my stash, the brads are also Stampin' Up!

So that is all for today, will be changing my blog slightly as I want to add some tabs, for techniques, wishlist, tutorials, and somewhere my downline and Stampers 10 Clubs can chat too... I will also be hosting some new swaps, so if you like the stash but dont want to buy a whole packet or reel of ribbon keep looking out..

Have a great evening all xx

Another Day, Another Card......

Here we have card number 3... definitely fallen behind as I really wanted to make the 12 by Sunday, but that is looking unlikely now, plus I have had another card request added to the order too, will just have to be a week late, the lady never minds when she gets them, I just like to make it 4 weekly, so no rush really.

Life just keeps on getting in the way... unfortunately last night we had to have our 2 year old cat put to sleep as he had tumours and leukemia... my little boy was devastated and would only go to bed last night with the cats collar on his wrist. Anyway, on to todays card.

Today I haven't decorated the inside, mainly because a lot of these cards are used to write letters in and if I was to decorate, there wouldn't be enough room to write, so some I decorate inside and some I don't... here is today's card...

I used the new Stampin Up Bella Bleu Patterned Paper, Kraft, Brocade Blue and Very Vanilla Cardstock, plus Stampin Up Grosgrain Ribbon in Brocade Blue. The pearls are from my stash and the sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Stamps in US. I never used a challenge today, so no challenge to enter either.

A lot of my Stampin' Up! colleagues have travelled to Germany today for the very first European Conference, unfortunately I was unable to go due to lack of funds, plus not having anyone to look after the 5 children still at home, maybe next year it will be in the UK so there is more chance that I will be able to go.... I hope they all have a really good time and send lots of photos for me to drool over.

Have a great evening everyone, take care xx

A couple of Challenges...

I know, I have managed to post twice 2 days running, I think this is a record for me, but I just wanted to get this card entered for the Stamp With Us Challenge here and the Sketch Saturday Challenge here.


The Stamp With Us Challenge needed me to use 3 patterned papers, 3 brads, 3 coloured cards and 3 different stamps, which I have managed. The patterned papers are a new Stampin Up Set called Bella Bleu, and I used 3 different papers from this set. The 3 brads are from Stampin Up and are at the bottom of the Flower Image. The 3 coloured cards I used are Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla and Kraft which you can just see poking out from underneath the image. And the 3 different stamps are the sentiment stamp which comes from the Stampin Up Say It With Scallops Set, the little blue stamped circle just underneath the flower is from the Stampin Up Circle Circus Set and the flower image itself is from the Stampin Up Bloomin' With Beauty Set. The border punch is also the new Stampin Up Eyelet Border Punch and I used the 5-Petal Flower Punch for the flower. To finish it off I stuck a Kraft Taffeta bow onto the flower stem and layered the middle of the sentiment with dimensionals. Oooh one last thing, the holes around the edge of the image is made using the Tool Set from Stampin Up, although you can now buy the Template, Mat and Sticky Tool seperately.


And again I decorated the inside to match the outside.... If you click on the images they will be shown larger and will be much clearer.

And just so that you can see the how deep it is and how I have raised the images to give dimension...

The Sketch Saturday challenge looked like this...



Hopefully I have fulfilled this sketch too, the 3 circles I have used as a flower and 2 sets of leaves... hope this counts. Everything else is in order though.

Thanks everyone for the challenges, I have had great fun making this card today.

Take care all xx