Stamp Something Tag/Pocket Challenge & Lovely hAnglar Only Book Mark

Brace yourselves, dears - it's going to be a long one!

You can tell I'm almost back to normal - another card completed, but right at the last minute! Today's card is for two challenges:-  the Stamp Something Challenge which is looking for a card with a tag or a pocket and the Lovely hAnglar Only challenge, which is to make a book mark. You can just see the book mark peeping out from the pocket in this photo.  And there are quite a few photos, I'm afraid - it's been almost dark here all day so getting a decent piccie has been a bit of a pain.

I've used a beautiful double-sided Prima paper which I've been hoarding and stroking for ages and I folded it to create two pockets at the front.  There is a tutorial on You Tube on how to create this folded card and if anyone wants it, just let me know and I'll look it up.

The book mark has been made using the same papers and cut out with Nestie rectangle dies. I used my new hAnglar stamps which I got on Ebay recently - I love the fact that although the stamps are coming from hAnglar and stAnglar in Sweden they arrive more quickly than if you'd bought them in the UK!   I coloured the images with my Copics and cut them out, putting one on the card and the other on the book mark. 

Finally I used flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and added some ribbon by American Crafts to the book mark.

As for the Hogmanay preparations, I've decided to go with a buffet  - I'm feeding almost as many kids as adults and it'll be standing room only in my wee house, so it seems to make sense.  I'm doing a ham with an orange and ginger glaze, a curry from one of my Gordon Ramsay books (my son's request - if you like a good Ruby, I recommend this one!) and the usual buffet bits and pieces for people to pile on their plates, plus rice and naan for the curry eaters.  I've made meringues this afternoon and provided my son doesn't keep going back to the tin to eat them all, the plan is to put them out with some poached pears, whipped cream and chocolate sauce for people to build their own pud.  I'm also making a chocolate brownie cake for the kids and my friend Elaine is making a fruit salad for the Righteous and a sticky toffee pudding and toffee sauce for the rest of us! 

Tomorrow morning I'll be cleaning like a woman possessed and from about lunchtime I'll be cooking and looking forward to a G&T once everything is ready and I've got my face on!

Whatever you're doing for New Year, have a fabulous time!

Hugs,

Tracey xx

I'm So Excited (as the song says)...

Have you seen my new Blinkie - yes, just over there, that way →, at the top of the page!  The gorgeousness that is Faye has asked if I would be a DT on the Sweet Stampin' Challenge blog for six months starting in January.  It took me all of about a nano second to think about it before I said "YES PLEASE!"

I'm so proud and excited to be joining team Fluff but feel a bit "unworthy" when I look at the creations made by my new teamies.  I do hope you'll join us over at Sweet Stampin' - just follow the links to see what everyone is up to.

I don't have a card today, I'm afraid - I really can't believe that I haven't posted anything for over a week and to say I've got card making withdrawal symptoms would be an understatement.  I don't have any wierd or wonderful excuses either - I've just had so much school work that I haven't been able to think straight!  Hopefully things will get easier after this week as we're only in school till next Wednesday, but I'm hearing talk of more snow and that's not good - there's only so much chaos a girl can take!

Hope to be back later this week with a card or two - fingers crossed!

Take care and stay warm!

Tracey x

Last Minute as Usual

This is a really quick one as time has really run away with me this morning!  This is going into the Papertake Weekly Challenge and the Totally Tilda Challenge (if I can get it in in time!) which is Glitz and Gold.

I used one of my favourite Tildas for this one and coloured her with Copics.  I'm not too sure about the gold glitter on her dress, but I had no other option due to an earlier glue pen disaster!  My Quickie Glue pen ran out and I couldn't get another, so I bought something which I thought was similar.  I got Tilda coloured up last night and used the pen on her dress, wings and the stars.  Just like the Quickie pen, the glue was blue but I didn't think anything of it until I got up this morning to see that the glue had dried ... blue!  So I had to start again and the only gold glitter I had left was this rather harsh looking stuff. Still, never mind - keep calm and carry on!

I used the adorable papers from the MME Glitter Stack (love, love, love these) and followed the sketch from Papertake Weekly.  The ribbon is from Bunny Zoe's, the flower is a Prima and the gems are from the Glitter Pot. 

Tilda's wings and the stars have had the Glamour Dust treatment and finally the sentiment is a rub on from a DCWV sheet from some years back.

Now I need to get a move on as there are only 10 minutes left before the TT Challenge closes!

See you later,

Tracey T xx

My First Award!

Would you believe it?  The lovely Jacqui P has given me my first award!  To say I am chuffed would be an understatement, so thank you, Jacqui!

I now have to say 3 things which make me "me" and pass on the award to 3 other bloggers.  So, here goes...

1.  I have an eleven year old son who is the light of my life. For a long time I thought I was destined not to be a mum, so to have Gregor was to have all my dreams come true. However, I do have to remind myself of this fact every now and again when I get glimpses of the Kevin the Teenager to come. 

2.  I absolutely love my job - even when it's driving me mad I still love it, if you know what I mean.

3.  I adore making cards.  My house should be cleaner/tidier and my garden should look better than it does but given the choice, I know what I'd rather be doing!

So who will I give this award to?  Actually, 3 people came to mind straight away.  I haven't had my blog for very long and these lovely ladies have made me feel very welcome in cyber-land:

1. The scrumptiousness that is Faye/Fluff - super-talented and guaranteed to make you smile when you visit her blog. Plus, anyone who can carry on blogging while moving from one side of the country to the other deserves an award, in my opinion.

2. The lovely Claire, who makes the most enviably beautiful cards and is always so warm and friendly.

3.  Perfect Pops, commenter par excellence!  Plus she makes the lovliest bright and cheerful cards with beautiful backgrounds!

Do follow the links and check out these blogs if you haven't already - you're in for a treat!

Well, the snow came, just like they said it would.  Tell me, why, when they say we're going to have a brilliant summer, does it not happen but when they say we're going to have rotten weather, they're generally right?  Anyway, it's freezing out there now and there's been no sign of a gritter all day.  My classroom looked like Widow Twanky's Laundry Room this afternoon as the kids spent lunchtime chucking snowballs at each other and came to French soaking wet.  Why do teenagers insist on wearing plimsols and jersey tops when it's minus 4 and snowing?  We had to open all the windows in the end because of the steam coming off them as they started to dry out!

Stay safe and warm this weekend.

Hugs,

Tracey T x

(Don't) Let It Snow!

I've probably picked the wrong subject for today's card as I expect most of you are fed up with the snow by now!  This winter scene even began to lose its appeal for me when I heard the weather forecast at teatime, as it would seem that SW Scotland may not avoid the snow after all!  Apparently it's due overnight and tomorrow  - I do hope they're wrong!

I really enjoyed making this card!  I don't use my Edwin stamps nearly enough so he was lovely to colour with my Copics.  I masked him and stamped the Magnolia winter scene over the top, then cut it out by hand.  I added a good  dose of Glamour Dust over Edwin's wings and the snowy bits to complete the image.

The background paper is by Memory Box and is probably my favourite from this winter paper pack.  The soft blues combine perfectly with the blues in the Tilda Frosted Bluegreen paper pack (got mine from Cuddly Buddly), so I cut out a square of blue and white paper and went around it with a Martha Stewart PATP.  Between the image and the fancy square I added a strip of ribbon - I've had this for ages and it was in a set but I can't remember exactly who made it - could it be KI Memories?  Anyway, the colours were just what I was looking for and I had enough to make the bow at the side of the card.  Finally I punch out a Magnolia circle Christmas sentiment and tucked it in between the frilly square and the background paper.

I'm going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Stampin' for the Weekend - Winter

Totally Gorjuss - Tree (front left of card!)

Cupcake Challenge - Light It Up

Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Punches

Hope to be back over the weekend with a card or two, depending on how much school work I bring home.

Take care, keep warm and stay safe on those roads,

Tracey T x